Stephanie never believed promises. She believed Arash’s. The vows between Frontier Justice members had been made with actions, protecting each other without question. Words usually meant little, but the way Arash told her what he wanted, there was no doubt he would find a way.
They had spent hours dialing in the modifications to the engine and updating the car’s computer brain to match them. It was sometimes tedious work, with several frustrating dead ends, but Stephanie and Arash continued to operate well together. Which didn’t mean things never got chippy. When they did, though, the dialogue always remained on the task at hand and never strayed to personal territory.
Wrenching on an engine had never been such a carnal experience. Their hands often met while gripping a hose or belt, and where the skin touched, the fire grew more intense. His promise kept rushing through her, stoking the flames.
Lunch had pushed them back into the social mix with the rest of the STR. The usual BS, with Thom grumbling about wanting a hand in the minivan mods. At least she could make her own sandwich and didn’t have to tolerate his talk as well as frozen food.
Arash seized the opportunity to ask Olesk, “You’ve got us on the minivan—are we the ones driving it?”
“Yeah.” Olesk came up from his food to point two fingers at Thom and Hector. “They’re behind the wheels of the cargo vans.”
Stephanie sorted that into the tactical data for the upcoming gig. Arash turned on Thom. “If you’re not driving the minivan, you don’t have to worry about how it runs.”
“We started that project.” Thom looked to Hector for backup, but didn’t get any.
“Thank you very much, and we will finish it.” Arash put the period on the conversation. Her mind turned the new information over. Her and Arash in the minivan would be good for coordinating their efforts, but they wouldn’t have the same direct communication as the other vehicles and could be easily left out of the loop.
She continued to puzzle over this after lunch as she and Arash finalized the electronic component of the minivan’s mods. He showed her that he was thinking on the same problem by pointing to the stock radio in the center of the console when they were huddled together in the front of the cabin. She nodded her understanding, though neither seemed to have any answers. Knowing what frequency the other cars were using would be critical ammunition for her, but snooping now was certain death.
They shut down the laptop and Ellie immediately collected it and locked it away in the barn. Trust only went so far in a gang full of criminals, and the flow of information had to be controlled. Stephanie knew that Ty and Vincent would be running all the addresses she’d given through the local and federal crime databases by now. Any open investigations on those places or people associated with them would be flagged and built on. The biggest gap in her data, the one that gaped like a bullet hole, was the date of the operation. Olesk had a habit of springing things on everyone, so it could be any minute. If she had some lead time, she could find a way to rally the rest of Frontier Justice to her.
Again, she just had to play along and collect what she could while not putting herself or Arash in any more danger than they already were. They certainly didn’t give Olesk any reason to doubt their diligence. Moving from the electronics, they immediately started addressing the suspension and steering. The minivan began to tighten into a coiled snake.
Stephanie completed removing the spare tire and all its accessories, trimming weight, and walked to the whiteboard. She was about to erase the task from the list with a rag when Arash stopped her. He put his hand on her forearm and glared over at Thom and Hector. “Don’t erase anything. Cross it off to show those punks how much we’ve done.”
“If you keep needling them...” She shook her head.
“Backing down now would put me on the run.”
“You don’t run, do you?” Indulging him, she crossed off nearly all the tasks on the list.
“I’ve walked away,” he said straight. “But I’ve never run.”
“Whoever you walked from, it’s their loss.” She understood the difference, having done the same when she dissociated from her father’s business.
“Damn right.” A smile glinted in his eyes.
She placed the whiteboard in full view of Hector and Thom before joining Arash at the front of the minivan. They discussed a plan for the aftermarket shock absorbers, came up with a consensus and executed. Each step brought them closer together, either in thought or physically. She felt the significant strength of his body as he moved a part into place. Her own muscles flared, yearning for that kind of release and effort while gripping him and being held by those arms. And having those legs to wrap her own around.
Even after all the work was done for the day, her body remained charged with energy. Showering alone was such a waste when the two of them could’ve been naked and free to explore their bodies. But not in this house, not with Olesk and the others so close.
Arash cooked the same meal as the night before, but she wasn’t bored by it. The food was real, from his hands. She was tempted to tell him about her grandmother’s hong shao rou, but the other people in the house were coming and going through the kitchen, collecting their own dinners and taking them out to the living room. She’d made the recipe for red braised pork belly and it never took less than two hours from start to finish. She and Arash didn’t have that kind of time. Maybe once this mission was over.
But that was an even bigger question. She had to stay in the moment, because each second could turn toward disaster. And each second with Arash had to be savored while neither of them knew what was coming next.
“First car you wrecked?” Arash stood and collected the plates.
She followed him to the sink and piled the pots and pans in it. The memory made her wince. “1997 Acura NSX.”
“Oh, damn. The six-speed?” He clutched a fist to his chest.
“Yeah. I was seventeen years old, past midnight, driving someone else’s car too fast through Half Moon Bay. Got loose in a turn, put the tail in a ditch and rolled it over.” Her friends had been following in another car and hollered with more excitement than fear as she and the passenger hung upside down.
“Were you hurt?”
“Bumps and bruises.” And quite a bit of shouting from her father and mother. “Hinata got a new car out of it, so no lasting damage.” She leaned against the counter so her leg pressed against his. “What was your first wreck?”
“Pontiac Fiero, year unknown, owner unknown.” He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head with a small smile. “I was pushing it hard, cracked the header, popped some hoses and it burst into flames. Put it sideways into a telephone pole as I was trying to get the hell out. I think the scorch mark is still on the ground.”
“I’ve probably driven by it.”
“Think of me each time you do.” His leg rubbed against hers.
“You know I will.” But that would be somewhere back in the Bay Area, after this mission, and she couldn’t think that far ahead.
“Any more of those cookies?” His gaze lingered on her mouth.
“They were all crushed.” She licked her lips.
“Wait.” He pulled away from the counter and strode into the rest of the house. A moment later he reappeared at the border between the kitchen and the living rooms. Dangling in his hand were the keys to the minivan. He looked at her while speaking to Olesk and the others. “We’re going to take the minivan out to test out the mods.”
She approached him, each step closer making the fire in his eyes burn deeper. Over his shoulder, she saw Olesk look up briefly from his usual spot at the table with his phone. “Good idea. You’ll have time to make adjustments tomorrow.”
Ellie turned away from the video game Hector and Thom were playing to smile at Stephanie. “Have fun.” Before Stephanie could step toward the back door with Arash, Ellie added, “There’s a new development under construction a few miles to the north. Not a lot of traffic that way.” She winked and turned back to the video game. Neither Thom nor Hector looked up to acknowledge anything had just happened.
“Light it up.” Arash tossed her the keys. The metal was still warm from his hand.
It took all her strength to walk steadily with him out the back of the house without running her fingers through his hair and pulling his mouth to hers. The night cold didn’t have a chance against the heat snapping between her and Arash. Their paths separated as they approached the unassuming minivan waiting in the dirt lot among the other cars being worked on. She got behind the wheel and he climbed in beside her.
The engine sprang to life with way more power than any minivan should. Throwing the shifter into Drive sent the car straining against the brakes. She eased off the brake and didn’t even have to touch the gas to jump out to the front of the house. Hitting the accelerator hinted at the beast under the hood. Dirt sprayed behind the tires and the minivan sped onto the long drive. She twisted through the turns there, then onto the main road. The minivan tracked like it was on rails.
“Ellie said north.” Arash turned in his seat to look behind them in that direction.
“We need dessert.” She shot him a sly smile and turned more of the beast in the car loose, pushing them both back into their seats in a giddy rush.
“It moves.” Arash nodded emphatically, face lit with pleasure.
“Like a bullet.” She stepped on the gas and took them even faster down the road. And there was still plenty of power remaining. Once they reached the edge of the closest suburban development, she slowed to a more normal speed that still made the streetlights streak past.
She aimed the car at the largest glow in the development and found a strip mall with a twenty-four-hour convenience store anchoring one end. There was a pickup truck and a compact car parked out front, with a couple of bored-looking teenagers holding up one wall. The minivan fit right in, but she wondered if the hidden beast would refuse to be shut down. The engine did spin to a stop, and the whole car creaked as the bolts and welds adjusted to the transitions.
The latent energy of the ride still cranked in her. Maybe she was the beast who couldn’t be controlled. Arash, too, had that wild look in his eye that only came from speed, torque and handling. They got out of the minivan and met at the front, where they stared at it. She whispered, “It looks like we’re just on a milk run.”
“And cookies.” His carnal gaze lit onto her. The things she wanted to do with him could not be done in the light of a convenience store. She corralled her urges, for now, and headed inside. Arash angled toward the back of the store. “Bottle of water?” he asked.
“And you pick the cookies.”
His growling chuckle matched the look in his eyes as he sauntered off. The danger of the operation continued all around her, and she stayed sharp to it, but she also allowed herself to feel the good in the connection with Arash. For once, she focused on her own needs. And her pulse rushed with the thrill of wanting.
She reached the front counter and asked the cashier for a package of condoms. The young white guy behind the counter was a professional and remained deadpan as he retrieved them. Arash joined them with two bottles of water and a couple different packages of cookies. He already had his cash out and paid for everything.
Outside again, Arash took the bag of goods from her and peered inside. “I thought you were prepared for everything.”
She had the keys out but stayed on his side of the minivan. Each step closer to him made her breath rush faster. They met, faces close, bodies sharing heat. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. He leaned into the touch. She brought her mouth to his cheek and whispered the truth. “I was not prepared for you.”
“I wish—” He brushed his lips against hers.
“Don’t wish.” She placed her palm on his chest and curled her fingers into his jacket. “We have this, right now. I want this.” A tremble started in her stomach and moved up her chest and along her arms. “I want you.”
He kissed her, fierce and hungry, then pulled away. “Give me the keys.” She did and they got into the minivan, him behind the wheel.
The engine blasted to life and Arash threw it into Reverse. “How’s it handle?” Turning to look behind them brought him close to her again and she wanted to grab hold of his lapels and take more of those kisses until she was sated. Which felt like it would be never.
“Wound tight and ready, but you still have to ease through the transitions.” The tremble continued through her. “It’ll be a wreck if we push too hard too fast.”
He released the steering wheel to align the edge of her hair at her cheek. “I’ll drive. You navigate. We won’t wreck.” He backed the minivan through the parking lot. The tires chirped when he shifted to Drive, amping up her already-racing pulse. He smiled, then sped them back into the night.