Operation: Rigid

TWENTY-EIGHT

The Noose Tightens

I woke with a start, disturbing Valencia with my sudden jerk. "What?" she gasped as she tumbled away from me to seize her weapon from the nightstand.

"Nothing," I sighed as I relaxed.

After glancing around the room again, she put the weapon down and fell back into the bed beside me. Rolling away from her, I reached for the phone charging on my side of the bed, struggling to not fall into the hole we'd made in the mattress last night. 7:02. Not as late as I was afraid. I placed the phone back on the table. I'd planned to fuck--no, not fuck--make love to Valencia last night and then set the alarm on the phone after we finished, but I'd been so wiped out after my face melting orgasm, I'd forgotten, and had gone almost immediately to sleep. With a groan I rolled to the edge of the bed.

"I'll be back," I mumbled as I sat a moment before rising to my feet and walking to the bathroom.

I showered quickly, and when I returned to the room to dress, Valencia was sprawled in the middle of the bed, already back to sleep. I groaned silently at the sight, my cock hard as I dressed. I thought about kissing her goodbye, but decided not to. Firstly, I didn't want to wake her, and secondly, if she made any kind of movement to have me join her in the bed... well... it'd be hours before I got the damn car to the shop. Forcing my attention away from those thoughts, I hung the

Do Not Disturb

sign on the knob before shutting the door as silently as possible.

I arrived at the shop we'd selected last night... mainly because it was close to the hotel and opened at seven. I rolled to a stop in the oil-soaked gravel parking lot only minutes past seven-thirty, two men visible inside the garage busily working on cars. As I approached, the older of the two mechanics stopped what he was doing and stepped away from the car.

"Good morning," I said as I approached.

"Good morning," the man replied.

"I have an issue," I began, launching straight into what I wanted. "My car is overheating when I drive above sixty. I don't know what the problem is, but I need it repaired, today if possible."

"I can take a look at it, but today is a problem. There are several cars ahead of you."

I nodded. "I completely understand, and if you can't, you can't," I said as I pulled out a large wad of pesos, "but I need it fixed as soon as possible and I'm paying with cash. If you can't do it, I'll take is somewhere else, but I'll make it worth someone's time."

The silence hung between us a moment as the man's eyes flicked from the roll of pesos, to my eyes, and then back to my pesos. He finally smiled. "I think we can probably work you in, but rush jobs cost more."

"As they should," I agreed.

"We'll take it in next. We should know something within the hour."

"That'll be fine. Do you think it'll be ready by noon?"

"Depends on what I find."

"Assume it's either the radiator or the water pump."

"Then, yes, that should be no problem."

I smiled at the man. "Great! Also, the transmission isn't working right. Can you take a look at that too?"

"Yes..." the man said slowly, "but transmission work takes much longer than replacing a radiator. I won't be able to get it back to you today."

"I understand, but take a look at it and see if there's anything you can do to help it."

"What's it doing?"

"It slips when I try to accelerate or climb a hill."

The man grimaced. "If it's not low on fluid, that's bad."

"It's not low. I checked it, and the fluid is a dark brownish color."

He grimaced again. "I'll check it, but it sounds like it needs a new transmission. How many kilometers?"

"Almost 550,000."

The man grinned as he chuckled. "Yeah... there's probably no repairing that without a rebuild, but I'll look at it."

"That's all I need to hear. One last thing. I need a ride back to the hotel I stayed at last night. Can you help me out with that? Do you have a car I can rent until mine is repaired?"

"No, but I'll have Pedro run you over there." He turned to the garage. "Pedro! Come give this gentleman a ride back to his hotel!"

"Okay! I need just a minute!"

I peeled off a one-hundred-peso bill and handed it to the man. "For the ride. Can someone come get me when the car's ready?"

The man smiled as he took the bill. "Of course."

"Thanks for the ride, Pedro," I said fifteen minutes later as the Toyota Hilux rolled to a stop in front of the hotel.

"My pleasure, sir," the man said as I stepped out of the vehicle and shut the door.

A moment later, I paused in front of the room door as I pulled my phone. The hall was totally deserted, and I could speak with reasonable privacy in air conditioned comfort. I pulled out the cell, along with the scrap of paper that had a number written on it, and dialed.

"Anders? Where are you?"

"I forget... but not at the border."

"What happened?"

"Car trouble. I'm having it fixed right now. I hope to be on the road again by noon. That should put us arriving in Brownsville between ten and eleven tonight. What's the news on extraction?"

"It's a no go."

"What? Why not?"

"The office thinks it's a setup. Basically, they don't believe Agent Cantor."

"God

dammit,

" I muttered softly. "If we get killed, they're going to get fuck-all from this."

"I understand, but I did warn you that you were going to be on your own."

"I know, but this wasn't what I signed up for. I was just supposed to get in, snoop around a little, and then get my ass out."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really am. Get to the border, and I can help you, but the office isn't going to get involved in this."

"Is it because Valencia fingered Lara?"

"I think that's part of it, yes. You have to admit, it's hard to believe."

A thought occurred to me. "Hang on a second," I said as I minimized the phone call and opened the web browser. Now that I had a name it took only a moment to find what I was looking for. I closed the browser window. "I can confirm Lara and Toro are one and the same."

"How?"

"I did some snooping while I was inside, and I saw a picture of a man with, who I assume is his wife and daughter, in Voice's house. Unless Toro has a fetish for Lara and has a picture of him beside his bed, then it's the same man."

"You're sure?"

"I just looked it up. One hundred percent sure. The picture beside Toro slash Voice's bed is, without question, a younger Fernando de la Luz Enríquez Lara. You think having confirmation will give you some leverage?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I doubt it, but I'll try."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Firstly, I ran a covert op without their knowledge, so as you can imagine, I'm not exactly popular with the DEA brass at the moment. Secondly, the first question out of someone's mouth is going to be 'How do we know you didn't say that just to save your ass?' It's a fair question. I believe you, but will they?"

"Fuck..." I grumbled.

"Let me try again, okay? I'm doing all I can to get you out. I don't leave people behind if there's any way to prevent it. That doesn't set well with me." I started to thank her, but before I could, she continued. "I'm planning on you trying to fuck my last name out of me."

I snickered as my cock twitched with the memory of fucking her until she gave me her first name, or what she said was her real first name. "Extra incentive to not get killed."

"Let me work on this. I can reach you at this number?"

"Yes."

"We've notice that Mexico has beefed up the security on their side of the border at all the crossings between Brownsville and Del Rio, but call me when you get close. I'll have people waiting and we'll figure out the best way to get you two across. Stay safe. Both of you."

I smiled. I could tell Mother was starting to come around to the idea that Valencia hadn't turned. "We will."

I opened the door and slipped into the room. Valencia was just as I left her, except she'd rolled onto her side, and I was instantly jealous of the pillows between her legs and held to her breasts. I held the handle down, but the faint

click

of the electronic lock latching woke her. "How'd it go?" she murmured as she rolled to her back.

"Hopefully it'll be ready around noon."

She sniffed deeply before yawning. "What time is it?"

"A little before eight."

She sighed again as she opened her eyes and watched me sleepily for a long moment. "I haven't gotten to sleep in for a long time. It's nice," she said as she stretched with a groan. Watching her do that made me want to groan myself. "What are we going to do while we wait?" she murmured as a slow and sexy smile appeared.

"Breakfast in bed?"

Her smile spread slightly. "I like that idea."

I returned her smile. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Rested."

"That's good," I said as I began to undress. "Any regrets?"

"Plenty." A wave of shame washed over me as my fingers became still. "But not about last night."

I smiled as I opened the last two buttons on my shirt and shrugged it off, tossing it over the back of a nearby chair before starting on my pants. "You had me worried for a moment."

She graced me with a lazy smile. "Getting the shit fucked out of me last night has given me a new perspective."

"It has?" I asked as I slowly crawled into the bed with her. She wrapped me in her arms as she pulled me down to her breasts.

"Yes. I didn't realize how stressed out I was... until I'm not anymore. Well, not as much anyway."

I brushed her lips with mine. "Glad to be of service."

I watched as her gaze danced over my face. "You were, but it's more than that. It's being away from Voice and having someone I can trust, someone to watch my back, someone to talk to."

I brushed her lips again. "I'm here for you. I always felt like I had to think about what I was going to say before I said it, to make sure I didn't say something that would cause someone to get suspicious." I brushed her lips again. "For you, it must have been a million times worse."

Her face crinkled as if she were going to cry, smoothed, crinkled again as her eyes welled with tears, but with an effort, she regained control over her emotions. She nodded. "I was so scared, all the time."

I gently kissed her eyes to dry her tears. "I'm sure."

She blew out a long, cleansing breath. "But I'm free now."

"Exactly. I spoke to Mother. It's a no go on an official extraction. Somebody at the DEA has a stick up their ass about me being here, so they're not going to help."

"I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not."

"The other reason is... they still think you're dirty." I saw that my words hit her hard. "Hey, don't let it get to you," I whispered. "Think about the look on their faces when you prove this shit bomb you dropped on them is real, and they have to eat their words."

She held my gaze for a moment, the uncertainty clear on her face before it hardened. I'd seen that look before and smiled. The vulnerable, uncertain Valencia was gone, and the no bullshit Valencia was back.

"You know what? They can kiss my ass," she growled. "We're going to get out of this, and after we do, I'm going to shove my foot so far up their asses they'll need to see a dentist, the stupid fucks. Jesus Christ they're stupid! What could I possibly have to gain by coming in if I was dirty?"

"There she is," I whispered as I tickled her lips with mine. "Can I be there to watch? Please?" I begged, causing her to smile.

She held my gaze a moment before her smile widened slightly. "Enough office talk." Her smile became wicked. "I want you to pretend I'm a haunted house."

I couldn't stop my chuckle at her non-sequitur. "A what?" I asked as I watched her. Her smile told me she'd set me up again, and I waited for the punch line.

"A haunted house. I want you to start screaming once you're inside me."

I broke into deep, hard laughter. Not only was Valencia smart, sexy, beautiful, and strong, but I was starting to see that she was also funny as hell. Between her deadpanned 'Want to fuck?', along with her 'chicken and egg', and 'Australian kiss' comments last night, and now this, her humor, at least with me, ran to the bawdy side. That was rare in a woman, but she made it work for her, and she'd lost none of her womanly charms because of it.

She laughed with me until, as my laughter began to die, I brought my lips to hers. As her arms slid around me, we kissed slowly, deeply, allowing our desires to build as our bodies responded to each other. After a long moment, I left her lips and I began kissing down her body, taking my time as I nuzzled her neck and throat.

She gripped my rod, gently stroking me as I continued lower, my lips and tongue dancing over her flesh as I slowly licked away the salt left from the previous night's efforts. Moving lower still, my manhood aching with hardness, I pulled my cock from her hand, her groan of disappointment, and the soft gasps and sighs as my lips and tongue teased her nipples erect, caused my blood to roar in lust.

Leaving her erect nipples to the gentle ministrations of my fingers, I began to leisurely kiss down her stomach, enjoying the soft silkiness and taste of her flesh beneath my lips and tongue. As I began settling between her legs, she moaned loudly as she tugged at my head and shoulders.

"Don't you want it?" I whispered as I allowed her to haul me upward to bring my lips back to hers.

"I do, but..." she murmured as she steered my hardness into her. I took her lips as I slowly settled into her depths. She broke the kiss with a gasp, her face twisting with discomfort. I paused. "Don't stop," she whispered. "I want it. Just go slow." Kissing her gently, I resumed my slow insertion. "Oh...

fuck

... your big cock stretches me so good," she breathed, her face relaxing as I pressed in hard and deep.

I smiled as I began to leisurely plunge into her. We had hours before the car would be ready, and I wanted to enjoy every second of them. I fucked her leisurely for many minutes, our lips never far removed from our flesh. We ignored the murmur of voices and the slamming of doors as guests began checking out, our world confined to the walls of our room, our soft moans and sighs of pleasure the only sounds of importance.

I was kissing her deeply as my cock leisurely plumbed her depths, when the phone began to ring. I considered ignoring it, but only two people had the number... Mother and López Automotive. With a growl of frustration, hoping this wouldn't take long, I reached for the phone, keeping my cock in her as I propped on one hand.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is López Automotive. Did you drop off a '91 Tsuru that was over heating?" the same man I'd spoken to at the garage asked.

"Yes."

"Sorry, but I didn't get your name."

As I spoke to the garage, Valencia smiled at me before she shoved me hard, causing me to lose my balance. With a twist so I wouldn't fall on her, I toppled to the mattress on my back.

"Oh, sorry," I grunted as I bounced on the bed. "My fault. Guillermo," I said, giving him the Mexican version of my first name, William. "Guillermo Hernández," I continued, using Valencia's cover name for my own. In Mexico, Hernández was as common as Smith was in the states.

"Yes, Mr. Hernández. I've looked at the radiator. It is completely full of rust and corrosion, and will have to be replaced."

"Okay, do it. What about the transmission?" I asked, trying to keep my voice normal as Valencia swung her leg over me and rammed my cock deep. Her hard, swift plunge of my cock into her womanhood stated more plainly, than any words could, that she'd adjusted to my size.

"From the color of the fluid, I'd say the bands are worn. The transmission will require a complete rebuild. I can do it, but it won't be ready today."

"Okay," I said, my voice strained as Valencia rocked her hips furiously to fuck me like a wild woman. I gripped her hip with my free hand, trying to still her bucking hips, but that only seemed to encourage her. "Just fix the radiator," I said, trying to force my voice to normalcy.

"Oh... fuck," she whispered.

"How many more mile... kilometers do you think I'll get out of the transmission before it fails completely?" I asked as I glared at her.

"Hard to say. The problem is, every time the transmission slips, it wears the bands even more, which makes the problem worse, and then the bands slip even more. If you take it easy, maybe a few thousand. If you abuse it, it could fail in a few hundred... maybe less."

"Okay, I understand," I said, my voice strained as I fought against my rising pleasure.

"I'm going to come," Valencia whimpered as her face twisted with pleasure. "I'm making myself come."

"I'm sorry?" the mechanic said.

"Nothing. Just fix the radiator," I said, my voice stressed, thankful she'd been sitting upright on me and her lips hadn't been close to the phone.

"Yes, sir. The total charge will be twenty-four thousand."

"That's fine!" I replied as I pushed my hips up.

"Oh... fuck... I'm going to come!" Valencia whispered as she continued the furious rocking of her hips. "I'm going to come so hard!"

"Will it be ready by noon?" I asked, my voice louder than I'd meant for it to be, and I hoped the mechanic couldn't detect the strain.

"Yes, it should be, if we don't run into additional problems."

"Call when it's done!"

"Yes sir."

I ended the call and flung the phone away, snarling in lust and desire as I grabbed her hips and added my strength to hers. "Fuck me!"

"Oh God! Fucking you is making me come!"

With a snarl, I released her hips and hauled her down to my chest as she fucked me with fury and passion. After a few dozen more feverish thrusts, she wailed loudly as she flung herself upright again, her face twisted in profound pleasure as she seized her breasts to grip them tight, her fingers deeply dimpling her tender flesh. With another loud snarl, I shoved her off my cock before tumbling after her. She wailed again as I rammed my rod deep and began fucking her with furious passion. The tender lovemaking we'd started with had been replaced by something much rawer and more animalistic. I roared loudly, violently churning her butter as she gently raked her nails over my chest, my cock throbbing as I spilled my essence into her, her soft cry of pleasure joining my bellow of completion. It was last night all over again as we were consumed by desire and need.

I collapsed over her, holding her tight as I rumbled low and deep in my chest, my cock pressed hard into her, as I waited for my erotic high to fade. "Fuck..." I breathed.

"Okay," she whispered in reply, "but I need a minute to recover."

I snickered into her neck before I huffed out a breath. Bringing my lips to hers, I began thrusting into her again as we kissed, her moan with my first thrust incredibly sexy. "That wasn't funny," I growled as my lips hovered over hers, trying to sound pissed off, but failing miserably.

"Turnabout," she whispered before pulling my lips back to hers. "Oh... God... you fuck me so good," she murmured after she'd taken her fill.

I fucked her for many long moments, slowly, easily, returning to the love making we'd started with, our soft gasps and whispers of pleasure our only sounds.

"I'm going to come again," she whispered softly. I smiled at her as I brought my lips to her for another of her slow kisses. "Can you come with me?" she continued when our lips parted.

"Yes," I whispered.

She nodded. "I want you to come with me."

"I want that too."

I continued making love to her, slowly increasing the speed and power of my thrusts as her face twisted with pleasure. "I'm going to come," she whispered.

"Not yet," I rumbled.

"Oh, God! I'm going to come! I need to come!" she begged after another long moment.