El Halcón - Part Two

Part two is rated NC-17 for sexual content and swearing.

The water was cool, but not cold, and it was so clear she could see the bottom of the pool. She walked out, getting deeper and deeper the closer she got to the waterfall. As soon as he was sure she was coming into the water, Poe had moved under the waterfall, using it as a natural shower. He stood under the veil of water, face tilted up, exposing his throat. She caught her breath at the sight. Okay, she’d never been turned on by a man’s neck before, but then this wasn’t just any man.

She stopped when the water was just above her waist, for the first time noticing that he had the bottle of soap in his hand. He stepped out from under the stream of water and poured a small amount of soap on his palm, then he tossed it to her before scrubbing what he had in his hand into his hair. “Come on,” he told her, nodding toward the waterfall as he used both hands to wash his hair. “You shouldn’t need too much to get your hair scrubbed if you want.” He grinned. “I don’t have conditioner, though.”

Rey laughed. “Not worried about that right now,” she told him honestly. Quickly, she undid the messy French braid that had been holding her hair in place since the day at the schoolhouse. Some strands were tangled and knotted where they had come out of the braid, but she didn’t care; the idea of scrubbing her itchy scalp clean was too much to resist. Soon, she ducked under the waterfall, too, rinsing off. She and Poe handed the bottle back and forth as they continued to scrub themselves clean, Rey laughing as Poe scrubbed his beard last. Rey felt absolutely divine!

Finally, Poe tossed the almost empty bottle back onto the shore. “If I have my way, we’ll be able to get a real shower tomorrow, but just in case…”

“Your friends in Ajara?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “The problem will be contacting them without getting noticed.”

“How big is Ajara?” Rey asked. She knew there were very few actual ‘cities’ in Ajan Kloss.

“Not a whole lot bigger than the village we came from,” Poe told her. “But it’s got a big all-purpose store that most of the villages in the area use for supplies, so it’s well known.”

Rey nodded, her glance falling on the ring around his neck automatically. He saw where she was looking and picked it up, holding it carefully in his fingers. “It was my mother’s,” he told her. “My dad gave it to me after she died. Told me she would have wanted me to give it to my future spouse.” He shrugged. “I almost didn’t bring it with me, afraid I would lose it. But I couldn’t stand the thought of not having it.” He let it go and it settled back on his chest.

Rey couldn’t deny the relief she felt at his explanation. She stepped forward and reached out to touch the ring, touching the skin of his chest as she did so. “It’s lovely,” she said. “And sweet,” she added. “It’s as if she’s protecting you.” She raised her eyes from the ring to his face and wasn’t surprised to see his eyes had become hooded once more. It was a look she wanted to see more of. Often.

She stepped even closer, her heart thudding hard in her chest. She was positive he could feel it as she pressed her chest against his, her lips parting as she felt her nipples rub against him, uncaring that there was still a thin layer of material between them. She took in a deep breath as she felt his hands land on her hips, his fingers firm on the skin bared by her plain cotton hipsters. She felt a shiver run up her entire body as she brought her arms up around his neck. His eyes never left hers.

Finally, he closed the tiny distance between them, and she gave a little mewl as his mouth devoured hers, his tongue immediately dipping into her mouth. Her arms tightened as she brought her body flush against his, instinctively rubbing herself against him, reveling in the feel of his calloused hands as they ran over her buttocks and thighs, squeezing her gently from time to time. Without even realizing what she was doing, she hitched one of her legs up over his hip, opening herself up to him, recognizing and reacting to the hardness she could feel rubbing against her center.

“Gah!” Poe gasped as he pulled away from her, drawing in air like he was drowning. But it only took a second before he dived down to start licking and sucking on her neck, his fingers digging into her ass, pulling her into him. She started rocking her hips, feeling his hardness rubbing her through her panties. The feeling made her want to scream. Never had she managed to make herself feel this good. But as wonderful as it felt, she wanted more.

Using the buoyancy created by the water to help her, she brought her other leg up and hooked her ankles behind him, rubbing herself mercilessly along his length now, crying out at the sensations.

“Jesus, Rey!” he exclaimed, and she realized his own hips were working into her. His mouth moved back up to kiss her chin, then her cheek, moving to her ear, his beard burning across her skin with thrilling friction.

She needed the clothing that separated them gone! She needed him in her, now! “Please, Poe!” she gasped. “Make love to me!”

“Fuck!” he groaned. “I can’t, sweetheart,” he told her, bringing his face back to look at her. He brought one hand up from where he had been holding her and pushed wet strands of hair off of her face. “I don’t have anything to protect you.”

What? Her brain was fuzzy for a second. Oh! He meant a condom! She shook her head. “You don’t need to protect me, Poe,” she told him. “I want babies!”

He smiled, but there was pain it. “I do, too, honey,” he told her. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.” She stopped moving, looking at him with wide eyes. “Rey, I’ve been here for over two years. I’ve…” he took a deep breath.

“You’ve been with other women,” Rey finished for him.

He nodded. “Just two,” he told her. “I had relationships with both. I cared for them.” He paused. “We were careful most of the time, but I can’t guarantee anything.” He kissed her gently. “I’m not risking you that way.”

Rey felt her heart drop. Here she was, mostly naked and clinging to him like a monkey in the middle of a jungle paradise, but it wasn’t going to go farther than this?

He dropped his head forward and rested his forehead on hers. “I have an idea,” he said softly. “Do you trust me?”

She brought a hand up to stroke his beard. “Of course, I do.”

He gave her what she could only describe as a wicked smile and proceeded to wade through the water toward the shore, both hands on her butt again, not letting her go. He stepped onto the grass next to the pool and carried her over to his pack. He let her go and she obediently dropped her legs down, setting her feet back on the ground. He reached into his pack and pulled out one of his blankets, laying it down on the grass right at their feet. He looked at her, a flash of something naughty in his eye.

“Lay down,” he told her, his voice quiet, but demanding.

Rey felt another chill as she kneeled down on the blanket, then sat, leaning back on her elbows. He smiled and got down on his knees next to her. He leaned over her, and she let herself drop onto her back as he kissed her, long and deep. Then he left her lips and started working his way down, sucking and licking as he went. First her chin, then her throat, then her collarbone. His lips hit the edge of her camisole, and she felt one of his hands touch her ribcage and work its way up, taking the cami with it. She felt the sultry air of the jungle on her bare breasts as he worked the material up and over them. Then his mouth was there, on her breasts, and she jumped at the sensation.

He looked up at her and smiled. “No bra?” he asked.

She raised her head to look at him. “Does it look like I need one?” she asked, unable to control her sarcasm even now. She wasn’t at all large in that department.

He laughed and looked back down at her, and she felt his hand gently grasp one of breasts, his thumb flicking over her nipple. She gasped and arched her back. She had never really understood what the fuss was about; whenever she touched her own breasts, she felt only a vague sense of pleasure. Now she understood. “Oh, God!” she cried as he carefully squeezed her.

“So perfect,” he said softly. “So sensitive.” With another grin, he ducked his head and started licking her other breast, his tongue swirling around the nipple.

Rey felt her whole body jump and she squealed. “Oh, my God!” she cried as she felt a gush of wetness flood her core. She had never imagined it could feel this good! She brought her hand up to grab his hair, still wet from their bath. “Poe!” she cried as the licking became sucking, and her hips started rocking automatically, searching for more.

He noticed her movements and lifted his head from her breast. He looked at her, and once more his grin was devilish. “Looks like I’m wanted elsewhere,” he said as he slid his body down hers. He kissed her belly button, then pushed himself up, kneeling next to her once more. He brought his fingers to the elastic band of her panties and looked at her. “May I?” he asked.

Rey swallowed and nodded, unable to speak. Was he really going to..?

He pulled off the panties, sliding them erotically down her legs, and tossed them over by his pack, then he shuffled over to grab her knees and started to gently pry her legs apart. She resisted, but only a bit, and he looked at her with a smirk, shaking his head. “Let me in, Angel,” he demanded.

With a shudder, she did, feeling more vulnerable than she had ever been before as she watched him settle between her legs. He brought his arms up under her thighs and rested his hands on top of them, his fingers gripping her firmly. Her heart was about to thud out of her chest as she watched him, and she swore it skipped a beat when she felt the tickle of his beard on her inner thighs. He kissed her, open mouthed and wet, on that soft area of skin, then he worked his way toward her center. Her head dropped back as his mouth found her, and her hips jerked as she felt his tongue swipe up her slit. She began to whimper, her pelvis rocking into his mouth, her hands gripping the blanket underneath her.

She couldn’t keep up with the sensations. He used his tongue, his lips, even his teeth, alternating between her pussy, her clit, and inner thighs, never staying too long in one spot. The intensity would build and grow and then he would suddenly change up what he was doing, and she would gasp, frustrated and yet so glad it wasn’t over, yet. When he added a finger to the equation, she cried out so powerfully he jerked his head up to look at her.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

All she could do was nod.

“You let me know if I do anything you don’t like, okay, Angel?”

She nodded again, thinking to herself that it was highly unlikely that would happen.

She dropped her head back again as he once more brought a finger to her entrance and slowly slid it inside. She moaned and rocked her hips into his hand. His fingers were not only bigger than her own, but he went in a lot deeper than she had ever been comfortable with. “Poe!” she gasped as she felt his tongue on her clit.

He looked up at her. “Yes, Rey?” His voice was unfairly calm.

She took a couple of deep breaths. “More!” she finally answered.

“Your wish is my command,” he said with a smile, and she felt a second finger join the first.

Rey drew her lower lip into her mouth, biting down hard enough to make it hurt, trying to prevent more embarrassing noises from coming out. Poe noticed. “Don’t be quiet, Angel,” he told her. “I want to hear you.” He started pumping his fingers in and out of her, and she did as he asked and stopped trying to prevent the cry that erupted from her. She started moving her hips, matching his rhythm, and when he once more brought his mouth to her, sucking on her clit, she felt the pressure rise to unbearable heights.

“Poe!” she cried.

“Let it go, sweetheart,” he told her, and she felt his voice vibrate on her clit. “Come for me!”

The orgasm hit her and she screamed, feeling her whole body convulse. Without thought, one of her hands grabbed his hair, holding him to her as she arched up off of the ground. He continued to suck and pump, not stopping as wave after wave washed over her. Finally, panting, she felt herself go limp. His fingers left her, and she sobbed a bit at the loss of his touch.

Rey opened her eyes to see him getting up on his feet and walking over to his pack. He pulled out a handkerchief and walked over to the water, dipping the rag into the pool. Then he got up and walked back toward her. She couldn’t help but notice his boxers were impressively tented. She leaned up on her elbows, feeling more than a bit shaky, as he once more kneeled down next to her. He looked her in the eye and gently began cleaning between her legs.

The act was strangely more intimate than what he had just done to her.

She swallowed. “What about you?” she asked, her voice gravely.

“Don’t worry about me,” he told her, leaning forward to kiss her. She was startled by the taste on his lips. It was a bit salty, different but not unpleasant. Her. She was tasting herself. “This was all about you.”

“Poe?” She was ready to argue.

“Shhhh…” he told her, touching her lips with an index finger. Then he leaned back and gave her a soft smile. “That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen,” he told her.

“I’ve never…” she started. “It’s never felt like that before,” she told him. “I never really understood why it was such a big deal,” she laughed. “Now I do.”

He grinned at her, then he sat up. She noticed he looked a bit more comfortable, now. “How ‘bout we do a little laundry before nightfall?”

She furrowed her brows. “You can go from what you just did to me to laundry?”

He laughed. “Just trying to keep my mind and body under control, sweetheart,” he told her with a wink.

He opened her pack and pulled out one of her blankets, handing it to her. “If we’re going to get anything done, I’d appreciate not getting distracted.” His eyes roamed her body, making her shiver.

“Oh, you want me to cover up?” she said with a grin.

“For now,” he told her. “Just for now.”

******

The rest of that afternoon and evening felt almost surreal to Rey.

After removing her cami, which had still been bunched up above her breasts, she had wrapped herself toga style in the blanket. Poe had also made a sort of skirt out one of his blankets so he could remove his boxers. A part of Rey wondered why they were trying to be so modest after what they had just done, but the other part was glad for it. Poe’s bare chest was distracting enough; she didn’t need any other exposed body parts from either of them to make her more flustered.

They set out, using the last of the camp soap, to scrub out the mud and sweat from their clothing, laughing and jostling each other at the water’s edge as they did so. Soon, their garments were scattered throughout the clearing to dry, laying over rocks and branches, and Poe was making another fire. They sat, shoulder to shoulder, as the stew heated; the routine meal was starting to get a bit boring, but Rey wasn’t about to complain. It was hot and it was filling.

Rey’s mind began to go into overdrive as she ate, the blessed peace she had achieved after Poe’s amazing ministrations earlier fading as she began to worry once more about what lay ahead. She kept looking up at the top of the waterfall, where Poe had told her the trail to Ajara began. What waited for them there?

She finally broke the comfortable stillness that had settled between them.

“So, what’s your plan when we get to Ajara?”

He was silent for a moment. “Well, we’ll have to be extra careful hiking in. We know Dominguez will have men in town, probably watching the outskirts. But Ricardo’s men will probably be further out, hoping to catch us first.” He looked at her intently. “I want you to carry that gun close to you. Maybe wear your blouse around your waist and tuck it in there.”

She nodded. “From what you said, they’ll kill you on sight and ‘rescue’ me, right?”

He grimaced. “Don’t be fooled. They’re more loathsome than Dominguez’ men. I wouldn’t put it past them to kill me, rape and beat you, then bring you to the authorities half dead, telling them they found you that way and blame me for it.” He leaned into her. “Please, do not be afraid to use that gun,” he whispered.

“Okay,” she said softly back.

“Maz’ place is right on the edge of town,” he continued. “But I’m sure it’s being watched. She’s well known as a person who helps anyone in trouble. Hopefully she’ll have some of her people on the lookout for us. We find one of them first and she’ll figure out a way to get us inside unseen.”

Rey nodded, then leaned against him, dropping her head on his shoulder. He responded by bringing his arm up and around her, holding her with a firm grip. She closed her eyes and tried to empty her brain; her head was already starting to hurt from the anxiety that was building. Hiking through the jungle had been nothing compared to the thought of the men waiting for them once they reached civilization once more.

Poe gave her shoulder a squeeze, then said, “Let’s get some sleep.”

She nodded again, but knew that sleep would be difficult. They arranged themselves in what had become their preferred position, both facing the fire, Poe’s front to her back, only this time Poe didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around her. She reached for his hand, and he gently grasped hers, squeezing it slightly. It almost felt as if he had squeezed her heart instead of her hand, and with tears forming in her eyes she admitted the truth she had been ignoring for some time now.

She was in love with Poe Dameron.

She had told herself it wasn’t possible: She had just met him - Their situation brought about high emotions that couldn’t be trusted - He could never love her back. There were so many reasons to deny it, but as she lay there, in what was most likely their last night in the jungle, she couldn’t refute the truth. There was no way she would have let him touch her the way he had if she didn’t love him. She knew herself well enough to know that. She had waited too long for this man, and most likely it was too late, as well.

“Tell me about the women,” she said suddenly. “The two you knew here in Ajan Kloss.” She wanted to know what they were like, and why he had allowed himself to become close to them.

She felt him tense.

“Did they know who you really were?”

“No,” he said softly. “They knew me only as José Dominguez. Only my handler and the guys on the SEAL team know my real name.” He paused. “And you.”

He was silent for a while, and Rey was debating on whether or not she should let it go, when he started talking. “Murren was a housekeeper in the Dominguez estate. She was young and beautiful, like all the women Dominguez hired. But she was different in that she was a mother. She had a young son, Deo. The other women were rough on her, and the men accosted her more than the others; they called her a whore because she had a child out of wedlock.” She felt his arm tighten around her a bit. “I staked a claim on her, in order to keep her safe. No one would mess with El Halcón’s woman. I made sure she got her fair wages, and when she had saved enough, I had Maz help get her and her boy out of the country. Last I heard, she was working for a good, honest family in Yavin.”

Rey smiled softly. Of course, one of his lovers would be a woman in need, someone for him to take care of. “And the other?”

He laughed a bit. “Zorii,” he said. “Zorii was one my informants. She was beautiful, mean, a bit crazy, but smart and creative. She knew her way around the dark side of this country and had an ‘in’ with almost every cartel and criminal organization within five hundred miles. She was also an addict.” His voice turned sad. “Heroin, mostly. She kept telling me she wanted to quit, but she never really tried.” He paused. “She was the one that made sure I had Percocet at all times. She was also the reason I got myself off of it.”

“What happened to her?” Rey asked when Poe didn’t continue.

“I haven’t seen or heard from her in almost nine months,” he said softly.

Rey knew what that most probably meant. “I’m sorry.” Quietly, she asked, “Did you love them?”

He sighed. “I desired them. I cared about their well-being. But love?” She felt him shake his head. “No. I don’t even think I’m capable of that emotion. It’s why I can do what I do.”

Immediately, Rey became defensive. “I don’t believe that!” She turned her head back to look at him. “I think it’s the opposite. I think your heart is so big and so full of love for everything and everyone, that you feel like you have to take care of us all. That is why you can do what you do.”

Poe’s eyes widened at her claim, and he opened his mouth as if to contradict her, but she wouldn’t let him. She turned in his arms so she was facing him. “Promise me something, Poe Dameron.”

He took a deep breath, but closed his mouth and drew back from her a bit, eyes wary now.

She pushed on. “Promise me that when we get home, you won’t forget me.” Her voice caught on a sob, but she swallowed and pushed it back.

“Never,” Poe growled without hesitation. His hand came up to cup her face. “I could never forget you!”

Rey couldn’t stop a tear from escaping, and she nodded, biting her lip. Poe moved in, kissing the tear away.

“Never,” he whispered again.

They simply held each other, not speaking, well into the night. It was a long time before either of them slept.

******

Morning came too soon, the sunlight trying its best to penetrate the small little piece of heaven they had found. Rey watched as Poe rose and started gathering up his clothing, then disappeared behind a tree to do his business and dress. With a sigh, Rey stood and did the same on the other side of the clearing. Her clothes were still a bit damp, the humid air of the jungle not conducive to drying, but they were clean and felt much better on her clean skin than they had. Well, mostly clean skin, Rey thought. There was always a layer of sweat covering her, and probably more so than normal thanks to their exertions yesterday afternoon. She felt a shiver run through her body as she recalled Poe’s talented lips and fingers.

When she finished and entered the clearing again, Poe was already working on the fire, ready to warm up some food. “I want to get started ASAP,” he told her. “The sooner we get to Ajara, the better. If we can get there before nightfall, maybe we can get in contact with the SEAL team and get a plan going before daybreak.”

Rey just nodded, her anxiety building again. Her neck felt stiff on the right side. She had hopes it was because of the way she had slept, wrapped more than a little awkwardly in Poe’s arms, and not a warning of an impending migraine.

As she ate, Poe watched her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Why do you ask?” She was more than a little startled by his question. She was usually very good at hiding any discomfort.

“The way you’re holding your head, and your shoulders are tighter than normal.” His gaze was intense as he watched her.

She shrugged. “My neck is stiff,” she admitted. “Sometimes that’s a sign I’m getting a migraine.”

“Shit,” he whispered. “Anything you can do to ward it off?”

She glared at him.

“I know, I know!” he exclaimed. “If you could do that, you’d never get them. But is there anything I can do to help?”

“Sometimes massages with pressure points help in the early stages,” she told him. “I have a hairdresser that’s really good at that.”

Poe immediately jumped up and came over to kneel behind her. “One head massage, coming right up!”

Rey laughed. “Poe!”

“Hey, I’ll even braid your hair while I’m at it,” he told her, his fingers already working at her scalp. “Tell me where the pressure points are.”

Rey sat shocked for a moment, amazed at the almost instantaneous rush of pleasure that Poe’s fingers were creating as he kneaded her head. She closed her eyes and absorbed the feeling. Not even her hairdresser was this good. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her.

“Rey?” he asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “Pressure points?”

“Uh, yeah. At the base of my skull, where it meets my neck,” she told him. “That’s the best one.”

She felt his thumbs work down behind her head and find the area she described. The right side was particularly sensitive; that’s where it was starting, she knew. It was indeed a migraine. But instead of stressing about it, she let herself fall into an almost trance-like state as his fingers continued their ministrations, moving along her scalp, up and down, putting firm pressure at the base of her skull and then moving back up to rub her temples.

Rey was on the verge of falling asleep when she felt his hands change course and start to play with her hair, gently finger combing it and then pulling the shoulder length strands together into a simple braid. She couldn’t help but smile. “Where did you learn to braid?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“Would you believe I learned as a kid?” he told her. “My dad’s best friend had two daughters, just a bit younger than me. I was always left in charge of them when they came to visit. I learned all about braiding and tea parties and dressing barbies.” He huffed a laugh. “But then they spent an equal amount of time playing with my Star Wars action figures and model airplanes.”

Rey smiled as Poe tied off the braid with a piece of twine he pulled from his pack, using his big ass knife to cut the twine short enough it didn’t dangle too far past the end of her braid. “There,” he said. “How do you feel?”

Rey turned to look at him. “If you’re not sure what to do after you retire from the DEA, you could make a killing doing scalp massages,” she told him. Her neck was no longer stiff, and though she knew that didn’t necessarily mean the migraine had been interrupted, her hope that it had been was strong.

Minutes later, they were packed up and ready to go. Poe led Rey to the rock wall off to the side of the waterfall. He looked at her with eyebrows raised. “My guess is you know how to rock climb?”

She smiled. “Of course. I don’t do a lot, but I’ve done my fair share. My dad actually climbed Devil’s Tower more than once; I never aspired to that.”

“Impressive,” Poe said, and she knew he meant it. “This will be a piece of cake for you.” He turned to the wall and began climbing, Rey following as soon as he got a couple of body lengths above her.

He was right, it was easy. It was more like climbing a very steep staircase than actual rock climbing, with enough wide hand and footholds to offer plenty of security. It wasn’t long before she was clambering up over the top to stand next to him. She looked down at the way they had come and was surprised at how hard it was to see their little forest glen; the vegetation growing along the top of the waterfall practically hid it from view. Secret indeed, she thought. She gave a big sigh.

Poe smiled softly. “Our little bit of heaven,” he said, echoing her thoughts from earlier that morning.

“I’ll miss it,” she answered. She looked at him as she slid her pack off of her back. “You know, when you first talked about it, I was sure you were planning on seducing me when we got here.” She squatted down and pulled the pack open.

“Trust me, I wanted to,” he told her with a smirk. “But I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t expect you to jump me,” he laughed. “I knew you would love it, though.”

“I did,” she nodded as she pulled out the Glock and zipped the pack closed again. “I really did.” She stood and tucked the weapon in between her blouse, which she had tied tightly around her waist, and her hip. She slipped the pack back on and looked at him.

He nodded his approval. He still wore a little smile, but his eyes were serious. “How do you feel?” he asked again.

“So far, so good,” she told him honestly. His massage had helped tremendously.

“Let’s go.”

He turned and headed into the jungle, walking along the stream. Rey gave one last look down the waterfall, then followed.

The jungle here was different than what they had been tromping through before, and Rey took note that the canopy was thicker, preventing a lot of sunlight from coming through, and therefore limiting the amount of undergrowth. It made traveling easier, as they continued to move quickly along the creek. At one point, Rey heard a loud ruckus from above that didn’t sound like the Capuchin or Howler monkeys that they usually heard. She looked up to see several Green-winged Macaws flying through the trees above them, their bright red plumage startling against the green and grey treetops. Rey stopped and stared in wonder.

When they finally flew out of sight, she looked ahead to see Poe waiting for her. He didn’t look impatient or upset; if anything, he looked a bit sad. “I wish we could have taken our time so you could have enjoyed this place a bit more,” he told her.

Rey shook her head. “I had three days before all Hell broke loose,” she told him. “Then I met you. I call that a win all the way around.”

He snorted a laugh, then turned and continued on. Rey followed.

It was when Poe started walking different and she noticed he was looking about him a lot more that Rey realized they were nearing Ajara. She also became more alert and aware of her surroundings. They continued on like this for a good hour when suddenly Rey heard the sound of voices off to their left. Without being told, she dropped down into a squat, Poe doing the same in front of her. He shuffled along at a crouch, moving over to a large tree and peering around it. She also moved over closer to the trees.

The three men moving through the forest were not being subtle at all. They crashed along, joking and laughing among themselves as they continued on, walking right across what would have been Rey and Poe’s path if they hadn’t stopped. She saw Poe shake his head in disbelief. The men continued on, not even looking in their direction, and soon they disappeared, with only their noise remaining.

“Hmmm…” Rey hummed. “Ricardo’s men?”

Poe gave her a side-eye. “He doesn’t hire brains.”

“Obviously,” Rey snorted. “Good for us, though.”

“Very good,” he agreed. Carefully, they stood and continued on, still wary. Eventually, Rey could see the shape of buildings becoming visible through the trees. Poe crouched down again and moved forward while staying low. Rey followed suit. He shuffled up to a large downed tree, a perfect hiding spot to observe what was ahead. “Bingo,” he said quietly.

She moved up next to him and looked out upon her first view of Ajara. A large building sat just off to their right. It looked like a boarding house or small apartment building, with a large deck that completely encircled the first floor. Several more, smaller buildings sat off to their left, and Rey could see a cobblestone street beyond them.

Rey watched as Poe’s eyes searched the area, every once in a while pausing to focus on something. He began to carefully point those somethings out to her. “Look at the second palm tree to the right,” he told her. “Then look directly to its left.” She did and saw the shape of a man on the roof of the small building there. He pointed out another man in the window of a building on the left. “And there’s a guy in the car parked over by the store,” he told her, motioning toward another large building on the other side of the road. He pointed to the big building they were closest to. “That’s Maz’ place,” he told her. “They’re watching it.”

Suddenly, a young woman appeared, walking quickly along the path that lay between the buildings and the jungle. She was beautiful, her bright green skirt coming down to her knees and swishing along her legs, her face made up but not overly so. Poe immediately became focused on her. He reached down and grabbed a rock, then tossed it toward her. It landed in front of her and she stopped, her dark eyes darting in their direction. Poe barely allowed himself to be seen over the top of their hiding place. He glanced at Rey. The woman gave him a small smile and nodded, then continued on, heading for the building Poe had said belonged to Maz. She disappeared around the corner.

“Someone you know, I’m assuming?” Rey asked.

“Satine,” Poe told her. “She works for Maz.”

Rey nodded. “So?”

Poe sat down, his back to the tree. “So. Now we wait.”

******

They didn’t have to wait long. Less than ten minutes after Satine disappeared, shouting could be heard from the front part of Maz’ building. Poe immediately sat up and turned around to look back over the log. Rey, who had not been able to relax like Poe had, was already on the alert. They couldn’t see who was doing the screaming, but they could see the reaction from the men who were watching the house.

The man in the window and the one in the car both left their posts, wandering toward the front of the building, meeting up and laughing as they did so. They soon disappeared from view. The man on the roof also moved, and Rey could just see the top of his head over the peak of the house. Within seconds, Satine reappeared, walking quickly back along the path toward them, a duffle bag and a walking stick in her hands. Glancing behind her toward the man on the roof, she scurried through the underbrush to their hiding place and ducked down with them behind the log.

She started speaking rapidly to Poe in Spanish as she handed him the bag and the stick, then she reached in the bag and pulled out a scarf. As she moved over to Rey, Poe translated. “She brought disguises,” he told her. “We need to change quickly before the men get bored with the fight up front.” He asked Satine a question as the woman began to put the scarf over Rey’s hair. As he pulled stuff out of the bag, his quick Spanish turned into a “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Rey and Satine both turned to him, Rey with confusion, Satine with glee. Poe was holding up a large, baggy dress, glaring at Satine. She started arguing with him, a broad smile on her face. Rey caught enough words to catch on. Satine wanted Poe to dress as on old, crippled woman, with Rey as the ‘’granddaughter.” Having a shawl all the way over his head was the only way to cover his beard. Rey saw Poe roll his eyes at her explanation, and she couldn’t help but smile at him. “Come on, Grandma,” she said. “We need to hurry.”

Groaning, he pulled the button-up dress on. As he did up the buttons, Satine pulled a large shawl over his head and shoulders. She continued talking to him, pointing at his feet. He would need to remove his shoes; the heavy military style boots would be visible under the skirt and would give him away. Grudgingly, he removed them and shoved them in Satine’s duffel along with the P90. As Rey stuffed what was left in her own pack into Poe’s, she glanced back toward the man on the roof; he was still barely visible, still watching the screaming match. Rey winced. “They aren’t really fighting, are they?”

Both Poe and Satine looked at her. In heavily accented English, Satine told her, “Corde and Sabe are sisters and best friends. They are good actresses.” She smiled, and Rey smiled back. They looked at Poe. “Estás listo?” He nodded, and the three of them stood up from behind the log.

Rey stepped forward and brought the shawl around Poe’s head a bit closer in. “Hold it with one hand here,” she told him. “Close to your chin.” He did so, then he took the walking stick from Satine with his other hand.

He looked at Rey. “Is that gun handy?”

She nodded. She came up and tucked her right hand under his left elbow, the arm that was holding his mantle closed, then showed him the Glock in her left hand underneath the ends of her scarf. They both looked at Satine and nodded. With another glance toward the roof, the three made their way down to the path. Once there, Rey squeezed Poe’s arm “Crippled, remember?”

He slowed immediately, leaning heavily on the walking stick. Satine led them, looking back occasionally, and Rey thought she was chatting about how great a place Ajara was and that they would enjoy their time here. Carefully, they made their way around the building, coming to a short set of stairs that led up to the front porch of the building. The screaming had stopped. Rey looked up to see the two men watching them, now. Satine began chattering again, then called into the house, “Maz, Lucía y su abuela están aquí!” Rey could see the men turn and walk back to their posts out of the corner of her eye; her grip on the Glock eased.

They entered the building and Rey was surprised to find themselves in a comfortable looking entrance hall with padded benches along the wall on either side. To her left were double doors that opened into a pleasant looking sitting room, and to her right more doors to what looked like a dining room. In front of her was a staircase, and coming down those stairs was a tiny older woman with short grey hair wearing a huge pair of glasses.

She had a grin on her face as she exclaimed, “I have finally found something that El Halcón will do anything for, even wear a dress!” Her accent, like Rey’s, was English.

Poe shoved the shawl off, handing both it and the stick to Satine. “Oh, yeah? What’s that, Maz?” he asked.

“A woman,” Maz answered as she reached them, giving Poe a quick hug. “And not just any woman,” she continued, squinting at Rey. “La Halconera herself.”

Rey looked at Poe, confused by the title. The corner of his mouth quirked up. “It means falconer,” he told her. He looked back at Maz. “Is that what they’re calling her?”

Rey felt herself blush at what the nickname implied, that she had captured and tamed The Falcon, but Poe didn’t seem at all perturbed.

Maz, who was still looking at Rey, turned back to Poe and nodded. “Even the American press has begun using it.”

Poe grinned. “Well, I hope our celebrity status doesn’t make our stay here uncomfortable for anyone,” he said, his smile slowly fading. “We need a safe place until I can get a hold of that SEAL team. They’re still here in Ajara, I hope.”

Maz nodded. “Yes, they are still here. And I know just how you can reach them.” She paused. “Your friend Snap has a standing date with Karé every night. Not a single one of those twits watching this place will think twice when they see her leaving to meet him tonight.”

Poe stared at the woman. “Snap and Karé?”

Maz laughed. “Yep. And it’s bad enough I may just end up losing her.” She chuckled again. “As for your stay, you know you are always welcome here, Dominguez.” She reached up and gently patted Rey on the cheek. “And this child will be safe here for as long as she needs to be.”

Poe’s smile was small but genuine. “Thank you, Maz.”

“Let’s get you to a room,” she said, and she turned and headed back to the stairway. Rey realized that a couple more women were watching from the sitting room door, and two more were on the stairs. They looked with humor at Poe in the dress, which he was finally unbuttoning and removing, but Rey recognized appreciation in their looks, too. Poe grabbed the duffel bag from Satine and handed the dress back to her. As Rey and Poe followed Maz up the stairs Rey caught the eye of one of the women and swore she saw envy in the glance directed her way. She looked at Poe, who nodded politely at the women, but showed no indication that he knew them. They obviously knew who he was, though.

Maz turned right at the top of the stairs, then left. Rey glanced down the hallway they passed, noticing several doors, all closed. The building was clean and well kept, but aged, as she assumed most of the buildings were in a not-so-modern village like Ajara. Maz led them all the way to the end of the hall, unlocking the door and opening it, then stepping aside. “Your usual room,” she said.

Poe stepped in, and Rey followed, stopping just inside the door. Poe dumped the duffel he had taken from Satine on the bed, then turned to look at Rey and Maz. “Thank you, Maz. With luck, we’ll be out of here by morning.”

Maz nodded again. “I’ll send someone up with clean clothing for the both of you,” she told them. “Just let someone in the kitchen know when you’re ready to eat, and I can have dinner brought up, too.” She nodded to the one window. “That faces front, so you can eyeball our watchers when you need to.” She grinned, then backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Rey stood, letting the pack slide from her shoulder, still carrying the Glock in her left hand. “Poe?”

“Yeah?” he responded, a bit distracted as he wandered to the window to peek out.

“Your safe house is a brothel.” It wasn’t a question.

He looked at her, a huge grin on his face. “Yeah,” he told her.

She scowled at him.

“Oh, don’t give me that look,” he told her defensively. “Women down here don’t have a lot of options, you know. Marriage, domestic work, or this.” He waved his hand vaguely. “Maz takes good care of her girls. None are forced into the work, they are paid fairly, any clients that become abusive or dangerous are banned, and if one of them wants out, Maz will do her best to help them move on.” He paused, staring at her intently. “And I promise, I have never been a client.”

Rey hadn’t even given that a thought; she didn’t imagine he would ever have to pay for sex. “From the looks I was seeing coming up here, I think some of those girls would pay you,” she griped.

He laughed, then motioned around him again. “Seriously, we have a real shower, real food, and a real bed.” Rey realized he was giddy with relief that they had made it safely, and she had to admit it was a huge comfort. “Oh!” he exclaimed suddenly, and moved over to the nightstand. He opened the top drawer and his grin expanded. “Look at this!” he said, pulling out a plastic wrapped box of condoms. “Brand new and unopened.” He looked at her with a naughty smirk.

But she wasn’t ready to give in just yet. “Seriously?” she asked him. “You expect me to have my first time in a whorehouse?”

The dramatic change in his expression was amazing, as his face fell and his skin seemed to turn pale. “Oh, God, Rey!” he gasped. “I wasn’t thinking…”

Rey started laughing, and his expression turned confused. She dropped the bag and walked toward him, setting the gun on the nightstand. “I’m joking!” she said, placing her hands on his chest. She moved into his space, bringing her hands up to cup his neck and her face close to his. “I don’t care where we are,” she told him seriously. “If this is our last night together, I want to be with you. Completely with you.” She brought her forehead in to rest against his.

“You’re sure?” he asked, his voice soft now.

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” she told him, then she angled her head and brought her lips to his.

******

While Rey may have initiated the kiss, Poe was only passive for a split second. He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her in tight against him, and his tongue proceeded to survey the inside of her mouth. God, she loved kissing this man, she thought as she brought her arms up around his neck, burrowing her fingers in the shaggy locks at his nape.

Suddenly, there was quick tapping at the door, followed by someone opening it and walking in. Rey jerked back away from Poe, immediately embarrassed, but he kept his arm tight around her, not letting her get far. Rey turned her head to look at the person who had entered.

The girl (good grief she was young!) looked embarrassed herself, but giggled a bit, too. She was carrying a couple of large paper bags and speaking shyly to Poe she set them on the floor next to the backpack Rey had dropped. Poe answered her back and the girl smiled again, glancing at the box Poe was still holding in his right hand, then backed out the door with another giggle.

Rey looked at Poe with her eyebrows raised. “Clean clothes,” Poe told her.

“She didn’t look older than twelve,” Rey grumbled. “And she works here?”

“Yes,” Poe answered. “In the kitchen and with housekeeping,” he clarified. “She’s an orphan; Maz takes in strays. She’s got a couple of boys working at maintenance, too. She hopes to help them learn a trade so they don’t end up working for the cartels.” He released her and moved toward the door, moving almost silently as he was still in his socks. “Why don’t you take a shower?” he asked her casually. She watched as he flipped the dead bolt and looked back at her. “And don’t hog all the hot water.” He picked up the bag holding the women’s clothing and handed it to her.

Rey took it. “Okay,” she told him, and headed toward the tiny bathroom. When she turned to close the door behind her, he was working on removing the plastic from the box of condoms. He gave her a glance out of the corner of his eye and his lip curled up. Rey huffed a laugh and closed the door.

She started the water in the miniscule shower stall, and while it warmed up stripped down completely, leaving her battered and worn clothing in a pile on the floor. When the water was hot enough for her, she stepped in, smiling as she found not only real shampoo but body wash. She proceeded to scrub herself down, and it felt like heaven. Once clean, she stood with her back to the shower head, letting the hot water beat down on the nape of her neck. She was still amazed the migraine that had threatened that morning had not developed. Poe must have done magic with his massage.

Rey jumped when the door to the stall opened and she turned to find Poe, wearing nothing but the chain with the ring, squeezing in with her. “Thought I better get in here before you use up all the hot water,” he told her with a grin, then he cried out as the water hit him. “Good God, woman! Why is it so hot?”

Rey laughed, which immediately eased the tension she had felt overtake her when she saw Poe completely naked for the first time. “It’s well-known that women have a higher tolerance for pain,” she told him. “That’s why we have the babies and you don’t.”

“Do women insist on boiling their men, too?” Poe groused. He grabbed up the body wash, took one of her hands and squeezed a pile of soap onto her palm. “In the interest of time, and to keep me from becoming over-cooked, why don’t you wash my back?” He turned and began to scrub his front.

Grinning, Rey began to spread the soap on his back, her heart rate increasing even more as she ran her hands along the muscle and sinew. He was flawless, she thought once more. Just a scar here and there, but nothing large enough to mar the simple perfection of his backside. She knew there were probably stories about those scars, and she wished she could hear them. She continued down the line of his back, hesitating only briefly as she reached his buttocks. Oh, what the hell, she thought, running her hands over his ass, soaping him as much as she could. She heard him groan and he paused in his own scrubbing.

Rey continued on down the backs of his legs, all the way to his feet, reaching around to run her fingers along his toes. “Jesus, Rey!” he gasped, stepping away from her as much as he could in the confines of the stall and ducking under the spray, rinsing himself off.

She stood from the squat she had been in, giving him what she hoped was an innocent look. “What?” she asked. “You’re not ticklish, are you?”

He just glared at her, but there was no heat in the look. At least not angry heat. He grabbed up the shampoo and started working it through his hair and beard. Rey glanced down for a brief moment, catching a glimpse of the one part of his anatomy she had yet to really see, but then moved behind him, reaching up to help scrub his hair, her face heating. She heard him chuckle, but then he moaned again. “Okay, I understand why you liked that scalp massage this morning,” he told her.

She laughed. “I can’t believe how much longer your hair gets when it’s wet,” she told him.

“I can’t wait to get rid of it,” he replied.

“What?” she exclaimed. “Really?”

“Really,” he told her. “Both the hair and the beard.” He glanced back at her. “Don’t you think I’d look good bald?”

“I think you’ll look sexy however,” she told him. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I bet it’ll grow back fast.”

“You have no idea,” he laughed. “My SAC used to joke about how she’s never seen me clean shaven. That ten minutes after I shave, I already have a five-o-clock shadow.”

Rey giggled and Poe ducked back under the spray, eyes closed, rinsing. Now that he wasn’t looking at her, Rey let her eyes roam down his body, focusing on his penis. She bit her lip in trepidation. She may have never seen a fully naked man in person before now, but she had spent her fair share of time on-line. For research, of course. Because of her explorations, she knew that Poe was, well, larger than average, and he was only partially aroused at the moment. She took a deep breath, knowing without a shadow of a doubt it was going to hurt, but wanting it too much to care.

She looked up and realized Poe was watching her, his eyes far too aware, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Taking another deep breath, she stepped up to him and grabbed his erection in her hand, bringing her face up close to his. His head dropped back and his eyes closed as he groaned. “God, Rey!” he exclaimed, then he reached behind him to shut off the water. Rey looked down, letting her forehead rest against his shoulder, and moved her hand along his shaft.

“Show me,” she whispered. “Show me how you like to be touched.” She let her hand slide along him again, tentative and unsure.

He gently wrapped one of his hands around hers and began to guide her. He had her grip him harder than she thought would be comfortable, then showed her how to twist her wrist as she stroked down his length. He helped her pump him, first fast, then slower. Eventually, his hand left hers, and she focused on his pleasure, watching in rapt fascination as he seemed to grow under her ministrations. Harder. Longer.

“Okay, stop!” he suddenly cried, grasping her wrist. “Please, stop,” he said more softly.

She looked at him, worried she might have squeezed a little too hard, and released him from her grip. She watched as he swallowed and licked his lips, then he moved in to kiss her hard.

When he pulled back, they were both panting. “It’s been a while for me, Rey,” he told her softly. “I don’t need any more encouragement.” He gave her a small smile. “When I get off, I need to be in you.”

“Yes,” Rey practically purred. Her core ached, and his words increased that ache.

“Let’s move this to the bedroom then, shall we?”

With deliberate purpose, he moved them out of the shower stall, grabbed up a towel and gave them both a cursory pat down with it, making Rey giggle, then he led them back into the bedroom. Rey noticed immediately the open box of condoms on the bedside table, right next to the Glock. She felt it was an appropriate combination considering the situation.

Rey moved to the bed and slowly crawled onto it, turning to face her first lover as he crawled after her. She lay back and he immediately brought his body up and over hers. His lips found hers, and he spent a long time kissing her; gently, deeply, small little pecks on her upper lip, then pulling her lower lip between his and sucking on it. She would never get tired of him kissing her, but she didn’t complain when he started to move those amazing lips downward. Using his lips, tongue, and teeth, he trailed down her body slowly until he got to her breasts.

Rey arched up when he reached her nipple, moaning as she felt his tongue sweep around it before sucking on her gently. Just like the first time he had done this back at the waterfall, she felt her core almost explode with moisture. As if he knew, Poe moved one of his hands down between her legs, his fingers finding her unerringly even though his focus appeared to be on her breasts. He sucked on her once more, then she felt two of his fingers slip inside her. She rocked her hips and gasped at the combined sensations. “Poe!”

He lifted his head to look at her. “Too much?”

“God, no!” she told him. “Please don’t stop!”

He grinned, then lowered his head back down to her other breast. “You are so damn wet for me, Angel,” he said before practically swallowing her nipple. Meanwhile, his fingers curled inside her, touching the front wall of her vagina. The orgasm hit her so suddenly, she literally screamed, her whole body arching up off the bed. “Oh, God!”

She lay limp, panting, as she watched Poe sit up and kneel next to her, a satisfied smile on his face. He reached over and grabbed a condom, and Rey watched, enthralled, as he opened the package, then rolled the rubber down along his shaft. For a moment, Rey worried the condom might be too small, but Poe hadn’t seemed concerned, and he’d done this a lot more than her. She licked her lips, catching her bottom lip in her teeth, and looked up. He was watching her, his eyes intense. He glanced over at her body, then reached down and dipped his fingers back between her legs. She gasped softly at the contact, then watched in rapt fascination as he brought his fingers back to his penis, rubbing them over the condom, then he proceeded to lick his fingers clean. She moaned at the sight. He shuffled over, sliding between her legs. Unlike their time at the waterfall, Rey opened for him without hesitation.

He lowered himself down over her, bringing one arm up under her shoulder, supporting himself with his elbow braced on the bed, then brought his other hand down to grab his erection, lining it up with her entrance. He paused and made eye contact with her. “Rey?”

She nodded. Slowly, he pushed inside of her. She gasped at the feel of the head of his shaft passing her entrance; the pressure was intense, but there was no pain. She wanted more. He obliged, slowly pushing further into her. He stopped at one point and she tensed, expecting the pain to come. “Relax,” he whispered. “It’s just me, loving you.” She breathed deep and he continued on. All she felt was an amazing, all-consuming pressure. Suddenly, there was a sharp pinch, over and done in a heartbeat, and Poe continued pushing in. Then he was there, all the way, as deep as he could go.

Rey absorbed all the feelings flowing around her. The feeling of fullness. The heat of Poe’s body. The pulsing that seemed to be a combination of her heartbeat and his. She looked up at him, and saw that his intense gaze held a question. She smiled.

“Welcome home,” she whispered.

He released a breath, licked his lips, and started blinking rapidly. He swallowed, took another breath, and began to pull out slowly. Rey moaned at the sensation, then gasped as he sank back into her after only moving out about an inch or two. He continued with short shallow thrusts, and Rey instinctively lifted her knees a bit, changing the angle of his entry. Her moans and cries were becoming louder as the feelings became more and more intense. He pulled out farther, plunging in harder, his own moans joining hers.

He lowered his upper body down, wrapping both of his arms underneath her shoulders, holding her steady as he pumped harder. Rey lifted her knees even farther, her legs spreading even more as he drove into her, the sound of their bodies slapping together both beautiful and vulgar at the same time. “Jesus, Rey!” Poe ground out, burying his face in her neck. “You’re so tight!”

Rey grasped his shoulders, her nails scratching his back for purchase as she reached for her second orgasm. “Oh my god, Poe!” she cried as it neared.

Poe’s thrusts became erratic. “Oh, fuck, Rey!” he shouted. “Please come!”

As if her body was just waiting for his command, Rey fell over the edge. It wasn’t as intense at the first time, but it was deeper, longer, and she felt as if it would never end. Her thighs started shaking uncontrollably and she brought her lower legs around Poe’s, her heels digging into the backs of his thighs as she convulsed. Her body finally relaxed enough for her head to fall back onto the pillow and she opened her eyes in time to watch her lover fall over his own precipice.

Poe threw his head back, baring his throat, his eyes shut and his jaw tight as he thrust into her over and over. She realized the ring he wore was bumping her lightly on her sternum, dragging over her skin, the cool metal as comforting as it was arousing. She now knew why Poe had told her watching her at the waterfall had been amazing. He was beautiful as he came; she would happily watch him as he orgasmed over and over again.

Finally, with both of them breathing hard, Poe sank down over her for a moment. Rey kept her arms wrapped around him, her hands soothing his shoulder blades where she knew he probably had marks from her fingernails. Suddenly, he pulled himself up. She winced as his body left hers, a reminder that she was new to this. She watched as he sat on the side of the bed and disposed of the condom, then glancing at her, he stood and walked to the bathroom. She lay there, a bit unsure what to do as she heard water run from the sink, but before she could decide, he was coming back to her, a wet washcloth in his hand. He sat on the bed and reached down to stroke her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “You bled a bit,” he said softly.

“I did?” she asked, sitting up and looking at herself. There was indeed a quarter sized spot of blood on the bedspread, and a bit more appeared to be splattered on her thighs. Caused by him pulling out, she realized. “It didn’t even hurt that much,” she told him.

He smiled and began to wipe the blood away with the washcloth. Taking care of her, as usual. “Good,” he told her emphatically. “Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised as hard as you came.”

She looked at him. “Is it always like that?”

He looked her in the eye. “Rey, it’s never like that.”

She could not only see the honesty in his eyes, but the wonder.

“Why don’t you finish cleaning up in the bathroom?” he told her. “Then I think we’re owed a nap before dinner.”

Rey looked outside the window and was shocked to see it was still daytime. It felt like hours had passed since they had arrived here. Good hours, she thought with a smile. She looked back at Poe. “Yeah, a nap would be good.”

******

When Rey woke, she became immediately disoriented, her head jerking up to look around her. She was in a bed, a real bed, for the first time in almost a week. Images of how she got there rushed into her brain: the shower, Poe’s careful preparation of her body, the feel of him inside her… She took a deep breath and focused on the man spooned behind her, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, one of her feet caught between his calves, his cock, firm and half aroused, prodding her in the ass.

She felt him shift and knew that her jerking awake had most likely woken him up, too. She blinked at the grey light in the room, wondering if it was dusk or dawn. It had still been daylight when she had gone to the bathroom to finish cleaning the blood off and use the toilet. She had then made her way back to the bed, just a tad self-conscious in her nakedness. He had removed the bloodstained bedspread by then and had drawn back the sheet, waiting for her. Once she had been under the sheet, he had climbed in behind her and curled up around her; it hadn’t taken her long to doze off.

She felt him kiss the back of her shoulder, and wondered briefly how red her face and neck were thanks to that beard of his. “Hungry?” he asked, his voice a low rumble. Almost as if in answer, her stomach gurgled. She felt as well as heard his laugh. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” he said.

She turned her face to look at him. “What time is it?”

“Must be just after sunset,” he told her. He had removed his watch before joining her in the shower, but his internal clock was probably much better than hers, so she took him at his word. He sat up, reaching over to the light on the nightstand and flicking it on. “I’ll go down to the kitchen and ask them to bring something up.”

Rey pushed herself up to a sitting position as well, pulling the sheet up under her armpits in an instinctive attempt at modesty. Yet, she watched Poe avidly as he walked naked over to his bag of clothing. She remembered her own bag was still in the bathroom. She hadn’t even had a chance to look at what was in it much less put something on. Poe slid on a pair of jeans, commando, and she admired how snug they were on him, but as he moved toward the door, saying “I’ll be right back,” she called to him.

“You might want to put on a shirt.”

He turned and grinned at her. “You want me to cover up around all those girls out there?”

She tilted her head at him. “If this place was full of young men, would you want me to go out there in nothing but panties and a cami?”

He stared at her for a moment, then walked back to the bag and pulled out a white button-up shirt. He put it on, watching her as he did so. She gave him a huge smile. He smiled back and shook his head, then turned and left the room.

Rey took a deep breath, feeling giddy all of a sudden. She stretched, feeling the pull of sore and aching muscles as she did so. Most of those aches, she knew, came from the long hike and the tension of the last few days, but there were a few new twinges that were the result of her recent activity in this bed. She smiled, reveling in those little bits of discomfort, especially the tenderness between her thighs. She slid out of the bed and headed for the bathroom, bringing the bag of clothes back to the bed with her when she was done.

She slipped back under the sheets and began to look through the items in the bag. There was an unopened package of panties and a couple of bras which were far too big for her. There was a pair of strappy sandals, more delicate than the sturdy leather ones she had been wearing for the last several days. There were two long skirts, both in different shades of blue, and three blouses. One in particular caught her eye. She pulled it out and looked at the intricate emerald-colored embroidery around the collar of the white peasant blouse.

The door opened and Poe walked in, closing it behind him. “They were just getting a meal together, so someone should be here in a minute or two.” He walked to the bed, looking at the shirt in her hands. “I like that,” he told her. “The collar will really bring out the green in your eyes.” He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the bag closer to peer inside.

Rey felt her heart stutter at his words. Most people thought her eyes were simply brown, not the ever-changing hazel they were, but he noticed the green. Why did that mean so much to her? She folded the shirt and put it back in the bag, then set the bag down on the floor next to the bed. She looked at him. “Did you hear anything about the SEALs?”

Poe shook his head. “I don’t think Karé has even gone to see Snap, yet.” He huffed. “Snap and Karé,” he groaned. “I never saw that coming.”

Rey smiled. “Why? Is this Karé not good enough for your friend?”

“No!” Poe explained. “It’s just that they are so different.” He shrugged. “I don’t know Karé well, but she just doesn’t seem like Snap’s type.”

“Sometimes, different is good,” she told him. “I’m not a believer in the ‘opposites attract’ idea; I think people should have similar interests before starting a relationship. But a little diversity is good.”

He looked at her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned in to her and kissed her softly on the lips, but the gentleness only lasted so long. Rey found herself opening up to him, inviting his tongue inside her mouth once more, and grabbing the hair on the back of his head to hold him to her.

There was a knock on the door. Poe pulled away slowly. “Hold that thought,” he whispered.

As he got up to walk to the door, Rey pulled the sheet up to cover herself again. Poe glanced at her, then opened the door. “Well, speak of the Devil,” he said to the person on the other side.

He opened it wider, and a woman who must have been the notorious Karé entered, carrying a tray covered with a wicker basket. She was not what Rey was expecting. Tall, lithe, more athletic looking than voluptuous, her short blonde hair done up in a spiky style, she was obviously not a native of Ajan Kloss. She wore a short, flirty skirt in teal, a matching tank top, and wedge heeled sandals; she looked like a normal young woman about to go out on a date. “What?” she said as she entered the room. “You been talking about me, Dominguez?” She had a slight European accent, German or Austrian, Rey thought.

“You and Snap,” Poe answered as he stood holding the door.

Karé walked over to the end of the bed and set the tray down. “Afraid I’ll ruin his reputation?” she asked, winking at Rey.

“No,” Poe answered solemnly. “But you could break his heart.”

Karé looked at him, her face serious. “How do you know he won’t break mine?” she queried. “He’s the one that will be leaving, after all.”

They stared at each other silently for a long moment, and Rey could feel the tension. Poe was obviously trying to protect his friend, she knew, but Karé did have a point.

Finally, Karé shrugged. “I’m heading out to meet him right now,” she said. “Is there anything you want me to tell him?”

“Nothing he and the others don’t already know, I’m sure,” he told her, then motioned to Rey. “She is their priority. Her safety supersedes everything. Me. The mission. All of it.” He glanced at Rey, but wouldn’t hold her gaze. Or couldn’t.

Karé nodded and looked at Rey, then back at Poe. “I’m assuming you’ll be leaving with them?”

“That’s the plan.”

She nodded again, then moved to head out the still open door. “I’ll let you know when that plan is happening when I get back, but don’t expect me anytime soon. If this is my last night…”

Rey swallowed. She knew exactly what Karé was saying.

With another nod to the both of them, Karé left the room. Poe closed the door behind her and flipped the deadbolt. Then he came back to the bed, taking a deep breath, as if trying to settle himself. He lifted the lid on the tray, revealing one huge plate that smelled divine. “Lechona!” Poe exclaimed.

Rey had heard of the regional dish, made from pork, chickpeas, rice and spices, and included several arepas. Poe picked up two bottles of flavored carbonated water and looked at her. “Grape or Cherry?”

“Grape, please.” She took the bottle from him and resettled herself on the bed.

He sat opposite her, popping open his bottle, and then held it up tipped toward her. “A toast?” he asked.

She tilted her head at him then opened her own bottle and brought it up to his.

“To our last night in Ajan Kloss,” he said, then tapped his bottle against hers lightly.

Rey smiled, but she couldn’t help but feel her heart clench at his words. Yes, she couldn’t wait to get home, to be safe and comfortable once again. But this place, and this man, had wormed their way into her heart, and she wasn’t at all sure she would ever be the same again.

******

They were more than halfway through their meal when Rey made a decision. While her hunger for food was being sated, she knew her other hunger was still strong and was far from satisfied; she wondered if it ever would be.

“You know,” she stated matter-of-factly to Poe. “I’m feeling very underdressed, here.”

She saw his eyes scan her sheet covered body, and she knew that he knew she was still naked underneath. Silently, he unbuttoned and removed the shirt he had put on before leaving the room earlier. “Better?” he asked, as he threw it over on top of his bag of clothing.

“Much,” Rey said simply. “Still not perfect, but better.”

He snorted a laugh and they continued to eat, the lechona a wonderful change from the canned stews, jerky, and granola bars they had been eating the last few days. It was hot and filling and made Rey a bit sleepy, but she did not want to sleep. Her mind started to play with certain scenarios and her anxiety increased a bit as she wondered if she was bold enough to attempt any of them. One look at her companion and his naked, perfect chest and she was determined to try.

Finally full, Rey sat back and watched as Poe finished the last remaining bites on the plate. With a contented smile, he took the tray and empty water bottles and carried them over to the chair on the other side of the nightstand. Taking a deep breath, she slipped out of the bed and followed him. He turned toward her and his eyes widened as he saw her walking toward him naked. She reached him and brought her arms up around his shoulders. Licking her lips, she said in as sultry a voice as she could muster, “I’d like to get back to what we were doing before dinner arrived.”

His hands immediately started smoothing along her naked skin, starting at her hips, working their way around her back and moving up, then sliding back down to her butt. There was a wry smile on his face that she was determined to erase. She moved in to kiss him and he met her halfway. Rey thought idly to herself that it was a good thing they had eaten the same thing, therefore tasted the same. She giggled, and then outright laughed when she felt him slide his hands down her thighs and scoop her up to carry her back to the bed.

He practically threw her on top of the bed, making her laugh even harder, then with a smile he started undoing his jeans. She watched as he carefully unzipped them and pushed them down, taking a deep breath when she saw he was already very aroused. Apparently, she hadn’t been the only one thinking of other things during dinner.

Poe moved into her, urging her to lay back, then dropped to the floor on his knees between her spread legs. He cupped her butt, this time using the leverage to pull her forward so she was on the edge of the bed, bringing her legs up over his shoulders. This brought her pussy directly in front of his face. Rey started to tense in wonderful anticipation and was soon rewarded when his tongue began to work its magic. She started rocking her hips, but he brought up one arm and placed it over her belly, holding her down. She gripped the sheets tight in her fists, her moans and cries unrestrained as he brought his fingers into play. He sank two of them deep inside her as he sucked on her nether lips. She could feel her juices flow liberally, and felt a moment of embarrassment, but then she heard him hiss, “Yes! You are so fucking amazing!”

His words made her whimper and she reached to grip his hair in one hand, desperate to move, to try and find the release she knew was just beyond reach. He let up on his hold of her hips and she arched them up. His fingers were pumping her hard now, his mouth over her clit. There was no gentle encouragement this time as he worked her into a frenzy. “Poe!” she cried, feeling the orgasm within her grasp. He sucked her hard, his fingers curling as they had done earlier in the evening. The combination of the feel of his tongue on her now swollen clit and his fingers along the inside wall of her vagina were too much and she shouted incoherently, her vision going bright white.

She didn’t know how long she was out of it, but when she opened her eyes, Poe was kneeling next to her, a huge smile on his face as he wiped his beard with the back of his hand.

“Your turn,” Rey managed to say, her voice weak.

He smiled again and lowered his head to kiss her. “I think you should sleep now, Angel.”

Nope! Not gonna happen! Rey shot up, any and all sleepiness gone. “No!” she told him, kneeling on the bed to face him. “I want you! This is our last night, Poe! Don’t just ‘take care of me’,” she huffed. “You’ve been doing that since we met. I want to see you let go like you did earlier. I want to hear you scream.”

She saw him swallow at her words. “Rey, baby,” he told her, grasping her shoulders. She would think he had totally forgotten where they were and what they were doing, except for his erection, large and powerful, between them. “You bled, which means you tore, which means you need to heal.”

“I can heal when I get home,” she argued. “I feel fine, Poe. I want you. I need you!”

He shook his head and opened his mouth to continue arguing, but Rey interrupted him.

“Would you quit making excuses and just fuck me!”

Poe’s eyes flashed and his jaw clenched as his hands tightened on her shoulders. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, Rey was relieved to see the familiar devilish glint she had reveled in earlier in the evening. “Fine,” he told her gruffly. “But you’re on top. That way you can control how deep I am.”

Rey grinned and moved in to kiss him, thrusting her tongue in his mouth this time, without waiting for an invitation. He caught her up in his arms, squeezing her tight against him for a moment, but then pulled back away from her. He extended his legs out in front of him and held out his arms in invitation. She moved over to straddle his lap. Obviously, she knew how this worked, but she was a bit unsure about how to go about it. He started kissing her again, his hands running over every inch of her skin. He started kissing her neck, working his way down to her breasts, which were peaked and aching; damn if he hadn’t trained them already to beg for his mouth, she thought with humor. She cried out softly as his mouth and tongue reached one nipple and she started rocking her hips, her eyes rolling to the back of her head at the feel of his cock rubbing her sensitive and swollen pussy.

Poe growled and released her nipple with a pop. “Condom,” he ground out.

Rey reached over to the nightstand and grabbed one of the packages, ready to hand it to Poe. But instead, he fell back on the bed, putting his hands behind his head, smirking at her. Breathing hard, she looked at him in surprise.

“You do it,” he told her softly.

Rey swallowed and began to fumble with the package, her fingers suddenly numb. Finally, she found the right grip and tore it open, throwing the empty packet on the floor. Poe grinned at her, but the grin disappeared when Rey proceeded to carefully roll the condom on. She could tell his arousal must have been painful, but he was still letting her go at her own pace with this new experience. Good Lord, this man was a saint, Rey thought. Just not one the Church would approve of.

Finally, he was ready, and so was she. More than. She rose up and moved over him, keeping him firmly in one hand, then slowly lowered herself down. Despite her insistence that she was fine, she felt a moment of discomfort at his penetration, but the amazing feeling of completeness that had overwhelmed her the first time took precedence, and she continued to drop onto him, determined to take him all again. He brought his arms back from behind his head and groaned, reaching for her hips. “Rey?” he whispered.

She looked him in the eye as she seated herself fully onto him. “Yes,” she breathed. Her head dropped back and she reveled in the feel of him. Her toes were tingling, and she hadn’t even started moving, yet. Bringing her head back up to look at him, she rocked her hips a bit, experimentally. The motion sent shock waves through her and with a gasp she came. She felt herself falling forward and caught herself with her hands on Poe’s chest. Panting, she focused on catching her breath. After a moment, she looked at Poe, who was in turn looking at her in awe.

He reached up and cupped the back of her head with one hand. “You are so fucking incredible,” he said softly. “How did I get so lucky to be the first to see your passion turned loose?”

“There’s no such thing as luck,” Rey whispered with a smile.

Poe laughed, threading his fingers through her hair. Then his face became serious and Rey felt him shift his hips and move inside her; she could swear she felt him pulsing along with his heartbeat. She sat up and began to rock, startled all over again by the feel of him filling her. She started moving up and down on his shaft, encouraged by his firm grip on her hips and his soft words. Her legs felt weak, and she wanted, no needed, to move faster and harder, so she leaned back, bracing her hands on his thighs, and began pumping in earnest.

“Yes, baby,” Poe continued. He was speaking to her, quietly, intently. “Just like that. You are so fucking beautiful. You are so brave. So strong. No other woman could have followed me so far through the jungle. No man for that matter.” He brought up his hands to cup her breasts. “And now you’re riding me like this. So fucking amazing. Mi Halconera.” He groaned and panted as his hips lunged upward. “Shit! I’m gonna come!”

Rey was breathing hard, desperate to make him come, not worried about herself, though she felt very close to another orgasm again, too. Poe suddenly pinched her nipples lightly, making her gasp, then one hand dropped down to where they were joined and his thumb found her clit. With an almost embarrassing squeal, Rey came again, and Poe followed right after her with a cry of his own.

Rey once more fell forward, but this time she didn’t try and catch herself. She lay on Poe’s chest, feeling it rise up and down rapidly beneath her as he tried to catch his breath. He wrapped his arms tight around her, as if he was afraid she would try and leave, and gradually their breathing and heart rates slowed. She felt him stroke her back as he released her, then shifted a bit. “Condom,” he whispered, and she knew she had to get up so he could dispose of it. She didn’t want to move. Moving would mean leaving his warmth. It would mean him leaving her body. She sighed and finally moved herself up and off of him. They both groaned as he slid from her. She turned and rolled off of the bed while he took care of his business, going to the bathroom to clean herself. She couldn’t help but smile at herself in the mirror before she left to go back to the bed.

He was lying on his back when she came out of the bathroom, and when he saw her, he held out a hand. She took it and slid under the sheets, curling up next to him and pillowing her head on his shoulder. He shifted and reached over to turn off the light, but once settled back down, he began to caress her hair in slow mesmerizing strokes. She closed her eyes, but her mind wouldn’t slow down. When she opened them again, she noticed the ring. It lay on his chest, just an inch or two away from the hand she had resting there. If she moved her fingers just a bit, she could touch it.

She knew what she had to do. It might mean the end of this little bit of heaven, but who knew what would happen later? There were several heavily armed men in this town and only a handful of them didn’t want to kill either her or Poe. This may be the last time she had a chance to say it. She took a deep breath.

“Poe?”

“Hmmm?”

“I love you.”

The hand stroking her hair stilled.

“I don’t expect you to say anything,” she continued without lifting her head to look at him. “I don’t need you to argue that I don’t know what I’m talking about and I don’t need you to lie and say it back to me.” She paused. “We don’t know what might happen when we leave here, and I just needed you to know.”

They lay silent for a long time, then Poe continued with his stroking, never saying a word.

Rey squeezed her eyes shut and willed her tears not to fall.

******

The pounding on the door that woke them was loud and insistent. “Dominguez!” roared a deep voice from the other side.

Poe shot up, lunging over Rey to get out of the bed, the Glock on the bedside table in his hand before his feet even hit the floor. In the ambient light coming through the window, Rey was able to see him move silently and stealthily to the door, weapon at the ready, somehow appearing more deadly naked than when he was clothed.

“Dominguez!” came the voice again, followed by more shouting in Spanish.

Poe seemed to settle, taking a deep breath and lowering the gun. He answered back, then got a gruff sounding reply. Heavy footsteps sounded as the speaker moved away.

Rey realized she was shaking, the rude awakening having given her a shot of adrenaline that was now unneeded. “Not one of your SEAL friends, I take it?”

Poe shook his head, and she could see he was also trying to come down from the terrifying rush they had both felt. “No. They stay away from Maz’; don’t want to give the cartels any reason to distrust her. It was just Chewie, Maz’… head of security, I guess you could call him.” He walked over to the nightstand and flipped on the light. “Karé’s back,” he told her softly. “It’s time to go.”

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Rey watched as he set the gun back down, then proceeded to pick his jeans up off the floor where he had dropped them a few short hours ago. Rey pulled herself together and slipped out of the other side of the bed, where her own bag of clothing lay. She opened the package of panties and pulled on a pair, grateful they were at least close to her size, then she slipped on the darker of the two skirts. Grabbing the white blouse with the green embroidery, she paused for a moment, trying not to remember Poe’s comment about it, then pulled it over her head. She grabbed the sandals and looked at them with concern. What if she needed to run? These looked as if they were meant for some garden party, not running through the jungle.

She stood and headed for the bathroom, finding the sturdy leather pair of footwear she had worn since she arrived in Ajan Kloss just over a week ago. They were dirty and worn, and one strap looked about ready to snap, but they were still better than the borrowed pair. She slipped them on, then looked at herself in the mirror. Her expression was the complete opposite of the one she had been wearing the last time she saw herself. She shut her eyes and turned away, then walked back out into the bedroom.

Poe was standing watching her, fully dressed now, his knife in its sheath, and the P90 in his right hand. In his left hand was the Glock, and as she neared him, he held it out to her. She took it without a word, then looked him in the eye.

“Ready?” he asked softly.

She nodded.

“Okay.” He turned and headed for the door.

Upon leaving the room, Poe waited until she reached his side, then together they made their way through the halls to the stairs. As they walked down them, Rey saw Maz waiting for them at the bottom, a huge hulk of a man standing next to her. Chewie, she guessed. His hairy façade watched them with distrust as they came to the bottom of the stairs. Rey realized that Karé was sitting on one of the settees off to the side and Satine was next to her. Karé was looking down, but Rey could see the side of her face was swollen and red.

“Karé, what happened?” Poe asked, obviously seeing what she was seeing.

She looked up. “The plan is the same,” she told Poe without preamble. “The only difference is Snap and Iolo will get your girl. You’re to hide her behind the old car that’s parked next to the schoolhouse.”

“What time is this supposed to happen?”

“At exactly oh-four-hundred hours,” she said.

Poe looked at his watch. “Cutting it a little close, aren’t we?” he grumbled.

“Karé had a run in with one of Ricardo’s men on her way back from her meeting with Snap,” Maz told him sharply.

Rey gasped as Poe muttered, “Shit.”

“Are you okay?” Rey asked the young woman.

With haunted eyes, Karé tried to smile. “I will be.”

“Who was it?” Poe asked, his voice as dark as Rey had ever heard it.

Karé swallowed. “Nestor Rodriguez.”

“He’s in my sights, Karé,” he told her.

“El mío también,” growled Chewie.

She nodded an acknowledgement, but Rey knew revenge wouldn’t help her heal any faster.

“You should be able to make it to the schoolhouse without being seen,” Maz told them. “Our keepers are occupied elsewhere.” She gave Poe a small smile. “It appears your father arrived in town last night.”

Rey looked at Poe, startled. He just rolled his eyes. “Great.” He shrugged. “I guess he’s as good a distraction as any. Maz, please keep everyone inside for the next few hours, okay?” He looked at Rey. “Ready for this?”

She nodded. “Yes,” she said firmly.

Poe nodded back. He glanced at Karé and Satine, then looked back at Maz. “Thank you… for everything.”

“We will miss you around here, Dominguez.” Maz paused and gave him a smirk. “Or whatever your real name is.”

Poe smiled at her. “I’ll miss you, too, Maz.”

Maz stepped up to Rey, again touching her on the cheek. “And you, brave child, I will pray for your safe return home.”

Once more fighting tears, Rey smiled. “Thank you, Maz.”

Poe held out his hand to Rey. Giving him a soft smile, she took it, feeling his strength flow through her as his fingers clasped firmly around hers.

“Let’s do this.”

With one more glance at Maz and the others, Rey walked with Poe out the front door of the house.

Keeping a solid grip on his hand, Rey followed Poe as he led her off the porch and around the back of the building the way they had come, but instead of turning right on the path, he turned left, and they walked along at a quick pace behind the buildings that sat along the edge of Ajara. It wasn’t long before he turned between two buildings and Rey saw an old broken-down Ford Escort sitting with no wheels parked perpendicular to what looked like an abandoned building with busted windows.

Poe hunkered down behind the car, peeking over the hood. Rey followed suit and saw what looked like the town square before her. There were a handful of men on the far side, laughing and smoking.

Rey glanced at Poe. “Yours or Ricardo’s?”

He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “Mine?”

“Well? Aren’t they?” She shrugged. “You’re still Dominguez’ son according to them.”

“Oh, I’m sure ‘Daddy’ is very pissed off at me right now,” he said with a grin. He motioned off to the far right, toward a small building next to a service station. A couple of men stood outside the door, weapons clearly visible, their bearing watchful. “There’s a couple of the good guys,” he said. “That must be where they’ve been staying while they’re here ‘training’.”

He ducked down and turned toward her, so she also squatted down to face him. “You stay here, but you keep that gun ready,” he told her. “Make sure you keep your head down, especially if things get crazy out there. And please don’t shoot Snap or Iolo.”

“Wait a minute!” she argued, realizing just what he was saying. “You’re staying here with me! Right?”

He smiled and shook his head. “I’m the distraction, Angel,” he told her. “Snap and Iolo need to get to you without them seeing.”

Rey shook her head violently. “No! You’re staying with me so they can get both of us out!”

“Rey,” he said patiently, grabbing her shoulder with his free hand. “This is the plan.” He looked at her intently. “This is the plan that was supposed to happen the day we met. The only difference is two of the SEALS are coming for you now.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Honey, I have more reasons than ever to get out of here alive. I need you to trust that this plan will work and you need to promise me you won’t take any chances, okay? Wait for Snap.” He paused. “Please?”

Rey couldn’t say no. She knew he needed to focus on whatever he was planning to do and not worry about her. She could do this. She nodded. “I will.”

He smiled at her, then cupped her cheek with his hand. He looked at her for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her. She felt the tears she had been holding back all night finally fall as she opened up for him. She couldn’t help it. Despite his words, it felt like goodbye.

He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers. “See you on the other side,” he whispered.

Then he was gone.

******

Rey didn’t know how long she sat there, her back up against the rusted old car, listening with only half an ear to the chattering and laughing going on across the square. Her mind was racing, going around and around in circles as she looked back on the last few days. Poe’s parting words gave her every indication that he not only intended to get out of Ajan Kloss alive, but that he expected to see her again back in the ‘real world.’ While she wiped the tears that were still dribbling down her cheeks every once in a while, she prayed that was true. That even though he hadn’t said the words, that he loved her and was planning on building a future with her away from this place. A normal future. With kids and animals and regular jobs that they complained about to each other as they got ready for bed every night.

Or maybe she would never see him again.

While that thought made her heart clench, she would be okay with it as long as she knew he was safe and alive and living his life in whatever way made him happy. She shifted the gun in her lap, glancing ahead of her at the dark jungle, suddenly wishing she was back in the middle of nowhere with Poe. A part of her would have been happy to live out the rest of her days lost with him in the jungle.

Shouting coming from behind her got her attention, and she moved up to a squatting position and turned so she could peer over the hood of the car. The men across the square were yelling and gesturing off toward her left. She looked over to see another group of men, about a dozen of them, walking into the square. The two in the front were holding the arms of a struggling man, and as they came closer to the lights of the square, Rey realized it was Poe. Her whole body froze in fear.

Several men came out of the building across the way, one of them an older man Rey assumed was Dominguez senior. She guessed that the men that held Poe were part of the Ricardo Cartel. This was Poe’s plan? To get captured by his ‘father’s’ rival cartel? She glanced at the building off to the right where Poe had pointed out the SEALs. She saw two men standing by the door, watching the goings-on with interest.

Three different groups of heavily armed men, Rey thought, surrounded by an atmosphere that felt like it was about to explode. No wonder Poe had told Maz and the others to stay inside for the next few hours.

Luis Dominguez stepped forward, facing the Ricardo men, and began to shout at them. Two of his men flanked him, both looking around them wildly, as if they really didn’t like their boss stepping out so boldly and feared for his safety. One of the Ricardo men shouted back, pushing Poe forward so hard that he fell to his knees. He was looking at the ground, and Rey could see a bit of blood by his eye, but over-all he looked okay, just subdued. She saw him raise his eyes to look at Luis, and she thought she could see a smirk on his lips, but it was hard to tell from this distance.

There was more shouting back and forth, and Rey heard her name a couple of times. Were they trying to figure out where she was? What had Poe told them? Damn. She really needed to take a class and learn Spanish once and for all when she got home!

Suddenly, Poe got up and stepped forward, yelling and gesturing at Luis, arguing with him. It was pretty obvious Luis was pissed at him, just like Poe had said he would be, but was also fearful for his safety at the hands of the Ricardo men. Without her there, the Ricardo’s really had no reason to kill him, but that didn’t make her feel any better.

“Miss Skywalker?”

Rey jumped and spun around, gun up and aimed, but the two men hunkered down behind her were obviously the men she was here waiting for. Wearing camo from head to toe, packs on their backs and weapons in their hands, they looked like something out of a war movie. She lowered her own weapon and leaned back against the car, taking a deep breath, and nodded.

“Captain Wexley, United States Navy,” the bearded man told her. He nodded toward the man next to him. “This is Lieutenant Arana. You need to come with us.”

“Snap and Iolo, right?” she asked. “Poe told me to expect you.” She couldn’t help but smile as their eyes widened and they looked at each other with surprise. She turned back to look at the argument still going on in the square. “What’s he telling them?” she asked.

She heard Snap sigh and move toward her a bit. “He’s told them you were bit by a snake and died on route. The Ricardo men don’t believe him and think he’s hiding you. Dominguez is just pissed at everybody. Apparently, Dameron killed one of his guys?”

Rey nodded. “Yeah. Teedo. He was going to rape me.”

“Fuck,” Iolo whispered. “That bastard needed to go. Even Dominguez knew that. He’s just using that as an excuse. He doesn’t want the Ricardo’s to know Dameron stole you away without his permission.”

“He’s trying to save face in front of his rival,” Snap agreed. “Come on, we need to go.” He grabbed Rey’s arm gently.

With one last worried look at Poe, she began to follow him, but just as they turned away, the shouting rose in intensity and someone started shooting. The three of them ducked down in reaction, and Rey turned to look back toward the square. Men were running around wildly and more shots were heard.

“Shit!” Snap said. “Looks like Dameron’s war is starting!”

In the back of her mind, Rey recalled Poe mentioning the ‘seeds’ he had been planting all this time in hopes the two Cartels would start an all-out war with each other. She hadn’t expected him to be literally in the middle of it! Her eyes darted around, looking for him in the melee in the square, finally spotting him running toward Dominguez and his men, ducking and dodging as he ran. From where she was hiding, she could tell he was ducking and dodging his way closer to the building the SEALs were in. The men she had seen there had taken cover inside the little house, and she could see their weapons pointing out the windows. They were not firing; they would only do so if they were directly threatened.

Without warning, she saw Poe’s body jerk as he was obviously struck and he collapsed. “No!” she screamed, and unthinking she heaved herself up with the intent to rush around the car and run to him. Snap grabbed her arm, preventing the rash action. “Let me go! He’s been shot!” she cried.

Snap and Iolo were watching intently as well, but Snap would not let her go. Rey could see Dominguez, who had ducked back into his own building when the shooting started, yelling out the door at his men, and she knew he was demanding they go and get his son. However, the men were hesitating, not wanting to leave their shelter.

The SEALs were not so hesitant. Two of them rushed out from their building and ran toward Poe, who had managed to push himself up on one arm, holding the other close to his side. They grabbed him and pulled him upright, then dragged him back to the house.

“They got him,” Snap told her, and began pulling her away. Rey still resisted. The shooting continued all over the square, with a scream or a shout indicating when someone got hit. “Miss Skywalker!” Snap continued. “Dameron will kill me if I don’t get you out of here. Now!” He jerked on her arm, knocking her off balance. She looked at him, logic slowly returning to her adrenaline filled brain. She nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into the dark.

She saw both men drop their own night vision goggles down over their faces and felt a moment of déjá vu as she followed them into the jungle. It wasn’t long before she heard the roar of a vehicle. The headlights hit them and she saw Snap and Iolo pull off their goggles as the jeep stopped next to them.

Snap pulled her to the back. “Get in,” he demanded, looking back toward the town, where they could still hear gunfire.

“What about Poe?” she argued.

“They’ve got another jeep at the house,” he told her, his brow furrowed. “They’ll be coming after us. We have to go!”

With a huff of displeasure, Rey climbed into the back seat of the jeep, Iolo was already in and Snap followed. The two men in the front glanced back. “Captain?”

“Go!” Snap commanded.

Rey twisted her body to look behind them as the jeep started roaring down the road. She could hear Snap talking on his radio and she hoped he was communicating with the men who had grabbed Poe. Suddenly, another pair of headlights appeared behind them and Rey breathed a sigh of relief. That had to be the rest of the team and they had to have Poe with them. She turned to Snap. “Is he okay?”

Snap was still talking into the mic at his throat. He finally glanced at her. “He’s stable, but we gotta get him back to base.” It was hard to tell in the dark, but he looked worried. “Dominguez will probably send men after us when things calm down in the square and we gotta get to Ahsoka first.”

Camp Ahsoka was the name of the U.S. base here in Ajan Kloss. Rey knew that once they were there, they would legally be on U.S. soil and the cartels could do nothing without risking the wrath of the U.S. government.

“They’ll think you kidnapped him,” Rey said.

“Just protecting our informant,” Snap corrected. “Dominguez has known his son was ‘in bed’ with the Ricardo Cartel, and he believes it’s because José has been spying on them for us. Dameron never tried dissuading him.”

Rey shook her head. Oh, what a tangled web Poe had built while he was here in Ajan Kloss.

She looked back again, making sure the other jeep was still following. She noticed that the jungle was beginning to turn grey and she knew sunrise was on the way. Trying to settle her still racing heart, she sat back and tried to focus on the road ahead. Eventually, the sky got lighter and lighter. She was able to tell what direction east was as the sun got higher and that told her they were moving mostly north. Toward the coast. Toward Camp Ahsoka and safety.

******

Rey could smell the ocean before she saw it. The jeep sped out of the jungle, entering a wide clearing where the road curved toward a fenced-in compound, the ocean now visible off to her right. The gates to Camp Ahsoka were open and the soldiers guarding them waved them through. The jeep Rey was in turned immediately to the right and continued on toward one of the larger buildings on the base, but the jeep following them continued on straight.

Rey watched it with concern. “Where are they going?”

“They’re taking him straight to medical,” Snap told her. At her worried look, he continued. “He’s still stable, but he may need surgery.” He nodded toward the building they had stopped in front of. “You need to debrief with the Admiral.”

Rey sighed, but she knew he was right. She followed him out of the jeep, Iolo joining them as they entered the building. It was obviously the administration building, with desks dotting the large room, and most of the occupants watched her with interest as she continued following Snap toward a hallway near the back of the room. They walked down the hall toward the office at the end. The door was partially open, and Snap tapped on it lightly. “Admiral?”

“Come in,” she heard a woman’s voice say from inside.

Snap stepped inside and moved over so Rey could stand next to him. Standing behind a cluttered desk was a tall blonde woman in fatigues, her hair in a tight regulation bun, her bright blue eyes intent and curious. She appeared to be in her late 40’s.

“Admiral,” Snap continued. “This is Rey Skywalker, alive and well after an almost forty-mile jaunt through the jungles of Ajan Kloss.”

Rey was taken aback twice over by Snap’s statement. First, this was the Admiral? A woman was in charge of all these SEALs? And second, forty miles? Had she and Poe really walked that far? She stood there, speechless, as she looked back and forth between Snap and the Admiral.

“Thank you, Captain,” the Admiral told him. “You and Arana can go get cleaned up. I’ll expect your debrief in an hour.”

Snap nodded and he and Iolo turned to leave. Rey watched them, wanting to ask about Poe again, but decided the Admiral would know as much, maybe more, now that they were on base. She turned back toward the woman.

“Miss Skywalker, I’m Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. Please, sit down.”

Rey grudgingly sat in the one chair in front of the desk and watched as the Admiral sat as well. “I want to know how Poe Dameron is doing, please Admiral,” she said as she settled on the edge of the seat.

Holdo nodded. “I understand, and I’ll get you that information as soon as it becomes available to me. I do know they were taking him in to surgery, that he suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and another in the abdomen, but I have no other information as of yet.” She folded her hands on the top of the desk. “I have arranged for a helicopter to fly you to Bespin where your belongings, including your passport, are waiting for you. We already have you booked on a flight from there to Denver this evening.”

Rey was stunned. So soon? “I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

“The church group you were travelling with will be notified that you’re safe, as well. The press will not be told anything, but I’m sure they’ll find out soon enough and you’ll be getting plenty of attention from them in the near future.” She tilted her head. “In the meantime, do you need to be seen by a medic? Are you injured in any way?”

Rey shook her head. “No, just tired,” she said. “It’s been a long week.”

Holdo smiled. “I bet.” She leaned forward. “Tell me about it?” The Admiral produced a recording device from a drawer in her desk, and looked at Rey with a question in her eyes.

Rey nodded her permission to record the conversation, then at Holdo’s nod to continue began to tell her story from the day El Halcón’s men stormed the schoolhouse to her arrival at the base just minutes ago. Obviously, she left out some very important facts. Need to know, she thought. Holdo, the military, the DEA, the press… they did not need to know certain things.

Rey spent a good hour in Holdo’s office. At one point, an aide came in with water and a ham and cheese sandwich for Rey, which she ate gratefully as she continued on with her story. After she was done and Holdo had turned off the recording device, Rey used the restroom to freshen up, then made her way back to the Admiral’s office. Holdo was speaking to another officer when she entered, a young woman wearing Lieutenant Commander bars. They stopped talking when they saw Rey.

Holdo gave her a smile. “Are you ready to go home?”

Rey nodded, her eyes flashing between the two women. “Yes, but not until I know how Agent Dameron is doing?” She needed to know Poe was okay.

She didn’t fail to notice the look the two women gave each other. “Rey, this is Lieutenant Commander Connix. She’s going to escort you to the helicopter.”

“Admiral?” Rey insisted.

Holdo sighed. “I’m sorry to tell you that José Dominguez did not survive surgery.”

Rey felt her heart drop down to her stomach. No. Not possible. She swallowed, feeling a scream build in the back of her throat.

“Rey? Did you hear what I said?” the Admiral was saying. Rey blinked rapidly and tried to focus on her. “José Dominguez is dead.”

With suddenly clarity, Rey recognized the emphasis in the Admiral’s words. She had said José Dominguez. Twice. Not Poe Dameron. Her mind quickly recalled her first real conversation with Poe, back in the cave: “I would get caught in the crossfire, the SEALs would pull me out and sadly inform my ‘father’ that José Dominguez was dead.”

Rey took another deep breath, hope filling her. She looked Holdo in the eye and the woman slowly nodded. Then Holdo looked at Connix. “Commander?”

“Yes, Admiral,” the younger woman said, then she walked around the desk and motioned for Rey to walk with her.

“Have a safe trip home, Rey,” Holdo said as Rey turned to leave. “And be prepared for a hero’s welcome when you get there.”

Rey nodded, still feeling a bit stunned. Poe was okay. That’s what the unspoken words meant, right? She walked along with Connix almost blindly as they left the building. Rey found herself in the back seat of another jeep with Connix next to her, an unfamiliar soldier in the driver’s seat. She looked about her, trying to find a familiar face. Snap. Iolo.

Poe.

The base wasn’t large and it didn’t take long before they were at the small airfield. Connix led Rey to a large helicopter Rey recognized as a UH-1N Iroquois, also known as a Huey. One of the pilots came around and opened the side door, helping her up and getting her seated and belted in, then handed her a pair of headphones. Connix stood outside. “Captain Kin will take you to the customs office once you arrive in Bespin and make sure you get your belongings and your ticket. Then you’ll be good to go!”

Rey nodded, then noticed someone running up behind Connix. It was Snap!

“Rey!” he called as he passed Connix and Kin, stepping up into the helicopter. He handed her a folded-up handkerchief. “I was asked to give you this,” he told her. “For you to keep safe.” He turned and stepped out of the helicopter, then swung back to her. “Until he can come back for it.” With that, Kin closed the door, and Rey heard the engines start up.

Confused, Rey looked at the cloth. Carefully, she unfolded it and gasped when she saw the silver chain glimmer as it fell from the handkerchief into her hand.

In her palm sat Poe’s ring.

******

FIVE WEEKS LATER

Rey sank down onto the couch in her aunt’s living room, pressing the END button on her phone and taking a deep breath. She still didn’t have all the answers she had been seeking these past few weeks, but today was the first time she had gotten any, so she should feel some relief.

Holdo had been right about the press, and about her ‘heroic’ return home. After two uneventful flights, she had arrived in Sheridan late at night, and was unsurprised to find both her uncle Han and Finn waiting for her at the airport to take her home. The oddity of sleeping in her own bed that night was made that much worse by the simple fact she had gotten used to sleeping curled up in Poe’s arms and she missed it. As exhausted as she was, she didn’t sleep well that night.

The press found out she was home safe two days later. Rey had gotten good at ignoring her phone and the phrase ‘no comment’ became her mantra. There was no way she was telling anyone other than family and friends her story. Not until it was over, anyway, and she didn’t believe it was.

She gave it a week, then she was the one that started making calls. The DEA. The DOD. The Navy. She tried to contact Holdo but was constantly put on hold and forgotten. She tried to contact Snap, but was told he was still out of the country. She sent e-mails and left voice mails and called over and over again, asking to talk to anyone in charge of the operation in Ajan Kloss. And over and over again, she was denied, rebuffed, ignored, or told “I don’t know who or what you are talking about.” The fact was, Rey was getting the run-around so much that she was almost ready to believe Poe Dameron didn’t exist and had been a figment of her imagination.

The ring she wore around her neck was a constant reminder that he was real.

She was also paying close attention to the news coming from South America. Ajan Kloss had essentially become a war zone for the past few weeks, with the two largest drug cartels at each other’s throats, but it was winding down. Just two weeks ago, it was announced the Luis Dominguez had finally been killed in one of the many attempts on his life, but not before Felipe Ricardo, the head of his rival cartel, had bitten the bullet himself. Slowly but surely, the Dominguez and the Ricardo cartels had destroyed each other. Two days ago, the Ajan Kloss government, in a surprising move, had taken control of both compounds, arresting anyone who was still left, insuring no one could take over either operation. Rey idly wondered if Poe had expected such a dramatic end to his two-year long performance.

She really wished she could ask him.

Leia Organa walked into the room, raising her eyebrows as she saw her niece on the sofa, phone still in hand. “Anything?” she asked. She was the only person Rey had even mentioned Poe to, and even then, she had not told Leia much.

Rey shrugged. “I finally got a call back from someone in the DEA, SAC Erso. I think she’s his direct supervisor?” Rey frowned. “Anyway, she said that all she could tell me was that as of six days ago, Poe Dameron was no longer employed by the Drug Enforcement Agency.” She let her head fall back to rest on the back of the couch. “At least I finally got an acknowledgment that he exists.”

Leia looked at her for a while, then pursed her lips. “So, what are you going to do now?”

Rey lifted her head to look at her. “What else can I do?” she said, her tone more than a little desperate. “If he doesn’t want to be found, then there’s nothing else I can do.” She left the thought that he didn’t want to be found by her unsaid. She gripped the ring around her neck. “At least I know he’s okay, right?”

Leia sighed. “How about you stop thinking about it for a while and enjoy some food and sun and friendship?” Christ the King Catholic Church had begun planning a huge outdoor get-together for Rey shortly after her arrival home five weeks ago, and today was the day. It was supposed to be a celebration of Rey’s safe return home, but Rey knew that Father Craig and Deacon Calrissian would use any excuse for a party. The end of summer was near, and outside social activities would be limited by cold in the near future. “We’re already late,” Leia added.

Rey nodded at her aunt and stood, smoothing the skirt of her turquoise and blue sundress. She wore her hair down and had put on a bit of makeup, something she didn’t usually do. She had on a pair of strappy sandals with low heels and had even worn a bra for the occasion. The slightly padded undergarment actually gave her a tiny bit of cleavage. She felt feminine and pretty for the first time in weeks, but she knew she was just going through the motions; there was no one here in Alderaan she wanted to impress.

She and Leia left the house together, walking the few short blocks to Jakku Park, where half the town was already gathered and the smell of grilling hamburger and brats filled the air. While Rey’s house was a few miles out of town, she had spent a good deal of time at Han and Leia’s house these past few weeks because her cell phone reception was spotty at home.

Once at the park, Rey was immediately kept occupied as person after person found her to let her know how happy they were she was safe and how proud they were to know a person who survived such a traumatic experience. Rey just smiled and nodded, doing her best to change the subject to something else. When Tobias Beckett stopped to talk, she was more than happy to ask him about the alpacas he raised and sold. Eventually, she began to enjoy herself. She ate a bit, laughed a lot, and was reminded how much she loved this town and its people.

She had been on her feet mingling for a good two hours when she finally found the table where Finn and Rose were sitting and joined them. She watched with a smile as their oldest child, five-year-old Paige, ran around being chased by their new puppy, a beautiful black and tan coonhound named BB. Finn had brought him home to his family last week after they had expressed how much they missed Rey’s dogs, whom they had been taking care of while Rey and Finn had been gone.

Suddenly, Finn scooted next to her. “Hey, Peanut, I don’t want to get you worried, but,” he paused.

Rey looked at him, her brow furrowed. “What?”

He sighed and glanced over his shoulder. “There’s a guy I don’t recognize standing over by the old cottonwood. He’s been watching us for a while now.” He paused. “Watching you.”

Finn’s protectiveness warmed her, but as his words sank in, her heart started racing. She stood up sharply and looked in the direction of the old cottonwood on the edge of the park.

“Rey?” Finn stood with her, then followed her as she moved over to try and see past several people standing in her way. She finally saw him.

He was leaning against the tree, hands in the pockets of his grey cargo pants, the dark blue collared Henley he was wearing form-fitting and stylish. He was clean shaven, and his hair was shockingly short, with a shaved undercut that left just a bit of curl on the top. He wore sunglasses, but as he noticed her looking at him, he casually removed them and put them on top of his head.

He looked nothing like José Dominguez.

Rey felt a smile spread across her face and she heard Finn ask, “You know him?”

“Yes,” she said softly. Then she glanced at her friend. “You do, too,” she grinned, then she started walking toward the cottonwood.

He stood up straight from his lean when he saw her heading his way, and the ever so slight tilt to his lips turned into a full curve. She walked faster, and when he started walking to meet her, she felt her feet carry her into a run. She threw herself at him and he caught her without hesitation, his arms wrapping around her so tight she swore she could feel all her broken pieces put together once more. She buried her face in his neck and let her tears fall. Happy tears this time. God, he smelled good, she thought with a laugh.

Finally, she felt his hold on her loosen and she stepped back just enough to see his face. “You clean up good,” she told him with a grin, her eyes scanning his face, drinking him in.

Poe grinned back. “I wasn’t sure you’d recognize me,” he told her.

“My heart did,” she responded, her voice catching.

He brought up a hand to wipe at a tear. “Jesus, I forgot how beautiful you are.”

She swallowed. “I saw you get shot!”

“Through and through,” he told her with a shake of his head. “I made it look worse than it was.” He grinned again. “Still hurt like Hell, though.”

She smoothed her hands up his arms and then down his chest. “Where have you been?” she whispered. “No one would tell me anything until today, and then they said you left six days ago.”

He nodded. “I had to make a quick trip back to Ajan Kloss to help out a friend.”

She tilted her head questioningly.

“I helped Snap get Karé out. We’re both invited to the wedding, by the way.”

Rey grinned again. “I am so glad!” She gripped his arms. She just couldn’t seem to stop touching him, but as he hadn’t let her go of her waist, she supposed he didn’t mind. “When did you get here?”

“Last night,” he told her. “I had a job interview this morning,” he continued. “With the Alderaan County Sheriff’s Department.”

Rey felt an equal amount of shock and joy flow through her at his words. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “It went well, but I guess it’s the Sheriff himself that will be making the final call.”

Rey laughed. “Well, I happen to know him very well,” she said. “I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“I would really appreciate that,” Poe told her with a grin of his own. “Because I really, really want this job.” She saw his gaze dart down toward her chest and she looked down to see what he saw. His ring, which hadn’t left her neck since the helicopter that carried her to Bespin, was nestled between her breasts, easily visible thanks to the low cut of the sundress.

“I guess you want that back, huh?” she asked a bit shyly.

He continued to stare at the ring. “Actually, I think it looks perfect right there,” he said softly. Then he looked up and met her eyes, his face earnest. “At least until I can put it on your finger.” Her breath caught, but before she could respond he tilted his head and continued. “Is there still a mandatory six months of counseling before you can marry in the Church?”

Rey took a deep breath and licked her lips, very aware of his eyes dropping again to watch her mouth. “Actually, if you find an amenable priest, it can be four months.”

“Let’s find an amenable priest, then,” he answered, raising one eyebrow.

“What’s the rush, Dameron?” Her heart was racing.

“I’m not getting any younger,” he told her. “And I seem to recall you showing a desire to have babies a while back. I don’t want to wait any longer than necessary to get started.”

Rey felt a giggle well up inside her. “You’re serious?” She knew he was, but his nod confirmed it. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, to all of it.” He moved toward her and she met his kiss, reveling in the feel, the taste, the smell of him. All too soon, though, he pulled back. She opened her eyes to see him looking past her.

“Uh, we have quite the audience,” he told her roughly.

She looked over her shoulder to see pretty much everyone in the park watching them avidly. Han stood with his hands on his hips, a frown on his face. Leia sat next to him, a small, knowing smile on hers. Both Finn and Rose stood with their mouths slightly open, and more than half of the others looked similar. Rey looked back at Poe, laughing.

“I guess I better introduce you,” she told him, then reached up to cup his cheek, running her thumb along the scruff that was already making itself known. “Mi Halcón.”

He brought up his own hand to cover hers, turning his face to kiss her palm. He looked back at her, his eyes serious. “I love you so much, Rey Skywalker.”

Rey’s heart jumped at the words she has so longed to hear from this man. Her friend. Her lover. Her hero. She had so much she wanted to say in reply, but she decided to keep her response simple.

“I know.”

THE END