JESSIE SAW THE KNIFE wound through a large rip in his pants, a gaping one-and-a-half-inch cut in his thigh leaking dark red blood and staining his pant leg a deep brownish-red. He was standing rock-still staring down at Yevgeniy Sukahlov's body sprawled on the ground in front of him. The dead body appeared normal at first glance, with the exception of the leather-bound hilt of a knife sticking out of its thigh.

But she knew. She'd seen the punishment wrought on Yevgeniy. She knew his jaw was broken by how it twisted slightly off-kilter on his face. She knew his right forearm was broken, as was his left wrist, his hand bent at an odd angle. She also knew his knee was broken, his shinbone slightly bent forward in an unnatural position if you looked closely enough. What she didn't know was what actually killed Yevgeniy. She didn't know his ribs had been broken so viciously the jagged end of one of them had pierced his heart.

She did, however, know who had killed Yevgeniy. Slipping her hand through his killers' hand, she tugged. "Come on, Jake," she urged. "We need to get your leg fixed. You're bleeding all over the place."

ANGER COURSING THROUGH MY veins like burning fire began to fade. From past experience I knew my muscles would start shaking soon, their way of showing withdrawal symptoms when starved of adrenalin. The shit looked so unprepossessing in death, I thought; just a body with absolutely no sign of its malignant presence that had infested the world and dared touch Jessie.

Feeling Jessie slip her hand into mine relaxed me more. She was a calming force. She was safe. When she tugged my hand I looked down at her. Her thick black hair was messy, twigs and bits of dried leaves caught in it. Two Egyptian-blue eyes smiled up at me making my pulse spike.

"Well, that was interesting," I said with a grin. "Let's not do this again, eh?"

Jessie returned the grin, leading me away. "Come on, Dope." Almost as an afterthought, she asked, "What 'cha gonna to do with the money?"

Chapter 1

The tarnished brass push-plates felt metallically cool on my hand as I opened the aged-darkened oak and glass double doors. Stepping in, doors swinging shut behind me with a squeak and a thunk, I caught the scent of stale air, institutional floor cleaner, sweat, and desperation. This Podunk town hall reminded me of Back to the Future; tall, columned, and facing a typical town square, grassy with a fine black cast-metal statue of some forefather astride his rearing steed, streaked with white bird shit. The only thing missing in this picturesque scene was a clock tower. The town appeared quaint at first blush and, if you never actually stopped, just drove through, it might have preyed on your mind, made you wistfully imagine how nice it might be, how stress-free it could be to live an Eden-like existence in such a town. It would appeal even more as you motored down one of the endlessly long, boring, ruler straight roads, four to choose from, leading to and from town like the cardinal points of a compass.

Only when you stopped in the town and looked closely would the signs of decay reveal themselves; un-repaired cracks in the sidewalks being invaded by weeds, grass in the center square browning in spots from lack of water, paint peeling on the unused rotting wooden benches; a decrepit death of indifference slowly strangling Eden. Unfortunately, I stopped in the damned town. Not by choice, but by court order. Fucking Podunk town.

My footsteps echoed in the empty hall as I searched, reading the gold-script lettering on frosted half-glass doors; County Clerk, Land Registry, Deputy Commissioner, County Attorney. I wondered why this town needed all these positions. I'd seen maybe fifteen people since arriving, all seemingly over eighty, all bent over cups of coffee in the ancient diner facing the square. Eventually I saw 'Courtroom', my reluctant destination.

The letter had caught up to me in Naples, Florida, as I was about to move on. It looked official; government-like. I hated it immediately and almost threw it in the trash unopened. I was now regretting that oversight. As I pulled the courtroom door open the shirt that had stuck uncomfortably to my back from sweat cooled unpleasantly from a rush of cold air-conditioned air washing over me, making me shiver slightly.

Sticking my head in, I saw five people; an elderly black-robed judge sitting high above the fray, protected from possible assault by a wall of dark oak paneling; a clerk sitting in the defensive moat in front, no doubt ready to lay down his life to protect the judge from rioting eighty-year-olds; a law officer, or perhaps he was a security guard, sitting on a plain wood chair, tilted back against the wall on two legs, sweat stains darkening his armpits. It looked like he was picking his teeth, probably chasing the remains of his lunch; fried chicken or a rack of ribs, judging by his late-stage pregnancy.

At a plain dark wood table to the left, in front of the judge, two women sat, the portly one dressed in a too-tight red business suit, briefcase at her side, thin manila file on the table, bouffant blond perm, and currently bending to whisper into the ear of the second lady. Now she was a piece of work, I thought. Tight little eyes that beamed miser, the type of miser that hoarded money and emotions, a tight little lipless mouth frowning, pointy little chin, short lifeless mousey brown hair and, from where I was standing, my head poking in the courtroom door, pointy little tits, too, all wrapped up in a pricy, severe grey linen pant suit. She looked like a pixie bitch, a class-A tight-ass little bitch.

Actually, she was a bitch. I happened to be acquainted with her; June, my sister-in-law. She and I always got on well - as long as we never met or conversed, which we didn't, ever.

"Mr. Dupree?" a deep voice called out, breaking the loud echoing silence.

I never should have opened that envelope. At the time I was feeling quite generous; two hundred and thirteen thousand dollars generous. It was the single largest pot I'd ever won at poker and, in my defense, I was preoccupied with thoughts of the big breasted blond who had hung off my arm, rubbing against me like a slinky and whispering promises of unbridled pleasure in my ear when her tongue wasn't drilling for oil in it. She'd attached herself to me like a limpet mine when I won. I thought she was perfectly lovely; brainless, busty, eminently bang-able.

The letter was a summons to attend court, this court, the one I currently had my head stuck into, on July eighteenth, today. Reading the summons, I'd immediately reacted by swearing and kicking the bed, which achieved nothing more than a painful broken toenail, making me swear again and hop around holding my painful foot until I fell over the edge of the bed.

My plan for a lascivious night with Miss Bang-able Big Boobs fell through, my libido taking a hike. I was summoned to a custody hearing. Fuck.

Several calls to the indicated court, Dickens County Judicial District Court, the Honorable Judge Richard Rhinegold presiding, did not release me from the summons. I even offered to sign a blank release and fax it to them for their convenience.

"Mr. Dupree," the officious court clerk had told me with a snort of distain, "Judge Rhinegold was very specific. You are to present yourself in court on July eighteenth at two-thirty in the afternoon. Should you fail to do so, a bench warrant will be issued for your immediate arrest."

Well, fuck you very much, I said. Not really. I politely inquired why, when I had no intention of claiming custody of anyone, would a release not suffice? Actually, I wasn't that polite. I believe I referenced a certain part of his anatomy, comparing it to his service-oriented personality. I also slammed the phone down as he was in mid-sentence repeating himself. Sanctimonious bastard.

"Mr. Dupree?" a deep voice called out again.

I turned my attention away from the snarky court clerk whom I'd been contemplating as if he was my lunch and I was starving and indiscriminate. "Yup?"

"Come on in. Nice of you to join us," the judge said in a deep voice.

JUDGE RHINEGOLD LOOKED AT Jake Dupree and was not impressed. He'd be handsome if he shaved off the two day-old stubble, ironed his white cotton shirt, washed his wrinkled and faded jeans, and his boots could do with some spit and polish, too. If it wasn't for that witch June Langershom sitting in his court petitioning for custody, he'd have been happy never to have set eyes on Jake Dupree.

"This shouldn't take long, folks," he said in his deep voice.

Looking at June Langershom smirk at him, he felt a flush of annoyance. She looked like the lesbian she was and, although he didn't give two hoots what she did in the privacy of her bedroom, June was an activist loud-mouth who had made the fatal error of swearing at his wife in public. No one ever did that, no matter how wealthy.

Now he was charged with awarding custody of Jessie, ten years old, currently sitting alone in a small meeting room outside the courtroom. Why the hell did June suddenly decide she wanted full legal custody? Couldn't she simply have let things be? Jessie lived with her, so what was the problem?

Nevertheless, now that it was a case in front of his bench, he'd exact some revenge. If he could help it, he had no intention in the world of awarding June custody.

"Mr. Dupree," he asked as Jake slid down into a chair at the opposing table, slouching, legs stretched out, ankles crossed. "When was the last time you talked to Jessie?"

"Never, your Honor. Perhaps this would go faster if I agreed . . ."

"Why not, Mr. Dupree?" the judge interrupted.

I COLLECTED MY THOUGHTS. "Well, let's see. When my sister passed away, I was in the Navy, abroad. When the funeral was held two days later, I was in the Navy, abroad. When my brother-in-law passed away, I was in the Navy, abroad, and that time June," I said with a nod of my head towards the tight-assed bitch, "failed to let me know her brother kicked the bucket. So there you have it."

Judge considered. "I understand you are no longer in the Navy."

"Nope."

"So what do you do for a living?"

I gamble; that's what I do. "I live off a Navy pension," I told him, checking my watch. Just how long would it take to say 'take the child, keep it, I don't need a kid'?

JUDGE RHINEGOLD HAD DECIDED that Jessie, despite being ten, should have a say in her future, especially given June was one of her choices; a less than pleasant choice in his mind.

"Mr. Dupree, you will spend an hour with Jessie. Get to know her and let her get to know you. After that, I will make my decision on custody."

"Excuse me Your Honor." June's attorney jumped to her feet. "It has been clear that Mr. Dupree has no interest in custody and, in fact, is not gainfully employed nor does he have a stable home environment in which to raise a child. With these considerations and only Jessie's wellbeing in mind, we'd ask that you immediately . . ."

"Sit down, Miz Parker," Judge Rhinegold growled, frowning at her. "I will conduct this hearing the way I see fit. And, at this particular moment, I see fit that Mr. Dupree spend a little time with his niece."

HE LOOKED TOWARD ME and pointed at the door with a liver-spotted hand. "Go. She's in the meeting room outside those doors. I shall see you in sixty minutes, Mr. Dupree."

JESSIE SAT AT THE scuffed oak meeting table, idly tracing the knots and swirls of its grains. It was boring sitting in the room. The single print on the wall was of some old farm land from the black and white days, boring. The room was plain white, boring. The chairs were hard wood. She rolled her bum around to ease the numbness that had crept in, going over Judge Rhinegold's comments. He was an old guy, mostly bald, gold-rimmed wire glasses. But she liked the sparkle in his eyes. He was nice to her and had asked her what she wanted. Imagine that! An adult that asked for her opinion!

He'd said he would seriously consider what she wanted and, studying him, she saw he was telling the truth. She wondered what Uncle Jake would be like. Anything would be better than living with Aunt June 'the tight wad' Langershom. The problem with Aunt June wasn't her being a lesbian, although that was weird, it wasn't her being a miser either, although that wasn't fun. The problem was Aunt June lied all the time, for no reason, too! It was so tiring.

The squeak of the door handle turning drew her attention back. Uncle Jake stuck his head in, grinned and entered. He made her breath hitch. Maybe six feet something, unshaven, scraggly jet black hair falling to below his collar, wrinkled clothes, and amazing blue eyes; Egyptian-blue, she decided.

"Hi. I'm Jake. I've been instructed to talk to you," he said, holding out his hand. She shook it staring at him. "You must be Jessie," he added.

"Well, duh. You're pretty swift, aren't you?" She liked his chuckle.

"Okay, so . . . I understand the judge will listen to you and consider what you want so, what will it take?"

Jessie was a bit confused. "What will what take?"

"For you to tell him you want to live with your aunt."

"Why would I do that?" Jessie asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Well it's like this. I don't have a home, I've never had children, I haven't got a regular job, I have no idea how to raise myself, let alone a kid, and I'm not a nice person. You should stay as far away from me as possible."

SEEING SKEPTICISM IN HER eyes, I continued with more force, "And I don't want a home, don't want a kid, don't want a job, don't plan to be a nice person . . ."

I tried to be honest with her. It was the least I could do. She'd surprised me a bit when I entered the room. I saw my baby sister in her, the same thick black hair that tumbled in unrestrained waves framing a small pretty face, the family's blue eyes, and my sister's smile, sweet with an edge of toughness.

I tried to be honest about how useless I was, by choice, and how restless I was, how I gambled and was altogether a very poor specimen of a man. I tried to explain the same thing to the judge when he called me into his chambers. "You're honest. That's a good quality. I like it," the judge had said, adding, "Jessie does, too."

God damned Podunk town!

"Put your seat belt on," I grumped as we pulled away from the curb, not appreciating her innocent smile. "What the hell did you go and do that for?" I asked forcefully, watching in the rear view mirror as June and her attorney spit evil eyes at me from the steps of the town hall.

"Turn right up here," she said, pointing.

"You didn't answer me. What the hell did you do that for? I was honest about not wanting to be responsible for you and how useless I'd be as a guardian. What went through your mind telling that judge you'd rather be with me?"

I turned right.

"You were honest. You told the truth. Left at the next junction. It's important."

"What is?"

"Telling the truth. You do. That's good," she said with conviction, eyes keeping track of where I was driving.

"Of course I told the truth. So why did you ignore me?"

"On the right, up there," she said pointing.

I was floored as I caught a glimpse of the big ranch-style house sitting in two acres of landscaped gardens. "You chose to live with me when you had this?" I asked flabbergasted.

"You don't lie. I'll be a minute or two."

JESSIE RAN TO HER BEDROOM and pulled out her old suitcase and back pack, the ones she'd prepared for today, liberation day. She hustled hoping to get out before Aunt June got back; she didn't want another scene. She grinned to herself as she collected the last of her things. Jake's grumping was really cute. It might be fun living with him. It had to be better than living with Aunt June. With a final glance around the room, she left, pulling her navy blue hard-sided suitcase behind her.

"Help?" she asked as she wrestled with it, trying to lift it over the tail gate of his pickup. "Thanks. It's heavy."

WE WERE ON THE scenic route 10, straight as a ruler, fields either side, yellow corn I thought, although I wouldn't know corn if it hit me over the head or smacked me in the face. I estimated the road to be about two million, million miles long without a bend. It sort of felt like it anyway. I was still a bit pissed off.

"Okay, Jessie. Fess up. What's the real reason you saddled me with you?" I asked, paying no attention to the road. I could take a nap, wake up and still be on the right side of the road, alone and still two million, million miles from anywhere.

"I told you. You don't lie," Jessie insisted with a bit more conviction.

"Jessie. That's just stupid. Everyone lies. You just don't know when they do."

"Nope. I can tell."

"Don't be silly. You can't. It's impossible," I told her. Where did she get an idea like that?

"Can too."

"You can't, Jessie."

"Try me."

I glanced across at her. She'd twisted in the seat with her back against the door, knees up, blue eyes staring at me intently with a serious expression on her face. Nice eyes. "I had eggs for breakfast," I said.

She stared at me for a moment. "True."

"They were runny," I added, checking ahead.

"Look at me and say it again."

I glanced across at her. "My eggs were runny."

"True."

"I like football."

"Lie."

Huh. "I like to swim . . . naked."

"True." She grinned at me. "And true," she added with a giggle.

Huh. "I won't eat a tuna sandwich unless it has celery in it."

She looked at me, grinned. "Lie. You hate celery."

Well I'll be. "I don't want you with me and I don't even like you."

She laughed. "True and lie. You like me a bit and, don't worry; you'll like me a lot, eventually."

"How the hell do you do it?" I asked, now intrigued.

"Dunno. I've always been able to tell when people are lying."

"But how?" This skill would come in handy at poker, I thought.

"I don't know. I told you. It's something I see in the face, like a flick."

"Can you teach me?" I wondered aloud. Man, I'd clean up at poker.

JESSIE GRINNED. SHE LIKED Uncle Jake. He seemed to be so easy-going and his grumping was funny; there wasn't really any malice in it, he'd grin too quickly after grumping at her. Idly she wondered what life was going to be like with him. Anything was better than Aunt June. What school was he going to put her in? The judge had made him promise she'd get an education and threatened hell and damnation, and an arrest warrant, if he didn't live up to his promise. He'd also made Jake promise to send him school registration papers. Jake's grumping at that was hilarious, especially when he started muttering about forged papers as they left.

"Where are we going?" Jessie asked. Jake pointed ahead. "Where's that?"

"Not Podunk."

"Where's Podunk?"

He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder back towards town.

"So, how long have you been out of the Navy?" she asked, studying him.

By nightfall they'd made it about two hundred of the eight hundred miles Jake had planned. Harold's Comfort Inn, a low end motel, was clean, somewhat worn, and conveniently located on the way to New Orleans with a family-run diner across the street.

Jessie showered, pleased with her day. She'd got away from Aunt June, had an exciting unknown future ahead, and found she really, really liked Uncle Jake. He really was a lovable, grumpy dope. As she washed under her arms, Jessie wondered what was in Louisiana. Jake wouldn't say. Oh well. It'd be an adventure.

"All yours," she announced, crawling into bed. "Where's the remote?" she yelled at Jake's back as he entered the bathroom.

"On the side table. Use your eyes, Jessie."

She was really surprised when Jake strolled out of the bathroom stark naked, towel rubbing his black hair before being tossed on a chair. She watched him crawl into bed.

"You're naked," she blurted.

"Jessie, you're clearly a swift and observant girl. I'm impressed, truly, I am. Good night."

"But you're naked. Aren't you embarrassed being naked in front of me?"

"Why? You're family, aren't you?"

"Yeah. But I'm ten." Jessie said with a grin.

"Bravo. Haven't you seen a naked guy before?"

"Jeez. Aunt June . . . lesbian . . . What do you think?"

"Oh. Well now you have. Go to sleep."

Jessie settled herself, plumping the thin pillow, replaying seeing his penis and pubic hair, grinning to herself. She'd seen stuff on the Internet, but never the real thing. Very interesting. She wondered what it would look like erect. How big would it be? It was a bit hard to imagine how big erections were when looking at them on a computer screen. Hmmm, did he have a girlfriend?

Chapter 2

She glanced at the small house, head cocked to the side, hands shoved into the back pockets of her jeans, then turned and studied the agent. "Nope. Don't like it," she announced.

WE WERE BACK AT my roots, Louisiana, Creole. In front of us was a nice house, seventeen hundred square feet of side-split averageness, off the main road and within walking distance to a school, if you got up early enough. It sported a small lawn, small car port to the side, small kitchen, and small windows; generally speaking it was small. I hated it on sight. We were ready to pay for it in cash. We had a lot. Jessie had proved very useful company at poker games over the last three weeks.

She'd explained her remarkable talent in a voice that suggested I was a simpleton, "It's a flick in the face, Jake. Look, watch that guys face." I'd watched her approach and smile at a late-fiftyish man as he neared his car in the parking lot. "Excuse me," she'd said nicely, "Do you have any money?" He'd immediately denied it, as though Jessie was begging.

"There, did you see it?" she asked me enthusiastically. See what? She'd tried three more times insisting I look for the 'flick'. No such thing, at least not that I could discern.

Despite her best efforts, Jessie hadn't been able to teach me spit about reading the truth in people's faces, but she could stand at my side when I played poker, and touch me unobtrusively when my opponents were bluffing. I was duly impressed. In fact, the first time she did her little parlor trick and I won serious dough, I grabbed her and hugged her in delight afterwards, once we were well away from the game, that is. I liked hugging her for some reason, and liked her giggle, too.

She was proving to be easy going and fun to be with, as long as she did what she wanted. The moment I wanted her to do something she didn't like, she became as stubborn as a damned mule, digging her heels in and refusing to budge. Very charming.

I turned to the real estate agent standing nervously next to us, Bobby, bald, squinty little eyes and slick. "I guess not," I advised him. "Thanks for showing it to us," I added, shaking his hand. I could see the disappointment in his eyes. As we walked back to the pick-up, I asked Jessie why not. It had seemed like a nice enough abode.

"There's something really wrong with it, Jake. Don't know what, but he was lying to us."

House hunting was tiresome. I didn't like the idea of being tied down, didn't like the idea of mowing a lawn, didn't like the idea of living in an apartment building with hundreds of other people, didn't like . . . pretty much everything to do with stability. That damned judge had been serious, though. Fuck. This niece thing was nothing but trouble.

"Let's go get lunch," I suggested, my stomach rumbling from hunger and sick with apprehension at being tied down. I could almost feel the handcuffs snapping around my wrists. "Have you ever heard of home schooling?" I inquired. "What do you think about correspondence courses or something?" I did like Jessie's laugh. It was quite musical and very contagious. It made me smile despite my foul mood.

The sun was hot, air humid. It was uncomfortable. August on the coast . . . unpleasant. But being at the waterfront marina at Louie's Fine Dining and Bait Shop, with the smell of salt and the sound of gulls screaming, and a big burger and fries in front of me, I began to relax. The burger dripped. It was messy, melting American cheddar oozing out and falling to the plate to join the meat juices and mustard drops; it was a great burger, just the way I liked them. Good fries, too. A sip of beer and I was almost in a good mood again.

"Hey, look," Jessie exclaimed, her cheeks smeared with ketchup. She pointed her small finger to the marina before reaching for her Coke.

I looked. Boats. "They're called boats, Jessie."

"No, you dope. There," she insisted with a grin, putting her Coke down, finger jabbing at the air insistently.

"Look at what?"

"Over there," she said, excited, "What is it?"

I looked. "You mean that one?"

She nodded. "Yeah. What is it?"

I grinned. "It's a boat."

"Jake you dope! What kind?"

"A house boat," I answered with a smile. I actually admired it. Houseboats were pretty boring from a design perspective, but that one was quite stunning. It was a double-decker, rectangular, the outer shell wrapped in beautiful teak wood, layers of four-inch horizontal honey-brown strips. It had large floor to ceiling black framed smoke-glass walls. The upper deck was more teak. It was surrounded by a multi strip teak railing that gave it beautiful horizontal lines, the half deck room on top sported a flat roof and was also teak-clad with a curved wrap-around smoke-glass wall on the front and port side. I'd never seen anything quite as nice; a very modernistic take on houseboats.

"That's what we need, Jake. Let's buy a house boat!"

I liked her enthusiasm, and her grin. Actually, thinking about it, I liked her idea, too. No fixed address, no lawn, no permanent neighbors. Yeah, that could work. We could even dock it at . . .

"I don't think so. That's the dumbest idea I've heard all year." I frowned at her, adding, "Besides, I hate boats and water."

Her screams of laughter were funny. "You love water and boats," she laughed.

Amazing.

Mr. Knopf, agent and marina representative guided us off the third houseboat. Neither Jessie nor I liked it, too small. "Mr. Knopf," I suggested, "Perhaps you could expand your horizons, think big. Maybe show us something in a three stateroom configuration?"

"Yeah, bigger," Jessie interjected. "Like that one we saw. Let's get that one, Jake."

Pressing Mr. Knopf, he reluctantly admitted it was available, a repo, drugs or some such. His reluctance became clear when he mentioned it wasn't one he was representing. His whole hearted and enthusiastic support appeared when I offered five thousand dollars if he'd act as a buyer agent on our behalf.

I was convinced it was Kismet. The boat was named 'Busted Flush', which happened to be the last hand my opponent had lost with, thanks to Jessie. It also tickled a memory with me, sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Three days later we took possession. Two days after that, we were provisioned and piloting it down past Lake Jesse on our way to the coast. It handled like a whale and went nowhere fast, a perfect pace for me. We planned on docking at Port Fourchon for a couple of days before taking her west to Moss Lake, our planned permanent mooring; not far from my youth; conveniently located near to . . . nothing.

Jessie was all enthusiasm, reporting to me regularly at her latest discovery. The houseboat sported a speedy tender, three staterooms, one turned into a study, a large kitchen and lounge combo on the top deck, and excesses everywhere; gold plated taps, marble counters and all the latest in gadgetry, including satellite TV and Internet. Jessie was very happy . . . until I mentioned schooling.

She moped around sending me the evil eye for a while and then returned, bouncing with enthusiasm when she discovered a hidden TV in her stateroom, "Flat panel, Jake. It's a switch by the bed and it comes up out of the end of the bed! Awesome."

I decided, despite now owning a houseboat, despite how I hated responsibility, despite how I now had to consider someone else, I liked Jessie. In truth, it was hard not to. She was irrepressibly upbeat and enthusiastic which was contagious. I tried to maintain a stern frown around her just so I could see her study me intently. She'd look at me carefully then let a big grin bloom on her face, "Stop frowning, Jake. You're happy," she'd declare. I was, too. Strange for me.

She'd really shocked me when I'd caught her casually strolling from the bathroom stark naked, a towel over her shoulder and nothing else to protect her modesty. Embarrassed, I'd beat a hasty retreat to the pleasant sounds of her laughter; my embarrassment caused by a wholly inappropriate appreciation for her nakedness. It had been unconscious and automatic, surprising me.

Safely docked at Port Fourchon by late evening, we ate dinner on the top deck, a hot breeze stirring the muggy air, small waves slapping against the boat, and crickets creating a loud symphony in the background. It was casual and relaxed, altogether very nice.

"You shouldn't parade around in the nude, Jessie," I advised as I took a bite of my pancetta, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and micro greens toasted sandwich before reaching for a nice Californian Chardonnay.

"Speak for yourself," Jessie said. "This is good," she added taking a big bite of the sandwich.

"I don't care if you want to run around naked but someone might see." Like me, I thought. "Of course the sandwich is good," I added. I didn't mind being seen naked and, conceptually, I didn't mind Jessie being naked. But reality was quite different. I'd found myself replaying that glimpse over and over, still somewhat bemused. I think I'd expected a child, which I wouldn't have cared about one way or the other.

But Jessie wasn't quite a child or an adult. She had little bumps on her chest, the first announcement of puberty, small mounds perhaps half an inch to an inch in size. She also had wisps of pubic hair; small soft individual glossy pubic hairs so sparse I could have counted them. Even with her olive skin, those little black pubic hairs stood out on a very full pubis. And, somehow, the combination and the way I'd physically reacted made me feel uncomfortable.

"Who taught you to cook?" Jessie asked, thoroughly enjoying the sweet, tart sandwich.

"My mother." I took another bite. "Let's talk about school," I suggested.

"Let's not."

JESSIE STUDIED JAKE. SHE liked him. He was a good guy, basically kind under the grump and very easy to be with; so different from Aunt June. She had studied him very carefully and discovered he really didn't lie to shield her from anything. She liked that. His lies were all around his feelings. He lied consistently when she probed. It interested her why, of all things, he'd lie about feelings. The more she got to know him, the more intrigued she became, and the more she liked him, too. "Did it bother you?"

"What?"

"Seeing me naked."

"Of course not," Jake replied, inspecting the dark sky.

Jessie grinned. "Look at me and say that again," she said.

"Nope."

Jessie laughed. It bothered him! How cute. She didn't need to read his face; the slight flush was evidence enough. Nice. It made her feel good for some reason. She'd decided since he slept naked she was going to try it, too. It sounded so much better than wearing pajamas; sort of sexy.

Chapter 3

A SUDDEN SCREAM WOKE me; Jessie! I heard the sound of a scuffle. Another short scream cut through the darkness, louder, higher pitched. It cut off suddenly with the sound of a nasty thump.

I tore out of bed naked. Padding down the hall I heard noises from her stateroom and saw a light glowing and moving around. Pausing at the door, I peeked around the jamb and first saw a flashlight moving across the wall as if the holder was looking for something. Then I saw one man, large judging from his shadowy outline, the beam of light played over the bed, my heart catching. Jessie was sprawled across the top, naked, unconscious, her hair a tangled mess hiding her face from me, arms outstretched, with one leg hanging off the side of the bed.

I took another careful, assessing look at the intruder. Six feet six or seven, broad shouldered and, in the cast-off light, thick-necked; a gorilla. It would be easy. Bring him to his knees by breaking one, a side kick to snap his knee laterally would do. While he was distracted by pain, hit him in the kidney to give him a paralyzing spike of agony and make him arch back opening his front, then chop across his neck to crush his Adam's apple and cut off his air supply. His head would fly back and mouth gape open seeking oxygen. Slip to his right side and hit him, driving my hand up with a twist of my torso to add power and velocity. The heel of my palm into his exposed nose would drive shards of bone up into his brain and he'd be dead before his body hit the floor. Five seconds. Alive - dead.

No.

I couldn't kill him. I needed to have a friendly chat with him, find out what this was about. Maybe inflict some pain for assaulting Jessie.

I watched, planning on how best to subdue him. As he passed by the bed he casually groped Jessie's naked crotch.

His lifeless body thumped to the floor. He shouldn't have touched her like that. Just under four seconds. I raced over to Jessie and gathered her in my arms, checking her for broken bones. She had a bruise forming on her cheek but was breathing okay. Knocked out was my guess, perhaps by a backhanded slap.

Picking her up, I carried her to my bed, lay her down and covered her. Slipping into jeans and a Tee, I paid a visit on our intruder. With the overhead light on, I could see he was indeed a big guy, mid-thirties; ex-football jock was still my guess. He had a square jaw, square face, newly flattened nose that leaked blood, and a split upper lip. His brown eyes looked surprised. He was dressed in black from head to toe, black pants and running shoes, and a black T-shirt. I thought he might have some Eastern European heritage from the shape of his face.

Fishing through his pockets I pulled a wallet out. Grigori Leschenko, thirty-three, of 18 Freeburg Street, New Orleans. Who the fuck was he? And what the fuck was he looking for?

Rolling him over, I noticed the handgrip of a black pistol sticking out of his pants. I pulled it out. Beretta Px4 Storm Compact, carrying fifteen nine mil rounds. Strange. It seemed an odd choice for a burglar. I slid the pistol into the waist of my jeans at my back. Leaning down, I hauled his lifeless body into a fireman's lift. Probably two fifty or so, I thought, with solid muscle turning slightly to flab.

Twenty minutes later he slid over the tender's beam into the water, a quiet splash in the dark of night. I knew the current would take him downstream a bit by morning. We'd be on our way before dawn. Turning the tender, I headed back.

Stripping, I slipped into bed, mind preoccupied as I pulled Jessie to my side. She was still out, asleep? I wondered what he'd been looking for. Tomorrow I'd have a look I decided just before drifting to sleep.

Jessie woke with a start and a scream at five o'clock in the morning. I held her tight, whispering, "You're safe. He's gone," and waited for the tears. I was reminded she was naked, too. Her skin was quite silky against me and she felt like a dynamo generating heat. Petite, too.

I didn't get tears. "Did you kill him? I hope so. He hit me, Jake! That son of a bitch hit me!" Two remarkably blue eyes stared at me, a frown creasing her brow, a serious look in her cute face. It was charming, her anger surprising me. I liked it.

"Don't worry. He's gone."

"Did you kill him?"

I glanced up at the ceiling, sighing. "No. He left, okay?"

"Holy shit! You killed him! How?"

This human polygraph thing was becoming an annoyance. It was nice to have when playing poker but living with it was proving awkward. "Let's just say he fell and hit himself, shall we?"

"Okay."

JESSIE PAUSED, SUDDENLY REALIZING she was in bed naked with Jake, cuddled to his naked side, arm over his chest. Grinning, she rolled away, letting her hand slip down across his body, and climbed out of bed. "You've got an erection," she said over her shoulder, giggling as she left his stateroom.

In the shower, she went over every detail of that touch, caressing her pussy which had started aching nicely. In the brief touch she'd felt a rigid penis, large, very exciting. Her index finger probed her pussy with familiarity. She sighed when it squeezed into her slit and met her clit. Imagining what Jake's erection looked like and picturing his naked body, Jessie diddled herself to a very satisfying orgasm, body shaking in pleasure, nice throbs of joy.

I SAT IN THE third stateroom which had been converted to a study, staring at the laptop, sipping a coffee absentmindedly. Glancing at the open wallet, I confirmed the address and looked at the monitor again. According to Google Maps, there was no 18 Leeburg Street in New Orleans. Stranger and stranger. I made a call to an old Navy acquaintance, drawing on a favor owed, asking him to see what he could find about a Mr. Grigori Leschenko, six-seven, two-fifty, brown hair, brown eyes. Keith promised to get back to me by the end of the day.

A voice asked from behind me, "What was he doing on our boat?"

Jessie's question distracted me. Closing the laptop, I turned from the desk. She stood at the door dressed in white shorts and a sky-blue Tee that emphasized the blue of her eyes. She had very slender legs, I thought, dainty ankles and little feet. All-in-all, with her thick black hair pulled into a ponytail, she was quite pretty, very easy on the eyes.

When my assessing gaze returned to her face, I had to smile. Her grin was very attractive, a Cheshire cat grin. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"You. So, what was he doing?"

JESSIE FELT A FLUSH of warmth in her body when Jake studied her. She didn't know why, but the way his eyes moved over her almost felt like a caress, and the smile that broke on his face made her feel warm, really nice.

"I have no idea. Looking for something, I guess."

"So let's go. Let's find it!" she said, her irrepressible enthusiasm returning.

I DIDN'T WANT TO be around when a body was found floating in the river. "Later, Jessie. We need to leave."

As the sun intensified, shards of bright light flashing off the placid, slow flowing river making me squint, I pondered the puzzle. What was he doing? Jessie had disappeared shortly after we got under way and I hadn't heard from her all morning. Seagulls circled in the air, gliding in the thermals as they hunted for scraps. The breeze died away when I brought the houseboat to a stop. As I lowered the anchor at twelve-fifteen, planning on a lunch and rest, I heard from her. The river had broadened into a small lake. We were a few miles from the Caribbean. From this point it would be a long journey west until we reached the tributary for Moss Lake.

"Jake! Jake! I found it!" Jessie yelled, charging up the stairs to the upper deck like a tornado, Egyptian blue eyes glittering in excitement. "Come on, you've gotta see this," she insisted, grabbing my hand and yanking me towards the stairs.

I let her lead me down as she chatted away. "I was looking under the bed and in all the drawers but didn't find anything. Then I thought maybe there was a hidden compartment somewhere, so I got a bar . . ."

Oh-oh. What had she gone and done now?

Stepping into her stateroom was like entering a war zone. Drawers were pulled out of the built-in dresser; the mattress was half off the bed with sheets and blanket strewn on the floor. And she'd pried off all the ash wood paneling from the walls! Strips of ash were splintered, some half hanging on the wall, others littering the floor in haphazard piles. Jesus Christ!

"Jessie . . ." I yelled.

"Look! There!" she said insistently, tugging my hand, pointing to the opposite side of her ruined bed.

She'd found a two foot square alcove hidden behind the wood paneling. It was jammed with plastic wrapped bundles. Moving closer, I bent to inspect them. Stacks of bills. Shit! We were in trouble. There had to be at least a million dollars there. Fuck. What had Mr. Knopf said? "It was a repossession, ATF seizure, if I remember."

Fuck. Fuck!

"See?" Jessie said excitedly. "That's what the guy was looking for." She paused for a breath. "We're rich!"

"No we aren't," I answered distractedly. I knew if it was drug money, there'd be no stopping them from trying to retrieve it. I wondered if we could just give it to them; avoid any problem. Nope. When they heard about Mr. Grigori Leschenko, currently floating face down somewhere, I imagined they'd get quite angry. Fucking Hell!

Fifteen minutes later I was on the phone with Keith Winslow.

"Jake, what the hell have you gotten yourself involved in?" he asked. I'd left Jessie in the stateroom where she was gleefully counting one stack of bills, wearing gloves at my insistence.

Keith was my contact in Navy Intelligence, an old buddy. They coordinated their efforts with the ATF and Coast Guard in trying to stem drug smuggling. I knew this because it was my old career; Naval Intelligence, an oxymoron.

"I don't know, Keith. Who was he?"

"Grigori Leschenko was a low-level enforcer for Yevgeniy Sukahlov, the head of a Russian drug distribution ring associated with the Sinaloa cartel. Where did you cross paths with him?"

"On my boat," I answered, my mind churning through options.

"On your boat? What was he doing there? Wait! You have a boat? I thought you hated boats," he added after a pause.

"Yeah, funny. Listen, I gotta go. Thanks for the info. I might need some more, okay?"

"Anytime, Jake. Just be careful, bud. You do NOT want to piss around with these Russians."

I was completely preoccupied as I fixed lunch, Jessie eventually joining me, excitedly telling me there were five hundred one hundred dollar bills in the stack. That meant it was . . . it was . . ., fifty thousand I told her. She'd grinned and then told me there were eighty stacks and that was . . . that was . . ., four million, I told her with a grin. "You need to go to school and learn mathematics," I said.

"Hey! I was excited." She paused then grinned. "We use calculators in school."

We ate lunch on the aft lower deck in the shade, heat and humidity still oppressive, made more so by the lack of any air movement. I decided we'd stay right where we were for the night, or maybe a day or so; give me time to think before the longer journey to Moss Lake.

"So, wanna swim?" Jessie asked. "It's stinking hot, Jake."

"Sure." Why not? A cooling dip might take my mind off the small problem we now faced. Jessie leapt up and started stripping. "Excuse me. Bathing suit," I stuttered.

"You like to swim naked, remember?"

Shit. Why had I told her that? I grinned as she dived over the side, flashing her naked bum at me. At a more sedate pace, I undressed and took a running dive into the river, cold water refreshing my body. Jessie popped up in front of me, splashed me in the face and squirted away with a peal of laughter and another flash of naked buttocks. The chase was on.

I didn't really plan for her to end up in my arms. But after chasing her to exhaustion, she suddenly clung to me panting, bright blue eyes twinkling with pleasure. As we floated in the slow-moving river I realized I had a hand full of a ten-year-old bottom, a firm petite bum; a surprisingly rounded little bum.

"Nice, isn't it?" she asked.

"The water's just what I needed," I answered, cooled nicely, letting us drift gently with the lazy current.

"No, you dope, my ass. It's nice isn't it?"

I yanked my hand away, embarrassment flooding me when I realized I'd been squeezing it gently. I felt a blush start when I realized I had an erection. Jessie squealed in laughter and let go, turning to swim back to the boat. Treading water, I watched her swim, her bum breaking above the surface every so often. I was still staring when she climbed out, inadvertently admiring how compact and shapely her rear was. Shaking myself mentally, I swam for a while, mind now preoccupied with why. Why did I have an erection? I'd never even seen a preteen's ass. So why did I think Jessie's was so . . . Hmmm.

JESSIE STRETCHED OUT ON the deck letting the hot air slowly dry her body, eyes closed. Her nipples tingled and she could still feel the heaviness of arousal in her pussy. Having Jake's hand on her bum had been surprisingly exciting. Feeling him squeeze it had sent shivers through her. Idly, she wondered what it would be like to kiss that mouth. He was so attractive, especially that frown; she'd like to kiss that frown. Yeah, Jake was cute. Nice bod, too.

Her eyes popped open. Rising, she went to the rail, leaning on it, watching Jake swim, long powerful strokes pulling him through the water with surprising speed. His wide shoulders rolled, shoulder blades moving, back muscles flexing. She studied his tush, two muscular buttocks, slightly lighter in color, flexing and relaxing; very nice ass. Wouldn't mind fondling it! A twinge of heat flushed into her groin. She squeezed her thighs together, watching as he approached the boat.

Over her shoulder, she stared openly at Jake's penis when he climbed aboard. It seemed thicker than last time she'd seen it. Was it a bit bigger? Wow. Did Jake get a woodie from feeling her bum? She grinned and stared at his cute tush as he disappeared inside.

I STROKED MY RENEWED erection, head bent, shower pouring over my neck and down my body, one hand on the tiles propping me up. It felt wrong . . . and right. Seeing Jessie's cute naked bottom when I climbed aboard, her petite body bent slightly as she leaned on the railing, I'd automatically admired its gentle curves, small plump buttocks so rounded and separated by a short butt crack. In that position Jessie had curves. My reaction had been immediate, penis thickening when I noticed her little plump pussy framed by her thighs. I'd always been an ass man and hers with that pussy was surprisingly attractive. With the feeling of blood rushing south, I'd left my clothes on the deck and beat a hasty retreat.

The grin that had flashed across her face when she turned and blatantly studied my penis added to my arousal. She seemed quite openly curious without any embarrassment and that only added to her attractiveness. The whole episode and my reaction was so wrong. But, stroking myself, I realized I quite liked Jessie. In fact, I found her personality remarkably magnetic and her petite body incredibly attractive in a completely inappropriate way.

With memories of her sweet bottom in the palm of my hand and visions of her small naked body, I masturbated, sighing with exquisite relief when I came hard, semen spurting against the tiles. As the mental high from an orgasm flooded my brain, I waited for guilt to set in. It would, I thought, given I'd just masturbated to visions of a ten-year-old.

I knew I was in terrible trouble when it didn't.

Dinner was peaceful; the evening deathly quiet except for crickets providing a background sonata. The air was still, warm and heavy. I wondered if we were in for some bad weather, there was a stillness that I usually associated with a pending storm.

Our Delmonico steaks, marinated in Dijon mustard, were bloody, tender, and full of robust flavor, my bottle of Chianti a perfect accompaniment. All-in-all I was feeling pretty good. I also found looking at Jessie remarkably enjoyable. I became fascinated by the steak juices slipping down to her chin and how she casually wiped them.

"Will they try again?" Jessie asked.

She interrupted me as I admired how she looked with her hair pulled into a thick ponytail that started high on the back of her head. Full of body, it bounced fluidly when she talked. "I'm sure they'll want to. But they don't know where we are."

"Why not? Can't they find out we headed down stream and just follow us? It's not like this houseboat wouldn't be noticed, you know."

Hmmm. Unfortunately a good point. "Nope. You're giving them too much credit. Don't worry about it," I said reassuringly with a smile. Although, I'd have to keep an ear out, I decided.

With the alarm system armed, we went to bed. Turned out it was one bed. Jessie strolled into my stateroom, naked, and climbed into bed without a how-do-you-do.

I was about to admonish her and tell her to sleep in her own bed when I remembered what she'd done to her room. "Sleep in the study," I suggested.

"Nope. They may come back. I'll be safer here with you. Besides, you'll like me sleeping in your bed," she announced with conviction.

"No I won't."

Two bright blue eyes studied me. She grinned. "Liar."

Damn.

She cuddled her warm naked body to my side.

Damn. I rolled away from her to protect her innocence.

Chapter 4

THE BOSTON WHALER'S ENGINE died and the boat drifted forward, propelled by the residual mechanical momentum from the propeller and the slow ebbing tide. Rain fell in a steady downpour muffling sounds. Two men, both dressed in black, didn't notice the patter of rain, their gaze intently focused on the black outline of a rectangular houseboat at anchor near the shore. Turning the steering wheel slightly, the taller, slimmer of the two men, with black hair plastered to his forehead, angled the Boston Whaler towards the houseboat. Not a word was uttered, both knowing what their job was.

The shorter thick-set man with buzz-cut brown hair felt tendrils of concern. Grigori had been fished out of the river and the police report indicated how he'd died. While the police didn't know Grigori was visiting this houseboat, he did. Either Grigori was killed before he got to the houseboat or killed on it. Why would anyone kill him on the street? No. Grigori had died on that boat. Someone on it was dangerous.

With careful corrections, the Whaler reached the houseboat, the shorter stout man reaching out to grab the stern before it hit. A mooring line was quickly tied, no words spoken, both knowing what their job was; recover property that belonged to Yevgeniy Sukahlov.

Neither saw a pair of eyes observing them from the roof of the upper deck. With cloud cover that had rolled in late in the day obscuring the moon and the steady rain, he was all but invisible.

IT WAS THE FOURTH night. We were a third of the way to Moss Lake and anchored for the night. Jessie had gone to bed, tired from a long early evening swim, naked again. She'd enthusiastically teased me with flashes of her bare bum, invited me to hold it, grabbing my hand and putting it where she wanted it when I had politely refused, saying, "Nice, Huh?" I had to admit she did have a really nice rump.

I'd probably have found a reason to play rather teasingly with her scrumptious posterior, but I was becoming increasingly nervous. No one walked away from four million dollars. No longer trusting the alarm system, too nervous, I was lying quietly on the roof of the upper deck letting the rain soak my clothes, planning on spending the night there again, for the second night in a row. Clouds had rolled in so it was almost inky dark. A perfect night if one wanted to make an uninvited visit to the houseboat.

I'd sealed the money in a weighted waterproof bag and tossed it over the side, tethered to the houseboat by an unobtrusive rope attached to a small grommet.

I saw their outline appear through the curtain of rain as they drifted towards us. No one drifted late at night without running lights. That is unless they had plans for an uninvited visit. Watching the two men move, I knew it would have to be the tall one first. He moved with a fluidity that suggested he might be fast. The shorter one moved with the restraint typical of over-bulked muscles. He'd be slow. All I needed was for them to part company, go separate ways. Taking both wasn't a problem, but it would be noisy. I was hoping to avoid waking Jessie and having to explain, or worrying her.

I watched the tall guy start towards the bow, leaving the short one at the Whaler. That looked promising. Padding to the front, I slipped off the roof and moved across the upper deck to the prow railing. With a flip, holding onto the railing, I rotated over and in, landing softly on the lower deck, my bare feet making a tiny muffled thump as I landed and crouched. Moving quickly I knelt and flattened myself against the glass wall, watching through it, measuring the tall man's progress along the side deck passageway.

It should be straight forward; an unexpected hard right to his solar plexus with rigid fingers, bring my knee up immediately to meet his head as he doubled over, crush his nose, reach around with my left hand, grab his chin and, with some help from my right hand, torque it around beyond its natural limits to sever his spinal column. Alive - dead. Three and a half seconds, I estimated.

I followed his progress forward, stealthy and quiet; a professional. He moved well, cautious and alert.

His dead body made no sound when I lowered it slowly to the deck, my mind on the shorter guy. Padding down the side deck I approached the stern. It was empty. Fuck. The double glass doors I had locked earlier stood open. Shorty had more talent than I'd given him credit for.

Slipping inside, with the benefit of knowing the layout, I moved along the hall, listening. I didn't need to hear him. A glow appeared in Jessie's stateroom. Moving quickly, I entered the room silently. He was facing away from me, a tightly focused flashlight beam aimed at the empty hidden compartment.

The way he stood made it slightly problematic. With a muscular neck, breaking his spinal cord might be hard. No. I needed disorientation. Two slightly cupped hands slammed into his ears would blow out his ear drums and ruin his balance while causing severe agony and the disorientation I'd need. He'd bring his hands up to his ears in an automatic response, the body naturally reacting to pain in his head. A side step and a hard jab with stiff fingers to his throat would cut off his airway, adding to his distress. Two hard fists to his sternum would have him bending forward, perhaps collapsing to his knees. A hard chop to his neck and he'd be down. Alive - dead. Two and a half seconds.

His lifeless body slowly fell forward, head lolling at an unusual angle, blood leaking from his ears. Three and a half seconds. He was sturdier than I'd expected. I shook my aching hand. Shit, it was going to be bruised and sore tomorrow. It took me twenty minutes to haul them to the aft deck. Now I faced a dilemma. How would I get rid of two dead men and a boat? Fuck. Life wasn't fair, and I wasn't thinking.

"Jessie," I whispered softly, shaking her shoulder. She looked very cute as she slept, I thought. "Jessie," I whispered more urgently.

Two pretty blue eyes opened and peered at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Do you know how to pilot a boat?"

"No. Why?"

"Okay. I'll teach you. Get dressed. Hurry," I urged. "I'll be on deck."

She came on deck just as I dropped the tall guy off my shoulder, his limp body thumping into the Boston Whaler. "Holy shit, Jake!" Jessie exclaimed seeing two bodies. "Did you kill them?"

"No, Jessie. They arrived like that," I said sarcastically, "What do you think?"

She seemed completely unfazed by two dead bodies, grinning at me sheepishly.

I kept a very close eye on Jessie as she piloted the tender behind me, following my slow quiet progress.

Half an hour later we were back aboard the Busted Flush, Jessie excited and chatting and full of energy. I was tired and wanted to sleep. I figured we were safe enough for tonight. It was unlikely they'd send reinforcements.

"How did you kill two of them, Jake? Was it hard? Did they hurt you?" she asked yanking her clothes off and climbing into bed, an action I found rather riveting.

"They were frail, Jessie. They just died of fright." I tried to roll away from her energy. She grabbed me with her arm and hooked a leg over mine, moving close.

"No really! How did you do it? Was it hard? Did they hurt you? Come on, tell me!"

"Jessie," I complained, "I'm tired. It's late. Go to sleep," I pleaded. "We can talk about it tomorrow morning."

When her fingers started absentmindedly playing with the hair on my chest and her knee moved up over my thigh, I suddenly realized that the pressure against my side was her naked pussy, and my hand automatically caressed a small soft buttock that seemed to fit my palm far too perfectly. My physical reaction was immediate. I had no control over the tumescence that sprang up and pressed against Jessie's bent leg.

There was a pregnant pause, Jessie falling silent. I was about to roll away when she blurted, "Did I make you horny, Uncle Jake?"

"Listen Jess, it's just a male reaction. No you didn't make me horny." But she had. In the dark stateroom, with moonlight filtering in through the glass walls, two remarkably blue eyes stared. She felt so . . . female, suddenly sexy.

She studied my face before I remembered to turn away from her. I groaned as I realized she could see my lie. Damn, her little ability was annoying.

"I did! I made you horny!" she exclaimed with far too much delight, and then started singing, "I made you horny, you want to touch me, you want to kiss me, you want to loooove me . . ."

It was too much. I laughed, rolled onto my side and grabbed her naked little body, pulling her against me, nuzzling my face into her neck and inhaling the seductive scent that was Jessie, all Jessie. Her giggles faded away when I kissed her slender neck. She sighed when I felt the contours of her spectacular bum while nibbling a sexy earlobe. Yes. I wanted to kiss her, and touch her, and . . .

The kiss seemed so natural. It felt good to kiss Jessie's neck, felt better to kiss her ear lobe, felt nice to kiss her jaw and kiss her soft cheek. It was exciting to move slowly towards her small mouth and kiss the edge of her lips, feel her warm breath against me. The little shivers that shook her small body aroused me, my erection stiffening. It seemed so natural when I kissed her small mouth, her warm lips on mine, sweet breath on my cheek. It suddenly became surprisingly passionate. Jessie's murmur was so seductive, her lips silky soft. My erection strained when her lips parted under mine. I felt her mouth open. I opened mine and our tongue tips touched for the first time. A shudder shook me when the realization that I was French-kissing a ten-year-old hit, intensifying my arousal. I traced the crease of her sweet little buttocks with fingertips, passing lightly over her rosebud to feel the incredibly sexy cleft formed by two plump labia. Blood was suddenly pounding in my veins, touching a little girl's pussy was stunningly erotic.

Just as I thrilled at the feel of her moisture, so silky and warm, her little pussy so slippery, Jessie's hand gently curled around my erection, its tip pressed into her soft tummy. It was hard for me to process how aroused I was. But I was, incredibly aroused. From Jessie! From a ten-year-old!

Breaking the kiss, I sucked her flushed and swollen lower lip, my fingertip slipping between sexy, slick labia, feeling heat radiating from her pussy. Jessie moaned so sexily, squeezed my erection so arousingly, and started rubbing the tip on her tender, soft tummy in small circles.

"Jesus, Jessie," I whispered. She was incredibly sexy, a little erotic bundle making me so damned horny.

"This feels good, Jake," she replied in a heated whisper, curling her bum back against my probing fingers. Her movement forced the tip of my finger to slide through her slippery little cleft and touch the nub of her clitoris. I felt her arousal strengthen from her grip tightening on my stiff erection, still rubbing the tip in little circles on her sexy soft tummy. Precum suddenly released and I was sliding, gliding, her tummy stimulating my crown. "It's so big," she whispered, "Do you think it would fit?" She spread slippery precum over her, the tip of my erection dipping and pushing into her navel.

When Jessie raised her knee over my thigh, she opened herself to my touch, her rhythmic squeezing of my shaft changed to stroking. I started circling her tiny clitoris, matching the timing of her strokes. This was so exciting, so erotic. It was hard to believe a ten-year-old girl was turning me on so, so much. I felt my orgasm stir, a tickling sensation, my penis straining, balls growing heavy, pressure building. Jesus I was close to cumming just from petting her.

"Harder, Jake. Almost there," she panted, her bum moving back and forth rhythmically, pressing her little pussy against my caressing fingers.

It struck me suddenly. I was fondling a prepubescent child and I couldn't believe how erotic it was to have just the tip of my erection caressed by her soft tummy, how exciting it was to feel Jessie's little pussy moist and aroused, to feel her petite body undulating against me. I'd never experienced anything like it.

My body tensed, a precursor to an orgasm. I kissed her again, forcefully, tongue probing into her warm mouth. I touched the tiny opening of her vagina, drew her hot slippery moisture up, rubbing her little clit harder and felt her jerk, her breath snort in through her nose, and her hand grip my erection hard. Jessie was climaxing and it was stunningly arousing; her small body trembling, hips jerking, her little pussy suddenly very moist. She moaned into my mouth, shoving her pussy against my hand in a fucking motion before tearing her lips away, gasping "Jake!"

I let myself go, let the silky caress of her tummy on the tip of my erection overwhelm me, let the surprising excitement of giving a little girl a climax drive my arousal to its peak. It was incredible, so remarkable to be turned on by a child! Moaning, I pulled her small body to me tightly trapping her hand between us. My erection swelled, stiffened, and pressure released with a surge of pleasure. Semen tore up my shaft to spurt hot and wet onto her tummy. Hunching, my erection sliding up her tummy, a second massive explosion of pure ecstasy mushroomed inside me, semen spurting hard, hot wetness slippery on our bodies. Jessie held my erection tight as she writhed from her climax, her little body spreading semen. I spurted again, hard, a gut-wrenching explosion of hot cum, I hunched, held her tight and fucked her stomach, cumming, spurting, semen jetting out over and over. With exquisite bliss flooding me, I humping her petite body, drowning in pleasure until the agony of my climax passed.

Peace descended. My heart was pounding. Jesus, I'd just cum on a ten-year-old! Still holding her small, warm and cozy body to me, I relaxed in post-orgasmic bliss, stunned at how sexy Jessie had been.

"I liked it, Jake," she whispered, wiggling against me, spreading warm cum.

"Mmm. Me, too."

I held her carefully, rolled and carried her to the shower, her blue eyes gazing at me soft with pleasure, a small smile on her pretty face.

"It felt so much better when you touched me, Jake," she said enthusiastically as she soaped herself. "How come? Why did your touch feel better than mine?"

I grinned. Jessie looked like a sexy, naked, drowned rat in the shower. I rather liked her. "It's generally more exciting to have someone else bring you off," I said, scrubbing my chest.

She glanced up at me, eyes sparkling, so attractive. "We're gonna do that again!" she declared forcefully. Then she grinned impishly, "And more, Jake!"

I held her close as we drifted to sleep. Jessie felt good against my body. I realized I liked having her with me, maybe loved her a bit, too.

I woke up to a different world. Somehow, during the night, Jessie had moved away from me. When I opened my eyes, dawn's early light dusting the room with a golden glow, I saw her lying on her front, arms up under the pillow, sweet face turned towards me sleeping peacefully. She was utterly gorgeous, completely sexy.

As I studied her, such a bundle of pure personality, I realized I did love her; a strange emotion for me. I liked her, yes. She was cute, true. She was delightfully stubborn and forceful. And, studying her small face, button nose, full lips on a small sexy mouth that I remembered kissing, I felt love, my chest constricting. I was happy she was with me, very happy. Strange given I was now a child molester.

Oh shit! I was a child molester!

Slipping from the bed so I wouldn't disturb her, I studied her. She looked so small in my bed. The memory of cumming against her sexy little body gave me an immediate erection. I went and took a shower, my mind buzzing as I wrestled with the conflicting emotions I was experiencing; excitement at the illicit act, surprise at my lack of remorse.

In the cold light of day, I felt the sting of shame. I was supposed feel bad, to be the adult, the protector, not the molester. As I made breakfast I worried about how I could face Jessie. I liked what we had done, but it was so inappropriate. And yet, I felt the sexual draw. I felt love, too. As a Navy Investigator I'd seen the devastation sexual abuse wrought on kids. But it didn't feel that what Jessie and I had done was abuse. Why? In some way it had felt loving.

Two small arms wrapping around my waist distracted me. "Morning," said softly distracted me more. "We've gotta do that again," said with irrepressible enthusiasm cracked my defenses.

Turning, Jessie grinned up at me, standing bare ass naked in the galley, her eyes twinkling with pleasure. "Come on," she stated taking my hand, "let's go mess around." I had an immediate physical response.

"Are you okay with what we did?" I asked.

"Jeez, Jake. You're such a dope," she said. "What do you think? Kitchen? Naked?"

Bending, I kissed her sexy mouth and got an erection. "Go put on clothes. We're hauling anchor in half an hour."

Jessie looked at me and suddenly grinned. "You came fast last night. Are you always that fast?"

If she meant to shock, she did, the comment coming from a ten-year-old so contradictory to my preconceptions. Grinning, I answered. "Nope."

She studied my face then a big smile erupted. "Truth! How interesting. So how long does it . . ."

I turned her around and shoved her towards the door again, this time with a smack on her naked bum. "Get dressed, Jessie."

Her giggles echoed in from the hall. "Nice blush, Jake!"

Chapter 5

Fourteen hours later I docked at Oakley Shipyard. Phillip Marcus, the jovial and rotund General Manager tsk-tsked his disapproval as he inspected the damage to Jessie's stateroom.

"Burglars," he said, nodding sagely. "They have no respect." Glancing at me he smiled, "No worries. I'll have the carpenter in today. Probably a one- or two-day job."

I gave him a deposit and instructions on where my property was; a tributary off the lake. He promised to move the houseboat there after it was repaired.

Phillip called us a taxi which deposited us at Hertz. Three hours later we stopped at a Ramada Inn, halfway back to New Orleans. I needed to fetch my pickup and make some inquiries. I still hadn't figured out what to do. I knew one thing with certainty; the Russians would not stop trying to get their money back. What worried me was their viciousness. They'd lost three people and, no matter how I approached it, couldn't see how they'd let that go and just accept the money.

After a simple and filling dinner in the restaurant next door, we retired. I was very tired from a long day. Jessie wasn't.

She was under the sheet as I exited the bathroom, a remote in her hand and channel surfing. Slipping under the sheet, I lay next to her on my side, facing her and studying how her thick eyebrows and eyelashes seemed to make her Egyptian-blue eyes more intense.

She found some TV show, put the remote down and absentmindedly picked up my hand, tracing the lines in my palm. Without saying a word, her ankles slipped over my legs and she pulled, moving around as I curled my knees up.

She wiggled a bit and settled with her legs over my thighs. Without looking at me she smiled and pulled my hand under the sheet, guiding it to her tiny boob. An erection formed as I caressed the small nub of her breast.

Satisfied with my hand in place, she sighed, let my hand go, and reached between her legs. Fishing around she found my erection and pulled it up. With her knees over my thigh and waist, she closed her thighs trapping my penis between them.

"It's really big. I like it," she said conversationally, pushing the sheet down. "Look." Jessie pointed to where my erection rested against her lower stomach, placed her fingertip against her tummy at the tip of my erection, just below her navel. "If it was inside me it would go all the way up to here," adding after a slight pause, "Am I even that big?"

"I've no idea."

A bead of clear precum appeared. She spread it around my crown, smiling when my erection strained. Still staring at my penis, her thighs gently clenching, she continued, "When you cum do you, like, spurt or does it just flow out? Last night it felt like it was spurting."

"It depends," I answered and succumbed, gently caressing the small nubs of her breasts, so young they rose less than an inch from her chest, tiny little cones that were almost all areolae.

"Nice," she sighed. "Depends on what?"

"On how excited I am, or how long it's been since I last had an orgasm."

I could see her thinking as her finger continued to arouse me. I became more aroused when her little nipple responded to my caress. Bending, I gently sucked her tiny breast. Jessie's other hand held my head gently.

"So, since you came last night, it won't spurt?"

I broke my attention to her breast and grinned at her. "It will if you keep teasing me like that. You have sexy little breasts," I added.

"Thanks," she said, pulling my head back to her chest. "I'd like to see you cum. Can I?"

Breaking my kiss of a lovely taught nipple, I asked, "Don't you want to cum?"

Her blue eyes sparkled at me. She smiled. "Maybe later. I really want to see you cum." Her thighs gripped my erection tightly.

Her squeeze made me groan, sounding loud to me. "Keep doing that and you will," I told her.

"Really? Just this?" she asked with a tight squeeze. "What about this?"

Jessie curled her bum up slipping my erection back through her thighs and then reversed, pushing it out to her stomach. Precum oozed. It felt like I was fucking her.

"Jesus," I moaned.

"Nice, huh?"

She smiled at me, a sexy attractive smile, and did it again. This time, slippery precum spread and my erection glided through her thighs. I felt the pad of her pubis as I pushed back between them.

My head fell to the pillow. She moved again, silky thighs caressing my shaft. Reaching across her I fondled her tiny boob and moved my hips slightly, a single erotic stroke between her thighs. I was incredibly aroused, my erection pulsing.

Jessie's fingers played with my crown. She clenched her thighs around my shaft and curled her bum up and back, sliding my erection through her thighs. It felt marvelous, sexy. When she did it again, I hunched, slipping myself in a longer stroke. Before I knew it I was slowly fucking between her silky thighs, precum making them deliciously slippery, small thrills pulsing through me gently.

Now I was both tired and horny. Letting my eyes close, I caressed Jessie's tiny boob with my fingertips and slowly fucked, moving back and forth. With my eyes closed the feeling that I was having intercourse was even stronger, tremendously exciting. Precum made Jessie's thighs so silky, pressed together they felt like a vagina, so sexy, so arousing.

"You gonna cum, Jake?" Jessie asked softly, her hand caressing my shaft.

"Soon," I whispered, the first stirrings beginning; erection swelling, balls feeling tight, weight building in my groin.

Jessie removed my hand from her chest. "Wanna see."

With nowhere else to put my hand, I caressed her small thighs, fucking slowly, climax nearing, Jessie clenching her thighs in time with my thrusts. I imagined actually having intercourse with her. Opening my eyes I looked at my erection poking between her thighs. I imagined how deep I'd penetrate her small body, imagined how tight she'd be. The image took me over the top.

"Cumming, Jess," I whispered as my orgasm hit, erection strained. I shoved, pressure released, semen burned up to spit out. Before I could breathe, a second wave hit, semen tearing up my pulsing shaft to jet out in a powerful long spurt that landed on her neck leaving a trail along her body, ecstasy thundering. Hunching again, my erection swelled, semen spurted, sweet pleasure, sweet pleasure, cum spurting onto her chest. With short, rapid strokes, hips jerking, I came, semen pooling in her navel, pearly white and viscous. I hunched and spurted semen on her sexy little body in a wonderfully satisfying climax, gradually slowing as it ebbed, finally stopping, my body relaxed in a post orgasmic calm.

"Jeez, a lot, Jake," Jessie said quietly. My eyelids felt heavy, tired from a long day, tired from cumming. The last sight was Jessie's fingers playing with my semen pooled in her belly-button. I didn't feel her eventually leave the bed to clean up nor feel her climb back in and cuddle to me. I was gone.

Chapter 6

I spotted them as soon as I got out of the taxi. It was hard not to. We'd returned the rental to a Hertz office in downtown New Orleans and grabbed a taxi to take us to the pickup I'd left at the marina. Three men, early thirties, dressed with jackets inappropriate for the hot weather were casually leaning back against a black Cadillac Escalade that sported intricate chrome hubcaps and tinted windows. I saw them become alert by the stiffening of their bodies.

"Stay right here and don't move," I told Jessie, putting our two duffel bags down, one with clothes, one with four million dollars.

Jessie noticed the three men who now stood erect, no longer leaning on the Escalade. "Shouldn't we run?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

I smiled reassuringly. "Relax. There are only three of them," I said with a grin. "They probably just want to talk."

Without staring at them, but watching carefully, I moved towards my parked pickup. These three, I noted, weren't bruisers. I guess I rated the higher grade now. They were large but not bulked, and the way their jackets fell made it obvious they were carrying guns. My challenge was to find out which one was the de facto leader.

Casually they interspersed themselves between me and my pickup. I stopped six feet away.

"You Jake Dupree?" the one on my left asked.

"Nope."

He glanced to the one on the right. I'd found the leader, six-one or two, slightly shorter than me, fit, dark grey watchful eyes, long nose and heavy shadow on his chin. He stood relaxed, his gaze locked on me.

The first spoke again. "Someone wants to meet you," he said.

Still staring at the leader, I asked, "Who might that be?"

"None of your business. You'll come with us. You'll be quite safe."

"He's lying, Jake!" Jessie called out.

"Quiet, Jessie. And if I don't want to?" I asked politely.

The leader spoke. "I'm afraid I must insist." His Eastern European accent was quite heavy.

"Listen," I said, "I think it's only fair to warn you that all three of you will be in significant pain if you don't just go back to wherever you came from. I have no intention of going with you. Actually, I don't want to hurt you either. It's too hot today."

As I talked, I assessed and planned. I had every intention of inflicting some pain and, as in any situation where you were outnumbered, I had to take the initiative; hit first, hit hard and take them down fast. The key was taking down the leader first. It would confuse the other two and likely result in an emotional response which would make it easier for me; emotion diminished effectiveness and stole precision.

Inspecting the leader, I saw he was right-handed, his gun under his left armpit. I needed to incapacitate him fast. A direct approach would come as a surprise, my fist breaking his ribs would stun him and steal his breath. Rotate to my right and grab his gun arm, bend it back to pop the elbow joint and he'd be in excruciating pain and unable to handle a gun. I'd also end up facing the middle guy.

A hard kick into the middle guy's testicles with my left foot and a hard right into his cheek as he bent would render him unconscious, maybe break his cheek bone. Since I'd be bent at the waist from hitting him hard, I'd use the momentum of my full body weight, rising to drive my fist up into the third guy's sternum and tear his diaphragm making it excruciatingly painful to breathe, and then grab his arm. He'd probably have his gun out at that point so I'd need to rotate across him, twist and dislocate his shoulder while sweeping his legs out from under him, grab the back of his head and slam his face to the ground. Maybe five seconds, or five and a half depending on how well trained they were.

The leader chuckled at my threat. "Mr. Dupree, I don't think you understand . . ."

Breathing deeply, I turned and walked back to Jessie. Four and three quarter seconds was my guess; not very well trained at all. Damn. Now I was sweating. I ignored the moans the three of them were making as they sprawled on the ground.

"Come on," I said to Jessie as I picked up the duffel bags, "Let's go."

Three steps later I stopped and turned back. Jessie was standing open mouth staring at me. She hadn't moved. "Jessie?"

"Holy shit, Jake!"

I grinned. "Come on. Let's move," I insisted, waiting for her to start walking before continuing to the pickup.

We were leaving the marina when Jessie spoke again as she struggled with the seatbelt.

"Holy shit! Did you see that?"

I laughed loudly. "Yeah. I was there, wasn't I?"

"Oh. Right. But, holy shit, Jake!"

JESSIE WAS STILL TRYING to process it. Jake had been standing casually one moment, there was a flurry of movement as he seemed to roll across the three men and then he'd walked back to her calm as you please with three guys writhing on the ground. "Did you kill that middle one?"

"No. He's taking a nap."

Jessie let out a peal of nervous laughter. "Where did you learn that stuff?" she asked.

"What stuff? How to hit someone? It started when I was in kindergarten and Jimmy shoved me . . ."

Jessie laughed nervously. "Jeez, you're a dope."

FIFTEEN MILES OUTSIDE OF the city limits I found a run-down, seedy, anonymous motel, one room, one queen, and the same commercial furnishing you'd find in every motel across America; laminated wood chair and desk, laminated wood dresser, artificial laminated wood console on the TV. I fully expected the bath to follow suit and be laminated with artificial porcelain.

"Don't like it, Jake," Jessie complained as she stood just inside the door, her eyes taking in the filthy room. "Do we have to stay here?"

"You know what? We don't. Come on." I grabbed the duffel bags and left, forgoing the thirty-five dollars I paid for the room.

Three hours later we pulled into a Howard Johnson Inn off Interstate 59. Jessie was happier based on how she was whooping and bouncing on the bed. I was satisfied with the distance from New Orleans and a false driver's license I'd used to register.

"Pipe down, Jessie," I ordered putting my hand over the cell phone. "Keep going," I asked Keith as Jessie quieted, the bed springs groaning as she giggled and jumped.

"As I was trying to tell you, Jake, my man, you've created a bit of a firestorm down there, if I'm to believe the New Orleans AFT rep. Yevgeniy Sukahlov's people are buzzing."

"Do either the AFT or police know why?"

"They have no idea. But you were reported, at least it sounds like it was you. Apparently some six-foot four guy beat the shit out of three gangster types. Was that you? It was, right?"

"Nope. Sorry. Okay, can you get me addresses and names and photos on Yevgeniy Sukahlov's group?"

"I'll try, Jake. Come on, what's going on?" Keith asked, seriously.

I told him.

"Fuck, Jake. Dump the money where they'll find it and get the hell out of Dodge. Go live in Seattle."

"I don't like rain," I answered and hung up after he promised to get me some details. "Jessie, for Christ sake, stop bouncing," I pleaded. She was making me tired just watching. Her pent up energy was exploding.

We walked two miles to a restaurant for an early dinner, Jessie complaining every step of the way.

"Why didn't we drive? How come it's so far? Maybe we could hitch a ride, Jake. Where is this restaurant anyway?"

"Just over there," I pointed. Jessie glanced where I was pointing then back at my face. Shit, forgot.

"Liar. Where is it really?"

She was a bit pissed at me by the time we settled into a brown vinyl booth at Mama Reilly's Fine Food Emporium, but at least she was subdued, her energy finally fading as she castigated me for the long walk, "And now we have to walk all the way back, you dope!"

I hadn't considered that.

On the positive side, the waitress was really quite pretty I observed, "No she's not," Jessie insisted. The food was filling and tasty, "Better than Swanson's, at least," according to a quieter Jessie and, by the time we got back to our room, Jessie was calm, tired and quiet. Mission accomplished.

After Jessie had showered and crawled into bed, naked, her hair a bit bedraggled, I took a shower. She was flipping channels on the TV when I left her.

It didn't surprise me in the least when the shower curtain was pulled aside and Jessie climbed in to join me.

JESSIE WAS BORED. IT was still early, nine thirty, and the TV only got twelve channels, all of them showing something stupid. Throwing the remote on the bed, she started remembering Jake cumming on her tummy last night. Jeez, he'd spurted so hard it almost hit her chin. She'd been fascinated at how a small amount of cum appeared, a little spurt, and then the next was like an eruption. It fell hot on her chest, his erection swelling and jerking with each spurt. In the bathroom, as she had cleaned Jake's semen off her, she'd played with it a bit and, feeling incredibly adventurous, she'd actually tasted it; salty and a bit of a chemical aroma.

Hearing the shower start, she grinned. Maybe she could tease Jake. It would be more fun than watching TV.

"There's nothing on, Jake. I've decided to play with you instead," she said, reaching out to fondle his flaccid penis. She giggled when he turned away to rinse his shampoo-covered hair, studying his bum. "Nice bum," she said quietly, letting her index fingers trace their muscular shape. She giggled to herself when they flexed and clenched, squeezing her fingers which had been tracing through his butt crack.

"Shit!"

THE SHAMPOO STUNG MY eyes as Jessie distracted me by fishing between my legs. Her giggle as she cupped my testicles was cute. I rinsed quickly, my penis beginning to stir awake. Turning, two Egyptian-blue eyes twinkled up at me, a sexy little grin greeted me, thick black hair plastered to a pretty face. Damn she was cute.

She smiled coyly and reached for my stiffening erection. "Did I do that?" she asked, her small hand curling around my shaft as she tried and failed for an innocent expression.

It was so hard to resist her. She had such an unconscious sexiness about her, an unrestrained enjoyment that showed absolutely no embarrassment. It was unfair. I'd never found a female quite so . . . cute and desirable. And ten! She was only ten years old!

Reaching down, I grabbed her sexy little bum and lifted her up as she giggled, her legs wrapping around my waist.

"You're nothing but trouble, Jessie," I stated, frowning. "You're making my life complicated."

She studied my face, a smile growing. "Yeah. But you like it," she said.

Damn but I did. And her, too. Rather ferociously I realized. I turned the shower off, Jessie sort of rubbing herself against my erection, her arms hanging onto my neck as I held her sexy little bum with one hand. She felt so small, less than seventy pounds soaking wet, a little bundle of pure sexy girl. It was very intoxicating.

Laying her on the bed, both of us still wet, I knelt at her side, enamored by two remarkably liquid blue eyes that stared at me with complete openness; the eyes of a little girl, yet the eyes of a sexy female. Jessie looked down at my erection that hung towards the bed and looked back up at me. She grinned.

"You're big again, Jake. How do . . ." she began, her voice trailing away as I gently kissed her tiny boobs, small bumps just beginning to appear, succulent and sexy.

Her hands held my head. I kissed gently, licked her areolae and teased her tiny nipples, thrilled with the moan it elicited, turned on by how they beaded, areolae flushing darker pink and swelling slightly. As I kissed my way down her silky smooth stomach, tasting her warm young skin, Jessie let her knees fall open to the bed, pushing my head down, encouraging me. In the low light cast from the bedside lamp I could see tiny body hairs on her lower stomach. My breath caught at the sight of her spectacular mons rising like Mount Olympus, a smooth mound of pure sex that had three, no, five pubic hairs, little straight jet black pubic hairs and, on close inspection, an almost invisible coating of baby hair.

Pressing my mouth against her gorgeous mons, it yielded against me, plump and very, very sexy. I caught a whiff of sex, of arousal, a delicate musk calling to me; Jessie was aroused, God, she was horny. Her hips formed twin peaks framing her beautiful pussy. My thumbs traced over those bony hips as my hands, caressing her sides, felt the sensual swell of her bottom where it was pressed to the bed. Jessie was so small yet so desirable. I shuddered when my lips pressed to the dimple at the top of her cleft. Carefully I let the tip of my tongue explore her cleft, so soft, snug, tightly closed, so chaste, her silky skin warm and alive under me. My erection pulsed at the realization I was kissing an aroused ten-year-olds pussy and she liked it. Jessie's hands held my head tighter, gently pushing me down towards the heady scent of her arousal, giving me little murmurs of encouragement that made my erection throb harder. With gentle motions I encouraged Jessie to spread her legs more and moved myself down between them.

"Jess," I said softly, "you have a gorgeous pussy."

"You like it?" she asked very quietly.

Glancing up I saw her sexy little grin, her eyes flushed with arousal. "Yes. Very much."

Jessie's pussy was quite magnificent. With her legs bent out to the side, knees on the bed in a position only little girls can manage, her gorgeous pussy was on display, a plump rounded mound rising high, forming an erotic triangle that drew my eyes down to where her little buttocks pressed against the bed. She had perhaps eight silky dark pubic hairs sprouting on her labia which had parted to reveal her charms; a long clitoral hood ending in the bump of her clitoris half way down her cleft and tiny undeveloped inner labia.

My erection strained and swelled, leaking clear precum as I inspected the wonder of her prepubescent pussy. Below her inner lips Jessie's cleft was dark pink. It glistened with arousal, filled my senses with her seductive aroma, a light, clean scent of pure virginal sex. Nestled deep, above her tightly closed rosebud, was a tiny dark opening, tiny, tiny and immensely attractive.

"Beautiful, Jess," I whispered, bending closer, inhaling deeply, thrilled at the scent of young love. Lying flat on the bed, I watched her mons loom large as I kissed her sexy pussy, excited by her little twitch when I licked her moisture. She tasted clean, young, silky, and intensely desirable. Probing slightly, her sexy labia caressed the sides of my tongue. Shuddering I probed deeper and reached her entrance, a tiny opening nestled so deep, hot on my tongue. Jessie sighed, her hands slowly closing to hold the hair on my head. She sighed again as I slipped my tongue up through her sexy cleft, silky soft and warm, so small, so young. I probed her urethra then gently licked the bud of her clitoris.

"Jake," she sighed, her hips curling up slowly to press her clit against me. Over the incredible curve of her pussy mound I saw Jessie's eyes close slowly, her head falling back against the pillow, slender hips pushing up. It was stunningly arousing to see her sexually excited, see a little girl aroused, horny, and pushing her young pussy against my mouth.

I gently caressed her clit, closing my lips to suck carefully, smiling when she rewarded me with a sexy moan. Precum spread on the sheet, my crown slipping through it as I humped the mattress, an automatic reaction to the sensuality of oral sex with such a sexy little girl.

Reaching under her I cupped her sweet little buttocks, pressed my mouth to her delicious pussy, sucking and licking her hardening clit as she began to hump my mouth. Her fists pulled at my hair guiding my mouth up and down her cleft, her little hips moving, small sensual buttocks flexing. A rhythm emerged; hunch up, moan, clench, relax, shudder. Jessie slowly fucked my mouth. It was intensely sexy, made more so when she brought her legs up, hooking her calves over my back, her warm silky thighs closing over my ears, hunching, moaning, clenching and relaxing, small shudders shaking her body.

I helped her, holding her sexy little bum, curling her up, sucking her delicate, intoxicating arousal, teasing her beaded little clit. She groaned, hunched harder, moaned deeply, clenched, relaxed, fists gripping my hair.

"Jake," she moaned, "gonna cum." I sucked her little clit hard. Her small hips jerked. "Oh! Oh m'God! Jake!" she cried out, suddenly humping my mouth, insistently scraping her cleft over me, hunching and jerking with unrestrained pleasure as she pulled my face to her pussy.

I tasted a flush of moisture, sucking hard, the tip of my tongue probing into her tiny, tiny vaginal opening.

"Uh!" she exclaimed in a sudden grunt of pleasure.

She cried out hard, body thrashing, her thighs slamming closed over my ears, climaxing spectacularly. Releasing my hair, she grabbed her tiny boobs, her petite body arching in ecstasy. For a moment she remained arched up, a momentary pause, her body shaking. With a strong expulsion of breath, Jessie collapsed on the bed, her body twitching, "Uh! Uh!" her climax hammering her, eventually easing, fading, and finally releasing her. It was one of the most spectacular orgasms I'd ever witnessed.

When I slipped up and cuddled her, I felt her little heart racing. Gradually she calmed in my arms. I was incredibly hard, her orgasm so amazingly sexy, so arousing. Holding Jessie I realized I wanted to see her climax again, it was such an erotic experience. I'd never suspected a ten-year-old could cum so completely; quite thrilling.

Cuddling didn't last long. In typical Jess fashion, she suddenly wiggled and turned in my arms to face me, blue eyes sparkling with irrepressible excitement, a big grin on her pretty face.

"Wow, Jake. That was amazing!" she exclaimed. "Is it always that strong? I saw fireworks!"

As she wiggled her enthusiasm against me, all sexy naked little girl, I felt my erection complain, straining, feeling thick and heavy. I needed relief so much I hunched uncontrollably, the tip of my precum-slickened erection sliding along her silky stomach.

Jessie smiled and suddenly hugged her body to me, sandwiching my erection between us. "You're horny," she exclaimed. "Did I do that? Did you like licking my pussy? Is that why you have an erection?" She paused briefly studying my face. "Huh. In that case, you have to do it lots more!"

Without waiting for me to comment, Jessie scrambled out of my arms, rising to her knees as she shoved my shoulder and chest hard. "Roll over, Jake," she instructed, pushing me onto my back. She straddled my stomach and bent forward, two blue eyes peering at me, an excited little smile on her pretty face. "Your turn," she said enthusiastically. My erection pulsed hard.

The little minx lifted her bottom, moved down slightly and settled her slick pussy onto my shaft, her eyes briefly loosing focus. "Mmmm." She almost made me cum with a sexy little hunch, her little slippery cleft sliding up and down my shaft like a velvet hotdog bun. "Maybe later," she stated with a grin before scooting down. Fuck I was horny.

When she straddled my knees, Jessie stared at my hard erection with a smile. "I'm gonna do you now," she said reaching to hold my shaft. Her head popped up to look at me. "I've never done this, Jake. You've gotta tell me if I'm doing it wrong. The pictures I've seen didn't really explain."

I opened my mouth to tell her she really didn't need to, just stroke and I'd cum. Breath exploded, words dying as she bent, angled my erection to the ceiling, kissed the tip and slowly slipped my penis into her mouth, her small red lips stretching wide. I'd never seen anything so sexy; a ten-year-old giving me oral sex? Jesus Christ it was exciting!

Suddenly she pulled her mouth off with a loud slurping sound.

"Ow." A spike of pain made me twitch.

Her eyes immediately looked concerned. "What happened?"

"Teeth," I managed to groan as her small hand squeezed my shaft sending seductive pulses of pleasure through me.

"Oops. Sorry." Jessie grinned cheekily at me, "Never done this before, Jake."

God, she was a sexy little thing.

"It's really thick, Jake!" she exclaimed with another incredibly sexy grin, then she stared at my erection held in her small hand, giving it a contemplative look. The little tip of her tongue appearing almost had me climaxing.

Jessie treated me to the incredible sight of her sexy little lips once again kissing the tip, pressing and slowly opening to slide over the crown, my body now shaking I was so damned horny. Keeping her lips tight, her mouth popped over the flared ridge, lips stretched, my orgasm suddenly near.

I had no idea where she'd learned or read about oral sex, but Jessie proceeded to give me a mind numbing blow job. Like an accomplished orchestral conductor, Jessie started stroking my shaft carefully, softly, so lovingly it had me aching. Her warm moist mouth sucked, released, and a small tongue swirled around the crown. Then, with great care, Jessie tried to take more into her mouth, her lips slipping down my shaft slightly, my crown pressing in. She eased off and started the process all over again; stroke, suck, lick, head bob, stroke, suck, lick, head bob.

I was gripping the sheet wishing I could hold her head and push deep into her small mouth. Pressure was building in my brain, heaviness growing in my groin, my climax closing in with the promise of untold pleasure. I suddenly had visions of intercourse with Jessie, of holding her petite body as we fucked and cumming deep inside her. At that moment she looked up at me with Egyptian-blue eyes twinkling, her mouth full of my erection.

"Jesus," I gasped, my erection swelling massively. "Gonna cum," I managed to groan. The dam burst, a wave of pleasure tore through me. I shoved my erection up into her mouth, hips pushing off the bed. Semen burned up my shaft, a painful pulse hit me and I came in her mouth. Before I could catch my breath a huge wave hit me. I opened my mouth to warn Jessie and, with pleasure hammering me, I exploded into her mouth, semen jetting out in an endless pulse of pure ecstasy. I saw Jessie's cheeks puff out, my cum spurt from her mouth to run down my shaft. As she gagged and pulled off, another wave hit, semen charging up to explode out, bliss, bliss, cum splattering her nose and cheek. Jessie stared at my pulsing erection as I heaved and spurted, pleasure slamming into me, cum landing in her hair. I hunched and fucked her fist, cumming hard, exquisite agony, exquisite pleasure, cumming hard, cumming, cumming Jessie, God cumming.

As sanity returned, I saw Jessie with cum dripping from her chin, pearly white semen in her dark, dark hair, surprised eyes wide open. I saw a gorgeous little girl smile at me.

"Wow. Like, Wow!" she exclaimed. She smiled at me sheepishly, "I forgot to swallow, sorry."

Gorgeous, fucking gorgeous.

Reaching down, I grabbed her, hauling her up. Wrapping this irrepressible little bundle of sex in my arms I French kissed her, tasting my own semen, my tongue probing, holding her tiny body tight, one hand holding her sexy little bottom. I kissed her hard, strong feelings pouring through me.

"Jesus, Jess," I said when the kiss ended. "I think I love you."

Jessie's expression turned serious. She studied my face, eyes searching. I saw sparkling, unshed tears. "You do," she whispered. "You really do."

Jessie was all loving cuddles and hugs as we showered again, constantly wanting kisses, sighing, her eyes soft, adoring and happy. She washed my thick but flaccid penis gently, almost lovingly, and shuddered when I caressed her sexy prepubescent body with soapy hands. I gently explored the sensuous curves of a ten-year-old, her sculpted bottom, the seductive curve of her pubic mound, the incredible shape of small nubs on her chest, and through it all, felt wonder at the sexuality of a preadolescent body. We toweled each other dry. I kissed her shoulders as I dried them, kissed her sexy little nubs gently, and, when she dried me and lovingly kissed my penis after drying it, I got another erection.

"You're horny again, Jake," Jessie said softly, gently, her small hand carefully holding my erection as we stood in the steamy bathroom. Her beautiful eyes looked up at me, so sexy as she stood close, eyes peeking through thick eyelashes; eyes that spoke of love.

Unbelievably, I was horny again, but a different horny. I wanted make love to this sexy little girl, my ten-year-old niece. I wanted to have sex with her, feel her on me. This little girl was soft, sweet, seductive and sexy, a complete contrast to the fireball of energy I'd seen so far. She was intensely desirable. Bending, I picked Jessie up in my arms, nuzzling my face into her small neck. She smelled fresh, soapy; delicious. She felt so small in my arms, so light, almost delicate, and absolutely fantastic. Her slender legs wrapped around my waist, pressing the sensual pad of her pussy against my erection as she combed her fingers through my hair.

JESSIE'S HEART STARTED THUMPING. Jake loved her. His erection felt so big against her. As she pushed her pussy and tummy to him she felt the mushroom-shaped tip almost at her belly button. A shudder went through her. She wondered what it would feel like to have Jake's erection inside her pussy. Would it fit? Would it hurt? His penis was so thick. She shivered, Jake loves me.

She trembled imagining it pushing into her between her legs. What would it feel like to have his erection that deep, to be so full, to let him love her? Her pussy clenched at the thought. He loves me. She felt heaviness grow, her pussy feeling flushed, moisture returning. Gently, without realizing it, she started hunching her pussy along Jake's erection, her bottom flexing, pussy pulsing, her arousal growing. Curling her bum, she sighed when her clit rubbed against Jake's shaft, a pulse of pleasure coursing through her. She hugged him tight, legs tightened around his waist, sighed, tingles of pleasure, nice Jake, nice.

When she felt Jake kiss her neck and nibble her earlobe, she melted, hunched against his erection. "Jake," she whispered. Need grew with his kiss, a need to feel him close, an unidentifiable desire like her insides were aching for him. She felt herself grow damp and slippery, her pussy clenching, desire flooding her, wanting Jake, wanting Jake.

"Please," she whispered, hugging him hard, "Please." Her bum curled, rubbing her pussy along his sexy erection, clit tingling, her tiny breasts beginning to ache, too. Something inside was bursting to get out. She pulled herself up, pulled her body higher, need burning, I need Jake. Leveraging herself with her legs, she felt Jakes thick erection, the tip slipping lower, rubbing down over her mound. Moaning, Jessie hunched her groin, shuddering as the tip of Jake's erection pushed against her slit, pressing against her aching clit. She trembled. "Please," she moaned softly, holding onto him. He felt so big, so huge against her little slit. Her pussy clenched as she tried to imagine it inside her, moisture oozing, need Jake, need Jake. Passion gently dimmed her fears, every sense focused on how the tip of Jake's erection felt pressed on her clit, an aching need burning deep in her belly, Jake loves me. "Please, Jake. I want you in," she whispered tremulously, hunching, rubbing.

I WAS LOST IN a little minx rubbing and writhing against me. Her little naked body was so sexy, her tiny breasts rubbing my chest, her sweet little bottom flexing in my hand. Jessie kept murmuring and whispering in my ear, driving my need, driving my arousal, my erection aching with desire. I was standing in the bathroom with a sexy little prepubescent girl in my arms urging me on, her murmurs clouding my thinking, building my passion, need growing with every sexy little hump. I could feel the tip of my erection pressed to her pussy. I was hard, rigid, a bar of steel I was so turned on. God I wanted her, I wanted to have sex with her, I wanted to fuck her, so petite and exciting.

Fumbling, I turned the bathroom light off and carried my sexy little niece to the bed. As I bent to lay her down, she moaned and held on to me hard, refusing to let me go, attached to me like a limpet mine. Turning I lay down on my back, Jessie glued to me, her sweet little body undulating against me, murmuring in my ear. Rolling, I turned over, Jessie under me, so petite, just a child and so desirable. I kissed her lips, my erection still pressed to her small cleft. Her tongue touched mine and, as it did, I felt her legs fall to the bed, spread wide to my sides, knees bent, my erection still pressed against her tiny slit leaking precum with each pulse of arousal hitting me.

Her beautiful eyes burned into mine as I pushed slightly. She hunched, the tip of my erection slipping down through her cleft to catch at her perineum.

Her eyes softened, eyelids closing. I pushed against her, heat surrounding my crown, slippery, the tip nestling up to her small pussy. Rising above her, I brought her knees up, curling her body. Jessie's small bum turned upwards, the cleft of her sexy little pussy wrapped around my crown. I looked huge, filling her little slit, plump labia bulging out to hug me. I saw my erection swell and felt precum leak into her, the sight of my erection nestled at Jessie's pussy driving my need higher.

With her legs hooked around my arms, I leaned forward, bringing her knees up almost to her chest, my hands holding my body up off her, the crown of my erection and her sexy little pussy the only point of connection between us. Every time my erection pulsed, it swelled and pushed against her tiny opening. I remembered how impossibly small her vagina was and it only excited me more as I imagined it stretching to accommodate my erection.

HIPS TWITCHING, EYES TIGHTLY shut, and every sense concentrated on her aching pussy, Jessie moaned, "Harder, Jake. Push harder."

She felt his erection, slippery from his moisture, slide deliciously between her labia, stretching them, caressing them, so hot. It popped up across her clit sending pulses of pleasure through her. Moaning, Jessie reached between her legs and used her fingertips to press the big crown back to the exact spot, yes, oh God, yes, there Jake. She felt her pussy stretch, felt the tip of his hard erection pressed at her vagina. His penis was slippery, silky, soft yet hard, and swelling slightly, almost alive, so good Jake.

Holding the tip in place with the fingers of one hand, Jessie reached for Jake. She pulled him gently, "Now," and felt pressure at her opening. Jake's penis felt huge, monstrous. Shivers pulsed through her as she imagined how much she'd have to stretch to get him in. Would it hurt? Need and arousal suppressed fears. I love him, I need him. She felt her need; a strong urge to have Jake inside her. It was an imperative, a driving desire, all she wanted, Jake penetrating her, easing that ache deep inside.

"Please," she whimpered again, curling her pelvis, pushing against his big erection, pulling at him firmly, legs in the air, moaning at a twinge of pain, her vagina stretching slightly.

I FELT JESSIE'S TINY opening dilate slightly, almost imperceptibly. Jessie moaned and pushed. I added pressure until I was lodged firmly at her entrance, my erection swelling and pulsing, precum leaking into her, pressing, pressing. And suddenly, as if all resistance melted away and without me moving, Jessie's pussy seemed to slowly ooze over my crown, a tight ring expanding. She moaned quietly; my erection strained. Holding back the urge to shove into her was agony.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Jessie's pussy yielded to the pressure, squeezing my crown, slipping down, slipping down, my erection pulsing like crazy. She inhaled sharply and her small body twitched as her tight little vagina snapped over my crown. I gasped. Jesus, I was in. I was actually penetrating her! A wave of pleasure washed over me. I'd never felt anything so tight. Jessie's pussy was a hot velvet vice gripping my erection.

Looking down I almost came spontaneously. Jessie's small pussy was stretched around my shaft. I completely filled her slit, her small clitoris pressed down. It looked obscene to see such a large erection penetrating her. It looked fantastic. The sight made me lightheaded it was so sexy. I was very surprised not to see any blood.

Bending forward I kissed her lips softly. "How are you feeling, Jess?" I asked, my heart pounding.

Her eyes opened, arms rising, hands holding my neck. She smiled a sexy little smile. "Stretched, Jake. I feel like I'm stretched so much I'm gonna split."

"Do you hurt?" I asked, my erection throbbing, so tight, so exciting.

Jessie shook her head, smiled and squeezed her pussy. I groaned as it clamped down on me. Staring into her liquid blue eyes, I started moving, small micro movements. It felt like my erection was locked in her, glued in place, no penetration, no withdrawal, just the crown caught in a vice. Then precum released and suddenly I was slipping in, her silky internal walls parting, the tight ring of her opening sliding down my shaft. I slid in, Jessie's eyes opening as I penetrated her little pussy, pushing gently, slipping deeper. With half my erection held by her tight warm vagina I pulled back, pulsing with desire. Reversing, watching Jessie's face carefully for any discomfort, I slid in, my erection caressed by exquisite velvety softness. I slipped deep, sighing as I gently nudged the tip against her cervix, all but half an inch gripped by pure heaven.

HER BODY TREMBLING, JESSIE whispered, "This feels goood." It had hurt, an arousing hurt as he pressed his penis against her. She'd felt herself stretch and, just as she felt a sharp twinge of pain, he took her breath away, his erection slipping in, filling her, so big Jake. Now, with him completely inside her she felt full, stuffed, her pussy stretched. The head of his erection was swelling and pulsing in her just below where she ached, just short of where she needed to be rubbed, a spot deep inside that was crying out for relief.

Her body shook as Jake withdrew, leaving her feeling empty, a vacuum inside needing filling. When he stroked into her, breath whooshed out, yes, oh yes. He filled her, stretched her, his erection rubbing her clit, pulses of pleasure, nipples aching. She heard herself cry out when the tip of his thick erection thumped into the ache, so deep, pleasure blossoming, "Yes, Jake," she moaned, hunching, eyes closed concentrating on his erection filling her, so deep, so deep, Jake loves me.

I'D STROKED INTO JESSIE'S incredible pussy once and I was in trouble. I could already feel the intense need to cum, my erection straining and pulsing hard. I'd stroked into her tight, tight vagina once and already started imagining what it would feel like to spurt deep into her, fill her with my cum. Jessie's little moans, her undulating, pushing her pussy up at me only made it worse.

"Jess," I whispered, "you're too good. I don't think I can last," I said, fucking her tight pussy, long careful strokes. Glancing down I watched my thick erection pushing into her, her plump labia pushed in, little pussy bulging, her reddened clit dipping to kiss my shaft. I thought I could see her lower stomach move as I slipped deep, deep. Her snug vagina gripped my shaft as I pulled out, her sexy little pussy desperately trying to hang onto me. The sight of my adult erection fucking her was intense, far too arousing. I felt my climax stir, fucking her gently, long strokes, long strokes, so damned good.

Pressure built, my erection swelling, God she was tight. I was near, almost there, fucking her little pussy gently, so small, so young. Jessie twitched, her movements froze, her vagina gripping me. Breath exploded from her. "Uh! I'm cumming Jake," she gasped, her body heaving, suddenly shoving her pussy at me, hips jerking.

I came, pressure exploding. Fucking Jess with short desperate strokes, semen burned up my shaft. I shoved myself into her little pussy deep, lodged against the entrance to her womb, and cried out my pleasure as semen burst into her. Drawing back, I shoved again, my body cramping, semen jetting hot, thick, flooding my crown, ecstasy blooming. I fucked, short desperate thrusts, spitting semen into her in glorious pleasure, Jessie writhing, her vagina clamping on me, exquisite pain. I fucked her harder, spurting deep, cumming hard, my body cramping. I came, emptying myself into her, fucking my little niece, fucking her, fucking her, God cumming so hard, Jess.

TWO HUNDRED AND NINE miles south west of the Howard Johnson Inn, Yevgeniy Sukahlov stood in the middle of a half-filled warehouse. He was a squat, solid-bodied muscular man with short steel-grey hair that matched his eyes, those eyes currently staring with contempt at three men standing in front of him, faces downcast. Located on the western outskirts of New Orleans, just off Route 10, Yevgeniy's warehouse served as a legitimate front for his drug distribution business. At this particular moment, it was quiet, all the staff gone. At eleven P.M. the neighborhood, filled with other legitimate businesses, was dark and deserted, the streets empty.

"Tell me again," Yevgeniy ordered, his quiet gruff voice echoing in the warehouse.

Three men stood, eyes cast down, chests bandaged under their shirts, arms in slings, one having difficulty in breathing, another sporting a deep purple bruise on his cheek bone. Not one of the three dared speak up first. Not one of the three dared look Yevgeniy Sukahlov in the eyes. Each of them knew from experience that, when Yevgeniy wasn't shouting, it was time to get scared.

Yevgeniy stared at the three men he'd sent to fetch Jake Dupree, feeling annoyed. He walked up to Sergie Stepanov, the de facto leader, a loyal member of his business enterprise for years.

"Sergie," he said softly, "tell me what happened. Tell me why I send three of my best to bring a drifter and a little girl to me and they come back damaged."

Sergie said nothing. Yevgeniy's voice grew quieter as he moved his head close. "Tell me how this drifter can kill three of my men. Tell me how this Jake Dupree can still be out there with four million dollars of my money."

"Tell me!" he roared, Sergie flinching.

"You were supposed to bring him to me Sergie," Yevgeniy said conversationally as he walked past the other two, eyeing their awkward posture from damage to their bodies.

Without a word, Yevgeniy reached behind him under his jacket. In a smooth motion, Yevgeniy pulled out a black Beretta Px4 Storm Compact, raised his arm and stretched it out. The shot sounded loud in the warehouse, echoing in the partial emptiness. Sergie's head flew backwards as bone and brain exploded from the back of his skull, a look of surprise on his dead face. In slow motion, his body collapsed to the floor.

Yevgeniy leaned towards the remaining two. "I want my money," he growled. "Go. Go find Jake Dupree and the girl. Find them and tell me where they are. I'll see to them myself. Understand?"

The two nodded without looking at Yevgeniy.

"Good. Get out," he said dismissively, waving his gun, his mind already on other matters. The next delivery of cocaine from the Sinaloa cartel was due in three days. This time they were taking ownership over water, fifteen miles offshore.

Chapter 7

THE RINGING OF MY cell phone dragged me from a death-like sleep. I woke to find myself all over Jessie as she slept on her front, my arm over her back, my leg slung over her legs, her thick black hair spread over the pillow, her face inches from mine. As I fumbled behind me to grab the cell, a frown grew on Jessie's pretty face. She mumbled something in her sleep.

Rolling off her I answered.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"You still sleeping?" Keith's effervescent voice asked.

Sitting on the side of the bed, I rubbed my hand through my hair, blinking to clear my vision. "What time is it?" I asked.

"It's seven here in Virginia," Keith answered.

Fuck. Six A.M.

My head cleared. "What 'cha got?" I asked. Keith started reeling off information.

Half an hour later, stepping out of the shower, I dried myself. Moving to the sink I saw Jessie still asleep in the bed. The view from the bathroom was very appealing. Jesus, I'd had sex with that gorgeous little girl! She seemed so petite in the large bed, her small body outlined by a white sheet, lustrous dark hair shining in the morning light, her pretty face looking almost elfin with thick hair sprayed all over the pillow. I reacted. My heart contracted and blood started thickening my penis.

God, but lying there so small, I recalled how sexy she was, how intense my orgasm had been, and the feeling of cumming in her little vagina. I couldn't believe I'd had sex with her. An erection developed at the memory. Yet, as I turned away from the sexy sight to brush my teeth, I realized I really did love her. She brightened my life. It came as a shock when I realized I didn't mind settling down so she could go to school and have a stable home. It came as a shock when I understood the depth of the love I felt for her, an ache deep inside. I also felt a magnetic sexual attraction. As I brushed vigorously, I felt better when I recognized, despite the thrill of sex with such a small girl, it was love of her, of Jessie's irrepressible personality, that really turned me on.

I grinned at myself in the mirror. I liked her small body, too. She was a sexy little minx.

Slipping on jeans, I leaned across and caressed her little bum over the sheet, admiring how rounded and seductively shaped it was. When she stirred and murmured, I slapped her bum lightly. "Rise and shine, Jess."

It turns out Jessie was not a morning person after sex. She frowned at me with intense blue eyes, grumbled and muttered as she walked naked to the bathroom, "It's too early, Jake." I smiled and ogled her sweet little ass as her butt cheeks undulated. Very sexy little minx indeed.

By ten thirty we were sitting in the pickup in an industrial section of New Orleans off Route 10. Jessie had, after eating breakfast, become her old self, probing and asking endless questions. She was on her knees in the passenger seat, binoculars to her eyes, studying an undistinguished warehouse. "This is boring, Jake. There's no one there."

Five minutes later, "I'm bored. How long do we have to wait?"

Three minutes later, Jessie put the binoculars down and scooted across, straddling my lap. She grinned at me. "I'm bored. How 'bout a kiss, huh? That would be more fun than watching the warehouse."

Jessie was so light in my lap. As she leaned towards me, I studied her sexy mouth, felt a tingle of arousal as she gently kissed me, soft, soft lips pressing against me. Tilting my head, unable to resist, I French kissed a sexy little minx, letting my hand on her back slip down to the waist of her jeans. As we kissed, I pushed my hand inside, feeling her panties, then her sexy little bottom. Jess moaned into my mouth, her wiggling butt giving me an erection. When her small hands started wrestling with the button on my jeans I almost succumbed to the idea of sex in the truck. Unfortunately, I had to stop her. She complained when I broke the kiss, withdrew my hand and moved her back to the passenger seat. Three men had emerged from the warehouse.

"There he is," I said as a squat, thick-set man with steel-grey hair stepped out of a side door with two rough-looking thugs and climbed into a black Escalade.

I had a lot of thinking to do. I now knew where to find them and had seen them in person. I still hadn't figured out how to extricate us from this situation. More and more I was convinced handing back the money would not be enough. Now, to add to the problem, I began to worry about Jessie. My feelings for her scared me. What if something happened to me? What would she do? God, what if something happened to her? That thought sent chills down my spine.

The dilemma obsessed me as we headed back to Moss Lake, a long, uninterrupted journey. I needed to think and plan. Maybe, until the situation was resolved I should take her back to Aunt June. She'd be safe there.

"YOU WILL NOT!" she exclaimed, infuriated at my suggestion, eyes spitting anger at me. Then as fast as her anger had appeared, it evaporated. She grinned. "You really don't want me?" she asked, pausing as I told her no, I didn't want her. Shit, I forgot again. Jessie smiled. "Thought so," she said, quite satisfied.

Damn her and her little talent.

I didn't see the sedan following us, my attention completely taken with Jessie. It was a fatal mistake.

Jessie bounced in her seat as the king cab rattled and jittered over deep ruts. We were slowly driving down the single overgrown lane of my property, property left to me, undeveloped land one notch above swampland and about as valuable. As the rutted track curved towards the water's edge, our houseboat came into view tied-up at the rickety old dock.

"I don't like it, Jake," Jessie declared as she stood and looked around at the somewhat desolate property.

I had to admit, through the eyes of an adult, not the imagination of the child I was when I used to romp around the property, it was pretty dreary; trees half dead, bare trunks except for some green foliage at the top, moss on the ground that wasn't covered by dead tree foliage. Clearly my childhood memory had played a trick on me.

She perked up when, after climbing aboard the houseboat, she inspected her stateroom to find it restored to its pre-Jessie treasure hunt condition, "but I'm sleeping with you," she advised quite sincerely and quite unnecessarily, too. I left her to unpack and throw together something to eat.

In the late afternoon sunlight, the tender took me to Oakley Shipyards marina to settle accounts with Phillip Marcus, the jovial and rotund General Manager.

Boating back at a slow relaxing speed, Moss Lake placid, almost mirror-like, the first hint of trouble was a scent of burning wood and rubber. Glancing up I saw a tall stack of smoke rising over treetops. The sight squeezed my chest painfully. Opening the throttle, heart pounding, I confirmed my fear as I swept around the bend; the houseboat was afire, flames licking out of the starboard sliding glass doors. Battling heat and rising panic, I raced through the houseboat, yelling for Jessie, eventually forced off when the heat became too intense.

It was standing on shore, bent at the waist, arm hair singed, my lungs heaving for air and my heart breaking, that I saw the footprints, four sets, three adult, one child.

Two thoughts slammed into me; Jessie was safe, and someone had Jessie. Fire erupted inside me, burning hard, a fierce blue flame. Turning I followed the footprints; something I used to do in my youth, except then it was hunting game. Now I was hunting game, just the human kind.

Slipping through the trees, I caught a glimpse of red, one of the men. As I rapidly overhauled him and the ridiculous sawn-off shotgun he was carrying, I decided stealth was imperative, so was death. Slipping from tree to tree I closed in on him, deciding a simple neck twist would work as long as he didn't hear me; reach around for his chin, my other hand rising to hold the back of his head, grip, wrench clockwise and break his neck, lowering him to the ground quietly. One second. Alive - dead.

I'd forgotten about him as I lowered his body to the ground silently, my eyes seeking the remaining two. I didn't even bother with his shotgun. I didn't need it. Fire was driving me, anger burning like acid in my veins. I heard Jessie, a yell, "Let go you asshole." It made me smile coldly. She'd given me a direction and approximate distance.

Slipping through familiar trees, I padded quickly after them. They were making their way towards the only road that serviced this peninsula. It was a flash of black, then I saw them, Steel-grey hair dragging a small struggling girl by the arm. My smile had no warmth when I saw her try to kick Yevgeniy Sukahlov. He had a black pistol in his other hand.

Trailing behind him was a weasel of a man, skinny, clothes hanging off his spare frame, a semi-automatic held in both hands, head bent staring at the ground to avoid tripping; clearly a man more at home in the city.

It presented a problem. I needed to get Mr. Weasel away from Yevgeniy. Not having a weapon, I couldn't take two armed men on. Besides, the risk to Jessie was too great. As I noodle the problem, Yevgeniy kindly provided a solution.

"Where's Boris?" he demanded in a rough voice as he halted and looked back. "Enough!" he yelled at Jessie as she struggled, shaking her like a rag doll.

Mr. Weasel looked back, turned and shrugged.

"Well go find him," Yevgeniy instructed frowning. "Meet me at the car."

Mr. Weasel appeared somewhat reluctant, hesitating before starting back. It suited me just fine. Looping around, I waited for him. A hard punch to his diaphragm would silence him, crush his larynx with the edge of my hand as he bent from the punch and he'd be silenced. Break his neck, even though he'd eventually suffocate to death from a crushed larynx, so he'd make no noise rolling around on the ground. Three moves, two seconds. Alive - dead.

Now sweating, I left Mr. Weasel on the ground and hustled to catch up to Yevgeniy. I was sure where he and Jessie were headed so I picked up my pace and circled ahead of them, relying on Jessie's stubbornness to slow Yevgeniy down.

I heard them coming, the crunch of undergrowth and, smiling coldly, Jessie cussing at Yevgeniy, using some surprisingly inventive and dirty words. Placing myself where I'd surprise him I decided a fast attack would be needed, knock the pistol from his hand, move in close, a hard right up into his jaw from underneath using the full motion of my body to leverage up, snap his head back. While he was momentarily distracted, power him over onto his back and into the ground, slam my knee into his groin, rise and crush his neck with my elbow. Four and a half seconds. Alive - dead.

He was quick, throwing Jessie at me as soon as his hand lost its grip on the pistol, my foot kicking it out of his hand. Shoving Jessie behind me I watched Yevegeni smile, reach to his waist and pull out a seven inch knife. He held it properly, the blade facing down in his grip. Clearly Yevgeniy knew how to use the knife.

Facing each other we circled. I had nothing in reach to use as a weapon. I also made another almost fatal mistake. Jessie was frozen to the spot watching us, blue eyes wide. Suddenly Yevgeniy reached for her as he neared. I had no choice. Spinning, I lashed out with my foot aiming for his chest. I missed, pain lancing into my thigh as a knife blade was buried, burning as it was withdrawn.

I saw Yevgeniy grab Jessie by the hair and yank her off her feet. I heard Jessie scream, saw her hands rise to grab his hand, saw a knife moving towards her, a sneer on Yevgeniy's face. I saw red, blood red. Deadly calm descended over me.

JESSIE SAW THE KNIFE wound through a large rip in his pants, a gaping one-and-a-half-inch cut in his thigh leaking dark red blood and staining his pant leg a deep brownish-red. He was standing rock-still staring down at Yevgeniy Sukahlov's body sprawled on the ground in front of him. The dead body appeared normal at first glance, with the exception of the leather-bound hilt of a knife sticking out of its thigh.

But she knew. She'd seen the punishment wrought on Yevgeniy. She knew his jaw was broken by how it twisted slightly off-kilter on his face. She knew his right forearm was broken, as was his left wrist, his hand bent at an odd angle. She also knew his knee was broken, his shinbone slightly bent forward in an unnatural position if you looked closely enough. What she didn't know was what actually killed Yevgeniy. She didn't know his ribs had been broken so viciously the jagged end of one of them had pierced his heart.

She did, however, know who had killed Yevgeniy. Slipping her hand through his killers' hand, she tugged. "Come on, Jake," she urged. "We need to get your leg fixed. You're bleeding all over the place."

ANGER COURSING THROUGH MY veins like burning fire began to fade. From past experience I knew my muscles would start shaking soon, their way of showing withdrawal symptoms when starved of adrenalin. The shit looked so unprepossessing in death, I thought; just a body with absolutely no sign of its malignant presence that had infested the world and dared touch Jessie.

Feeling Jessie slip her hand into mine relaxed me more. She was a calming force. She was safe. When she tugged my hand I looked down at her. Her thick black hair was messy, twigs and bits of dried leaves caught in it. Two Egyptian-blue eyes smiled up at me making my pulse spike.

"Well, that was interesting," I said with a grin. "Let's not do this again, eh?"

Jessie returned the grin, leading me away. "Come on, Dope." Almost as an afterthought, she asked, "What 'cha gonna to do with the money?"

Epilogue

MORNING NOISES GENTLY WOKE me up. In that half dream state I felt Jessie's cuddly body next to me, lying on her front, her face turned to me on the pillow, warm breath wafting against me as she slept peacefully. I heard the soft slap of small waves against the hull of our forty-five-foot Journey Long Range Catamaran.

It was a lovely trawler with twin 220-hp Volvo D-3 diesels capable of a non-stop passage of almost three thousand miles. Its wave-piercing bows gave the Busted Flush II speed and performance. It had two-staterooms, one converted into a study/guest stateroom, a huge galley and salon, and a spiral staircase leading to a large flying bridge. And, best of all, satellite and Internet; Jessie's home schooling was going quite well. Good old Judge Rhinegold was satisfied with her grades, too.

Staring at Jessie's face, long thick black eyelashes resting on her cheek, nostrils flaring gently on her small nose as she breathed, hair a gorgeous mess of waves and tangles, and small seductive mouth looking almost pouting, I felt a surge of desire storm through me, an erection forming. She was a gorgeous angel, and as sexy as hell.

The urge for sex with her again was strong, too strong. My erection strengthened as I worked out my plan. I'd throw my leg over her to pin her to the bed, slip over her to nestle my erection in the sweet valley formed by her slender thighs, her seductive little bum pressed to my groin and, while kissing her soft cheek gently, let precum provide lubrication, hunching my erection carefully and working it up to nestle to her sexy little pussy.

As she'd wake up, I'd push slightly to press the crown of my erection into the indent leading to her little vagina. Then, with her awake, I'd hold her down and slowly slip my erection into her tight pussy, holding her arms, preventing her from moving as I fucked her slowly. Perfect; morning sex, fifteen minutes. Horny - not horny.

Jessie woke up as my leg touched her. Bright blue eyes popped open and looked at me, a smile appeared.

"What 'cha doing, Jake?" she asked.

"Morning Sweetheart," I said, trying for innocence as my knee slipped over the back of one leg.

She giggled. "You're horny? Again?"

"No. What's wrong with simply wanting to hold my girl?" I asked with mock indignation.

She studied my face. Oops. Should have turned away when I said it.

Laughing, Jessie rolled out of bed. "Liar," she said. "You want sex."

I admired her perky little tits, now at twelve years old, two perfect small teacups. Her plump little pussy looked so edible with a thin pubic bush, sexy yet still light enough for me to see how her gorgeous cleft filled the space at the top of slender thighs.

I chuckled. "Maybe I do. Don't you?" I asked, eyebrows moving up and down in time with a tent in the sheet.

Spotting my erection, she roared with laughter, turned and, twitching her sexy, naked little buttocks, strolled out. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?" she yelled over her shoulder. When she heard my growl the bright sound of giggles filled the air, making me grin ear to ear.

I heard her running, her voice singing, "I made you horny, you want to touch me, you want to kiss me, you want to loooove me . . ."

I rolled out of bed and charged after a little tease that I happened to be madly in love with. "Jessie, you get back here or I'll throw you off the boat," I yelled, my erection waving around as I hunted for the beautiful minx.

She didn't make it hard. I found her in the galley, laughing as she prepared coffee, a sexy naked nymph. I loved the seductive sweep of her butt, its perfect pear-shaped form, and two sweet little buttocks, firm and alluring. I loved her saucy little grin and how she wiggled her bum, her plump little pussy winking at me. I loved how her Egyptian-blue eyes sparkled with mischief and joy. I loved her quite badly.

Walking up behind her, I slipped my arms around her small waist, my erection slipping up her back. Bending, I nuzzled her slender neck. She tilted her head with a murmur and I nibbled on a small earlobe, bringing my hands up to cup two incredible preteen breasts. I sucked on her neck and, at the same time, tweaked two gorgeous nipples, earning a moan. Jess pushed her bottom back against my erection, her hands covering mine urging me to squeeze and caress.

She had her eyes closed, hair falling like a curtain to the counter. Bending slightly, she reached behind, groping and finding my pulsing erection.

"Big, Jake," she whispered with an agonizingly arousing squeeze, "and mine, all mine." She arched her slender body, pushing the tip down through her seductive butt crack, soft buttocks caressing me. I felt her rosebud slide by and heat and moisture suddenly surround my crown.

"Feels nice," Jess said quietly, her hand still holding my shaft. She moved in a seductive undulation, her pussy rubbing me, her hand moving my erection in little circles.

My heart rate spiked as she slowly worked my crown into her, undulating her bum. Jessie bent further, resting her head on an arm, on the counter, her seductive bum undulating. When I gently pinched her stiff nipples she added little moans and seductive little groans that inflamed me.

Slowly I felt her pussy dilate. Glancing down, my erection swelled. Jesus I loved seeing my thick erection separating her two petite buttocks.

With my hard penis partially edged into her moist pussy, she let it go. "Now, Jake," she moaned, her head on both arms. She pushed back lightly.

Letting her small breasts go, I held her slender waist, my eyes riveted to the sight of her twelve year old body bent over, the seductive sweeping curve of her small ass, my erection pressed between gorgeous buttocks. Holding her firmly, I pushed, shuddering as her snug pussy yielded, parting, stretching, letting me in almost reluctantly. Jess was wet, and horny, still slippery with my semen from last night. In a smooth stroke, we moaned together as I slid deep into her velvety vagina, deep, deeper, bumping against her end.

I held myself, buried to the hilt in heaven, her seductive small buttocks pressed to my groin. The coffee maker started burbling and hissing. Holding myself deep, I flexed my erection. Jess responded, clenching her velvety vagina. We both groaned.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, trying for a conversational tone, smiling.

Jessie's giggles made her vagina clamp delectably, gripping me tight, tight. "Me," she said, pulling off slightly, pressing back.

"My favorite," I said, withdrawing my erection slowly, slowly, the air cool on my shaft. As the flared ridge oozed out of her, she twitched. Reversing, I fucked into her snug pussy, burying myself again. I stopped and flexed my erection.

"Jesus, you dope. Enough," she complained, reinforcing it with a clench, tight, so tight.

"Don't you want to eat?" I asked with a secret grin and another flex. "Didn't you say something about being hungry?"

"Jake," she muttered, "If you don't fuck me now, I swear I'll . . ."

Pulling out of her tight hold, I shoved myself in, beautiful, her buttocks shaking. I pulled out and shoved in, her body pushed up.

"Oof. Again, Jake."

Reaching under Jessie, I found her hard little clit. Caressing it I started to fuck her, long withdrawals, exquisite thrusts, her velvet sheath gripping me, moist, slippery, so arousing. We fucked, our pace building, small grunts, thrust becoming more urgent. Jessie rose from the counter to grab her breasts, her body bouncing forward with every firm thrust.

It didn't take long. Pressure built inside me, my balls grew heavy, my erection swelled and stiffened, fucking Jess, fucking Jess deep.

Letting her pussy go, I held her slender hips, tugging them back against me, pulling her sweet bottom into my groin with increasing urgency, the tip of my penis thumping against her end, her sweel little buttocks slapping into me.

"Hurry, Jake. Gonna cum," Jessie gasped, shoving back at me, her hand dropping to her clit. "Hurry."

I needed no encouragement. "Cumming, Baby," I growled, shoving my erection deep into her sexy pussy. I swelled painfully, froze, my penis lodged to her little womb. My body shook, pressure exploded, erection ached, and semen was suddenly released, burning up my shaft to jet into her uterus, pleasure erupting. I withdrew and thrust, a bigger surge punishing me, stomach cramping, erection swelling, a huge load of cum exploding deep into Jessie's little pussy. The gates to heaven opened. Jessie cried out, her petite body shaking and jerking in ecstasy, her pussy clamping. I growled and fucked her hard, spurting gloriously with each blissful thrust. I fucked Jessie, cumming beautifully. I fucked her hard, semen flowing back along my shaft. I fucked my little lover, spurting, chasing heaven, cumming hard, cumming hard, collapsing over her back as my orgasm crested, releasing me, my chest heaving.

Jessie moaned under me. "You're heavy, Jake."

It was hard to stand up, my knees a bit weak. "Damn it Jessie, I'm tired," I complained rising off her. She giggled. It made her pussy clench and expel my flaccid penis.

Jessie turned and hugged me, her arms slipping around my waist. Her face turned up to look at me, two gorgeous Egyptian-blue eyes twinkling. "Guess what," she said, "I had my period two weeks ago!"