Chapter 24
Riley moved his hands to Marissa’s breasts and stroked the nipples through the fabric. He couldn’t get enough of her. His shaft grew hard and was straining in his jeans. He needed to get out of his clothes. He needed her to get out of her clothes. He loved to see her naked. Every inch of her body was his, and he wanted to brand her again and again.
He ran his hand under her legs and then stood up, carrying her to the bedroom. He sat her on the bed and stood in front of her. Slowly, he began unbuttoning his shirt, his belt buckle, the button of his jeans, then the zipper. He watched her expression of anticipation as he stripped down for her. When he shed his underwear, his shaft sprung forth, hard and jutting upward. He watched her pupils become dilated.
He sat and laid back on the bed. She got up and stood in front of him. She took off her top and reached around and unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. Riley stared at her beautiful breasts and saw her pink nipples turn hard and marbled. She undid her belt and the button of the top of her jeans. He watched, struggling to hold on to his erection, as she unzipped her jeans and slid them over her hips. She stepped out of them and climbed onto the bed to lie next to him.
It was pure, sweet torture as their lips came together. He feathered his hands on her breasts, and then down to her sides to her sweet, round butt. He weaved his hand between her butt to go to her center. He felt his release coming, and he sought to control it. She took his shaft and put it deeply into her mouth, almost down her throat. As she took hold of his balls he could feel himself starting to come undone. His body was screaming at him for release as she pulled his shaft out and then back deep in her mouth.
Riley let out a moan. “Oh, Marissa,” was all he could say as he came in an explosive relief. They laid down next to each other.
* * * *
Marissa laid against Riley as he was panting and his chest was heaving. His skin was balmy and moist from his release. When his breathing returned to normal, his hands caressed her back, sending pleasant jolts all over her. He slipped his hands down between her legs, and a tingling spark of ecstasy flowed through her. His fingers found her wet. She squirmed as his finger entered inside her and touched her clit. She gasped in sweet agony as he massaged her, going in and out of her and massaging her labia. She wanted him in her. She sat up and then turned and got on her knees. She spread them out wide as Riley got up, his erection strong and pulsating, and went behind her, then guided his shaft into her.
“Oh…Riley,” she whispered as he entered.
He pulled out and repeated the action, his rhythm increasing, going in deeper with each thrust. As he dove in, she could feel his balls smacking against her. He went in for a final thrust. She moaned aloud with an erotic pleasure as her orgasm scattered her. She felt his hot release inside of her and marveled how they had become one.
They laid together, their naked bodies still moist from their lovemaking. They settled down and drifted off to sleep in contentment.
* * * *
Monday morning, Riley walked into his office and hung up his jacket. He grabbed his mug, went to the coffee room, and got a cup of coffee. He returned to his office, read the weekend reports, and noted that the Ferguson boys were still not in town. Sergeant Miller left him a note stating that the Wyoming State Police said they knew who the boys were but had heard nothing from them.
Riley had to be at the courthouse at ten that morning for a hearing on Mark Simpson and his attempt to assault Riley. Before he went to the courthouse, he stopped by the county attorney’s office and explained the details of what had happened in that incident.
He and Theodore Haggerty, the county attorney, arrived at the courthouse and Mark Simpson was there with his attorney from Nevada to represent him.
When the court was brought to order, Judge Harper asked Riley what happened.
“I walked into Marissa Simpson’s house, who is the defendant’s ex-wife, and he was threatening her and demanding information from her. I suggested he leave, but he kept insisting he wanted information from her. As he walked past me toward the door, he brought his fist up, and I caught it.”
The judge looked over at Mark and asked, “What’s your side of the story?”
“Your Honor, my client was merely walking out of the house, doing what the sheriff told him to do. As my client walked by the sheriff he suddenly grabbed his arm and cuffed him, then arrested him.”
The judge lifted an eyebrow. “That’s his side of the story?” he asked the attorney.
“That’s it,” the attorney said.
“I’ve known this lawman for a long time, and he’s never lied to me. I have a hard time believing that he’s lying now,” the judge said.
“Your Honor, my client doesn’t lie either.”
“Tell me, Sheriff, how was the defendant threatening Marissa Simpson?”
“The defendant was threatening Ms. Simpson saying he was going to beat the information out of her.”
“What information were you looking for, Mr. Simpson?” the judge asked.
“My client was merely trying to find out if Ms. Simpson had talked to anyone and reported false information about Heartland Diamonds to the US Attorney General.”
“So your client had motive and opportunity and took a swing at the sheriff for stepping in to protect a citizen in this county,” the judge said.
“No, not quite like that, Your Honor.”
“Your Honor, the defendant has a history of spousal abuse,” Theodore Haggerty added.
“The couple is divorced, and the past history has no bearing on this case,” Mark’s attorney jumped in.
“You may think it has no bearing on this case, but it presents a different perspective of the situation.”
“Your Honor, my client came here for information from Ms. Simpson. He has no desire to harm her in any way. Since he has no prior history in this county and he must report back to Nevada for a court date set this Wednesday by the US Attorney General and the federal court, we ask that you dismiss the charges against my client and let him return promptly to Nevada.”
“Okay, I will step into my office and come back within the hour with my decision.” The judge hammered the gavel, got up, and walked out.
An hour passed, and the judge returned to the bench. When the court was brought to order, the judge issued his ruling.
“Normally, I side with the sheriff. He’s never lied to me, and his cases are always above reproach. However, I did take your request into consideration, along with the fact that your client is due in the US Court on Wednesday to testify. I will hereby grant your request and dismiss the charge. I strongly suggest you advise your client to stay away from Quartz County and get into anger management classes. I do not want to see your client in my court again. If I do, I will not be lenient.” The judge slammed his gavel and court was adjourned.
“Thank you, Your Honor,” the attorney said.
Riley observed Mark laughing with his attorney. As he stepped into the aisle to leave, he came face to face with Mark. He stared straight into Mark’s eyes. The smile immediately left Mark’s face and he dropped his gaze as he stepped past Riley and hurried out of the courthouse.
* * * *
Marissa was looking at the diamonds Dave had brought in when someone came into the store. She heard the person ask to speak to her, and Cindy came to the back. “Marissa, a caseworker is here with Casey wanting to talk to you.”
“Okay.” Marissa walked out to the front of the store. She recognized the caseworker who was with Casey while she was in the hospital. “How can I help you?” she asked as she walked up to them.
“Is there someplace we could talk in private?” the caseworker asked.
“You can use my office, Marissa,” Dave said.
“Thanks, Dave.” Marissa led the caseworker and Casey into the office, and they sat at the table in the corner.
“I’m Mrs. Steinberger. We talked briefly while Casey was in the hospital.”
“Yes, I r
emember.”
“Well, we are in a pickle here. Casey’s parents, or I should say, her father, will not let her come back to live with them. Casey’s best friend, Melody, won’t take her in either. We were wondering if your offer to allow Casey to live with you is still available.”
Marissa looked at Casey, then Mrs. Steinberger, and then back to Casey again.
“As long as Casey goes through with the charges to keep Rod out of her life, I’d be more than happy to let her stay with me.”
Mrs. Steinberger broke out in a wide smile. “Excellent! See, Casey? I told you we’d find you a place to stay.”
Casey stared at Marissa.
“Do you want to bring your stuff and come over now?” Marissa asked.
“Um, I have to be at work in a few minutes. Can I come after I get off?” Casey asked.
“Yes, that’s fine. What time will you be getting out?”
“I get off at eight, when they close.”
“Okay. Do you know where I live?”
“Yeah, in your parents’ house.”
“Good then, I’ll see you shortly after eight tonight.”
* * * *
Riley stopped by Marissa’s house that evening. “Hey, Marissa,” he said as he climbed up the porch steps.
“Hi, Riley.”
“How’s your day been going?”
“Fine. I have Casey moving in tonight.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, seems her dad won’t let her come back home, and her dear sweet friend, Melody, won’t let her stay with her either.”
“According to my deputies, Melody has a string of men stopping by her place every night, so I imagine she wouldn’t want Casey there spoiling her evenings.”
“Is she running a brothel?” Marissa asked, being sarcastic.
“I haven’t heard that it’s gone that far.”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were.”
“Me either. Uh, Marissa, your ex-husband has been released. The judge allowed the charges to be dismissed because Mark has a court date in Nevada this week.”
“Do you know if he did leave town?”
“Yes, I had a deputy tail him until he got to the end of the county line. He and his lawyer went directly to the motel and then left from there immediately.”
Riley hung around with Marissa until Casey came in. Marissa showed Casey around the house, then they came back to the living room where Riley was sitting.
“Look, ladies. I live right up the hill from you. Put my number on your speed dial and don’t hesitate to call me if any of these losers should happen to show up at your door. Got it?”
“Yes, got it,” Marissa said, and Casey nodded.
“I’m going to leave now so you two can get better acquainted.” Riley got up and walked out the door. Marissa followed him out to his truck. “I really mean what I said, Marissa. Don’t let Rod get into your house, or Mark either, for that matter.”
Riley turned around and pulled her into an embrace. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head. She pulled back, wound her arms around his neck, and pulled him to her lips.
Riley showered kisses around her lips and along her jaw. He kissed the hollow base at her throat, and then gently pulled away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Marissa turned and walked back into the house. Casey was sitting on the couch. “Casey, what is your work schedule like?”
“I work Tuesday to Saturday from noon to eight at Mill Creek Restaurant. I quit The Lunch Box.”
“Okay, I work at Southerlyn’s Monday to Friday, from eight to four-thirty.”
“I, um, would like to pay you rent, and I could bring home dinner for us occasionally.”
“That sounds good. I go out to the river to dig for sapphires on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, plus one day on the weekend. Since Campbell’s been hurt and is in the hospital, I promised Riley I’d stay away until he was able to make an arrest.”
Casey rose and walked to the window. “Are these the rocks you dug out of the river?” She pointed out the window to the table on the porch.
Marissa nodded. “I get gold out of the river. The sapphires are located more in the gravel and embankment along the river.”
“Do you make much money with this?”
“I got my furnace fixed with the money I got for selling some of them. I also got a hot water tank. I’m working on getting a contractor to fix the porch steps, and I’m going to get some of the openings outside fixed. I’m going to save up money from my next group of sapphires to get a washer and dryer.”
“Doing laundry at the laundromat is expensive.”
“You aren’t kidding.”
Marissa was surprised at how friendly Casey was. All the years she’d known her, she always hung around Melody. She and Casey seemed to have a lot in common, and they sat around and talked half the night, mostly about the men who had abused them. Casey was shocked and horrified at the scar on Marissa’s side when she showed it to her. They agreed that they would cover each other’s back and help to keep the violent men out of their lives.
For the first time in a long time, Marissa went to bed and slept soundly. She felt a great deal of comfort knowing Riley was up the hill and Casey was living with her.
Chapter 25
Riley was meeting with Jack and Sergeant Anderson when, suddenly, the deputy at the front desk burst into Riley’s office. “Sorry to interrupt, but I got a message from Deputy Dunbarr that the two Ferguson boys came to the hospital. When they saw him standing outside Campbell’s room, they took off like a bat out of hell.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Riley said, and spun into action. “Let’s go everyone. We will probably have to chase them down.”
Riley, Jack, and several deputies jumped in the cruisers and turned their strobes and sirens on.
Riley called Dunbarr and asked, “Did they see which way the Fergusons were headed?”
“Yeah, they got into a brown truck and took off toward Highway 17. Don’t know where they went from there.”
“My guess is that they went back to Jed Ferguson’s place to hide out,” Jack said.
“I’m thinking that too,” Riley replied.
They spun onto Highway 17 and took it to Highway 350 toward the ranch where Jed Ferguson was staying. When they arrived, Riley pulled into the long driveway toward the house, two other patrol cars following behind him, They came to a sudden stop, and a whirlwind of dust went flying all over. Riley noticed a brown truck parked off to the side.
Jed Ferguson walked out the front door of the house. “For goodness sake, Sheriff. What’s all this ruckus about?”
“We know that the boys are here, Ferguson. Just tell us where they are.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“This brown truck was recently running. I can feel the heat from it. Your boys went to the hospital, and when they saw a deputy stationed at the intended victim’s room they took off,” Sergeant Brody said.
“I just got back from town. I was driving the truck. Why are you so interested in my boys?” Jed looked from the deputies to Riley.
“Quit beating around the bush and tell us where they are, Ferguson.” Riley grounded the words out between his teeth.
“Or what?”
An ATV took off from behind the house with the two Ferguson boys on it.
“There they go.” Riley and the deputies ran and got back into the cruisers. They took off in the direction of the ATV.
Riley drove the cruiser up over the hills and valleys after the ATV. They ran over tumbleweeds, tall grass, and large rocks, but kept the chase going until they got to Red Rock River road. The boys with the ATV continued to go forward after crossing the makeshift bridge.
Riley looked up at the mountains on the other side of the bridge. He knew that there would be steep grades going along the side of the mountains. He instructed his deputies in the third car, “Go down to the larger bridge and crossover and we’ll
meet up on the other side.”
Hoping that the bridge didn’t give out and he’d end up having to swim out of the river, Riley gunned the cruiser and sped across the bridge. He held his breath as he drove through quickly and let it out when he got to the other side. The second cruiser did the same and made it.
Riley commanded over the police scanner to his deputies, “Turn your sirens off so we can hear the ATV and know which direction to go in.”
The terrain got rougher as they had big boulder rocks to swerve around, hills, and soft dirt, with trees all lined up like a forest. Riley could still hear the ATV even though he couldn’t see it.
Riley’s gut told him that this would end in gunfire. His police scanner cracked with the deputies who went across the other bridge to come up on the other side. “Sheriff, we’ve spotted them. They’re heading straight up the mountains.”
“Are you guys going to be able to get the cruisers up there after them?” Riley asked, his heart pounding hard in his chest.
“We can try. I don’t know if we can or not.”
“Are you surrounded by pine trees?”
“No, is clear on this side. Just a lot of large rocks.”
“Okay, keep trying to tail them, and we’ll be there as soon as we get out of this forest.” The tension increased with frightening intensity.
Hoping that he could pin the Ferguson boys between them and his other deputies coming the other way, Riley and the second sheriff’s cruiser continued to climb up the rough terrain. If the Ferguson boys proceeded up the side of the mountains and come down the other side, there was no way his cruiser would be able to get up the side. He’d have to call the Montana Highway Patrol to station officers at strategic points and he’d have to get the sheriff department’s ATVs, all of which would take time, and it would be just enough time for the boys to make their escape. He hoped to hell he could bring this to an end.
He got up the side of the mountain when he heard gunfire and saw the bullet as it skidded across the ground. It came from within a group of pine trees where the boys were well hidden. He slammed on the brakes, opened the door, and stooped behind it, keeping the door as a shield. The deputy with him did the same, and the other cruiser also followed suit. He called the team on the other side.
Blue as Sapphires Page 26
