Beyond the Shadows

by Kira Chase

  “If we'd have known then we certainly would have invited him over,” Frankie said quietly. “Didn't one of the many women he dated ever invite him?”

  “That's the funny thing. He admitted that his reputation far exceeded any action. He wasn't the big stud he pretended to be.” She exhaled. “He was a flirt, but you could count the number of women he actually got into bed on one hand.”

  “So he stayed by himself instead of reaching out to someone.” Frankie stretched her long legs out in front of her. “That must have been hell on him seeing all the family togetherness during the holidays.”

  “He frequently worked the holiday shifts. He'd make an excuse that his family get together was curtailed due to weather or something of that nature.” She pulled on her chin. “But he confided to me that he didn't want anyone to know that he had no one.”

  “What happened to his parents?” Johanna asked.

  “They dumped him shortly after he was born. He was raised in foster homes. Every time he got used to one family and had a semblance of belonging to the family, something would come up and he'd be yanked out of that home and sent to a new home. Not all of the foster homes treated him well either. He'd grown up with no sense of love or security.” She paused. “Some of the things he told me about his life ripped open my heart. He broke down and cried like a baby. I could feel his pain. He shared things with me that he said he'd never shared with another soul. I believed him. I finally understood him and why he acted the way he did. He was protecting himself from further hurt and rejection. After that night, little by little he began changing to the point that others began to notice.” She set her coffee cup back down and then folded her hands and placed them in her lap. “He's never pressured me once in all this time for sex and respects my wishes to wait until we're married. It just goes to show that you can't always judge someone until you really get to know them.”

  “I know with you, Kate, he'll have everything he's been missing from life,” Frankie said. “And we couldn't be happier for the two of you.”

  “Thank you. I know he hasn't been easy over the years, but he really is a compassionate man. I also know that he has nothing but the utmost respect for the two of you. He's told me that several times.”

  “We've certainly noticed the change since you came into his life. I'm just glad that he doesn't have to be alone any longer.”

  “He never will be,” she answered. “I intend to fill our home with the love and security he's never had.” Her eyes drifted once again to the fireplace. “I love this room. It's so peaceful. And the fireplace is beautiful. Do you use it often?”

  “We had it specially designed,” Frankie said. “We worked together and knew every detail we wanted in the house and fortunately, had fantastic designers who gave us just about everything we asked for. We still have several projects.” She grabbed Johanna's hand. “Someday we'll get it just the way we want it.”

  “But it's fun working together on every little detail.” Johanna shifted her body. “I'd light a fire every night, even in summer, if I could. I love sitting here and watching the flames. It has a calming effect. But, unfortunately, life gets so hectic that sometimes we only use it a couple of times a week in the cold weather…more during the holidays. Which reminds me,” she began focusing her attention back to Kate. “Each room in the house has its own thermostat control, so if you get too warm or cold tonight you can adjust it to whatever you're comfortable with.”

  “This house is just amazing. I can't get over it. Every time I come over you've done something new. If Arlan and I do get the Meyers house do you think you two could help me out with planning the renovations and steer me to the right contractors?” She rubbed her hands together. It'll be so exciting planning each room exactly the way we want it like you two have.”

  “We'd love to help.” Frankie slapped her hands on her legs. “Now I'm going to start making a list of things we need to do for the bridal shower and wedding. As soon as you and Arlan pick the date, we'll get this show on the road.”

  Johanna jumped to her feet. “I have a wonderful idea! Why don't we have the bridal shower here? We'll think of a theme. Frankie and I can do all of the cooking and baking ourselves.” She threw her arms out. “We certainly have the room.”

  Kate grinned widely. “I love it!” She blinked back tears of joy. “I hope Arlan and I will be as happy as you two are.”

  Chapter 13

  Johanna brushed the hair from Frankie's brow. “It's going to be fun planning Kate's bridal shower and then helping with her and Arlan's wedding.”

  “It certainly is.” Frankie propped herself up on an elbow and stared down into Johanna's beautiful green eyes. Johanna's auburn hair fanned over her pillow making her face look angelic. She took a fingertip and ran it softly over Johanna's full lips. Those lips begged to be kissed. Frankie intended to do just that and much more. She needed to unwind. She needed to get back to her safe place in this mixed up world. And Johanna was that safe place. “I was reminded tonight about our first meeting when you joined the Philly police force,” she murmured.

  “Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Johanna replied softly. “Moving from California was the smartest decision I ever made. Who knew that my destiny was waiting for me on the opposite coast.” She reached a hand up and stroked Frankie's cheek.

  Frankie cocked an eye. “If I remember correctly, you weren't exactly fond of me when we met.”

  Johanna smiled. “Oh, I was, but I couldn't let you know that.”

  “Ahh, you were playing hard to get,” she said slipping a hand under the bed coverings and trailing her fingertips over Johanna's tempting thigh. “You awakened something inside of me. Something I never even knew existed.” She brought her lips seductively close to Johanna's, brushed them lightly against Johanna's lips, and teased them until Johanna's mouth closed over hers. The kiss started out sweet then grew in intensity as Frankie's needs and desires quickly rose to the surface. “I can never get enough of you,” she moaned. “I swear I could make love to you morning, noon and night and still not get enough.”

  Johanna sighed deeply after the kiss ended. “You're in a strange mood tonight, baby. Usually you don't want to touch me when we have guests in the house.” She shifted her weight in the bed. “What's really going on? And don't say nothing.” She trailed her fingers through Frankie's hair. “Come on. Tell me. No secrets, remember?”

  Frankie sighed as she rolled onto her back and turned her head to face Johanna. “Maybe I'm realizing how short life really is. I need to learn to relax and remember how every second that I'm alive and here with you is precious. I need to quit taking everything for granted. I think I lose out on so much by not taking advantage of everything in the here and now.” She stroked Johanna's arm. “Besides, if Kate hears anything coming from our bedroom, which she won't unless she's standing right outside our room with her ear to the door, she'll just ignore us.”

  Johanna stiffened. “What you just said doesn't sound like you at all. You're the most optimistic person I know. You've always been able to relax…it's only when something is pressing on your mind.” She swallowed hard. “Frankie, tell me the truth. Your mood has been back and forth. One minute you act like everything will be fine and the next I see the fear you're doing a poor job of hiding. Please, quit trying to protect me. Something terrible is about to happen, isn't it? I can feel the tension coming from your body even though you're trying to hide it.” She shivered.

  “Are you cold, baby? Let me warm you up.” She ran her hands up and down Johanna's luscious naked flesh. “Does that feel better?” She softly kissed Johanna's throat, her nostrils filling with the scent she loved.

  Johanna's eyes narrowed. “Frankie, quit avoiding the question. Something terrible is about to happen, isn't it? You feel it.” She put her hands on Frankie's head and gently pulled it away from her throat.

  Frankie frowned. “Since when is my lovemaking terrible? You've never complained before,” she
teased.

  Johanna pursed her lips. “You know what I mean. You sense something, don't you? Please tell me the truth. I know when you're hiding something. This isn't a joking matter. I let you off the hook in front of Kate, but it's just you and me now. Out with it.”

  Frankie cleared her throat and let her breath out in a whoosh. “There's nothing I can pinpoint, sweetie. I believe my mind may be working overtime and playing tricks on me because of stress and exhaustion. That's all. It's because of what that pervert has done and is doing that has my nerves on edge. No need to worry, though. If I thought for one minute that you were in danger, do you think I'd be lying here trying to make love to you?” She ran her fingertips over Johanna's cheek. “No, I wouldn't.” She looked into Johanna's eyes. “I need you, Johanna. I need to escape this nightmare for a little while.” She drew a labored breath. “The only escape that has ever worked for me when I'm afraid is when we're making love,” she said softly. “You've always been my rock. Please make love with me, sweetie.”

  Johanna peered into Frankie's dark eyes. “I've never known you to willingly admit to being this afraid of anything before, Frankie. Even though I always demanded you open up to me about everything, now that you have, it's frightening. I can't even begin to imagine how you deal with it every day. I honestly don't think I could.” She gulped. “Now I'm even more terrified than I was before.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.

  Frankie kept silent as Johanna talked. She was at a loss as how to respond. Johanna looked so vulnerable and frightened. What could she possibly say to ease her fears when she, herself, was terrified. There was nothing she could do. This was going to play out in any event. She just had to keep her mind clear and focused.

  “Why aren't you answering me?” Johanna sat up, alarmed, brushing the spilled tears from her cheeks. “You don't think this is going to end well, do you? Tell me, Frankie. You've never lied to me before. Don't start now. I know you too well. You're hiding something from me.”

  Frankie bit her bottom lip. “Sometimes you confuse me. You insist I tell you what I'm feeling and when I do it scares the hell out of you.” She blinked. “Yes, many times I've put on an act, but it was only to protect you.” She took a deep breath. “If I constantly admit my fear then it's only going to worry you further. But, since you insist, I'll tell you how I feel right at this very moment. This is the truth, Johanna.” She cleared her throat. “I don't think I've ever been more scared of anything in my life.” She gazed at Johanna as she swept a trembling hand through her hair, then sat up facing her. “Sweetie, I don't know what's going to happen, but yes, I have a very unsettling feeling that something's going to happen…sooner than we think.”

  “To you,” Johanna said in a wobbly voice. “You know that something is going to happen to you. Aren't we even safe in our own home with our security system, police guarding the gate and Kate staying in the house?”

  Frankie couldn't tell her all of it. No, the feeling that was boring into her soul was a forewarning that her life was soon going to be altered. Someone close to her, possibly even herself, was going to be harmed. Usually she could pinpoint an event to one person, but not this time. She had to keep alert and protect Johanna no matter the outcome to herself. “Calm down. My feeling could only mean that it's all going to end soon, that's all,” she lied. “It doesn't mean anything bad will happen to either of us.” She raised an eyebrow. “Besides, how would he get into the house? Or even near it. We have every inch of this property fenced in. We're safe, baby. Please don't worry.” She pulled Johanna's trembling body close. After holding her for a minute, she eased her back down onto the bed. “I have just the thing to calm you,” she whispered. She smoothed the beautiful auburn hair back from Johanna's forehead and then lowered her body gently on top of Johanna's.

  “I love you, Johanna,” she murmured. “More than you'll ever know.” She caught Johanna's bottom lip between her teeth and felt her nerve endings come alive at the touch of Johanna's fingertips moving lightly up and down her back. She covered Johanna's mouth with her own and kissed her intensely as her passion rose. She parted Johanna's lips and slipped her tongue inside, joining Johanna's.

  Frankie slowly broke the kiss and propped herself on her elbows. She stared into Johanna's eyes for a few seconds. She saw the smoldering passion in their depths. Her gaze drifted to Johanna's full lips and she bent her head closer, brushing those tempting lips with her own, teasing, until Johanna's mouth claimed hers once again. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment and focusing only on the burning desire raging inside of her. She forced everything else in her mind to be swept away.

  When the kiss ended, Frankie shifted her body and trailed her fingertips over Johanna's smooth cheeks. She bent her head and tenderly touched the hollow of Johanna's throat with her lips as her hands sought Johanna's firm breasts. After massaging them for a few seconds as Johanna pleaded breathlessly with her to make love to her, she took them one at a time into her mouth.

  Johanna moaned as her fingers became entangled in Frankie's hair. "Please make love to me now, baby," she said in a raspy voice. "I can't wait."

  Frankie didn't reply, but instead continued to arouse Johanna. She gently inserted a finger inside of Johanna, feeling the wetness of her lover. Her own pussy was dripping and ached for release. After a few more seconds of teasing Johanna's clit, she inched her body back up, covering Johanna's warm body with her own. She moved her hips back and forth grinding her vagina into Johanna's.

  Johanna slid her hands to Frankie's hips and slowly moved her body in rhythm with Frankie's. Frankie lifted her weight and took a sharp intake of breath when Johanna's long slender fingers spread her apart. As she lowered herself, she spread Johanna. She trembled when her clit met Johanna's hot throbbing clit.

  Johanna's breath quickened as their kisses deepened and their bodies continued to move rhythmically together. Frankie felt like one with her lover. Nothing could happen to them as long as they had each other. If only they could stay like this forever. If only the evils of the world could never access them.

  It didn't take either of them long to quickly reach their climax. They came together in a trembling explosion and clung to one another as though they were hanging on for dear life. Maybe they were, Frankie thought. Her mind had refused to allow her even an iota of freedom from the dark foreboding that seemed to be consuming her. No, she knew the feeling meant that something was going to happen very soon to someone very close to her. Fear and foreboding gripped her heart, squeezing it like a vise so hard that she thought she'd suffocate.

  * * * *

  Later Frankie lay in the dark listening to the normal nighttime sounds outside. Tonight the sounds seemed amplified. She glanced up at the open skylight above the bed. Normally she loved lying on her back and looking up into the darkened sky. She found a peacefulness watching and waiting to see if any stars would appear, or watching a thunder and lightning storm knowing she was safe and snug tucked into bed next to Johanna. Tonight the open skylight didn't give her any peace. Instead it only made her nerve endings send a jolt through her. Her security had been stripped from her. Even though her sensible mind told her it was physically impossible for Fellows to get onto her property, it was also impossible for him to get onto her roof and over to the skylight. But it still didn't calm her. She grabbed the remote from her nightstand and quickly closed the skylight. Would she ever feel safe and secure again? She couldn't go on this way for much longer. She drew several deep breaths and then slowly let each one out, but her heart didn't stop its rapid beating. Her palms began to sweat profusely. It would happen tonight. That thought reverberated throughout her mind. Tonight everything would come to a head. But her top priority wasn't for her own safety, but Johanna's.

  She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. She wondered if she'd ever be able to sleep again. Where the hell was he? Would she always be a prisoner in some way to this monster? Why was he going after his victims? What sick freak would molest and then victim
ize little children and then years later hunt them down? Thankfully, she hadn't been sexually molested, but what about those that had been? Maybe somehow they'd managed to put that horrible part of their life to rest, only now finding themselves having to face the horror all over again. What about those that had been emotionally crippled by what he'd done? How had their lives turned out? Had they succumbed to alcohol and drugs to numb themselves in an attempt to mask the memories? Or had some of them become so crippled with hate that they'd never been able to have any normal relationships? What about Alice? She wished she could remember the child she had once been a friend with. But she had no memory of any of it. Had she hidden all the details safely in the recesses of her mind? Had she been so emotionally traumatized that she'd locked away all of those memories? What had really happened to Alice? How could she disappear without even a trace? Was she even alive? Had she died years ago and was now lying somewhere in an unclaimed grave? How could Fellows have sexually molested his own child and then murdered her mother? That certainly had to have affected Alice's mind. How could she live a normal life with that knowledge? Why didn't she attempt to see her father in prison when she came of age? Or had the wisdom that came with maturity changed her mind? None of it made any sense and she doubted if she'd ever have the answers.

  Frankie sighed dejectedly. When would any of them truly be safe again? Would Fellows abruptly stop someday, hide in the shadows waiting until once again they felt some sense of security, and then strike when their guards were down? No, this couldn't turn into an unsolved cold case.

  She glanced at Johanna, grateful that she was fast asleep. She looked peaceful. Frankie hoped she was having pleasant dreams that were taking her far away from the reality of their lives. She lay staring at Johanna for a few minutes and then slipped quietly from the bed, yanked a t-shirt on, pulled on a pair of jeans, and grabbed her gun and shoulder holster before tiptoeing to the door.