Partners

by Kira Chase

  “If he's been difficult it has nothing to do with us,” Frankie retorted. “It was obvious on first seeing him with you that you'd already had problems.”

  “We hadn't had problems until arriving here. It's been overwhelming for Bobby meeting his biological father. Isn't that right, Bobby?”

  Bobby exhaled loudly. He stood between Frankie and Johanna with his packed bag at his feet. “I want to go to their house.”

  “Come on, Bobby. Get your bag and you and I will wait in the car,” Johanna said.

  “I said he's not going!” Brenna shouted.

  “I want to go with them, Brenna,” he said firmly. “I can decide for myself.”

  She looked directly at the teen. Her movements were jerky and she forced a smile on her thin lips. “Now, Bobby, you know how upset that would make your uncle Kyle. We don't even know these people. It's for your own protection that I must insist you stay with me.”

  Johanna shot a quick look at Frankie and rolled her eyes. Brenna's voice was dripping with sweetness. Did she seriously think any of them were buying it? She glanced at George who was looking skeptically at the woman.

  “If you go with them against my wishes, Bobby, when Kyle comes back, you know he'll come looking for you,” she continued as she slowly moved toward him.

  Bobby shrunk back and Johanna put a gentle hand on his thin shoulder. “The decision is actually Will's,” Johanna said firmly. “And he has given his consent.”

  “You're wrong there. Kyle and I have legal custody,” she said smugly. “We make all decisions concerning Bobby. Since Kyle isn't here, I have the authority to make any decisions. Bobby, go to your room and I'll talk to you as soon as they leave.”

  Bobby seemed to have lost his fear of her and stood with his feet firmly planted slightly apart. He looked directly into her cold eyes. “I'm not a kid. I can decide what I want to do, and I said I want to stay with Frankie and Johanna.”

  Brenna drew a deep breath and by the changing expressions on her face, it was apparent she was losing patience with the situation. “Will, talk some sense into your son,” she finally said, exasperated.

  Will shrugged. “The kid's right. If he wants to stay with them, let him. I see no harm in it.”

  “What?” Her face flamed. The sweetness had disappeared. “No! What's wrong with you, Will? I won't allow it and you shouldn't either!”

  “The way I see it, Brenna, I'm his biological father, so that makes me the final authority.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “The custody agreement gives Kyle and me final say in all decisions concerning Bobby's well-being. We've wanted only the best for him since he's come to live with us. We’ve tried to provide him with a loving home.”

  Johanna almost choked. Did Brenna seriously think that any one of them thought she and Kyle were Bobby’s loving caretakers?”

  “Stop, Mrs. Martin,” George said. “Will has given his consent and that's good enough for me.”

  “Take him out of this house and I swear I'll file the biggest lawsuit you've ever seen,” she threatened.

  George smiled. “It seems that lately I've been threatened several times with lawsuits by you and your husband. I'll take my chances.” He turned to Bobby. “Son, you can stay with Frankie and Johanna.”

  “Thank you,” he said as relief flooded his face. He bent and picked up his bag.

  Brenna's eyes turned into dark slits. “You'll be sorry for this, Will. I swear you're going to pay.”

  Will scowled. “I can't be any sorrier than I already am for allowing Kyle to come here.”

  “When can I get Kyle out of jail?” she demanded, her focus on George.

  “I'll let you know,” he answered. “His bail hearing isn't until tomorrow.”

  “I want to see him. I have a right to see him,” she insisted. “We have our rights.”

  “I'm not stopping you,” George answered patiently.

  Brenna shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Something doesn't seem right here. When Kyle was viciously attacked, bail was immediately set for Trey Daniels and it was able to be posted to get him out immediately. That's not fair.”

  “Is that what Kyle told you?” George asked calmly.

  “What difference does that make?” she spat out. “It seems to me that around here you have different rules depending whether you're an insider or outsider.”

  “The situations are not the same. Kyle made several threats and physically attacked Trey Daniels in front of me. Due to the circumstances, the judge decided to wait until morning to set bail.” He looked hard at her. “Maybe it will give him a chance to cool down.”

  “I should have the right to talk to him,” Brenna persisted.

  “He got a phone call,” George said. “Have you checked your phone?”

  “He called me,” Will said, surprising all of them.

  “You? Why would he call you? What did he say?” Brenna's expression changed from shock at Will's announcement, then back to anger as she whirled again on him. “Answer me, Will.”

  He shrugged. “He just said he was spending the night in jail.”

  “That's it?”

  He shrugged again. “That's it. Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to bed.”

  “No. We're going to talk about this, Will,” Brenna said flatly.

  “No, we are not, Brenna. I said I'm going to bed.” He looked at Bobby. “Bobby, you have my permission to go with Frankie and Johanna.” He tilted his head toward Brenna. “And, Bobby, you can stay with them as long as they want you.”

  A smile lighted up Bobby's face. “Thank you, Will.”

  * * * *

  Bobby finished his second piece of pie and washed it down with the rest of the milk in his glass. Trey was sitting across from him at the breakfast nook where he and Bobby had been chatting about their favorite sports teams. George, Frankie, and Johanna watched them from the other side of the kitchen.

  “I don't think there will be any trouble with Trey and Bobby getting along,” George observed. “They've really hit it off.”

  Frankie nodded. “It's good to see the kid so relaxed. I wonder when he last felt safe.”

  “Probably the last time he saw his grandparents,” Johanna said.

  George smiled. “Well, at least I won't have to worry about him tonight.”

  “We knew you were a softy under that gruff exterior, George,” Frankie teased.

  “After listening to that tape you’d have to have a very hardened heart not to feel for what Bobby's been through. And his grandparents, too.” He stretched. “I'd better get out of here and let you get him settled in.”

  “We'll walk you out,” Johanna said. “Bobby, we're going to walk Sheriff Ryker out, but we'll be right back.”

  “Okay,” he replied. “Thanks again, Sheriff Ryker.” He flashed him a wide smile.

  “No problem, Bobby,” George replied affectionately.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  George stopped and turned to him. “You can ask me anything, Bobby.”

  “Can you help me go back home to my grandparents’ house? I know that Frankie and Johanna are going to help me, but since you're the sheriff, I thought maybe you could speed things up,” he said hopefully.

  George walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Bobby, that’s one of my top priorities.”

  “Thank you,” Bobby replied, blinking back tears.

  Johanna had trouble controlling her own emotions as she followed Frankie and George to the entry hall. She noticed that Frankie was biting down hard on her bottom lip.

  “What a night this has been,” Johanna said and then exhaled loudly. “I think we'll all sleep a little more soundly tonight with Bobby away from that woman.”

  “That kid has been through so much,” George said, shaking his head. “I don't know how you did it, but thank God you managed to reach him.”

  “All it took was a little kindness to gain his trust,” Johanna said. “In his place, I woul
dn't have easily trusted anyone either.”

  “Did Deputy Calhoun have anything unusual to report?” Frankie asked.

  George grunted. “Brenna browbeat the poor kid, but he said Bobby stood firm and refused to answer her questions. She kept probing him, but he sat playing games on his cell phone. After a while she got angry and ripped the phone out of his hands and flung it across the room.” He paused. “Calhoun is writing up a report in case we need it. He had to warn her several times that her verbal abuse of Bobby could land her a visit from CPS, but it didn't seem to faze her. As an aside to me, he believes if he wasn't there, Brenna might have struck the boy.”

  “Wow! What a piece of work,” Frankie said. “Unbelievable.”

  George nodded. “Calhoun repeatedly warned her in no uncertain words that she was on a very thin line and eventually she backed off Bobby, and began to rant about the unwarranted treatment perpetrated toward her and her husband.”

  “I have some choice words I'd like to say to Brenna, but I'll continue to bite my tongue,” Frankie said. “For now.”

  “I know the feeling,” George agreed. “We can discuss this more tomorrow. I have a few calls I'll be making first thing in the morning. Would it be possible for you two to meet me in my office about ten to go over everything and plan our next move?”

  “We'll definitely be there,” Johanna said.

  “I hope part of that plan will be reuniting Bobby with his grandparents,” Frankie said.

  George's eyes twinkled. “It is. We'll talk more in the morning.”

  * * * *

  Bobby looked up and smiled when Frankie and Johanna walked back into the kitchen. “Can I call my grandparents again tomorrow to let them know I'm away from Brenna and Kyle?” he asked hopefully. “They're still worried. I could tell even though they pretended they weren't.”

  “Yes, you can,” Johanna replied. “You can call them as much as you like.”

  “I just thought of something. Do they use video chat?” Frankie asked.

  “Not grandpa, but grammy uses it to talk to her friends sometimes. Grandpa doesn't really use a computer too much,” Bobbie answered. “That would be cool to see them and then all of you could meet them, too,” he said enthusiastically.

  “Well, you can call them in the morning and we'll set up the chat,” Trey said.

  Tears glistened in his eyes. “I can't wait to see them again, even if it is on video. But it will definitely be better than just talking.”

  “It won't be long, Bobby,” Frankie assured him. “Until you do, you'll be staying here.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We'll show you to your room in a few minutes and you can put your things away. Remember if you need anything in the night, don't be afraid to ask. And please help yourself to anything if you get hungry.”

  He nodded gratefully and his eyes filled with tears. “My grandparents will be relieved that I'm here with all of you.” He got up and gave them both a hug.

  * * * *

  “What a day,” Johanna said an hour later after they'd gotten Bobby settled in. “I'm exhausted.”

  Frankie slipped into bed next to her and cuddled up close. “But the bright spot is Bobby is safe.”

  “Yes. He can finally have a peaceful night's sleep…probably the first one he's had in a long time.”

  “Yeah, we did good having him here.”

  Johanna stroked Frankie's hair, then turned her head, and looked into Frankie's eyes. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

  Frankie smiled as she traced Johanna's full lips with a fingertip. “Stealing my line now, are you?” she teased. “But to answer your question, you show me every moment of every day.”

  Johanna brought Frankie's finger into her mouth and sucked on it sensuously. Frankie's hands slowly moved to Johanna's back and gently inched down to her ass. She ran a fingertip lightly over the crack. Johanna felt the pangs of desire between her legs. She stopped sucking on Frankie's finger and removed it from her mouth. “I do love you, Frankie.”

  “I know,” Frankie murmured. “And you know how much I love you. You complete me. You always have.”

  Johanna smiled. “Right now, I want you, babe.” Her eyes burned with desire.

  “You're not too tired?” Frankie looked at her seductively.

  “Never for you.” Johanna smoothed Frankie's hair back and looking into her eyes, leaned in and softly brushed her lips against Frankie's and then ran the tip of her tongue over Frankie's full lips as her arms went around her.

  Frankie covered Johanna's mouth with her own, kissing her like she couldn't get enough of her. Johanna closed her eyes, relishing the sensations flowing through her. After all these years, the flame only grew stronger. She desired her today as much as she had when they first met. She couldn't imagine her life without Frankie in it.

  Johanna eventually broke the kiss and swiftly began snaking down Frankie's body. She rested her head for a few seconds between Frankie's breasts. She lay quietly for a few minutes and listened to the rhythmic beating of Frankie's heart. If it weren't for the pang between her legs, she could fall asleep right now contented and at peace. But her desire intensified and she roused herself to move slightly to the left to rub one of Frankie's nipples between her thumb and index finger. She replaced her fingers with her mouth and sucked for a full minute before giving equal attention to the other breast.

  Frankie moaned softly beneath her and spread her legs. Johanna kissed the space between Frankie's breasts before continuing her descent. When she reached Frankie's navel, she teased it with the tip of her tongue. She loved listening to Frankie's breathing which was becoming heavier as she squirmed and clutched at the sheet as her moans grew slightly louder.

  “I need you, baby,” Frankie pleaded.

  “And you'll have me,” Johanna said softly as she turned herself around and positioned herself so that her vagina was right above Frankie's face. She sucked in her breath when the tip of Frankie's tongue met her clit. Her breathing quickened and she didn't want the sensations coursing through her body to stop. Waves of desire swept through her and she began sucking on Frankie's clit, loving the taste of her and not seeming to get enough of her. She wanted it to last longer, but it didn't take them long to reach their climaxes as they trembled and lay silently where they were until their heartbeats settled back down. After a few seconds, she climbed back up next to Frankie.

  They lay wrapped in each other's arms for a few minutes without speaking, but enjoying their closeness.

  “I'm going to get a quick shower,” Johanna whispered.

  “I'll join you,” Frankie said.

  * * * *

  Twenty minutes later Johanna lay contentedly wrapped once again in Frankie's arms. “Do you think we'll have this Kyle and Brenna thing wrapped up before the week's over?”

  Frankie drew a deep breath. “That's what George says. I'm not so sure all of it will be, though. Only the Bobby part of it, maybe. And right now, as far as I'm concerned, that's the main thing.”

  “I know. I can't wait until he's back where he belongs.”

  “Will is another story.” Frankie frowned.” I have no clue what Kyle could possibly be holding over him. Whatever it is, we'll never find a way to break him. Either we have to dig deeper into his background if we can or he'll have to tell us.”

  Johanna was thoughtful for a minute. “Maybe we can break him.”

  “I don't see how. Will is prepared to destroy everything with Trey for Kyle's gain.”

  Johanna turned her head and then sat up placing a pillow behind her back. “Maybe it will be like with Bobby.”

  Frankie thought about it for a minute. “Okay, I'm listening,” she said as she propped her head on an extended elbow and looked intently at Johanna.

  “First, Will believes that Bobby is his son,” Johanna began. “No matter what we say, he brushes us off.”

  “Wait,” Frankie interrupted. “We don't have one hundred percent concrete proof he's not Bob
by’s father, and we won’t until Will agrees to be retested. I think he actually wants to be the boy’s father. But…” She held a hand up. “…deep down I don't think he really believes he is, which is why he isn’t running to the nearest DNA lab for retesting. He doesn’t want to risk finding out he really isn’t Bobby’s dad. If he believed he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have cared if Bobby came to stay with us or not.”

  Johanna frowned. “I don't know about that. He heard the tape. Anyone who heard it would have to be heartless not to have compassion for that boy.”

  “Well, after all of this, nothing about Will surprises me anymore.”

  “Right,” Johanna said. She smiled. “Now let me finish my thought.”

  “Okay. No more interruptions. I promise.”

  Johanna leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “First we have to find a way to force Will to tell us what Kyle supposedly has on him. Then we investigate and it will more than likely turn out just like the situation has with Bobby. Do you follow?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but Will has to be proven not to be Bobby's father first. And I don't think we can force Will to do anything he doesn't want to do. He's not going to break his vow of silence which leads me to believe whatever Kyle is holding over him is worse than him possibly being Bobby's father. Will is determined to risk everything because of whatever devastating information Kyle supposedly has on him.”

  Johanna sighed wearily. “I doubt Kyle has anything on him and we need to somehow convince Will of that.”

  “I'm not so sure,” Frankie said lifting an eyebrow. “Let's not forget that Brenna's brother Roman is a cop.”

  “You're right. Most likely a dirty one. Look what he did to Bobby.”

  “I think somehow he's the mastermind behind all of this. We also need to keep in mind that the lab Brenna works in performed the test.”

  Johanna tapped her chin. “Will's DNA. That has to be the connection.”