by Shara Lanel
“Legally.”
“It won’t do any good to report him now. I’m sure the body’s long gone.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.
“Lydia is a lawyer, is she not? Perhaps she could advise you.”
“She’s in corporate law so she probably knows nothing about criminal law, and she already pities me enough as it is.”
Rick touched Kerry’s arm, causing her to open her eyes. He leaned closer, his irises gleaming in the streetlight. “Even if she doesn’t know herself, she probably knows who we can talk to. I believe I saw a TV movie where the wife got a restraining warrant.”
“A restraining order? Perhaps I could do that at least.” Kerry pursed her lips. “Do they need proof that he shot me, or will they take my word for it?”
“There is much we need to find out.”
Kerry focused on a group of lightening bugs in a nearby bush. “Even if I do try to fight him legally, I should probably do it from somewhere else. Maybe New York or Atlanta, where I can lose myself in all the people.”
Rick’s fingers slid behind Kerry’s neck and he pulled her towards him. Once she looked him in the eye, he said, “I think you should stay.”
“Do you want me to stay? I thought you were still planning to go after Lydia.”
Rick sighed. “I will not lie and say I want us to be forever. I don’t think I’m ready, but I know I like you very much. I enjoy being with you and I would indeed miss you if you were gone.”
Kerry felt like crying again. What did she expect? A declaration of love after knowing each other for three days? It was that couple in the restaurant. They made her realize that she’d like to start her own family, one filled with love. She’d like to find her soul mate, someone she could laugh with and talk to and touch every day and night. Tonight, however, was not a time for fairy tales but rather for survival. And Rick was being honest. She should praise him for that.
“Do you think he will come for you tonight?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t go back to your place. Too risky.” Kerry’s mind whirled. “I’ll need my bag. I don’t want to leave that behind.”
“You’re not leaving.” He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. “Tonight we’ll stay in a hotel. It is late and we need to sleep. Then tomorrow we can call Lydia and ask her advice, and I will go by the house and bring you some of your things.”
“All of my things.”
“Some. You will not be away long.”
Kerry shook her head yet again, then leaned into Rick. She pulled his head down until their lips met, kissing him deeply for a long time.
CHAPTER TEN
They chose a hotel in the Innsbrook office complex in the West End, and though it had limited choices on such short notice, it was miles from the Jefferson where Jason was staying. Rick didn’t quibble and took the available non-smoking room with the single double bed. Kerry felt sleep drag at her even as she trudged down the long hallway to the elevators, then again to their room. Rick slid the key card and opened the door. A whoosh of cold air met them, so Kerry immediately walked to the thermostat and lowered it, noting as she did that the room had a sitting area consisting of a small couch and two chairs. On the opposite wall were a straight-backed chair and a table with the hotel’s stationary on it. Through the flowered curtains, she saw the stream of brake lights and stoplights on Broad Street and the darkened sky above. When she turned back to the room, Rick sat on the end of the bed, shirt off, removing his shoes.
“Would you like to shower?” he asked.
“That sounds heavenly.” Kerry had a small bag with her containing her street clothes, which she’d planned to change into after her shift. She kicked off her shoes and moaned in relief.
“Would you like help with that shower?”
He looked so cute that Kerry sat down on his lap and put her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss. “Raincheck? I just need to chill on my own while I get the smell of grease and clam chowder off me.”
“No problem. And you smell just fine to me.”
Kerry sniffed her sleeve. “Uck. You need your nose checked, pal.” She took the bag and went into the bathroom. As she turned the knob to run the water, she heard Rick click on the television, its familiar drone bringing a sense of normalcy to their situation.
Once naked under the pummeling hot water, Kerry felt some of the tension ease out of her neck. Her feet continued to throb as she soaped and rinsed.
The water ran cold before she finally stepped out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror. There she saw a fairly cute woman with a fresh hairstyle and nice eyes. She combed her fingers through her hair, then patted her body with a towel and put on a T-shirt. Her underwear lay on the toilet lid. “Hmm, I think I’ll rinse you out for tomorrow.” Once finished she hung the clean undies on the towel rack and joined Rick in the bedroom.
“Non-stop nineties,” Rick said, referring to the seven-day forecast on the screen. He lounged shirtless against the stiff hotel pillows. “And sixty percent humidity.”
Kerry was glad she wasn’t on the street at the moment, but she wondered if she’d be there again soon.
“I called Lydia.”
“You did?” she asked shakily.
“Yes, and I arranged for us to meet her tomorrow at Starbucks.”
Kerry frowned, willing her heart to slow and her voice to steady. “I’m not sure this is the right move.”
Rick reached over and pulled her to him. They rolled back onto the flowered bed spread. He brushed a tendril of hair from her eyes. “I will protect you, even if things don’t go well.”
Kerry admired Rick’s Roman nose and his smooth lips and square jaw. “Protecting me is important to you, isn’t it? Why is that? I’m no one to you, not really. We just met after all.”
He didn’t look offended by her blunt comments. Maybe he was getting used to her. “Every person in our lives is meant to be there. Each enemy and each friend teaches us something about ourselves, if we open up to the message.” He stroked her nose. “So you are not ‘no one’ to me.”
Kerry ran her hand up his chest, playing with the sprinkling of hair there. “That sounds very general, like Jason is in my life to teach me a lesson.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t buy it. The only lesson I’m learning from all of this is distrust. And what lesson am I teaching you? Letting go perhaps?”
Rick took her hand. “No. I know a part of me wants to make amends for those in my past who I couldn’t protect, didn’t know enough to.”
“None of that was your fault.”
“Perhaps not, but failing you now would be.”
Kerry flopped onto her back. “But I’m not your obligation, never was.”
“Kiss me,” Rick said as he rolled on top of her.
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Yes.” His lips brushed hers. Then he pushed himself up and looked directly into Kerry’s eyes. “Do you trust me to protect you?”
Did she? That was the big question, wasn’t it? She couldn’t predict what Jason would do or whether the police could help her. She had to choose whether to rely solely on herself—in this she had a faulty track record—or to trust that Rick would protect her somehow. The easy answer was to trust Rick, but did she truly? After she’d seen her fiancé turn into a murderer before her eyes, she had serious doubts about her judgment.
Rick was waiting for her answer. “I think so,” she said.
“You think so?”
“It’s not that I doubt your capabilities, it’s that I doubt my own judgment because of Jason and because of my father.”
Rick pulled himself up to a sitting position and clicked off the TV with the remote. “I often feel that way as well. I think, how could I have been so wrong about my own mentor, the man who taught me everything I know about the path to enlightenment? I question whether to trust Evan and I’ve questioned whether to trust you.” He sighed. “I believe the l
esson may be that we can’t live life expecting the worst of people. We have no choice but to expect the best and enjoy it when we find it.”
Kerry laid her head on his warm thigh. “You are a philosopher.”
“Perhaps.”
“Hey, let me show you something about hotel TVs.” She played with the remote for a few moments until a movie appeared on the screen, something about twins, naked twins.
“Kerry, I thought this made you uncomfortable.”
“It did that first night, because I didn’t know what you were like.” She blushed, remembering that her mind had been more focused on food than on Rick at the time.
“And now you do?”
She nodded. “Now I know you wouldn’t hurt me, ever. I know you care, so I know that these sort of things…” she gestured to the screen where the twin brothers took turns fondling, licking, and sucking the twin sisters, “will enhance our pleasure, make it more erotic.”
“I thought you said we just met.”
“And you told me we are meant to be here. Yes, I have doubts about my judgment, but in this I know I’m right, knew it the first night.”
His hand combed through her still-damp hair, and drifted across her cheek and over her lips. Her exhaled breath was soft and warm against his fingers. He traced her neck and the collar of her shirt. They relaxed against the pillows and watched the movie. The women were beautiful, but in an artificial way. Rick had to admit that watching the actors fuck turned him on, but then just being with Kerry when she was naked and soft against him turned him on. His dick was rock hard and his balls were tight. He brushed his palm over the hills of her breasts. Her nipples hardened, visible through the white fabric. With incredible patience, his hand journeyed over her stomach to her pussy still veiled by the T-shirt. She gasped as he rubbed her mound. Then she reached up and gripped his biceps, which he flexed for her benefit. His fingers reached her thighs and dipped between her legs. He took hold of the hem of her shirt and slowly drew it up her body, inch by inch.
“You are so lovely,” Rick whispered. “Beautiful.”
Kerry closed her eyes and enjoyed each and every sensation. Cool air brushed her skin and Rick’s warm palm circled her breasts, her chest and her stomach, finally reaching between her legs. The actors on the screen screamed orgasmically, adding spice to the sensations in Kerry’s body. She spread her thighs to allow him more access and his finger stroked and dipped inside her quivering flesh. Never stopping, he stretched out next to her, warming her with his heat. He circled her nipples with his mouth, first one then the other. Each place his mouth left damp, the cool air caressed. Kerry loved just lying still and letting him explore. The tension in her drew tighter and tighter until finally her sheath convulsed with her climax. Still his fingers stroked her intimately. Before her spasms ceased, she felt his tongue replace his fingers. She opened her eyes and looked at Rick, his face among her curls, his tongue circling her clit. On the screen behind him, the two brothers pinned one of the sisters to the shower wall where they each sucked a huge breast. Their long cocks rubbed against her fur and against each other. Kerry’s mind broke from the antics on the screen and she refocused on what Rick was doing to her as his strong tongue stabbed particularly deep.
“Oh, Rick,” she moaned. He was so giving and so curious about her reactions. He would try something, then pause and see what she did, whether moan or squirm or clench. He didn’t stop until she came yet again, then he rolled onto his back with a smile on his face.
Kerry turned her face towards him. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Your turn.” She raised herself onto her knees and lifted her shirt over her head, then she went to work on Rick’s snap and zipper, kissing each new display as she went.
Now completely naked and stiff as a pike, Rick waited for Kerry to take control, which she did by squeezing and stroking him with her hands. Her mouth and tongue mimicked those actions until low moans emanated from his throat. Finally, she pulled her body over his and lowered herself down, sheathing his rod completely inside her slick sex. It was his turn to say her name.
Kerry rode him relentlessly, reaching her arm behind her and arching her back so that she could cup his balls and massage the base of his dick, which pressed against her G-spot. She leaned forward and licked his chest while lifting her pelvis until his shaft almost slipped free of her body. He gasped, and she contracted her muscles around the head of his penis and lowered herself back down. She held off her own satisfaction until she’d coaxed him to completely lose control. Could there be any better ecstasy than this, knowing he was putty in her hands? She grinned then, with a moan of sheer bliss, gave into her own shuddering climax.
Sometime later, Kerry managed to get under the blanket and sheet as Rick took his turn in the shower. She closed her eyes and listened to the rush of traffic and the whir of the air conditioner. Soothing, happy feelings for Rick stole over her as she replayed their lovemaking. Was it simply sexual satisfaction she felt? She recalled their conversation. Rick was an incredible man, honorable, thoughtful, gentle. She enjoyed talking to him and laughing with him. She even enjoyed the exotic food he cooked. No, she thought, this isn’t just sex. But could it be love?
* * * *
Jason reclined on the hotel bed with a cell phone pressed to his cheek. He listened with half an ear as his father discussed accounting figures and stock prices and an impending IRS investigation. The rest of his attention was on his two men as they donned leather shoulder holsters with semi-automatics, followed by black Armani jackets. They were well paid for the work they did, and if they succeeded with this particular mission, he’d probably include a cash bonus with their next paychecks.
“Just a moment, Father.” Jason pressed the mute button. “Gentlemen, I want you to monitor the house, front and back, and if either returns, follow them. I expect the man to return and Kerry to stay in hiding, so the man—Rick—is our best bet for locating her. Do not, on any account, fail me. It has taken far too long to locate Kerry. She must be dealt with immediately.” The men nodded as Jason’s phone beeped. He clicked the mute button off and said, “Sir, I have another call coming in. Can we continue this discussion at a later time?”
“Of course.”
Jason answered the new call. Kerry’s father. Just what he needed. He grimaced and waved the men out the door. “Mr. Reynolds, how good to hear from you.”
“Have you found her?”
“Soon. Our informer knows where she’s staying, but she hasn’t returned there, so I suspect she’s been forewarned.”
“Who would have done that? Is that informer double dealing us?”
“No, I think not, but it seems she has been staying with a man and I feel it most likely was he who mentioned our visit.” Jason swirled his glass of vodka and orange juice and sipped. “That man has also left the house and not returned. The question is, does he know Kerry’s whereabouts or has she simply taken off again? I think the former more likely.”
Mr. Reynolds voice cracked slightly. “Why?”
“The man protected her. He wouldn’t tell us where she’s working or when she would return, therefore I believe the relationship is closer than implied.”
Jason heard Mr. Reynolds’s grunt and wondered if he was taking his meaning, that his daughter had likely taken a lover other than her fiancé. Jason sipped his drink. He wanted to make her pay for that, some extra punishment besides death that would adequately express his displeasure, but he knew this desire to be selfish and unprofessional. He must simply find out, if possible, who she had told, then eliminate her.
“What are you going to do when you find her?”
Her annoying father was another problem.
“Why, bring her home, of course. We will marry as planned and you will convince her that implicating her husband in murder would be harmful to all concerned.” Jason knew that since Kerry had fled then hid so well that negotiating with her would be useless. She may fear him, now more than
ever, but he could never trust her to remain compliant. Once eliminated, her teeth would be removed and ground into powder, her body would be weighted and tossed into the river. He expected decomposition to be complete well before she was found and no teeth meant that she would not be identified through her dental records.
Mr. Reynolds said, “Keep me informed,” then clicked off the phone.
As Jason stepped into his polished shoes, he wondered if Kerry’s friend would need to be taken care of as well. More deaths were messier, but manageable and perhaps necessary. Jason would keep an open mind.
* * * *
“Rick called you?” Evan couldn’t believe his luck. He was sure to get the reward now. “And he wants you to meet with Kerry?”
Lydia’s voice zipped through the phone line to his ear. “Yes. Apparently her problem has legal implications and they want my advice.”
Evan stood with his foot on his truck’s bumper. A car with four slashed tires hung suspended from the winch. The owner of the car gazed unhappily at the tires then scowled at him, obviously displeased with Evan’s pause to answer his cell phone. “Where are you meeting them?”
“Starbucks.”
“Gee, that narrows it down. Which one and when?”
“Why are you so interested?”
“Rick’s my cousin. I want to know what’s going on and make sure he’s all right.”
Lydia sighed. He could imagine her with an elbow on her desk, one finger twirling her dark hair. “This sounds serious, Evan. You have to promise to keep this to yourself.”
“Of course. Who would I tell?”
“Well, I don’t know, but don’t tell anyone. I’m going to meet them at the Innsbrook Starbucks.”
“Near the bagel place?”
“Yes. At noon.”
“Great, I’ll try to stop by, just so I can make sure Rick is okay. I told him all along that Kerry’s bad news.”
“Maybe she is, but I don’t think it’s her fault.”
The car’s owner stepped in front of Evan. “Are you going to tow my car or do I call another company?”
“Talk to you later, Lyd.” Evan clicked off the phone and tucked it into the pocket of his overalls. “It’s my business, bud. I’ve got to answer my phone or I lose business.”
