Saving Cassie (Fairfield Corners)

by Remenicky, L. A.

  “Let me start at the beginning,” I say, “back about 27 years ago…”

  “Wait a minute, I thought you looked familiar! You look just like your Mom. You’re Carly and Brad’s daughter. You were just a baby when they left the cult.”

  I go over to my purse and pull out my Gram’s journal. “I didn’t know anything about them being in a cult until I found this journal last week. There have been some strange things happening here that we believe may be related to Reverend Jake.”

  “How can that be? Didn’t he die in prison?”

  “Yes, he did. I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud; we think he is haunting me and wants to kill me.”

  Chapter 37

  Later that night we are discussing the information that Janet gave us on Reverend Jake. According to her, Reverend Jake’s “cult” was pretty tame for years. He started a village in the mountains of Tennessee based on the communes of the sixties. Everyone worked together and shared the fruits of their labors. They grew vegetables and grains, raised sheep, and hunted for meat. They traded for anything they could not provide for themselves, using homespun yarn and handcrafted items as currency. They went along like this for at least ten years before things went awry. About two months after my parents joined this community, Reverend Jake became obsessed with the occult, trying to contact the dead through séances and using a Ouija board. My parents did not agree with this and did not participate in the séances. At that time, Janet still believed in Reverend Jake and helped him with the séances and Ouija board. She remembers one particular séance vividly, the other séances had not produced any contact with the dead. This time was different; the Ouija board started spelling out a message that Reverend Jake said was a premonition. Basically, the message was that a baby girl conceived within the last month needed to die before Halloween in her 27th year or else the world would end. He became obsessed with finding this baby and killing her. I was about eight months old when my parents decided it was time to leave. They were worried about what Reverend Jake would do. After they left, Reverend Jake continued his séances, becoming more and more obsessed with finding this baby girl. About two months after my parents left, the Ouija board told him that it was my parents who were the parents of this baby that would end the world. Reverend Jake stepped up his séances, calling on demons to help him find my parents. One of the demons came through and would not leave, possessing Reverend Jake. Reverend Jake’s eyes would glow when the demon was in control. Janet left not too long after that, finally realizing this village was not a healthy community any longer. There wasn’t much else that Janet could tell us, other than Reverend Jake wasn’t a real reverend, he dropped out of seminary and started his cult. The only other piece of information she provided was that Reverend Jake had a son, Luke, who was about two years old when all this happened.

  I just sat there in shock. This explained why he was obsessed with killing me. But why did the demon latch on to him? I will have to look into the reverend’s past before he started the cult, maybe something there could give us a clue.

  We thanked Janet for taking time out of her trip to talk to us. I paid for her to stay at the bed and breakfast in town to thank her. If she thinks of anything else that might help, she will let us know.

  How are we supposed to fight a demon? The demon must be the reason that the reverend was able to come back after death to find me.

  We get back to the house, now I’m afraid to be there which really pisses me off. This house has always been my sanctuary, where I go when life gets too real. How can I ever feel safe here again? Logan fills the teakettle and puts it on the stove. How does he always know what I want before I do?

  He looks at me with concern. “You OK, Darlin’?”

  “No, I’m not OK. I don’t know if I ever will be again. I have a demon trying to kill me.”

  “James and I will do whatever it takes to protect you. I’ve been searching for you for years, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He walks over and wraps his arms around me, enveloping me in warmth, making me feel like maybe things will work out and that maybe we can actually get rid of this demon.

  I feel a gentle kiss on my cheek, just like when I was a child. I think Gram is trying to let me know that things will be OK.

  How can anything be OK? There are no training manuals on fighting demons, how do we kill a demon?

  Chapter 38

  “You must get closer to Cassie; get her alone so I can kill her.” Dan hears in his dreams, his head starting to pound again. “Killing her is our only task, nothing else matters.”

  This man is fighting me, I am spending too much energy keeping him under my control. I must find a way to get closer to Cassie. I must get closer to kill her before she kills me. I must kill Cassie, I must kill Cassie, I must kill Cassie…

  Chapter 39

  It’s Saturday afternoon, almost time to get ready for our date. I can’t believe I’m dating a deputy, much less one who is living in my house trying to protect me from a demon and a psychotic ex. How did my life spiral so far out of control in such a short time?

  It’s been a slow Saturday at the bookstore. The cooler weather seems to have driven away our customers today. “Hey Mel, let’s go ahead and close early today. I don’t think anyone will even notice. We’ve only had four customers all day.”

  “Sure thing. Why don’t you go ahead and get going. I know you must want to take some time to get ready for your date. Logan sure is a big hunk of country boy. That southern accent just makes me melt, especially when he calls you Darlin’.”

  “Gotta admit you’re right on that one. Thanks Mel.”

  “I’ve got one condition, you have to tell me everything on Monday. Dan is not a romantic guy, I count myself lucky when he remembers to open the door for me.”

  “You know I don’t kiss and tell! I’ll tell you what I can.”

  I gather up my computer and my phone and walk towards the door.

  “Have fun, Cassie!”

  I head down the street towards home, wondering if I will find more messages from the demon. It’s been quiet the last couple of days and I’m hoping he has given up but I’m not counting on it. I open the front door, peeking around it. Whew, everything looks just the way I left it.

  I head upstairs and get ready for a shower. Tonight’s my turn to drive the deputy crazy, he does it to me just by wearing his uniform. Just wait until he sees me tonight! I smell roses, and I smile. Gram is here, she must approve of Logan. I hope she does, I have fallen in love with him, so fast it’s making my head spin.

  Two hours later, I am ready. My hair is perfect, my makeup is perfect, and I am as nervous as I was for my first date when I was 16.

  Logan’s Jeep pulls up, sending Princess into delightful circles. She is so happy to see him when he gets home at night she just wriggles.

  He comes up to the porch and knocks on the door. Knocks on the door? He’s been living here for weeks and he’s knocking on the door?

  I walk over and open the door, getting ready to ask him why. Wow, he sure cleans up nice. I’ve gotten so used to the uniform, it’s nice to see him in jeans. The shirt brings out the blue of his eyes, showing off the gold flecks.

  He looks me up and down, giving me a wolf whistle. “Wow, Darlin’. Who knew jeans could look so good?” He swoops in and gives me the sweetest kiss, hesitant like it’s the first time. “If I do anything more than that, those jeans are coming off and we’ll miss your precious hockey game.”

  I laugh, glad all my preparations had the desired effect. Logan finally pays attention to Princess, sending her into ecstasy with his scratches, being careful to not let her shed all over him.

  We head out to the Jeep where he opens the door for me, always the gentleman. He gets in and pulls out of the driveway, heading for the highway. “So, where are we eating dinner tonight?”

  “I know this great Italian place near the arena, they have the best pizza in town.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He
grins, making my heart melt just a little bit more. “So, how was your day? Any demon sightings I should know about?”

  “Let’s try to forget about that for tonight. If I keep thinking about it, I’ll go crazy. Let’s just pretend we are a normal couple, any couple who is not trying to fight a demon. Tomorrow is soon enough to worry about that.”

  “It’s a deal. So, how was business at the store today? Did you have many customers?”

  “No, the cooler weather seemed to keep everyone home. I left at about three and told Mel to close early and head home.”

  “The weather is supposed to turn even colder next week. I’m sure you’ll get more customers then.”

  “I’m not worried about it. The bookstore has a very loyal clientele.”

  “So, where is this restaurant?”

  “It’s on Coliseum Boulevard, just past the arena. You should see it any minute now.”

  We enter the restaurant and grab a table. It’s busy, with waiters and waitresses bustling about, delivering food and drinks. The smell of tomato sauce and garlic wafts from the kitchen, making my mouth water.

  “Wow, it always smells so good in here. I hope you like your pizza loaded, I have been thinking about it since we made this date. If you are one of those people who only likes pepperoni, the date is off!”

  “You don’t need to worry, I like my pizza with everything on it.”

  We discuss our childhoods, how we handled high school, and just life in general. We avoid the topic of the demon or anything that has been happening. I finally admit to him why I flirt – I was so painfully shy when I first moved in with my Gram that Gram had me see a therapist. The therapist suggested I pretend I’m someone else so I wouldn’t feel so self-conscious. I decided I wanted to be the life of the party so I started to flirt. It eventually became second nature, I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to it’s so much a part of who I am now. I glance at the time on my phone, it’s getting closer to game time. “We should be heading over to the arena. The game starts in about 45 minutes.”

  He pays the bill, and we head toward the door. I step to the left as the door opens, and in walks Mel and Dan. “Hi Mel, Dan. Date night?”

  “Yep.” Dan says, looking at me, his eyes glowing slightly but no one notices. “Where are you two headed?”

  “I’m going to introduce Logan to Komet hockey. Hope they win!”

  “Enjoy the game,” Mel says, “but not too much!”

  We head out the door and go to the arena. It’s about half an hour before the puck drops, so the parking lot is bustling with people walking towards the entrance.

  Logan frowns. “I hope nothing happens tonight, too many chances for someone else to get hurt.”

  I grab his hand and lace my fingers in with his, “It will be fine, there hasn’t been an incident in a couple of days. Maybe he gave up.”

  “Let’s hope so. Enough about that, our deal was we wouldn’t talk about it tonight.”

  On that note we head into the arena. I got really good seats, up in the second tier on the corner. We get the home team on this end twice, but it doesn’t really matter as we have a good view of the entire arena. We settle into our seats, people watching. Logan has my hand in his, rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand sending little tingles up through my arm. I can’t believe his touch can affect me this way. I watch him scanning the crowd, ever watchful.

  “Hey, you can relax. I’m sure he won’t try anything with so many witnesses.”

  “You’re probably right, I just can’t help it. One of the hazards of being in law enforcement.”

  The game begins, I explain the rules and watch as Logan becomes entranced with the game. Soon, he is yelling at the ref like everyone else. The Komets score the first goal, Logan laughs after everyone yells, “He shoots, he scores!”

  I love to see him laugh with complete delight in the game in front of us. No worry in his eyes, just enjoyment of the moment. I reach up and pull his mouth down to mine and give him a kiss, a promise of things to come. The love in his eyes makes my knees want to buckle.

  We sit and enjoy the game. We get tagged by the “kiss cam,” and Logan deepens the kiss to the delight of the crowd. I turn bright red and he just laughs, thoroughly enjoying himself. During the third period a stray puck heads right for us, Logan covers me and I hear him grunt when the puck hits him in the back. “Oh my God, Logan, are you OK?”

  He hands me the puck. “Sure Darlin’, didn’t even dent my armor. It wasn’t moving as fast as it looked.”

  “Are you sure? I think you should go to the first-aid station.”

  “Nope, didn’t even hurt. Don’t worry about it.”

  I watch the rest of the game, worry about the puck hitting him in the back of my mind. The Komets win, with a score of three to two. A great start to the season! Hopefully, we’ll be able to come to some more games.

  We head to the Jeep, dodging excited Komet fans. When we get to the Jeep, Logan turns and looks me in the eye, “Thanks Darlin’, I hope you had as much fun as I did.” He moves to kiss me, dipping me when he hears the whistles and the shouts, “Way to go bro!”

  We both laugh, I am trying not to show my embarrassment at being so public with my affection. Logan bows to the applause. “Come on Romeo, let’s go home. Did I tell you I have something on under my clothes that I bought just for you?”

  He grins, “Just for me? Let’s go!”

  I think we made it back to Fairfield Corners in about 10 minutes, Logan must have broken every speed limit on the way. We finally pull into the driveway and Logan throws it in park, barely taking time to pull out the keys. He comes around the Jeep, opening my door and pulling me out gently. He sets me on my feet, turning me towards him and he kisses me, deepening the kiss until I forget that we are in the middle of the driveway with the Jeep door hanging open. My knees buckle and Logan picks me up and closes the door before he carries me to the porch. He puts me down only long enough to unlock the door. He picks me back up, and rushes into the house, closing the door with his foot. He puts me down just inside the door and starts undressing me. “No way Logan, we are making it to the bed this time! I turn and run up the stairs, unbuttoning my shirt as I run, pulling it out of my jeans. I get to the top of the stairs, turning as I pull off my shirt, showing Logan half of the gift I bought just for him. All frothy and lacey, it shows off my curves and Logan’s eyes go dark, the gold flecks glinting in the moonlight. I shimmy out of my jeans and hear Logan groan, “You’re killing me, Darlin’,” when he sees the bikini underwear that matches my bra, pulling me to him. I can feel how aroused he is. I relish the thought that I can do this to him, without even trying. My own arousal is heightened when I feel his hardness through his jeans. I reach down to stroke him, loving the groan that escapes, telling me how much I affect him. I start to unbutton his jeans but he steps back, pulling out his shirt and pulling it off, sending buttons flying. His hands shake as he tries to unbutton his jeans.

  “Let me,” I moan, “you’re taking too long!” I get his jeans undone and he pulls them down along with his underwear, freeing himself and throwing his jeans somewhere. I don’t even care where they landed, just that they are out of the way. His eyes take in my body, clothed only in scraps of lace. His eyes grow darker with desire, and he just stands there and drinks in the sight of me. He picks me up and takes me over to the bed, kissing me the whole way, putting me down on the bed without breaking the kiss, deepening it as he straddles me, fitting himself into the junction of my legs. I bend my legs, opening myself for him, my hips moving involuntarily with my need for him. Suddenly, my underwear is gone and he is inside me, moving to an age-old rhythm, bringing me to the peak and over the other side. But he isn’t done, he cups my breasts, still in my bra, bringing his mouth down and sucking on the nipples through the fabric, making them even harder, circling one and then the other with his tongue. I begin to moan, so lost in the sensations, lost in the desire, the desire he has awakened in me, the desire I thought I
would never feel again. He is still within me, moving against me, bringing me to the peak again, slowly this time. I start moving and rubbing myself against him, loving the groan this pulls out of him. I suck on his nipples making him gasp and pump harder, as if he is trying to make us one organism, joined together as only a man and a woman can be.

  My heart is pounding and my breathing is ragged, but I cannot get enough. I am moving without thought, moving to try to ease this ache of wanting, of needing. His hands are magic, running over my body, finally tangling in my hair, holding my head as he pumps his hips, satisfying that ache and building it at the same time until we finally both climax, pumping away, two sexual creatures with no other worries.

  The next morning I wake up with Logan’s arm and leg draped over me, I watch him as he sleeps. No worry lines and a slight smile on his face. I bring my hand up and touch his face, this face that has become so important to me in such a short time. I snuggle in closer and his arm pulls me even closer. “Morning, Darlin’,” he says with a grin, “At least we made it to the bed this time.”

  I turn my head and see his grin, looking like the cat that ate the canary, very satisfied with himself. “You’re looking very satisfied this morning, Dudley, want to go for round two?”

  “Round two? I thought we had round two, three, and four last night. Woman, you are insatiable!” he says with a laugh, moving to pin me under him. I see him wince as he moves, he tries to hide it but I can see it.

  “Logan, what is it? Oh my God, it’s from that puck hitting you last night! Let me see your back!”

  “It’s nothing, it just got stiff while I slept is all. Nothing to worry about, Darlin’.” He starts to kiss me, trying to distract me from the fact that he is hurt, injured protecting me from a stray puck at a hockey game.

  “You’re not getting away that easy, Mr. Deputy, let me see your back. Now!”