by Linda Verji
"Hello." Abby's face creased in a shy smile as she nodded at Misha then Danny.
"This is Misha and Daniel," Judy introduced. "Eric's friends. They came to offer their condolences and find out how we're doing."
Abby sucked in a sharp breath, obviously startled by that information. "Oh… um… That's nice. Nice to meet you." Casting a nervous glance toward her mother, she stuttered. "I - I'm off to work now."
"My Abby here is a nurse at the local clinic," Judy explained proudly, as she gave her daughter an indulgent smile. "Don’t forget to come home early. Ruth and Tammy are coming for bible-study."
"Okay. Bye." By Abby's quick march towards the door, it was evident that she was eager to get away from them as quick as possible. And there could only be one reason for that - she knew something.
Misha must've figured that out too because as soon as Abby left, she leapt to her feet. "Look at that time. We should be leaving."
"So quick?" Judy asked with obvious disappointment as she carefully stood up. "Let me pack you some cookies to take with you."
The older lady wouldn't listen to their protests. A couple of minutes later she ushered Danny and Misha out of the house bearing a brown bag filled with sweet-smelling, oatmeal cookies.
"You saw it too didn't you?" Misha said, as they hurried down the stairs.
"Saw what?" Danny kept up with her easily. "The way Abby was nervous?"
"Yes, that, and the shoes."
"Shoes?"
"Manolos," Misha pointed out. "Abby was wearing Manolos."
She didn't need to explain further than that. Danny was no fashion savant, but even he knew when a pair of shoes was too damn expensive for a woman of Abby's means.
They were lucky that Abby was on foot and they were in a car. They caught up with her a block away.
"Abby," Misha called out through the open passenger window, as the car came to a crawl beside the slender brunette. Abby turned toward the car with a startled look, and Misha said, "Can we give you a ride."
"No, no-" The younger woman's hands fluttered nervously over her neck. "-It's not that far. I don't want to take you out of your way."
"We don't mind," Misha said just as Danny clicked a switch and Arty's back passenger door lifted up.
Abby started, " Really, I-"
"Please, get in," Misha insisted, determined to get the young woman into the car even if she had to drag her in herself.
With obvious reluctance, a pale-faced Abby entered the Lamborghini. A soundless whir later and the door closed behind her.
"Thank you," she said, settling in the back seat with her pale fingers clutching the straps of her black purse tightly.
"You're welcome." Misha offered the nervous lady a bright smile.
"Where to?" Danny asked.
Abby gave him the directions to the local hospital. Misha let silence rein in the car as they set off toward their destination. She was giving Abby time to relax, assume that all they wanted was to give her ride. When the lady's grip on her purse relaxed and the color returned to her face, Misha said, "I'm sorry about Eric."
At the mention of Eric, Abby started anxiously pulling at her earlobe. "Ah… um… thank you."
"Were the two of you close?" Misha asked, as she watched her in the rearview mirror.
"Um… no…but-" Then quite unexpectedly Abby's face crumpled and she burst into tears.
Danny gave Misha a desperate glance, and she quickly opened her purse. She fumbled around for tissues until she found an unopened packet. Handing the whole thing to Abby, she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's… it's okay," Abby stuttered pitifully, before blowing her nose vigorously. Tears still heavy in her voice as she dabbed at her eyes, she murmured, "Sorry. It's hard for me to talk about him. He was… he was good to me."
Misha watched the younger woman for a silent moment, then going on a sudden hunch asked softly, "You mean because of the money he gave you?"
Abby's face streaked with a red flush and she paused in wiping away her tears. "How did you know about that?" Then answered her own question with a fearful, "You're undercover cops aren't you? I knew it as soon as I saw you because Eric didn't have any friends." She whimpered, "I told him we were being watched. I told him. Please don't arrest me."
Misha didn't correct the lady's assumptions and instead asked, "Why didn't you tell the police about the money, Abby?"
"I knew he was stealing it from them, but I… I just…" She burst into a fresh bout of tears.
In what she hoped was her most patient of tones, Misha said, "It's okay, Abby. Who was he stealing it from?"
"I don't know." Abby waved her hand nervously. "The first time it was a blonde, older lady in tight clothes…"
Katherine?
Abby continued, "And the next time it was a younger man." She gestured towards them. "Kind of your age."
Bradley? Bradley was also involved in this?
"Then the next time it was an older man. Eric said his name was Richard," Abby explained tearfully. "I should've stopped him, but I didn't want to get him in trouble, and I… I needed the money. Mommy doesn't have a job, but she's got lung problems from working for so many years at the factory. I'm just an intern. I can't afford her medicine, rent, and food on my salary. But she thinks that they pay me a lot at the clinic. If I tell her the truth she'll go back to work at the factory, get sick again, and die," she mumbled out her almost-incoherent story.
"So when Eric gave you the money you couldn't refuse?" Misha filled in for her.
Abby nodded, her curly hair bouncing vigorously, as she started picking at her fingernails. "Please don't lock me up. I'll give you everything that's left."
"How much did he give you?" Misha asked.
"Just ten percent of what we got," Abby clarified. "Five thousand dollars. Only he was supposed to give me seven thousand, five hundred dollars, but… but Richard's money got lost."
Misha did a quick mental calculation and realized that Eric had indeed tried to get seventy-five thousand dollars from the Wildes. So who had taken the other twenty-five grand? She turned her attention back to Abby, "What did you have to do to get this money?"
Abby stiffened. "I didn't do anything illegal, honest. All I did was pick up the money from the on-call room where they dropped it… then… then I kept it for him."
Misha blinked in surprise. "You kept it for him?"
Apparently, Eric would direct his victims to the doctor's on-call room at Abby's hospital ordering them to leave the money under one of the beds. Abby would watch from her position at the reception and when she was sure they were gone and the on-call room was empty, she'd pick it up.
He'd recruited Abby to store the money because he couldn't open a bank account unless he wanted to trigger an investigation. He also couldn't keep the money in his room at the Wildes’ home in case one of them found it. His plan was to quit his job as soon as he was done blackmailing them then get out of the city. Richard's money was supposed to be their last job.
The afternoon of the Wilde party, Eric had sent Abby to collect Richard's deposit. Richard had brought the money but when Abby went to collect it, it wasn't in the usual spot. They would've chalked the theft to a stranger if it wasn't that Abby had seen Katherine following Richard from a distance as he brought in his deposit. When she'd told Eric about seeing Katherine at the hospital before the money had disappeared, he'd sworn to get it back.
So that's what Eric had been rattling about in the bedroom? Katherine taking Richard's deposit? Misha's mind was reeling with the quantity of information that Abby had shared. She asked, "Do you still have the money?"
"Yes. Yes. It's in the house. In my closet." Abby nodded vigorously. "I kept all of his. I only used part of my share. I'll give it all back, I swear. You can take it all, just don't arrest me."
"We won't arrest you, Abby." Misha finally confessed, "We're not cops."
Abby's mouth dropped open in obvious shock.
CHAPTER 2
0
The real cop a.k.a. Tony arrived about thirty minutes after Misha called him. He stared goggle-eyed at the cache of forty seven thousand, five hundred dollars that she and Danny had found for him. When they revealed that Abby knew all the details of Eric's scam and could identify, Katherine, Richard and Bradley as his blackmailees, Tony was grateful enough that he actually thanked Danny - even if it was just a muttered thanks. All in all, it was good day's work.
With so much evidence, not even the Police Commissioner could ice the case now or keep Tony from interviewing all the members of that reprehensible family. But just in case Misha had called her boss at the network to give them the story. NTN, like other news networks, had been cautioned not to run the Wildes’ story. But ignoring this new development would be akin to letting another media house scoop them on the story of the year. No doubt, the Wildes’ would headline this evening's news
It took a while to sort through the mess that was Abby Quinn, and even more time for Danny to convince Misha that it was time to go home. By the time they got home she was wiped out. Too wiped out to do anything other than munch on a half a sandwich before heading off to the shower. Too wiped out to feel any anxiety as she climbed into Danny's bed, set her head on his shoulder and let sleep take her.
That was a mistake.
She should've been nervous. Very nervous.
As usual her dreams were a jumbled mess filled with Eric's blank eyes, invisible hands, her parents, her brother, Danny…
She woke up, minutes, maybe hours, later to complete darkness - and Danny. It seemed that their positions had changed in the middle of the night. Instead of her being draped over him, he now surrounded her. His breath brushed her hair, his chest pressed to her back and his arm over her waist - and his hard cock digging into her ass.
Her drowsiness faded, her body stilled and her awareness of him heightened at the evidence of his arousal. The even breaths stirring the hairs on the nape of her neck told her that he was deep asleep, but the rock hard rod lodged against her said the rest of him was unmistakably awake. His reaction was probably instinct - an automatic response to having a woman in his arms.
That however did not lessen her responsiveness to him.
If anything, his arousal was like a brand, searing into her body and arousing her. It burned into her, stirred her blood, made it race until she felt a little light-headed. That should've been her cue to exit the bed. Instead she sucked in a huge gulp of air, then ran her fingers across the arm he had around her. She loved how the light hairs on his skin bristled under the stroke of her fingers, longed to push his hand downwards to that place that was already beginning to ache with need for him.
Just one touch would be enough… okay, one wouldn't be enough. The thought of having his hand between her thighs was enough to make her breasts swell and her pussy tear up a little. As if he'd heard her thoughts, Danny shifted closer to her.
Misha's response was as instinctive as it was unplanned. She lifted her leg slightly. It was all he needed to tuck his long shaft deep between her thighs. Misha stilled, both shocked and immeasurably aroused. Having him against her ass was one thing, but having him there - right against her core. It was her undoing.
It was just one move. One grind of her pussy along his clothed length. But the electric current was as immediate as it was intense. Sparks soared from her lower body speeding to the rest of her body and urging her to do it again. She couldn't stop herself from doing it again any more than she could slow her rushed breaths or stop her heart from drumming harder. Stifling a moan, Misha dragged her core over his clothed length again.
Oh, Oh, Oh. A sharp prick of pleasurable pain speared straight from her lower body and into her whole being, sending her senses spinning. Part of her knew it was wrong to take advantage of him while he was asleep. But he felt so good as did the amazing sensations flirting between her legs. He was asleep anyway; he'd never know. And if he didn't know then they could keep being just friends.
Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she palmed her already swollen breast and ground against his dick again. He jumped against her, grew in size, jutted out like a monster recognizing its prey. His unfettered reaction incited her own, drove her steadily into enthralling desire. So she rocked on him again.
He lengthened and thickened with each sensual rock, hardened when she tightened her inner thighs around him to increase the delightful friction. Front, back, forward, backward, she teased both of them. She released a frustrated whimper as she grounded harder against him, wishing there were less clothes between them. Even with her wearing no panties, her shorts and his sweatpants were too much fabric.
Misha moved away from him briefly to lower her shorts below her ass then reached behind her to tug the waist band of his sweat pants down. He popped right out and slapped against her ass. Moaning, she resumed their previous position - him between her thighs. When it wasn't enough, she curved her back a bit and tilted her lower body at an angle that allowed that tip of him to fit between her lips. The first bump of him against her clit almost sent her spiraling into Neverland. Pleasure so painful stung into her, pushed her to try for the same sensation again.
Front. Back. She coated him with her wetness. Forward. Backward.
It was delicious. It was torture.
Ah, yes! It felt so good that she didn't notice the hitching of Danny's breath nor the tightening of his arm around her waist. She wasn't even aware the slow crawl of that arm up higher up her body. But she definitely noticed when he cupped her breast.
Oh. Shit. Misha stopped moving abruptly.
"Misha?" His breath rasped against her neck as his hold on her breast tightened.
She closed her eyes, held her breath and prayed for him to think that this was all a dream and that she was asleep.
"I know you're awake, sweetheart," he whispered, as his warm palm measured and weighed the fullness of her breast.
Despite the need that immediately threaded through her at his touch, Misha stayed still and silent. Waiting to see what he'd do next. Afraid of what he'd do next.
"I know what you were doing," Danny continued undeterred. He drew his thumb in a slow circle over the tip of her clothed breast, again and again drawing the inevitable response from her nipple. When that tip was well and truly awakened, he caught it between his thumb and forefinger and pinched. Despite her best efforts Misha couldn't control the change in her breathing from even to shallow and rapid.
"Is this what you wanted?" His hot breath washed over her neck as he teased her nipple. When she gave no response, he slowly withdrew his dick from between her legs. Disappointment curled in the pit of her belly and her pussy contracted in protest at his retreat, but she stayed still. However, her disappointment was not meant to last. It was replaced by shock when he pushed back in, hitting her spot just right.
"Aaah." Misha couldn't hide her gasp.
"You like that, huh?" He did it again; withdrew his dick then pushed it right against her inflamed pussy again.
She bit her lip to quell the sounds, but it wasn't enough to prevent her whimper. "Mm mm."
"Misha, Misha, Misha." His dark whispers of her name and continued thrusts between her thighs were like the sweetest of aphrodisiacs, twisting and molding her into a tangled ball of need that only he could unravel. She clasped her fingers over his wrist when he moved his hands downwards. But her hold was too loose to keep him from splaying his fingers over her softly rounded abdomen then lower, lower… he cupped her.
"Danny." His touch tore his name from her lips.
"Misha," he returned, filling his palm with her feminine mound, rubbing his fingers there.
"Aaah." She released a sharp breath as moisture flooded her pussy. "Please."
"Please what?" He set an open mouthed kiss to the side of her throat as he fit his fingers between her lips. "This?"
"Sss," she hissed at the first touch of his fingers against her clit. And when he flicked, she couldn't help her cry. "Daaanny."
"Alr
eady so wet." He scooped some of her moisture, spread it over her slit then flicked her clit again. "How long have you been waiting for me to wake up, Michelle?"
Lord, this man was torturing her, killing her. Breathing jerkily, Misha dug her fingers into his arm. That didn't stop him from tormenting her nub; rubbing, flicking, teasing. She got lost in his sensual touch, each flick and stroke heightening her lust into incoherent moans. "Ah, ah, ah."
Apparently that wasn't enough for him because in the flip of a second, the covers were gone, she was on her back and he was hovering over her.
"Dann-" He sealed his mouth over hers.
The kiss started off slow, a soft intimate dance of lips and tongues. But as soon as she looped her arms over his neck, it was a wrap. Slow turned into fast flicks of their tongues. Soft turned into lips crashing against each other with demanding. Intimate turned into intense like a wildfire scorching her logic and replacing it with primal hunger. His kiss was punishing yet sweet, inviting yet demanding. She responded eagerly, her tongue engaging his in battle, stoking the fire roaring between them.
The lack of light and being unable to see his face made it so much easier to pretend that this was a dream. That she was not actually kissing Danny. Her inhibitions and fear lowered, letting her desire for him take control. Warm need for more contact between their bodies clawed at her. She lowered her hands to his back, urging him to lower his body to hers. But Danny kept his body above hers, supported on his elbows and knees.
"Too heavy for you… doctor," he mumbled against her lips before dipping in for another kiss.
Doctor? Who? What? Misha didn't care. She wanted him - on her. She grabbed at his t-shirt and locked her legs around his thighs, trying to pull him down.
"Uh uh," Danny refused on an open mouthed kiss, forcibly unclasping her grip from his t-shirt and pushing her hands above her head. Her frustrated whimpers and struggling in his hold only drew a chuckle from him before he pushed his tongue back into her mouth.
