"Let's just say I'm in the process of cleaning up the neighborhood and leave it at that."
He started to shake but Gail's kisses, embrace, warm body and the wine helped them pass quickly. When they had finished the wine, they retired to the bath to take a shower together. He lovingly scrubbed her body, removing the ritual paint and she scrubbed him in return. After they toweled dried, they crawled into bed. The eventful night, the wine and the soothing shower precluded any amorous activities. He nestled his head in his favorite place, she began to brush her hand through his hair and they both drifted to sleep.
****
Jeff woke Gail with soft kisses on her face, neck and lips. Looking at his watch, he saw it was mid-morning. When her eyes opened, he rolled to his back and pulled her on top of him. He gazed up and fixed his eyes on those fantastic green ones of hers. When he first woke her they had been sleepy, dream filled. Not anymore. To be sure, they were still dreamy looking but a whole different kind of dreamy. The depths and desire glowing in them were part of what made her irresistible. If I'm a cat, she's catnip. I'm addicted to her so bad it hurts. He smiled.
God, she is beautiful and so completely fantastic in every way. An angel. God help, I've fallen completely and hopelessly in love with this little witch.
Her words conveyed she had noticed his introspection. "Penny for your thoughts," she said in a low, sexy voice.
He jerked into the present. "Oh, they're worth far more than a penny and you're the main subject."
"Okay, Mister, since you woke me maybe you should give this little witch a dose of wonderful morning sex."
Little witch. She used little witch to describe herself. God, she can't read my mind, can she? Now that is a very scary thought. "Maybe I should and will."
She leaned down, locking her lips to his. Morning breath? No way. She tasted sweet and marvelous any and every time to him.
The lovemaking that followed the initial kiss was exquisite as always. Although they had known each other for a short time, it was as if they knew every inch of each other's bodies. Just where to touch and stroke, what to do to drive the other mad with desire.
Sunlight filtered through the space between the curtains, illuminating the room in subdued light. Gail looked into his eyes and said, "I guess this little witch better get up and fix her handsome white knight something to eat and drink. Got to build up your strength so we can have a repeat of what we just did this morning." she giggled. With a sigh, Gail slid from the bed.
"Damn, you're an insatiable nymph, Gail. Not that I am complaining, just stating a fact."
She grinned. "All the more reason for me to feed you. So you can take care of the needs of this nymph."
He watched her backside as she padded out of the room, skyclad as usual. Her flaming, red hair hung softly on her shoulders. Her muscular back and legs rippled with each stride. The two tight but soft and wonderfully curvy globes of her ass moved gracefully with each step. They were both heavenly to look at and delightful to touch. "You're beautiful, witchy," he called out.
She stopped at the bedroom door as if frozen there. Over her shoulder she said, "So you've said before. I doubt that it's true but I never tire of hearing you say it, so keep it up, please. It does wonderful things to me."
****
She knew she had fallen for this sexy hunk of a man. She stubbornly refused to admit it even to herself because there had been so much heartache and hurt in her life, but nonetheless, it was there. Even though she had not said the words to him, she loved this man completely and utterly. His flattery, his deep concern for her safety, the way he was always so nice to her, his take-charge attitude, his acceptance of her beliefs and then of course, his fantastic looks.
She made her hips sway seductively and stepped from the door toward the kitchen. Eat and drink well, my love, because I have big plans for you later. A laugh filled with wickedness and lust rolled from her lips when she was safely in the kitchen out of earshot.
The two days passed far too quickly. They exercised on her fitness equipment, listened to music, ate and had passionate sex in every room of her house. One evening they went out in Gail's back yard and pleasured each other in the moonlight under the glittering stars. They slept peacefully in each other's arms. On the morning of the third day, Jeff reluctantly announced he had to go.
"I'd like to remain here forever in your arms, Gail, but unfortunately, I have unfinished business to take care of." He added with a smile, "Besides, I need to leave while I can still walk, you nymph."
"I haven't heard any refusals or complaints from you, Jeffery," she said with a burst of laughter.
He shook his finger at her and reminded, "What did I tell you about the Jeffery shit?"
"I'm not your mom, but you are in trouble. I've got my claws into you and I don't intend to let go."
"I called Greta. She'll be here soon. I haven't told her about your deception the other night."
"Please don't. She'll be very mad at me if you do. Probably hurt, too."
"If you promise me you won't do it again, we can keep it between us."
"I promise."
Greta drove up shortly thereafter. They both greeted her.
"Go ahead and have a seat in the kitchen. I'll be out there soon. I just need to finish saying goodbye to Jeff," Gail told her.
He kissed her briefly but evaded her reaching arms, afraid if they embraced, his departure would be delayed further.
"I'll be back as soon as possible," he promised as he made his way to his car.
"I'll hold you to that promise, Jeff. Be careful and come back to me safely." Tears started to form in her eyes. As she watched his car recede down the street, she whispered into the air. "Blessed Be, Jeff. Goddess, watch over him, please."
****
Jeff returned to his apartment and began preparing to put his plan in motion. Looking at his watch, he flipped on the television just in time to catch Fred's sermon. His eyes narrowed as he watched the man pound on the pulpit. He turned down the television's volume slightly as the preacher's words of hell and damnation blared out at him. "What a fucked up piece of work and he doesn't even believe his own words. It's all for show to make him richer," he snarled into the air.
His research had revealed many things about Fredrick Collins that were not public knowledge. Fred had a wife and son who were currently in Europe. From what he had been able to piece together, there was no love lost between them. Mrs. Collins, in fact, would more than likely be happier to get the inheritance than to get Fred. He had also learned Fred had several girlfriends who kept him entertained with sordid sex.
Try as he might though, he could not discover a reason for Fred to be interested in Gail and her coven. Everything concerning Gail had become vastly important to him. He realized that. He wondered why a small coven of witches many miles away was significant to Fred. They had to be minute and irrelevant in the scheme of things from Fred's standpoint. There were much larger and more publicly known covens close to him. "Why, why, why?" he asked himself repeatedly.
Opening a disposable cell, he made a call.
"Hello," a man answered.
"Hello, H., it's me J.," Jeff told him.
"Hello, J. I trust since you called me on this phone, you don't want a record of this conversation?"
"You got it," Jeff chuckled.
"You know, a lot of us at the company miss you."
"Yeah, I miss a lot of them too. Not the company, but…"
"Yeah, I know. So what can I do for you?"
"I need to borrow your boat. Gotta haul some garbage out to sea."
"You got it, buddy. Do you need some help?"
"No, not this time, friend, but I would appreciate a lift when I get back if that's possible," Jeff said to the man on the other end of the line.
"Not a problem. Just be sure to leave it clean."
"It will be spotless. Gotta go, H. I'll talk to you again soon."
"See you soon."
He went on foot t
o a local car rental agency and signed out a car using a fake identification and credit card. He returned to his apartment, loaded his satchel and made his way to the interstate. He drove the remainder of the day and most of the night. Finally, he reached the outskirts of Seattle. He pulled to the curb and got out of his rental car.
Jeff walked several blocks and entered the lot of a notoriously less-than-scrupulous used car dealer. He strolled around, looking at the various models, and when a salesman approached, began haggling price. With the price settled, he peeled bills out of his wallet and drove off. The legal paper work had not been filed and the salesman did not even know his real name. Everything had been cash.
He checked into a seedy motel and when safe in his room, pulled out a photo. His transformation began. The man who left looked nothing like Jeff. He drove to his next destination and put his disguise to the test as he left the parking structure and entered the apartment complex.
"Good morning, Charlie," the doorman said.
"Good morning," Jeff mumbled and coughed, pretending to have a cold.
Jeff took the elevator up and exited. Down the hallway, he stepped in front of an apartment door. Jeff drew on a pair of Latex gloves then pulling a baseball cap from his pocket, placed it on his head. He slipped the small gun he carried from his boot and placed it in the back of his waistband. Tilting his head down so he could not be identified when the occupant looked through the peephole, he knocked.
"Who's there?" a voice asked on the other side of the door.
"I'm looking for Mr. Sparks."
The door swung open and a man inside spoke, "That's me, now what do you..."
He instantly fell silent as a gun was pressed under his throat. "Step back and if you want to live, be quiet," Jeff ordered.
The man did as directed and Jeff closed the door. The man's eyes grew wide as he looked into his own face under the baseball cap. Jeff motioned him to the floor and onto his stomach. Placing his knee between the man's shoulder blades, he bound the man securely. He placed a piece of tape over his mouth and went to the man's closet.
There, he selected a chauffeur's uniform and changed clothes, wrapping his own discarded clothing in a bundle. He put his clothing and the ball cap inside a paper bag he had carried in his pocket.
"Be very quiet and you will survive this," Jeff cautioned. "I'll make sure someone finds you later." He removed the tape and stuck a pill in the man's mouth.
"Swallow, and believe me, I will know if you don't. Don't worry, it's not poison. It's just something to put you to sleep for a while."
The man's throat bobbed and Jeff sat on a chair, waiting until the deep breathing and slowed pulse assured him the pill had taken effect. He left the apartment, went to Charlie's car and drove it to the garage that housed the limousine he was after. After he parked Charlie's car, he walked up to the attendant and got the limo keys with no problem.
He drove to Fredrick Collins' country estate, where he passed through the iron gates that closed off the driveway without difficulty thanks to his looking like Charlie, the chauffeur. He entered through the front door and paced down the hall. His footsteps made no noise on the thick carpet. Jeff glanced to each side at the pictures on the walls. These paintings have to be reprints. If they're originals, they'd be worth a fortune. At the hallway's end, he knocked on a thick wooden door. Here goes the real test. Time to see if my disguise will fool the man himself.
The door swung open. "About time you got here," Fred's bodyguard, Jack growled. He stepped back from the door.
Jeff coughed and waved his hand dismissively but from the corner of his eye he took in Jack's appearance. Tall, dark hair, rugged face and built like a professional wrestler.
Sitting behind a massive, extravagant desk was Fred. The entire room was lavishly furnished. Fred stood and grumbled, "You're late."
"Sorry," Jeff said. "Traffic was heavier than usual. I'll try to make up time on the drive into town."
"Let's go then. Time to go shoot tomorrow's show so I can make some money, eh?" Fred walked to the door with Jack in the lead and Jeff following behind. They retraced Jeff's steps to the waiting limo. He held the door for Fred then he and Jack got in front. Jeff slipped on sunglasses to shield his eyes from the setting sun. They had driven about two miles and were approaching the outskirts of Seattle when Jeff began to feather the gas pedal, feigning car trouble. He pulled to the side and popped the hood. Getting out, he raised the hood and looked at the engine. It was not long before Jack got out and joined him in front of the car.
"Figure out what's wrong?" Jack asked as he leaned over to examine the engine with him.
"Yep, you've been involved too many times carrying out Fred's dirty work," Jeff answered.
"What..." Jack started to rise up, but he was far too late. Using his folded up chauffeur's jacket to muffle the noise, Jeff placed his pistol against Jack's temple and pulled the trigger. Jeff grabbed Jack, eased him over to the side by the front wheel and let him finish falling to the ground.
He stepped to the tinted window and tapped. Fred rolled it down.
"Did you figure out what's wrong with the car? What was that loud noise I heard?"
"The car backfired, scared the crap out of me," Jeff told him and smiled.
"Goddammit, I'm going to be late for the taping. Just wait until those bozo mechanics hear from me. I'll light their asses on fire," Fred grumbled.
Jeff quickly pulled the door open and slid in beside Fred showing his gun.
"What is the meaning of this, Charlie? Where is Jack?"
"Shut up," Jeff said. He handed Fred a pill and ordered him to get a bottle of water from the fridge. "Jack's dead, now drink. All of it or I'll kill you right here just like Jack."
Fred's hands shook but he put the pill in his mouth and managed to drink the whole bottle, washing the pill down.
"Now what?" Fred asked.
"Now we wait."
"I don't understand, Charlie. I've always treated you well. Why are you doing this?"
"I'm not Charlie and you've been responsible for many deaths, Fred. One of them was a close friend of mine." He watched as Fred's eyes began to get heavy. Soon his head slumped to the front and he began to breathe deeply. He waited a little longer to be sure Fred was asleep and got out of the back seat.
Dragging Jack's body to the rear, he tossed it into the trunk. He closed it, went to the front, closed the hood and slid back into place in the driver's seat. He pulled out onto the road and at the first opportunity, turned around and heading north. Upon reaching the turn-off, he followed a dirt track up to the remote cabin his friend owned. Jeff was pleased to see his friend's boat at the dock. He parked the limo behind the cabin so it could not be easily seen. First he carried Jack's body onboard then loaded Fred.
Under the cabin porch he found a stack of empty sandbags and some rope. Jeff smiled. Always thinking, H. He quickly filled several of the bags with rocks and loaded them on the boat.
Jeff started the engine, cruised out of the cove and into the bay, toward open sea. When he was about ten miles offshore, he dumped Jack's weighted body overboard. Getting comfortable, he waited for Fred to regain consciousness while he mentally reviewed what he had found out about Fred in his research.
But why did he go after Gail and her friends?
He changed from the chauffeur's clothes to his polo shirt and blue jeans. After that, he removed his makeup and the rest of his Charlie disguise. He weighted these and tossed them overboard as well. At last, Fred's eyes began to flutter. He watched the man slowly realize his arms and legs were bound. Fred turned his head and studied him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"The one who's going to take down your empire and you along with it," Jeff answered.
"Why me? I don't even know you. If it's money you want, I can give you plenty. More than you would ever dream of having," Fred pleaded.
"Your money won't bring my friend back. Nor the friends of the woman I love. Why, Fred? Why did
you have them killed?"
"Who are these people you say I had killed? At least tell me that if I'm going to lose my life over them."
Jeff named Shorty, Marla and Justine and watched Fred's expression change as he became aware of his identity.
"You... you must be that private dick who's guarding that witch woman."
"Go to the head of the class, Fred. You got the answer right. Why did you have them killed, Fred?" he asked again.
"Why, because they're witches," he replied, as if that explained everything.
"They offer no threat to you or your empire. They just want to be left alone to worship as they believe."
"They must be eradicated, wherever they are. They cannot be allowed to exist. They're not Christian. They don't fear or believe in God. Their very existence is a blasphemy!" he cried in a rising voice reminiscent of the way he preached on television.
A Witch and Her Man (Jeff and Gail) Page 10
