“So romantic. Remember when you used to be like that, Bob?” her mother asked.
“I remember a lot of things. A lot of things. Would you like me to start commenting on all of them?” her father joked.
“Just go back to your drink and forget I said anything. As for you, young man, you are welcome in our family anytime you want,” her mom offered.
“That’s mighty gracious of you, Mrs. Powers,” Trent said.
“Please, call me Ursula, we’re family now,” her mom laughed.
“Ursula, and this goes for everyone. Thanks for making me feel so welcome around here. It says a lot about all of you as people to be so loving to a complete stranger. Reminds me of my mentors that helped me get to this point,” Trent said.
Everybody went to leave and Whitney found herself in the passenger seat of the Black Jade Mustang. Trent got in and immediately leaned over and started kissing her. His tongue invaded her mouth and started to dance around as she tried to keep up with his passion.
She could feel the heat coming from his body as he gripped the side and back of her neck. She rubbed his bicep and sheer excitement emanated from her body. The two lovers finally collected themselves and drove away from Aaric and Victoria’s house.
Trent said, “You want to hit up a bar on the way home. Here, what about this place?” Trent pulled into the crowded parking lot.
“Yeah, I don’t know about this place. This is a place where a bunch of local losers hang out and I’m not sure if you would like it.”
“Come on. We’ll just go in for a while. What’s the worst that could happen?” he asked.
Oh, I don’t know, maybe you get to see someone I went to high school with and you can see how they treat me. You can see that they think I’m a freak.
The couple entered the open area with pool tables in one corner and scattered tables around the horseshoe shaped bar. Whitney could feel the eyes of the people who had judged her over the years.
Most watched in disbelief as she and Trent walked hand-in-hand across the bar. She looked around and caught jealous stares from most of the women and a slow grin appeared on her face that wouldn’t go away. Finally, the tables had been turned and she had what everybody wanted.
Trent grabbed her a drink and they sat at a high top table across from each other. She peered into his dreamy eyes and thought that she had found the greatest man alive.
“I know they can be a bit overwhelming, but what did you think of my family?”
“I loved them. I thought each and every one of them was great. I’m really happy for you,” he told her.
“I’m sorry about the mouths on the girls. They can be brutal at times.”
“No, that was fine. I knew it would just keep coming up unless I said something. My parents…my parents didn’t want to be bothered by me. They said they didn’t have enough money to feed me and kicked me out at five,” Trent said as he took a big gulp of his water.
“Oh my goodness, that’s awful.”
“It’s not great, but I didn’t want to bring up that part in front of the girls. They don’t need to know that a five-year-old can be thrown out on the streets. I got taken in by a shelter and the conditions weren’t very good, but much better than the streets. I eventually shared an apartment with a fifty-five-year-old woman when I was fifteen and that’s when I had my first run in with the mob,” he revealed.
“What happened?”
“They asked me to deliver a few packages for them and I refused. I came home one day and found the house had been shot up…with Miss Swasone still inside. From that day, I dedicated my life to doing whatever it took to take down those scumbags. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go to the bathroom real quick,” he said.
“Of course, I’ll be here.”
Whitney waited for Trent and felt incredible until she noticed two people approaching. Todd and Vance had been the biggest bullies in high school and had always given Whitney a hard time. She tried to look down at the table and hoped they would pass by.
“Look who it is, none other than Weird Whitney. Can’t believe you would show your face in public. How much you pay the gigolo?” asked Todd, a huge tower of a man.
Vance was nearly as big as Todd and he said, “Let me guess, he’s a ghost.”
Both men laughed at Whitney and she tried to ignore them but they kept insulting her.
She started having flashbacks until a manly voice cried out, “What the hell seems to be the problem here?”
Her savior glided across the floor although he was much smaller than the other two men. Whitney started to get nervous because she had seen these bullies nearly beat several people to death and worried they would attack Trent.
Vance said, “Get lost, hooker. How much is she paying you to show up in public with her?”
Trent ran up to Vance and threw one punch, which left the bully flat on his back, unconscious. Trent immediately stepped over Vance and grabbed Todd by the throat. Her lover backed the big man against the wall.
“Go ahead, try to punch me,” Trent taunted him.
The bully raised a fist along the wall and then dropped his arm and cried out in pain.
Trent laughed. “They’re called pressure points. They render bigger opponents useless if you know where to find them. Apologize to my lady and make it sincere or I’ll find a couple more points and make you shit yourself.”
“Wait till I call the cops on your ass,” Todd threatened.
Trent reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge and put it right in front of Todd’s eyes.
Trent said, “The cops are already here. Unless you want to sit in a cell, you will apologize.”
Whitney could tell her man was applying pressure because Todd was gagging and drooling. Trent finally let off.
Todd hurriedly said, “I’m sorry alright, I’m fucking sorry.”
Trent asked, “What are you sorry for?”
“I’m sorry for making fun of you tonight, Whitney,” Todd said.
“Just tonight. I don’t know, I don’t think tonight was the first time you were rude to my lady,” Trent told him and applied more pressure.
“I’m fucking sorry for making fun of you over all the years,” Todd said over the choking sounds.
“That’s better. Now when your asshole friend wakes up, you’re going to tell him that the next time he sees Whitney, he will apologize too. And if I ever see either of you losers out on the streets, you’re going to find out I am one mean bastard. Now get the hell out of here,” Trent ordered.
He walked back up to the table and pulled Whitney up from her chair for a passionate kiss. She was on cloud nine as she knew that every eye in the entire bar was focused on her. Her confidence soared as Trent grabbed her hand and the couple walked out of the bar.
They went back to Whitney’s house and parked outside. Trent came around and opened the door as usual. She placed her palm in his and he helped her up. They started making out again right next to the car. Whitney jumped up and wrapped her legs around Trent’s back. He pushed her up against the side of the car as their tongues went in and out of each other’s mouths.
Trent set her back down for a moment so he could hook his elbow under her knees and carry her to the house. She unlocked the door while still in his arms and the passionate couple stormed in. They fell on the bed and started tearing at each other’s clothing.
Trent jumped on top of Whitney, kissing her passionately as his hands stroked her breasts and stoked a burning fire she didn’t think she would be able to quash this time. Further excitement coursed through her body as Trent started to take the rest of Whitney’s clothes off.
He removed his shirt and threw it aside. He softly kissed around her chest until he landed on her nipple and rolled his tongue around. She writhed in pleasure as Trent kissed down her belly. He unzipped her jeans and pried the tight garment from her sizzling body. Trent peeled off her socks and kissed her ankles and worked his way up her calf. He licked the inside of her knee and continued
up her shaking thighs.
He licked the outside of Whitney’s dampened red panties. The overwhelming ecstasy caused her to plant her feet in the mattress and naturally push away until she felt Trent’s powerful hands grip her hips and pull her back in. He shoved the silk barrier to the side and flicked his tongue against her favorite spot. She lifted her hips as Trent pulled off her underwear and ripped away his belt, jeans and boxers.
He went back to orally driving Whitney crazy. She felt like her entire body was going to explode as she grabbed Trent by the ears and pulled him up to her lips. They kissed for a few seconds and Whitney whispered, “I want you inside me.”
Trent listened to her and slowly worked himself in as Whitney shuddered underneath him. She had never felt so in love and in tune with her man as she could feel two heartbeats thumping in unison. The intense lovemaking continued until Whitney felt like her head was about to burst. Euphoric images and swirling rainbows flooded her optics and she felt like she was going to pass out. A warm rush of tingles showered over her body and she quaked from the excitement. She looked at her shaking hand and couldn’t stop it.
Whitney realized that she had never experienced an orgasm as she lay next to her lover. She kissed his hand, which was swollen from knocking out Vance. She couldn’t get rid of her grin if she tried. She thought about the perfect end to the perfect day when Trent had finally met her family.
The two stared at each other and Trent said, “Eeehhh.”
Whitney gave him a weird look. “No, you can’t do that. That’s something special between me and my dad. I'm sure we will make our own special sayings but that one is just for me and my dad. That doesn’t mean I don’t lov…that doesn’t mean I don’t really like you, it’s just…”
Trent interrupted, “I love you.”
Whitney was stunned as she paused for a moment and jumped on top of Trent.
“I love you more.”
She quickly experienced the second orgasm of her life and never wanted to let this man go. She fell asleep that night finally feeling complete with Trent by her side.
9
One week later, Whitney sat next to Tara at the front desk of the Granny Larson Library. She stared outside at the overcast day and tried to put together all the clues she had accumulated concerning the Susan Foley case. She still didn’t know how to connect all the dots and neither did Trent and the Pennsburgh Police.
Tara said, “So he’s already talking about you two moving in together. Get it girl.”
“Considering I found out he tricked me into initially exchanging keys so he could play a joke on me, I didn’t think this would happen so soon. I like his house but I don’t want to move out of my place.”
“Come on, Whit. Your apartment is cool for a college student but you are a full grown woman now and you need to live like an adult,” Tara told her.
“Oh, so you’re moving in with your boyfriend too then?”
Tara shook her head. “My man is nowhere near the caliber of Trent. If he was, I’d be living there already. But you know me, I’m always looking for an upgrade. Don’t tell Don that, please.”
“Of course, why would your boyfriend deserve to know that you are ready to ditch him if something better should come along.”
“You always find a way to make me sound like a heartless bitch. I’m only doing it because I know he would do the same to me. Tit for tat. Anyway, I’m going to split if you think you can handle this from here,” Tara said, looking around the empty library.
“I think I can put the twelve returned books back. Have a good night.”
“You too, girl,” Tara said as she gathered her belongings and left for the day.
About ten minutes later, Bo pulled into the parking lot. He walked in and waved to Whitney.
“What’s up sucka?”
Bo said, “Not much. I was bored at my house and wanted to see what you were up to. I grabbed you a coffee because, well, because you like coffee.”
“Thanks, I need it. I’m wracking my brain trying to figure out this murder case. These mob guys seem to know how to cover their tracks.”
“That’s what they do. So what do you really know, or what do you think you know might be a better question?” Bo asked.
“It would appear that Susan Foley was an addicted, yet horrible gambler and a girlfriend to Benno Dante. Apparently she started to borrow money all over town and Benno got tired of paying off her debts. He even tried to get her son to fix a basketball game to scrub her debt, but the kid refused and got his legs broken as a thank you for being honest. So it looks like the boss got sick of Susan and her huge debts and had her taken care of.”
“That doesn’t really make sense though. If you kill someone that owes you money, how are you supposed to collect that debt? Makes more sense to break her legs to teach her a lesson than outright kill her,” Bo opined.
“I thought so too. I know reputation among these tough guys is paramount. The only thing I can come up with is that she started to make him look bad amongst his fellow gangsters and he didn’t want to look weak.”
“I can see that. Image is everything with these guys. I guess he probably has enough money that her debt wasn’t going to break him. Sounds like he wanted to look strong by killing a woman. Not exactly the route I would go,” Bo said.
“But even if all of this turns out to be true, I still can’t figure out the killer and connect him or her to Benno Dante. My other worry is that Susan started to perform jobs for the mob and pissed the wrong person off. Just her association with Benno really clouds the waters because he obviously has a lot of enemies. If someone saw Susan with Benno and wanted to exact revenge on the mob boss, killing his favorite girlfriend would be a good warning shot. The more I think on it, the scenarios seem endless.”
“You’re right. Her association with organized crime could put her in direct danger from outside the family and within. These people murder for little to no reason at all so maybe she just put herself in a terrible situation,” Bo said.
“Right, but that’s no reason to validate murdering someone. She may have made some terrible choices in her life, but did she deserve to be killed?”
“Of course not, but I think you might want to accept the fact that you may never figure out this case. The mob has been doing this a lot longer than you, so I wouldn’t be frustrated that my first attempt to solve a murder case didn’t go so well,” Bo reassured her.
“I’m going to solve this case, that’s a fact. I will never give up and I know I’ll eventually find out who did it.”
“What does Trent know about the case? He’s got to know more than you, right?” Bo asked.
“Surprisingly, I have a few secret sources that seem to have more information than his. He’s new in town so he doesn’t know who he can squeeze for facts yet. He did try to tell me to stay away from the dangerous parts of the investigation.”
“So you had your first fight with him?” Bo asked.
“No, not at all, why do you ask?”
“Come on, Whitney. The strongest woman I know just sat there and let her boyfriend tell her to stay away from danger. That doesn’t sound like you at all. Why don’t you two just work together?” Bo told her.
“Because I’m not actually a police officer. However, I never actually promised him I would stay away from danger. Sure, it upset me, but I didn’t want to start a big fight over that. We did have a rather stern disagreement, but it remained civil at all times.”
“So you’re telling me that you are going to stay away from any more danger surrounding this case?” Bo wanted to know.
“No, of course not. You do know me rather well. I just don’t need to let Trent know everything that I’m doing. It’ll feel weird, almost like hiding a secret life.”
“You’re a bloody double-agent. Spies do what they have to do to survive and complete their objectives. I thought you had fallen too hard for Trent to do something like that,” Bo said.
“Well, I haven’t d
one anything dangerous since we had the talk, but I’ll never let anyone tell me what I can and can’t do. I love him, but I am extremely motivated to solve this case and I realize that almost everything from here on out is going to be stricken with danger.”
Bo and Whitney discussed the case for about another hour but couldn’t come up with any new ideas or solutions. She didn’t want to think about the fact that this case might go unsolved because the conspirators had been extremely careful with the murder.
She got a better understanding of Trent’s frustration with organized crime. She knew a murderer was walking the streets and it made her sick to her stomach. She drank the last cold sip of coffee and hoped it would spur some creative thoughts.
She never had the opportunity as a librarian to really help society, so the realization of the ghosts’ prophecy pushed her into a secret life of crime-solving that made her feel better as a person. She was trying to clean up the dirty streets of Pennsburgh now instead of just putting books back on shelves.
She thought about her life just a few months ago and decided she never wanted to return to that. She had felt dead inside for a long time and this was like a rebirth or a life after death. Every moment had meaning for her now and she looked forward to each and every day, instead of dreading the daily sunrise.
Whitney looked at the newspaper as she walked past the periodicals section and noticed a horrifying headline. ‘Man found dead in car outside Oval Downs.’ The accompanying picture was of the man she had talked to at the race track. A hollow feeling crept into her stomach as Whitney realized her life was in extreme peril. She had involved herself in a win or die game.
Whitney walked around the library, putting away the returned books and shutting off the lights. As she flicked the switches for the haunted corner, a bright, multi-colored flash shot out from the supernatural shelf. She adjusted her eyes to the radiant beam that quickly disappeared and spied a golden scroll dangling from the shelf. Whitney walked up and grabbed the beautiful paper from in-between two books.
She unrolled the gold-tinted parchment and read the cursive writing.
The Whitney Powers Paranormal Adventure 3 Book Bundle Page 8
