Burn Out

by Ruthi Kight

  Me neither. But I have to say, it was quite refreshing.

  “Truth or dare, Delia?” Liam’s voice whispered across my skin. Startled, I jerked around to find him mere inches from my face.

  I tried to shake off the feeling that crept over me just from his being so close. “Dare,” I whispered in reply. My heart was thrumming, my body locked and loaded for what came next. When it came to Liam, there was no telling what he would say.

  His hand found mine and he ran his fingers across the back of my hand. I was quaking from his touch, every nerve in my body was alive and quivering with need. “I dare you…to kiss me.”

  “How original,” I replied, breathless from the temptation.

  He was moving closer, his lips parting as he prepared for the inevitable meeting. When our lips touched, it was nothing like before. His lips were gentle, caressing mine as if it was the first time they had touched. It was so different from what I had come to expect from him. No heat, yet it set me ablaze. No power, and yet I felt consumed.

  It was absolute perfection.

  The groan that escaped my lips urged him on, causing the kiss to turn more passionate. Our tongues were gliding together, exploring every inch of the other’s mouths. When he nipped at my bottom lip, I nearly came unglued. My resolve to stay away from him crumbled a bit, exposing my desire for everyone to see.

  When his lips left mine, I was left with a feeling of emptiness, of wanting. That didn’t last long as his lips traveled the length of my neck, leaving wet kisses along every inch of exposed skin.

  “Liam,” I groaned as I put my arms around his neck, arching my body closer to his. As his lips traveled lower, nipping at my skin as he explored, I felt like I was going to burst. Sane, reasonable Delia was gone, replaced by some wanton woman who craved the rough bites and slick kisses that were being showered upon her.

  He pulled the top of my shirt down a bit, exposing the swell of my breasts. The way he was staring at me would have brought a nun to her knees. His eyes worshipped my body, his tongue snaking out to take a brief taste of my décolletage.

  “I could stay here forever, buried between your tits,” he said, before slipping my shirt down a few more inches. He rained kisses down further, stopping only to look back up at me. “Tell me if you want to stop.”

  I didn’t want to. It was the last thing that I ever wanted to happen. But I knew we couldn’t keep going, not with the chance of Mike coming back in at any moment. But I only nodded, giving him permission to continue his perusal of my body.

  With a quick flick of the wrist, my bra was undone and hanging off of my chest, leaving my breasts free and unblocked. His hand was inside of my shirt, skimming along my side. When he reached my nipple, he rolled it gently between two fingers. “Fuck,” I moaned. His gentle ministrations were turning me to liquid.

  My body was aching with need, my core clenched and wet. The pain of never getting release was getting to me. If women could have blue balls, I imagined that was what it felt like. But when he pulled my shirt down, exposing my breast, and his mouth latched on…it was over. I felt the pleasure building within my body, but when his teeth nipped at my aching peak, I lost it.

  Huh. Never thought you could have an orgasm just from having your tits played with. But evidently it could happen. And it did.

  As my body broke apart in his hands and mouth, he pulled me closer, holding me as the pulses racked my body. “Come for me, Delia. That’s it. Let it loose.” His voice in my ear sent another wave of pleasure coursing through me, leaving me a gasping mess. When I finally recovered, I found myself in his lap.

  “That was…wow.” I wanted to duck my head, to hide my shame from him, but he wasn’t having any of that.

  “Don’t. Never hide from me. When I make you come, I want to see your face. I want to hear you say my name. Never feel that you have to hide how good I make you feel.” His hands were on either side of my face, keeping my eyes locked with his.

  He was so intense, and it both frightened and excited me, all at the same time. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

  “Not even when you strummed your own fiddle?” He grinned at me, completely at ease after our intense make-out session.

  Before I could answer, there was a loud banging on the back door, sending me racing to climb off of Liam’s lap. Within moments we were both on our feet. His body was tense, ready for action, while mine was too languid to be of any use. “What the fuck was that?” he asked, his fists balled up at his sides.

  “I don’t know. Maybe we…we should go check it out?” There. My brave front was in place. I didn’t fucking feel brave. No, I was scared shitless. That sound was loud, like someone had thrown a big fucking rock at the door.

  Liam moved to the door that separated the living room from the kitchen, his head peeking around the corner. I came up behind him and put my hands on his back. “Do you see anything?” I asked, but he shushed me with a glare. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  “Stay here. Don’t move. If you hear something, run. Don’t look back.” I shook my head, ready to argue with him, but one look from him and I shut the hell up. “I’m serious. Don’t play the fucking hero, Delia.”

  With a nod, I let him go. He inched his way around the door, staying low to the ground. He moved with precision and grace, something that I hadn’t expected from him. I tried to stay hidden, to do as I was told, but I had to watch him. I had to make sure that he would be okay.

  He made his way to the back door, being careful not to make any noise. Silent and stealthy. When he made it to the door, he looked back at me, finally noticing that I wasn’t staying hidden. With a look of disapproval, I waved him on. He had better things to worry about than me peeking.

  His hand found the handle of the door and I watched him take a deep breath. After a few moments, where I thought I was going to burst from fear, he finally opened the door. It creaked and groaned as it moved slowly, opening us up for potential attack. But there was nothing there.

  He stood and pulled the door the rest of the way open. That’s when we saw it. Mike. A scream ripped through my body and I ran across the kitchen, sliding to a stop at Liam’s feet. His hands grabbed me, stopping me from moving forward. From where I sat, I could see the blood dripping from Mike’s temple.

  His face was pale and lifeless, his open eyes staring blankly above. There was no mistaking that look. He was dead.

  “Holy…fuck!” Liam’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me to his chest. He was shushing me as he rubbed his hands up and down my back. “Phone. We need to call 9-1-1.”

  I nodded in agreement, but neither of us moved. We couldn’t. Staring at Mike’s lifeless body, watching his life force oozing down the side of his face…it was just too much. It wasn’t the first dead body I had seen, but I seriously doubted that anyone ever got used to something like that.

  Who would have done something like this? I felt sick to my stomach, wondering what had happened. It had only been a silly game of truth or dare! His clothes weren’t even wet, so he didn’t even get a chance to jump into the water one last time.

  “Who…why?” I stuttered, my body shaking in fear. “Close the door!” The thought hit me like a ton of bricks. There was someone out there. Someone who had just murdered Mike in cold blood. Leaving the door open was probably the worst thing we could have done in that moment.

  It was like those crappy horror flicks that we all watched growing up. The big breasted woman, whose life was on the line, would run up the stairs instead of out the front door, even when she knew the killer was in the house. As much as I loved those movies, I did not want to be a statistic.

  Liam jumped into action, slamming the door shut and locking it. I was still there, on the floor, in a crumpled heap. My body was useless. It was as if I left my spine in the other room. But it was not the time to fall apart. We still had to call the police.

  “Stay here. I need to get the phone,” said Liam. He watched me for a minute, making sure I would
comply this time. No worries there. I didn’t plan on moving an inch. Not this time.

  When he walked out of the kitchen in search of his phone, the adrenaline began to wear off. The shaking started getting worse and my body was out of control. I hugged my knees to my chest and began rocking back and forth. Incoherent mumbling poured from my mouth. I was officially losing my fucking mind as I sat there on the cold, hard floor.

  I had no idea when Liam had come back. It wasn’t until I heard the heavy footfalls and registered the flashing lights coming in through the windows that I came out of my fog. Liam was wrapped around me, holding me in place as the police officers ambled around.

  If they had asked me any questions, I hadn’t answered. My brain had shut down, leaving me a shell of my former self. If it hadn’t been for Liam’s comforting presence, I would have gone off the deep end.

  “She’s in shock,” I heard from one of them. His voice was far off, drowning in the buzzing that filled my head. “Should we take her to the hospital?” another asked. Their voices took on the quality of Charlie Brown’s teacher on the old cartoons. I only caught snippets, most of their words coming through as a jumble of nothing.

  “Delia.” Liam’s voice was soft in my ear. “Snap out of it.” His fingers trailed through my hair, stopping occasionally to massage my scalp. If he had wanted my full attention, he was doing a crappy job. His attention was lulling me to sleep, releasing all of the tension and pain that had been choking me since finding Mike’s body.

  “She’ll be fine. I’ll…I’ll take her home with me,” Liam said. Who was he talking to? The police? Why did they care where I stayed the night?

  “We’re going to need her statement, but…I guess it can wait until tomorrow. You’ll make sure she comes down to the station, right?” asked one of the officers. I felt his body move behind me, rhythmic and comforting.

  His fingers never left my head, their comfort lulling me into oblivion. Within moments, my world had gone silent and I was free. The blackness was my blanket and I snuggled into it, ready to be free from the new images that would forever be seared into my mind.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “They’re coming for you! Run, Delia! RUN!” Mike’s voice was distant, echoing all around me. When I looked around, nothing was familiar. The bland, lifeless buildings on either side of the street were surrounding me. Taunting me. Their windows, empty and cold, were like dead eyes. No possibility of life.

  “Where are you?!” I yelled, frantic as I searched the area. I waited for a response, but none came. Taking off at a run, I let my legs lead me where I needed to go.

  As my body searched, my ears were filled with the sounds of piercing screams all around. They were everywhere, yet nowhere to be found. With no body to attach themselves to, they were floating through space, seeking out the attention they so desperately needed.

  My arms pumped back and forth, swinging by my side, as I ran down the endless street. There was no beginning and no end, at least that I could find. It was a true nightmare. A never ending world that wanted to destroy me.

  When the house in front of me suddenly caught fire, I lost my footing, sliding into the grass on my knees. Suddenly, the house was no longer bland and unrecognizable. It was my house. The house that held so many questions for me.

  As I knelt there on the grass, I watched as a shadowy figure darted out from the side yard. It had the shape of a man, but his features were blurred and shadowed. I watched as he kept looking over his shoulder, never completely stopping, but slowing down occasionally.

  “Hey! You! Stop!” I yelled at him. His feet were still moving, his body coming closer and closer to me. When he was within a few feet, his face finally showed itself. With a shuddering breath, I gripped my chest.

  While I was caught in the moment of recognition, he didn’t seem to see me at all. He breezed right past me, a gleeful smile playing on his lips. That was when I heard the screams. Someone burst out of the front door, arms flailing, sobs falling from their lips.

  It was a young girl.

  Holy shit!

  It was me!

  ***

  I was being shaken awake by two rough hands on my shoulders. “Wake up, it’s just a dream. Come on Delia! Open your eyes!” Liam was there, trying to wake me up. Where was I? How long had I been asleep?

  When I pried my crusted eyes open, there he was, leaning over my prone form once again. “I know who it was!” I yelled, remembering the dream I had just escaped from. He looked at me like I had lost my fucking mind, but I was positive. It had been more than a dream. It had been a memory.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, settling on the bed beside me. He ran his hand up and down my arm, trying to calm me, but this time I didn’t need it. I wasn’t worked up because I was scared.

  “I know who killed my parents!” I said as I jolted up in the bed. “I had a dream…well, a nightmare, I guess.”

  “Delia, it was just-” he started.

  “No, it wasn’t. It was real. So very fucking real! I’m telling you, I know who set the fire. And I think it’s the same person who…who killed Mike,” I stuttered out the last words as they caught on my tongue.

  He looked at me expectantly, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Come on. We have to get to the police station.”

  There was no time to waste. Obviously he wasn’t going to believe a word I said, but I knew, in my heart, that I was right. The only thing left to do was to tell the people who could actually do something about it. It was time to put my trust in the hands of those that I swore I would never trust again.

  ***

  We waited. Over an hour sitting in those cold, hard chairs outside of Chief Carter’s office. His door never opened and no sound escaped under the crack. When Detective Newman had taken my statement, he hadn’t seemed to believe a word I said. But I had refused to let it go, demanding to talk to his superior.

  I had no idea that my demands would be met. I had seen it happen a few times on some cop show that Mike had made me watch, but I had never gotten a chance to try it out. He would have been so proud that I was using what I learned on the boob tube.

  When the door finally opened, Chief Carter was standing at the door, waving us in. With no hesitation, I grabbed Liam’s hand and drug him inside with me, shutting the door once we were all inside.

  “Please, have a seat Ms. Adair.” Chief Carter waved to the seats facing his desk as he sat down in his own on the opposite side. Once we were all seated, he got down to business. “Detective Newman here has told me a very interesting story, but I’d like to hear it directly from you, if you don’t mind. And please, don’t leave anything out.”

  After three hours, starting from the fire that killed my parents, to Mike’s death, the entire story was laid out on the table. I even told him about the dream that I was sure was more than that. He didn’t seem to believe me. More like he was humoring me, which really pissed me off.

  “I’m certain it was him. Look into him. Investigate. Find out where he was last night! Something! You’ll see that I’m right!” I wanted to lay the pimp hand down on his smug face. Detective Newman would be my next target. He had huffed and puffed the entire time I spoke, never once even considering that I might not be a complete nut job.

  “Young lady, do you realize what you’re asking me to do? If you’re wrong, and I think you are, you could ruin that man’s life. His career. All of it. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?” Chief Carter and I were engaged in a full on battle of wits, but it seemed that he had come to the party unarmed. Of course I was willing. I knew that I was right.

  With a nod, I held firm, my face unmoving as I watched Chief Carter and Detective Newman exchange meaningful glances. “Look, I’ll do what I can, but there are limits to what I can do without a warrant. Without hard evidence, I can’t get said warrant. Understand?” asked Det. Newman.

  Bullshit. This man had no idea whose chain he was yanking. Sure, evidence was needed, but those two joke
rs weren’t even considering following up on my tip. “Let’s just be honest with each other for a minute, shall we?” I asked, leaning forward in my chair, resting my chin in my hands. “Neither one of you believe a word I have said. And I have a feeling that when I walk out that door, you’ll both magically forget that I was ever even here today. So let me make this perfectly clear: I’m going to prove that I’m right, and when I do, the world will know what went down today.

  “They will know that you two brushed me off, ignoring my claims. And they will come after you. As long as you’re willing to accept those consequences, then we’re done here.” I stood up from my chair, feeling more in control than I had in a very long time. The looks on their faces were priceless. Neither of them spoke, both of them just sitting there with their mouths open, waiting for a fly to land.

  With a chuckle and a wave, I walked out of the office, hoping that Liam would follow. I was perfecting my dramatic exit, and this one would definitely go down in history.

  When we made it to the street, I stopped and took a large gulp of air, trying to settle my frazzled nerves. “Well, that went well,” said Liam. I looked over at him and smiled.

  “Actually, it did. I have a feeling that, regardless of what they said in there, they’re not going to just let it go. Not if they want to save face later on,” I replied, grinning like the cat who swallowed the fucking canary.

  With a shake of his head, Liam grabbed my hand and we walked away. Neither of us looked back, both content with the future. Personally, I still planned on doing my own investigating. There was no way that I would entrust my future, or Liam’s, to two small town buffoons like those two.

  No, it was time to take that bitch by the horns and show it who was boss. In order to do that, the research and digging had to commence.

  ***

  “This isn’t going to work,” Liam called out to me. He was sitting at his kitchen table, his fingers sprinting across the keys of his laptop. When I walked in, he glanced up at me with a grim look on his face. “I’m no hacker, D. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.”