The Body Hunters

by Newcastle, Raven

  "Nani, no, I didn't know. I wanted you with me. I meant it when I said I loved you. I still do! I was worried he was going to hurt you when you moved your stuff out. Please don't cry. I love you!" He took her hand again but Danny pulled it away.

  “I’m very tired now, please go. I'm sure you have a ton of paperwork, and Lucius could use your help."

  "To hell with Lucius! I'm not leaving your side!" He moved to his chair and sat in it like he was glued to it.

  Even though it hurt, Danny sighed. "Look Stephania is here. The hospital is going to let her sleep in the next bed. Lucius arranged it. Plus her cousins, whom I assume you've met, are here. No one's getting past either of them. Boy, you need to let me be tonight, OK? No offense, but I really don't want any men around. Please just go!"

  He felt as if he had been punched in the gut, which he knew he deserved. "Nani, please?"

  "Aiden it's not you. Don't take it personal. I'm confused and I have issues with men right now. I just need time to get my head together. Please."

  "Can I at least come back in the morning?

  "Yes fine. Just don't smother me, OK? Promise?"Danny pleaded with him.

  "Nani, I promise. I'll go. I'll see you in the morning. If anything happens--"

  "Yes Stephania will call immediately don't worry. I'll be fine."

  "Can I at least give you a little kiss goodbye? I'll be gentle on your lips. I'll even let you bite mine!" He winked at her.

  "Boy, I don't know what I'm going to do with you! A little one, OK? They're pretty sore." He gently brought his lips to hers barley touching her swollen lips. He got up, kissed her forehead and left the room. He gave Stephania strict instructions to call him if anything changed in her condition. Stephania reminded him she was in control now and not to worry. Standing alone in the elevator his heart was very heavy at leaving her and also knowing he had just lied through his teeth to the woman he loved hoping to spare her any more pain.

  A few minutes after Aiden left, Cassie slipped quietly into Danny's room escorted to the door by one of her newfound bodyguards. With the drab hospital gown and robe draping her body, her small feet moved soundlessly in her hospital issue slipper socks.

  "How are you feeling?" She asked Danny, careful not to wake the slumbering Stephania in the next bed.

  Danny, who had been wide awake staring off into space, patted her bed for Cassie to sit.

  "I'm okay I guess. I know my body is healing, but it's my mind that needs the most work. I keep expecting him to jump out and attack me." She still refused to say Gerard's name.

  "Have you been checked out?" Cassie whispered, concern written all over her face.

  Danny knew she was referring to the rape, and she shook her head. "I'm fine."

  "Danny!" Cassie rasped. "You've got to tell them."

  Danny raised a hand to cut her off. "He's dead. He can't hurt me ever again. There's no reason for me to ever mention what happened in that basement."

  Cassie knew Danny had been through hell, and she didn't want to compound her anguish. She didn't press the issue any further, though she did know that if you held on to some things long enough they tended to putrefy.

  Cassie held Danny's hand. "If you don't want to tell anyone what happened, at least do one thing for me."

  "What's that?"

  "Get some therapy Danny. After what you've been through, you really need to talk to somebody."

  Danny nodded her agreement. With the dark place she was in right now, she could definitely use an unbiased opinion.

  "Promise me, Danny." Cassie urged. "I mean it."

  "I promise I'll get some therapy."

  After a brief but comforting hug, Cassie left Stephania and Danny alone in the room. For a few more minutes Danny was awake in the dark trying to figure out the mess that remained of her life.

  Chapter 23

  Greeting Danny at St. Blazes Catholic Church in Los Angeles, Agent Stone offered her his arm and escorted her to the third from front row pew. It had been a couple days since he had last set eyes on her since she told him she needed some space. Obeying her wishes and staying away from her had been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. Selfishly, he wanted to be the only one to console her over the last week.

  Danny seemed to be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He knew the symptoms well since some of his veteran friends had the condition. Her eyes seemed to dart back and forth, reaching into dark corners as if awaiting Wolfe's return. He could see that since her ordeal and hospital stay she had also lost a few pounds and moved stiffly, still sore from her injuries. Nonetheless, he thought she was gorgeous in her little black dress, and he wished they could be reuniting under better circumstances.

  Cassandra had been adamant about coming with Danny to Agent Ramirez's Memorial, more for her own guilt than concern for her friend whom she knew would be in good hands. Their flight arrived at LAX just a half hour before the service. Lucius had arranged for them to be picked up and brought directly to the church. Stephania's cousins, the Amanato brothers, were following very close behind and stood just outside the main entrance door now dressed in regular nondescript black suits that Lucius had bought them sans the fedoras. He wanted them to look as bland as possible to blend in. He had hired them and was paying for their services out of his own pocket.

  Lucius seeing Cassie, who had appeared in the aisle alone, had taken it upon himself to escort her to her seat. Walking on the outer side of the pews he entered in the same row as Aiden and Danny. Sliding all the way over to meet the two, he sat next to Danielle on the opposite side from Aiden. Cassie sat on the other side of Lucius.

  Aiden, seeing that Danny was sandwiched between him and Lucius, felt twinges of jealousy rise in him once again. He wanted to be her sole protector, but he remembered his promise not to smother her. Both men had, over the last several days of her hospital stay, argued privately over who was to blame for the nightmare she had endured. The arguments ended in a stalemate, each refusing to budge on their judgment. Realizing they still had a working relationship to contend with, they agreed to disagree. They realized their assigning blame was not going to do Danny any favors in moving her life forward.

  Danny could have been sitting next to the queen of England for all she knew. Being lost in her own world of pain, her mind was not on either man at that point. She left the hospital just two days before Alejandro's memorial, bruises fading but the memory of the monster and the rape still fresh in her mind. She was unwilling to return to the mini-mansion or to her apartment where Alejandro had been murdered.

  Aiden had extended the invitation for her to go to Washington D.C with him to his small apartment, but she refused, opting instead to take Cassie up on her generous offer to stay with her. It was mutually beneficial. Per Lucius, orders, Dominick was still in custody and had been transported to a prison hospital for detox and rehab, mainly to keep him safe. The feds had intercepted several messages threatening his life. Cassie didn't want to be alone and was grateful for the company.

  Stephania had flown back to New York for a short while but promised to be back as soon as she could. She wanted Danny to come with her back to New York, but Lucius said she was needed for further interviews once she was up to it.

  All conversations abruptly ceased when Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez entered the church. Juanita Ramirez was a diminutive figure in her black dress and veil. Hunched over, her body looked rapidly aged by twenty years in the past week. Held up by her husband's arm she let out a crying gasp at seeing the enlarged picture of her only son in his full dress army uniform next to the altar.

  Family members surrounded her as they took their place in the first two pews in front of Danny and Aiden. The church filled up with FBI agents and veterans groups as well as friends and family of Alejandro. The service was a touching one with several family members reading bible passages and telling funny anecdotes of Alejandro's life. His army buddies also gave their share of memories. Lucius spoke of his bravery and courage. Aiden managed
a few words about how he hadn't been his partner long but was going to miss his company and couldn't have asked for a better partner. Near the end of the service he and Lucius headed toward the altar once more. After their brief ceremony, the honor guard had taken down the standing flag next to Alejandro's picture and folded it into the traditional three-corner fold. Lucius stood at the altar with a small box of his own. The flag was handed over to , and he and Lucius walked over to Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez where handed Juanita Ramirez the flag with his own whispered words of condolence while Lucius presented Alex Ramirez the FBI's Memorial Medal of Honor.

  The crowd was hushed except for the low sobs of women, Cassie and Danny among them. The raw emotion in the church was too much for Danny to bear. She quietly exited the church before she lost control. Aiden was ready to bolt after her but was stopped by Cassie who was already half way out the door, motioning for him to stay with the family. The priest said the final blessings and prayer and soon people were passing by the bereaved parents shaking hands, hugging and giving words of encouragement.

  Formalities over, Aiden rushed outside to see Cassie and Danny clinging tightly to each other.

  "Danny, Cassie, the repast is about to start. Do you want to come inside?" He asked.

  "Where is the reception?" Cassie asked.

  "Down in the church basement."

  Cassie and Danny both looked at each other. Danny couldn't even bear to look at Aiden's face. Cassie squeezed Danny's hand and spoke up.

  "I-I think both of us have had enough of basements for a while. So I think we will go give our condolences to the Ramirez family. We have a flight back to Phoenix in an hour anyway."

  His face flushed, his inner voice berating his stupidity. Why didn't he realize? Lately he felt as if he could do nothing right when it came to Danny.

  "I'm so sorry both of you I-I wasn't thinking! Let me escort you ladies back so you can talk to the Ramirez family."

  Danny and Cassie sat quietly with Alex and Juanita, their conversation off limits to or Lucius. Danny made sure of that. After fifteen minutes hugs were exchanged. Whatever Alex and Juanita said seemed to relieve a heavy burden from Cassie.

  The flight back was almost a blessing. It had been a hard day for both women. A few hours after arriving back at Cassie's home, they heard a knock at the door. It was Aiden. He had followed them back on the next flight.

  Looking like a lost little boy, he stood on the threshold of the home. "Can I come in Cassie?" he pleaded.

  She obliged him with a stern warning not to upset Danny.

  "Nani?Are you OK?" He asked as he sat next to her in the large family room on the light blue plaid sofa. In a knee length pink fluffy robe, she looked tiny and delicate. It took everything in him not to pull her into his arms.

  "Aiden why are you here? Shouldn't you be in D.C.?" She asked closing the robe's collar around her neck.

  He waved his hand dismissively. "That can wait. I'm taking a week off anyway. I wanted to be here with you, make sure you're OK. I can pack up your stuff from the house. You won't have to do anything, OK?"

  "It's not necessary. Stephania is coming back soon. She said she'll do it."

  "OK what about the apartment are you going to go back there?" He asked.

  "It's all Luc's equipment and his lease actually. He has some people packing up my stuff that survived for storage." From what she had heard from Aiden, the monster had pretty much destroyed most of her family heirlooms from the apartment. It was just more salt in the wound. "I can't go back there. It's too painful and Cassie said I can stay here as long as I need. I don't want to make any rash decisions just yet."

  "Nani, I'm feeling like you're pushing me away." He said, his eyes almost watering.

  "Aiden, I just can't talk about anything right now. OK? Just give me a bit of time. I need to get myself together." Danny held his hand. Seeing this hard-edged ex-soldier on the verge of tears was disconcerting to her.

  He regained his composure quickly. "I meant was I said Nani, I love you."

  "I know. I know."

  Early the next morning Danny slipped out of Cassie's house and drove her Camaro to the mini-mansion. The yellow police tape was still hung across the front door along with a trespassing warning sign. She took out her key and unlocked the big oak door, slipping under the tape with a few boxes.

  In all of the commotion that followed the raid, no one had bothered with the alarm system. As the door closed behind her, standing in the doorway she was frozen. She had spent much of the morning mentally preparing herself to see the monster's ghost. Probing out in her mind she felt nothing. The glass from the figurines still lay broken on the floor along with various other items that found their way to the floor in their struggle. She stepped over a burgundy stain in the tile, which she was certain came from when she broke his nose.

  Taking a deep breath Danny found her laptop where she left it in the living room. She walked into her office and packed up a few small items. Making her way upstairs to the bedroom they once lovingly shared, Danny paused at the top still expecting an angry ghost to appear, but all she heard was silence.

  She found her way to the master bedroom and opened her closet. She started taking some of the clothes out that she had brought from New York, preferring to leave anything that he'd bought her alone including the black baby doll lingerie that he liked her in so much. She took it off the hanger and tore it to shreds. Laying the rest on the big four poster bed, she sat down to pack. She looked at his pillow, picking it up and holding it to her chest. She tried to force herself into remembering the human Gerard. Her mind would not obey. Her emotions started running amuck, and with a primal scream she threw the pillow across the room and hit the engagement photo of the two of them which dropped off the wall. Crying hysterically and screaming at the top of her lungs, she failed to hear Lucius enter the house. He ran up the stairs to her and pulled her close in a hug. She started beating him in the chest, still hysterical.

  "Why, why?"She yelled and Lucius refused to let her go.

  "Cry, let it out, go ahead. Scream Danny it’s OK." Lucius retained his grip. Danny screamed one last time and fell limp in his arms. Lucius just rocked her back and forth for a while. Finally the lump in her throat cleared and she was able to talk.

  "How did you know I was here?" She asked.

  "I came to make sure the house was still secure. Why did you come?"

  Using her fingertips, Danny swiped the last remaining tears from her eyes. "I wanted my laptop. I know I shouldn't have come in without permission Luc, but I felt like I needed to do it alone. I wasn't sure what I'd do once I got here. As you can see, apparently it was to have a meltdown."

  Danny was holding her hands in her lap and Lucius wrapped his arms around her again.

  "It's ok Danny, but I think it's too soon to face this alone. I won't leave you here by yourself. If you want I can help you pack some things.

  "I can help her Agent Johnson." Aiden walked into the bedroom.

  "Aiden, how long have you been standing there?" Danny asked in surprise.

  "Yes Agent Stone how long have you been here?" Lucius growled.

  "I just got here, I was passing by to make sure everything was secure and saw your Camaro." He lied. He had stopped by Cassie's and found her car gone. Acting on a hunch he went to Gerard's hoping he would not find her there. "I am surprised to see you Agent Johnson."

  "I came for the same reason, Agent Stone."

  Both men stared for a moment at each other, Lucius still with his arms securely around Danny. The hostility between the two men was palpable, the friction in the air crackling like lightning.

  "Luc?" Danny spoke up. "Can you let me have a few words with Aiden?"

  "Are you sure you're going to be OK?" He asked standing up.

  "Yes I just want to talk to Aiden alone, please."

  “Ok, then. I will head back to the office. Agent Stone make sure you help her get anything she wants out of this house and lock up when you are done
."

  "Yes Sir" He gritted out, hating the fact that he had to address him so formally.

  Lucius walked slowly down the stairs like he was afraid someone was going to push him from behind. Soon, Aiden heard the front door shut. He was relieved he was finally alone with Danny. He sat next to her on the bed in the spot Lucius had just vacated.

  "Are you alright?" he asked. "I heard some crying and saw Johnson holding you."

  "I'll be OK. Really, it's alright."

  He tried to hold her but she got up and started back into the closet taking clothes off of hangers.

  "Danny, please don't push me away! I want to help you." He pleaded with her.

  "It's not you. I've got a lot to work through." Staring into his blue eyes, her golden brown eyes started to well up. Defiantly she wiped at the tears and continued her work in the closet.

  "I'm going to ask you again to come back home with me. Lucius can get depositions from you anywhere. You know that you don't need to stay in Phoenix. We can start new, leave all this behind. Please say you'll do it!"

  Danny returned to the bed and took his large hand in hers. "I don't want to go to DC. I don't know what I want. I don't know how to get that through to you. I think we need to end whatever it was we started before all this. I don't mean to hurt you. It's just not the right time. I don't know if it will ever be. Please I need time away from all this."

  Her words swirled in his head stinging his heart. He felt as if the floor had suddenly dropped out from under him.

  "Danny please! Don't do this! We can make it work! I want to be there for you! Don't throw us away."

  "Us? There is no us! We have barely begun! I want you to think about this. You have told me you loved me several times now. Have I ever said it back? I do have feelings for you but I can't do this now! The last man I said I love you to ….tried to kill me!"

  She'd been so carried away with her emotions she'd almost told him about the rape. Danny started crying, throwing her favorite AC/DC t-shirt she had just taken off the hanger on the floor. She ran out of the room and down the stairs into the main hall. He followed after her.