Inseparable

by Missy Johnson

  “Yeah, I’m coming.” I said, yawning. What time was it? I felt my way to the door, using the tiny crack of light peeking through the bottom as my guide. Tripping over what I think was a shoe, I cursed.

  Kella and Fraser both stood in the hallway. I moved to let them in, turning on the light in the process. The brightness stung my eyes.

  “We got your message.” Kella said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay. Dane is asleep. I don’t know how he is coping, but I’m okay. What time is it?” I asked.

  “It’s nearly one in the morning.” Fraser replied sheepishly, sitting on the sofa with Kella, while I sat in the arm chair. “So, Reece came through?”

  “He did.” I began, filling them in on what had happened. “So now we have a website, a number, and no freaking idea what to do next.” I shrugged helplessly.

  “I know you’re reluctant to call the police-.”

  “Eva said calling the police would not be a good move, and as crazy as it sounds, I believe her. And what the hell am I supposed to tell the police about Abby?” I said, cutting Fraser off mid-sentence.

  “Let me finish.” Fraser said, shaking his head. “I know you’re reluctant to call the police, but I know a guy.” He paused and raised his eyebrows at me as I groaned. Another guy? “Aaron is a family friend, who works for the fraud department of the FBI. He’s a good guy.” He finished.

  “Fraud?” I repeated. What the hell does any of this have to do with fraud?

  “Well, I’m sorry I don’t know anyone in the ‘Special Victims Unit’.” He huffed, annoyed at my reaction. “He is in the FBI. It’s better than nothing.”

  He had a point. “Fine.” I sighed. “I suppose there’s no other option right now, is there?”

  The next afternoon, we all sat in Fraser and Kella’s room waiting for Aaron to arrive. Dane was looking good. He looked refreshed, as though he’d had a decent sleep. Catching my eyes, he smiled at me. My heartbeat fastened. Even with all this, his smile still sent me into a spin.

  Fraser stood to answer the knock on the door.

  “Hey man, thanks for coming.” Fraser gripped Aarons hand firmly. He had already filled Aaron in on the basic story.

  “Anytime, Frase.” Aaron replied. I immediately like him. He was genuine, polite, and he looked like he wanted to help, the complete opposite to Reece. “Hello guys.” He nodded to us, smiling.

  “Aaron, this is Kella, my girlfriend, Lily, her best friend, and Lily’s boyfriend Dane.” Fraser announced. Once all the formalities and small talk was out of the way, we sat down.

  “Okay, Dane.” He began, laptop poised. “Explain as much as you know about Steffy’s disappearance.”

  Dane ran through everything systematically, so as not to miss anything. He included our visit to Cole, Eva, and what Reece had found.

  “Good, that’s great.” Aaron began. He then turned to me. “Lily, Fraser said you were the one who was alerted to the possibility of Steffy being alive?”

  “Yes. My, uh, sister, who died last year. I still see her in dreams. Only their not dreams…” My voice trailed off as I felt everyone’s eyes on me, burning through me. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to continue. “Abby told me that Steffy was still alive. She also gave me Eva’s name, and where to find her.” I waited to see Aaron’s reaction. He was nodding, and tapping into his keyboard. I saw no judgment, or amusement in his expression. The pounding in my chest began to subside as I breathed out.

  Aaron hesitated. “I’m not here to judge you, Lily. I’ve never had a twin, so I don’t really think I’m even in the position to have an opinion on your situation, much less comment.” He said to me. Smiling, I nodded, appreciating his honesty.

  “Well, I think this is what we do.” Aaron said, addressing everyone. “I’m going to dig up as much information on this Rafel character, and I might have one of my guys look at this website if that’s okay?” He glanced at Dane and me. I looked at Dane, who nodded. “Once I have all the information possibly available to me, we will decide what the best way of moving forward is.” Aaron got up to leave, turning back to us once more.

  “If your sister gives you anything else, let me know.” He handed me a card. “I’ll be as quick as I can with all this, but it might take a day or so.” He added.

  We all stood up to walk him out.

  “Thanks Aaron.” Dane smiled. He looked almost relaxed, something I hadn’t seen in days.

  “What do you want to do today?” Dane asked. We were back in my room, at a loss of what to do next. We had done all we could for Steffy right now, the rest was in Aarons hands. I silently prayed that he would come through for us.

  “I want to sight see.” I grinned. Dane laughed, shaking his head.

  “Okay, Lil. Whatever you want. Where do you want to go?” He asked, amused.

  “Hmm. Central Park and the empire state building for a start!” I giggled. “From there, who knows?”

  “Get ready then, looks like I have a lot to show you,” he leaned down and kissed me, “I’ll be your tour guide for today,” he said huskily, his lips touching mine again. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I leaned into his kiss, wondering how such a simple act could render me almost senseless and unable to function.

  “Ready?” Dane grinned, hailing a taxi as I nodded. Having only seen central park west in the movies, it felt crazy that I was about to see it in real life. Watching the streets of New York fly by, or rather, crawl by, thanks to the backed up traffic, I felt a twinge of sadness.

  When we were younger, Abby and I had talked about taking a year off before college and seeing the country. The stop she was most looking forward to was New York. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine the person holding my hand right now was her, I imagined how happy she would be, and how much fun we would’ve had wreaking havoc on NYC.

  “Lil, we’re here.”

  Opening my eyes, I turned to Dane. He was smiling, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. I wondered what he was thinking. Had he been having the same thoughts about Steffy?

  We climbed out of the cab, the entrance to the park just ahead of us. Glancing up at the sky, all I could see was blue for miles. No clouds were in sight, whether wise, it was the perfect day. The lightest of all breezes softly rustled the treetops, sending stray leaves floating down to the ground. The park was busy, people walking dogs, people playing with kids, bike riders, walkers, it seemed as though everyone in the city was here, right now. We walked through the park, stopping to watch a busker playing a song on his guitar. He was pretty good too. Reaching into my pocket, I threw some change into his upturned hat. He winked at me, causing me to giggle.

  “Are you right?” Dane chuckled next to me.

  “Where now?” I asked softly, not sure the day could get any more perfect. “Well, I figured we can’t leave New York without trying some pizza,” he grinned, as my face lit up.

  “With extra anchovies?” I asked hopefully. He nodded, his nose screwing up in distaste.

  “And olives.” I added laughing, as he sighed, but nodded. “So where do we get this ‘amazing’ pizza?" I laughed, as Dane pulled out his cell.

  “Well, it’s a good thing I have an app for that.” He grinned. “Right, so we take a left up here, then walk two block and Tony’s Pizza should be on the right.”

  “Wow.” I said, laughing. “I’m impressed.” Dane made a face, which only fuelled my laughter.

  “Don’t say that until you try it.” He joked. We walked hand in hand following the directions provided on his cell, landing on the doorstep of Tony’s Pizza in under ten minutes.

  The place was small, but cozy, each table covered with a checkered red and white tablecloth. The aroma of pizza was making my mouth water, as the waiter sat us at a table in the corner, overlooking the street. He handed us our menus, and left us alone. Dane eyed me, as I sat with my menu closed, gazing out of the window.

  “Not hungry?” He teased. I poked my tongue out at him.

  “I am. I just kn
ow what I want.” I raised my eyebrows suggestively at him. He slammed his menu shut and gestured for the waiter to come over.

  “Me too.” He murmured, licking his lips as he stared at me. I laughed, loving that this corny guy was all mine.

  “You’re ready to order?” The waiter asked, pen poised.

  “She will have a pepperoni pizza, with olives and extra anchovies.” He shuddered. “And I’ll have the New York special.”

  “Anything to drink?”

  “Coke, please.” Dane said, looking at me.

  “Water for me, thanks.” I smiled. As soon as the waiter left, Dane reached across the table for my hand. His fingers gently played with Abby’s charm bracelet.

  “It’s very pretty. Like you.” He commented, studying each charm individually.

  “It was Abby’s. Each piece represents a moment in her life.” I smiled, looking at the bracelet. “Mom bought it for her when she got sick.”

  “It’s nice that you wear it every day.” Dane said softly.

  “It reminds me of the good times we had together. If I’m ever feeling sad, I can look at this and be happy. Like this one,” I said, pointing to the small martini glass. “I gave to her for our sixteenth birthday, after we got really drunk on Cosmopolitans after a marathon of Sex and the city.” I giggled, remembering how angry mom had been when she’d discovered how much we’d drunk.

  “And this one,” I pointed to the tiny charm shaped like a book. “Mom gave her that when she graduated high school. She was so sick, but determined to graduate.”

  “I love that you look at these and see happy memories, Lil.” Dane said, squeezing my hand, admiration in his eyes.

  The waiter placed our pizzas in front of us. They looked and tasted delicious, so much so that I was almost ready to pack up my bags and move to New York.

  “Good?” Dane asked. I nodded happily, unable to answer with my mouth full of pizza.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  After dinner, we headed to our final stop for the night, the Empire State Building. From the outside it was impressive. We waited in line with the other hundreds of people who apparently also could not leave New York without seeing it from the top of the building. Danes arm was snaked around my waist, as we waited for our turn.

  Finally, we were let through. Stepping out of the lift, the New York skyline hit me with all its breathtaking beauty. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and put the view from my room to shame.

  “It’s amazing,” I breathed, as I leaned against the railing. There were so many lights sparkling in the night, and it created the most beautiful picture.

  “Lily,” Dane whispered. I turned to face him. “Hold out your hand.” I did what he asked, confused. He placed something in the palm of my hand, wrapping my fingers tightly around it. Pulling my hand back, I opened it. There lay a tiny charm of the Empire State Building.

  “I wanted to get you something to show you how much I love you. I know it’s lame, but I wanted you to have a happy memory with me to add to your bracelet.” His voice was so low it was barely above a whisper as he waited for my reaction.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, wiping the tears from my eyes. The little charm sparkled as the light caught it. I held out my wrist for him to clip it on. “When did you even get this?” I asked.

  “The other night when I left you after Reece was here. I needed to walk, to get some fresh air. And I saw this in the window of a shop. As soon as I saw it I thought of you.” He rolled my wrist to admire the charm. It looked perfect, like it belonged there, among all the other memories.

  “I love you so much,” I said, smiling. I put my arms around his neck, gently stroking the back of his hair. “I can’t believe you did this for me.” I lifted my head, pressing my lips against his. This was the perfect end to a wonderful night.

  We arrived back at the hotel just after ten. Dane walked me to my room, I smiled shyly, so badly wanting him to come in, to spend the night with me.

  “Coming inside?” I asked coyly.

  “How can I say no to that?” He said, pressing me against the wall, kissing my neck. I could already feel his hardness pressing against me. With my back to the door, and my attention on Dane, I somehow managed to swipe my key and open the door. We stumbled inside, the door barely closed before he began ripping my clothes off.

  “In such a hurry.” I giggled, as he struggled to get my sweater over my head. His kissed my breasts, his hands working fast to unbuckle my jeans. Once undone, I wiggled free of them.

  “Oh!” I cried, shocked when he hoisted me onto his hips and carried me to the bedroom, his lips on mine the entire way. He lay me down on the bed, ripping his shirt off and hastily removing his pants. Kneeling before me, he grabbed hold of my panties and yanked them off, burying his mouth between my legs.

  “Good god, Dane!” I yelped, gripping the back of his head as his tongue worked its way deep inside of me. I was so ready, that reaching climax was not going to take long. His mouth hit a rhythm, circling the exact right spot. My toes curled over as I began to orgasm, every touch now wreaking sensitivity. “Yes! That’s it…oh god!” I gasped, my hands trying to force him deeper inside. I pushed him away as his touch became too much.

  “You taste so good.” He said, climbing on top of me on the bed. He moved my legs further apart, plunging himself inside me. He kissed me as I gasped, thrusting himself deeper inside of me. He kissed me again, I could taste myself on his lips, and his tongue. The pressure of the orgasm began to build as his movements increased in pace. I watched him as he reached his orgasm inside of me, the expression on his face making me feel so good. He slowed to almost a stop, still inside of me, his weight now pressing down on me. I kissed him, tiny shivers racing down my spine, both my body and mind still shocked that he was all mine.

  “Someone’s having fun.” Abby joked dryly, eyeing the naked form of Dane lying beside me. I resisted the urge to throw the sheet over him, which was ridiculous, because Abby’s spirit, or whatever this was, had probably seen everything, already. I blushed as I thought about what she might’ve seen.

  “I am having fun.” I replied honestly. “He is such a wonderful guy, Abs.”

  “I know.” She said simply. “Remember that, no matter what. Remember how much he loves you.” I was about to ask her what she meant by that when her expression turned serious. “Steffy is going to be gone by Sunday, Lil. You need to speed things up.”

  “Gone?” I repeated, alarmed. “What do you mean, gone?”

  “Any chance of finding her will be gone, too.” She added sadly.

  “Abby, give me something more.” I begged her. “Please, this is killing Dane.”

  “You need to get directly to the source.” Abby said softly. “The way you’re doing it, it’s not going to end the way you and Dane want it to.” Her words shot through my heart like a dagger.

  If we got this wrong, Steffy would die.

  “Shh, Lil, it’s okay.” My screaming lowered to a whimper as Dane gently woke me. “Shh, I’m here.” He held me in his arms, his hand stroking my soaked hair off my face. I was shivering, lying in a cold pool of sweat. Dane sat me up, and wrapped a fluffy white bathrobe around me. As my boy temperature began to rise, the shakes began to subside.

  “You’re okay.” Dane whispered, concern creasing his forehead. “Abby?” He asked softly. I nodded, not wanting to relay the dream to him, but knowing I had to.

  “She said we need to hurry.” I said, keeping the rest to myself for the time being. Picking up my cell, I checked the time. It was just after nine on Friday morning. “I’m going to call Aaron.” I said, forcing a smile and excusing myself to the bathroom. I dialed Aaron’s number. He answered after four rings.

  “Hi Aaron. It’s Lily Somerton here. We, uh, met yesterday?” I explained.

  “Lily, hi. How are you? You’ve actually saved me a phone call. I was just about to call you.” He said warmly. I tried to decipher through his voice whether it was good or bad new
s.

  “Oh?” I said.

  “Are you both free now? I can pop around to your hotel?” He said.

  “Sure.” I replied, not really having any other choice. “But while I have you…Something I didn’t really want to say in front of Dane.” I hesitated.

  “It’s okay, Lily. You can tell me anything.” He reassured me.

  “I saw Abby last night. She said Steffy would be gone by Sunday.” I relayed the whole message to him.

  “Thanks for that, Lily. Hopefully that won’t be an issue. I will see you both soon. Oh, what room number?” He asked. I told him, wondering why it wouldn’t be an issue. That had to be good news, right?

  Ending the call, I went out to get Dane out of bed. He was lying in the exact position I left him, fast asleep. I climbed onto the bed, and cuddling into him I began to kiss his cheek. He stirred, and smiled at me.

  “Hey, you okay now?” He asked me sleepily, wrapping his arms around me.

  I nodded. “Aaron will be here soon with some news, so you might want to get up.” I said.

  “Really?” Danes eyes widened as he pulled the covers off him. “Shit, that was quick.” He mumbled. I fumbled through my suitcase for a clean change of clothes, pulling out a bra, underpants, a shirt, but no pants. Glancing at Dane to make sure he wasn’t looking, I picked up yesterday’s pair and sniffed them.

  “How do they smell?” Dane chuckled. Rolling my eyes, I made a face at him.

  “They smell fine, thanks.” He had to turn right at that moment? “I’ve only warn them one day, and I didn’t pack enough.” I protested as he laughed. Just as I was pulling on my shirt, a loud knock rang through the room.

  Dane quickly dressed as I went to the door. As soon as he was decent, I opened it.

  “Hi Aaron.” I smiled as he walked in.

  “Hey Lily. Dane.” He nodded to us and waited until we moved toward the sofa before he followed.

  “So,” Aaron began once we were all seated. “I’ve had my guys run over Rafel, and as it turns out, the drug squad have been watching him for the last eight months. He has been linked to quite a large cocaine ring running out of Bolivia.”