by Sarah Markel
“Can’t you get her to cooperate?” Cordy pinned the attorney with an icy stare.
“She’s doing my job for me,” Fritz Hemmler replied with a shake of his head.
Cordy ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. She hadn’t wanted to use the poor girl to bait her aunt, but Cordy was running out of ideas. With a sigh, she flipped open the folder that rested on the table beside her.
“Alright, let’s talk about something else, then,” she said as she withdrew a photocopy of the letter that had been found in Melissa’s room.
She slid the paper across the table and watched Lilah’s expression morph from condescension to outright disgust.
“I don’t want to talk about that filth,” Lilah said, shoving the page back at Cordy.
Cordy shrugged. “Okay, then just listen,” she said with a smile.
“My dear Melissa, I know you probably don’t want to hear from me, but I think it’s time to tell you the truth. I know I’ve never done anything kind or helpful to you, but you are now at an age where you need to know what really happened.”
“I don’t deny that I hurt you, or that I signed the adoption papers for Ezra and Lilah to adopt you. I have no excuse for the way you were treated, except that I was in a dark place and should never have kept you.”
“If I could go back and do it over again, I would have placed you for adoption with a loving family on the day you were born. I want you to know that from the day I found out I was pregnant, I was certain that Raegan Bellasco was your father.”
“I told him of my pregnancy with you, and he did not take the news well. He made a mistake that cost a little girl her life, and his family blamed me for it. They payed me a lot of money to never contact any member of the family again, and threatened to have me arrested if I did.”
“Your Uncle Ezra has sent me photos of you, every year, and I can see that you are growing up to be a beautiful young woman. You look a lot like I did at your age. Sadly, that is the reason for this letter. I need to warn you, Melissa, about your aunt.”
“Lilah is a very domineering woman, as I am sure you know by now. She and your uncle began dating when I was fifteen, but it wasn’t until two years later that I realized just how dangerous she is.”
“One day, shortly after my seventeenth birthday, I was on my way to hang out with some friends. Lilah was in the living room with Ezra and our parents when I came down stairs, and he glanced up at me when I announced I was leaving.”
“Lilah looked at me too, and I could see pure hatred in her eyes when she saw her boyfriend smiling at me. She complimented my outfit and insisted on walking me out. When we were outside on the porch, she called me horrible names and said I was the embodiment of everything that was wrong with girls. She said I was flaunting myself at the boys and distracting them from the way of the Lord.”
“I brushed her off and told her she needed to lighten up and get laid. Your aunt and I never saw eye to eye on anything, especially after that night. Three years later, a few months after Lilah and Ezra married, I was attacked by a group of men in the park. They held me down and forced themselves on me. One of the men told me that he had a message for me from Lilah.”
“See where dressing like a slut gets you?”
“Stop!” Lilah boomed, slapping her hands on the table, “That whore is a liar. She’s just trying to hurt my family.”
“So, you decided to hurt hers instead?” Cordy asked, not bothering to hide the accusation in her tone. She tucked the letter back into the folder and folded her hands on the table.
“You intercepted the letter, didn’t you? Melissa told Agent Prescott she’d never received a letter from her mother.”
Lilah sneered. “I’ve been Melissa’s mother since she was five. She has no need to hear the lies her incubator is spreading.”
“Why did you put her in with the others? From all accounts, Melissa isn’t anything like them.”
Lilah smiled and seemed to swell with pride. “My Melissa is nothing like those sluts.”
“Then why put her with them?”
Lilah met Cordy’s eyes with hatred. “Because she’s been led astray by your kind. She needed some time to get her priorities back in order. I hadn’t intended on abducting her, but she saw me coming out of the cellar. I was never going to hurt her.”
“You don’t think you hurt her?” Cordy asked with disdain, “You injected her with a powerful sedative and chained her to a post in a basement. The emotional trauma of being in a dark room with no way out is going to cause that girl more pain than any abuse she’s ever endured.”
Lilah’s expression fell, and she dropped her gaze to her hands. “She would have been out of there right away if she’d just admitted her sin,” she said, the earlier vehemence gone from her voice.
“Her sin?” Cordy asked. Now that she was getting somewhere, she wanted to keep the woman talking.
“You don’t really think any of those girls are innocent, do you?” Lilah snapped, narrowing her eyes at the Lieutenant.
“I think those girls are children,” Cordy replied flatly.
“They stopped being children when they started flaunting their bodies,” Lilah replied hotly, “I saw the pictures those harlots sent to my kids. Innocent children don’t do things like that. They’re just like Ruth; throwing their bodies at weak-willed men, leading them down the path of damnation.”
“I’ve seen the pictures too, Lilah. We’ve looked through Zeke and Melissa’s phones. None of the girls sent nude or revealing photos. What sin did they commit?”
“They were trying to lead my boy away from God! There’s no worse sin than that,” Lilah’s face reddened as anger built inside her.
“What about Melissa? Was Piper Franks trying to lead her away from God by sending a photo of her holding a puppy?”
“Oh, please,” Lilah scoffed, “her expression in that picture spoke volumes. She’s enamored of Melissa.”
Cordy huffed in frustration. “Do you even know why you did this? Did you even have a logical plan?”
“Of course, I did,” Lilah sat back in her chair and glared at Cordy, “Those girls were never in any danger. I fed them, I made sure they showered. I even told them how to free themselves. They are the reason they were down there for so long.”
Distaste tugged at Cordy’s freckled features. “You’re blaming them?”
“Who else would I blame?” Lilah asked casually.
“I think we should take a break,” Fritz cut in, “My client is obviously delirious.”
Cordy nodded. Delirious wasn’t the word she’d have used, but she agreed with the attorney. She ended the interview and opened the door to admit the large female officer that would escort Lilah back to her cell.
“If you decide to talk, just let me know,” she said as the officer hefted Lilah to her feet, “I’ll be talking with Zeke in a bit. I bet he’s much more talkative than you are.”
Lilah’s eyes flashed and Cordy was grateful for the officer’s strong grip. “You bitch,” the older woman spat, “you leave my son alone. He’s just a boy, he’s not culpable in any of this.”
Cordy stood and shook her head. “He’s not just a boy anymore, Lilah. You took his childhood when you convinced him to help you with your little project.”
Epilogue
Dani let out an excited squeal as Max unlocked the door of their new house. She clapped her hands happily and stepped into the small foyer ahead of her wife. “I can’t believe we got such a good price on this house!”
Max chuckled and moved to stand behind her wife. She placed her hands on Dani’s hips and looked around the empty space.
“I can,” she replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Dani’s head, “Lasco’s family was tired of paying for the upkeep. And the security guards they added after it got out that the property was used as a snatch point, must have cost them a fortune.”
Dani shrugged and leaned back against Max’s chest. “I’m just glad we got it. I do
n’t care who used to own it; nothing bad happened here, so I am happy it’s ours. And, since we have a whole month before we start at the Salem field office, we can actually unpack our stuff and make this place a home.”
Max smiled. She was just as excited as her wife about their new start. The idea of having a home with Dani, not just a house or a place to stay, made her feel warm and tingly inside.
To her surprise, Max had been plagued with dreams of starting a family with her wife ever since signing the papers on the house, which both delighted and terrified the woman.
Kids were something Dani and Max had never really discussed. Max wasn’t sure she wanted children, but she would never deny her wife the joy of motherhood. On their wedding day, Max promised to do whatever she needed to make Dani happy. If that meant kids, then so be it.
As was all too common in their job, Max and Dani weren’t able to see the Falls City case through. They’d been kept in the loop by Agent Frost and Lieutenant Weston, though.
Lilah Fisk had been charged and convicted of seven counts of kidnapping. She was sentenced to forty-years in prison, which was enough to ensure the woman would never be a threat to other young women.
Ezekiel Fisk struck a deal with the Prosecutor’s Office. He was only charged with hindering prosecution, receiving a five-year sentence in exchange for testifying against his mother.
Ezra and Elijah were devastated at learning what Lilah had done, and that she had recruited her son to help her. Ezra filed for divorce as soon as the charges were made public, and severed all ties with his wife.
Melissa went back to live with her uncle, who sobbed as he embraced her. He promised that her life would be better and that nothing and no one would ever hurt her again. Melissa took advantage of the card Dani gave her, and called the redhead many times when she was feeling lost.
Despite her insistence that she would move away from Falls City when she turned eighteen, Melissa had stayed behind with her uncle and cousin. She no longer covered herself so thoroughly, even in public. That step had been achieved with the encouragement of her now-fiancée, Piper Franks.
“Good morning, neighbors,” Cordy’s voice echoed through the room as she stepped into the house with another woman in tow.
“Hi, Cordy,” Dani greeted happily. When they’d first toured the house, Max and Dani discovered that it was less than a five-minute walk from their home to Cordy’s.
“We wanted to officially welcome you to the neighborhood,” Cordy said, slipping her arm around the other woman’s waist, “Max, Dani, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Jenica. Honey, these are the agents that helped us catch Lilah Fisk.”
Jenica Weston extended her hand with a smile. “It’s lovely to meet you both,” she said, her lyrical voice soft and sweet.
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Dani said, shaking Jenica’s hand, “I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet before now. Things have been kind of crazy lately.”
Jenica smiled knowingly. “No worries, Mate, I understand. I remember what relocating is like.”
Cordy draped her arm over her wife’s shoulder and hugged her close. “We’ll have plenty of time to get all friendly and shit once you’re settled. We just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the neighborhood. I’m glad you bought this house,” she added solemnly.
“It’s too gorgeous to be left to rot. Lasco was a douche at the best of times, but he did have great taste in architecture.”
Max and Dani saw the momentary sadness in their friend. Although they had both helped to bring bad cops to justice in the past, neither had been affected personally by it.
Cordy may not have liked her colleague, but he was a colleague just the same. Max and Dani weren’t sure either of them would be able to handle it with the decorum that Cordy had.
“I can’t wait to get started on repainting it,” Dani said, breaking the uncomfortable silence, “hey, would you two like to help us?”
“We’re having a paint party tomorrow. Frost is bringing her wife. Alicia and JC are coming, too, as are a few of the parents of the girls we rescued. I’m not sure how we ended up inviting Alicia and JC, but they are a hoot.”
Max chuckled and glanced sheepishly at her wife. She’d extended the invitation to the bartender when they’d arrived, earlier in the day. The couple had reached Falls City at lunch time, and decided to grab a bite to eat at the bar. Alicia and JC were there, having lunch as well, and official introductions were made.
“I knew you weren’t just some school teacher,” Alicia had chortled, “You looked way too uncomfortable in your own skin. Teachers have this vibe, especially around here. You just know when they are around. It’s not a bad thing, just noticeable.”
Max shot her wife a contemptuous glare when Dani snorted, but smiled at the tall, boisterous blonde. The two couples finished their meal over friendly chatter, and Max bid them goodbye with the invitation to the paint party.
“I like Alicia,” Jenica laughed, “she’s so bold and brash, not afraid to say anything that pops into her head. JC is great, too. She and Cordy always end up talking about the most random stuff when we’re down at the bar.”
Max and Dani smiled and walked their friends out. They said their goodbyes and waved from the covered wrap-around porch as Cordy and Jenica headed down the street.
“I like them,” Dani said, curling herself against Max’s chest, “I think this will be a great new start for us.”
Max wrapped her arms around her wife and led them back inside. “I agree, babe. We haven’t even got furniture yet, and this place already feels like home. You ready to head into Salem and start filling this place up?”
Dani’s eyes lit up and she clapped like an excited child. “Yay! You know how much I love shopping, honey. We need to make sure we focus on the bedroom furnishings, first.”
Max frowned and looked down into Dani’s gleaming blue eyes. “Why is that?”
A twinkle brightened Dani’s face, and a seductive smile spread across her features. “We have a bedroom to christen,” she replied, her voice deep and husky.
A shiver shot through Max and she kissed Dani passionately. “We have much more than a bedroom to break in, sweetheart,” she said softly against Dani’s lips, “We have a whole house.”
Dani hummed at the challenge and pressed herself against Max. “Then we better get going, so we can get back and get started.”
Max laughed and took Dani’s hand. She made sure to lock the door behind them and walked hand-in-hand with her wife to the car, waving casually to the elderly neighbor across the street.
“Alright, Agent Prescott,” Max said as she slid into the driver’s seat, “ready to start on the most expensive assignment of your life? It might get a bit pricey at times, but with your talents, I’m sure our checkbook will survive.”
Dani smiled brightly at her wife. “I was born ready for this op, Agent Prescott, you can count on me.”
Max barked out a laugh and pulled the car out of the drive. “That’s what I love about you, Dani; you always go with the flow.”
Dani smirked and shifted in her seat to face Max. She fixed a pout on her face and straightened her back, bringing her bountiful cleavage to the forefront. “Is that all you love about me, Max?” she inquired playfully.
“No,” Max said, obviously struggling to keep her eyes on the road, “I love everything about you, Dani.”
“What’s wrong, honey?” Dani asked, sliding her hand onto Max’s thigh, “Why won’t you look at me?”
Max sucked in a breath and shifted uncomfortably, attempting to ignore the sensations shooting through her.
“Because, baby, I know what you’re doing. If I look over at you, I’m going to get distracted by your amazing breasts. A distracted driver is a careless driver.”
Dani laughed and righted herself in her seat, leaving her hand on Max’s thigh. “I love you, Max, you’re so easy to rile up.”
Max grinned and drove them out of the city. “You can ril
e me up later,” she said, slipping a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.
“For right now, let’s just enjoy the shopping trip. Once we go back to work, we aren’t going to have many chances to just hang out and shop.”
“I know,” Dani replied with a sigh, “but I’m okay with that. Until we decide to have a baby, that is. Then I’ll get to shop to my heart’s content.”
Max nearly swerved off the road at Dani’s declaration. “What?” she squeaked. Dani turned her head slowly to smile devilishly at her wife.
“Nothing, sweetheart,” she replied calmly, “just trying out ideas to fill the three extra bedrooms. I mean, a four-bedroom house is a lot for just the two of us. Wouldn’t it be great to have a house full of little Max’s running around?”
Max swallowed hard and drummed her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. “I’d rather have a house full of little Dani’s running around. They’re smaller and easier to contain.”
Dani tossed her head back and laughed heartily at the joke. “You crack me up, Max. The look on your face just now was priceless!”
Max breathed a sigh of relief. She’d thought Dani was serious. “That was just plain mean, Daniela.”
“Oh, lighten up, Mackenzie,” Dani retorted, “I might want kids at some point, but for right now, I’m happy and content with just the two of us. Besides,” she added mischievously, “I want to be the only one you are holding at three in the morning.”
Max smiled and pulled Dani’s hand off her thigh. Bringing it to her lips, she placed a gentle kiss on Dani’s fingers. “Always, sweetheart. You will always be the one I hold at three in the morning.”
Dani sighed contentedly and dropped her head against the headrest. She didn’t care what happened in the future. With Max by her side, life couldn’t get any better.
No matter what their job put them through, no matter what life threw at them, Dani knew they could handle it together. Falls City would be the breeding ground for whatever the future had in store for the couple, and Dani was ready.
