Doggett:
The room was awash with the soft gray of late evening when the phone rang. All I heard was the faint sound of the television underneath the shrill ring. I had most likely dozed off on the couch after leaving Monica in the bedroom to nap her grief and sickness away. It must have been at least four hours. There was no timepiece close by to confirm my thoughts and my watch was resting on the kitchen bench after I'd removed it to do some cleaning. I was never one to sleep during the day; there were always jobs to be done, something to fix, to clean, to investigate. Briefly looking back over the events of the last few days had clearly taken their toll on my system.
Sitting up a little too quickly to answer the call before it disturbed Monica, I felt a wave of dizziness overcome me. Briefly resting my fingers on my forehead I got my bearings before standing to answer the call.
"Di Salvo." That learned reply came out all too easily and I wondered for how long I would need to use it. The feeling hit me again that this existence was all too ephemeral. The end was in sight, but what end, I had no way of knowing.
Roxanne sounded angry, irritable and depressed all at once. She had lost someone close to her, someone who had come into her life suddenly and had left the same way.
"John, this is Roxanne." As I listened to her message I knew that my fears were being realized. The Feds were now closer on our trail and it was only a matter of time before this could all blow up in our faces.
"Roxanne, I'm coming over." Also fearing the tapping of our phone line, she agreed and I found myself writing Monica a note explaining where I would be for the next hour or so. A small part of me was concerned for her safety but the other part said I would only be a short time away. She was a federal agent and was trained to look after herself.
Jeremy let me through the front door and walked me to Roxanne's office. She was sitting on a couch in the area of the room away from her desk. As I passed the large furniture item I remembered that time Monica and myself had cleared it and made love there as a dinner party was still transpiring in the other room. Roxanne had caught us in the act but had seemed amused rather than annoyed.
"Don't think you're the ones who christened it." What was it about females? Could all of them read men's minds? Her momentary laughter was a pleasant sign, punctuating the somber mood that still hung in the air. I looked at her from the corner of my eyes and gave a slight smile.
"So what's this about the FBI searching this place?" Her disposition then reverted to how it had been as I'd first entered the room but I didn't want to beat around the bush. The shit was beginning to hit the fan and I needed to know every detail to deal with it.
"They were in my house for eight hours today, combing through everything to find something on Eric." I listened as she continued. "They accused me of harboring him. Why is that John? I know he is....." She choked on her words and then resumed her composure. "I knew.... he was a hacker and did other illegal shit but this seems over the top."
"Roxanne, he blew up a building remember, a large facility, killing hundreds of people and causing major damage."
Her head rested in her hands, shaking.
"But he's dead. Monica told me herself. You saw the body too." I nodded half-heartedly. "This seems more than that. It's as though they know something that we don't. I've dealt with law enforcement before John, believe me, in my line of work I get the law breathing down my neck all the time trying to find any loopholes to hang me with. This is different, it's almost as though they think he's still alive." We exchanged an enlightening glance for an instant and she continued more slowly, "Is he really dead? I don't know; I have this feeling that I'm not totally convinced."
"Funny you should say that, I'm not convinced either." Her eyes opened with some hope as she followed my words. "I'm still waiting on dental records and DNA tests that I ordered."
"But Monica said the body had his tattoo." As her face looked up I saw a Roxanne who showed vulnerability and for a moment she looked very attractive. She was a beautiful woman, but it was only then that I saw what Eric saw. If he was indeed alive, how could he stay away from this woman, leaving her stranded with her despair?
"The body was badly burned and disfigured." As I said this, a slight furrow appeared on her brow and I knew I had to tread carefully with my words. "Yes, it looked like Eric's tattoo, very much like it, but in my mind that is not conclusive proof." Her face showed some glimmer of hope but I knew how she would still feel. The days of waiting when Luke had disappeared, and then was found dead in a field, were the most painful of my life. Maybe that spark of hope would keep her going.
The buzzer sounded on Roxanne's desk. She looked at me then stood and answered it.
"Ms. Derrik, they're back."
"Yes?"
"Those two FBI agents, will I let them in?"
.....................
Roxanne saw my slight nod and knew it wasn't worth antagonizing them. To go along with their wishes would make it easier on her life in the long run.
"Let them through, Dave." She released the call button and took a deep breath and smoothed her clothes down. "Do you want to stay? There's a back door."
"I'll wait and support you. It seems they have their sights on Eric, not Monica and me just now." As soon as I'd said that I changed my mind. If the FBI was here in Vegas and was after Eric then there was every good chance they knew exactly where we were.
As I heard the footsteps coming from down the hall I knew it was too late to check on Monica's well being, my stomach churned and my teeth ground itching to know that my partner was safe. It wasn't so long ago Monica and I would have made those sets of footfalls. The thought of going back to that life in the near future was unimaginable. When the time came we would return and would see where life would take us but somehow this new existence of ours excited me. It was making a new life in my newly found relationship. How many people my age could boast such a thrilling change of direction? Apart from the immediate threat, I had been the happiest in a long time.
"Ms. Derrik? The two agents from this morning to see you."
"All right Jeremy, show them in." We both stood indicating the gravity of the encounter and our plans to rally head on. As the two men entered, my face changed from nondescript to annoyance, my lips pursed and my brow furrowed with irritation.
The mere sight of these men, especially one, made my blood simmer. Roxanne saw my reaction.
"You know him, John." I glared at her affirming her statement. She gave a knowing chuckle and a shoulder shrug that suggested to me that there was no love lost between them either.
"Agent Weller, Agent Follmer." I seethed.
"Ah, Agent Doggett, how fortunate, just nice timing to kill two birds with one stone." That blond haired, self-righteous faced bastard knew how to push my buttons. He turned to his partner, "Bill, go and talk to Ms Derrik's 'friend' will you, I can handle it here." Weller had often volunteered to partner Follmer on executing his dirty work. He was a lily-livered disciple, always trying to get into Follmer's favor. I despised weak attitudes such as that. Weller nodded quickly and exited.
Follmer with hands in pockets walked over to Roxanne's desk and perched his ass there on the edge. Roxanne walked closer to me as if silently joining forces against the antagonist. This surprisingly calmed me. We had been at loggerheads in the past but here we'd ironically found some common ground against the very organization I worked for.
"I've just been waiting for the right time to confront you, now is as good a time as any. Ms. Derrik, I'll deal with you soon." His face turned stern as he looked back at me. "You and Agent Reyes have some serious charges to answer for back at DC, Agent Doggett."
"And what, Agent Follmer could those be?" No way was I going to just let him walk all over me. "Hmm, let me see," he mused. "Aiding and abetting, conspiring to sabotage a military facility, fugitive from justice, to name a few. The others I still have to come to terms with. I cannot understand how a man such as yourself, a pillar of the community, someone who always takes the law into full regard, could stoop so low."
"So low, Follmer? Trying with all our might from this side of the country to find a way to stop this current world threat, and you know what I'm talking about, that is stooping so low?"
He just looked at us and in his annoying way, changed the subject. "So how's your dear friend Monica, or should I say Ms. Rossi soon to be Mrs. Doggett, or will that be Mrs. di Salvo?"
A tsunami was building inside my body and was soon to reach its zenith. My psyche had been scarred from years of blame for the death of my son; I would protect Monica with my very life.
"You better not lay a fucking finger on Monica or I'll....." He didn't let me finish.
"Or you'll what, Agent Doggett?" From the mere tone of voice, and his arrogant stance, I knew something was terribly wrong.
He continued on without waiting for my rejoinder. "Yes, I know all about what you've been doing here Mr. Doggett. You're just lucky we've been patient. Just thank your friend Eric Duarte for that. Seems he's a bigger celebrity than you." My jaw was grinding as he continued.
He looked across to Roxanne who was hanging on his every word with a smirk.
"So how did you do it?"
"Do what?" Roxanne simply said.
Follmer's eyes slipped closed for a moment then averted back to mine as he spoke,
"How did you get Doggett here to perform for your 'tasteful' videos?"
"That's none of your fucking business." Roxanne fumed.
"Ah, but it's your fucking business, that's what you have here." His eyes grew wide as he stood and walked towards us, thinking his statement very amusing. He glared straight into my eyes and all I saw were devilish red flames in his pupils, "Where's the love of your life?"
My cell phone suddenly burnt a hole in my pocket. With carefully hidden anxiety I punched in the numbers of our apartment while staring at Follmer with daggers. Four, five,... ten rings and there was no reply. Each time I heard the empty pulse echo back at me, it added one more portion of detestation for this man before me. That snide expression, the calm stance of a man with all too much power reminded me of the enemy in a war, inwardly laughing over capturing his prisoners and watching them plead for their lives.
Fury welled inside me. I'd never deliberately hurt a man in anger but when it impacted on the love of my life and our child growing inside her, my primal instincts took over. My face changed from solemn to rage as I walked over to him and grabbed him by the shirt collar. I wanted to wipe that smug expression right off his face.
"You bastard!" By this stage he was up against the closest wall and I was leaning my weight on him feeling his breath on my face. "What have you done with her?"
He just laughed which made my blood boil even further. "I'll kill you if you lay one finger on her."
"Why Agent Doggett, she's in safe hands." I pushed him so hard into the wall it must have left an impression.
"I don't know how you got off that murder charge, but for the life of me Monica better be safe or I'll find something on you so dirty it'll send your sorry carcass to the prison where it should be right now you motherfucker!"
"I'm going to ask you to let go," he said too calmly for me to respond.
"Where is she?" I yelled in his face.
"Let go and I'll tell you."
"Let the bastard go John." Roxanne's voice came from behind me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. "He's not worth it. You need to do as he says, for all our sakes, for Eric's." As her words began to make sense I slowly let go of the ball of fabric in my fist, never taking my eyes off my opponent's face.
"She's very wise." His face went from smug to serious as he readjusted his clothing. "Come back with me to DC for the hearing and we'll all go together, you, me and Agent Reyes." He placed a hand on my elbow urging me to go with him. Repelling like magnetic poles my elbow pulled away, my chest heaving with fury.
"Say your goodbyes to your 'boss' here Agent Doggett, it may be a long time until you see her again." He smirked as he circled the room.
Roxanne gave me a look of 'I don't need to tell you what to do now' and I knew I had to go back to face the music, for all our sakes. We stood there just looking at each other for minutes almost reading each other's thoughts.
..............................
Roxanne:
I stood there exchanging looks with John as Follmer amused himself with his sense of authority in the situation. I know that John wanted to wipe the smug off of his face but he didn't need to make matters any worse for himself or Monica. However, that didn't really apply to me.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked Follmer sarcastically.
Follmer raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
"I get this feeling that the two of you already hate each other and since you have the upper hand in this situation you must enjoy making people miserable." My voice started to carry across the house.
Follmer stepped up to me face to face. "And you think that I can't make you miserable, is that it? You think you're an exception?"
I cracked a slight smile. "You bet your ass I'm the exception. I don't give a fuck who you think you are. I don't care what you have to say or what you do to me. You can't make me budge."
John placed a hand on my shoulder this time. "Are you finished?" he asked.
"I'm not," Follmer continued as he kept his eyes on me. "You think Eric was such a saint, don't you? He'd never cheat on you, he'd never ditch you to save his own ass which is probably what he would have done had he survived...."
"What are you getting at Agent Follmer?" I pressed.
Follmer rolled his eyes upward and let out an obnoxious sigh. "I probably shouldn't even tell you, but it would give me great pleasure in doing so..."
"Spit it out, asshole." I barked. I was about ready to deck this prick once and for all.
Follmer bent down as to whisper in my ear. "Well, your loverboy wasn't the faithful man you wanted him to be, my dear. We had remains of what appeared to be a female companion. There was semen found in her clothing and on the evidence that we have it matches him to a tee."
As he stood back my eyes widened and my jaw dropped so far open I could drag it on the floor. I had all I could do not to kick him in the balls, but in my rage of that last statement I lunged at him and got a hold of his tie as John pulled me away from him. "Roxanne, he's not worth it!" John yelled. John successfully separated me from the jerk and I let go of his tie.
"Keep going and I'll arrest you for assaulting a federal agent." Follmer added as he straightened his tie.
I shook my head. "They'd have to find your body first."
"Well, Agent Doggett, shall we?" Follmer extended his hand out for John toward the front of the premises. "There is a plane waiting. Ms. Derrik, it's been a pleasure."
"You'll NEVER have the pleasure, babe." I shot back.
John looked back at me. "I'll call you." He said as he left with Agent Follmer. Jeremy closed the door behind the two agents and walked up to me.
"How did it go, Jer?" I asked my bodyguard.
"The usual shit. Asking me how long Eric stayed here...shit like that. I hope this is over soon. I hate cops." Jeremy said as he put his hands on his hips.
"So do I, Jer...so do I. I think this is bigger, though. I have this weird feeling that they are trying to disprove his death rather than proving it by the way they have been searching and bugging this place." I remembered when Monica had told me she had seen Eric's body. It made me wonder if any DNA testing or dental tests had been done as John ordered. "Jer, isn't your brother part of Metro?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I need you to get me some information from the coroner..." I mumbled off as I went back to my office and started on the combination to the safe in the wall. Once that was opened I handed Jeremy a stack of cash to bribe his brother with so I could get some inside info. "You know what to do, right?"
"Can I beat him up?" Jeremy joked.
"Only if he tries to arrest you..." I laughed. "Get goin'. The sooner I hear an answer the calmer I'll be."
"What if the Feds follow?"
"Let them. Just be discreet on where you meet him. Besides, they are interested in me. If Eric truly were alive he'd try to contact me not you."
Jeremy stuck the cash in his lapel and darted off as I stayed in my office simmering over what Follmer had blurted into my ear about Eric's semen being in that woman's clothes. Maybe I was in denial of that, but something told me that he had his reason for going that far...or maybe he was just thinking with his dick like every other guy I have fucked. Either way, I needed to know some facts relating to his death. The only thing I could do now was wait.
I sat down at my desk to check my website email. I had talent scouts out looking for some fresh blood for different photo shoots and filming shoots that were going to get back to me, so I logged on and searched my mail. I quickly read through the scout mails from Los Angeles and saw the same blonde crap as I have seen here. Why did I have to be so damned picky? I guess it came from the overload of blonde enhanced bimbos from the Playboy mansion. I was trying to do my stuff a little more tastefully, but I guess that's why I called them adult films and not porn. My mind was too polluted with thoughts of Eric to give a crap about porn at the time. John and Monica were gone to D.C. only to return God knows when. I set my head down against my arms on the desk and dozed off, hoping Jeremy would call me with some sort of news.
I woke up to the sound of my computer telling me I had some new email. My eyelids were heavy, my neck was stiff and my eyes were barely in focus. I slowly sat up and rested against the back of my chair, trying to shake this miserable feeling off. I felt empty, angry, and confused all at once. I just hoped to hell that I wouldn't have to see Follmer or his limp-dick sidekick again for a while. The computer beeped again and my email icon was flashing on the screen.
It was probably another scout to show me another blonde bimbo that I wasn't interested in. I slowly reached for the mouse, my arm aching as I stretched, and clicked on the email icon. My inbox list came up and I saw the new email at the top. There was no return address listed which I thought odd. I always thought that there was a return address on all email, which made me think it could be a virus from an unwanted source. I reached for the phone and dialed up my business building again, this time I dialed my server room.
"Hey, this is Roxanne. Have you guys done the back ups yet for today?" I paused and waited for my affirmation. "Okay, thanks." I hung up the phone and clicked on the mystery email against my better judgment. I guess I was holding onto any shred of hope that the body downtown wasn't Eric's and that he may try to contact me somehow if he were alive. The email opened, but the screen was just blank. I shook my head at my own foolishness. Shot in the dark and I miss each time. I rubbed my eyes and leaned against my elbows in my desk. I looked up in time to see the screen flash and display a short message that appeared to be in Spanish: "No soy muerto." I quickly clicked on the respond button but the message disappeared.
I went back to the inbox and it totally vanished before I could get a location off of the IP sender. I slammed my hands on my keyboard and mumbled a few profane words. Was that Eric trying to tell me something or was this someone's idea of a really bad fucking joke? As I fumed, my cell phone rang in my pocket. I took it out and answered it.
"Roxanne Derrik."
"Ms. Derrik? It's Jeremy."
I sat up straight in my chair. "What do you have, Jer?"
"This may be a long shot, but my brother had to go through a few people to get the info you wanted." Jeremy started to say with a little doubt in his voice.
"I don't care, Jeremy. Spill the beans."
"The dental comparisons and the DNA comparisons came back inconclusive. They can't find any records of Eric Duarte even existing anymore; it was almost as if he were a ghost or something. It seems like they weren't totally convinced he was dead, which makes sense as to why they were looking around at your estate."
I sat silent for a moment. Of all outfits the FBI can't even confirm a simple death. They are trying to prove that he is still alive. "Thanks, Jer. Tell your brother I owe him one." I ended the call and sat back into my chair, holding my breath for some sure sign of life or death.
.................................
Chapter Forty-One
Doggett:
Three months later
My eyes opened gradually, slowly focusing on Monica's dress, which cascaded from a hanger in front of our bedroom closet. It was deep burgundy damask she'd told me. It had a round neck and narrow straps, which showed off her porcelain shoulders and neck. The dress fitted her perfectly ending just above the knees. It left a little room at the front for her expanding belly. She didn't want a white wedding and pay a fortune for a dress, instead she wanted to save that money and put it towards our family.
Back in DC I'd resurrected my original suit but decided against wearing it when Monica had politely offered to take me shopping for a new one. We chose a deep blue with matching vest, white button up shirt and blue and burgundy tie. My wife to be assured me it was perfect and I remembered in the dressing room her telling me so with her actions. She'd pinned me against the wall and slowly kissed me. Her lips had moved on mine in such a way that showed all the love she had for me deep inside her. Her hands had roamed my body finding those spots that drove me wild with desire. The way she could make me hot for her in an instant still amazed me. We'd gone home and made love all afternoon. I smiled into the pillow remembering all the times we just had fun together since returning from DC. Before Monica there were very few times I'd had fun. Life and work were all too serious for me.
Today was our wedding day and I found myself feeling a little nervous. It surprised me, but for the first time since Monica and myself had decided to marry I began to wonder if we should be going ahead with this.
Marriage was for keeps. As I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling I thought back to my first wedding when I'd experienced similar misgivings. A knot tied in my stomach. Would this woman lying beside me and myself end up like Barbara and me and not focus on each as much when our baby came along? I was not often at home after Luke was born. It was either work commitments or the study I did part time that kept me from many of the engagements that father and son usually participated in together. There had been many sleepless nights and tense days before we'd mutually decided to end the marriage.
Rolling over in bed to face my partner and seeing her serene, beautiful sleeping face made me expel many of my fears. Our relationship was poles apart. Monica was a completely different person to Barbara, with contrasting personalities, desires, hopes and achievements. This marriage would work; I would make it successful no matter what. This baby I would be there for every step of the way. My new job would allow me to be home every evening and to spend most weekends with my new family.
All our current circumstances meant my life with Monica would be novel and unique.
Since moving all her belongings out of her apartment and me selling my house in Falls Church and both of us moving here to Vegas to settle down, our lives had been exciting and fresh. A year ago I would never have thought I'd be getting married again, having another child let alone being dismissed from the FBI and getting a new job in private business.
It all caught up with me as I watched Monica's lips move and her mouth open seductively in her sleep. I wanted to kiss those lips awake, but was content to just bask in her beauty and the contentment I felt just lying next to her in bed. My fingers traced over her face not quite touching the skin. The heat rose from her flesh hitting my hand and reminding me of the passion that was stored deep inside her perfect body. As my hand traced the contours of her torso just above the bed covers, I silently spoke the wedding vows we had made together, especially for this exceptional day.
Your love for me is unconditional,
Your face is a cover of the beauty held within,
Your body I hold near and treasure its comfort,
Your soul I will take and blend with my own.
My love for you holds no boundaries,
My face now shows smiles once stored deep inside,
My body waltzes when you are near me,
My soul is a song sung just for you.
Our love for each other is everlastingly,
Our faces show the bliss that's obvious to see,
Our bodies stand in each other's shadow,
Our souls will be one for all eternity.
We had made such sweet love that evening, our bodies dancing as one. I wanted to take her in my arms but chose to wait and just bathe in the serenity and beauty of this woman who would spend eternity with me. Marriage was certainly our way of showing both of us and our unborn child that we were committed to each other indefinitely.
..........................
Our sex life had only got better and better since that very first time in Eric's shower, after we'd fled Mew Mexico fearing for our lives four months ago. There was more to a lifelong partnership than making love but when that love was exceptional it made life one hell of a ride. One wouldn't say that Monica and myself fitted together like peas in a pod, we were more like a proverbial key in the ignition, both needing each other to reach our full potential. We had our moments, or I should say I had mine, where I was would flare up in frustration over an event but Monica always stayed calm and accepting of my opinions and urges. I loved her deeply for that. I made it up to her in other ways, treating her like the goddess she was to me.
As I looked upon her sleeping face I saw the start of a smile. Her lips moved and she spoke, her morning voice a little croaky,
"How long have you been awake?" She opened her eyes lazily to look into mine, and my heart pounded at their beauty. I had always admired her eyes but this morning they looked more alive than I had ever seen them.
"Ooh, long enough to convince myself that you are the woman for me," I teased. Her smile broadened.
"And before then I wasn't the one for you?"
"You have always been the one for me, but ..."
"But, what?" She frowned a little in mock confusion.
"There is a perfect way for you to finally persuade me." I leant in and gave her the message with my lips on hers. Her arms immediately encircled my naked body and pulled me closer to feel her warm skin close to my own. We had been in just this position many times in the last four months after our very first time, but each moment was new and special. Monica and myself making love could not me topped. I couldn't imagine any couple any better off. If there was a God he was surely smiling down on us. I could be in this woman's arms forever.
"Mmmm," Monica licked her lips and leant in for another slow kiss. The moisture shared between us was only just the start of what we would share in the next long moments. The way she ran her fingers through my hair sent waves of pure pleasure throughout my being. Her tongue did circles around my lips then moved inside and applied enough pressure to get me even more rigid down below. Part of me wanted to pin her to the bed, spread her legs roughly and ram my turgid cock right inside her making her cry out in ecstasy, but most of me wanted this to be slow. I wanted her to beg me to be fucked. I was determined to wait until she pleaded with me.
"Mmm, John." Monica's voice still hadn't quite woken. "You taste so good." She continued to suck my lips as I trailed fingers down her spine then back up to lace through her hair. Her hand made its way down my back so slowly and lightly it almost tickled. As fingers returned to comb through my hair again she lifted her leg over my thigh and placed her body so that my dick flicked between her legs.
Her mouth moved away from mine and I felt her hot breath on my lips as her breathing increased, and her groans of passion began to crescendo. Her heart was thumping on my chest as she began to move her hips, allowing my erection to slide along her clit. The heat coming from her mouth and her center was volcanic, almost making me lose all judgment and thrust inside her prematurely. If I were to do that, then this would be all over and done with too soon. This was most likely the last time as single people we would be making love, I wanted it to be exceptional, just as special as my woman deserved. My mind went back to our very first shoot with Roxanne looking on. It was after we'd met in the bar and we'd gone back to her hotel room. We had been just as hot for each other then but needed to make it slow, sexy and steaming for the cameras.
The thought of cameras trained on us now spurred me on to make this last.
"John, fuck me." Her breath seared my cheek as her hips tried to maneuver my dick into her ready opening.
"No!" I said with determination. Monica stopped for a moment to look into my eyes. She saw lust there and began to smile evilly.
"No?"
"That's what I said." I quickly rolled on top of her and perched face to face, my hands either side of her shoulders.
"You want me to beg?" Her voice was whispers and her face full of desire.
"If you don't beg then I'm not fucking you." Kissing her forcefully I showed my resolution. "Now turn over and don't move." My lover had to comply and as she turned I kicked the bed covers off us so I could watch her naked form in all its glory. I had covered every pore of her body with my mouth and fingers over the past months but it still excited me to see her pink flesh flushed with desire for me.
"Like this, sir?" She lay on her stomach, her bent arms out at right angles. I straddled her, resting my dick on her perfect ass and leant down to her ear.
"Hands on the bars." My lips brushed the lobe. She complied by gripping the railing of the bed head. With as sexy a voice as possible I spoke slowly into her ear. "Have you ever had a multiple orgasm?"
"Mmmm" Her ass stirred against my erection.
"Don't move, or I stop!" My volume increased and she obeyed, groaning. "Now answer my question dammit!" I began placing kisses over the back of her neck and across her shoulders.
"Yes."
"Yes, what?" I wanted her to talk to me.
"I've had a multiple orgasm once." I suppose I was not surprised to hear it but what I was stunned about was that she then decided to give me the details. "It was with Brad." My kisses stopped only for a split second as I decided that I was over Brad's relationship with Monica. She was mine now and Follmer was past tense. We had given him enough to chew over on the trip back to DC where Monica and myself had been more than amorous in front of him.
"Oh?" My lips were replaced with fingers running strokes down her back to her butt. I shuffled back a little so I could position myself between her legs and play with her ass and hips. Both hands felt over the smooth surface as she spoke.
"We were at a restaurant and the food was too slow in coming. Brad decided to amuse himself using his foot." My hands spread her legs even further apart and I could see how ready she was for me. "John, fuck me please."
"No, tell me what Brad did to you." My fingers ran long strokes along her inner thigh just stopping short of her labia. She would cry out to me yet. Her butt moved ever so slowly but I ignored it for the pleasure of her talking dirty.
"He took off his shoe and sock and masturbated me under the table with his big toe." She groaned as I cupped her ass cheeks and began massaging.
"And?" She could hardly talk as my thumbs teased apart her cheeks getting a better view of her soaking wet craving for me. My dick throbbed painfully to be sated but I kept on.
"He made a bet with me, if he could make me orgasm I would have to pay for the meal." Her head tried to turn on the pillow.
"And you paid."
"I took my panties off and spread my legs and his toe rubbed me and fucked me." My thumbs lightly touched her labia lips and felt the hot moisture there. She jumped and moved her ass up.
"Oh please, just do it."
"Do what?" I teased, running a thumb between the lips.
"Just put it in, John."
"Not yet." My mind was going haywire just holding on for so long. I knew the instant we connected we would explode together. "So did you orgasm?"
"Yes, over and over. I'm sure half the restaurant witnessed it too. They gave us the check quite quickly." Both thumbs slipped alongside her clit and I could feel the first tremors of her orgasm.
"Now John, I want you in me. FUCK ME NOW!" I watched as my dick moved along her clit collecting moisture and feeling the throbbing slowly increase. As her glistening fluid pumped I pushed inside her slowly, each thrust matching her cries of ecstasy. Her body rocked like a boat on a stormy sea, her cries like the surrounding storm. My neck was about to explode from the building blood pressure. There were ripples all around my cock as I began to increase my rhythm, pushing in as deep as I could. I was trying to hold on as long as possible to ride out her orgasm before my own.
"Oh Monica, keep coming for me." My head was near her ear. The pulsing in her neck seemed to go on and on as moans of bliss continued. When I pumped out everything I had inside her it seemed she was still in heaven. Hearing my name over and over in murmurs was evidence that this had been almost a religious experience for her. My hands could hardly keep my body perched above my lover as I regained control of my breathing.
"Leave it there." At moments like these I just wished my dick would stay stiff enough to just stay inside her so we could be linked for hours. When it slowly slipped out I lay close beside her on the bed with my arm around her and face to face on her pillow. Our smiles lit up the room and our love for each other could have lit up the whole apartment.
"That was amazing, John." I just grinned as we both slid our eyes closed and napped in each other's comfort. All thoughts of doubt about our commitment of marriage were totally expelled from my brain. This was totally right. I would marry the woman of my dreams today.
..........................
My eyes flung open what seemed like minutes later but had actually been two hours. We'd napped longer than expected and we had to get up to prepare for our wedding. I began to get out of bed when Monica tugged on my arm and pulled me back down.
"John, just hold me for a moment longer?"
"We have to have showers, get dressed, eat something, we don't have time Mon."
She smiled her sweet smile to me that always told be to not be in such a hurry. Her arm trailed over my side to my back and she moved in closer so that we gazed face to face.
"We have plenty of time. The wedding is not for another two hours. This time is more important than dressing time. Just be with me and remember the importance of this day."
Her lips shifted and her eyes sparkled and I knew she was going to kiss me again. Her lips were soft and her sighs mellowing. Her kisses reminded me of her words the previous day to slow down on our wedding day and experience everything. The day was too special in our lives for us to fly through it. She reminded me that even if we were running late our guests would wait for us and understand.
My military training had taught me the importance of being punctual but Monica was showing me that time wasn't a rigid entity. The world would still be there when we wanted to get back on.
She rolled partly on top of me and I felt her swollen abdomen on my hip. We exchanged smiles that spoke volumes. Running fingers through her hair I guided her down to my lips once more. They were soft and inviting, once again planting a seed of carnal desire in me.
"Monica," I breathed as she ran swirling fingers over my chest and down my side, over my hip and back up again.
"Mmm?" Her fingers trailed their way down my thigh and then raked up again just nipping at my newly aroused hard on. "Do you have any regrets?" She spoke as her fingers ran over my balls.
"Regrets?" My eyes closed tightly and my chest rose as she encircled my shaft. Her warm lips touched mine again making me wait before responding. As her tongue touched mine her hand moved up my erection making it even harder if that was possible.
She paused from her kisses, "If you could turn back time?" It was hard for me to focus on what she was saying while her hands worked wonders below.
"Monica, you know ..... I would do it all exactly ..... the same. We've .... talked .... about this."
Through closed lids I knew she was smiling at my lack of ability to think and talk clearly but I didn't care. Her hand moving up and down on me was clouding my ability to reason. A knee rested on my leg and I felt her toes touch mine, moving in a slow dance.
"So no regrets?" As her hand left my throbbing member, that knee then darted over my body and she was swiftly on top of me. My eyes opened to see her gorgeous face looking at me with love.
"About being dismissed?" She rested her hips so that the tip of my penis rested on her wetness and she began moving.
"Yes, and marrying me." My hips sprang up to try and enter her but she moved so that she had the total control.
"Monica." My mind was frenzied from the irresistible urge just to be inside her. My hands trailed over her hips trying to push them down but her resistance showed me she was determined for me to answer first.
"This is important to me John, do you have any regrets?" Her hips began to move down and the head of my penis slipped inside her. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leave my chest. I tried once again to push deep inside her but she moved up in opposition.
I forced out the words from my near voiceless throat, "No regrets. I love you Monica, always."
Slowly and deliciously she moved down on my shaft, which by then was aching for release. My hips met hers and I stayed buried deep inside her for a few moments, feeling the connection that only two people madly in love could experience.
As she began bouncing on top of me, slowly at first, her lips went down to mine and just before kissing again, she spoke, "John Doggett, I want to be with you forever." Those words were like honey to my ears. Right then I was the luckiest man alive. I was in bed with the woman of my dreams, it was our wedding day and she was on top of me fucking me exquisitely.
Her labored breathing began to match my own as our once again sweaty bodies began reaching the peek of sexual union. Her hair flopped in my face as she put all her energies into the deepest penetration below.
"Oh John... John....!" She cried out as she clutched the pillow either side of my head. "Fuck!" I felt her muscles clench around me forcing me to release inside her. Puffs of air escaped her lips and landed like feathers on my face as our movements slowed. Our orgasms seemed endless and we moved lazily just feeling every last wisp of pure pleasure. She rested on top of me; her head on my chest and her hair tickled my face each time I breathed in.
"You tricked me." It was as though I suddenly saw reason. I felt her shift on my chest and I knew she was smiling.
"Tricked you?" She gave me one kiss on my chest.
"How could I not love you after that." Another kiss and her hand trailed up my thigh to my bent knee on the bed.
"So you only love me because of the sex." She was baiting me.
"Monica Reyes." I urged her to lift her head and look at me. "I love you for everything about you, I will always love you. I have NO regrets about marrying you." My look was serious but filled with all the love I could find. "And of course the sex is fucking awesome." We both chuckled as she settled down beside me in blissful slumber.
"And you Monica, any regrets?"
..........................
Reyes:
I lay spent by John's side. I was nervous about the upcoming ceremony in which we both say our vows for our eternity together. I had never before had this type of commitment to anyone-not even Brad. Brad always seemed to be in the relationship for the sex, but he did care about me to a certain extent, though he seemed to care for bribery money more. It gave me great pleasure showing my affections for John in front of him after our dismissal hearing. I remembered times when I worked the X-Files Brad caught me staring over at John when we worked certain cases together. He always told me how John was too old for me, and the fact that we were partners that it definitely would not work (referring to the FBI policy of no fraternizing). The vibrations that were in the air told me I was with the right man and the ONLY man for me: John Doggett.
I watched John sleep as I thought about our hearing three months ago. Regardless of whether we made movies or not they were going to find a way to dismiss us because of what we knew about Mulder and the shadow government made up of super soldiers. The director of the inquiry had no problems grilling us both until we bled humility and news of a couple FBI agents being dismissed because they were making adult videos making it to the evening news just seemed like the perfect cover up for them so they could hide and regroup. That way the attention could be focused on us and not them. But that's okay. I could deal with that. I got what I wanted in the end and it will forever be mine.
What didn't help matters was the fact that Skinner's office, as well as his home, were both severely vandalized and all of the evidence that he had shown us disappeared within the time of the hearing. Not to mention Gibson vanished into thin air once again never to be heard from. My original fear seemed true: The demise of that building and the people inside only helped to rid of any hard evidence. Unfortunately none that stood a chance at the hearing.
Behind the closed doors of that hearing was a much more serious situation: Eric's death, the explosion and destruction of a military facility, our 'relationship' with a wanted felon, and our 'neglect' to prevent a catastrophe that killed many people. Neither one of us could put up a good defense and to say that we were rescuing the world would have been pointless. When it all came down to it, we betrayed our duty as FBI agents in letting people die in that building. They needed to blame someone so we were the ones that were blamed.
Simple, but true. We faced the music and avoided jail time, taking the dismissal and moving on with our lives. We emptied our residences and moved everything out to Las Vegas to start our lives over. I wished that I could say the same for Roxanne. Since Eric's death the FBI has yet to leave her alone, posting stakeout teams at both entrances to her estate. Brad took it upon himself to tell me that he would see me again one day. Reading between the lines of his message it meant that he was in charge of staking out her residence. It has been that way since Eric's death and I don't know how much longer she was going to put up with it. She needed closure and having the constant nuisance of peeping toms wasn't helping her cope.
..................................................................
John and I met Roxanne at the Monte Carlo wedding chapel. We didn't have too many people to invite as friends or witnesses, so Roxanne took care of that and invited some of her staff and fellow 'actors' to fill some empty seats. She assured me the reception would be bigger than the wedding, but I wasn't so sure I wanted a huge crowd of strangers around me for such a tender occasion. I had discussed my feelings with John and he worded his response to me in a way that made sense: More people that come means more gifts for the family. I suppose it wasn't a bad idea and it would give the FBI a little distraction...mainly give BRAD a distraction.
John and I walked in to the foyer where Roxanne was talking to the pastor that was doing our wedding. Jeremy was close by watching on as she talked. I looked around the room and saw floral arrangements matching my dress and John's suit, a blend of burgundy red and white roses and blue carnations hanging from latticework on the walls. The sweet smell of the flowers tickled my nose a little but I took a deep breath in to ease what tension I had before coming here. It gave me such a warm feeling inside knowing that after this day my life would forever be complete. The chapel was beautiful and this day was beautiful.
"Glad you guys could make it. I was starting to think you had slept in from morning exertions." Roxanne chuckled. It amazed me how she knew things without us having to tell her. "Anyway, you two get dressed. Your guests will be arriving shortly."
"What about witnesses?" I asked. This wasn't exactly a traditional wedding, but witnesses were needed for the marriage license.
Roxanne held up our license with her and Jeremy's signature. "Took care of it." She handed it to John. "Come on, Monica. I'll help you with your dress."
"Hey, that's my job." John said jokingly.
Roxanne smiled an evil grin. "What? Don't you trust me to be alone with your wife-to-be?"
"No." John said as he put his hands on his hips and smiled.
"Oh, relax, tough guy. My heart's still taken for someone else." Roxanne laughed and walked me to the dressing room.
"I have a weird question." I said.
"What's that?" Roxanne replied as she removed the plastic sheath from my dress.
"Is anyone walking me down the aisle?" I never thought about that until we entered the chapel. I started to remove my shirt.
"Jeremy can do it if you want. He already volunteered." Roxanne said as she helped with the rest of my clothes. "He thinks you have a nice ass."
I burst out in laughter. "What?!"
Roxanne started laughing. "Sorry, you weren't supposed to hear that from me."
Through the laughter we managed to get me into my dress and a moment later Raoul knocked on the door. "Come on in, Raoul." Roxanne said.
"Ms. Monica, could you please sit here?" Raoul gestured to a chair in front of the mirror. I sat down and Raoul began to administer a cosmetic uplift to my face. The guy was good at what he did and seemed quite meticulous about it. Roxanne stood in the corner watching in admiration. I felt for her and her loss. Eric was a good friend to me, but he meant more to Roxanne in the short time he was here with her. I looked down to the floor as I remembered him and his flirtatious nature. I missed him.
When I realized that he had not made it out I thought someone had ripped my heart out and stomped it on the ground until it quit beating. Part of me felt dead along with him. I so much wished that he could be here to see this day and to see the baby when it got here. There were so many unanswered questions about all of it but from here I had to focus on my marriage to John and our baby. The answers would come around if they wanted to be discovered; and I felt something in the air that they would do just that.
When I finished my train of thought Raoul was done. I looked over to Roxanne and she had tears in her eyes. She was trying to keep them from falling down her face as Raoul left the room.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" I asked softly.
"It's hard not to." Roxanne choked out. I stood up and she came up to me, cupping my face in her hands. "You are so beautiful, Monica. I can't thank you enough for introducing him to me. I want you to know that you two are the greatest people I have ever met and I wish for the best for both of you." Roxanne kissed me softly on the lips. I stood there stunned that she did that, but at least it wasn't a full tongue oral search of my mouth like last time. "And I wanted to tell you..." She cracked a smile.
"What?"
"Ever since the two of you were on the news, your movie sales have skyrocketed. I think I am going to need a bigger server and I can't keep enough videocassettes on the shelf to fill orders that are flooding my website. Just thought you'd like to know that." She paused for a moment. "And I want you to reconsider something else for me."
"What's that?" I asked. She had me curious now.
"I am going to leave a door open for you in case you ever wanted to come back and work for me." She was serious.
"Roxanne, I don't think that would be appropriate..."
"No, silly. Not in front of the camera. Behind it. From time to time I may need someone to look at some potential talent and lately my talent scouts have really been sucking. It would only be a part time thing. You might get a little cabin fever from being home so much. You're an active person and I could see you getting that way after a while."
I saw her point. I, however, could not tell my child what I did for work...that may feel a little bit strange. "Okay. I'll think about it." I nodded.
"Great." Roxanne smiled and nodded back.
As she was done the music cued. I opened the door and Jeremy stood there in a blue suit similar to John's. "Ready?" he asked me. He handed me a bouquet of roses and carnations that matched our attire.
The thought of the actual wedding hit me like a ton of bricks. I started to sweat some nerves out thinking about it but I knew I wanted this more than anything. I looked to Jeremy and smiled. "I'm ready."
Jeremy escorted me down the aisle where a room full of unfamiliar eyes watched my every move. I looked over to John who had loving admiration in his eyes and a smile across his face. He looked great in his suit-if there weren't anyone here I would take him down in front of the podium. Jeremy handed me off to John, and we stood before the pastor hand in hand.
I was nervous and it was visibly showing. I held my breath for a few seconds before letting it out. I could feel all of the eyes in audience focusing their attention on the two of us. I felt so vulnerable in front of these strangers. It was very discomforting at first until my concentration went solely to John. The palms of my hands were sweating horribly from being nervous and they began to tremble uncontrollably. John squeezed them reassuring me that it was all right. As my composure came to, the minister spoke.
"John Doggett and Monica Reyes: in presenting yourselves here today to be joined in marriage, you perform an act of faith. This faith can grow and develop and last, but only if you both decide to make it so. A lasting and growing love is not guaranteed by any ritual.
"If you would have the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for one another, not just at this moment, but for all the days to come, then treasure the hopes and dreams that you bring here today. Establish that your love will never be blotted out by the common nor obscured by the ordinary in life. Faults will surface where now you find comfort, and admiration can be shattered by the routine of daily life."
"Dedication, love, and joy can grow only when you nourish them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having faith in your shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in one another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will strengthen and endure all the days of your lives."
Listening to those words brought tears to my eyes and I knew it was time to say our vows in unison. Inside I trembled as we both spoke the loving words that were going to be etched into eternity:
"Your love for me is unconditional,
Your face is a cover of the beauty held within,
Your body I hold near and treasure its comfort,
Your soul I will take and blend with my own."
John slipped the gold wedding band onto my shaking finger. Tears streaked down my face as I watched the ring slip past each knuckle. I felt myself begin to sway from locking my knees for too long. The dizziness tried to take over but I would not let it.
"My love for you holds no boundaries,
My face now shows smiles once stored deep inside,
My body waltzes when you are near me,
My soul is a song sung just for you."
It was my turn to seal this love forever. I slowly slid the ring onto John's ring finger as I looked into his crystal blue eyes. Tears began filling his eyes and without saying anything I could tell how strong his love was for me. We tightly grasped each other's hands and continued.
"Our love for each other is everlastingly,
Our faces show the bliss that's obvious to see,
Our bodies stand in each other's shadow,
Our souls will be one for all eternity."
"With this statement made of love and trust, which we have just heard, I now wish you to greet John and Monica as husband and wife." The minister spoke aloud. For a moment his voice broke me out of my dream world but I soon realized that it was no dream. "You may kiss the bride." The minister said to John.
The audience broke the silence in a roar as John sealed the marriage with a long, slow, passionate kiss to my lips. Tears ran down my face some more as I had only dreamed of a day like this. Not a second later I was completely crying and could barely stand as John held me in his arms. "I love you, Monica Doggett." His passionate use of those words made me speechless and I could only stare at him through bloodshot eyes. "I love you for the rest of my life."
...................................
Chapter Forty-Two
Roxanne:
Once the wedding ceremony was done at the Monte Carlo, I had everyone reconvene at my place for the reception. I invited my office staff as well as fellow actors and escorts to join in on the festivities so the Feds that were on stake out in front and out back wouldn't have a lot to see of my favorite two stars. It's been three months since Eric's so-called death and my hopes of hearing from him were growing slim and none. If he were still alive it would be too risky to contact me in any fashion. I wish they would get it through their thick skulls and go home to their blow up dolls. I just wanted my life to return to normal as normal gets for me.
John and Monica sat and opened wedding gifts as I stood in the corner sipping champagne. Even though a majority of the guests were strangers to them they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Anytime two stars married there have always been big parties afterwards, but never a baby shower/wedding reception all rolled into one. I sort of went overboard and bought them everything they needed to put the baby's nursery together. I told Monica I would help get that situated for them as John adapted to his new job as head of casino security over at the Bellagio. Being in my line of work I have got to know a lot of the big hitters in this city. I watched on as the happily married couple tore through more gifts.
They had found a happiness I had only dreamed of. I thought I could make it happen with Eric but I will never know now. I was just happy for them that the stress has been lifted and Monica could carry her baby without problems or complications. Tears filled my eyes and I sat down my glass of champagne and rushed towards the back of the room to grab a tissue. I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned around and it was Jeremy.
"You alright?" He asked softly.
I nodded, but it wasn't convincing. The crowd had dispersed to dig into the three-layer wedding cake I had made for the occasion. Jeremy pulled me into him and hugged me tight against him. I wrapped my arms around him, accepting the gesture of his kindness. As he pulled away he slipped a large envelope inside of my jacket. I looked at it and it had no return address, only my name and address. As people were digging into the food, I opened the envelope to see what was inside of it. There was a plane ticket to Australia inside and that was all. No instructions, no meeting place, just a locker key and I had no idea who this could have been from unless half-cooked corpses walk the earth.
My cell phone rang in my pocket and it had a text message waiting for me. I opened it and it was the same one I had read three months ago on my computer: No soy muerto. 'I am not dead.' This was getting to be too much of a coincidence. I looked across the room at Jeremy with an expression that could easily be read as disbelief. I looked at the ticket and the plane was to leave in two hours. That wouldn't give me much time to sneak out and having the Feds on my front and back door they'll have me stopped before I even start.
"Roxanne?" I heard my name being called but froze staring at the plane ticket and my cell phone message. "Roxanne?" I felt a hand on my arm. I looked over and it was Monica.
"Are you with us, Roxanne? You've been quiet all morning." Monica's smile was beautiful. John was one lucky bastard.
"Um, Monica, there's something I need to take care of. I don't know when I'll be back. Tell John I'm sorry I can't help him with the nursery stuff, okay?" I replied to her almost sounding frantic.
Monica could read into people so easily. "What's wrong, Roxanne?"
"He's alive. I know he is!" I shot a glance straight into her eyes that anyone could read. I raised my cell phone up so she could read the message. "Take care of the place for me, okay?" I handed her the keys to my estate and gave her a kiss on the cheek, not giving her the chance to respond. I walked off towards the back, grabbing a couple of my models on the way out. Not far behind was Jeremy and the four of us went to the wardrobe room.
"Are you seriously going to do this?" Jeremy asked.
"I need to know if it's him, Jer." I felt desperate wanting to know for sure.
"For all you know it could be some psycho. This is stupid, Roxanne. You have the feds up your ass and now you want to find your lover? It hardly seems worth it to me."
I pointed to the two models. "That is why they are here." I turned to both ladies with a stack of cash in my hand. "I want you to both change your clothes and get as close as you can to looking like me. The Feds can follow decoys as I am flying on a plane." The two women started to change their clothes as I stepped out with Jeremy.
"This is dangerous, Roxy." Jeremy warned.
"I know it is, Jeremy. You will take one in the Excursion out the front, the other one can take the Z3 out the back. I will wait and then take a Ducati out to the airport. If they follow me, they will have to catch me. But they can't. Not when I'm on a bike." We locked in a stare and I knew that he didn't agree with what I wanted to do.
Jeremy shook his head. "No. I don't like this. You pay me to protect you. Why not just let me waste them?"
"Because that is AGAINST the law." I handed Jeremy the cash. "Make sure they are compensated for their time." I walked away from Jeremy and headed for my bedroom so I could get my Dainese leathers on for my brief little bike ride. I tossed the one piece leather suit onto my bed and retrieved my matching Arai helmet from the closet floor. As I was stripping down I heard a tap at my bedroom door. I put on my leather suit up to my waist and opened the door to see John's anxious face.
"Is it true?" he asked. "He alive?"
I looked down and then to him. "I'm not sure, exactly. I got an invitation to find out." I stuck the envelope and my passport ID inside my leathers and zipped them up to my neck. I sat down and put my riding boots on and grabbed my helmet. John gently grabbed me by the arm.
"You sure you want to do this?" he asked cautiously.
"There's only one way for me to find out, John. The Feds won't leave me alone and will stop at nothing to bring me down. I HAVE to know that it's him. We've all been through so much together and I'll never forget that."
"You make it sound like you're not coming back." John looked deep into my eyes. "You're not, are you?" He stood there looking slightly shocked at the thought.
"I don't know that for sure..." I trailed off. "John, go back to your wife. Have a healthy baby and if it's a girl name her after me." I grabbed his arm firmly to shake him out of it. I wrapped my arm around him and gave him a sort of 'manly' hug since he was now happily married.
"You be careful," he whispered into my ear.
"You too." I whispered back.
"Thank you, Roxanne. For everything." John said as he let me go and walked out of my room. For the first time in my life I had actually made friends but I had to leave them to find out if the love of my own was still alive. I headed out back to the garage area where my Ducati 998R was awaiting me. I put the key in and turned it over to let the beast warm itself up as I put my snug helmet over the mane of hair on my head. I threw my leg over it and kicked up the side stand, putting it into first gear. By now the decoys should have been deployed, so I rolled the bike slowly out the front gate and quickly saw that there was still a car full of feds across the street.
I buried my head and twisted the throttle open and sped down the street. I looked into my mirrors and saw that they were following in hot pursuit. I hoped that this didn't catch Metro's attention as well, or else I'd really be screwed. I came upon Flamingo Road and sped in and out of traffic, splitting lanes when the time suited to keep my distance from my pursuers. The adrenaline flowed in my veins and my heart raced as my vision tunneled within the busy traffic.
My body was in tune with the machine as I shifted high and low. I came upon a side street that would take me a little closer to the airport, but I could not lead them there. I leaned the bike over in the turn, my hardened knee guard dragging along the pavement until I erected up again. I came to a red light and decided to pull something I had only seen done on Beverly Hills Cop. The Feds pulled up in their car behind me and waited for my next move.
The light turned green and I stayed put. The cars behind us began honking their horns but I didn't budge. Instead I was in a staring contest with the dickless wonders from the FBI. When the light turned red, I nailed the throttle and zoomed through opposing traffic in both directions. The two agents tried to follow, but couldn't get through the intersection. I gunned the Ducati as hard as I could and went on to McCarran International Airport.
As I turned the corner a few blocks from my destination, the black Crown Victoria reared itself to me and blocked the entire lane. I locked the brakes and the bike slid sideways at them before stopping ten feet short of hitting them. One of them slowly got out of the car and it was that asshole Follmer. He smiled that smirky smile as he leaned against the car door, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. I locked into a silent stare with him through my tinted face shield as I listened to the Ducati idle. I kicked it into neutral for a second and began revving the engine. By this time both agents were out of the car waiting for my next move. I flipped Follmer off and kicked the bike into first gear. Holding the front brake I twisted the throttle, spinning the back tire around to the opposite direction and launched back the way I came.
There was no way in hell I was leading these guys back to Eric, if of course he was really alive. Looking into my mirror, the agents got back into their car and followed me once again. I weaved in and out of traffic, dodging any cars pulling out from adjacent parking lots. My heart was racing so fast I couldn't feel my hands or feet any more. I could hear myself breath fast, short breaths inside of my helmet as I flew through the busy streets. I headed back toward the I-15 freeway approaching the strip.
As I approached Koval Lane my heart stopped: There was a blockade of Las Vegas Metro police cars with shotguns aimed across the hoods at me. I locked the front and rear brakes and froze. I held my breath listening to the hammering of my heart. Never have I been in the presence of so much hardware. We sat in a stare down as the FBI pulled up behind me. Follmer got out of the car and I turned my head around to look at him. I was stuck and I was screwed.
"Don't you think it's time you cooperated with us, Ms. Derrik?" He called out.
I turned my head around and glanced over my shoulder at him, putting the bike in neutral and placing my hands on my hips. I flipped up my face shield and listened to Brad from behind, telling me how I should give up. I felt like a cornered animal waiting for the right moment to spring past my enemy. How the hell did that slimy bastard get the police in on this? I wondered what lie he produced to get them this hyped up to be pointing their shotguns at me. I looked ahead at the officers and noticed an opening between two of the cars where I could squeeze my bike through.
I slapped my face shield back down and put my hands back on the grips, revving the 998R. I stomped on the gear shifter, putting the bitch in first and grabbed a handful of throttle. The back tire cut loose for a moment, but once I shifted to second it bit the pavement and I held on for dear life. I tucked my head down behind the cowling and squeezed my knees against the gas tank as I slid through the crack in the blockade. I had to think of getting to someplace quick to lose these motherfuckers. It was going to be kind of hard considering my leathers were bright red.
I opened up the throttle as wide as it would go. As I turned onto Koval, I gunned it back to Tropicana. Cars were being passed in swirled flashes of a multi colored kaleidoscope. I leaned the Duc over onto Tropicana and headed for the strip. Gripping a fistful of Ducati, I raced to the strip and then headed north. I had to ditch the bike someplace for a while and hide somehow. I looked back and saw a group of motor cops on bikes coming my way. I dumped the clutch and cut through the lanes of traffic and made my way to the sidewalk.
People were jumping out of the way as I tore through the concrete sidewalk of the strip. I hit Flamingo and gunned across the street with a group of police and the FBI a couple blocks behind me. Keeping my head down I made my way to Caesar's Palace and rushed by the traffic into their parking structure. I had to dump this thing quick. By now I must have had a zillion moving violations on top of felony evading. I made my way up floor by floor, my back tire squealing through each throttle-induced turn. I was making my way through another turn as a black 500 SEL Mercedes cut me off and I dumped the 998R on its side, and me along with it. I had forgotten how concrete was so unforgiving as my body slammed against it and the bike on me. I lay on the ground stunned, trying to get my bearings.
"Roxanne!" A familiar voice sounded off from the car. When I get up that person was going to get his ass beat. My favorite bike was lying on top of me because of this jerk. "Roxanne, get up! They're coming!" As I came to a little more, I realized it was John. He lifted the bike off of me and put it on its side stand then lifted me up and shoved me into the rear passenger side of the car. I was still a little dizzy from hitting the ground as hard as I did. He hit the gas, sending me into the back of the seat. "Stay down, Roxanne!" I felt the car shift from side to side as he drove us out of the complex and back onto the strip.
"Did they see you?" I asked groggily. I then realized we were in my Mercedes 500SEL.
"No, but stay down."
"How did you-" I started to ask.
"Jeremy called me from his cell phone. His brother told him that they were pursuing you and then he called me. I came as soon as I could. I hope you don't mind I grabbed the keys to your car..." John kept his eyes forward as he drove. "Jeremy kept me informed of your every move using his police scanner, so it made it easy to find you."
I took my helmet off and dumped it on the floor of the car. I rolled to my back trying to catch my breath and calm down from the immense adrenaline surge my body has never experienced before. I started to shake. I was completely freaked out. What the fuck was I doing back there? Running from the cops? What the hell was I thinking? How was I going to get out of the country now? I covered my face with my hands and held my breath thinking about the consequences of my actions. I felt something land on me. I removed my hands and saw that it was fresh clothing.
"You might want to change your clothes." John said. "Wearing bike leathers you'll be a little obvious."
"What are you talking about?" I inquired.
"I am taking you to the airport."
"John, they will find me." I insisted. "You should be with your wife, not helping me."
"The sooner we get you on that plane, the better. Don't thank me all at once, Roxanne. Might shatter that pretty face of yours." John chuckled. "Besides, don't you want to know if that's really Eric?"
He had a point. I took off my boots and began stripping the sweaty leathers from my body. The windows in my car were double limo tint, so I wasn't concerned with prying eyes. I caught John taking a peak but it mattered little to me. Once I lost the leathers I put on the jeans and black shirt that he had and a set of Doc Martens. I kept the essential paperwork close and fingered it until we got to the airport drop off. He stopped at terminal 2 and I got out of the car. I ducked my head back in and kissed John on the forehead. "Take care of the fortress and Monica, okay? I'll try to be back as soon as I can." John nodded and I ran inside of the terminal. I headed for the lockers and made it there at a record pace. I looked at the key and I needed to find locker 47. I searched until I found it and put the key in the lock, turning it quickly. I opened the door to find a black leather jacket inside. I took it out and inspected the pockets. I pulled out a piece of paper with a heart drawn on it. The warm feeling I had was either from the jacket or the fact that Eric was alive was becoming more and more real to me. I closed the locker door and started for the American Airlines terminal. I had to jump to Los Angeles to a Qantas plane and then I would be flying to Melbourne, Australia to hopefully have some questions answered.
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