Tangled Web
By Sarah & Lanie
Chapter 24
Marley's House
12:30 PM
Marley looked over the proposals for the new clinic near the docks. She was distracted, though, by the course listings for Bay City University, which lay at the corner of her desk. The very thought of going to college and finally doing something for herself excited her. Still, she felt the familiar twinge of fear in the back of her mind.
Marley jumped when two strong arms enclosed around her from behind. She sighed deeply when his warm lips kissed her neck gently before he pulled her to her feet and into his arms.
"I missed you so much," Tyrone whispered against her mouth as he captured her lips in a hungry, sensuous kiss.
Marley dropped her chin to his chest with a sigh of pleasure, then slowly ran her hands up his arms. As she leaned back and gazed into his eyes, Marley loosened Tyrone's tie. She leaned into him as she threw the tie aside and began unbuttoning his shirt.
"I didn't even hear you come in," she confessed. "What are you doing home so early?"
"This gypsy with blonde air and blue eyes kept dancing through my head, distracting me. So after I caught myself drawing more pictures on my notes than actually making notes, I called it a day and got here as fast as I could. What have you been doing all day?"
"Just waiting for you, " she said as her hands disappeared inside his shirt.
Tyrone looked over her shoulder at the things spread out on the desk. "Are those the proposals for the clinic?"
"Yeah, I was just looking at them."
"And a class schedule for BCU?"
Marley looked at the items on the desk and turned away from Tyrone. "Yes, I've been thinking about signing up for a few things."
Tyrone grabbed her from behind, pulling her back against him. "I think that would be great."
"I don't know, Tyrone. I'm afraid that it's not going to work out."
"What's this talk?" He asked as he turned her around to face him. "You can do anything, Marley. Anything."
Marley smiled slightly. "You're not exactly biased."
Tyrone did not respond for a few seconds then smiled. "I don't ever intend to be unbiased when it comes to you. You know exactly how I feel about you."
Marley's breath caught in her throat at the undisguised tenderness in his tone. She lifted her hand to his cheek and said, "When you say things like that….that way….I think I can do anything…..as long as you're with me."
His large hand touched her face and held it gently. "I'm not going anywhere."
His demanding lips again descended onto hers. Marley returned the eager embrace with a fervor of her own. She barely noticed when he swung her up into his arms and walked toward the stairs. For a moment the real world spun and careened on its axis as they clung to one another aching for more.
Tyrone slowly walked up the stairs never removing his lips from hers. He kicked the door to the bedroom open and strode toward the bed. He slowly lowered Marley's feet to the floor as the turbulence of their passion swirled around them. Marley unbuttoned the remaining buttons on his shirt and pushed the barrier to the floor. Tyrone gently eased her down onto the bed. He leaned away, looking into her hooded eyes, then traced his fingertip across her lip.
"You are so beautiful, Marley," he whispered with the tightness of his raging emotions filling his voice.
Marley rose to meet him in a moment of uncontrollable passion, roughly pulling his lips to hers. Tyrone gasped at her eager response. He rolled with her in his arms keeping her close to him. Suddenly, Marley stiffened in his arms. Her eyes flew wide as her heart raced. She gasped for breath and clutched at her throat. Tyrone looked at her with concern as she quickly pulled away from him and sat on the side of the bed.
"Marley, what's wrong?"
Marley shook her head hoping to remove the feeling of dread, but it did not alleviate the sinking sensation. "There's something wrong with Vicky. I need to find her."
Tyrone watched in concern as Marley grabbed
the phone. She dialed frantically, impatiently waiting for
someone to answer.
"Jake! Where's Vicky?"
Jake heard the anxiety in her voice. "She's at the park with Kirkland's class. Why? What's going on?"
"Something's wrong, Jake. I can feel it. Something's wrong with Vicky."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
David's Townhouse
David looked over the quotes for the Tanquir project that Cindy had put together. This was the third time in the past hour that he'd attempted to make sense of the projections. Not that the task was difficult - He should have been able to do it in his sleep. The problem was that his mind couldn't stay focused where it was supposed to be. Instead, his thoughts kept straying to Cindy: Where was she? What was she doing? Why hadn't he told her what she needed to hear?
David heard the doorbell ring, but he kept looking at the numbers. When the bell rang again, he remembered that Winston had left for the day. With a sigh, he took the papers with him as he left the study and headed for the front door. He pulled the door open and found Cindy waiting for him. "Hi," she greeted him after a moment's hesitation. "Where's Winnie? I wasn't expecting to see you when the door opened."
"Winston is off this afternoon. And since you knew I was here, you had to expect to see me pretty soon after the door opened anyway," David replied with a smile. She had come back, despite telling him that she wouldn't. Maybe they had a chance to work things out after all.
"Actually, my plan was to give him this stuff and leave," Cindy said as she held out a folder. "I found this bid on the Tanquir project with my things. I must have picked it up accidentally. I knew you'd need to see it."
David's smile faded as he accepted the folder. Cindy's expression was closed off and she was studiously avoiding direct eye contact with him. So much for my brilliant assumption that she wanted to see me. "Thank you for bringing it over." Cindy gave a quick nod. As she turned to go, David hurriedly asked, "Can you come in for a minute? I've been looking at these bids all morning, and I have a few things I’d like to hash out with you."
Cindy stopped, but didn’t turn around right away. Her feelings were a mass of confusion. On the one hand, she wanted to go inside with him and pretend that their argument hadn't happened. But she knew that ultimately, it wouldn't work. She'd gotten in too deep to play games anymore.
Cindy turned back around and met David's eyes. As she stared into the sea of blue, she longed to throw her arms around him. She could tell him that she didn't need to know the truth. She could go back to the way they had been while she dug around for clues as to what David was hiding… No. No games. Not this time. "Ok, we can talk business. Do you have some questions about the paperwork?"
The paperwork is the last thing on my mind right now, David thought as he nodded. "Yes. I could use your input on a decision I'm trying to make. It would help me out a lot." David stood back from the doorway and tried not to look as relieved as he felt when Cindy walked past him into the room. He shut the door and followed her over to the couch.
Cindy dropped her purse on the coffee table and turned to David as he sat down beside her. She nervously pulled at the hem of her dress as she asked, "What did you need to ask me about?"
David flipped though the papers and tried to come up with a logical question quickly. "There was something in here about…" David looked up at Cindy with a sigh and placed the stack of quotes on the coffee table. "I don’t want to discuss business right now. I want to talk about what happened earlier-"
David stopped as Cindy abruptly shot to her feet. "I'm out'a here," she said as she reached for her purse.
David quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her. When she looked down at him, he said, "I know what you must be thinking. You have to think I'm the world's biggest hypocrite. After spending months on end telling you to stop playing games with me, here I am doing it to you."
"That wasn't the first thing that popped into my head, but you do make a good point."
"Can we please talk about this?"
"That depends. Are we really going to talk, or are you just thinking of a different way to tell me to mind my own business? If it's door number two, let's just skip it. I don't need another go around like we had this morning."
David looked at the weary expression on Cindy's face and realized that he'd been pushing her away long before he'd even known that he was doing it. He'd been so obsessed with discovering what had happened during those months he couldn't remember that he hadn't seen what was right in front of him. Something twisted inside him as he noted the dispirited look in Cindy's eyes. Suddenly, all he wanted was to take that look away… no matter what the cost.
"You're right, Cindy. There is something that I haven't told you, and I think it's time that I did. Will you give me the chance to tell you now?"
Cindy studied David's expression. She had a hard time figuring out whether he was going to say what she wanted to hear or not. Cindy slowly sat back down on the couch, deciding that not knowing was worse than getting bad news.
David took one of her hands in both of his. "I'm sure you've noticed how preoccupied I've been lately, and I want to tell you why. It's hard to know exactly where to start…"
The ringing of the telephone interrupted David's explanation. He glared at the offending instrument, then returned his gaze to Cindy's. "I'm sorry, but I need to get that. I'm expecting an important call." David walked over and picked up the receiver. "Hello."
"May I speak to Jordan, please?"
David felt twin rushes of rage and dread flow through him. The unpleasant sensation made his voice strident. "No one by that name lives here, as you're well aware."
Margaret laughed confidently. "Well, not yet. But he will eventually. You know that as well as I do, don't you David? Deep within yourself in places you don't like to look at, you know that Jordan is still there."
David took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He didn't want to alarm Cindy by saying what he wanted to say to Ms. Allen. "You are mistaken and apparently, the victim of a hopeless case of wishful thinking."
"You keep telling yourself that, David. Maybe it will help you sleep at night. But we both know the facts. Jordan is capable of things that would be impossible for anyone else. He will find a way to come back. And when he does, he'll do it through you."
The confidence in her tone started to shake David's faith, but he refused to let her know that she'd gotten to him. "You really should let go of this fantasy of yours and move on with your life. It's pathetic to the point of becoming tedious."
"That's strange. I would expect to hear that type of comment from Jordan more than I would from you, David. Maybe Jordan is already closer than you think."
The blood drained out of David's face. He was unable to think of a way to respond to Margaret's insinuation. After a moment of silence, Margaret laughed cruelly. "I'll leave you with that happy thought. When Jordan returns, he'll know how to find me."
David stood frozen with the phone pressed to his ear. There was dead silence on the other end of the line, but David still heard Margaret's voice echoing inside his head: Jordan is already closer than you think… Jordan … closer than you think…
What if she's right? David thought frenetically. What if all the flashes of memory he'd been having were actually signs of Stark attempting to take him over again? After hearing about all the horrific things that he'd done the last time Stark had controlled him, the thought repulsed David. He didn't believe it could happen now that his life was normal again, but he still couldn't completely dismiss the possibility.
Cindy sat on the couch staring at David's back. He continued holding the phone to his ear, but he hadn't said anything in several minutes. "David? Are you alright?" she asked with concern.
David heard Cindy's voice and recalled himself to the fact that he wasn't alone. He suddenly thought about what might happen to Cindy if Stark managed to take control of him again. The idea brought with it a surge of protectiveness so powerful that David could only think of one thing: He had to get Cindy out of his life, quickly and permanently. The thought of losing her brought with it an unexpectedly intense pain. How had he failed to realize how important Cindy had become to him? And now that he'd realized it, it was too late. David felt compelled to find a way to save Cindy from becoming caught in the potential fallout if Stark resurfaced.
David clenched his jaw and moved on with his quickly formulated plan. Feigning the end of the conversation, he said, "I don't think we have anything further to say to each other. Don't call me again." David hung up the phone and turned to Cindy with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Some people just don't know when to give up," he commented.
David crossed to his desk and pulled something out of a drawer. Cindy sat watching in confusion as he started writing on whatever he'd removed from the desk. "David? Are you planning on telling me what's going on?"
David finished what he was doing at the desk and crossed back to where Cindy sat on the couch. "I needed to get something for you," he said as he held out his hand.
Cindy reached up and took what he handed to her, unable to believe her own eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess and Matt exited the elevators and walked slowly down the hall. When they got to Tess's office, they walked inside and Matt closed the door behind them. He pulled Tess into his arms and they kissed slowly, savoring the brief moment.
"I think I better get back to work," Matt told her with a heavy sigh.
"Work? What's work?" Tess teased. "Thank you for inviting me to lunch, Matt."
Matt smiled and gave her a confused look. "You're welcome, but you invited me. Remember? Don't tell me that being near me is making you lose your mind?"
Tess shook her head. "That's possible, but you left me a note, remember?"
Matt shook his head slowly. "No, I didn't. You left me one."
Tess stepped away from him and walked around the desk. She opened the middle drawer and pulled out the small card, then shoved it at Matt. Matt looked at the note in confusion, then fished an identical note from his pocket, only the handwriting was feminine. He held both notes up for Tess to look at. He shook the note in his left hand.
"This is not my handwriting," Matt told her.
Tess grabbed both cards from his hands, examining them carefully. She pointed at the one card. "And this is not my handwriting."
Matt watched her carefully as she studied the cards. "What does it mean, Tess? Someone playing matchmaker?"
Tess shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure, Matt, but it could be something ….it could be….Logan," she breathed, using his name like a curse.
"Logan? I don't understand."
Tess turned to him. "I may be way off base, but I think Logan set the whole thing up. He wanted us to see him…"
"Why would he want us to see him?"
Tess shook her head. "Nothing makes sense."
Tess reached for her cell phone as Matt watched. She waited impatiently as the phone rang through.
"It's me. Something very odd just happened…..no, no, I think something big is about to happen if it hasn't happened already," Tess said calmly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Logan slid into the backseat of his limousine. As the driver took his seat, Logan leaned forward and demanded, "Give me your cell phone, Harvey."
Harvey pulled his phone out of the inside of his jacket without question. Logan leaned back and flipped the switch, which put up the soundproof glass barrier between him and the driver. He sat back against the seat and dialed the number leisurely.
"Put him on the phone," Logan ordered impatiently when someone answered.
"Manny, what took you so long?" Grant Harrison asked as he took a long draw of his cigar.
"Your package is on its way. It should be arriving before dawn breaks there."
"I must commend you for a job well done, then again, I always knew who to go to when I needed something important done."
"I would say that it's been a pleasure but…."
"Manny, all this hostility….I am truly wounded. Your payment will be on its way as soon as I get my…..package in good condition."
"Fine, then this is farewell. Enjoy….."
"Oh I intend to. Good-bye, Manny," Grant said and ended the call.
Emmanuel Logan narrowed his eyes as he turned the phone off. As he looked up, his eyes danced with laughter. "Yes, you arrogant bastard, enjoy…..the big surprise….they say good things always come in threes. I almost wish that I could be there to see the look on your face," he said, then threw his head back and laughed, enjoying his own joke.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jake looked at the phone in annoyance. "I'm sure that everything is just fine, Marley. She's at the park with Kirk. That's all."
"Jake, I'm not making this up. I have a horrible feeling."
Jake sighed heavily, starting to dismiss her "feeling", but then he remembered other times when Marley or Vicky had been in trouble. They had always known when something was amiss with the other one.
"What kind of feeling is it, Marley?"
Marley swallowed hard. She looked up at Tyrone, who was hovering near her with concern in his eyes. "It's the most horrible feeling in the world. It's like a part of me has been torn away. She's in danger."
"Okay, Marley, just calm down. Are you by yourself?"
"No, Tyrone is here."
"Sit tight, then. I'll call you as soon as I know something."
Marley nodded. "Hurry, Jake. Please hurry."
Jake laid the phone on its cradle, then immediately picked it up again, dialing quickly. He waited as the phone rang through until he heard the message, "The cellular customer that you are trying to reach is unavailable or out of range." Jake hit redial and received the same message. He slammed the phone down.
"She just forgot to turn it on again," he mumbled to himself.
"Jake, is something wrong?" Nick asked from where he stood in the doorway.
"I was just trying to get Vicky on her cell phone, and I didn't get an answer."
Nick smiled. "You know how she is. She probably just forgot to turn it on."
Jake nodded. "That's what I was thinking, too, only Marley is having one of her feelings. She thinks something is wrong with Vicky."
Nick's eyes widened, knowing the way Vicky and Marley often communicated with one another without saying a word. As Jake's eyes met his, he said, "What are we waiting on?"
Jake rounded the desk at a run, and they left together.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cindy's mystified gaze flew up from the piece of paper she held. David was looking down at her with calm expectation. "A check? For… for a million dollars… I… I don't understand…"
David walked over and leaned against the mantle over the gas fireplace. "That was the amount of our wager, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but…" Cindy looked at David in complete bewilderment.
"Just don't cash it yet. I'll need to transfer money from another account or else that thing will bounce quicker than you can say 'insufficient funds'," David said with forced joviality. He could hear the strained tone in his own voice and hoped that Cindy was too preoccupied to notice.
Cindy stared at the check for a full minute, then stood up and waved it back and forth. "This doesn't make any sense, David. The bet was over months ago, and I lost, remember?"
"Technically speaking, yes, but since you have accomplished what we bet on, I thought it was only fair that I pay up."
"I still don't understand…"
"You've done it, Cindy. You proved to me that you've truly changed. When you came here, you didn't try to finagle answers out of me or trap me into telling you what you wanted to hear. You just said what you were thinking and how you were feeling. You left it up to me to decide how to handle it. You've become real again rather than that cartoonish flirt I met at the Harbor Club. Congratulations, you won."
Cindy looked at him askance. "I won, huh? Then why does this feel like a payoff rather than a victory?"
"I thought you'd be pleased, Cindy. Isn't this what you wanted? A chance to start all over again, having to depend on no one but yourself. You can go wherever you want to go, do what you want to do without regard to anyone else. You're free." David's throat tightened as he said the last sentence. He knew that he needed to get himself back under control before attempting to speak again, or he'd completely blow his casual act.
Cindy felt her chest tighten. The way David was acting and speaking so nonchalantly brought her to a conclusion that she didn't want to reach. She bit on her bottom lip and tried not to reveal how hurt she was. "I'm right, aren't I? You're paying me off! You want me gone so badly that you're willing to fork over a cool mil to accomplish it."
David closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. Cindy's face was stone-like, but he could see the pain in her eyes. He hated himself for putting her through this. "Cindy… I… That isn't what I was trying to do… I just…"
"You just what?" Cindy asked with a strangled note in her voice. "You just knew that the best way to get rid of me was to give me the one thing that you knew I wouldn't refuse? If you really cared about me, you would never have given this to me," Cindy said, holding up the check for emphasis. "Even if the bet had still been on, you would never have paid up if you needed me the way you've been saying you do."
"Let me get this straight. If I cared about you, I would try to manipulate you instead of being fair and honest? What sort of logic is that?"
"It's the kind of logic you learn after years of living with a man who doesn't give a damn about your feelings. Grant taught me how to recognize the signs of someone trying to get rid of me. This is what it feels like … in spades."
"Cindy, I'm sorry. I never meant to…"
Cindy held up a hand and shook her head slightly to halt David's apology. "You don't have to explain, David. Like I told you, I've been here before. You had fun while it lasted, but I went too far, wanted too much from you, and now you want to bail. I get it, trust me."
Cindy turned and took a few steps toward the door. She stopped and turned to face David again. The tears she'd been fighting gathered in the corners of her eyes. She needed to do this quickly before she completely broke down. "This isn't the way I pictured things happening between us, but I am grateful to you for more than this," she said with a slight wave of the check. "You believed in me at a time when I really needed someone… More than that, you made me believe in myself again. I'll never forget that." Cindy silently searched David's eyes for a moment. Finding it impossible to read what he was feeling, she gave him a shaky smile and said, "Goodbye, David."
Cindy headed for the door with quick strides. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she barely noticed. She was intently focused on putting one foot in front of the other without letting her knees buckle. Cindy finally reached the door and opened it with a turn of the knob.
Suddenly, a strong hand closed around her wrist. Her hand fell away from the knob, and she watched as another hand came from behind her to push the door shut. Her wrist was released as the hands moved to her shoulders and gently turned her around.
David stood there without saying a word. He raised a hand and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks. Cindy stared up at him, awash in confusion and conflicting emotions. David looked pained, but there was something else in his expression that Cindy couldn't define.
Cindy knew that she couldn't take much more of this. Feeling her knees weaken further, she leaned her shoulders against the door behind her. "Please, David…" she said in a tearful whisper. "Just let me go."
"I can't," David replied emphatically. "I know that I should, but I can't."
"Why not?" Cindy asked in a confused, quivering tone.
David's lips raised slightly with ironic surrender. "Because… I'm not as noble as I thought I could be." David's eyes met Cindy's with a passionate intensity that stunned her. He leaned down and gently kissed the tracks that her tears had made on her cheeks. He met her eyes again, seeking her acceptance. Finding what he was looking for, David reached up and cupped Cindy's face in his hands. His lips met hers with equal parts tenderness and apology.
Cindy understood without him saying a word that David was sorry, and she accepted the comfort and conciliation he offered without hesitation. Nothing else mattered except the way that he was making her feel. She slipped one of her arms around David's waist and raised the other to his neck. The check he'd written dropped unnoticed from her hand to land on the carpet at their feet.
David felt the rush of blood in his veins increasing its pace. He pulled back from Cindy and huskily said, "I should explain myself…"
Cindy placed a finger against his lips and said, "Shh… No talking."
"But you deserve to know-"
Cindy smiled softly and shook her head. She kept her eyes locked with his and said, "Knowing you trust me enough to tell me is all that I needed. The rest can wait. All I want to know right now is…" Cindy looked down and walked past him a few steps.
David didn't let her get far. He placed his hands on her bare shoulders and leaned down to speak next to her ear. "What do you want to know?"
Cindy bit lightly into her lower lip as David's hands slowly caressed her arms. She couldn't bring herself to voice the question that she'd started to ask, so she said, "You do want me… don't you?"
David laughed in the back of his throat as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He pulled Cindy back against him, drawing a gasp from her at the contact. "Do you seriously need to ask me that question?"
Cindy's answering laugh left her on a shaking breath. "No. I don't suppose I do." Cindy leaned back against him and tilted her head to the side. She blindly reached back and hooked David's neck. His mouth landed hot against the skin of her neck. The sigh that escaped Cindy caught and then shuddered as David tightened the arm that was wrapped around her waist. Having the heat and strength of him pressing against her back sent desire raging through Cindy's system.
My love… my
need… tonight
I feel so tight
My love… my need… tonight
Just how I like
Cindy turned around to face David, her breathing rapid and shallow. David's eyes burned into hers, expressing the same passion that she was feeling. Cindy silently reached up and loosened the knot in his yellow tie. She hooked her hand in the fabric and pulled, drawing David with her as she walked backwards. When her back hit the wall, she finished undoing the knot and used the loosened ends to pull David's mouth toward hers. Their eyes remained locked as their lips remained a breath apart. Neither of them gave an inch, both waiting for the other to be the first to break.
I know you know
What exactly is on my mind
I can't help myself
Part of how I feel tonight
Won't make excuses
I just want you inside baby
We don't need to
Talk about no promises
Cindy slightly raised a brow and pulled David's tie off with seductive slowness. His lips quirked up on one side, but he did not kiss her. Cindy dropped the tie on the table next to her hip and raised her hands to the buttons on David's dark blue jacket. She undid them, then ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders. David shrugged out of the jacket and blindly tossed it toward the sofa behind him. He raised a challenging brow and put his hands on Cindy's waist. David leaned his body fully against hers, trapping her between him and the wall.
My love… my
need… tonight
I feel so tight
My love… my need… tonight
Just how I like
Cindy's eyes flared in reaction, but she wasn't ready to surrender yet. She slid her hands up his chest again and began unbuttoning his shirt. David met the challenge by sliding his hands upward from where they'd been resting above her hips. Cindy's breath caught as his fingers lightly brushed the sides of her breasts. David didn’t stop his assault on her senses. He gently teased her lips with his, brushing against them with light strokes that only hinted at a kiss.
Let's just pretend
That we have no more tomorrow
Can we make love
Like it's our last time baby
Let's not get too
Soft and gentle with it 'cause
I am not feelin'
In no mood to fool around
The sound of the phone ringing was almost deafening in the near silence of the room. Cindy kept her eyes locked with David's and reached over to the side. She was about to pick up the receiver, intending to drop it and stop the ringing, when David's hand closed on her wrist. His eyes never left hers as he removed her hand from the receiver… and savagely ripped the telephone cord from the wall. He then swept the offending instrument from the table and it landed heavily on the floor.
Cindy smiled slightly with triumphant gleam in her eyes. "I think you broke it," she whispered huskily against his lips. "What if that was important?"
"Whatever they want can wait," David replied in a throaty tone. "This can't." David swiftly bent down and swept Cindy up into his arms. Their eyes locked as David brushed a soft kiss to Cindy's lips. She was still trying to catch her breath as he carried her out of the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sinclair Investigations
Cameron punched the "end" button on his cell phone and sighed heavily. Gary looked up from his computer. He could see the strain on Cameron's face. The lines were deeper around his eyes, and he looked as if he could use some sleep. Gary felt a wave of sympathy wash through him. He was angry with Cameron for lying, but the big brother in him wanted to help ease Cameron's burden.
"Is something wrong?" Gary asked.
Cameron's eyes shot to him. He shook his head as he said, "Could be, or it could be just a coincidence."
Gary walked around his desk then leaned against the edge, crossing his arms.
"Is it something that I could help with?"
Cameron shook his head again. "I don't want you any more involved than you already are. This is my case, and I intend to finish it."
"Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
Cameron narrowed his eyes at Gary. "Rest? How can I rest?"
Gary shrugged. "You look like you could use it."
"Everyone make a big deal about how early I get up in the morning. They go on about it like its some big deal. None of them understand that I've slept with one eye open since I was a little kid. Why would I want to close my eyes when the nightmares torture me? You combine the memories of our childhood with the things I've seen working undercover, then you tell me if you would ever close your eyes?"
"Are you saying that you don't sleep….ever?"
"I doze off, but I couldn't tell you the last time that I was in a deep, peaceful sleep."
"Because of the nightmares and having to constantly be on guard?"
Cameron nodded. "Did you know that I was once locked in a dark, six foot by six foot pit in Columbia for a week?"
Gary's eyes widened. "But you're claustrophobic?"
"Tell those Colombian drug runners that. I had to put on a game face….act like I was on vacation in paradise. Inside I was smothering…gasping for air. It was just like when we were kids, and we wouldn't cry too hard because Pop would only hit us harder."
Gary swallowed hard, feeling his anger dissipate a little. "That must have been tough."
"Do you understand what it's been like, Gar? Do you understand how I've felt lying to all of you? It was just like being in that pit."
Gary walked to Cameron and put his hand on his shoulder. Cameron looked up at him, searching Gary's face.
"I understand," Gary replied, then hugged Cameron to him. Cameron closed his eyes and squeezed his brother tightly, drawing the strength that he so desperately needed from him. When Gary pulled away, he said, "Now go home and rest. You can close your eyes now, because everything is going to be all right. I promise."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Vicky and Amanda stared at each other from the confines of the plane. They were bound to their seats and gagged. The whir of the engines increased an octave as the plane began taxiing down the runway of the private, remote airstrip. Amanda felt her stomach lurch with the increase in speed. Flying had never bothered her in the past, but then again, she had not been in the early stages of pregnancy when she was on a plane, either. She made a muffled sound as the wheels of the plane left the runway, and the aircraft ascended toward the sky. Beads of sweat popped out on her forehead as Vicky looked on in concern.
Her distress had not gone unnoticed by the one thug who had been left in charge of them. When the plane leveled off, Bruno Franklin unbuckled his seat belt and walked to her. By that time, Amanda had turned a nice shade of green.
"What's wrong with you?" Franklin demanded as he leaned over Amanda.
Amanda gave him a weak look. Franklin untied the gag. Amanda started to say something, but could not as she leaned forward and lost the contents of her stomach on his shoes.
"What the.....those are Italian leather! The best money can buy! You're going to pay for that!" he shouted as he jumped away from her.
Amanda looked on with little sympathy. "Could you get me some water?"
Franklin continued to look at his shoes and back at her, then turned and walked toward the front of the plane. Amanda leaned forward so she could see him, then fell back into the seat.
"Are you okay?" she asked Vicky.
Vicky's eyes danced with amusement as she nodded.
"I normally have a stronger stomach that that. Sorry," she apologized as she began tugging at her restraints. "Maybe he'll take your gag off, too."
Up front, Marcus Chase watched over Kirkland.
"When did you say I'd see my Dad?"
"In just a few hours. He's been waiting on you."
"That's awesome, but why did they tell me that he died?" Kirkland questioned.
"I'll let your Dad tell you all about that," he told him as he watched Franklin walk toward him. He wrinkled his nose when he stopped beside him. Franklin motioned for Marcus to move away from Kirkland so that he could talk with him.
"That broad puked on me!" he told Marcus when they were a safe distance away.
Marcus looked at him with disdain. "Could you move away from me? Get yourself cleaned up."
"Now she wants a drink of water."
"Give it to her and get back to your post."
Franklin cleaned himself off the best he could, then filled a small glass with water. He wrinkled his nose as he pushed the curtain aside. He threw some paper towels on the floor, then shoved the water at Amanda.
"Could you untie my hands so that I can drink it?"
"Do I look stupid to you?" He asked in annoyance, then shoved the cup at her. Here, take a drink."
Amanda leaned forward and took a long sip. She fell back against the seat and looked up at Franklin. "Do you think you could take her gag off, too?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not exactly in a position to be making requests."
"Who's making requests? Don't you have one ounce of human decency in your body? Can't you see that she's pregnant? Have some compassion."
Franklin stared at Amanda for a moment with a cold glare, trying to intimidate her. She did not flinch as she openly stared back at him. He backed up and started to remove the gag from Vicky's mouth.
"Not word from you. You speak in a whisper or don't speak at all. Got it? Or the gags go back on both of you."
Vicky nodded, and he untied the piece of cloth. She coughed a few times.
"Could I have something to drink?"
"Something to drink. This isn't the freakin' country club," he railed. As he turned away he said, "Whatever."
After he disappeared, Vicky whispered. "Where do you think they're taking us?"
Amanda shook her head. "I don't know. What do they want with Kirkland? Or us?"
"I don't know. If Grant weren't dead, I would say he was behind it. As for us, we ruined their perfect getaway."
Amanda glanced toward the curtain, then said, "Before you got there, they showed me a picture. It was Grant holding a newspaper."
"Grant's dead. We're rid of him forever, Amanda."
"I know, but the picture wasn't taken with the kind of film that you can doctor. It was taken yesterday."
"What are you saying, Amanda? Are you saying that Grant Harrison has come back from the grave, and this is his revenge?"
"I'm just telling you what I saw."
"Unbelievable," Vicky said as she tried to come to terms with what Amanda had told her.
"What do you think they intend to do with us? Bringing us along couldn't have been a part of their plan."
"I don't know but it can't be good."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
David walked into the bedroom and laid Cindy on top of the bed. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, then backed away. Cindy watched as David turned off the ringer on the bedside phone and kicked off his shoes. She could only stare at him bemusedly when, instead of lying on the bed with her, he sat down on the end of it. He picked up her right foot and removed her spike heel, dropping it to the floor.
David was removing Cindy's other shoe when she propped herself up on her elbows and asked, "What are you doing?"
David raised a brow and gave her a self-effacing smile. "If you haven't figured that out yet, then I'm more out of practice than I thought."
"That's not what I mean… it's just that you said this couldn't wait and now you're… taking off my shoes."
David looked at Cindy's confused expression and couldn't suppress a quick laugh. "What did you expect me to do, Cindy? Throw you down on the bed and…" David couldn't finish the thought out loud, but his expression and gesture spoke volumes.
Cindy shrugged. "Well… yeah," she replied as if that were the foregone conclusion.
David shook his head slightly and smiled at her. "Cindy, we've both waited a very long time for this. And I, for one, plan to make this last as long as possible."
This was foreign territory for Cindy. She wasn't sure how to take what David was saying. "But… If you want me… I don't understand why you're waiting."
"I'm not waiting," David replied as he slowly ran both his hands up the length of one of her legs. "I just want to learn every inch of you."
Cindy's eyes flared with desire. The bold way David was speaking affected her as much as the feeling of his hands caressing her leg. His fingers located the hook on her garter belt. The appreciative smile on David's face as he deftly unhooked the fasteners and began rolling the thigh-high silk stocking down her leg made Cindy grateful that she was wearing them. As he repeated the process with her other leg, Cindy felt a rush of feminine power… and vulnerability. The odd combination set her off balance for a moment. Then David pressed his lips to her anklebone, and all feelings other than passion were forgotten.
David ran a string of slow, soft kisses up the inside of Cindy's leg. When his lips pressed hotly against the tender skin behind her knee, a gasp of pleasure escaped Cindy's throat in a rush. He repeated the same maneuver on her other leg. Cindy clenched her fists into the fabric of the bed cover, relishing the exquisite torture David was practicing on her. She never wanted it to end and prayed it would stop in the same breath.
As if sensing her thoughts, David stopped and stood up to move closer to the head of the bed. Cindy came up on her knees and pulled his shirttails free from his slacks. David removed the shirt and dropped it to the floor. Cindy looked up at him through her lashes as her hands worked at his belt buckle. Once it was undone, David pulled the belt free from the loops and dropped it as well. When Cindy's hands moved to the fastening of his slacks, David stopped her. He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed both of her palms in turn. "Not so fast. I'm not done with you yet."
Cindy smiled as a light of challenge entered her eyes. "You're being very bossy. I think you need to be taken down a few pegs."
David raised a brow as Cindy got off the bed to stand in front of him. "You think so?"
"Um-hum. And I'm just the woman to do it."
"Oh, really? And just how do you plan on accomplishing this grand feat?"
"Like this," Cindy replied in a sultry tone as she reached behind herself and unzipped her dress. She slid the fabric down, revealing a lacey corset in the same fire-red shade as the dress.
As Cindy kicked the dress away with her foot, David scanned her figure appreciatively. "That's a nice start, but you're going to have to do better than that," he remarked teasingly.
Cindy smiled confidently. "Oh, I'm not even close to done yet." She slowly walked around David, trailing her hands teasingly along his bare skin. She stopped behind his back and slid her arms around him. Cindy pressed herself tightly to his back and slowly ran her hands from his abdomen up to his chest. She felt a rush of satisfaction when she felt David quickly pull in a deep breath. His heart was pounding wildly under her hand. "Are you ready to surrender yet?" she whispered with her lips next to his right ear.
David cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, were you doing something? I hadn't noticed," he lied, very unconvincingly.
Cindy lightly nipped his ear, then kissed it. "Liar, liar, pants on fire," Cindy sing-songed in a low tone.
Cindy started kissing David's neck, then moved to his shoulders. As she began running her open mouth down the length of his spine, David groaned. "They aren't yet, but they soon will be if you keep that up."
Cindy grinned as she reached the waistband of David's slacks. "What's this, a crack in the armor? Never let it be said that I don't know how to press any advantage." Cindy straightened and reached around David to hook his chin with her fingers. She guided him to turn around and face her. Cindy felt her pulse race when their eyes met. The raw, undisguised craving in David's expression made her want him even more. She ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders. Without warning, she shoved him backwards and he fell across the bed.
As Cindy moved forward to stand next to the bed, David arched a brow at her. "A sneak attack, Cindy? How very wicked of you."
One side of Cindy's mouth quirked up. "Never underestimate the power of surprise." With that, she moved onto the bed and knelt above David, straddling his legs.
The witty remark David had been about to make totally escaped him. Cindy leaned down and began kissing his chest. He reached up and grabbed her waist. In one fluid motion, he turned so that Cindy was lying underneath him. All teasing was forgotten as he took possession of her mouth with his. The intensity of their kisses increased by the second. David cupped Cindy's head in his hands as he pressed his mouth harder against hers.
Some people fall in love.
I've just been around the edges.
I'm still not really sure
About what it is and how to get it.
Is love by chance or seduction?
All that I have are vague assumptions
Of what love must be like
And what love must feel like.
Tell me, what does it look like?
Is it as beautiful as you?
Is it as beautiful as you?
Cindy met his wild demand with an equal fever. She couldn't think, she only reacted to the sensations rocking her system. David pulled his mouth from hers and gasped, "You are driving me crazy."
David fervently kissed her throat and Cindy groaned out loud. "I'd say the same thing, but I've been crazy before, and it never felt this good." Cindy caught David's face in her hands to bring his eyes back to hers. "Please, stop holding back. I can’t wait any longer…" She slid her hands down his back past the waistband of his slacks. As Cindy pressed down with her hands, she arched herself upwards. "I need to feel all of you."
David gave out a groan of satisfied surrender and captured her lips with his again. Their remaining clothes were frantically pulled off and carelessly discarded. Hands and lips explored feverishly, the frenzied caresses tempered only slightly by tenderness. As the pressure built in them both, they reached out for release. When they both thought they'd go mad from the pleasure, the wave finally crashed, bringing them both to the place they'd been striving to reach.
I've never been in love.
Does that surprise you?
I find myself alone
In times when I don't wanna be… alone.
It's not that I'm scared of going too deep.
It's just I'm no good at pretending,
Starting or ending.
Casually, I'm imagining
What love must be like
And what love must feel like.
Tell me, what does it look like?
Is it as beautiful as you?
Make it as beautiful as you.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Foster Park
1:35 PM
Jake and Nick ran up to the school bus in the parking lot. Jake jumped onto the bottom step as the driver was about to close the door.
"Mr. McKinnon," Mrs. Holvey said in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Jake smiled at her, trying to stay calm. "I am looking for Kirkland."
"Oh, Mrs. McKinnon stopped by earlier to help with the kids. Kirkland had a stomachache, so she took him home."
"A stomachache?"
"That's what she said."
"Okay, thank you for your help, Mrs. Holvey," Jake said as he stepped down from the bus. He looked at Nick. "She said that Kirkland had a stomachache so Vicky took him home."
"Well, maybe we didn't give them long enough to get home. We can call again."
Jake nodded, then said, "You know how overprotective she can be sometimes. Maybe she took Kirkland straight to the doctor."
"I bet that's where she is. Who would she take him to?"
"John Hudson, of course."
"I'll call Uncle John, then," Nick said as he started to dial the number.
As they started to walk away, Mrs. Holvey yelled, "Mr. McKinnon, I almost forgot."
Jake and Nick walked back toward the bus as Mrs. Holvey hung out the window waving at them.
"What is it, Mrs. Holvey?"
"Mrs. McKinnon wanted me to be sure to tell you that Justine stopped by earlier to say 'hello'."
Jake nodded in confusion. "Thanks, Mrs. Holvey."
Nick started to press the "send" button when Jake grabbed it out of his hands.
"What's wrong?" Nick asked.
"It doesn't make sense. Justine?"
"Who's Justine?"
"She was Grant and Ryan's mother. She took Kirkland and locked Vicky up in this basement….left her to die. She was the most sick, demented person I ever had the misfortune of running into."
"Why would Vicky say something like that? You're right. It doesn't make sense."
Jake looked off into the distance. "Something is wrong, Nick. And that was the clue."
"What do you want to do now?"
Jake was taking deep breaths. "Try to remain calm. Let's go home and see if she left any clues there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ryan climbed into the surveillance van. The other agents in the van barely noticed his entrance as they continued to talk.
"What's up?" He asked as he closed the doors behind him.
The two agents turned toward him with very grim faces.
"What's wrong, Wendice?"
Wendice shook his head. "Brenner hasn't checked in at the
regularly scheduled time."
"He was watching Kirkland today?"
"Yeah, we're hoping that it's just an equipment breakdown."
The hair stood up on the back of Ryan's neck. It was a feeling of dread. As he put his hand on the door handle, he said, "I'm not going to wait to find out."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
McKinnon Cottage
Jake stood beside the table in the living room listening to the messages on the answering machine for the second time. As he picked up the machine to throw it across the room, Nick came bounding down the stairs.
"Did she leave a message?" Nick asked anxiously.
Jake set the answering machine on the table and turned toward Nick.
"No, there was nothing. Did you find anything?"
Nick shook his head. "Nothing looks unusual."
"Everything is just as she left it," Jake observed as he massaged the tension in his neck.
"What do we do next?" Nick asked.
Jake opened his mouth to answer when someone knocked on the door. He ran toward the door, leaping up the steps and jerking the door open.
"Vicky, did you forget your…." Jake began. His words drifted off when he saw that it was not Vicky standing in the doorway. "Remy…"
Remy's face was pale and serious. "I'm sorry, Jake. I…."
"Remy, what are you doing here?" Nick asked as he joined Jake at the door. He pulled Remy's hand, drawing her inside as Jake shut the door behind her.
"I had this horrible feeling that something was wrong here. I wanted to warn Vicky, but it's too late, isn't it?" Remy asked searching Nick's face for signs of something positive.
"Tell me what you felt," Nick urged as Jake looked on.
"I had this overwhelming feeling that something was wrong with Vicky and Kirkland. Vicky was scared."
"How…..how long ago?" Jake asked haltingly.
"Just a little while ago. Where is Vicky?"
"That's the problem. We can't find her or Kirkland."
The front door swung open and all eyes turned toward it. Steven stood at the top of the steps looking at all three of them with curiosity.
"Where's Mom?" Steven asked, instinctively sensing something was amiss. When no one answered, he asked more anxiously, "What's wrong? Where's Mom and Kirk?"
Jake walked to him and put his hand on Steven's shoulder. "I don't know, but we're going to find out."
Author's note: "My Need" appears on Janet Jackson's album The Velvet Rope. "Beautiful As You" was recorded by Adam Cohen on his self-titled CD. Click on the hyperlinked title to listen to a Real media clip from the song.