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She had zipped her coat over the slice on her neck to hide it from the security guard. “That means he’s still after us. Shouldn’t we just tell her?” she said.

I reached across the seat and clutched her good hand for a few moments. “I wish we could. But the power of Stratton’s people is widespread. We can’t trust the police yet. But we’ll make it out of this. I promise.”

Her eyes were glazed with pain and fatigue. “Do you? What makes you so sure, psychic woman? Does your crystal vision make room for the kind of people who annihilate innocent people just to kill the one person they want dead?”

I had nothing to say to that, so I sat back and waited for the signal to start my engine and vacate the ferry. Soon I saw the traffic officer in his orange jacket wave us out of the ferry. Both Laura and I were looking in several directions to catch sight of the attacker. We were just leaving the car deck when a jarring crunch rocked our car.

We flinched, fearing an explosion. A hand splatted on the windshield and bloody fingers splayed. A crimson face, upside down, lurched into my line of sight. It was him. The gash from my tire iron had torn open his forehead. Blood oozed from it and onto the windshield in rivulets.

He smiled a sickening upside-down demon’s grin. His teeth were tainted with blood. His other hand appeared and pounded the windshield in front of Laura. Blood spattered on Laura’s side of the windshield. He looked insane. The glass in front of Laura spidered. His hands and face disappeared. A squeaking of damp skin pulled across car metal filled our ears.

In my rearview mirror, I saw the rugged security lady had pulled him off our car. He was rolling on the ferry deck, and she had her gun aimed at him.

Ferry personnel were signaling for us to stop. Instead, I pressed the windshield spray mist and turned on the wipers. The diluted blood was pushed away, leaving our view cleared of the vile red. Lots of it lingered where the wipers couldn’t reach. I punched the gas, cut off a pickup just about to take the exit ramp, and tore my car out of there. I made a commitment to myself to buy that security toughie a drink someday.

“I know his name. I know who he is,” Laura said while gingerly unzipping her jacket away from her neck.

“Why didn’t you say so before? Who is he?” I had to keep my eyes on the road, which was a good thing because I was annoyed that Laura had held back information.

“Look, I’ve been injured…a head injury. They’ve put me on scads of drugs, and I’m running for my life. Excuse me if my lucidity is compromised.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m more than
fartootst
here. So help me with my confusion, because if we know his name, we can learn something about him.” I felt guilty at sounding aggravated with Laura, but I was confused and scared.

Laura let out a tired breath. “His name is Tom Dwight. Last I knew about him, he worked for Jerry Greenfield.”

“Why am I not shocked? How do you know this Dwight guy worked for Greenfield?” We were taking the road south that bisected most of the island, passing through the fields and woods that blanketed the terrain. It was raining again, enough that I turned my wipers to intermittent. Tom Dwight’s blood left the windshield in pink, watery rivulets.

“Years ago, when Elizabeth and I broke up, I followed her romance with Greenfield in the newspapers. Dwight was occasionally with Greenfield in press photographs. They would refer to him as Greenfield’s bodyguard. He was scary even back then, although in recent years I’ve seen no sign of him in the Greenfield press coverage.” She was cradling her wrist again.

“Do you need more medication? We’ll be at my place soon.”

“Believe it or not, the pain is better. Maybe it’s because of the adrenaline. Right now, I just want to check my neck and see how bad it is.”

“There’s a mirror on your sun visor. Check it out. I think your neck got very lucky today.” I was keeping my eyes open for anyone following us. No sign of any cars.

“Lucky? Are you going to wish me mazel tov?” She was dabbing at the cut with a tissue.

“Very funny. Listen, that guy knows people who will get him out of whatever little scrape he’s into with the ferry security. He’s delayed, but he’ll be back and probably with a few friends. Do you know anything else about him?”

“I think one article said that he was a former soldier of fortune and he found God. He joined up with Jerry Greenfield as a bodyguard, I guess. Looks like he’s gone back to his old profession.”

“I doubt he ever left it. ‘Found God’ my ass.” I pulled the car onto a dirt turn-around, parked but left the engine running. “Keep an eye out for anything. I have to do some communicating.” First I texted Fitch asking for an update. Then I called my island security company, letting them know I’d be around for a few days. I also asked them to send their patrol car down the road to Tranquility several times a day. They quoted the extra fee, and I agreed. Lots of well-heeled people had homes on Lopez. Security was expensive but worth it given the isolation of some homes and the expensive belongings within them.

Before I could pull back onto the road, my phone buzzed signaling a text message from Fitch. “Situ wrs than thot. Whr r u? need 2 tlk.” The third grade teacher still residing within me winced at the text spelling. I worried that people would carry those spelling habits into their formal writing.

I sent a return message, correctly spelled but with challenged punctuation, that I would call her in a few hours. I also texted two more words: “tom dwight.” That was all Fitch would need.

We continued down Center Road past Lopez School and eventually took the turns that led us to Hunter Bay Road. When we reached the long driveway that led to my home, I pressed my key fob to open the security gate, then drove the car through and closed the gate with the fob.

The night Stratton had visited me, my world was different. That gate had been left open, a result of my naïve belief that island life was safe. I was never going to make that mistake again. I looked at Laura. Her profile exuded determination even though the circles under her eyes denoted fatigue. Maybe the event that called Laura into my life couldn’t be designated a mistake.

We made our slow way down the graveled road to Tranquility. When I was within one thousand feet, I pressed another button on my fob and deactivated the house’s security system. After passing through a few hundred feet of wooded area, we entered into the wild grass hillocks that comprised the yard of Tranquility.

“Oh, wow,” Laura said when she caught sight of the contemporary architectural beauty of the house. “That’s an awe-inspiring house, Dev. I was expecting some little rustic cabin with an outdoor toilet and kerosene lamps. This is anything but rustic.”

“It took lots of planning, phone calls, schlepping, and a few tears, but I got it built. And everything is as green and sustainable as one can make it on an island. Plus, it has a world-class security system. We will be safe here until we can decide what our next move will be.” The garage door purred open and we parked the Lexus with its cracked windshield and a few dabs of blood near the edge of the glass. “I’ll call someone to come out and fix the windshield. We’ll have to wash off Dwight’s blood first. Nasty.” I fought a nauseating revulsion.

“You really think he’ll still come after us?”

“Probably. With reinforcements. Listen, when we get into the house and activate the security system, I’ll make us something to eat. I have some food in the freezer and possibly a few potatoes. I’ll need to make some calls too. And you’ll need to get some rest. When we’re fed and rested, we’ll have a strategy session. Think you’ll be up to it?”

Laura looked at me with a small glower. “We’ve gotten this far. But remember that my jury is still out on whether I can trust you or not.” She crawled out of the car and slammed the door.

Something about her anger and resolve fueled in me an intense craving for her. I had always assumed it was impossible for me to feel craving toward anyone. I was having misgivings about being alone with Laura Bishop in my home. Somehow, I had to reconcile my assignment from Elizabeth Stratton with my feelings for Laura Bishop.

One Jewish saying kept grinding through my mind. “A half-truth is a whole lie.” I had to tell Laura everything. But how?

Chapter Twelve

We finally ensconced ourselves in Tranquility with the security system activated. I told Laura to make herself comfortable in the living room while I got dinner prepared. I left her to wander around checking out my art collection.

There were some flank steaks in the freezer that I quick-thawed in the microwave. After they were browned in a pan, I covered them with a can of diced tomatoes, browned onions, garlic, and water. I left the steaks to cook for a while. I threw a couple potatoes in the toaster oven to roast. I opened a bottle of cabernet and dumped a cup of it into the simmering steak dish. I poured two fragrant glasses of the wine and lamented to myself that it hadn’t had time to breathe.

“Oh, well,” I said. I carried the two glasses into the living room and set them on the same coffee table that held Elizabeth Stratton’s check in the drawer. Laura was lying on the couch, her shoes off and a decorative pillow under her head.

“Antonin Prevot,” she said.

“Excuse me?”

“Antonin Prevot. You have ten pieces by one of the most collectable artists of our generation. Granted, they’re not like his usual work, but they’re spectacular. They appear to have been made specifically for you. They’re tarot themes, aren’t they?”

I glanced at the mixed media pieces that graced the room’s walls. I sat on the end of the couch near her feet. She scootched toward me a little and rested her feet on my lap.

“I’d buy you another Prevot if you’d just massage my feet now. I’ll sign an I.O.U.”

“No need to go into debt. If this helps you feel better, then it’s my pleasure.” I started working the pad of her foot through her sock.

“Who are you, Dev? How can you afford art like that?” Her eyes were closed, but her brows were pinched in concentration.

“I told you I’m one of a kind. I help a lot of people. They pay me a lot of money if they can afford it. If not, then we work out a trade.”

“And Prevot traded his art for your services.”

“Pretty much. But that’s all I can tell you, and even that is confidential, Counselor. Can you maintain your lawyerly discretion?”

“What paintings?” She was smiling. I had rarely seen her do that. It felt good.

For a while, we stayed silent while I worked her feet. A couple of times she groaned when I hit a particularly satisfying spot. I glanced at her face and saw her looking at me, her chest visibly moving up and down with each breath. As if remembering where she was, she lurched upright and swung her feet off my lap and onto the floor.

“Whoa, uh, thanks for that.” She shook her head and reached for her wine. “I only want a few sips, given all the pain meds in my body.”

“Oh darn, I completely forgot about that. Sorry.” I was embarrassed by my lack of thoughtfulness. “Let me get you some juice, or tea. Soda? How about water?”

We both stood at the same time. She turned and headed to the kitchen. “No worries. I’ll help myself.” She vanished from the room in double time. I remained by the couch feeling dopey.

“Whoa!” I heard her yell from the kitchen. I rushed in to see what had impressed her. “You’re a cook?” She gazed at my well-used and amply supplied kitchen.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Sometimes. I mean, I love doing it, but I’m often too lazy to go through the paces.” I stepped close behind her and surveyed the kitchen too. “Besides my library, this is the room where I spend the most time.” She leaned back into me as if it were as natural as relaxing into a chair. It was a satisfying and terrifying sensation. I didn’t know what to do with my shaking hands, so I rested them on her waist.

“Why do I feel so comfortable with you, Dev? When you first came to the hospital room last night, you felt so, I don’t know, so right. You’re almost like a pleasant déjà vu. Like I’ve known you before. Is it just me?”

She had her head against my cheek. My mouth was a few inches from her ear. “No, it’s not just you. I’m compelled to be here. With you. The reasons are complicated, but there’s no other place for me to be but right here.” I let my arms encircle her, and I held her close for a few luscious quiet minutes.

Beep, beep, beep.
The cooking timer interrupted the moment of magic.

“Is the food ready?” She pushed away from me. She walked to the stove, grabbed a hot pad, and lifted the lid on the pan.

My body felt chilled where hers had just touched it. Like a comforting blanket torn off me in the middle of a freezing night. “Let’s see if there are any veggies in the freezer. I’ll heat them up, and by the time they’re ready, the steak will be done. Oh, gosh, I hope you eat meat.”

“I eat meat. Couldn’t be a combative bitch attorney without chomping on flesh once in a while.” She wasn’t looking at me. She was embarrassed by having leaned into me.

“Have a seat. I’ll serve the meal in a few minutes.” I dug around the freezer. “Peas okay with your meat and potatoes?” I swung around to find her looking at my backside. She was definitely feeling better.

She looked away and nodded. “I’m actually hungry. I haven’t had a real meal in two days, or a decent night’s sleep.”

“We’ll fix all that shortly,” I said.

“Hmm.” Her reply said more than any words could have.

Laura’s splint inhibited her use of a knife, so I had the task of cutting her meat into bite-sized bits.

“Here, let me give you the first bite,” I said and raised a bite of meat to her lips. She wrapped her lips around the food and took it from the fork while never removing her gaze from my eyes. While she chewed, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

She swallowed. “That is astounding. So tender, succulent, and the flavor is perfect. What is it?”

“One of my mom’s frugal dishes, flank steak supreme. Sounds a little low rent, but it fulfills all kinds of comfort food needs, doesn’t it? And wait until you taste the potato with it. It’s a
mechaieh
.”

“A what?” She was proceeding to tuck into the rest of her food.

“
Mechaieh
. Rhymes with
messiah
. It means a great joy or pleasure. All my mom’s dishes are
mechaiehs
.”

Laura flashed a glance at me. “I’m beginning to think my being here with you is my
mechaieh
.” We both offered shy smiles over that comment.

I drenched her baked potato in sour cream and butter according to her directions. Then I fixed my plate, grabbed a small canister, and shook yellow flakes over my food. Laura watched, looking appalled as more flakes covered my food like snow coating a meadow.

“What in the world are you doing to your delectable plate of food?” she said.

“Brewer’s yeast. It’s healthy for my system. Among other benefits, I get selenium and chromium, plus a host of B vitamins. And, to tell the truth, I’ve become addicted to the taste. It’s like how salt is for some people. They have to have it on everything. I’m that way about brewer’s yeast.” I gave an extra shake of the yellow flakes to prove my point.

She eyed my now yellow food. “Well, good for you. Keep it away from my plate.”

We ate in companionable silence until I noticed she was struggling to cut the hardened skin on her potato. “I need to have some of this,” she said. “It’s my favorite part.”

“Here, I’ll help.” I reached over and used her fork and knife to cut the skin. Again, I put a bite into her mouth. This time a dab of sour cream remained on her lip. I didn’t think, hesitate, or wring my hands. I just leaned in and licked that tiny bit of sour cream from her lip. “I can be your napkin too,” I whispered.

Laura sighed as if something perfect had happened. Then she came to her senses, I supposed. “What are we doing?” she asked while pulling her head back. “Is this even smart? Someone is trying to kill me, and I’m here playing kissy licky face. I should be calling the police.”

That alarmed me. “No, not the police. We can’t trust them, not in this situation. First, we eat and rest. Then we make a plan.”

“What plan? And as for resting, even though I have a battered body, the last thing on my mind is rest, especially with you around. What is this between us, anyway?”

“I’m not really sure I can explain it. I just know that it’s almost irresistible for me. It’s nothing I’ve experienced before. Do you feel it too?” I touched Laura’s face, gently stroking the skin around the bandage covering the cut Tom Dwight had monstrously delivered.

Laura leaned into my hand. “Yes, but the last time I felt this kind of attraction, I was young, and I was badly burned by Elizabeth. I haven’t felt truly attracted to anyone since. So this isn’t normal for me. And now my face has been carved up by an animal.” Welling tears made her eyes change to a deeper brown than I’d seen before.

“Oh, sweetheart, your lovely face will heal. You’re only going to get more beautiful than you already are. Here, let me show you what I see.” I held Laura’s chin, thumbed away the tears, and looked into her eyes. We were lost in the electric moment. I think she needed to gain some authority in the situation. She stood so that she was looking down at me.

Laura ran her hand behind my neck and entangled it in my hair. She gripped my curls and pulled my head back. “Let’s see what this is about.” She bent and captured my mouth with hers. This kiss was not tentative. It was strong, sure. I felt like she was staking claim on me.

All my senses became attuned to the kiss. The fragrance of Laura’s skin. The wild feel of her fingers knotting my hair. My lips were open and ready when her tongue briefly explored my mouth. I gasped and moaned when she broke the kiss.

“I assume you have a bedroom in this castle,” Laura said into my ear.

“Are you sure about this?” I knew I was sure, but Laura was injured and in danger.

“If I don’t survive this fiasco, I’ll be really pissed off that I didn’t make love one last time before leaving the world. So, yes, Dev, I’m sure.”

I stood without a word, took Laura’s hand, and led her up the short flight of stairs that led to the master bedroom. When we reached my expansive, windowed bedroom, Laura took a few seconds to note the king-sized bed with books piled haphazardly on both bedside tables.

“When the weather is clear, this view is better than downstairs. Right now, I’m glad we’re fogged in because I want no distractions,” I said.

“No distractions,” she said as she turned to me.

Laura trembled as I pushed my hands under her shirt and smoothed her skin. We both knew, in her injured state, that most of the effort would be mine. But it wasn’t an effort. It would be an unmitigated pleasure.

I worked her hoodie carefully over her breasts, trying not to jar her wrist. My center of need was throbbing between my legs. Abundant soaking below signaled my body was slipping out of control. Whatever I did to her, I would revel in it. I hoped she felt the same.

As if reading my mind, she gasped and said, “I want everything you can give me. All the moans. All the heat. All the wet. I want all of it.” Her voice had a swooning quality.

I licked between Laura’s breasts. “You have no bra. Perfect.”

“I…I couldn’t…get one on…one-handed.”

“Then there is one tiny blessing from your fracture. And I’ll be sure to capitalize on it.” I covered Laura’s breast with my entire mouth and gently sucked, gauging the responsiveness of her breasts.

Laura groaned and pulled my head tighter to her breast. Good start, I thought.

“Let me take your shirt all the way off,” I said.

“Take anything…anything you want. I don’t want to stop. I can’t.” When she said that, I blessed the aphrodisiac effect of danger. Maybe Fitch was on to something with the torture and whip thing.

Taking care not to jar Laura’s injuries, I worked her hoodie completely off and threw it aside. I had to stand there and look at her. “You’re so stunning. I don’t want to take my mouth off you, never mind my eyes.”

“Then don’t. I need the bed. Now.” She was breathing as if fevered.

“Can you do this? Will I hurt you?” I returned my mouth to her taut nipple, not really caring what she answered.

Her voice caught at every breath. “Oh…parts of me will hurt worse if you don’t take care of me now. Please.”

“Here, sit on the bed.” I sat Laura on the end of the huge bed and knelt in front of her. “If you need to stop, tell me. Okay?”

“That won’t happen. I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life as being here right now.” Laura looked into my eyes. We were at sea with no possibility for rescue. And it was okay. “Take me whenever, however you like,” she said.

“I’d like you a million different ways. Lie down.” I pulled off my shirt and was gratified at her nod of approval. Then I removed my pants and underpants at the same time.

Laura pushed herself completely onto the bed and rested her head on the pillow. I straddled her. “Lift and I’ll remove your pants.” I worked the sweats over her hips and gasped when I caught sight of Laura’s lacy silk briefs. “These defy imagination.”

“That’s the point,” Laura said. Her voice was raspy with desire.

She twitched when she felt my hands on her thighs. I spread her legs and took in the sight of her wetness and her heady aroma. Judging from the pulsing between my own legs, I knew I was as aroused as her.

I couldn’t prolong the moment. My need to touch Laura Bishop had reached emergency status. I placed my fingers into her wet center and moved them up and down in her slick folds, landing on her clit for a few strokes. Without giving her a warning, I entered her with two fingers. Another solid hot push in, then out, in again. Over and over.

The blood rushing in my ears coupled with the extreme arousal between my legs almost caused me to miss the sound of Laura’s labored breath. Her pelvis rose to meet each of my pushes.

I looked at her ecstatic face and noticed the cut on her neck. It kept her from looking down at me. Everything I did at that end of her body would be a surprise. I bent and circled her clit with my tongue. She cried out in grateful pleasure. I was aware of the tremors pulsating from her center as I alternately sucked and licked. My fingers thrust again and again into Laura’s core.

She was gripping the bedspread with her good hand. Her body quaked, having lost its compass. Within a few minutes, her gathering release found purchase and tossed her into oblivion, over and over. Laura screamed. She was heedless of how she sounded. And when it was over, tears trickled from the corners of her eyes.