Authors: Michelle Love
She stroked her hand down his face. ‘I didn’t,’ she said softly, ‘that wasn’t the reason. I wanted you.’
Finn didn’t move as she kissed him lightly, closing his eyes as her lips moved against his. He tried to do what he always did when he was intimate with his wife – conjure up the pretense it was Sarah he was kissing – but this time was different. The images would not come. He opened his eyes. Caroline smiled at him.
‘Please Finn. Let’s try and get back to what we had. Please, for us, for our child,’ she breathed as she kissed him again and this time he kissed her back. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet, leading him to their bedroom. Finn
realized
how long it had been since he’d sleep in here.
Caroline dropped her robe, slid her hands under his t-shirt. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head.
‘No. Don’t. Not tonight. Tonight is just you and me, Finn, just you and me.’
Someone began banging
on
the front door just as Finn started to relax.
‘Leave it,’ Caroline snapped as he pulled his t-shirt back down but he moved away.
‘Can’t.’
Finn pulled open the door to see his brother-in-law, pale-faced and shaking. Finn’s stomach dropped.
God, no
.
‘Please come,’ said Mike, his voice breaking, ’Please come. God, Finn, it’s Molly…it’s Molly.’ And he began to sob.
***
Finn burst into the police station to see Molly, shaken, pale, shivering although she was wrapped in a blanket. Steve was handing her a steaming hot mug of tea. Mike went to her side, wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Molly smiled weakly at her brother, who felt his heart pounding out of his chest. Steve explained he’d heard her scream in the quiet night and had come running from the police station. He’d come around the corner and seen the hooded attacker trying to batter down the door. Steve had shouted, fired warning shots but the guy disappeared into the blackness of the forest behind the Varsity. Steve had hesitated but decided to stay with Molly. He couldn’t risk getting lost in the forest and possibly letting her attacker double back and kill her.
Finn raked a hand through his hair, staring at his sister. ‘Jeez…did you recognize him, Mols?’
Molly shook her head. ‘I don’t think so…except…’
‘What?’
‘His build, the way he sounded…’ She stared at her brother and he suddenly realized who she was thinking of.
‘Dan Bailey.’ His voice was flat, dead. Mike and Steve looked shocked.
‘What the hell? What are you talking about?’
Molly pulled the blanket tighter around her. ‘A few weeks ago…I thought I saw Dan Bailey in the street. It was less than a second but I could have sworn it was him. Then tonight…’ she sighed, slumping down in her chair. ‘I don’t know, maybe I’m reading too much into this. It could have just been someone breaking into the Varsity.’
She rubbed a hand across her eyes. ‘I’d really like to go home.’ She stood and Mike
too
her hand. He looked at Finn.
‘We’ll talk about this in the morning.’ His eyes were fierce, angry and Finn nodded.
‘Of course, look, sis…’ He went to her, hugged her tightly. ‘You’re right, it probably was just an intruder. Leave me the keys and I’ll get the crime scenes people out. You can come make a statement tomorrow when you’ve had some rest.’
After Mike and Molly had left, Finn sat down at his desk, Steve leaning against it.
‘You okay, boss?’ At
thirty-two
, Steve Hannigan had been Finn’s deputy for just over two years, had transferred to the island from the city. He and Finn had gotten along from the first day, enjoyed working together. Steve had never been a man to socialize particularly, and so their friendship was confined to work.
Lately,
though, he’d watched as his boss had become increasingly depressed. He seemed like a broken man, Steve thought. On an island like this, everyone knew everyone else’s business…with George’s murder and now this, their usually quiet island had become a hub for gossip, for nosey journalists and the island’s police – really just Finn and his two deputies – had become stretched to the limit. And then there was Finn’s wife, Caroline. He’d always disliked the spiteful redhead. He’d not warmed to her the first time Finn had introduced them, her spoiled princess petulance, her inept flirting with him, seemingly designed to humiliate Finn.
Finn nodded. ‘Look. Go home. I’ll tape off the Varsity until the morning.’
Steve hesitated. ‘You think it could be Dan Bailey?’
Finn shook his head. ‘I doubt it.
I’m beat
, I’m going home.’
After Steve had left, Finn pulled out his phone, quickly shooting off a text. He laid the phone down on the table and waited.
***
Call me. Don’t tell Sarah. Finn.
Isaac squinted at his phone, bemused. He looked up to see Sarah weaving her way back to him from the bathroom. She looked decidedly drunk and as she reached him, she stumbled and almost fell onto him.
‘Oops,’ she grinned up at him. He laughed and kissed her.
‘I think I had better get you home, come on.’
Outside, it was still pouring rain, great big drops hitting the asphalt. Isaac parked Sarah under an awning and tugged the collar of his coat up. ‘Stay there,’ he ordered with a grin, ’I’ll go get us a cab.’
Sarah leaned back against the wall, letting the pleasant feeling of being
drunk
wash over her. It felt good to let go, kick back….
with my boo,
she grinned to herself. She saw Isaac, soaked to the skin, trying to hail a cab, his phone pressed to his ear. A wave of dizziness hit her and she closed her eyes for a long moment. She felt people passing by her then, as in slow motion, she felt someone move too close, too near and a finger being trailed lightly across her stomach. A familiar smell of pine soap. She opened her eyes to see a man, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head. His face was in shadow, half turned away but her heart dropped into her feet.
Dan
It was the briefest glance and the man turned away, was gone, was at the end of the block before she could form the word, say his name out loud. Then Isaac was grabbing her hand, pulling her into the warmth of a cab. Sarah blinked twice. Did that just happen? She twisted around in the cab as it began to pull away from the curb. She could see the guy standing at the end of the block, staring at the cab. From this distance, she couldn’t see his face, just felt the intensity as he stared at the car. Isaac touched her face, his eyes concerned.
‘Hey…you okay?’
She turned back to him, her mind a whirlwind of emotions, of confusion…of fear. She didn’t want it to be Dan. She truly didn’t.
You’re just drunk, woman, seeing ghosts.
She smiled at Isaac, a falsely bright smile that she knew he would see through.
‘Fine. Just a bit woozy.’
Isaac leaned his forehead against hers. His hair was wet from the rain and the cool water felt good against her skin. ‘We can get some food when we get home, sober you up. Then something to make your blood pump harder, get the alcohol burned off….wonder what we could do?’
Sarah smiled at him. ‘I wonder.’ But she felt cold inside. The shock of seeing that face, the walk, even, she thought now, the smell of the pine soap, of his skin.
No
. She pushed the idea away and burrowed into the warmth of Isaac’s arms.
This
was what was real, not some drunken projection. She didn’t have to look far to guess the reason for it; ever since she had been with Isaac, she had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for something to spoil her happiness. She hated feeling like this.
Forget it, just enjoy this wonderful man in your arms.
Pushing every other thought away, she tightened her grip on Isaac and thought of nothing else the whole ride home.
***
Later, when Sarah had fallen asleep, Isaac slipped quietly from the bed and went to the living room, grabbing his cell phone from his jacket, discarded earlier with the rest of his clothes as they had stumbled, laughing and kissing, to the bedroom. He checked the time: just after midnight. He sent a text.
You still up?
His cell phone buzzed and he pressed the
accept
button. ‘Hey, Finn, what’s up?’
‘
Hey,
man…look I’m sorry to disturb you but I figured you’d want to know this. Molly was attacked tonight, in the Varsity.’
Isaac was shocked. ‘Oh shit, no – is she okay?’
Finn sighed. ‘Yeah, yeah, she says she’s fine but I figured you should know.’
‘And you didn’t want Sarah to know.’
‘She needs time, man, this will just…look, I don’t know how much she’s told you about her past…’
‘I know about her mom.’
‘Okay, good. Well, Sarah’s had
some issues
– mental health issues, probably stemming from her childhood. Bouts of pretty bad depression. With George’s death and now this…’
Isaac cleared his throat, swallowing the lump of sorrow that had formed there. ‘I get it and thanks…I appreciate you being honest with me. Although I don’t know how we’re going to keep it from her if….’
‘Only four of us know. Five including you. I’m not saying don’t tell her ever, just don’t tell her yet. When she’s stronger.’
Isaac shook his head and sighed. ‘She won’t like it.’
‘I know but…Isaac, there’s something else. Molly swears blind that she saw Dan Bailey on the island a few weeks ago. It was just a second but she’s adamant it was him. And the guy tonight…I think she’s convinced it was Dan.’
Isaac was quiet for a long time. ‘Then definitely don’t tell Sarah.’
‘Agreed. Look, man, I’m sorry to bother you with this, but let’s try and figure this out without worrying Sarah any more than she needs to be.’
‘Why would Dan attack Molly?’
Finn laughed, a hollow sound. ‘Why would he leave without saying anything? Why would he leave Sarah? Who knows how that son-of-a-bitch operates?’
Isaac noticed Finn’s attitude to Dan Bailey was all out hatred now. It made his chest tighten with dread. Fear for Sarah’s safety.
After ending the call, Isaac went back into the bedroom, laid down next to his love, sleeping so deeply. There was a little crease between her eyes,
stress,
and worry, even in sleep. He smoothed it out with a finger and she murmured and snuggled into his arms, pressing her lips against his neck.
‘
Hey,
you…’
‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.’
She opened her eyes and smiled such a beautiful, sleep-filled smile at his, his stomach twisted with the ferocity of his love. ‘You can always wake me. Can’t you sleep?’
‘
Nah-uh
.’
She kissed his mouth. ‘I’ll help you…’ and she moved down his body. He sucked in a deep breath as her lips parted over the crown of his cock and her soft, wet mouth enveloped him. She ran her fingernails lightly over his scrotum, teasing the sensitive flesh as she licked and sucked and traced the veins of his cock with her tongue. It pulsed and swelled under her touch and Isaac shivered and vibrated with pleasure, lost in the sensations in his body. He tried to pull her up the bed, wanted to plunge into that sweet, sweet cunt of hers but she shook her head. ‘Come in my mouth, Isaac, I want to taste you.’
His cock trembled at her words, grew almost painfully rigid and he arched violently as she came, hot jets of semen pumping into her willing mouth. When he was spent, she straddled him, tracing the tip of his semi-hard cock up and down her slick sex.
‘You’re so wet,’ he said, admiring her breasts as she sat astride him. He molded them in his hands, felt the weight of each one in his hands. ‘Anyone else tell you your tits are perfect?’
Sarah grinned and slowly impaled herself on his cock, moaning softly as he filled her. ‘As long as you think so…’
He stroked her belly with his fingertip. ‘I love your belly too, so soft, I kinda want to fuck your bellybutton, it’s so deep.’ He dipped his thumb into it and she shivered. ‘You like that?’
She nodded, breathless now as she rode him, her hips rotating to thrust hard, take him deep inside of her. With his free hand, he swirled his thumb onto her clit, feeling it pulsing, swelling underneath the pad of his thumb. Finger-fucking her navel, he gazed up at the beautiful woman above him and knew if he died here, in this moment, it would be okay as long as he was with Sarah…
***
Isaac didn’t know if he was dreaming or if they were still making love but Sarah was above him, fucking him, riding his cock and throwing her head back with pleasure. He smiled up at her and began to touch her, his thumb returning to fuck the deep, round hollow in the
center
of her belly…then she gasped and looked at him with shock. To his horror, it wasn’t his thumb that was pushing into her
navel
but a knife – gripped in his own hand. He could not stop it, although he was screaming, as he stabbed her over and over…Sarah, dying, stared at him, a tear dropping down her lovely face. ‘Why?’ she whispered and then, just like that, she was gone and he lay alone, soaked in her blood…