Sweet Backlash (20 page)

The officer didn't take his eyes off
the bed. "She still needs to drop it."

Chip turned to her. She was frozen.
Her right arm stretched awkwardly behind her where the cord bound
her wrist and her left pointed a gun at Keith.

"You need to put it down," he told
her.

She shook her head.

"Drop it!" ordered the policeman,
nearly screaming.

"Give her a second." Chip walked
slowly to her side and peeled the tape off her mouth. He longed to
untie the cord, but the officer already seemed on edge, and he
didn't want to make the man more nervous. "Sorry about that. I'm
sure that tape hurt coming off."

"I can't let go of my gun," she
whispered. "I need you to take it from me."

The officer muttered a curse and
holstered his gun. "Don't touch it," he told Chip.

"Wasn't planning to," he said, taking
a seat next to her. "I thought you were right handed."

"I am," she answered, her voice
monotone.

An explosion sounded in the apartment,
startling him, then the bedroom door burst open and three policemen
rushed in. Okay, so they could kick in a door. Chip shook his head,
feeling like an ass.

"Drop it!" yelled one of the officers,
pointing his gun at Melony.

The one crawling through the window
said, "Relax, Bruce. I've got it."

Bruce lowered his gun but didn't put
it away until the weapon was pried from Melony's fingers. With the
pistol out of her grip, she slouched. Chip wrapped an arm around
her and waved a policeman to untie her wrist.

With her resting in his arms, her head
against his chest, he wondered that she seemed so calm. "You got
him," he said, impressed beyond words.

A paunchy, balding older man in a suit
came in looking like he had rolled from bed five minutes ago.
Sizing up the room, he said, "Officer Jenkins, you stay. Everyone
else, out before you muck up my crime scene." The man turned to
Melony, his intelligent eyes taking her in for a moment. "I'm
Detective Matheson. I don't normally report to a crime scene in the
middle of the night, but I'm the detective who found Keith Bethson
and took him into custody years ago. I remember you, Miss Calloway.
I heard you took him down."

She nodded.

Chip hugged her closer and said, "The
quick death was too good for the likes of that monster."

The detective drew his lips into a
grim line. "Looks like he messed with the wrong woman and got what
he deserved. Scumbags like this should never be freed. I'm sorry
this happened to you, ma'am." Squatting, he studied the body then
turned in surprise. "You double tapped him?"

She took a deep breath and sat up out
of Chip's embrace. He missed her warmth and realized he had
received as much comfort from her weight as he offered with his
arms.

Her voice wavering, she said, "I've
been practicing at the gun range on the boulevard for years. My
instructor taught me if I ever had to take an enemy down, to shoot
twice in the head and once in the chest."

"You did really well. Normally we'd
ask you to come down to the station, but let's do that tomorrow.
Listen, it's the middle of the night, and you can't stay here. Is
there someplace you can go?"

She shook her head and Chip ran a hand
down her hair. "We'll get a hotel room. How long do you need? A few
days?"

Detective Matheson stood and Officer
Jenkins moved to the door to stop some men heading their way.
"We'll have the apartment cleared by tomorrow afternoon," said the
older man with a wink.

Chip sent Melony into her bathroom to
change, and packed an overnight bag for her. He hated that she
seemed in shock, so quiet. Any moment, he expected her to have a
meltdown.

He drove her in his Mercedes to the
hotel near their office. She didn't say a word the entire way. In
their room, she fell into bed and slept like the dead. He watched
her in amazement. Adrenaline still pumped through his veins,
keeping him awake. How could she act like nothing had
happened?

* * * *

Melony opened her eyes and stared at
the ceiling. Chip's voice droned, talking to somebody about needing
the day off. On the phone. He talked on the phone. She blinked. Was
the morning abnormally bright? Was the sweet air perfumed?
Something was missing.

She tapped her fingers on the sheet.
What was missing? Something inside her. Hungry? No. Thirsty?
No.

She sat with a gasp and a smile. "The
fear."

Chip stood, covering the mouthpiece of
the handset. "What's wrong? Hold on a second, Melony." He put the
phone back to his ear. "I'm not sure about tomorrow. I'll call you
and when I know." He paused, listening, then said, "Fine. Thanks
for understanding." After ending the call, he joined her on the
bed. "Is last night hitting you?"

"The fear is gone." Squinting, she
leaned closer to him. Had he been this handsome all this
time?

"The fear?" He ran fingertips down her
arm and asked, "Are you losing it? I've been waiting since you shot
Keith Bethson for you to lose it. You're entitled, you
know."

She chuckled. "I'm not going to lose
it. I'm trying to tell you, I just woke up unafraid."

"I don't know what you
mean."

Inhaling, she searched for a way to
explain. "For the past nine years, I've woken up every day with
fear running like a river inside me. Sometimes the fear was so
strong it seemed like it would overflow the banks and flood me.
Sometimes I could dam the river and slow the flow to a trickle. But
it was always there. This morning, it's gone. The river is dried
up."

He arched his brows, giving her his
undivided attention. "What does it mean?"

"Well, I don't know. It's as if I've
been given a new start. I shot him."

Nodding, he said, "You're not a victim
anymore."

"Yes." He understood, infusing her
with an unexpected joy. "Exactly. I shot him and now I'm not a
victim anymore. I killed the guy who stole my life." Sadness
squeezed her throat, but she forced the words past. "He stole my
life
.
When I should have been enjoying my friends and high
school graduation, my college years, dating…" Her voice reduced to
a whisper. "He stole my life." Tears pricked the backs of her eyes,
but no wetness ensued.

"You fought back, Melony. You learned
the whip and the gun. You took him down and won your life back."
Offering her a smile, he took her hand and pressed it between his
fingers.

The tightness in her throat released
and she took a deep breath. "I won my life back. Yeah." She glanced
around the room, loving the soft light, the tasteful colors. "You
know, this might sound silly, but everything seems…"

"Sweeter?"

"Yes." She took his face in her hands
and kissed him. "Am I going crazy? Should I be screaming about what
happened last night? Should I be freaking out?"

He studied her for a long minute then
slowly shook his head. "I think you've been freaking out for nine
years. Now, it's over. How do you feel?"

"Incredible. Safe. Brave. Whole." She
paused then added, "Hungry, and in need of a shower."

Chip laughed. He had that special,
meaningful look in his eyes again, but this time, it didn't make
her nervous. It intrigued her.

He kissed her. A quick peck that meant
nothing, yet meant everything. "Go ahead and take a shower. A nice,
long one. I'll order breakfast then call Detective Matheson. He
gave me his card last night. I want to see if he has an idea when
they'll finish so I can get a cleaning crew in there before we go
back." Putting a hand on her shoulder, he asked, "You don't mind
going back, do you?"

"No. I want to go back. I love living
there. Now, it's the place I stood up for myself. I defended
myself." She smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I definitely want to go
back."

With a firm nod, he said, "You sure
did defend yourself. You're so strong, and I'm so proud to know
you."

She ran the pad of her thumb from his
temple to his jaw. Remembering the events of the night, she said in
a quiet voice, "I defended myself, but you saved me. You came to my
rescue. I killed him, but you made it possible." She leaned forward
and gave him a long, lingering kiss. "You're my hero."

Gazing into her eyes, he combed
fingers into her hair. "I'm falling in love with you."

She soaked in his words. She hadn't
considered it, but she had wanted his love since the moment he
kissed her at the society meeting. Chip represented all she wanted
in life. All she wanted in a man. Whether he knew it or not, he had
her heart in his precious hold.

Melony turned the key and opened her
apartment door. "Dinner was delicious, but it's good to be home."
Stepping inside, she took a deep breath and smiled. The cleaning
company had done an outstanding job. The place looked spotless and
smelled even better. Certainly better than the police station,
where they'd spent the afternoon giving statements. She found it
hard to believe the apartment had swarmed with officers all night
and most of the day, and wondered what they must have thought about
her playroom.

Chip followed, set their bags on the
floor and kicked off his shoes. With a sly smile, she took his hand
and headed toward her room. His step faltered and he asked, "Are we
going to your bedroom?"

"Yes."

"I thought it was off
limits."

"Not to you. Not anymore. Now it's our
room." Her stomach flip-flopped. "If you'll consider
staying."

He brought her knuckles to his lips.
"If you're asking me to move in, of course I'll stay. You know how
I feel."

At her door, she grinned. "Do you feel
strongly enough to let me tie you up?"

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "You
know, that Shibari stuff wasn't so bad."

Melony turned the knob and led the way
in. The room appeared cleaner than the day she had moved in. At
first, she experienced some apprehension, knowing Keith Bethson had
tried to hurt her in that room. It quickly fell under the truth of
her victory over him. The room now represented a place where her
strength and will had prevailed.

Satisfied, she said, "Then we'll do it
again. But another day. Right now, there's something else I want to
do."

Chip gathered her into his arms. "Oh,
yeah? What's that?"

In the corner, the red light on her
answering machine gave off a single blink. "Hold on just a second."
He let her go and she went over and pushed the play
button.

Frank's voice boomed through the
speaker. "Melony. I heard what happened on the news. Your attorney
jumped that burglar. I knew the shit head was an okay guy. Listen,
tell him I'm off his back, sweetheart. Velma and I are going to
Vegas for a couple weeks. See you when we get back." The machine's
mechanical voice announced the time and date of the recording then
beeped.

She laughed. "That's one worth keeping
a while. I'm not going to delete it in case we want to hear it
again."

Growing serious, she returned to his
arms. Behind the pleated shade, temporary plastic covering the
broken window shuddered against a breeze. "I want to make love. You
know, not sex. Make love."

"I hear ya," he purred, his low voice
vibrating along her skin.

Pulling his shirt free from the waist
of his slacks, she ran her hands up the warmth of his back. Firm
muscles formed hills and valleys she enjoyed exploring. Returning
the favor, he pressed and massaged tension from her spine and
shoulder blades.

She leaned close and inhaled. His
scent of soap, sweet-spiced cologne, and that subtle rich fragrance
unique to him float around her to form an invisible cocoon. She
brought her hands around front and lightly raked fingernails along
his abdomen. She rejoiced when he sucked air through his
teeth.

She slipped his top button from its
hole and separated the fabric to place a kiss on the revealed skin.
For each button, she repeated her method until his shirt hung
loosely from his shoulders. She eased it off and down his arms,
caressing as she went.

Bending a little, he rained kisses
from her earlobe to her collarbone. His lips sent chills along her
spine. She shivered with delight. Running her hands across the
slabs of his chest, she played her fingers to let the swirls of
hair brush along them. Then she gently scraped her nails across his
pebbled nipples.

A growl rumbled deep in his throat. He
went to bended knee. Taking the curve of her breast in his palm, he
captured her nipple with his mouth, his tongue sending hot moisture
through her blouse and bra. An erotic jolt cascaded through her
core. He nipped and she jerked, suddenly hot for his touch. She had
to get out of her clothes.

He helped her, taking advantage by
stroking and rubbing as he sent material along her skin. When the
bra and panties went flying, he stood and finished undressing.
Melony sighed at the feel of his skin against hers. It held a
promise of wonders to come.