The Woman Next Door (5 page)

“I was to say she simply didn’t wake up. With the head injury, they told me you wouldn’t be able to tell what happened.”

“They were wrong. An autopsy would have shown what happened,” Elizabeth told her. “They were only giving back your son to disprove your claim of being forced to commit murder. They were setting you up to take the fall.”

“Oh my God!”

“You would have had your freedom until tomorrow, and then nothing but trouble, Officer.”

“I am so sorry!”

“We’ll work it out.”

“No, you don’t understand… I caved under pressure and I’ve lost my job and will probably go to prison!”

“Craig?” Lizzy turned to him for help.

“Let’s deal with getting the baby back. Where is your car parked, Sylvia?” She answered him, and he was careful in planning to have a stakeout. He had her call the number she’d been given to call when the deed was done. Within the hour they had the baby and the two people who returned him in custody.

Craig also had Sylvia, her mother, and the baby in protective custody, hiding them from the McMaken Family. He knew that he was going to need to hide Elizabeth, too. Wally had an idea about that.

“Lieutenant, I have a cabin you can use. As long as you stay inside, you won’t be seen by chopper, and the place has to be accessed on foot. I keep it stocked, so if I take a notion to escape civilization for a few days, I can just pick up and go. It’s yours if you want it.”

“It can’t be traced to her or to me, and no one she knows will know of its existence. It sounds perfect, Wally.”

“I want you to keep that little gal safe, Lieutenant. She’d make a perfect mate for you,” Wally stated.

“I happen to think so, too, Wally.” If only he could keep her safe. The burning question was why did McMaken want her dead?

Of course, telling Elizabeth of his plans did not elicit the cooperation he sought. She flat out told him ‘no’, and barely listened to him explain why it was necessary before losing her temper completely in Elizabeth’s fiery style.

“No! I am
not
going to hide from that son of a bitch!” Lizzy yelled loudly, stomping her foot in pure temper. “I
refuse
to give him the satisfaction. I want to face him one on one and tell him I have no
f’ing
clue why he wants me dead! It would be different if I nearly killed him at the hospital, but I didn’t! I don’t know
what
he thinks I overheard, but I didn’t! I am
not
going into hiding as if
I’ve
done something wrong! Let him come and face me!
I dare him
!”

“Elizabeth, your language is terrible.”

“Too damn bad! Your officer may have to obey what you tell her to do, but I don’t. I am going home and
that
is that!”

“You aren’t going anywhere close to that house, young lady. Now, settle down while I get the logistics worked out. I need to make sure there are no weak spots.”

“Sylvia isn’t a weak spot, Craig. They had her baby!”

“I understand that, honey. Trust me, I will do whatever I can to protect her, but ultimately Internal Affairs will make the decision regarding her future with the department. The District Attorney will also have to decide whether or not to prosecute her. I can speak in her defense, but I cannot predict what they will do when all of the evidence is in.”

It wasn’t entirely what she wanted to hear. “I am going home, Craig. Either you take me, or I am going to take myself. I am
not
hiding from McMaken.”

“You are going to stop arguing with me about this!” Craig firmly declared. He was at the end of his patience. “I suggest you go into your bedroom and lie down for a while so that you’ll feel like traveling when we are ready to go.”

The look the redhead leveled on him was clearly her ‘fuck you’ look, and it was all Craig could do to keep from following her and turning her over his knee and wearing out his hand on her cute butt. He’d barely tapped her the other times he’d spanked her, but she was close to a spanking the likes of which he doubted she’d ever experienced. It was exactly what she needed to stop some of that sass she was so fond of unleashing on anyone who dared to disagree with her. However, she left him in the living room and went to her room.

Elizabeth used the extension of the landline to call for a cab, and promised to meet the driver beside the gate. She slipped out the window, walked the distance to the gate, and told the ever-vigilant Wally that Craig needed him at the house immediately. Wally didn’t suspect a thing, and the cab pulled up as he raced to help Craig.

“I’m here! I’m here! What’s the problem?” Wally demanded of Craig, his gun drawn and his eyes searching the room for any sign of trouble.

“There isn’t a problem that I know of.”

“That little gal said to hurry and get here fast; that you needed me!”

“What?” Craig ran to her bedroom and saw the window open. “She didn’t come with you, Wally?”

“No, when she said to hurry, and she was all out of breath from running, I figured you were in trouble. Damn, I fell for the oldest trick in the book! Now, why’d she do that, do you reckon?”

“Because she’s contrary and needs her butt blistered until she can’t sit down!”

“Where do you think she went?” Wally demanded, angry with himself.

“To her house. I’ve got to hurry and get to her before some of McMaken’s men do!”

“You’d best get her on out of town, Lieutenant, and then call me for directions. She’s going to get herself killed if you don’t sit on her!”

“I’m on my way. Lock up for me, Wally,” he said, and then ran to get into his car and go flying after her, lights flashing and moving cars out of his way. He was doing his best to beat her to the house, and the sight that greeted him was not a pretty one.

Elizabeth was standing in front of her burning bush and Mrs. Huffy was standing there, too, and they were arguing and shouting at each other… again! He jumped out of the car. “Mrs. Huffy, take your butt home immediately and tell Hubert I said to keep you there.” When she gasped and ran off, he turned to Elizabeth, whisked her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder caveman style. He then proceeded to spank her upturned bottom hard the whole distance of the way to his car. He threw her inside and said, “Move one inch and I’ll take off my belt and wear it out on you!”

Elizabeth burst into tears. Her butt was burning, her head was spinning, and she was in pain once again! Craig got in on his side of the car, and pulled out of there just as a black sedan pulled up. “Damn it, Lizzy; they’re onto us! Do you know how close you were to being killed in front of your house?”

“I’m sorry!” she sniffled.

“And don’t you dare cry and try to make me feel sorry for you, Elizabeth Matthews! You have earned a punishment spanking, and you are going to get one just as soon as I can be sure you aren’t going to get killed by some gun crazy hit man working for the mob.”

“I didn’t think he would try to have me killed on a public street!” She whimpered in fear as the black sedan gained on them. “They’re coming, Craig!”

“I know they are; trust me, sweetheart. I know what I’m doing.” Just when the sedan thought they were in the clear to pull up alongside them, Craig hit the gas and the brake at the same time and turned the car in the middle of the street. He then took off in the other direction as fast as he could.

Elizabeth didn’t know if she was more terrified by the men… or by Craig’s driving. It seemed reckless to her, but Craig was concentrating so hard that she didn’t dare open her mouth to question him. He told her to pick up his radio, and told her what to say. She did, and within a couple of minutes there were cop cars everywhere. The sedan turned tail and ran, but the police officers gave chase.

It wasn’t long until Craig and Elizabeth were out of the city, although he drove in circles for a long while before he was convinced they were truly safe and not being followed. He then called Wally and they used a code that was a safety on both ends.

Once Wally was positive that Elizabeth was safe, he gave them directions to his cabin, and then said, “I’m not so sure that fancy car of yours can handle those dirt roads, Lieutenant.”

“She’ll do just fine, Wally. Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime. You go easy on that little gal. She ain’t used to dealing with the mob like we are.”

“I know she isn’t, Wally, but she is certainly going to wise up real fast.” He ended the call, and headed his car in the direction of the cabin, doing his best to block out Elizabeth’s sniffling.

“Would it do any good to tell you that I really am sorry, Craig?” she asked, rubbing her temples again as she tried to relieve her headache.

“No. You let your temper get the best of you again, and I’m not going to permit that to happen one more time. You are in for one sound spanking, Miss Matthews!”

“I would think your time would best be spent on trying to figure out what it is I overheard and McMaken doesn’t want me to recall.” This was said after an hour of driving in silence.

“Nice try, Lizzy, but it isn’t going to work.” He finally found the hidden turn off and once they left the main road it was like being in a different country altogether! “This is jeep territory for sure,” he commented, and drove as far as he could drive, knowing that it would have to be winter before his car was spotted from the air, or by anyone but hikers. He gathered the bag he always kept packed and in his car, and took his weapons from the trunk and brought them along for the long hike ahead. His only worry was that Lizzy wouldn’t be up for the trek.

“How far is it?” she asked, obviously concerned about the same thing.

“A ways. If you need to stop for a rest, you can let me know. Just don’t try to go ahead of me, and don’t lag behind. From now on you are glued to my side, and if you don’t believe me, I have a pair of handcuffs that could prove differently.”

“I wouldn’t like being handcuffed,” she told him. Elizabeth couldn’t abide restraints of any kind, and it really bothered her when she had to use them on a patient who was delirious, or apt to hurt themself if they weren’t kept in bed.

“I don’t care; disobey me once more and I will cuff you to me, after I blister your sweet ass a second time!”

“Craig, calm down, please. I am in control of myself now, and I’m not going to do anything stupid. I don’t want to endanger you.”

“Endanger
me
?” he repeated. “What about
yourself
? I want
you
to survive this mess, too!”

“I still think we should have stayed in the city and sifted through this whole situation. Then you could get a better handle on the problem and protect all of us.”

“McMaken has his fingers everywhere, and if he doesn’t have someone where he wants them, he uses threats, like he did with Sylvia, to get his way. You are not safe in the city. You saw how quickly he found you. Do you honestly think anything you say could make a difference to that man?” he asked, wanting to make her think. “For now, your best defense is for you to think of anything you overheard him say.”

“I’ve told you repeatedly that I didn’t hear anything!”

“You did, or he wouldn’t be so determined to kill you, Nurse Elizabeth.”

“I can’t help it, Craig. I didn’t hear one damn thing!” She was losing her temper again, and she moved forward, intent on leaving him behind so she could find some peace and quiet.

“Are you forgetting what I said, Lizzy? Do you want a new pair of bracelets?”

“Will you please just shut up?” Elizabeth wasn’t easily intimidated, but she did slow her walk a bit. “Keep up!” she ordered sharply.

Craig decided he was going to enjoy spanking her sweet fanny. He walked faster to keep up with her, even though she wasn’t carrying anything, and hadn’t offered to, either.

Elizabeth might have enjoyed the hike if the circumstances were different. It went against her basic principles to run and hide from anyone, especially the likes of a bully like McMaken! She’d rather get in his face and tell him to go straight to hell! But, he had a whole lot of bullies working for him, and she didn’t want them to hurt others to find her. She stopped without warning and Craig ran right into her.

“Lizzy? Are you tired?”

“No. I’m very upset and concerned, Craig. I just had a terrible thought. Who’s to say they won’t start going after people that I care about? I couldn’t live with that. I’m not more important than anyone I know; I need to go home and face this head on. I am not going to let that evil bastard loose on the people I know.”

“I understand how you feel, sweetheart, but in the city you have a large target on your back. What I really need for you to do is calm down, relax, and take yourself back to that night.”

“I want to take myself back to town,” she told him.

“Get moving. All of this gear is heavy.”

“You are a big bully!” Elizabeth accused.

“And you are a little brat,” he replied. “A little brat in need of a good spanking.”

“I wish you would stop threatening me, Craig. It’s upsetting.”

“It won’t be a threat when we reach the cabin,” he promised. “I intend to keep my promise, and if you maintain this sassy attitude, you won’t sit for a week.”

Elizabeth was perilously close to losing her temper all over the man, so she put her energy into hurrying in the direction he pointed, and it gave her pleasure to know he was struggling to keep up with the pace she set. She worked straight out for twelve hours on her shifts in the ER, and she ran on her days off. Craig might be in shape, but she could out-walk and out-run him any day of the week!

“Lizzy, you’re getting too far away from me!” Craig called out. His palm was itching, and yet, he didn’t want to bare her out here in the open. In fact, he didn’t want them to be seen at all. The fewer people who knew where they were, the better the chance was that he could keep Elizabeth safe. It upset him to know that if Hubert Huffy hadn’t called him over his wife and Lizzy fighting with each other, the pretty redhead would probably be dead by now, with no one the wiser. Craig knew that Lizzy overheard, or saw, something that McMaken didn’t want known, but what? Or was it simply that he didn’t want his rivals to know he sought medical attention? “Elizabeth?”

“Yes,
Grandpa
? Am I
still
going too fast for you?” she snapped at him. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see his lips compress in a straight line and she could see that she’d angered him. She immediately felt remorseful. Why couldn’t she keep her damnable temper under control? The man was putting his very life in danger, trying to save hers! “Craig, I’m sorry. I hate myself when I get all mean and snippy. You could have sent me here with Wally, but instead, you are risking your life for mine, and I’m treating you with contempt. I’m so sorry.” He didn’t say anything, and she knew she’d pushed too far this time. Hopefully, the cabin was another ten miles of serious hiking away so that his temper had time to cool!

Craig hoped the cabin wasn’t much farther. He needed to take this little witch in hand before she destroyed the love that they shared. Her sharp tongue and barbs were taking a toll on him, although he prided himself on controlling his own temper; but she provoked him like no other woman he’d ever dated.

The cabin appeared suddenly through the trees, and Craig understood what Wally told him about it being hidden. It wasn’t visible. A man would have to have precise directions like Wally gave him, or accidentally stumble across it while hiking or hunting.

“We could have walked right past it!” Elizabeth commented.

“I’m glad Wally’s directions were so precise. Let’s get inside while there’s enough daylight for me to see to turn on the gas and water, and to check out the generator.”

“Sure. Are you hungry?” she asked. “I could put something on to cook.”

“Only if it needs to simmer for a long while. You and I have some unfinished business, Miss Matthews, and there is no sense in postponing the reckoning.”

“Craig, I am truly sorry,” she insisted, her pretty green eyes full of tears.

“I believe you mean the words,” he told her, “but without some sort of consequences, you just keep flying off the handle. It has to stop, Lizzy. You have earned at least three sound spankings by my reckoning.”

“Three!” her voice squeaked.

“I’m trying to be generous. It’s probably closer to five by now. Make yourself at home and scout out the food situation while I see to the gas and water.” He put down his belongings and went outside, unaware that Elizabeth was crying.

When she got upset, or stressed, her head started pounding and she got dizzy. It brought on the nausea, too. She found a sofa and curled up into a tight ball, wishing the headaches would go away. She’d never realized until this happened that she couldn’t abide pain, but she truly couldn’t. Even worse than the physical pain, was knowing that she’d hurt Craig’s feelings. He thought of her as an undisciplined child in need of punishment to curb her bad habits! How could they possibly have a relationship when he felt that way about her? She was crying and feeling sorry for herself when Craig suddenly returned.

“Headache back?” he asked sympathetically.

“Yes. It comes back when I’m distressed, and I am upset with myself. I don’t want to ruin what we have, Craig. I truly care about you, even if I haven’t shown you that. I’ve always had a quick temper, but lately it is out of control. I hate to admit this, but I know you’re right about my needing consequences, and needing something to give me a reason to avoid acting like such a witch.”

“Does your head hurt too much to handle a spanking?” he asked bluntly. “I expect you to be honest, Lizzy. A spanking is supposed to hurt the part of your anatomy that can handle that type of pain, but it’s not supposed to make your head hurt unbearably.

“I think my headache will go away when I stop feeling so awful about myself,” she told him. “I want to get it over with.”

He nodded. “Stand up, Lizzy.” She obeyed him, her green eyes full of trepidation. He told himself that she needed this spanking, and that feeling sorry for her right now was not an option. She needed firmness, not coddling. “Take off your jeans and panties, and the shoes,” he ordered.

“Can’t I at least keep my panties?” she begged him.

“No, this spanking is going to take place on your bare butt, Elizabeth. Besides, you’re a nurse; you see bare butts all the time.”

“That’s different,” she insisted. “This is
my
butt!”

“Yes, this time, it
is
your butt, and I want it completely bare.”

Elizabeth looked for a softening in his dark brown eyes, but there was none. Craig was being firm, and she had no choice but to obey him. Oh, she could put up a fuss, but she was in the wrong, and it was better to admit it and accept the consequences rather than put him in the position of forcing her. In a battle of strength, she was sure to lose, and he would lose his respect for her as a person. She needed to be honest now, and not do one thing to cause him to spank her harder! She kicked off her shoes, and then removed her jeans and panties, all in one.

Craig patted his right thigh, and she looked at him in horror. “I don’t think I can, Craig. Please, help me,” she begged of him. “I promise I won’t resist, but I need your help.”

Her green eyes were beseeching him, and Craig was torn between helping her and insisting she obey him.

“It’s really my first time other than those little spankings you gave me. My parents were dead set against corporal punishment; even though I can remember at the time thinking that if they truly loved me, they would spank me for whatever I did wrong. It would have given me closure and forgiveness. They preferred long, drawn out groundings, or restrictions that did nothing but upset me and make me angry.”

“Did you ever tell them this?” he asked.

“Yes, but my mom is the type of person who believes
she
is right, no matter what anyone tells her.” She looked at him again. “Please help me, Craig. I’m very scared.”

He held out his hand and she took it. He gently guided her and helped her bend over his thigh. Her upper body was on the sofa, but her legs dangled free. “No kicking, Lizzy.”

That was all the warning she got before his hand landed on the delicate flesh of her backside. It didn’t feel good, either. In fact, it really hurt! Elizabeth automatically tried to reach back to cover her burning flesh; but in the next second, Craig grabbed her hands and pinned them in his larger one, and was still able to hold her in position for the rest of the spanking.

“It hurts too much!”

“It is supposed to hurt,” he informed her.

“But, I didn’t know it would hurt so
much
! Ow! I have a low pain tolerance,” she insisted. He ignored her and gave her a barrage of spanks that had her bawling like a baby by the time he stopped.

“Tell me why this spanking is necessary, Miss Matthews.” He couldn’t help wondering if she was putting it all on, hoping it would mitigate the punishment.

“Because… I am terrible… when I get angry and lose my temper! I’m sorry!” She could barely talk because she was crying so hard. “It hurts!”

“We aren’t even close to being finished,” he told her, and was shocked when she frantically tried to escape. “Settle down!”

“No more, Craig! Please! I beg you! I can’t tolerate pain! I’m sorry! I really am!”

She started sobbing in earnest and he finally realized that she was serious. This wasn’t the reaction of someone trying to escape a spanking, but of someone terrified of pain. He carefully lifted her and sat her on his lap and held her while she wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” He was finally able to make out what she was saying over and over.

“Calm down, Lizzy. We’re finished now.” He rocked her back and forth, speaking soothing words of reassurance, and finally Elizabeth quieted.

“I am beyond embarrassed,” she tearfully admitted. “I’m a terrible, awful witch!”