Affliction

by Marilee Brothers

  I tell her about the Russian guy and how he creeped me out.

  Kendra reaches over and grabs my hand. “I’m scared for you, girl. What are we going to do to keep you safe?”

  I shrug. “I need to be extra vigilant. That’s all. And I’ve got Billy and Uncle Paco.”

  “They can’t be with you 24-7.”

  The truth of her words sinks in, so I say nothing.

  “Why don’t you move in with us? At least until this thing gets settled.”

  I squeeze her hand. “Thanks a million, but I’ll stick it out where I am. Please, please, don’t tell Billy what they said about me being a problem. He doesn’t need to hear it right now. Okay?”

  She nods. I make her say it out loud. It requires a sharp jab into her ribs, but after crying, “Ouch,” she complies.

  “You’re fingers better not be crossed,” I warn.

  “They’re not.” She stares straight ahead. “I need you to promise something too. You cannot tell Craig we got trapped in Rockwell’s study. He’d freak out.”

  “Then, how did we get the flash drive?”

  Kendra thinks for a minute. “Okay. You went upstairs to return the baby’s pacifier and sneaked into Rockwell’s study. You saw the laptop case and couldn’t resist opening it. You snagged the flash drive and took off.”

  “Will Craig believe me?”

  “I hope so.”

  “What about the stuff we heard in the study?”

  “Damn.” she says. “We don’t make very good spies. How about this? We saw a bunch of people there who might be in cahoots with Rockwell. The police guy. The judge. Dr. Breen.”

  “That’s a little vague. How would we know they’re in cahoots or whatever?”

  She risks a glance at me. “The soul reading thing. You looked in their souls and figured it out.”

  I stiffen in outrage. “You told Craig about me?”

  She holds out a hand in supplication. “I had to, Mel. He’s my husband. You can trust him. He won’t say a word to anyone.”

  I’m still not over it. “So, who else have you told?”

  “Nobody. I swear.”

  “Well, shit,” I mutter. “Guess we don’t have any other options.

  We do a mutual pinkie promise as we pull into Kendra’s driveway. Craig is still in the family room, snoozing in his recliner. The TV is muted and the house is quiet. Kendra creeps up behind the recliner and drops a kiss on a tiny bald spot blooming on the crown of Craig’s head. He jerks awake and practically levitates out of the recliner. Kendra and I crack up laughing, our only honest to God laugh of the evening.

  Craig wraps her up in his arms and nuzzles her cheek. “What happened to your hair, babe?”

  Her bun has pretty much given up the ghost. Freed from its bindings, her fake hair hangs in limp tendrils down her back. She pats his cheek. “Long night. Don’t think I’m cut out to be a server.”

  She goes on to tell Craig the story we’ve concocted and I produce the flash drive. He frowns at both of us. “So, you stole this from Ethan Rockwell?”

  Kendra nods.

  “Look, Craig,” I say. “If you don’t want to get involved, no problem. I’ll take it with me and try to figure it out.”

  Craig’s facial expression reveals his moral dilemma. Clearly, he disapproves of our theft but he’s also curious. Curiosity wins. He sighs and reaches out for the flash drive. “Let’s see if we can get into this thing.”

  We can’t. Turns out Ethan Rockwell is more security conscious than we hoped. We try every permutation of Ethan, Nina, Rockwell and Addison we can think of. Craig even pays for access to a people finder website in order to get Nina and Ethan’s birth dates. Nothing works.

  Finally, Craig ejects the flash drive, hands it to me and mutters, “We need a twelve year old boy.”

  Kendra says, “What about Paco? You said he’s on the shady side. Does he have hacking skills?”

  “I’ll check.” I yawn and stretch. The flash drive will have to wait until morning. “Can you run me home?”

  On the drive home, I get a text message from Billy. “Sexy librarian, I wanna check u out. At your place.”

  I text back. “On my way. Hope u don’t have overdue books. If so, no service.”

  He then sends me a message, describing in explicit terms, exactly how he intends to pay his fine. Once again, I’m no longer tired.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I’m in front of the bathroom mirror, still in my catering clothes. Billy stands behind me, his body pressed against mine. His eyes are intense and focused. I look into his soul. The fire still burns. He slips off my glasses and pushes my blond braid to one side. His lips are warm against my neck. I tilt my head to one side to give him better access and relax into his body. His hands get busy unbuttoning my blouse.

  I attempt to focus. “I have a lot to tell you. About what happened tonight.”

  He nibbles my ear lobe. “Later.”

  I take a shaky breath. My no button seems to be on the fritz. Halfheartedly, I say, “It’s really important.”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  Since he will not be deterred, I decide to enjoy the moment.

  “I guess you like blonds,” I murmur. Naturally, my hyperactive mind takes it a step further and I visualize Billy and Officer Candace Talbot naked in bed. Don’t go there, Mel.

  He removes my blouse. “What I really like is this.” With deft fingers, he unhooks my bra and cups my breasts in his hands. His thumbs gently stroke my nipples. They grow rigid in his touch. His tongue is hot and moist in my ear. He whispers. “I want you like I’ve never wanted another woman. It’s different with you, baby, and I don’t know why. Did you cast a spell on me?”

  Even though it’s the most romantic thing Billy’s ever uttered, his words snap me out of my altered state. My hands close over his, stopping the action. “Look at me, Billy.”

  He lifts his head and stares at me in the mirror.

  “Do you really think I’m capable of casting spells?”

  “Aw, come on, Minnie, of course not.” He slides his hands downward to circle my waist.

  I hold his gaze and see the lie flash across his soul. Hmm. Why is he lying to me? I decide not to make an issue of it. Not now when he’s in a critical place with his counseling and, selfishly, my body is really into what he’s doing. But, I will not forget.

  I don’t want to see any more lies, so I close my eyes. He fumbles with the buttons and zipper on my pants and peels them off along with my little pink panties. His breath is hot against my skin. His hands slide over my hips.

  I feel his lips against my ear. “Open your eyes and see how beautiful you are.”

  I look in the mirror. The erotic image slams into me and I gasp at the sight.

  One of Billy’s hands is stroking my breast. The other is buried between my legs, his thumb stroking the little button of flesh that brings me such pleasure. My head is thrown back against his chest, my eyes are half closed, my lips parted. I arch my back, reach behind me and circle his neck with my arms, completely surrendering to his touch.

  “Jesus, Minnie,” he pants. “I’m gonna die if I’m not inside you right now.”

  He lifts me in his arms and three steps later, I’m on the bed and he’s ripping off his jeans. His erection is huge. Once again, I think how awesome nature is; despite the difference in size and plumbing, it all works so damn well.

  He eases into me, struggling for control. “Oh God, you’re so tight. I can’t hold off much longer.”

  I wrap my legs around his waist and push against him. “It’s okay. Go for it.”

  With a grunt of pleasure, he explodes and collapses beside me. He pulls me close, his big, warm hand stroking my belly. When he catches his breath, he says, “Don’t move.”

  I hear him in the bathroom, running water and then he kneels on the bed beside me. He says, “My turn to make you happy.”

  He holds a washcloth over my naked body and squeezes. Droplets of warm water splash
down on my belly followed by soft, circular strokes with the washcloth. Billy takes his time, making sure every inch of my body receives his attention. By the time he works his way up from my feet, calves and inner thighs, I lose control, thrashing and moaning with need.

  The washcloth sails to the floor. He uses his hands to part my legs and I feel his mouth on me, hot and wet and knowing. I stifle a scream and break into a million crystalline pieces of pure pleasure. Just for a moment, my troubles are forgotten and I float away to a special place, where my only reality is pure sensation. I want to stay there, where life is simple and nobody is trying to kill me. But that isn’t possible.

  Reality sucks.

  Billy and I don’t spend a lot of time talking that night. I sense he’s trying to avoid anything heavy and I’m too tired to form a sentence. Feeling safe wrapped in his arms, I sleep better than I have for a long time.

  The scent of coffee wakens me at eight a.m. Billy flips on the lamp and sets a mug of coffee on the bedside table. He sits on the edge of the bed, studying a business card.

  “Good morning,” I scoot up to a sitting position and reach for the coffee.

  “Is this your dad’s card?”

  “Yes. I took your advice and met with him. Actually, he taught me a lot about soul reading.”

  “Like what?”

  How to tell if someone’s lying, like you did last night.

  “Oh, just this and that.”

  “So,” he says, casually, “Is it about mind control?”

  This surprises me. “My mind or someone else’s?”

  Is this what he’s worried about? That I’ll somehow control him?

  “Well, both.”

  “It’s about my mind, Billy. I’ve been afraid to look into people’s souls, afraid of what I might see. He’s helping me get over that fear. That’s all.”

  He leans down and drops a kiss on my forehead. “That’s good. Now, what were you trying to tell me last night?”

  I use the edited version Kendra and I concocted and fill him in on the pertinent information.

  His eyes light up. “So you actually have the flash drive?”

  “Yes, but we can’t break the password.”

  “Can I try?”

  “Sure. My laptop is on the table. The flash drive is still in my pants pocket, the pants you ripped off me last night.”

  Billy stands and stares down at me. “Hope I made it worth your time.”

  “You did.”

  While I sip my coffee and try to wake up, I think about the strangeness of our relationship. I’ve never seen where Billy lives. Neither one of us has ever spoken the L word. Do I love him? I know I care about him. He’s the first man who has ever given me sexual satisfaction. I like being with him. Is that love? I’m not sure.

  Billy tries to break into the flash drive for at least twenty minutes but finally gives up. He turns to face me, straddling the chair. “You should call your father.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of what he does. His business is called CyberSecure. Obviously, he knows about computers.”

  He walks to the bed and hands me his cell phone and Steve’s card. “You want to get into that flash drive? Call him.”

  Steve answers on the first ring. I give him a sketchy back-story and tell him I found a flash drive that might contain pertinent information I need and would he be willing to help?

  “Of course, Melanie. I’ll be there soon.”

  I wonder why Billy’s still here. “Don’t you have counseling or something?”

  “Not until eleven. My counselor has a thing at his son’s school.”

  He looks evasive when he says it. I think he’s lying again but he’s not meeting my eyes so I can’t tell for sure. But, I do wonder if he’s blowing off something important.

  Twenty minutes later, Steve shows up. Moments later, I hear, Bam, bam, bam.

  I open the door. Paco looms large. He invites himself in, nods at Billy and glares suspiciously at Steve. “Who’s he?”

  Paco, in full-out protective mode, can be pretty terrifying.

  Panic robs me of my speech as I look back and forth between Paco and Steve. Billy’s presence is understandable, but how do I explain my bio father’s presence? To the brother of the man who raised me? Beads of perspiration pop out on my forehead. The walls of my tiny room feel like they’re shrinking as the testosterone level rises.

  Thankfully, Billy comes through behaving like he’s known Steve all his life. He does some sort of a complicated gang handshake thing (who knew?) with Paco who responds with a slap on Billy’s back that almost takes him to the floor.

  Billy gathers himself and says, “Hey, Paco, this Estefan Delgado. He’s been helping Mel with some computer stuff. He’s a good guy. No worries.”

  Whew. No mention of the bio dad thing.

  Steve thrusts out his right hand. “Call me Steve.”

  Paco looks Steve over. “Okay. Just so you know, I’m not a hater and I make sure my guys don’t beat up gay guys. To each his own, I say. Trust me, I’ve had a lot of issues with women.”

  What?

  “But—but,” I sputter. I look over at Billy who grins and shrugs.

  I check out Steve. He looks totally at ease and shakes Paco’s hand. I see their lips moving as they exchange pleasantries, but don’t ask me what was said. My mind is reeling. My father is gay? Is that why he left my mother? Is that why his marriage ended in Spain? My God, am I really so clueless? Paco and Billy knew instantly.

  I clear my throat and attempt to speak. “Well, um…”

  Paco wraps a meaty arm around my neck. “Judging from the look on your face, I’d say your gaydar is seriously malfunctioning.”

  Hearty male laughter all around. I sink down on the bed and try to figure out my next move. The presence of three large males in my personal space—not to mention the gay thing—has definitely thrown me off my game.

  Steve prompts, “You want me to check out that flash drive, Melanie?”

  I snap out of my trance and leap off the bed. “Oh, yeah, of course.”

  Billy points at my laptop sitting on the table. “Flash drive’s already plugged in.”

  Steve settles in at the table. Paco and Billy hover over him. I squeeze in between them. Steve removes the flash drive from the USB port and examines it. He reaches in his jacket pocket, pulls out a compact disc. He looks up at us. “Do you mind backing off just a bit? What I’m doing may not be one hundred percent legal. Si?”

  We back off. Paco drags me into the bathroom and whispers, “Who is this guy? He looks familiar.”

  I whisper back, “Long story. Tell you later.”

  Paco looks grumpy, but agrees.

  “What’s the story with Roxy?”

  “Put her on the bus last night. Gave her money too.”

  We exchange a high five and I fill him in on what I learned last night. His eyes narrow ominously, but he waits until I’m done before he says, “I won’t ask how you learned all that stuff and got the flash drive. Best I don’t know.”

  “Any luck catching up with Myron?”

  “No luck so far. Nick says he’s in Portland, working his other job. He’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll check him out then.”

  “Got it.” Steve cries and we crowd around the table.

  “Looks like a spread sheet,” Billy says.

  Column One: Names. Column Two: Date of purchase. Column Three: Amount of purchase in amounts ranging from $30,000 to $50,000.

  I recognize the names at the bottom of the page. Michael and Pamela Kruger.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Steve looks up at me. “Is this list significant to you, Melanie?”

  Billy and I exchange a glance. After breaking into their hotel room, Billy recognizes the Krugers’ name, too. I don’t have to be a mind reader to know what he’s thinking and—it’s exactly what I’m thinking. We’re looking at a list of people who purchased babies from Rockwell, Breen and friends.

  Paco peers a
t the list. “Well, damn,” he mutters. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Steve’s leaning back in the chair, arms folded across his chest. He’s listening but taking care to act disinterested. He doesn’t know the back-story and I’m not willing to share it with him. At least, for now.

  So, I give a noncommittal shrug. “Looks like it. No contact information, though. That makes it tough.”

  Steve looks around the room. “Do you have a printer?”

  “No.”

  His fingers move rapidly over the keys. “I just emailed the list to myself. I’ll print off a copy and bring it to you. Do you need phone numbers as well?”

  I brighten at his words. “Can you get them?”

  “Yes.”

  He stands. “Is there anything else?”

  I like the fact he’s not pumping me for information. He showed up. He did his job. Now he’s leaving. Just the way I like it.

  “No. Thanks. You’ve been a big help.”

  He’s on his way to the door when Aida’s immigration issues surface in my mind.

  “Wait.” I close the gap between us. “I do have a question for you.”

  He stops and turns to face me. “Yes?”

  “I have a friend who’s in trouble. She was brought to this country illegally and is trapped in a very bad situation. I want to help her, but I’m afraid it will make things worse. If I go to the authorities, will they send her back home?”

  Steve says, “They will place her in a detention center until they figure out her situation. But, yes, they will probably send her home.”

  I shake my head sadly, “That’s what I thought.”

  Steve takes a step closer to me and gazes into my eyes. “Is she a good person?”

  I know he’s asking about Aida’s soul. “Yes, she’s a very good person. And, she’s also pregnant.”

  He touches my arm. “Then, you must help her, Melanie.” He leans close and whispers, “If they can’t find her, they can’t lock her up.”

  Light bulb moment. “What a great idea,” I murmur, grinning at him.

  He nods. “I’ll be back soon with your list.”