by Hope Ford
She’s in a police uniform with her long blond hair pulled into a ponytail. Her lips are cherry red, making me wonder if it’s really their natural color. She’s a curvy woman and she looks fierce. If she’s scared, she’s not showing it. I watch as the boss man approaches her and I know that I only have minutes before all hell will break lose.
When he squats in front of her and his hand slides across her breast, my hands tighten around the gun in my holster. I, like everyone else in the room, am surprised when she headbutts him to the ground. When we all jump to our feet and she looks at each of us, I can’t take a breath until I feel her eyes on me. When she does finally look at me, I release the breath I’ve been holding and my heart beats erratically in my chest. Sirens start sounding outside, indicating that the police are close. But I know these men have nothing to lose. They will kill her before turning themselves in. Her only hope is me.
The man that brought her in bends over to lift her, but she then bangs her head backwards and knocks him out cold to the ground, blood pouring out of this nose. At the commotion, I start taking out the other men, one by one, punching one and fighting off another. When a gunshot goes off, I hear the ‘boss’ groaning and look to see she has shot him in the shoulder. He’s lying on the ground moaning in pain. I step over the broken coffee table and don’t stop until I get close to her.
“Don’t come any closer,” she tells me and raises the gun to my face. She’s not too steady on her feet as she sways a little back and forth.
I put my hands up in front of me. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m FBI.”
She starts to topple over and I catch her before she falls. I take the gun out of her hand and put it in my back pocket and then lift her in my arms. The weight of her against me causes my heart to pound rapidly. Her head is lying against me and I’m hoping she is okay. I look at her name tag and read ‘C. Johnson.’
The front door splinters open and SWAT is coming in with their guns drawn. They are demanding everyone to get down. I drop to my knees with her still in my arms.
“I’m FBI,” I yell into the noisy room, knowing I’m in a mess because working undercover doesn’t allow me to carry a badge. I just do as they say.
Luckily, an FBI agent walks in, flashing his badge, and he vouches for me. I announce to the room, “There’s a woman in the back bedroom. Check on her.” I don’t answer any questions, I walk out the door, step around the police officer lying on the front porch surrounded by paramedics and go straight to the ambulance.
I lay her on the gurney and explain to the paramedic that she had two blows to the head, one in the front and one in the back. I’m standing next to her with my hand on her shoulder. I don’t want to leave her; I have to know she is okay.
A commotion draws my attention and when I look up, I see the captain of the local police force striding toward me. We worked a bank robbery together a few years back.
“Lane. Is she okay?” he asks me, but he never takes his eyes off her. He caresses the side of her face, and my fists clench, wanting to reach out and remove his hands from her. He is obviously distressed at seeing her like this. My eyes glance at his name badge and read “L. Johnson.”
He must be her husband. I remove my hand from her shoulder and squeeze my eyes closed tightly. Taking a deep breath, I wait for the paramedic to respond. “It looks like she has a severe concussion. But all of her vitals are good. They will run some more tests when we get to the hospital. Let’s load her up.”
Once they have her loaded, the drivers asks, “Captain, you want to ride?”
“No. I will meet her there,” he tells them and then turns to me, asking me what happened.
“Don’t you think you should go with her, so she’s not alone?” I ask him. I hate to think of her going through this all alone. Damn, if she was mine, I wouldn’t leave her for a second. Not like this.
He’s typing on his phone. “No, our whole family will be there when she gets there. What happened, Agent Lane?”
I go through the story, telling him everything. My cover is obviously blown, but the case was almost sealed up anyway. We have enough to put them all away for years, and we were able to locate the biggest drug dealer this state has ever seen.
We watch as the other policeman is loaded up into the other ambulance and the men inside are being brought out in handcuffs. The ‘boss’ stumbles out the door with blood still falling out of his nose and his shoulder. I want to shoot him, that’s all there is to it. I want to hurt him and watch him cry out in pain. He touched her and he shouldn’t get away with it. “Thanks, Lane… for taking care of Chrissy.” The captain interrupts my thoughts and puts his hand out to shake mine and I begrudgingly take it.
“Your wife can handle her own, Captain,” I tell him, still amazed at the way she never backed down, taking out two men on her own.
“My sister, Agent. Chrissy is my sister. Thanks. I’m going to get this wrapped up so I can get to the hospital and check on her,” he tells me but I lose focus when he says the word sister. The only thing that goes through my mind is I have to get to her.
2
Chrissy
My head is throbbing. But other than that, I feel fine. My mom, brothers and their wives have been here while all the tests were being run. The doctor says I have a concussion and they are releasing me so I’m waiting on prescriptions and discharge papers. I finally convinced my family to go and get something to eat downstairs because it will probably be another hour before I’m released. But really, I just need the peace and quiet.
When I hear the door open, I do a sharp intake of breath when the man, the one that saved me, walks into my room.
He must think I’m afraid, because he stands next to the door. “I’m Agent Lane. I saw your brother in the hallway… he said it was okay for me to come in and check on you.”
I try to sit up in bed, but it jars me a little so I just sit back. “No, I mean yes, I’m glad you came. I didn’t get to thank you.”
He walks a few steps into the room. “You don’t have to thank me. You probably could have handled it without me.”
I ponder that in my head and I know it’s not true. There’s no way I would have made it out of there if it wasn’t for him. I would have fought, but it’s hard telling what they would have done to me. I tremble just thinking about it. “That’s nice of you to say, but it’s not true. It’s hard telling what would have happened to me without you there,” I tell him and watch as his face tightens at my words.
“Did I blow your case?” I ask him.
“No… no, actually we have enough on him to take him and his suppliers down. I’ve been undercover for three months now, so you actually did me a favor.”
I smile at the twinkle in his eye. “I’m glad I could help.”
He walks to stand next to the bed and puts his hand on mine. I feel the tingle from his touch all the way down to my toes. “So are you okay? How’s your head?”
He doesn’t take his eyes off me and I could get lost in their blue depths. “I’m good. Just a concussion. They are releasing me today.”
He nods his head at me and asks, “Do you need someone to stay with you?”
At my look of surprise, he just shrugs his shoulders. “I have a few weeks off. I don’t want you by yourself.”
“So you want to be my caregiver?” I ask him.
“Yes,” he says simply. “I would like to spend time with you… know that you are taken care of.”
I simply stare at him, surprised and a little confused. But I shake my head. “My mom would kill me if she didn’t get to take care of me so I will probably hole up there a few days.”
My family then comes back into the room. Lincoln introduces Lane to everyone. When my mom finds out who Lane is, she bursts out crying and wraps her arms around his middle, hugging him and thanking him over and over. Lane’s face is beet red, but he still hugs her back, explaining to her that I could have handled it on my own.
When she releases him, he asks h
er if she needs any help taking care of me.
“No… uh, wait, maybe,” she stutters with a glint in her eye as she looks between the two of us. I can’t stop the heat from filling my face.
He just nods his head before turning to me. “Can I come see you there… to check on you?”
Before I can respond, my mom is telling him yes and writing down her address to give him. Everyone is talking around us and Lane and I are just staring at one another. My head starts to throb even harder as the sounds of everyone talking fills the room.
He leans down close to me and whispers, “Do you want me to dim the lights? That might help with your headache.” At my nod, he strides over to turn the light switch down.
Lane
I dim the lights and then walk back over to her bed. There’s so much I want to say to her, but being surrounded by her family, I just keep quiet and watch her as she tells me thanks and lies back and closes her eyes.
I wanted to get here sooner, but I had a lot of paperwork to do before they would let me go. It was hard getting three months of activity on paper. But I assured them that what I didn’t get finished tonight I would be back in the office the next day to complete.
The nurse comes in and has Chrissy sign the discharge papers. I walk out of the room while her mom helps her get her gown off and her clothes back on. Once they push her out to the hallway in a wheelchair I follow her and her family out the door. I should just leave and give them their space, but I want to make sure she’s okay.
Luckily, I’m on Cheryl’s good side, so I offer to follow them home and help her get Chrissy inside. She thanks me and once I help Chrissy inside her mom’s SUV, I tell her family goodbye and get my truck to follow them. I have to remind myself the whole way there that I need to back off. She was just hurt and went through a terrible ordeal. The last thing she needs right now is some man hounding her, but I tell myself that I’m just going to make sure she’s settled and then let her rest.
The ten-minute drive to her house gives me time to calm myself. She’s okay. That’s all that matters now. Everything could have turned out so differently.
When we get to her mom's house I run over to her car. I help her walk up sidewalk while her mom opens the door for us.
I can tell she is struggling, and maybe even lightheaded. I pull her up into my arms and carry her the rest of the way.
“This way, Lane,” Cheryl tells me, and I follow her to a bedroom down the hall. She pulls down the covers and I lay Chrissy gently down on the bed.
“You know I could have walked by myself,” she tells me grudgingly.
“I know, but I was just looking for an excuse to hold you,” I tell her honestly.
Her face heats up and I swear it’s the prettiest blush I’ve ever seen on a woman.
When Cheryl come backs in with a gown in her hands, I start out of the room. She stops me by asking me to fix Chrissy something to eat.
After finding my way to the kitchen, I make her and Cheryl a quick turkey and cheese. I find some chips in the cabinet and grapes in the fridge. Putting everything on two plates, I carry them back to the room and set them down.
“Oh, you are the sweetest thing, Lane,” Cheryl tells me when I hand her one of the plates with a sandwich on it. “Sit here and visit with Chrissy. I’m going to take mine and eat it in the kitchen. Call me if you need anything, honey.”
I pull a chair up and sit next to Chrissy. She has a guarded look on her face. “So… I guess you have her wrapped around your finger already?”
I just laugh when she says it and then hand her the sandwich.
She takes a bite and then moans around it. “Oh my God, thank you, this is the best. I hadn’t eaten today and I’m starving.”
I can’t take my eyes off her lips as she takes another bite and then sticks her tongue out to lick them. I adjust myself in my seat, feeling my length harden in my slacks. She looks at me self-consciously and then starts to put the sandwich down.
“No.. don’t stop. You need to eat. You shouldn’t go that long without eating,” I tell her, holding the plate out to her again.
“Trust me, a few missed meals are not going to hurt me,” she sheepishly says, gesturing down her body before grabbing the food and taking another bite.
I just shake my head at her. She’s crazy if she doesn’t realize how perfect she is. Her curves are one of the first things I noticed about her.
We talk a little about how we got into law enforcement. She tells me how she is just one in a long line of police officers. Her father, who died in the line of duty, and both her brothers are cops as well.
I tell her about how I always knew that I wanted to be an officer. After working at the police force for several years, I got a job with the FBI. I’ve been there ever since.
When she gets noticeably tired, I turn down the lights, telling her to rest. When I go to put the dishes away, I see her mom asleep on the couch. Not knowing if her mom will be able to get up and check on her every few hours like you are supposed to, I walk back into Chrissy’s room.
I sit down on the bed next to her and smile when I hear her soft snores. She’s out. I sit there for most of the night, waking her every couple of hours to make sure she’s okay. She rolled over in her sleep at one point, kicking the covers off and her ripe, rounded panty-covered ass was on full display. After looking at her for a mere few minutes, I tug the covers back to cover her; the temptation to touch her is almost unbearable.
Her mom came in at one point, apologizing to me, but I assured her I was fine. She just checked on Chrissy, smiled at me and walked out.
When I hear her mom in the kitchen in the morning, I lean over and kiss Chrissy bye on the forehead. I go out and say bye to her mom, telling her I’ll be back later.
3
Chrissy
I slowly open my eyes and then clench them tight again. The sun is glaring through the window. I groan as I roll over to my stomach. Damn, I feel like there’s someone pounding a hammer on the walls of my head.
“Are you up, sleepyhead?” my mom asks as she comes into the room. I throw the covers back and walk gingerly to the restroom to relieve myself. When I get back to the bed, the smell of bacon and waffles waken my senses.
“I’m sorry, Mom. You had to wake me up all night and now you are having to cook for me. You must be tired,” I tell her as I take a bite of crisp bacon.
“Nope. Not tired at all. I pretty much slept through the night,” she tells me and then when she sees the surprised look on my face, she says, “You were being so well taken care of, I wasn’t worried.”
Confused, I ask her, “What do you mean, Mom? You were supposed to be taking care of me.”
“I didn’t have to. Lane was here all night. He left just a while ago.”
I gasp. She just dropped a bombshell on me. Now, not only do I owe him for saving me, he then had to wake me up every few hours too.
“Mom, why did you have him do that?” I stutter.
“It’s not like I asked him to. I came in to check on you in the middle of the night and he had already woken you up a few times and assured me you were fine. I told him if he wanted to catch some sleep that I could take over, but he assured me he was fine.” She shrugs her shoulders at me. “He’s a good one, Chrissy. I wouldn’t let that one get away.”
I mumble something and watch as she walks away. I dig into my breakfast, but all I can think about is Lane spending the whole night here. My mind drifts to him carrying me into the house last night. It felt so good to be in his arms, pressed against his hard, tight chest. I try to remember what he smelled like. It was woodsy and clean smelling, making me wish I could bottle it and smell it again and again.
Mom sticks her head back in the door. “Oh also, Lane said to tell you he will be back later.”
All I can do is smile around my mouthful of waffles. Oh have mercy! I don’t date…especially cops… but he could definitely tempt me.
Lane
I don’t want to appear
like I’m stalking her. When I left this morning, I went to the office and finalized all my reports, then I went home to take a shower and change clothes. Standing back outside Cheryl’s house, I realize it’s only been five hours since I left Chrissy. I pick the bag up out of my truck and walk toward the front door.
I no sooner ring it than Chrissy opens it with her hair wet, her face scrubbed clean of any makeup and a long robe wrapped around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get out of bed.”
“No, I had to get up. I’m on leave until they finish the investigation since I shot that guy… and well, until my head is healed. But I can’t just keep lying around.” She’s babbling. I can tell I make her nervous and I just smile at her while she goes on about going back to work and how her mom ran out to the store. When she stops and is just looking at me, I ask her if I can come in.
“Oh my God, yes, please come in. I’m sorry.” She steps back and lets me walk in the door.
I lift the bag I’m carrying and set it down on the nearest table. “I brought you a few things.”
“Lane, first you saved me, then you took care of me all night, and now this… It’s too much.”
“No, I wanted to stay with you last night. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep for worrying about you. And, well, I thought if I brought some movies and snacks, I could wrangle an invitation to hang out with you today.”
She looks at me skeptically. “So you’ve been on the job for three months and you finally get a break and you want to hang out here and watch…” She pulls a movie out of the bag and laughs. “You want to watch Sixteen Candles?”