by Michelle Lee
Keller looks at him and touches his cheek, “That’s a shame, Officer O’Connor.” She rubs her thumb across his bottom lip, winks and walks away.
“Wow, I think I do like her.” He laughs to himself. He finishes his coffee and wonders how he could have read her so wrong.
When Fitz comes back he fills everyone in on what has happened. “Apparently, when Ford finished his shift he didn’t come right home. They are looking into where he went, so far nothing. He entered his house and turned on the light switch, there was an explosive device wired to go off when the lights were turned on. They are looking into the device that was used. Ford was killed instantly. There was a note on the table that said: O’Rourke was ours. We protect and defend our own. Ford killed him, we killed Ford.
They are looking into who the “we” is. We are not here to help them, but if anything from our case is related we will let them know, and they will do the same. What we need to do is question the guards at the prison again. They know something about Ford they’re not telling us.
Patrick, you go get some shut eye. Keller you drive him, French you’re with me. We are going to see if you can sweet talk answers out of anyone.”
“Aye, aye captain.” French salutes him.
They go to their separate cars and drive away. Patrick is so tired when they pull up to Brody’s house he walks up the stairs and into Brody’s room. He still hasn’t heard from him. He texts him quick and while he waits he looks for blankets in the closet. The moving company came with the rest of Charlie’s things today. He told them to put the bed in here, hoping Brody didn’t mind when he returned from where ever he disappeared to.
He makes the bed turns out the light and lies down. The sky is starting to lighten with dawn just a few short hours away. He closes his eyes and is sleeping in minutes. When the sun wakes him up a couple hours later he cracks his lids and realizes he isn’t alone. He rolls to his side and comes face to face with Keller. She is smiling at him.
“Good morning.” She whispers.
“Keller, what are you doing here?”
She touches his arm “Do you want me to go?”
He grabs her and rolls her on top of him, “No.”
She giggles at his face when she is straddling his hips the sheet falls away to reveal her naked body to him. “Wow,” He is staring. It’s been awhile since he has seen a woman naked. Keller is spectacular. She takes really good care of herself. “What if someone comes upstairs?”
“Call me Sarah.” She grinds herself against him. “Don’t worry I put a sock on the door.”
CHAPTER 75
Brody is watching Charlie sleep. She is crying and talking; she clutches her pillow and sobs. When Michael comes in and climbs into bed with her he can’t take it anymore. He stands up and goes out into the hall. He paces around.
In two days Charlie will have been gone for a week. Brody has been avoiding calls and texts from Patrick, Fritz, and the other FBI agents. He can’t let them know where he is or what he is doing. If anyone showed up here looking for him it would put Charlie in danger and the chances of him ever finding her; without Michael telling him where they are, is close to zero.
He has been adding to the sheet of paper in his pocket. Writing down what he sees, things he hears when Michael calls, anything to help the team find them when Michael calls; and he will call. That is the only thing Brody is sure of anymore. He is also sure that he will not make it back alive. Michael has hated him since they all met the first time at the diner after a football game. Brody was late to the party, he was busy in the back seat of his car with some girl he can’t even remember the name of now, while Michael made his move on Charlie.
He saw thru him even then. He called him on every lie he breathed into the air. Charlie on the other hand, was star struck. She was all starry eyed and hung onto his every word. Brody tried to get her attention many times that night and even offered to drive her home. She refused and got mad at him. Typical.
Leaving old memories lay; Brody walks back into the apartment. He sits back down in front of the screen and tries to calm his nerves. He thinks about everything that he will never get to do with Charlie. He thinks about her, like he has so many other times, sitting on the porch of his house, their house, rocking in the chair. He will never have the family he dreamed about with her.
His mind wanders to a time after college when Charlie came to him asking what he thought about kids.
**********
“Brody what do you think about having kids and starting a family?” Charlie is lying on the floor on her stomach feet in the air crossed at the ankles. She is looking through an OK magazine.
“Um, kids are alright, I guess. I mean it’s not like I’ve had any younger siblings or anything, but until we put mom in the hospital she was a child.” He mutes the TV and sits up straighter. “Why do you ask? You’re not knocked up are you?”
“No.” She answers matter of fact. “But that is kind of why I brought it up. I need a favor and you can’t get mad or ever tell.”
“Oh, God, what did you do?” The pounding in my chest tells me I am more nervous than I should be.
“Nothing, yet.” Charlie stands and walks over to the chair I’m in and sits on my lap. “I need you to take me to the doctor so I can be put on the pill.”
“Why don’t you ask Michael? He is your fiancé.” I say it as snotty as I can. I hate him and the fact she is marrying him in a couple years.
She looks down at her hand and spins her ring around on her finger. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t. He wants to start trying for a baby now. I am so not ready for a baby. I barely graduated. I am still trying to get my career going. He said not to worry about money; he can take care of everything”
I wipe the silent tears falling from her eyes. “I will take you where ever you want me to, you know I will, but what else is going on in that head of yours?”
“I never want to have kids with him.” Her lips trembles, and she speaks only a little above a whisper. “Ever.”
“One day you might. You never know, maybe he will be a successful doctor in no time.” I try to be positive for her but silently I am ecstatic she is feeling this way. I hate him, and I know he has hit her more than once, I never can catch him, but when I do I plan on letting him know the difference between hitting a woman and hitting a man. I dream about how good it will feel when my fist connects with his smug face.
“No. I would never be so selfish to bring a child into this world with him as its father.” She stands and goes back to the floor. “I have an appointment later today.”
“Oh, that soon?” I rub my head and quirk an eye at her, “Why are you rushing this? If you are marring him he is going to expect kids with you. What if he gets suspicious? He is a doctor.”
“He isn’t a doctor yet. He is still a med student.” She flips a page in the magazine. “I don’t even know if we will follow through with the wedding. I mean, its years away, anything can happen between now and then. What if someone else wants to marry me, they are secretly in love with me and can’t take it anymore.” She laughs at her joke, batting her eyes and puts her hands under her chin, trying to lighten the mood not knowing how close to the truth she is. The only difference, I won’t be confessing anything for her. She is too important to me to ruin it on something as stupid and undependable as love.
“I don’t understand you, you are in this relationship and you sound like you don’t want to be, why stay?”
“Oh, come on Brody, don’t be so dumb. I don’t have men throwing themselves at me. I am not the girl everyone looks at and says wow she’s hot. I am the friend. I am the girl all the guys talk to about their girls. I’m not beautiful; I don’t even qualify as pretty. Look at me; I am an average looking girl who is too tall for half the population of men our age.”
“Why do you do that? You always sell yourself short. You are pretty. You are a beautiful girl, you have a great personality. Guys ask you about their girl
s because you don’t pull any bullshit. You tell it how it is.”
“Yeah, well whatever. I am just being realistic, this is as good as it gets for me, and I would be stupid to turn Michael down.” She goes back to her magazine, this conversation is over.
**********
Brody watches Michael sleep with Charlie with the fresh memory in his head. He could have stopped this from happening if he was only brave enough all those years ago. If he could have told her then that he loved her, Michael would never have gotten to her. He could have protected her then. Well, he will protect her now, no matter what.
CHAPTER 76
Mj French got back late last night. She crashed in her hotel room after she got the message that Keller would be occupied for the evening. She is up and dressed waiting for coffee to brew in the small pot the hotel provides in the rooms. She finishes pouring her cup and she hears the door beep and open.
Keller walks in, throws her stuff on the bed and goes over to grab the last cup of coffee.
“Good morning. How was your night?” She asks smiling ear to ear.
“Fantastic.” Keller looks up over her cup before taking a much needed sip of hot caffeine.
“Wow, fantastic? Do I know him?”
“Nope. Just a guy.”
“Unhn, well then since you’re not talking I will. I made some progress this morning. I ran a couple of Michael’s names through the database, and came across a man that bought some of the equipment Brody was talking about; the kind for growing flowers. I contacted the lab and the flowers found outside Brody’s house, where dyed with a special floral dye. It was given to the flowers through the soil for maximum absorption. There may not be a “true” black rose, but these are close. Anyway, the dye and the equipment were bought by different people; both the names used, come back to the names given to us by O’Rourke, that Michael bought from him.”
“Ok, so Michael is growing black roses; that does not prove he killed people. We need more.”
“I know, but at least it’s a start.”
“Yes, it is. I wish we knew where he was growing them.”
“That’s what I’m searching now. If I can find some place he bought, I think we may find Charlie.”
“How far have you gotten with the search?”
“Just the two names.” Mj shrugs her shoulders, “I didn’t say it was going to be fast.”
“Well I’m going to shower and head back over to the house, are you coming?”
“I showered already, but I will go with you to the house.” She wiggles her eyebrows up and down.
“Mj, I left those days back in college. See ya in a few.”
“Ha-Ha. I am going to see if Fitz or Patrick has made any progress.”
“I doubt Patrick is awake, yet. He was pretty exhausted last night when I dropped him off.” Keller closes the bathroom door to a laughing Mj.
“I knew it, you dirty girl. It is the Boston accent, isn’t it?”
“Make your calls, Mj.” The shower turns on and the women go about their business.
Just when Mj is gathering her gear her laptop makes a beeping noise and she brings up the completed search. It is just what she has been hoping for. One of the ID’s that Michael used bought a rundown factory about 60 miles away from where they are now. Some lighting equipment used for greenhouses, was delivered there awhile back. It was bought by a man named Roger Warren. The man works in town at a home improvement store about 20 minutes from here.
“Hey, Keller, you need to hurry, I got something on an alias, and we need to check it out ASAP.”
“I’m coming.” The water shuts off and 2 minutes later a dressed Keller walks out of the bathroom. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 77
I can’t take the feeling of his hand touching my hip. I roll to my stomach. That is a thousand times worse. His hand travels from my hip to the small of my back, and he rubs little circles under my shirt against my bare skin.
He leans on his side so he is facing me. I can’t see him; I have my head turned away. I know what he is going to do and I don’t think I’m ready. His hand travels from my back to my butt and down to the tops of my thighs. He slides his hand between my legs on the way back up, skimming over my center.
I roll over to my back and sit up. “Michael, I am not ready for anything to happen between us yet.” I reach over and touch his face trying to fill my eyes with some emotion other than the hate I feel for him. “Please, when it happens I want it to be perfect. I want to be able to see you, with both eyes.” I smile like I made a joke.
“I know. I won’t do anything; I just want to touch you, all of you. You are so beautiful, how do you expect me not to want that?”
“Thank you, I think you’re sweet for saying such things.”
He grabs my waist and pulls me down so I am on my back beneath him. “Please, Charlie, let me show you how I feel about you?” He grinds into me.
“Soon; Michael, just a little longer. Look I can almost hold my eye open.” I show him how close I am.
“Let’s get you some lunch. Are you feeling up to something a little more solid?”
“Sure.”
He rolls off the bed and walks out the door. I get up and go into the bathroom. I look around for anything I can use for a weapon. I look under the sink. Then I notice, like a beacon flashing on the porcelain of the tub, Michael left the razor. I take the razor quickly to the bed and stash it under the mattress. I know he watches me on camera somewhere, so I do it as fast as I can.
I sit down at the table and wait for him to bring me food. I don’t even think I can eat. I have to put on a good show; he cannot suspect anything is different.
Michael brings the food back in and he smiles when he sees me waiting at the table. He sits the tray down and serves me the same soup I have been eating but this time it also has a turkey sandwich with it. There is hot tea and iced tea; both look very appealing. I sip the hot tea first. The burning liquid running down my throat is like a suave for my raw esophagus; coating and soothing it from all the screaming the day before.
Michael watches while I eat. He looks a little bit crazier than he did when he left, this makes me extremely nervous. Halfway through my sandwich I feel a little weird. I look at the tea and panic.
“Did you put something in my tea?”
“Charlie, did you really think I was falling for your little act? What kind of fool do you take me for? I just gave you a small dose of something to help you relax. I want you fully awake for what comes next.” He smiles an evil smile and I know I’m in trouble. “I don’t want you to fight me though. I want you calm and aware of everything I am going to do to you.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” I can hear the quiver in my voice; so I know he hears it, and I know he likes that it is there. “I just want to be good like you want. I don’t want to go back into that room. Please, don’t do this.” The tears are flowing freely now. I am truly and utterly terrified of the look in his eyes.
I jump up from the table and the Earth tilts on its axes. I try to run but he is so much quicker. He grabs me by my hair and pulls me into him. He wraps my long curls around his hand and holds tight. I can’t move my head without ripping out a handful, painfully.
He inhales through his nose as he runs his face along my jaw line; smelling me. “Mmmm, you smell like desperation and fear, Charlie. I love that fragrance.”
“Pleeease, Michael, don’t do this.”
“I am going to do this, and just to make it better, you should know that everything I do, Brody will be watching as it unfolds.”