Heart of Fire

by Carter, Dawn

  When Danni returned, she sat down beside her and watched her put the stack of folders off to the side. “Find anything looking through that mess?”

  “No, just organizing and laying out a profile.” She sighed and cuddled in next to Danni.

  “We’ll figure it out babe. Let’s just relax for a while before I have to head out.” An hour passed as they watched the six o’clock new, neither said another word other than an occasional sigh. The silence was finally broken when Danni cleared her throat and got Annabel’s full attention.

  “Is it time for you to go?”

  “No I don’t have to meet him for a few more hours, but I need to explain why I acted like I did earlier.” Danni explained her fears of failing as a cop, not finding the unknown female conspirator, and then finally admitted what frightened her most. The feelings she was having for her. Annabel just smiled as she listened. It was all making sense to her. Danni portrayed herself as fearless, but inside she was just as scared as she was. It gave her some comfort to know she was not alone.

  “We can get through all of this together Danni. I’m scared too. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love you, I never thought I would let anyone around my defenses, but you broke them down.” She smiled brightly. “But, with you in my life now most of my fears have subsided. I’m still scared of failing you. That’s my biggest fear.”

  “Fail me? How could you ever fail me?”

  “What if I am not experienced enough as a lover or a cop?”

  “How could you think that?” Danni held her close. “You are everything that I have ever wanted. You will build experience over time as a detective that takes time, but as a lover, you’re amazing. I’ve never been as happy as I am now.” Annabel fell into her embrace and kissed her softly.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being everything I have ever dreamt of, and for just being you.” They both felt safe within each other’s embrace and all doubts about what they found in one another were gone.

   

  The cracking of wood in the fireplace startled Danni awake. The strange dream drained from her vision, but she wondered what part of it was a dream. Still groggy, she lifted her face off the couch cushion, and wiped the drool from her chin. She stood up and took the afghan and covered Annabel who was still in a sound slumber. Feeling rested she walked to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, she pulled her phone from her pocket afraid she missed the call from Frank, but no missed calls. That meant he still had no leads on the mystery woman or her identity. The week was coming to an end, and it would be time to return to work and leave Annabel unprotected and that was unacceptable.

  She stood in the doorway and looked on at the sweet face that offered her so much delight. It brought an unwilling smile to lips. The emotions that crept from the inner most part of her made all the challenges worth it. She had decided before falling into slumber that the past was the past, and her future was with Annabel and she would protect her with her own life.

  From the distance she thought she heard her phone vibrate, she dashed back into the kitchen and snatched it off the counter top. “Pacelli!” she eagerly announced. She listened to Frank on the other end. A smile lit her face as she heard the words. ‘We have a lead.’ She deposited herself on the edge of the counter writing down instructions. It was time to put an end to this.

  “Let’s get ready,” she said softly when she tapped Annabel on the shoulder waking her up. “Time to get this bitch!” she snarled. Annabel could see the lust for vengeance in her eyes. A bright silver-green swirled in her pupils as she told her all what Frank had said. It was entirely understandable. The unknown woman orchestrated so many deaths and she was now within their grasp.

  It did not take long for them to eat and gather their gear. Annabel was unsure why Danni was willing to let her go with after being so adamant about keeping her at bay, but after pondering it, she came to conclusion to leave well enough alone.

  The trees along the stretch of road leaving the property shaded them from the wind. Danni watched as a family of deer fed in the pasture to her right. She watched them with curious eyes as the babies did not stray more than a few feet from the mother. She suddenly felt sad. She always wanted to be a mother, and acknowledged how difficult it was for a lesbian to adopt in a conservative town. But, she realized being a single mother who was devoted to her career was not fair to a child either.

  “You’re in deep thought,” Annabel teased and giggled as she nudged her in the arm.

  “You ever think about having kids?”

  “One day yeah, but not right now, I’m too selfish to give up my free time.” The honesty of the response put a smile on Danni’s face.

  “But one day, maybe?”

  “Yes. One day.” She gleamed at the thought of them raising children together.

  “Good.” They both sat silent basking in the aftermath of future possibilities. Neither knew at that very same moment, they both overcame the fears that prevented them from being happy.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  She watched the silhouette of the city grow larger as they approached. It was magnificent. Danni did not realize how much she missed it until the lights called out to her. She missed driving down the streets while on detail. She loved the solitude that she shared with Annabel, but she missed the excitement of the streets. As they drove to their destination, Danni witnessed several drug transactions in process. She laughed when she saw them smile at her as she passed. The word must have already been put out on the streets that she was no longer a problem. She shook her head when she fought the urge to just bust them anyway and call in uniform officers to pick them up, but there was no time for small time busts. They had a bigger fish to catch.

  Annabel exited the car first when they pulled up. Danni had to jump out to catch up with her as they approached the tall figure dressed in black who stood at the edge of the parking lot. His hands were behind his back as he waited for them, Danni smiled and waved as they got near, but when he came into view, she could see it was not Frank. Alarmed, she unsnapped her firearm and removed the safety. She was ready to attack if she needed to. She approached him with caution as he scrambled to unload the items from his trunk. “Where’s Frank?” Danni asked confused as she looked at the supplies on the ground.

  “He’ll meet up with you tomorrow. He had an emergency.” He handed her a folded piece of paper with instructions where to meet up the next day.

  “Are you going to be with us or are we solo on this?” she mused holding the paper in the light to read it.

  “I’m not on this case,” Agent Fisher said annoyed. He was excited that he was pulled from the research department to meet with them until he was told he was only dropping off the equipment and that would be the extent of field work.

  “Where are Lopez and Kent?” she snapped.

  “Like I said, I’m not part of this case, Frank asked me to meet you and give you the equipment because I was the only one still in the office.” He offered no further explanation as he got in his car.

  What the fuck Danni wanted to say but she kept her mouth shut. “What the hell was the point of coming out here if he’s not here?” Danni snapped as she watched him step in his car and drive off.

  “What does the note say?” She tried to look over Danni’s shoulder to see what was written, but Danni already put her arm down and held it next to her leg.

  “To sit tight after we go wire the Burns house and follow-up on a few of the leads he listed.” She shrugged annoyed.

  “I’m down for it. I’d rather being doing this than sitting back at the house doing nothing.”

  “But this means we’re still in limbo,” she snarled.

  Annabel said nothing else when she saw the nerve ends pulsate in the veins in Danni’s neck and followed her lead and picked up the equipment and headed back to the car.

  Danni made a few calls as instructed. She looked at Annabel looking at her. “
What?” She grinned.

  “Just love the way you handle business,” she said with a wink.

  She rolled her eyes a little embarrassed. “Whatever, let’s get going.”

  “Where to boss?” Annabel laughed.

  “First stop the Mayors house to set up surveillance equipment, then we get a room and wait.” She shrugged. “Like you said, it’s better than doing nothing at all.”

  It only took an hour to set up the cameras and listening devises. Danni took the time to explain to the Mayor that no matter what, he was to wear the watch she brought that had a homing device set in to ensure if he was taken they could always find him. He tried to argue at first until she explained that if he is taken, the only way he would be found was dead. He hesitantly took it and replaced his gold Rolex with the leather strapped cheap watch.

  Danni cringed as they left the Mayors’ house. She always felt like she needed a shower. He had this way of looking at her like she was a piece of meat he could not wait to savor. “Yuk,” she groaned when Annabel laughed at her expression.

  “Aw come on. He thinks you’re hot baby.”

  “I’d rather eat bullets then even think about it anymore.” Danni shuddered over the sick, disgusting thought.

  Annabel let out a hearty laugh. “Okay. Okay enough then.” She blinked back as Danni pinched her on the side.

  “Where now Pacelli?”

  “Pick a hotel, we need to set up surveillance first thing in the morning, and we need to get some sleep.”

  “Sleep you say?” Sleep was not on her mind as she watched Danni adjust her belt. She imagined taking if off with her teeth. “The Marriott has nice suites.” ‘And each room has a hot tub,’ Annabel said under breath imagining a night of romance before their life started to get complicated.

  “Oh no, we need our rest, I know what you want, and as enticing as you are, oh how easy it would be to take you, but I need to be on my game right now.” She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “When this is over, I will take you to any hotel you want,” she whispered as she nibbled on her ear.

  “You play dirty Pacelli, so take this warning, when this is over; you are mine, so bring the handcuffs.”

  The playful statement took Danni by surprise. A cold shower was definitely in order now. Her mind reeled with the thought.

   

  A knock at the door shook Danni out of her seat. She opened it and a courier handed her a brown envelope. She took it without any question when she saw in her name printed on the front of the large brown envelope. She sat on the bed and emptied the package. Included was a mini tape recorder and pictures. The note was from Frank. Danni looked around then got up and knocked on the bathroom door. She stuck her head in and asked Annabel if she had called Frank and told him where they were. Annabel peaked around the curtain. Water dripped from her on the floor. “No babe. Why?”

  “A package was delivered from him. What the hell?” She returned to the bed and sat back down and shuffled through the contents. She turned on the recorder and listened. It was Frank’s voice that came across. He advised that the bags had a tracking devise, and that there were two more in a black box that she and Annabel were to wear at all times. He gave detailed instructions on how to use the tracking equipment, who to follow and where to be at nine p.m. the next evening. He gave no clue to where he was other than he would meet up with her then. He ended the tape saying, “I bet you wonder how I knew where you were. Keep this in mind Danni and stay alert, if I found you within minutes after you checked in, that would tell you how easy you are to find. For future references, don’t use your ATM card,” then he laughed and the message ended.

  Annabel sat on the bed behind her. She put her head on her shoulder and water dripped down Danni’s shirt making her nipples erect. “You’re getting me wet woman.”

  “I sure hope so.” She playfully tickled her. “On the serious note what’s in the envelope?”

  Danni gave her a brief description of the contents and the taped message from Frank, Annabel laughed when Danni held her finger to her head acting like it was a gun and pulling the trigger. “As you can see, I am no better, I just made a huge rookie mistake and Frank waited for me to make it.” She sighed and pointed to the contents. “I’m going to shower. How about you put all this stuff up and order room service.”

  A little annoyed by Danni’s tone, she sighed. “How about, I order room service and pretend you asked me nicely, and while you are in the shower I will be more than happy to clear the bed and when you’re done, you can help me put all this stuff up.”

  She liked the forcefulness in Annabel’s voice and offered no objection as she walked into the bathroom.

   

  Danni stepped out of the bathroom and the aroma of food made her smile, but what caught her attention was the bottle of wine. “Oh no,” Danni said and took slow steps back into the bathroom.

  “No wait. Come back,” Annabel yelled after her.

  She reentered hesitantly. With slow, unbalanced steps they met half way. They stood within inches of one another. Danni closed her eyes and surrendered to her kiss. Annabel carefully removed the towel that stood between her and Danni. Cool fingers touched her shoulder and rounded her breast. She gave into the temptation and allowed Annabel to lead her to the bed. As she deposited her on her back, Annabel reached over and handed her one of the plastic cups filled with the red wine.

  “Are you trying to seduce me?”

  “Trying is not on the agenda Pacelli. Doing is what is on the menu,” she teased, her hand gripped tighter around Danni’s wrist as she bruised her lips with hers. “You want to eat food now, or would you rather eat me?” The question sent chills down Danni’s spine.

  “Oh I am very hungry right now.” She pulled Annabel up and deposited her on her face. First breathing in her scent and then dipping her tongue deep inside her wet center. “Come for me sweetheart.” As if on command, Annabel’s body began to convulse as the orgasm ripped through her. She pinched her own nipples bringing on a second then a third. She was breathless, her legs felt like jello and her heart pounded in her chest. Her vision blurred as she tried to focus down on Danni’s face. She rolled off of her and lay heavily on her back. She struggled to get her breathing under control and scolded herself for letting Danni take control of their love making.

  She could feel Danni move up her thighs giving one last lick before she deposited herself on top of her. “That was good. What’s for dessert?”

  She tried not to laugh but could not help herself. She never knew what smart ass remark would escape those beautiful lips of Danni’s, and she loved it. They always laughed, no matter how serious things got. They could always find humor in anything.

  “My turn!” the demand was accompanied by Danni being rolled over onto her back. She pulled herself on top of her but sat up. She reached over for the cheesecake and smeared it over Danni breasts and down to her clit. “Now this is the kind of dessert I like.”

  Before Danni could protest, Annabel was suckling on her nipple taking it deep into her mouth. She pushed her down in her journey and stopped and held her in place as she suckled on her clit. Within seconds Danni’s body exploded into ecstasy and the orgasm ripped through her. Annabel looked up briefly and smiled; she pulled her back in her mouth, but felt a little resistance. She held on tighter, she was not letting Danni have her way. She knew what she wanted, and taking her partner to new heights was one of them.

  She dipped her tongue deeper into her tasting the fresh flow of fluids, it made her want to come again, but as she felt tender flesh swell again the faster she caressed the area and inserted her tongue. She could feel Danni’s body stiffen again. She moved up and pulled her clit into her mouth. She sucked lightly at first, then with force.

  The pressure built and when the orgasm started, it was nothing like she ever felt before. It was not just the amazing feeling that shocked all her senses making her body convulse but the joy that filled her heart. A single tear
escaped her eye but it was not sadness, she never been affected in the way Annabel made her feel. She closed her eyes as she said to the abyss. I love her. I am truly madly in love with her. Thank you God for bringing her to me.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The streets were deserted as Hollywood walked slowly home. She turned up the volume on her IPOD singing along trying to tune out the uncomfortable feeling she was having. She looked to her left then to her right. The feeling like she was being watched scared her. She took a shortcut through an alley behind her apartment unaware of the dangers that lurked in the darkness. She casually counted her earnings from the night and smiled when it occurred to her she had enough to pay the rent for another month and extra to put into her savings. She needed to save and move, and go back to college, she only needed fifteen more credits for her bachelor’s in psychology, and with her insight of drug use and prostitution she believed she could discourage others from living the same life.

  She was proud of herself, she had joined AA and had been clean and sober for a little over a week, but she was not oblivious to how easy it would be to relapse, so she struggled with her demons second by second, minute by minute not to use, and now each time she looked in the mirror, her reflection disgusted her. She recalled how stunning she once was, but now the person staring back at her in the mirror was no longer recognizable. She could see the damage the years of drugs use did and how it aged her. She had aged beyond her years and it saddened her, but she rationalized that forty five was still young enough to finish her degree and once her teeth were fixed, she could work on her appearance.

  She had already made an appointment to have all her teeth pulled and have implants put in, courtesy of the Mayor, she met with him a few days back to ask for his help, she figured it was the least he could do, since over the years she helped keep his fetish for the women a secret. He argued with her at first, telling her he owed her nothing, but when she reminded him how easily his career would end if the papers got a wind of his extracurricular activities, he hesitantly gave in.