by Lisa Olsen
“Jesus, I don’t care about that, Mercy. I’m just glad you’re safe,” Ben sighed, and I got the impression he was tugging on some clothes. “Drive down to the precinct and tell them you’re waiting for me. I’m going to call this in and we’ll send a car over to your apartment to check it out. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
His voice was calm and soothing and had the desired effect. With a destination in mind I felt far more in control of the situation. “Okay, will do. Thanks Ben.” It struck me that I hadn’t even known where our local police precinct was before it all started going down. It didn’t take long for me to get there, and it ended up being a case of hurry up and wait.
Ben arrived about twenty minutes after I’d gotten there and I had to resist the urge to hug him, I was so happy to see him. Ce han>“So? Did they catch him?” I asked anxiously, abandoning my untouched Styrofoam cup of sour coffee.
“I’m sorry, Mercy. There wasn’t any trace of him when the black and white got there. They’re still canvassing the area, but it doesn’t look good.” He used that comforting voice again, but the look behind his eyes was grim.
I nodded slowly, digesting that. How was I supposed to go home? How was I supposed to ever feel safe in my apartment again with him out there?
“Were they able to tell how he got into my apartment?”
“I don’t know yet, I don’t have the full report in, but I’ll try and find out for you. Sit tight, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I nodded again, retaking my seat in the conference room. I wondered if they interrogated people in there, it was just a room with a small table and three chairs. There was no telltale two way mirror though, only a window to the hallway outside. Bringing my feet up under me, I wrapped my arms around my knees, hugging them for warmth. The bottoms of my feet were black and I hated to think what I might have picked up from the grimy precinct floor. But really, that was the least of my worries for the moment.
Staring at the clock, I zoned out, crashing once the spike of adrenaline faded. I almost started to doze off when Ben came back in. “So?”
“I was thinking, how about you come home with me tonight, get some rest and we can figure out what to do in the morning?” He seemed to realize I was cold and shrugged off his coat, wrapping it around my shoulders and I immediately put my arms in the sleeves, savoring the remnants of his body heat.
I hadn’t been expecting him to make the offer, we hardly knew each other. Then again, it wasn’t the worst proposition I’d gotten all evening. “Do you normally invite witnesses to stay with you?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Only when they ca C whp; I coll me at home in the middle of the night. This way if someone comes after you again, I don’t have to commute.”
My lips tilted in a pale approximation of my usual smile, but I did appreciate the effort on his part. “It’s that bad is it?” I meant my situation, not his commute.
“Let’s just say I’d like you to be where I can keep an eye on you for now, that’s all.”
“What about my cat?” I remembered Mimsy suddenly, wondering if the guy was sick enough to take out his frustration on a poor defenseless animal.
“Tomorrow we’ll go and pick up some more clothes for you, and your cat.”
“She doesn’t wear any clothes,” I said with a straight face.
“I guess I walked into that one,” he chuckled. “Alright, Miss Comedienne, let’s get you home, you look as tired as I feel.” I felt a momentary stab of guilt for dragging him deeper into everything, at the same time incredibly grateful for his help.
As we left the police station, I wondered if everyone there knew we were going home together? I wondered if his boss knew and would approve, or if he’d get in trouble for taking work home with him? I wondered if it would be just for that night, or if we’d end up having to spend days or weeks together. I wondered where in the hell my guardian angel was? What a stupid time he picked to take the night off after sticking to me like glue for days!
As a result, I wasn’t much of a conversationalist on the ride home, though I did watch with interest as we got closer to his neighborhood in case I needed to find it again.
Ben pulled into a cul-de-sac with a townhouse complex at the end. They were set up in blocks of three houses, with the garages under the units so the houses th Cthetownhemselves appeared three stories high. Each house was painted a different color, making it look like a little village rather than a uniform complex. Ben drove us down and around the driveway to his townhouse, painted in muted shades of blue with white trim. It was an end unit, and boasted bay windows along one side.
“This is nice, two bedroom?” I commented as we came to a stop. Probably a little cozy for more than two people, but I assumed he lived alone since he invited me to come and stay with him. Following him inside, we climbed the first set of stairs to the living room dining room combo.
“Yes, you can have the bedroom, I’ll take the office.”
“No, I can’t kick you out of your bedroom…”
“Sure you can, don’t worry, I can sleep anywhere.”
“You’re sure?” I wasn’t sure I felt altogether good about that, but he gave me a look that brooked no argument.
“Positive. Get some rest. The bedroom’s up at the top of the stairs on the right. You have your own bathroom to yourself.”
“I feel like I could sleep for a week,” I admitted, my restless energy definitely gone, but my mind was still churning, turning over the events of the day.
“I’ll leave you to it then.”
“Would you mind… could we sit for a few minutes maybe? Watch some mindless TV? Sort of let the day fade away?” I knew it was asking a lot, but I wasn’t quite ready to be alone yet.
“Sure,” he smiled, “we can do that.” Catching up my hand, he led me over to the sofa and settled down, picking up the remote. I still wore his coat, so he grabbed a folded blanket from the back of the couch and shook it out over my lap. Immediately shrugging out of the bulky coat, I scooted closer to him and his warmth, adjusting the blanket to cover the both of us while he channel surfed.
I still don’t know who made the first move, but one moment we were Cmenfont> infomercial on TV and the next moment we were kissing. It reminded me a little of necking in my parent’s living room, that thrill of a first shared kiss without knowing what each other liked.
Maybe it came from a need to connect with someone solid and good, to chase away the feel of Weatie’s hand over my mouth, pinning me down. Maybe it was because I felt so grateful to him for taking me in. Like as not there were all kinds of theories out there floating around about post traumatic stress and how it affected my behavior. But my theory is simply that my walls had been so battered down by the events of the day, I didn’t have that cushion of self control I normally operated under.
I wanted warmth, so I snuggled closer to him.
I wanted to watch music videos, so I grabbed the remote out of his hand and changed the channel.
I wanted to kiss him, so I did.
Maybe he had been the one to initiate it, I couldn’t say what his motivations were, we never really talked about it. All I know is that we sat there in the darkened living room, practically strangers, making out like there was no tomorrow. Only unlike being a teen, there was no danger of parents walking in to surprise us.
Which is why it shocked the hell out of me when I saw Sam standing there, watching us with undisguised interest.
I let out a surprised squeak just as Ben’s hand reached up under my shirt. Misinterpreting my noise for one of discomfort or pain, he immediately snatched his hand away. “Oh God, I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking. Did I hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine, really,” I gulped in a breath, tugging my shirt back down, having to deal with two surprises at once. “I ah, don’t want you to see the scar,” I added lamely, wondering how long I’d be able to keep the unblemished skin a secret, given the turn in our relationship. Over his shoulder I gave Sam a
glare, but he seemed unfazed by it.
“It won’t bother me, you should see some of mine,” Ben smiled gently.
“Still, it’s new and I’m not all that comfortable with it yet, okay?” I gave him a somewhat sheepish smile, hating that I had to lie to him. Sam seemed to be doing that thing again where no one but me could see him. The thought popped into the back of my mind, would I be able to do that too?
“Okay sure,” Ben nodded, leaning in to kiss my cheek, and I smiled at the touch, my head lolling to one side to give him better access as he kissed and nibbled down the side of my neck.
“Why do you put your mouths on everything? I never understood that,” Sam asked curiously, and I took it to mean Ben couldn’t hear him either. A useful skill to have.
“None of your business,” I retorted without thinking, teeth mashing down on my lips the instant I said it aloud. How could I be such a moron? How many movies had I seen over the years where someone was branded as insane because they’re talking to ghosts or angels or aliens or whatever that only they could see and hear? And here I was doing it myself.
“What?” Ben blinked, pulling back to look at me.
“Sorry, I meant to say, when I’m more comfortable with it. You seeing my scar.” Could I sound any more retarded?
“Whenever you’re ready,” Ben smiled back at me, that smile I liked so much, that made me like him so much.
“Could I maybe get some Tylenol and some water? Now that I’m unwinding, my head is starting to pound,” I smiled back, grateful when he nodded and went to the kitchen to get them for me.
“Get out of here!” I hissed at Sam, the moment Ben was out of earshot.
“You wish me to leave?” Sam blinked.
“Yes, I wish you to leave, as in right now. I’ll deal with you later, and don’t come sneaking in here again!” Oh, I was livid! How had he even tracked me down there? If I was so easy to find, where the hell was he when I was under that scumbag?
“I will leave then.” Sam looked crestfallen and I felt a pang of remorse, like I’d smacked a puppy too hard on the nose for jumping up. But damn it if he didn’t need to learn about boundaries.
“I’ll come and see you tomorrow, until then… go home.” I made an effort to soften my tone of voice.
Sam nodded and moved on silent feet to the stairwell, going up instead of down. My brows knit together as I puzzled why he went that way instead of towards the door, but Ben returned then, and I focused all of my attention on him. Accepting the pain killers with a grateful smile, I lingered by the edge of the sofa, not sitting back down.
“We should probably go to bed, huh?” I suggested, realizing only too late he might take it as a different kind of invitation. “I mean, it’s late… and we should go to separate beds,” I practically tripped over my tongue to add.
Ben’s answering smile let me know he’d understood me to begin with. “Ye
s, it’s late and there’s no rush for any of this. Neither one of us is going anywhere, right?”
“Right,” I nodded, relieved. “Goodnight.” Leaning in, I placed an almost chaste kiss on his lips.
“Goodnight, Mercy. Give a holler if you need anything.”
I thought I might have trouble sleeping in the unfamiliar bed and with all the worries and fears in the back of my mind, but I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
Chapter Eight
The next morning dawned clear and bright, no sign of the dismal gray clouds that perpetually plagued our skies and my thoughts of late. I awoke feeling refreshed and lucky to have escaped the way I had the night before.
Calling both Matt and Daphne, I let them in on the highlights of my narrow escape the night before, downplaying any danger but instructing them both to give my apartment a wide berth until Weatie was picked up. Daphne was relieved to hear I’d be staying with Ben and I promised to fill her in on all the details soon. Matty offered to come and stay with me, not exactly thrilled I was “shacked up with some cop”. His motives might have been altruistic, but more likely he wanted the chance to sit on my couch, watch my cable TV and eat me out of house and home. Politely declining his generous offer, I promised to call him the moment I had any news on my attacker’s whereabouts.
True to his word, Ben took me back to my apartment to pick up some clothes and Mimsy and we stopped to pick up my car from the police precinct. After a nice leisurely brunch at Lolly’s we parted ways.
Even though it was Sunday, he had work to do. As I was starting to learn, his hours were nowhere near normal. I felt safe in his townhouse. He gave me a key and showed me how to operate his alarm system, including how to work the panic alarm in case I saw even a suspicious shadow. Mimsy busily sniffed all over the premises, conducting her own inspection before falling asleep in the middle of the bed.
It was my day off, and without my normal household chores, I looked to straighten Ben’s place. Without being too nosy, I found some cleaning supplies and gave his kitchen a good going over, including tossing old leftovers out that looked like they could walk out on their own. A quick check gave me what options there were for making dinner. I figured the least I could do was make a decent home cooked meal for him since he was letting me stay there. His kitchen wasn’t huge, but it was bigger than mine and I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of pots and pans to make whatever I wanted to. Clearly Ben was more than a pizza and sandwich kind of guy.
After a while, I realized I was putting off the inevitable though, and set out for Sam’s apartment, not exactly looking forward to that conversation. That time he opened the door right after the first knock, but he still walked away from the open door without saying a word, leaving me to follow him inside and shut the door.
“You are well?” he asked once I’d ventured deeper inside.
“Yeah, no thanks to you,” I muttered, my mood already prickly and I’d only just arrived.
Sam blinked at my tone, obviously trying to process it. “You are angry with me? Because I entered Benjamin’s home without your permission?” Obviously he didn’t have any issues with breaking and entering, but I did.
“Among other things. Didn’t anyone ever tell you it was rude to do that?”
“No,” he answered honestly. “No one has ever noticed me before.”
Which reminded me, “What’s up with that by the way? You can make yourself invisible or something?”
That one he had no problem answering. “Not invisible exactly. I can move through the world without drawing attention to my presence, appear only to the chosen few. They simply do not notice me unless I wish them to.”
“So… you could be in a room full of people and they wouldn’t see or hear you? And that’s why Alexei couldn’t see you in the store…” I processed that for a moment. It definitely explained his lack of social skills. How could a guy get any practice interacting with humans when he didn’t show himself to them? “Look, the main thing here is you can’t lurk around like that, it’s creepy. Remember creepy is bad?”
“I remember,” he nodded earnestly.
“Speaking of lurking, what happened to you? You follow me around day and night and then the one time I actually need you, you’re nowhere to be found,” I demanded, finding some of my righteous indignation again.
“I was sick.”
Did angels even get sick? “What do you mean you were sick?”
“From the beer. I am not used to drinking, it made me quite dizzy and then sick.” Ksic not use; Sam looked embarrassed to talk about it.
“Oh,” I said quietly. What could I say to that? I’m the one who gave it to him in the first place. “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean for you to get sick.”
“I know.” He studied me silently for a moment, his head canting to one side as was his way. “What happened to you?”
“When?”
“You said you needed me and I was nowhere to be found,” Sam prompted patiently.
“Yeah, about that…” I told him all about the atta
ck and what led me to stay with Detective Gates, lingering over the flash of bright light and glossing over my personal terror. “What happened to me? What was that white light when he attacked me?”
“The Grace, it acted as protection for you.”
“That’s handy.” It could be very handy indeed, if I could figure out how I’d done it in the first place. “How does it work exactly?”
“Is that why you gave him your love?” Sam asked, completely ignoring my question and it took me a moment to track what he was talking about.
“You mean Ben?” I blinked.
“Yes. Was it because he offered you protection?”
“It was just a kiss Sam, and I did it because I like him.”
“Do you like me?”
With anyone else I might have suspected he was playing some kind of game, but I didn’t think Sam was capable of such a move. His blue gaze held mine for a long moment, and I tried to understand what he was really asking me. Did he want me to like him? The way I liked Ben? Was he jealous over the kiss?&nbs Kthefont p; Did angels even get jealous?
Despite his sometimes awkward mannerisms and the way he frustrated me to no end when he dodged my questions, I found I did like Sam. It was different from the way I started to feel about Ben, that was safe and comforting. Sam was… different, an unknown… and it pricked at my curious nature to find out more about him. There was definitely something raw and indefinable that tugged at me every time I was near him.
It didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous to look at either, but there was no spark there, at least on my part. I was just opening my mouth to reply when there was a quick rap at the door and Sam looked up, an uncharacteristic scowl twisting his lips.
“What is it?”
“My friend,” Sam muttered, moving to the door and I wondered if he seemed so disgruntled because of who stood out there or the interruption? Pulling open the door, Sam blocked the opening with his body, effectively obscuring my view of his caller. “Now is not a good time,” he said softly, but with an undercurrent of strength to his words.