Out of the Storm

by Jillian Elizabeth

  “You're right. Nothing can stop us now,” he says as he pulls back. “Get in the tub, Starfish. I'll be back in a few to start a movie in bed,” he tells me as he walks to the door.

  Nodding, I turn around to step in the tub. Looking to the bathroom mirror in front of me, I see him watching me, the conquering hero that will tear the world apart to set mine right again. Letting the bath soothe me, I lean my head back against the side and just close my eyes.

  “Andrea, let's take a walk,” Carter says to me as we walk away from our families’ camp site.

  “Don't be gone too long. It's getting dark, and take your flashlights,” his dad calls to us.

  He grabs two from his camper and pulls me along. I've just turned fifteen and our families are on our first annual camping trip of the year for Memorial Day weekend. Camp Dearborn in Milford is a place we've gone our entire lives.

  Walking into the woods away from all the prying eyes of our families, he pulls me close and kisses me like he hasn't seen me in a year. Slipping his tongue into my mouth, I let mine dance with his as he moans and holds my face in his hands, the kiss almost getting frenzied before he pulls back, leaving me breathless.

  “I've been waiting to do that since we got here,” he says bringing his forehead to mine.

  “I can't get enough alone time with you. Never enough,” I whisper to him pulling his shirt in my hands to bring his body flush with mine.

  Returning to walking, he pulls my hand to a log just a little ahead. We sit down and I can hear the rustling of the animals running around in the fallen leaves on the ground. It's so quiet and peaceful.

  “Someday we’ll do this with our own kids,” I say, leaning my head against his arm as we sit here holding hands.

  “I see it, Starfish. Forever isn't too far away.” He puts his arm around me so I'm flush to his side.

  “It seems that way with how overbearing my parents get sometimes. I know they trust me with you, and would never approve of anyone else that’s five years older than me, but I wish they would give a little more,” I say, looking up and getting lost in his beautiful face. He really was sculpted perfectly.

  “If I had a daughter that looked like you, I would never let a boy near her,” he says laughing.

  I laugh with him at that because I can totally picture it in my head. “I need more time with you Carter, but school has been so busy with getting ready for the end of the year. Sophomore year is just around the corner in a few weeks. They might come searching for us soon,” I tell him.

  At that, he jumps down to stand in front of me. Pulling me up, he has me still standing on the log so I'm just a little taller than him. He pulls me close to him and rests his head on my chest.

  “You're heart is beating so fast, Starfish,” he tells me as I feel him smile through my tank top.

  “It always does when you're near,” I whisper.

  He turns his head to look up at me, resting his chin on my breast bone. “It's matching the beat of mine. It hurts when you aren't with me, Starfish. I can't wait to make you mine forever, so we're never apart.”

  “What do we do until then?”

  “We make every moment count.”

  Feeling his hand slide along my arm, I slowly open my eyes.

  “What were you just thinking about? The grin on your face is priceless,” he says climbing into the tub to sit behind me.

  “I was thinking about our camping trips when we were young. You promised me the world even all those years ago Carter,” I tell him as I settle my back to his front.

  He lazily trails my loofah into the water and up and down my arms. “I could never wait to make you mine for all time. I hated when we were apart and had to go through your parents for some time,” he says bringing his cheek next to mine.

  I turn my head at the feel of his stubble against my cheek. Capturing his lips with mine, I lazily let my tongue begin to dance with his. The pace slow, but no less any powerful. Every touch from Carter has never ever felt the same. That's what I love, it will never be enough or get old. I feel him smile against my lips.

  Pulling back, I look into his eyes, searching for the humor he's suddenly finding.

  “What's so funny Mr. Avery?” I ask on a whisper still dragging my lips over his.

  “I was thinking of all the things I always wanted to do to you when I got you alone. But I wanted to be a gentleman and never take it too far.”

  “Oh, is that so? I remember plenty of very uninnocent times over the years on those trips. In fact, just after my 18th birthday was a big one,” I tell him grabbing onto his thigh and squeezing at the thought.

  He groans, no doubt remembering what I'm referring to. “I could never get enough of having you at any time. Still can't,” he says, turning me in his arms to straddle his legs.

  “You tortured me with your delicious body, while our parents sat just outside of the camper around the fire waiting for us to return with the fixings for s’mores,” I say on a laugh and at the grin that curls his mouth up.

  “Mmmmm and trying to get you to be quiet before they came looking to see what was taking us so long,” he says back with a gleam in his beautiful honey brown eyes.

  I shut him up at the thought, and the memories brought forth of that night and so many more since.

  I grab the back of his head and fuse his mouth with mine. He holds the back of my head to his, pulling slightly on my hair, just the way I love. He moves to my ears, down to my neck to the sweet spot where my shoulder and neck meet. With small nibbles, he moves back up to my neck leaving me panting and breathless. He loves to tease me.

  Moving back to my mouth, he kisses me sweetly. He isn't turning this kiss over to the frenzied lust….

  “Tonight is just touching you, worshipping you, and showing you my love. I want to sit and talk, spend time with you, and listen to your heart. Can we do that, Starfish? Please.”

  He will never cease to amaze me. He always shows me I'm more than a body, I'm more than just a girl. Never been like the rest. I love that and need for him to show me this way sometimes.

  “I'd love nothing more than to have that time with you, handsome.”

  **********

  Settling in the large four poster king sized bed in our room, I'm laying on his chest just listening to it beat. It's a sound I can't sleep without. A sound I can't live without. I fall asleep in his arms and he just holds me close.

  **********

  I wake when I hear his phone going off. Lifting my head in the dark room, I see the time on the clock. 3:30 a.m. I grab his phone and see it's Nick. I answer it for him since he hasn't moved yet.

  “Hello,” I say in a groggy sleep filled voice.

  “Hi Andrea, is Carter there?”

  “Yes, he's sleeping. It's 3:30 in the morning Nick, can't this wait until later?”

  “Sorry to wake you sweetie, but there's been another homicide and I need my partner up and at ‘em.”

  Ugh. “Let me wake him up, and he’ll call you right back.”

  “Okay, try and make it quick. I'm heading out here in a few and need to brief him.”

  “Will do,” I tell Nick hanging up and turning over to Carter.

  “Babe, you need to wake up. Nick just called your phone and needs you to go in. There's been another homicide,” I say trying to shake him awake.

  He groans and rolls over taking me with him, still holding his phone. “What time is it,” he asks in a deep raspy sleep filled voice.

  “It's 3:30.”

  “Motherfuck,” he yells and rolls to his back.

  I hand him his phone. “He wants you to call him back before he heads out in a few. He wants to brief you.”

  He takes the phone and blinks at the light from the screen as he dials Nick and brings it to his ear.

  “Yeah man, I'm up. What the fuck. Yeah, yeah….another female at the scrap yard? Alright I'm getting up and heading out. You better grab me some coffee, Nancy. I'm not up for this shit right now,” he says hanging u
p.

  “I gotta go, sweetheart. Stay right here so I can crawl back in with you when I get back. Hopefully won't be long, gotta head downtown to the scrap yard,” he tells me with a kiss to my forehead as he gets up and walks to the bathroom.

  As the bathroom light comes on, I'm suddenly bathed with the sight of his naked behind as he steps in and grabs a quick shower before he goes. The sight of his chiseled back, ass, and legs will never get old. Rolling over, I fall back to sleep.

  Chapter 10

  Carter

  Pulling up to the scrap yard downtown, right in the heart of the D, I'm greeted by Nick and a large coffee.

  “What time was this one found?” I ask him as I take a sip of the warm liquid gold I needed at this hour.

  “Found at 3:00 this morning, man. In the trunk of another car brought in to junk.”

  Nodding I take a few more sips and walk into the entrance, finding the scene set up and forensics taking pictures of the body on the ground in the middle of the yard. Walking over, I nod at some of the familiar faces I am used to seeing at these scenes. This never gets any easier.

  “Female, about nineteen or twenty. Multiple stab wounds and an execution bullet to the forehead,” Nick says as I look on from above.

  “There has to be a connection with the others we've found in the last six months,” I say to him. He just nods and keeps writing his notes. “Bet Chantal was happy about you getting this call again so early,” I say to him on a small laugh trying to bring some light to the somber early morning.

  “I don't even want to talk about it,” he says with a shake of his head still writing in his notebook.

  “We need to get a handle on this, Nick. We need warrants for the books here and who brought these vehicles in. They have to leave a fingerprint when they get paid,” I tell him as I look around the scrap yard at the piles of shit just stacked everywhere.

  “What do you make of these girls? I'm thinking this isn't hookers with a pimp that has a hard-on for killing his prime stock. I'm thinking this is trafficking. They are all young girls, mid-teens and early twenties. Lots of that shit been going down around here but it's never centralized to one location,” Nick says spouting the smart as fuck shit he just knows.

  Nodding my head, I look to the sky and take a breath. I have a feeling it's going to be a long haul with this shit.

  Carl walks over to us as the body is zipped up and loaded to take the coroners for examination. “I’m gonna do my damnedest to get you a quick report so you guys can put a stop to this shit,” he says as Ed walks over sipping his coffee.

  “We got a hell of a detective group on this case, Carl. We’ll find these sons of bitches,” Ed says while squeezing my shoulder.

  I look over to Nick and his head is up watching the exchange. He's scrutinizing the whole thing too. He's got the same churn in his gut. Something smells sour in this whole thing and I'm planning to find out just what.

  “You boys can go ahead and head back to those pretty ladies you've got waiting at home. We can handle this and brief you as it comes in.” Ed walks to the front of Nick and me as we stand together.

  “Nah, I plan to be part of every piece of this. You need all the help you can get after all. Don't want to burn yourself out being the one man pony show detective,” I tell the snide fuck.

  Nick just nods his head and walks back over and around where the body was, taking more notes while ignoring my little standoff with Ed.

  **********

  Nick and I walk back over to our cars. I jump in and he grabs the passenger side to escape the cold.

  My mind is spinning with all the things that have gone on here and the few bodies that have been discovered over the last year. Something isn't right. There's more here, and someone is covering our investigation. It's time to look at this from a different angle.

  “Something is most definitely fucked up about this entire thing. It's becoming way too much of the normal around here and no one in the county seems to be phased anymore,” Nick says turning his head to me.

  “Glad you're feeling the bullshit meter up as high as I do, man.”

  “What are you thinking? I see a plan forming in that pretty little head of yours,” he says on a small laugh.

  Nodding, I stare out the windshield for a moment in thought as I watch the comings and goings. It's about 4:30 in the morning now and the city will be coming to life soon enough.

  “I'm thinking I need to look at it from a new angle, go where I know corruption isn't. I think those around us we are trusting are in deeper than we thought, bro. I think I'll send a text to Scott in Dearborn and see if he's still on right now. He's got more experience with this whole trafficking shit being that it's pretty prominent in the malls there at the moment,” I tell him as I pull my phone out.

  “Good idea, get out of the actual city and dig surrounding areas.”

  **********

  Nick rides with me out to meet with Scott. He's getting off duty at 7:00, which is in about an hour. Hitting the small diner on Telegraph just down the street, we go in for some food and wait for him.

  “Known Scott a lot of years. He’s trustworthy and I think he can help shed some light where we weren't looking before,” I tell him as we settle in a small booth.

  “I trust you, man. I just hope there's something he can tell us to spin us on the right track. I have a feeling shit’s about to get deep,” Nick remarks with a slight worry in his eyes.

  I know he's getting more nervous about some of the shit we get into more now. His wife is having twin girls, they all depend on him and his coming home every day. Hell, I’m more nervous now too that I have my Starfish back and am finally hitching her to me always. No more vigilante shit for me. But I'm not about to turn a blind eye to shit going down around me.

  What if that was our kid? What if that was my sister, cousin, or fucking neighbor?

  Getting rid of each crooked greaseball one at a time is the only way to feel like this county is finally perking up. But for every one of them that's put away, more come out of the woodwork with something new.

  Hearing Scott's diesel truck pull up, I peer around the booth and see him out the window. He's changed from his on duty uniform, and is joining us for some early morning breakfast before heading home to his wife and six kids. Dude has it made with that brood and beautiful wife Lindsay. Their story is much like mine and Andrea's. They were apart for a good amount of time, but are better than ever now that they have each other again.

  That shit is written in the stars.

  Walking in with a beanie covering his bald head and shit kickers on his feet, he takes his gloves off and heads to our table with a head nod once he sees me.

  Standing up, I greet him with a man hug, clapping his back. Haven't seen this guy in a while, he's been doing some lifting.

  “It's been a bit, Avery. How are you, big man? Lookin’ a little leaner these days, you training again?” he asks.

  Laughing, I step back and let him slide in the booth. “Nah, just done some bag work here and there. Nothing like the training days that's for sure,” I say at his nod.

  “This is my partner Nick,” I introduce him as Nick leans over to shake his hand.

  “How’s Linds and the kids?” I ask him as he picks the menu up.

  “Good, they're real good. Loving the new place just as much as I do. You gotta come out to the country man and leave all this bullshit. Get further away for your goddamned sanity,” he tells me.

  “Andrea and I will have to come out and check it out when the weather gets nice. Get a feel of some country spring air.”

  He nods. “You'll love it, trust me. I don't even mind the commute honestly.”

  “Nick here probably wouldn't let me go too far, would ya,” I say on a laugh to Nick.

  He just shakes his laughing and I see him mouth ‘fucker’ as he looks over his menu.

  “So, we are on another homicide case. Been a few of the same and shit’s blocked right and left with the inves
tigation. Have a bad gut feeling that it's happening on purpose. Can't shake the feeling. We need to come at it from a different angle and we think there's some connection between the trafficking going down around. Hoping you could tell us if anything weird has gone on or if you have any new ideas. Your smart as shit, man, and really the only guy around besides Nick here that I trust.” I lay it all out for him.

  Scott nods and looks like he’s really mulling over some of the info I've given him. Taking the beanie off, he rubs his bald head a few times and then turns to me.