“Kylee! Kylee is that you?” Arie screamed.
Muffled screams could be heard as they echoed throughout the room. Neither of them could tell where the sound was coming from since the sound was bouncing off all the walls.
“Where is she?” Cris asked as he looked around the room in confusion and tried to follow the sound of Kylee’s voice. “We checked every room and machine in here unless he built a hidden room. It sounds like it is coming from underneath the floor,” he said as he tried to follow the sounds.
“Wait, we didn’t check all the rooms yet. I just remembered something when you said it sounds like it is coming from underneath the floor. When I came here for a field trip one of the machines stopped and maintenance went through this opening in the floor to open fix it,” Arie said as she walked around trying to remember where the opening was.
Arie lead them to a steel door in the floor close to the door they came in. Cris bent down and turned the wheel attached to the steel counter clockwise until it popped open. As the door slowly lifted, they could see a steep slant of stairs and nothing else. He pushed Arie behind him when she tried to walk down the stairs as soon as the door was fully open. Cris stepped ahead of her and pulled her close to his back tucking her to him. He didn’t know what was down there and couldn’t risk her getting hurt. So he made sure she was as close to him as possible.
He quickly took off his coat as he rushed to Kylee’s side. She was beaten badly, her lip was swollen, and one of her eyes was swollen and closed shut. There were deep cuts on every inch of her stomach and arms. Cris threw his coat over her as Arie began to unbuckle her wrist and ankles from the table. He picked her up as gently as possible and began to carry her toward the stairs. He knew they had to get out of there fast. From what he could tell Kylee was dehydrated, exhausted, and in a lot of pain. She needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
“Arie, stay behind me no matter what you hear and keep your gun out,” Cris said as he positioned Kylee so she was securely hanging slightly over his right shoulder. He needed his right arm just in case he had to fire in order to protect them.
Arie and Cris moved as quickly as possible. Kylee didn’t look like she would last much longer. Cris kept watch on their surroundings while Arie kept watch on everything behind them as they moved to the car as one. They were both itching to see the Daytime Killer step out of the shadows and attack them so they could kill him on the spot.
He let Arie slide into the back seat first when they got to the car. He carefully slid Kylee into the car beside her, placing Kylee’s head on Arie’s lap.
“Give her small sips of this until we reach the hospital,” Cris said as he handed Arie a bottle of water from the front seat.
Their fingers brushed as Arie took the water bottle from him. Just that small physical contact was enough to center them both and ease some of the tension they were feeling.
Arie brushed Kylee’s hair out of her face while she whispered her name.
“Arie, is that you or am I hallucinating again? Where is Jordan?” Kylee barely whispered, her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton.
Kylee’s entire body felt like it was on fire along with aches and sharp pains in certain places. For the past week she had endured pain most would have broken from on the first day. He came back to her each night with bigger and sharper objects to inflict pain on her since she wasn’t reacting the way he wanted her to. She quickly noticed that he left quicker when she didn’t react to anything he did, no matter how painful it was. The only down side was he usually punched her with his fist or one of the objects in his hand out of anger and frustration before he left. She was so hungry, thirsty, and in so much pain these last few days that she was actually hallucinating. Quite a few times she had sworn she heard a voice whisper in her ear that Arie and Jordan were going to find her. She knew it was just her wishful-thinking and the only way she was able to go on was from the hope those whispers gave her.
“It’s really me, Ky, we are on our way to the hospital now. Jordan and your parents are meeting us there. Cris just called Jordan. Don’t worry they will meet us at the hospital.
“I need for you to try to drink some water, it will help you,” Arie answered as she lifted Kylee head up gently and helped her drink some water.
“I knew either you or Jordan was going to find me. I love you, Ar,” Kylee managed to get out before she passed out.
Arie threw her head back on the headrest and sighed with relief. A lot of the pressure she had been feeling for the past week had drifted away slowly. As they pulled up to the back entrance of the hospital, Arie was glad Captain O’Kelly had managed to arrange for them a private entrance into the hospital.
Two doctors approached them and helped Cris get Kylee out of the car and onto a gurney. Cris and Arie followed behind the doctors, neither wanting to let Kylee out of sight since they still had no clue who the killer was.
****
Arie pulled her coat tighter around her as a blast of cool air blew in from the hospital emergency room entrance. She watched as the children in the waiting room, even the sick ones who were snuggled against their mothers and fathers, lose themselves in Finding Nemo. A father paced back and forth in front of her with a screaming baby in his hands. The father’s face looked just as she felt: tired, nervous, and devastated that they couldn’t help their loved ones. She desperately wanted to get up and pace with him, but Cris’s head was on her shoulder as he lightly snored. No matter how anxious she felt wanting to move, she wasn’t going to wake him, especially now that she knew just how hard it was for him to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand how he could sleep through all the screaming, moaning, and groaning.
Dark thoughts joined together in her mind as the minutes went by. It was hard for her to think positive as she waited on pins and needles to hear of any news on Kylee. Kylee’s heart rate had slowed down and her breathing became erratic as they were bringing her in earlier. The doctors had rushed her to the back leaving Arie and Cris on the outside. Jordan was still another hour away so Kylee’s parents went into the room with her when the doctors had resurfaced to give Arie and Cris a progress report. They had only been back there for thirty minutes, but it felt like hours to Arie as she waited for more news on Kylee’s health.
She turned at the sound of a door whooshing open on her left side and watched as Mr. Craig came out with a haunted look on his face. Arie tapped Cris on his knee until he woke without taking her eyes off Mr. Craig.
“Yeah?” Cris asked as he jerked awake then followed Arie’s line of vision when she didn’t answer him.
“Come on,” Cris said as he took her hand and stood.
Arie took his hand hesitantly and followed without saying a word. She was shocked and anxious when Mr. Craig pulled them into a hug and thanked them again for finding Kylee.
“What’s wrong?” Arie asked Mr. Craig when she saw a fleeting look of panic wash over his face.
“It’s Helen, she couldn’t take seeing Kylee like that and became beyond hysterical. The doctors had to give her a sedative to calm her. She is in a room down the hall from Kylee now.
“Can you guys sit with Kylee until Jordan gets here while I sit with Helen?” Mr. Craig asked as a hint of exhaustion took over his face.
“Of course, Mr. Craig,” Arie said as they followed behind Kylee's father.
Mr. Craig pointed them to where Mrs. Craig’s room was prior to leaving them at the entrance of Kylee’s private room.
Chapter Nine
Cris sat at the far end of Kylee’s hospital room next to the window. He sat far enough away to give Arie the privacy she needed with her friend yet close enough to be there in seconds if she needed him again. His shirt was still damp from Arie’s tears, but he didn’t care. He had held her tightly in his arms as she buried her head in his chest and sobbed quietly when she saw Kylee hooked up to the heart monitoring machine and needles poking into her left hand and arm.
Not to mention her swollen, bruised body.
What kind of person does this to another, Arie thought as she held Kylee’s hand in hers.
Arie jumped when the door swooshed open with a bang and footsteps pounded in. She relaxed when she heard a slight squeak and thump thumb in the footsteps. The look on Jordan’s face when he rounded the corner and saw Kylee was enough for Arie’s heart to ache all over again.
“Jordan, come sit here,” Arie said when she realized Jordan wasn’t moving.
She got out of her seat and gently guided Jordan to her seat. She wanted him to be able to touch his wife’s hand if he felt a need. He wouldn’t have been able to do that with the other hand without the machines going off.
“I am so sorry, I should have been there for you. I almost lost you, Kylee, and I should have been the one to save you,” Jordan said to Kylee as he took her hand in one of his large hands and swept her hair out of her face with the other.
“It is not your fault and all that matters is we are here together now,” Kylee croaked out as she brushed Jordan’s tears away before they could fall.
“I thought I lost you,” Jordan said.
“You can never get rid of me that easily,” Kylee whispered with a slight smile.
Watching Kylee and Jordan together made Cris ponder his true feelings for Arie. The ones he had been holding back and making excuses from since he met her almost a year ago. Cris looked over at Arie, he didn’t want to wait until something happened to her before he admitted what he felt for her. Being scared of the way she made him feel didn’t matter anymore because losing her before knowing what they could have was even scarier. His body, mind, and heart ached to reach out to her now and never let her go. He wasn’t going to let her get away from him—not now, not ever. So he was going to swallow whatever was scaring him and tell her how when she laughed, it lit his insides on fire. How every time he smelled her or looked at her he forgot everything else around him and his body came alive. When they kissed his fears of the future vanished away and all he pictured was them together. She made him want things he never thought he would. Like settling down, getting married, and having little Cris's and Aire's running around one day.
The more he was around Arie, the more he found himself wanting to be around her. So he could ogle her and hear more of what she had to say. When she got this passionate look in her eyes as she explained everything she was zealous about. He didn’t like some of the things she wanted to discuss but when her passion for it surged out, he couldn’t help but become interested in it as well and listen to her. It was one of the things he loved about her, she became so passionate about everything she loved and made you passionate about it as well. He also loved how she fought for everything she felt was right and didn’t let anything in life hold her back. He especially found her attractive when she laughed at something causing her to light up from the inside out.
Cris knew it was time to let go of his fears and let out his feelings for Arie. After watching Jordan go through the possibility of losing Kylee this past week, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer to tell Arie how he felt and it had to be soon, before he lost his courage to do so.
“Jordan, Kylee, we are going to leave right now to give you two some privacy and let Kylee get some rest. Call either of us if you need anything,” Cris said as he slowly made his way to the door.
“Wait, before you guys go I have something to say,” Kylee whispered before Cris reached the door.
“Jordan and I want to thank you two for finding me. Arie, come here, I have to tell you something important before you go,” Kylee said as she reached out her hand for Arie to take.
Cris watched as Arie took Kylee’s hand and bent down so her ear was close to Kylee’s mouth. He would give anything to hear what Kylee was saying to Arie.
A few seconds later, Arie and Cris were on their way out the door and to the safe house.
****
Arie felt as though her mother’s cruel words were still holding her back even though her mother was dead. She would catch herself dreaming about the life she and Cris could have, how he made her feel just by looking at her and how his touch lit her entire body on fire. He made her dream of a future with them together, something she didn’t do even when things were going great with Xavier. When all of a sudden her mother’s words would pop into her head making her forget any chance she thought she might have with Cris.
Truth be told, she had liked Cris ever since he started checking on her after her parents’ death. He would make up an excuse to come over on the days he had off and stay for hours just talking. During their time together, she realized he accepted her for who she was on the inside and out. She loved how he knew just when to make her laugh or what she needed to hear and when.
She wasn’t scared of the feelings taking over her body for him then. Since she felt as though he would never fall in love with a blind girl, which was something she told herself often when she got scared that they were both developing feelings for each other and it was becoming more than a friendly relationship with a cop. She was glad when he was called out for an important case that took up a lot of his time just as she was about to tell him how she felt about him.
If she was honest with herself, what her mother said and did to her all those years ago had nothing to do with what was holding her back from Cris. She had dealt with her issues with her mother in therapy for the past couple of months. During therapy, she learned she had started to use her mother’s words as excuses for when she felt scared and vulnerable to protect herself from getting hurt again. It was her defense mechanism.
Cris made her feel protected, loved, safe, and vulnerable all at the same time. What scared her the most was feeling vulnerable. She thought when she felt vulnerable it was easier for someone to hurt her. Arie knew it was time to not let fear control her for once in her life and do something utterly out of character. It was time for her to stop being scared of her feelings for Cris. She made up her mind right then to tear down the walls surrounding her heart and let Cris in.
“Stop being scared and go for it. If I had let my fear over take after I left my ex-husband, then I wouldn’t have found Jordan’s love. And what scares me the most is when I think ‘what if I was too scared to let Jordan love me?’ I never would have gotten the chance to feel and experience true love. Don’t let your fears make my worst fear become your reality. What Kylee said to her at the hospital played over and over in her head as they made their way to the front door of the house.
****
Arie walked into the house ahead of Cris as he held the door open for her. She waited until he closed and locked the door before turning him around and pinning him to the door.
A scorching warmth blazed throughout Arie’s body as her soft, rigid curves melted into Cris’s solid well—built body when she pressed herself against him. She reached up, grabbed the back of his neck, and pulled his head down toward hers. She looked up at him and licked his bottom lip seductively until he parted his lips for her. Capturing his lips with hers in a fervent kiss, their tongues dueled as they fought for dominance over one another.
Cris broke their connection as he lifted Arie up and she wrapped her legs around him. He turned her around and pinned her against the door.
“You know if we continue this, you are mine and I am yours. Our relationship will be sealed as soon as I enter you. So are you sure about this?” Cris asked Arie as he looked down at her with hooded eyes.
“Yes!” Arie whispered.
Cris’s hands ran freely through Arie’s hair as he leaned forward and captured her slightly parted lips in a heated kiss. He could feel the heat radiating off her body as she whimpered against his lips.
Cris never broke their connection as he turned and walked them up the stairs. He continued to kiss and caress her as they made their way into Cris’s bedroom.
Damn, my fantasies are about to become reality, Cris thought as Arie moaned in his ear as he kissed down the side of her neck, and bit a
t the bend of her neck and shoulder, then continued kissing until he reached her nipple.
He sucked and licked her nipple through her silk shirt causing Arie to wrap her arms around his neck as she arch into him. That took the last of Cris’s control, causing him to quickly make his way to his bed. He lightly tossed her onto the bed before sliding his clothes off and leaving them in a pool on the floor. He climbed onto the bed and positioned himself so he was over Arie.
Cris untied her sweat pants, pulled them and her panties off at the same time and tossed them to the floor. Putting all his weight onto his right hand, he unbuttoned her shirt, making sure to kiss, bite, and lick a trail down to her navel as he opened each button. Once her shirt was completely opened, he kissed his way back up to her lips, licked her lower lip, then she opened for him. As they began to explore each other’s mouths, Arie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss.
Arie arched her back toward him, causing her nipples to graze against his chest, silently begging him for more.
Leaning back, Cris looked down at Arie with lust in his eyes. Damn her tits are perfect. Helping her out of her shirt, he tossed it to the floor right next to her pants. He gently ran his finger around her areola, watching her nipple tighten to a hard bud. Bending forward, he sucked her nipple into his mouth. He felt his cock grow harder as he felt her nipple against his tongue for the first time. After switching to the other nipple, he knew he had to taste her soon or he was going to go crazy.
“I need you to come kiss me, Cris,” Arie said as she pulled Cris from her breasts.
He smiled at her right before taking her lips into a scorching hot kiss. The deeper the kiss, the more cream she felt between her thighs. She had never felt anything like this while she was with Xavier.
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