Grim Judgment

by Jennifer Reinfried

  “I didn’t know you wanted this,” he said.

  “I didn’t know you did either.”

  “I just...don’t want to ruin this, ruin us.” Isaac slid his hand back to her neck, then up, feeling her soft brown hair trickle through his fingers. “I love you, Emma.” His voice was firm and unwavering. “I love you more than life itself.”

  “Isaac...” Emma kissed him lightly.

  “I’d die if I lost you,” he whispered.

  “You’ll never lose me. Never.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her face close to his. “I love you, too, Isaac,” she said. “I’ve been in love with you since forever.”

  Isaac’s heart leapt and his knees went weak at her admission. He pulled her into a deep kiss. She pushed against him harder, and he took a step backward to steady himself, then another, until the back of his legs hit the edge of her bed. Their lips never unlocked as he slowly lowered himself onto it, his back hugged by the soft foam of her mattress, her body atop his.

  They kissed for what seemed like hours before Isaac couldn’t take it any longer, and he gently flipped her onto her back. He began to explore the curve of her waist with one hand, and his heart fluttered as her shirt shifted and exposed her smooth skin. Emma reached down and gripped his hand, then slid it underneath her shirt until he cupped her breast. Back arched, she moaned, her breath tickling his lips, and suddenly, things began to move faster.

  Emma pulled at the bottom of his shirt. He parted his mouth from hers long enough to let her tear it off of him, only to fall back down and kiss her more. She moaned. Her hands dropped from his face to the tie of his sweatpants. He slid her shirt up, marveling first at the sight of her flat stomach, then her exposed breasts. He’d spent countless hours dreaming about this exact thing, what she’d feel like underneath him, and it was almost too much for him to finally be with her, kissing and touching, sex imminent.

  He paused, breathless.

  Emma let go of his pants with one hand and traced her fingers down his neck, then back up to his ear and along his jaw. “I love you, Isaac,” she said in a soft voice.

  They shared a kiss so tender and so full of love that he nearly sobbed with emotion. Their hands soon began to tug at their remaining clothes they had worn to bed the night before, and within moments, they lay naked in each other’s arms, legs tangled. Isaac reached down her body slowly, shifting to the side a bit, and shyly slid his fingers between her legs. Another moan escaped Emma’s lips as she put her hand over his, pressing his fingers deeper.

  Isaac pulled out of their never-ending kiss and gazed at her with a tender smile, forehead against hers. Unable to hold off any longer, he shifted his hips and slowly slid inside of her. Emma’s gasp of passion mingled with his own cry, and together, they began to move their bodies as one.

  Chapter Eighteen

  NOW

  2016

  Emma’s eyes fluttered open to take in Isaac’s sleeping form next to her. The bed sheets lay across his stomach, and one hand rested lightly on his bare chest. Warmth wrapped around inside of her as she gazed at him, recalling the events of that morning. She smiled, reached out, and gently covered his hand with hers. His chest slowly rose and fell. Emma slid closer to him, wrapped her arm around his torso, and closed her eyes. Everything seemed to be frozen around them, which caused Emma to take in every sensation that surrounded her: the softness of the pillow beneath her head, the roughness of her sheets draped across her nude body, the steady and strong beats of Isaac’s heart, the smell of his skin, the weight of silence that shrouded the bedded couple.

  Isaac stirred underneath her touch and she looked up. His eyes were open, and he turned his gaze down to meet hers. A smile played over his lips. He reached across his chest and slipped his fingers through her hair in a slow, loving motion, then rolled over to face her. Still playing with her hair, Isaac leaned his head forward to kiss her, but Emma turned away shyly, a hand over her mouth. A blush began to warm her cheeks.

  “You know,” he said. “I love every part of you. Even that.”

  Emma laughed behind her fingers, squinting against the afternoon light that spilled past her blinds. “That may be, but I’m totally not ready for it.” She stood from the bed, the fabric of their hastily shed clothing underneath her toes. Smiling, she made her way to the bathroom, completely aware of his eyes all over her retreating form.

  The floor was chilly beneath her feet as she brushed her teeth, lips stuck in a smile. She hummed slightly as the bristles did their work, then rinsed, replaced the toothbrush, and began to swish some mouthwash. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she bent over to spit into the sink, and she got the sensation that someone stood behind her, watching her. She let the bright blue liquid spill out of her mouth before she turned around.

  “Don’t sneak up on me, Isaac, you’ll—”

  “Hey, baby.” Alex aimed a gun between her eyes.

  Emma gasped and backpedalled into the counter.

  “You let me die, you bitch, and now you’re fucking him. I knew it.” Alex advanced toward her in the narrow room, the barrel of his pistol nearly touching her forehead. Emma squeezed her eyes shut. Not real, not real, not real she told herself over and over again until the cold metal touched her skin, and she screamed.

  She crumpled to the floor, hands over her face. The bathroom door swung in and Isaac knelt beside her.

  “Emma, oh, Emma, shh, what’s wrong? What is it?” His arms wrapped around her body, and he placed a hand along the back of her head and pulled it to his chest.

  “Why can’t I stop seeing him?” she said in a harsh tone. Her body shook, but eyes remained dry. She was beyond crying, and well into simply being angry at the visions and nightmares of the horrors in her past.

  “You’re scarred. Emotionally. Your mind is trying to cope with what happened.”

  “By making it worse?”

  “No,” Isaac said into her hair. “By making you stronger.” He pulled back and looked at her. “You’re not going to forget what happened, forget him, until you’re ready to move forward. I think your mind is going to keep doing this until you can face it, until you can forget about it.” He moved her face up to his with a hand. “Until you’re strong enough to completely put it behind you.”

  Emma stared back at him, her breath slowing. “Well, that’s a shitty way of doing it,” she muttered, and Isaac laughed.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get some food in you.” He helped her to her feet, mindful of her shaking legs.

  “Isaac,” she muttered, pulling him close.

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you. How are you so damn perfect?”

  He chuckled. “I’m far from it, toots,” he said with an attempt at the voice of a gangster from the twenties. “You just bring it out in me, see? It’s all your fault.”

  Emma snickered and pulled him toward her bedroom. “Let’s go lie down.”

  “Tired?”

  “Not really.” She shot him a mischievous grin that sent his stomach into overlapping flips.

  Her lips met his in a tender kiss before they even made it to the mattress. Suddenly hungry for Isaac, with a passionate surge swelling in her, she gripped his hands, sliding them from her waist and to her back. Desire for each other escalated quickly, and less than a minute passed before they fell to her floor in a tangle, fingers and mouths busy.

  —-

  Isaac woke to the sound of running water the next morning. Emma’s side of the bed was empty, but still warm to his touch. He yawned and stretched, then grinned as the realization hit him: Her side of the bed. There was no doubt in his mind that they were going to have many more nights together in the time to come, and he knew there was nothing in the world that would make him happier. He looked up as he heard Emma walk back into the room, naked and rubbing her eyes.

  “Did I wake you?” she asked.

  “Not at all.” The moment she crawled underneath the sheets beside him, Isaac pulled her close and
kissed her forehead. Light wafts of mouthwash drifted away from her, and he smiled and shook his head. He didn’t care what she smelled like, as long as she was safe, happy, and in his arms.

  The movement as she snuggled against him awoke a nagging pressure in his bladder. It quickly escalated and threatened to become overwhelming, so he kissed the soft skin of her neck, then her shoulder, before standing.

  “Hey,” Emma said with a pout.

  “Be right back, gorgeous.” Isaac winked at her and moved out of the bedroom. “Stop staring at my ass!” he yelled before shutting the bathroom door against her giggles.

  After relieving himself and brushing his own teeth, Isaac made his way back to the bedroom, grin still in place. Emma lay with the sheets coming to rest just underneath her breasts. The bright, yellow morning light played across her skin.

  Isaac kissed her lips and relished in the soft moan that escaped them. “Did you sleep all right?”

  “Like the dead. No bad dreams at all.” She smiled. “It’s because of you. I feel so safe when you’re with me.”

  His heart swelled.

  “What do you want to do today?” Emma asked, her ash brown hair a wavy mess.

  “I know exactly what I want to do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Lie in bed naked, eat pizza, and have lots of sex.”

  Emma giggled. “Is that so? Think you can handle that?”

  “Ha! You obviously know nothing about my stamina.”

  “So show me.” She kissed him again and pulled him on top of her.

  Their lovemaking was slow and deliberate, unlike the last two times, which had been full of fierce passion and years of longing finally released. They held each other close after they finished. Both moved their fingers along each curve and outline of their bodies, taking turns murmuring their love for one another, as if saying it one more time would still never be enough.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Isaac said, his eyes holding hers in a loving gaze. He was propped up on one elbow next to her, fingers of one hand entwined with hers.

  “And go where?”

  “Wherever we want. Between the two of us, we have enough cash to last for years and years if we do it right.”

  Emma smiled. “Yes. Let’s. I want a cozy little house in the middle of the country.”

  “Where we can have a ton of dogs running free.”

  “We’ll get a pit bull and name her after Laska.” Her eyes wavered at the name, but her smile did not falter.

  “And an octopus.”

  “Oh yeah! Definitely.”

  Remembering her portrait of an octopus, he grinned. “We will name him Frank. Or should it be Steve?”

  “Frankensteve.” Emma laughed.

  “And we can decorate the house with a collection of Star Wars—”

  “Trek.” She winked.

  “—Star Trek stuff. And I’ll cut our acres of lawn with a very manly lawnmower.”

  Emma laughed again. “I’ll do the dishes, but I’m drawing the line at laundry.”

  “Be warned, I don’t fold. My clothes just sit in a heap in the dryer until I need a shirt or some pants.”

  “Oh, I know. It’s totally obvious sometimes that you are a bachelor.”

  “Were,” he corrected gently, and kissed her forehead.

  “Were,” Emma repeated. She ran a finger along his cheek as he gazed down at her with a smile. “We’ll get so old.”

  “You’ll be covered in wrinkles.”

  “Will not!”

  Isaac laughed, his heart full. “Yep, totally decrepit. And I’ll still love you as fiercely as I do now.”

  “Are you sure you won’t be bored? No exciting jobs to do, only an uneventful and simple life.”

  “With you, nothing’s boring, nothing’s uneventful.” A sudden rumble in his stomach startled him. “And now, it’s breakfast time.” He bounded out of bed, pulled on his pair of jeans from the day before that he’d cast aside in their passion, then held his hand out to Emma.

  “You?” she said. “Cook? Now this I have to see.”

  “Who said I can’t cook? I can cook!”

  Emma laughed as she pulled on a clean pair of panties from her dresser and hastily threw on the light green shirt he’d worn the previous day, fastening the buttons as they moved out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

  “Okay, whaddaya got in here?” Isaac said as he pulled open her small refrigerator. “Eggs...half a bag of cheese, all right...ooh, mushrooms, good...do you have any onions?” He turned and looked at Emma, who, with a disbelieving smile, gestured to a closed door that he assumed was a pantry. “Excellent. Omelets it is.”

  “Do you really want to find a cabin in the middle of nowhere?” Her voice was soft.

  “Of course I do.” He glanced up from the counter as he paused in chopping the meager selection of vegetables, and smiled. “I want nothing more.”

  “Why?”

  Isaac resumed the motions of the knife he held. “Well, first off, I knew working for Vance wasn’t going to last forever. Like we had discussed before the whole mess in Redborough, I knew I wanted to leave. Escape the dangerous life of crime and whatnot.” Thoughts of Grant and his family flickered through his mind. I’ll call him soon. After Emma and I discuss it all over a tasty omelette.

  “I know what you mean,” she said. When he looked up at her again, her eyes were distant.

  “Also,” he continued, “I want to make sure you’re happy. And I want to be the one that makes you happy.”

  Her gaze focused on him. “You do, Isaac. You have been, even before everything.”

  The swell in his chest expanded again. Too much more happiness and my heart just might burst, he thought. He looked at Emma, so perfect in his baggy green shirt, hair tousled from sleep, skin aglow in the soft morning light. Totally worth it. He smiled. “And I want to keep it up. For as long as I live.”

  He saw color rise to her cheeks as she smiled. “That’s a long time.”

  “Not when you’re in love. Besides,” he said as he scraped the chopped vegetables into a skillet. “You’re the only one I want to be with.” He dug through the cupboard above the sink and pulled two small bottles of spices from its depths. Hands on his hips caused him to smile and turn around. “My shirt’s too big on you,” he said, and he cupped her face with a hand.

  “It smells like you, though,” she said in reply with a curve of her lips.

  Isaac kissed her for a long time, their hands exploring their half-clothed bodies yet again until the popping sound of heated oil brought his attention to the food. “Whoops,” he said. “You’re one hell of an amazing distraction. Crack the eggs?” He nodded to the four white ovals he’d placed in a bowl before beginning to chop.

  Emma moved forward with a smile. She lifted an egg above the bowl, then paused as the sunlight disappeared, shrouding them in a sudden and heavy darkness.

  “What the hell?” Isaac turned to his left and stared across the little island toward her patio door, the glass of which was covered with cheap vinyl blinds. The first thought that came to mind was a storm, but there hadn’t been any rumbles of thunder or flashes of lightning. He turned back to the stove and lowered the heat to a simmer as Emma made her way to the patio door and peeked between two of the panels.

  “Isaac...” she muttered.

  His long distracted mind finally snapped to the thought of Jaxon, and his stomach lurched. No. Impossible. “Get away from the window.” Food forgotten, Isaac dropped the spatula he’d been mixing the vegetables with and ran out of the kitchen.

  “Oh, my God.” She quickly backed away. As her thighs bumped into the side of her couch, she snapped her attention toward Isaac. The terror in her eyes froze the blood in his veins and stopped the beating of his heart. Although he had no idea what lay outside, he leapt forward, grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her out of the living room just as both panes of glass erupted. Sharp shards flew in their direction as he jerked her into the safet
y of the bedroom.

  “It can’t be him! How could he have found us?” Isaac was raving as an impossible wind picked up inside of her apartment. “Bullshit.” He stepped in front of her and inched into the living room.

  “Isaac, stop!” Emma tugged on his arm, but he ignored her. Instead, his entire focus was on Jaxon, who floated mid-air a few feet away from her patio, eyes pure white, lips stretched into a manic grin. The sky behind him was blotted out by a swirling, inky mass of fog that was beginning to expand into the apartment through the broken window. Isaac let out a wordless cry of despair, his mind flying to Mari’s promises of his safety, Shawn’s confessions of not wanting to kill anymore. They lied. Of course they lied. He had failed Emma, and he nearly fell to his knees at the crushing guilt of his stupidity.

  “Oh, good. You’re together.” Jaxon’s head tilted back slightly as he spoke, and he raised his arms, fingers convulsing. Wraiths formed in the mist behind him, just as terrifying as they had been on the roof so many months before. His mouth dropped open wide, and a guttural cry tore from his throat. The sound sent his minions into a frenzy; some began to swirl like mad, others quickly advanced into the apartment, heading straight for Isaac and Emma with clawed fingers outstretched.

  “Go! Go!” Isaac pushed her at the front door. He watched in helpless terror as Jaxon, too, began to float toward them. Emma’s fingers scrabbled on the deadbolt and he thought, It’s too late, before new light shone behind him. Her hands pulled him through the entrance. Isaac turned then, grabbed her hand, and the pair fled, half clothed, down her apartment hallway.

  “Stairs!” he screamed as his legs pumped. They hit the door of the stairwell together, the force of their bodies causing it to shudder before they wrenched it open and began to descend the concrete steps. The howling of Jaxon surrounded them, drowning out everything: their frantic footsteps, Emma’s panicked gasping, his own racing heartbeat. This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening...I refuse to let this happen. Isaac lowered his head as they reached the ground floor and burst out of the emergency exit door, tripping an alarm that sounded faint and far away.