by Heidi Lowe
“And so are you. She only did what she did to protect me. She was looking out for me. She could have killed you but she didn't.”
He ran a hand through his sandy-brown hair. “Look, I know what we did was wrong. But she locked us up for six weeks. We had to defecate in buckets, then live only a few feet away from it, for God's sake. We ate once a day, whatever she brought us. I thought I was going to die.” He shuddered slightly.
“But you didn't, and she let you go. She let you go and that bastard left you to rot.”
“I promised her I wouldn't say anything about her involvement, and I stuck to my end of the deal. I'm not about to defend her now that the truth is out. I'll keep quiet, but that's it.”
“So you're just going to let her die?”
“I don't owe her anything, all right.” He wanted to shout, but kept his voice low, looking back every now and then to the door to see if anyone was listening. “I've done my part. You can't possibly expect me to come to her defense after what she did.”
“Can't I?” I glared at him, seeing him for what he really was. Standing in front of his big house, with his fancy clothes. A privileged prick, just like his friend. “You get to move on, forget about all of this, sweep it under the rug like it never happened. But she's all I have. She said you were sorry, said she believed you didn't mean to do it–”
“I am sorry–”
“Then fix it!” I snapped. “You're the only one who can.”
I gave him a pitying look before I fled, certain that my plea to his better nature, if in fact it existed, would come to nothing.
“I wanna see Jean Posey. She has the right to visitors.” I wasn't sure she did, but I said it anyway. Those were the first words to escape my lips upon entering the station later that evening.
Sheriff Lindley stepped out from behind the desk. “I've got this, Keith,” he said before the officer could speak. “I was wondering how long it would take you to show up down here.”
I wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face. He came out to meet me.
“Where is she?”
“Where she belongs – locked away from human beings, like the beast that she is. Somewhere she can't hurt anyone.”
“She's not a beast. And I know all about you. The whole of Indiana knows about you. You've taken more lives than she has. So who's really the beast?”
He laughed and didn't seem to have taken any real offense. In fact, something akin to pride shone from him.
“My reputation precedes me.” He fixed his hat. I could see that he thought he was cool. Pity all I saw was a bully with a gun and a famous name. “You know all about me, but I don't know anything about you. So why don't you tell me your surname, Lissa, wasn't it?”
“None of your goddamn business!” I pursed my lips defiantly. My words may have sounded strong, but I felt weak. He had the upper hand; I was just the girlfriend of the criminal, with insults and no real power.
“I'm making it my business.” His face became menacing. “Surname.”
“Rowan.”
“Lissa Rowan...” He said it a couple of times. “Rowan. Your dad didn't happen to be Jerry Rowan, the mechanic, by any chance?”
Just the mention of my father's name from the mouth of this jerk made me furious, so furious I didn't respond. But my face must have said it all.
“So you're Jerry Rowan's little girl, huh? I knew your father. Fixed up my truck a couple of times, did me a good deal. Good guy, terrible way to go. Wasn't he found in his car, throat bitten out, practically no blood left in the tank?”
Damn him for dredging up such an awful memory. Damn him for trying to unnerve me.
He shook his head. “Yep, fangers did a real number on him. I found his body myself. I remember thinking that only an animal incapable of love or kindness could ever do that to a human being. And to think his dear little girl is running around with one now. What would old Jerry say about that?”
He grabbed my wrist before my punch landed. Even if he hadn't I suspect my attack would have done no good, would have barely grazed his chin.
He shoved me away, laughing cruelly. “Go home, little girl, before I throw you in a cell.”
“I hate every one of you Lindleys,” I screamed. “You're like a disease to this town.”
He carried on chuckling to himself as I left.
I cried myself to sleep for three nights because it seemed to be the only thing I could do right. I dreamed of Jean, of her holding me and assuring me that everything would be okay. And when I woke up alone to a cold, dark room, I wept when I realized it had all been a dream.
And then one afternoon, Sandra burst into my room. At that point she'd given up knocking and waiting to be asked in, because I mostly never answered. She rushed in wearing the broadest smile I'd ever seen.
What the hell have you got to smile about, I wanted to ask. It depressed me to see other people so happy when I was so miserable.
“They're releasing her this evening! She's coming home,” she announced. She looked as though she would burst from excitement.
I just gawked at her, unable to believe what I was hearing. “What? Jean? But... how?”
“Robyn just called. They're dropping the charges because they didn't have sufficient evidence. Tommy Vogel, the other boy's friend, came forward this morning.”
Now it was my turn to smile. Tommy came through.
“What did he say?”
“He claims the Lindley boy made up the story to hide the real one, which was that the kidnapping was politically motivated, and that the Lindley family's dislike for vampires encouraged him to use Jean as a scapegoat.”
So overjoyed was I that I leaped from the bed and threw my arms around Sandra's neck. We hugged each other and cried tears of joy. What I'd thought was going to be a dreary day, like each of the past seven days being away from Jean, was about to become one of the best days of my life.
I'd made the bed myself, laid petals out on the floor, creating a path from the door to the bed. Vanilla-scented candles burned on several different surfaces in the room. I heard the door close and voices talking downstairs. My heartbeat raced at a speed I didn't think was sustainable. I checked myself in the mirror; my hair was neat, worn loose. My dress was short – simple yet sexy. It was her favorite.
My nerves got the better of me as I exited the room, my head suddenly feeling light as I did my best not to break into a run. She was at the door hugging Sandra, saying her hellos, thanking her attorney and Robyn. And then she looked up at me descending the stairs.
I stopped, she stopped, we stared at each other. She was more beautiful than I remembered, seemingly unscathed by the poor conditions she'd been subjected to in jail.
She smiled. I smiled, before charging down the stairs and running into her arms. She lifted me, my legs wrapped around her waist, my arms around her neck.
“Hello, my love,” she whispered, before pressing her lips to mine. There had been a time, not so long ago, when I thought I would never feel that kiss again.
“I'm sorry about everything. That I was mad at you, that I came to you with Hilarie's stupid request, for everything.”
“Shh, it's okay, baby. None of that matters now.”
“I love you. I love you. I love you,” I said between kisses.
The three people standing around us became invisible from then on. She didn't even look back, say goodbye or goodnight as she carried me upstairs to our bedroom, kissing me all the way there.
I don't think she even noticed the candles or rose petals I'd laid out for her. Nor the dress I'd worn especially. Once we were alone in our room, everything but us became inconsequential. She laid me on the bed.
“There are no words in the English language, or any other language, that can ever express how much I've missed you,” she said, climbing out of her clothes, before helping me out of my dress.
She took her time kissing all over my body, as though giving every inch its own, special hello. I welcomed her touch and
never once tried to speed up the process of our love-making, even though I desperately needed to feel her inside me. I didn't even close my eyes as she peppered me with kisses; I wanted to look at her, to make sure this wasn't another dream, that she was real. I ran my hands gently over her back, so soft and cold, the way I remembered and loved it.
When her fingers were inside me, every thrust was personal, like a declaration that she would never leave me again – that this was where she belonged. I wanted her to stay there forever. But she didn't. Once she'd worked me to a frenzy with her skilful fingers, she brought me to climax with her sex, rubbing herself against me for the ultimate friction.
We came together, came as one. We were like a part of the same body, the same soul. Her face as she reached her peak was the face of someone who could finally die happy.
Once we were finished re-exploring each other, fully spent, she sat up while I lay with my head on her tummy. She stroked my hair while I traced a finger along her outer thigh.
“The thought of you kept me going through those dark nights. The thought that I would be here with you again. That was enough to keep me strong,” she said.
“This is all my fault. If you hadn't been protecting me, and if I hadn't brought up Hilarie's request, none of this would have happened.”
“Don't say that, Lissa. I love you more than anything in this world, and I wouldn't do anything differently if I had a do-over.”
I kissed her stomach. I couldn't get enough of touching her, of being close to her again. It's a life-altering thing when you realize just how close you came to losing someone you love. Every stupid argument that had ever passed all of a sudden became meaningless.
“I don't need you to bite me. I don't care about any of that anymore.”
She kissed my face and let her lips linger there. “Let's not talk about that now.”
“What was the reason they gave for letting you go?”
“Well, Tommy Vogel came forward, rubbished Zack Lindley's story. Apparently Zack's story was too unreliable due to his mental state. Everyone knows the risks involved in vampire blood transfusions.” I detected a not so unsubtle hint of amusement in her tone. “What I don't understand is why Tommy came forward.”
I sat up and looked at her guiltily. “I might have had something to do with that. I went to see him, asked for his help. I didn't actually think he would do it. I know it was silly of me, and I know–”
Her lips were on mine, silencing me. When the kiss was over, she smiled. “Thank you. You probably saved my life.”
To hear her admit that sent a shiver down my spine. For once I didn't see her as invincible or immortal. And for her to admit that, I realized that she also didn't see herself that way. It scared me to think an overzealous family of hypocrites and glorified thugs could bring about her demise.
I laid my head on her stomach again.
“How was it with Robyn while I was away?” she asked.
“Surprisingly not that bad. She was actually pretty nice.”
“Don't let her hear you say that,” she chuckled.
“She loves you, you know. Maybe even as much as I do.”
“And I care about her very much. But my heart belongs to you and you alone. Even before I loved you this way, I never felt like that about her, or anyone.” She'd said this to me several times, that I was her first true love, and that I would be her last. It frightened me a little to have that kind of responsibility.
“I haven't been in to work for a week,” I said, wincing a little.
She laughed. “It's okay, the boss forgives you.”
“I'll go back in tomorrow.”
“No, you're not going anywhere. I've spent seven nights away from you. Seven lonely, bitter nights away from the one thing that gives my life any meaning. We're going to stay in this bed every night, for the next few days. Your nights are mine until further notice. That all right with you?”
I giggled. “Yes, boss.”
TWENTY-FIVE
“Goddamn it!” I heard as soon as I trotted up the stairs. I'd just gotten in from the studio, covered in paint, and was on my way to the shower to get ready for work.
I'd been hearing that saying a lot lately, coming from Jean's home office. She'd managed to stay stress-free for a whole week after being released from jail, and then the problems had started. Now, two months on, things were getting worse.
“I run that business cleanly. All of my businesses. This is just nonsense.”
I knocked on the door tentatively.
“Come in,” she grumbled.
As soon as she saw that it was me, all traces of her anger vanished, as it always did when I came into the room. Robyn was standing in front of her desk.
“Hey. You sounded more stressed than usual. Just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“Much better now that you're here,” she said. I knew she meant every word of that.
“I'll see you at the bar later,” Robyn said to Jean, then shot me her usual look of disapproval as if to say, unfortunately I'll see you too. Yeah, she was back to her old ways, treating me like dirt. It didn't bother me anymore, however. I'd already seen a softer side of her; and her love for Jean made her all right in my book.
She left us alone, and I sat on Jean's lap, getting my first kiss of the evening.
“What happened?”
“The brokerage firm is being investigated by the FBI now. All our computers have been seized, trading suspended. Apparently they got a tip off that the company has been dealing fraudulently.” She let out a long sigh. “First my construction company gets all of the city's contracts canceled, then my warehouses are broken into and robbed. Now this. He did say they would get me one way or the other.”
“I hate that whole family of scumbags!”
This had the Lindleys written all over it. Jean said that the sheriff, having been informed that he had to release her, smashed up the station, right in front of everyone. Just went nuts and didn't care who was watching. Then he turned to her as she was leaving and promised that he would get rid of her, that he would find a way. Well, this was him finding a way. He was going to try to put her out of business. He thought that her businesses were her Achilles' heel, not knowing that I was her true weakness. If they'd been smart they would have figured that out. She didn't need the money from any of her companies; she'd already amassed a fortune. Everything on top was a bonus.
“People are losing their jobs because of these imbeciles.”
I loved when she screwed up her face like that, when she was angry. She didn't know how hot she looked.
“It will sort itself out,” I said, a line I'd stolen from her. I didn't know if it would, but reassuring her was my job.
She smiled, rubbing her nose against mine. “As long as you're with me I can face anything.” Her eyes finally drifted to my paint-stained T-shirt, prompting her to smile wider. “Someone had fun today. You've got some paint in your hair too, baby.”
“Yep. I'm gonna need a nice, hot shower before I go to work. Hmm, if only there was someone who could join me and get to all those hard to reach places...”
I didn't need to say it twice. We shed our clothes in her office and hurried to the bathroom.
Those who'd been at the bar the night of Jean's arrest – customers and patrons – looked on Sheriff Lindley with a patent distaste that contorted their whole face. You couldn't miss it. He certainly couldn't have. Nevertheless, it didn't stop him coming to the bar. Tonight was his third visit since Jean's arrest.
He arrived with his deputy, and patrolled the bar, staring some of the patrons down until they got up and fled. He probably hoped they would never return.
“He's here again,” Robyn groaned. We were standing behind the bar, watching him with disgust. “This is harassment, plain and simple.”
A glass, which was sitting right beside his elbow, just happened to slip off the table and smash on the floor.
“Whoops.” He laughed, looking to his deputy to j
oin in with him. A couple more people scampered away. This was how it was every time he stopped by.
“Can't he just leave us alone?” I asked, but didn't realize how loud I was until his eyes narrowed at me, then he strutted over.
“You want me to leave you alone? Why would I do that? It's a free country, isn't it? There's no law against me visiting this establishment.”
“But there is a law against harassment,” Robyn chimed in.
He laughed. “Harassment? I'm just doing a routine check, seeing if everything's running smoothly.”
“Everything would run a lot smoother if you kept away.” It was Jean. She'd come out of the back just in time.
He turned to face her and threw up his hands. “Ah, here she is. The fearsome leader. The vampire queen. The walking dead. Do you have a little antenna coming out of your ass that tells you when the cops come or something?”
Her smile was deadly. “No, I can just smell the pork a mile away.”
Several people stifled their laughter. I didn't laugh because I truly believed he would hit her or put a platinum bullet through her. He was just crazy enough to do it in front of everyone. And he hated Jean for slipping through his fingers.
But he laughed. “The dead can still smell? Now isn't that something. What else can you do? Do you still get wet? Huh? Does it still function down there? Maybe I should ask this kid here.” He turned to me, his sneer so vile and exaggerated it looked painted on. “Lissa, you should know. Help me out. Does that dead, cold cave between her legs still work? No bats?”
I didn't realize my hand was clutching a glass until I felt Robyn's hand on mine suddenly, restraining it. Had she not done that, I would have launched the glass at him and gotten myself into all sorts of trouble.
“It still works.” Jean continued smiling. “But there's no need to ask Lissa, you can just ask your wife.”
He pulled the gun on her, pressed the tip to her forehead. His deputy covered him, but looked afraid.
“Say one more thing about my wife,” he goaded.
Behind him I shook my head, mouthed a no, praying she wouldn't give him any reason to pull the trigger. She had to know it wasn't just her anymore. I was her life partner and the last thing I wanted to witness was her brains flying across the bar. It wouldn't have killed her, but it wouldn't have been pleasant to witness.