by MJ Masucci
The next day, she spent most of it floating around the office like a ghost. Xander left her alone. He knew she was at the edge and didn’t want to push her to talk. His heart hurt for her. Tomorrow was her birthday, and she had this hanging over her head. He kept the conversation light, only asking her about the case they were working. At home when they got into bed, he let her make the decision to be close to him. She pushed her back against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. While he faded into sleep, she remained awake.
She watched as the clock on the bedside table changed time. It was now 2:42 AM, June fourth, her twenty-ninth birthday. What a way to start it. She shifted, and as if he knew, Riley jumped up on the bed and nuzzled her face. She moved her arm out from Xander’s to pet him. He started to purr, and Xander stirred against her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, go back to sleep,” she whispered.
“How long have you been awake?”
“I haven’t gone to sleep.”
He unwound his arms from her and reached up to turn on the bedside light. She buried her head in her pillow, but he forced her to turn onto her back. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks, and it shredded his heart. Of all days for her to be upset. He rubbed at them with his thumb then sat up in bed and pulled her into his lap.
“Please don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You are. I can see it on your face.”
“I’m not afraid for myself.”
“Then who?”
“You. If anything ever happened to you, I would die.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me. He isn’t going to get close enough to touch either one of us.”
He held her against his chest, and before he could say another word he looked down, and her eyes were closed. Sleep had finally claimed her. Though his neck was a bit uncomfortable against the headboard, he stayed in that position so as not to wake her. They would be getting up in two hours for work anyway.
The alarm buzzed at five and Xander yawned while reaching over to shut it off. Ava was still in his lap and pressed against his morning erection. She lazily opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
“Someone is raring to go this morning.” She pushed her back against his hardness, and he groaned.
“Stop teasing me. We have to get up for work.”
“It’s my birthday. I’m going to take my time, and I demand that you make love to me before we get out of this bed.”
She slipped off his lap and reached into the opening in his boxers. He hissed as she wrapped her hand around his cock and pulled it free of the cloth. She placed her mouth on his head and swirled her tongue. He placed both hands on her shoulders and gently pushed.
“Stop, Ava; my mouth should be on you.”
She removed her mouth with a resounding pop and looked up at him with a seductive smile.
“Should I assume the position then?”
Without a word, he pushed her back and tugged at her panties. She lifted her hips, and he slid them off her legs. She shifted her hips in anticipation as he parted her folds with his fingers and sank his tongue into her.
“Ohhh,” she whimpered as his tongue invaded her.
Within a minute, she was climaxing. She lay back on the bed with her eyes closed, chest heaving, hands clenching the sheets. He feathered kisses on her inner thighs and mound. He pushed her shirt up to continue his ascent, kissing her belly and finally latching on to her nipples, which he sucked and nibbled. Xander gently kissed her lips, and she tasted herself on him.
Her eyes fluttered open. “I want you inside me.”
“You are insistent this morning, but I am ready to oblige.”
An hour later, both freshly showered and in their bathrobes, they sat eating Ava’s birthday breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes.
“These are delicious, and you can make them for me anytime.”
“They are only for one day a year, your birthday.”
Ava gave him a pouty look and then pushed her half-eaten breakfast away.
“Hey, you only ate half. Finish.”
“I can’t. You gave me four pancakes, and two is my limit.”
“But they were small.”
“Please, Xander, don’t start.”
He didn’t say another word. At least she was eating.
Ava sat at her desk that was filled with balloons, flowers, and cards, mostly from her family and Sam (who was now family). Sam and Robert had just gotten home that very weekend from their honeymoon. She was anxious to talk to her since she had gotten very little communication while they were away. But first, she needed to go to her uncle’s office as indicated by an email he had sent early that morning.
When she knocked, she was greeted with a gruff, “Come in.”
Her uncle, Peter, Jacob, and Xander were sitting waiting for her. She didn’t know what to expect since she thought it would be for her birthday.
“Can I help with something?”
“Yes, you can tell me why you never told us that Liam escaped.”
She shot a glance at Xander who had a frown on his face. She was sure that he had gotten read the riot act before she had come down to Daniel’s office.
“I didn’t want to worry you, and before you get angry with Xander, I asked him not to tell you. I thought you might have seen it on the news, anyway.”
“We did but didn’t pay attention to his name. We’re your family, and we can protect you.”
“You don’t understand. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt on my behalf.”
Another glance at Xander revealed a pained expression on his face.
“That’s plain stupid, my dear niece. That psycho is out to hurt you - even kill you - and you need to be protected.”
“And that is the reason why I didn’t tell you. I can’t live in fear, and I don’t want anyone else to be his target because of me. I almost lost someone because of him, and I won’t put anyone else in jeopardy.”
“So what are you hoping? That he will be caught before he gets to you? My contact told me that he has been free for several days. Xander told us that he has already entered your apartment. Suppose you were there alone?” Her uncle roared, his anger and his face, bright red.
“I hope you haven’t told my father. I don’t want him to worry.”
“Ava, why are you so flippant about this?”
“Because there is nothing I can do. If he wants to get me, he will,” she said quietly. “If we are done here, I need to use the restroom.” Her stomach started to churn, and her breakfast was not sitting right. She hurried from the office and ran to the restroom, just making it into the stall before she vomited.
She flushed the toilet and sat on the seat contemplating what she should do. She was angry at Xander, but she knew that he was only passing information onto her family that they would have discovered themselves. She needed to distance herself from everyone. Until Liam was caught, she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger. When she walked out of the bathroom, Xander was standing against the wall waiting for her.
He grasped her elbow hard and practically pushed her towards his office. Others were looking at them, and she didn’t want to cause a scene. He gently shoved her into his office and slammed the door shut.
“Do you know how fucking pissed I am with you?”
“Keep your voice down,” she snapped.
“Do you have no regard for your safety? Everyone is worried about you, and you don’t seem a bit concerned.”
She sighed deeply and collapsed on the couch. “Do you know how much guilt I carry with me that he almost killed you? I won’t involve you again.”
Xander stuck his finger in her face, “Do you know what it would do to me if I lost you, especially knowing I might have been able to stop him?”
“It’s the might part that worries me.”
He kneeled in front of her and kissed her hands. “I wouldn’t want to live without you. I did it before,
and it was torture. I don’t want to fight with you on your birthday, but please let me help you.”
She hesitated but agreed to involve him, however, she had no intention of doing so. She was going to slowly distance herself from him and everyone else because it was better that way. If Liam killed her, then he would be satisfied and leave Xander alone (not that she had any intention of going quietly).
That night, Xander took her out to a candlelight dinner at a French restaurant. She would have preferred to stay home and eat hamburgers, but he had insisted. Her family wanted to throw her a party, but she begged off saying she would prefer to go out with Xander. This would be the last time she would spend the night with him.
Chapter 5
That bitch was finally going to get what was coming to her. Several nights he had gone to her home, watching and waiting. He was relieved of one thing; the baby wasn’t hers. Though he was full of rage over what she had done to him, he had misgivings about taking a mother away from her child.
Then one night after the Memorial Day weekend, he got a sign that what he was doing was going to be okay. He had arrived at her house just as the evening started to settle. He set himself up in the usual spot in the backyard near a small grove of trees, chain smoking cigarettes. A half hour later he saw a young woman arrive, and he crouched down, stubbing his cigarette under his boot.
In the illuminating light of the kitchen, he had a flicker of recognition. The woman was Jayne’s sister. He remembered meeting her several years ago. He took a chance and moved closer to the slightly opened window, ducking down. Liam strained his ears to hear the conversation. The baby was not Jayne’s but her sister’s. Jayne had been babysitting while she worked the overnight shift at a nearby factory. Her hours had just changed, and she would no longer need the baby to be taken care of overnight.
It was all the information he needed. He would wait until he was sure the baby was no longer there and then strike. Sometimes her husband wouldn’t get home until well after the sun rose, and Liam assumed he worked overtime on those days. He could take his time with Jayne and make her beg for her life (or death when he got done with her). Her husband would come home to find her dead.
Ava recalled what Dallas, her self-defense instructor, had told her years ago: change your routine. She normally got up and worked out in the mornings, but leaving in the dark was not an option any longer. She didn’t feel comfortable running to Sunset on the quiet city streets at 4:30 AM. Instead, she worked out in her building’s gym. Her apartment had been cleaned from top to bottom; all her linens replaced, and most of her clothing had been professionally laundered. She felt a little more comfortable now.
Dani’s boyfriend, Roger - the same one who found the stalking software on her phone from the other crazy man, Tim - had installed tiny cameras in her apartment. Dani had been dating him for quite some time, and he had recently started a small surveillance equipment company. The cameras had motion sensors and could be controlled as well as viewed remotely through software on her phone. She had asked that he keep her desire for surveillance a secret, but she didn’t reveal the true nature of what prompted her to purchase the system.
The police had assured her that they were looking for Liam and they would continue until they found him. The fact that he had entered her apartment gave them a clue that he was somewhere in the city. Ava was so preoccupied with Liam that she was ignoring her own wedding preparations. Each time Xander asked her something about a venue or what color dress she was having made, she ignored him. The fact was that she hadn’t gone to Rachel’s to let her measure her for a dress, nor had she even discussed what style interested her.
For a few days, she had excuse after excuse for not wanting to sleep at his apartment and why he couldn’t sleep at hers. She was separating herself from him, and her introverted nature was taking hold. Their exchanges at work were primarily about research for cases he was assigned.
Finally, he had gotten fed up with her lame excuses. He tried to respect her privacy and hold his tongue, but her rejection pained him. He texted her while she sat at her desk.
Are we engaged anymore? Do you still want to marry me?
The question shocked Ava as she stared at her phone.
Of course, I do. Why would you think differently?
I have my reasons, starting with you don’t want to discuss wedding preparations, and you won’t sleep in my bed anymore.
She felt his words tug at her heart. He was the only one that she wanted to marry and spend the rest of her life. Instead of continuing to text back and forth, she went to his office. His door was partially open, and he was sitting at his desk with his sleeves rolled up, his tie loosened. It was towards the end of the day, and he looked relaxed except for the crease on his forehead as he kept picking up his phone. She briefly watched him, then slipped inside and shut the door. He wasn’t aware she was in his office until she sat in the leather chair in front of his desk. He smiled weakly at her.
“How could you think I don’t want to marry you?”
“Things have changed since Liam escaped. We haven’t slept together for three days, and you make excuses about not wanting to see me at night. What am I supposed to think?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m protecting you by not being around you.”
“Ava, we have had this conversation. I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself and you.”
She started to protest, but he held his hand up to stop her.
“It’s my choice, and I don’t want to be away from you. I will not allow that asshole to destroy our relationship. It’s what he wants, don’t you see that?”
“He wants more than that. He wants to kill us.”
Xander sighed, “Mike Halloran told me years ago that I should get a gun. Maybe we should.”
Ava laughed sarcastically, “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
“Do you?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Daddy used to take us shooting at the gun range until I left Georgia. I know how to use one if needed.”
While Ava and Xander were discussing gun usage, Liam was preparing to complete the first part of his plan. He watched as Jayne’s husband left for work. It was Friday night, and usually, he would work overtime on Saturday mornings. He would have plenty of time to give Jayne what she deserved. She would rue the day she ever crossed him.
He looked around to make sure he wasn’t being watched before he entered her backyard. The neighborhood was very quiet. On his recent comings and goings, he noted that most of the houses were dark when he entered the street. Either people went to bed early or worked late, kept to themselves. He went to the usual grove of trees and prepared.
He checked his duffel bag in the fading light: duct tape, filet knife, zip ties, lighter, cigarettes, blindfold, ammonia, gun. Then he untied and retied his boots. He was going to use them on her and needed them to be secure. He smiled to himself. Oh, what a fun night this was going to be.
Liam was startled by the patio light illuminating the backyard, and he almost stumbled back against one of the trees. He crouched down in the shadows and saw Jayne coming out with a glass of wine. He felt giddy. She was making this so easy for him. He watched as she sipped at her wine and hummed. He softly walked towards her and was fortunate that her back was to him.
“Hello, Jayne,” he growled.
She wheeled around in her chair almost tipping it over. “Liam, how… You’re supposed to be in jail.”
“You always were an ill-informed bitch. Don’t you watch the news?”
He watched with amusement as her mouth moved, but nothing came out. She vomited, splashing his boots with the wine she had just consumed. He grabbed her hair and twisted it around his hand, pulling her head back. He removed the gun from his pocket and placed it against her head.
“Let’s go in the house, whore.”
He pushed her hard, and she tripped over one of the patio tiles. He was upon her before she could regain her balance and he dragged h
er along by the collar of her shirt. He threw back the slider and once again wrapped her hair around his hand.
“Liam, please. I had no choice; they subpoenaed me.”
“You should have kept your mouth shut. Did you think I would forget your betrayal? Now you’re going to pay.”
He shoved her into the room that held the crib and pushed her to the floor.
Hours later he stood at the kitchen sink cleaning his filet knife, scrubbing blood from his fingernails and knuckles. The ammonia had worked well. He was able to torture her and when she passed out, he used it to wake her. In the end, she had begged for death, and he obliged by shooting her in the chest. It had been a successful night, and the first part of his plan was now complete.
He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. It was the domestic crap that he hated, but this called for a celebration. He downed it within a minute and threw the bottle in a plastic bin marked “recycling.” Suddenly he was ravenously hungry, and he searched the kitchen for something that would satisfy him. He found a half eaten bag of Oreos and shoveled them into his mouth, one after another. He would never have eaten this garbage, but while in prison he discovered that this stuff was gold. He used to trade packages of them for information from other inmates and had developed a taste.
After he was finished, he checked the clock above the kitchen sink. It was nearing four in the morning, and he needed to make his exit before the sun started to rise. The husband would come home to find his wife dead and a big mess to clean, but that wasn’t his problem. He gathered his duffel bag and went out the sliding glass door, whistling softly as he walked down the street towards the bus stop.
Chapter 6