Haunted Love

by Jessica Frances

  When the crowd thins and Flynn’s friends begin to pack up the leftovers, I finally move over to him. He is sitting on one of the seats, his stare gazing out over the park where children play in the distance as the sun begins to set. Unshed tears stubbornly stay in place.

  “Hey,” I mutter, knocking his knee lightly with my leg to get his attention. “You okay?” I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. He’s at his sister’s funeral; of course he’s not okay!

  He shrugs, his attention still appearing to be elsewhere, before he finally shakes his head, his gaze focusing on me. He stands, his height almost as tall as me.

  “Yeah. Thanks for coming. You didn’t have to.”

  “Yes, I did. Are you going to be all right to get home?” I look over at his four friends, all over by the trashcans provided where they are disposing of the trash left behind.

  “I’ve got my friends here, and we’re going to head out to have a couple drinks.” He shrugs.

  “Right. Well, make sure it’s only a couple,” I say the words before Thea can pester me to issue the warning for her.

  “It’s just a bar I know, nothing serious. I’m tired, anyway. The guys are going home to New York tomorrow, and Gemma leaves on Sunday.”

  “Who is Gemma? I don’t remember him mentioning her to me. Ask him!” Thea pushes me, but there is no way I’m going to ask Flynn who Gemma is to him. It would be too weird and personal for me to ask and not the right conversation for today.

  “You have my number if you need anything. Forensics didn’t come up with anything from the break-in, and the fact that nothing was stolen has made it a low priority now, so you can go back there whenever you want. I fixed the lock, and the cleaning crew finished with it today. You shouldn’t leave it too long. I can help you go through her things if you want or help you to place it all in storage for later. Whatever you need.”

  Flynn nods. “Thanks. I know you’re going above and beyond here. I appreciate it, but I don’t need your help. Not anymore.”

  “What does that mean?” Thea practically squeals in my ear, probably permanently damaging my hearing in the process.

  “You don’t have to be alone in this, Flynn. I know you probably think I’m only offering you help because I feel bad about not catching Thea’s murderer quickly enough. Well, you’re right; I do feel bad about that. I’m fucking furious at myself, but I won’t stop searching until I find that bastard and justice can be served. I also won’t stop being here for you, if you want me to be.”

  “You aren’t … This isn’t because you’re interested in me, right?” Flynn suddenly looks uncomfortable, and Thea snorts with her sudden outburst of laughter.

  “No. At least, not in that way. I’m straight.” And completely into your sister.

  “Oh, so why are you being so nice? You can’t possibly be like this to all your … victims’ families, right?” he says.

  “I’m actually not like this with any of the families I come across. You just seem like a good guy, and I want to help.”

  Flynn stares at me for a little while longer before one of his friends calls him over to where they all are. The park has been packed up, and the sun is even lower in the sky now.

  “Thanks for the offer. I gotta go.”

  I hold my hand out, and after a moment of hesitation, he shakes it, his grip weak.

  “I know you probably won’t believe this, but one day, things will get better, and you’ll realize you’re going to be okay. When that day comes, you shouldn’t feel guilty for feeling that. Thea would want you to be okay. In fact, I’m sure she wants you to feel better than okay. Just remember she loves you and will always want what is best for you.”

  Flynn’s grip tightens with every word I speak until his hand is white and my own hand throbs. I don’t remove my hand, though, needing him to understand the words.

  He nods, a tear falling down his cheek, which is the catalyst needed for him to remove his hand and take a step back from me.

  I watch him walk away, and once he has left the park, I’m only allowed one moment to glance around, noticing I am now alone in the park, before Thea jumps me.

  I stumble backwards, my arms wrapping around her to keep her from falling off me, despite her tight grip from both her arms and legs making that impossible.

  “Thank you for saying that. Thank you for everything!” she cries into my shoulder, her body shuddering from her sobs.

  After I get my balance back, I stand there silently and hold her, waiting for her to cry herself out.

  When her tears finally ease, she moves her head away from my shoulder, and I get a clear look at her face. Tears stain her cheeks, her eyelashes are clumped together, and blotches of redness are scattered over her face. Her brown eyes sparkle in the last rays of the sun, and when they stare deeply into my own eyes, I feel my breath catch.

  Have I ever seen someone look as beautiful as Thea does right now? Anyone as vulnerable, as sexy, as open?

  I don’t know who moves first. Within the blink of an eye, my lips are crushing down on hers, our lips opening to each other. Instantly, my tongue reaches out, tasting and devouring her. Her scent invades my nose, her heat scorches my body.

  I move us, not stopping until her back rests against something solid. It allows me to press her closer to me, my body perfectly aligned with hers. We both groan as she shifts her hips, the heat between her legs rubbing against my growing erection.

  As I become uncomfortably tight in my jeans, she quickly breaks away from our kiss, both of our breathing heavy and deep. Unable to be apart from her, my lips find her neck, and I suck, kiss, and nibble along from behind her ear down to her collar, delighted at the groans of pleasure I provoke from her.

  I’m so wrapped up in her taste, her body’s response to me, that I don’t realize she has been busy, too, unbuttoning my jeans. It’s not until I feel the zipper move that I notice what she is doing. I open my mouth, ready to put a stop to this. I mean, we’re in a park! But then her warm, strong fingers move over me, and I am lost.

  Making sure she is balanced properly against what I now see is a large tree trunk, I move one hand away from her ass and over her shirt, feeling her tight and erect nipples. I grip one breast in my hand, squeezing it until the nipple extends out farther. Then I lean down, my mouth encompassing her through her shirt.

  She groans again, her fingers squeezing around me, making me momentarily wonder how embarrassed I would be if I actually lost it with only her fingers around me.

  I don’t get to find out, though, because voices finally filter through from behind me.

  After Thea quickly removes her hand, I am able to use my brain again and discover we are not alone.

  “Is that weirdo fucking that tree?” one voice gasps in shock.

  “No. I mean, can you even do that?” another one grunts in reply.

  I gently place Thea down on the ground, wishing we could have stayed in our little bubble longer. I’m not ready to stop this, although there is little I can do now since we have an audience.

  “Oh, my God, did he just do up his fly? He was fucking the tree!” the first voice hisses, the volume decreasing as they most likely try to move quickly away from me.

  “Should we call the police?”

  “Is it illegal to fuck a tree? I mean, can a tree say no?”

  “It’s definitely illegal to have sex in public. The tree thing just makes him crazier! We should get out of here!”

  I listen until their footsteps have retreated completely before I turn around. No point giving them a proper description of me.

  “I can’t believe they thought you were…” Thea’s voice trails off. She appears upset. Whether it is about what we almost did or because I was caught, I don’t know. However, I don’t want to hang around here and get caught by the police, either.

  “Come on, we should go. We have a dinner to eat and another shift at the gas station.” I give her a quick kiss, sad when she barely responds to it, then take her ha
nd as I walk us back to where I parked my car.

  Just moments ago, things had never felt more right to me, and now, there seems to be more distance between us than ever.

  Did I just screw this up?

  ***

  Dinner is awkward and mostly silent. I attempt to engage Thea in conversation, but she is distracted and clearly working through something on her mind. It’s not until we leave to go to the gas station that she begins to come back to me.

  “Are you sure you want to go? You’ve barely had any sleep lately; aren’t you tired?”

  I’m actually exhausted, but I don’t tell her that.

  “I’m fine. I just want to catch whatever the hell is going on. It doesn’t add up to me.”

  “But we haven’t seen anything strange at all this week.”

  “How about the fact that no one ever stops for gas after we get there. I haven’t seen a single car fill up. Why does he bother staying open when he gets so little business? He might as well close up and be home with his family.”

  She doesn’t have an answer for that, and I wish she did. Not because I want her to poke holes in my theory, but because I want her to keep engaging with me. Unfortunately, she remains quiet.

  As we park in what is becoming our usual spot, I decide we need to address the elephant in the room or, in this case, in the car.

  “Listen, I don’t regret what happened earlier between us.”

  “You don’t?” She sounds surprised.

  “No.” I try to sound as certain as I can since Thea is clearly distraught. Is this what has her so silent? Does she think I believe I made a mistake?

  “How can you not? I don’t exist, Aiden. Those guys thought you were … you were…” She struggles to continue, but I stop her.

  “What happens between us is just that, between us.”

  “But I’m invisible to everyone. Even right now, you’d look crazy and like you’re talking to yourself if someone was watching you.”

  “I don’t care what anyone thinks when they see me. You’re real to me, and I don’t want to ignore whatever we have just because I might look a little certifiable. People in love certainly look crazy to me, so I’d probably fit in.”

  My words echo back to me, and I realize I made a fatal error. Did I just admit that I am in love? Because that cannot be true. What the hell am I thinking?

  “Aiden.” With the gentle tone to Thea’s voice, I immediately feel like this is the beginning of some sort of break-up speech. “I don’t want this to be hard between us. I know I said I felt like I was becoming more real, but we both know I’m not going to be here forever. I’m going to leave you, no matter how I feel on the matter. I care about you, and I will forever be grateful for what you have done for me and Flynn, but that doesn’t change what this is. I’m already on borrowed time, and it’s not fair to either of us to muddle this up with sex or love. It’s already complicated, and I am going to miss the hell out of you when I have to leave. I have a broken heart knowing I’m going to leave Flynn behind; I don’t want a broken soul having to leave someone I’ve fallen in love with, too. So, can we just go back to the original plan and be friends?”

  I nod, my eyes focusing across the road and back on the gas station.

  Yep, I was right. A break-up speech, or close enough to one, at least. The first one ever delivered to me. What’s more, while everything Thea said is true and logical, I can’t help feeling disappointed. I only got one time to have my lips on hers, to touch her skin so intimately and be touched by her. That was hardly enough. If given a second chance, I would take my time with her and worship her properly.

  Considering all the ways I could do that, I begin to feel uncomfortable in my jeans and shift to ease the pressure. I bring myself away from thoughts of stripping Thea naked and back to shady gas station owners and how that connects to Anna Jarvis.

  “You’re right. Want to listen to one of your dad’s tapes?” I ask her when I realize she is waiting for some kind of response from me.

  She nods.

  While there is still some awkwardness between us, it mostly disappears as Thea listens to her dad’s voice echo around us. I listen intently, needing the distraction. We have gone through the closed cases and found nothing suspicious. Now we’re onto the open cases.

  “Hello, Ms. Stafford. What can I do for you today?” Eric Bell sounds like his usual professional self. The only time he has broken it was the one short conversation we overheard with his wife. There, he sounded animated and happy.

  “I’m afraid … I think my fiancé, Gerry, might be stepping out on me,” a woman answers him, her voice hesitant and quiet.

  “I see. What has led you to believe this?”

  “He’s acting strange. He’s a heated guy, but lately … Well, he’s been too quiet. He hasn’t yelled at me in … I don’t know how long. I think he’s getting some on the side. Why else would he be leaving me alone so much?”

  “Wow, this woman is sad,” I mutter, already guessing where this story is going to go. I mean, she’s upset because her fiancé hasn’t yelled at her in a long time?

  “You’re telling me you’re worried about your boyfriend—”

  “Fiancé,” she quickly cuts in.

  “Right, fiancé. You’re worried he is cheating on you because he’s been nicer to you?” I hear the disappointment in Eric’s voice.

  “Gerry and I have fire together; we fight, love, and live hard. We’re not easy people, and we take everything out on each other. It’s what love is, you see. But lately, he’s been distracted. We’ve lost that fire, and I think he’s finding it elsewhere. Usually, Gerry and I … Well, we barely go a day without … you know … but he hasn’t even so much as touched me in four days. Something is wrong. He sometimes doesn’t even come home. I don’t want to lose him. What if he doesn’t want to marry me anymore? What if he leaves me? I’m nothing without him.”

  “She really is sad. What woman feels this way?” Thea asks.

  “A lot of women do, unfortunately. You can’t say Nate Hargrove was a bundle of joy to be with,” I remind her, annoyed at myself for mentioning it when I see her wince.

  “You’re right. I was too blind in that relationship. Not this bad, but I guess I see how easy it is to fall into that.”

  “What exactly do you want me to do? You want proof of an affair? If you need help getting out of the relationship, I can recommend some people and organizations who can help you get back on your—”

  “No, I just need to know my competition. Who am I up against? What is Gerry into these days? I can win him back; I know I can.”

  “Well, fill out this form, and then I’ll get started right away.”

  It is obvious Eric sounds unsure, and I wonder what happened to the woman. This is one of the cases he never finished. Did he find out if her fiancé was cheating on her? Did she finally work up the strength to leave him?

  “What do you think happened to the woman?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrug, afraid I might know the answer to this. Unfortunately, unless you want help, it is unlikely you will take it. This woman sounds like she’s been caught hook, line, and sinker for this fiancé of hers.

  “I hope she did leave him. I hope we’re able to find her tomorrow and see that she got away from an obviously toxic relationship and lived a full and happy life.”

  I hope so, too for both this woman’s sake and because I can’t bear to see Thea’s hope dashed by the cruel world we all live in. Just the fact that she can still have hope in a world where she was senselessly and horribly murdered is amazing.

  The tape clicks off then, a moment later, clicks back again.

  “Poor woman. She clearly has bruises under her makeup and some over her arms that look aged. If the last time her boyfriend touched her was four days ago, I’d say that is how old the bruising is. Why would a woman be upset not to be hit by her boyfriend? Should I ethically take this case?”

  He is silent for a while, letting the tape r
un as he mulls over his moral duty. I assume the woman in question has already left, having filled out whatever form he required from her.

  “If I report the abuse, she is definitely not going to admit to what he is doing to her. She’s obviously in love with him and doesn’t want me to catch him cheating so she can leave him. She wants to use it to keep him. No, I need to take this case. If I can get proof of the abuse, they won’t need her to file charges. The evidence will speak for itself.”

  The tape clicks off again.

  “Tough position to be in, but your dad has made the right choice. Just hearing her talk, you can tell she wouldn’t stand up to her asshole fiancé,” I tell Thea, watching as pride settles over her at the compliment to her father. A few blinks later, her pride is replaced with worry.

  “If this was a case my dad never got to complete, then he might not have been able to get the evidence needed to save her. Do you remember what information and evidence he had gotten when you read the file?”

  I try to recall the files I skimmed over, but I can’t remember this woman at all. “No, I think I saw some photos, a lot of notes. I was just looking for names when I went through it.”

  “I want to know what happened to her,” she insists, as if I would be able to say no to her. “If my dad died before he could help save her, maybe she was able to save herself or someone else was able to help.”

  The tape clicks again, signaling more conversation, but as Eric begins speaking, my cell phone rings, interrupting.

  I stop the tape and quickly answer, seeing it is the police precinct. Why would they be calling me at midnight? Is this about Thea’s house? Has it been burgled again?

  “Detective Mercer,” I answer, holding my breath as I listen to the young sounding officer, whose name I don’t immediately recognize, tell me there is a young man in the drunk-tank by the name of Flynn Bell. They found my business card in his wallet.

  I stare at Thea as the officer waits for my response, seeing the worry flash over her face.