This is nothing new to me, waking up in my own cold sweat. Gasping for air and shivering at the images I just saw in my dream...or rather my nightmare is now a daily occurance. I can't sleep anymore without seeing the face of a man I hated more than anything. I can't sleep without feeling horrible burning pains in my back making me sob out in my sleep, making me wake up. Much like this morning. Nothing was new. I caustiously glanced around my semi dark room thanking God it was empty. Knowing my room was clear of anyone who would harm me, I laid myself back donw on the soft sheet and pillow and wiped my forehead closing my eyes. And then it hit me. I was alone.
I shot back up in bed and looked over my left shoulder. No one was lying next to me. The messy blonde hair, and naked tanned skin of my lover was not next to me. That was new.
I frowned as I kicked my dark blue blankets off my body and slid out of bed. I groaned very quietly as my bare feet the hard wood and started walking to the wide open door of my bedroom. I was quiet as I walked out of the room and made my way down the long hallway. There was a light coming from the living room and as I approached it I could hear faint talking and the sizzling of something cooking. I frowned as I quickly pulled my hair up onto my head and put it in a very messy bun. I walked through the living room ignroing the pounding rain hitting onto the windows as I walked by. And then I stopped walking all together. Around the corner for my living room was the sound of two male voices talking. Usually, I don't like to snoop on someone I loved and cared about. But this conversation was not supposed to be heard by me, because I'm a cop. And I only know it wasnt supposed to be heard by me because they were talking very, very quietly. It just encouraged me more to lean against the door frame and listen.
"How in the hell did I miss this?" Kendall's soft voice sounded pained. It made me a little worried because in the amount of time that I've known him the only time he's sounded so hurt has had something to do about me. "Why didn't he do anything to us?"
"Because just like you two, he was on vacation. He didn't want to ruin the nice moment he was about to have fucking his mistress. And don't kill yourself over this Kendall. It took us a while to recognize him too." Carlos sounded pissed off. Also really tired. I sighed softly hating I missed the begining of this conversation but ignroed the thought. I heard a chair scoot back on the floor and pushed off the wall walking into my kitchen.
I walked slowly seeing Kendall standing in front of the stove, back turned to me. I shifted my focus to Carlos who was standing up and shoving papers and what looked like pictures back into a black binder. "Hey Jess." I gave him a small smile as I tried desperetly to see what he was hiding but had no luck. I turned back to see Kendall now facing me, a cute grin on his face. It made me smile wider. I took the 12 steps it took to get to him and slid my arms around him, shoving my face into his chest.
"You're all sweaty and hot." He paused and I closed my eyes inhaling his fresh out of the shower scent. "Bad dream again?" I nodded to his hushed whisper. He sighed over me and rubbed my back with one hand while the other did something else, probably flip over bacon. "What was it this time?" I opened my eyes seeing Carlos giving me a concerned look while he sipped form his coffee, leaning against our kitchen sink.
"I was back in that room...I..." I stopped and squeezed my eyes shut hard turning my face away from Carlos feeling my cheeks flush.
"I can leave if..."
"It's alright Carlos." I breathed Kendall's scent into my nostrils letting it control my thoughts in my head and smile. "Just a stupid dream again. Nothing to worry about." I pushed away from him quick and turned putting my back to both of them as I opened the fridge. "Any coffee left?"
"Yeah...let me get you a cup." I could only nod as I grabbed a tupperware dish full of chopped fruit and blinked away harsh tears.
I ate a full, healthy breakfast thanks to Kendall and made small talk with Carlos about the much needed trip Kendall and I just had in Mexico. When I finished my third cup of coffee I made my way to the master bath, and started to get myself ready for my first day back at work. I was careful to not hurt the fresh scars on my back as I got out of Kendall's black shirt he let me sleep in, and stepped into the luke warm water. I put the shower head on a barely there trickle and stepped under it gasping at the momentary pain I felt, literally everytime I took a shower. The water felt good at the same time it felt bad. Most of the welts were closed up but any kind of pressure, especially by either too hot or too cold water made me want to rip my hair out. I had to take an extra five minutes in my shower everyday now, all because of a man who destroyed me with the crack of a whip and the scary thought that the love of my life was killed.
Like every time I showered, when I got out, I wrapped myself in a big fluffy red towel and sat on the ege of the tub trying to catch my breath. I was on edge for a couple reasons, but the biggest being that I didn't think I could work under my current physical condiditon. The pain wasn't 24/7. Only if i got my back hit, or stretched it the wrong way. But what if one of those two things happened at work? I know my new partner would worry and probably tell our new captain. Who, as luck woudl have it, was very close with my boyfriend. If Kendall found out I couldn't even stretch at work without hurting myself, he'd make it so I didn't work. I couldn't have that. "Babe?" I looked up and smiled big watching Kendall walking in the bathroom, pulling off his white shirt. "Need some help?" I shook my head looking down his musceled stomach and watched as he threw the shrit to the hamper and opened up our huge walk in closet. "How does your back feel?" I chuckled standing up and walked in the closet with him dropping the towel down to my feet as soon as I got in front of him. He sighed out loudly and gripped my hips kissing the back of my head. "Not fair." I pushed his hands off me as I walked to my dresser opening the top drawer.
"What's not fair?" I spun to him as I pulled on a pair of black panties.
"Showing me that cute ass to distract me from what we really should be talking about." I laughed at this and turned back to my dresser grabbing a bra to match my panties. "Are you sure you're ready Jessica? Because Logan said..."
"I know what Logan said Kendall. I'm fine and I want to go back to work. I'll be okay." He remained quiet behind me which told me I won this one. We both continued to stay quiet as we dresed ourselves for the day ahead. Usually I would wear some sort of flat or heel but because of the rain, I decided on my Converse. As I slipped them on I watched Kendall tie on a pair of black and white Nikes. He finished before me and when I finally did get my shoes on, he put out one hand and I gratefully took it. He pulled me up and went to turn away from me but I stopped him. i caught his face with my free hand and turned it to me. I stood on tippy toes and kissed him softly, but passionetly. His free hand reached up and cupped my neck gently to hold me into place as he kissed me like his life depended on it.
We both left the hosue at the same time, him getting in Carlos's old Mustang, while I got in my own car and went off in the opposite direction. I hated to think about what they were going to be doing today because the cop in me knew it was something illegal. But the love sick girlfriend in me knew I trusted him. I was conflicted, daily with the struggle of my morals but never mentioned it to him. My thoughts on my crminal boyfriend, miraculously disappeared once I pulled into the underground parking garage of the police station. Much like I have done every day since I started working here two and a half years ago, I parked next to Logan's really nice, sleak black two door BMW. I made my way to the elevator and gripped onto the black purse hanging down by my side. I hit the up button by the silver doors and sighed out making sure my makeup looked okay in my reflection. "Benson!" I jumped nearly ten feet in the air hearing my name being yelled and turned quick. My fear left my body seeing James Diamond my new partner walking, or rather running towards me. He had a messenger bag over one shoulder that he held onto as he quickly approached me. "You got hella tan girlfriend." I smirked as he got right next to me and hit the up button about 20 times. "How was your flight in yesterday?"
"Bouncy. I hated it. The storm was horrible coming into." He nodded and I crossed my arms over my chest shaking my head. "You look like you just woke up Diamond." He had a small smirk appear on his mouth just as a red tint covered both cheeks.
"I forgot to set an alarm last night. Mostly because I wasn't home. And the girl I was with wore me the hell out." I gagged shoving past him going into the open elevators. As he got inside next to me I caught a whiff of his cologne. I glanced up at him noticing a big fat hickey on his neck and smiled to myself.
We walked into the precent making small talk, offering smiles to the people walking past us. I sort of felt normal. No one was breathing down my throat about how I felt. No one was asking me if I really wanted to come back to work so soon. No one including James was asking if I needed to talk to someone about how I felt. Unfortunetly that was all going to change. Because just as I set my bag down on my desk I saw the closed door of Captain Logan Mitchell. I felt my heart swell up with pride knowing how hard he's worked for that title. Before I took my seat I walked over to the closed door and took in a deep breath. I gently knocked three times on the door and put on a small, genuine smile. "Come on in." His deep, raspy voice, usually would make me feel slightly horny. But now, it only worried me.
I gently pushed open the door and stepped in slowly. Immedietly I frowned. Logan had his back to me and was pulling on his suit coat. There were at least 6 Starbucks cups on top of his desk and upon further examination there were three more in his garbage. "Late night, last night?" I shut the door just as he turned, smile as big as Texas. But he was the only one smiling. I felt a horrible pang of guilt rush into my heart seeing the bags under his eyes and his hair, usually in perfect place messed up. He tightened his tie and walked around his desk towards me. "You look exhausted Loges." I tensed up as he pulled me in for a hug, avoiding my back and I closed my eyes. "I mean, you look exhausted Captain Mitchell." He laughed quietly in my ear and we pulled away. He opened the door behind me and cleared his throat.
"Diamond." I walked around Logan's body and pulled one of the chairs out from in front of his desk. As I sat down Logan walked back around to his side of his desk and sighed out putting hs head back. "How are you feeling Jess?" I rolled my eyes looking over at the wall to my right and looked at all the pictures he had up. One of them was of our previous Captain, Ben, in his uniform. I looked away quick feeling someone sit next to me.
"I'm fine. Excited to be back at work." Logan chuckeled and leaned forward shifting his eyes between the two of us. "Is everything alright?" He shook his head quick and slid a yellow folder in front of us. I reached for it, opening it and gasping small.
"Last night we had another body turn up. This time hanging from someones tree in thier front yard." My head snapped up and Logan stood up, walking to a filing cabinet in the corner of his office. "When you guys go to the crime scene fill her in on the last three bodies we found. I don't want this to get out but I think were looking at a serial killer." My eyes dropped back down to the picture of teh young looking girl, hanging from a tree branch. She was only in a pair of underwear and a bra, with what looked like cuts all over her torso. James lifted up the first picture to reveal a second one, this one of her back. She had more cuts and brusiing on her back and when he lifted the last picture up I felt sick to my stomach. She had ropes tied tight around her ankles, and wrists, and the rope around her neck was so thick i wouldn't be surprised if she was choked to death by it, before she was hung by it.
"Okay...so I guess I'm the one going to say it." I raised my head quick and looked to James who was staring at Logan. "I don't think we should work this case." I sat up completly and he turned to me shutting the folder. "I know you keep telling yourself you're okay and you're ready to be here again but you're not. Just seeing you look at these pictures and what Kendall told me..." I stood up from my seat fast and glared down at him.
"Whatever Kendall told you is none of your buisness. I am an adult, in case everyone here forgot. And I am also a cop. This is my job and I am damn good at it. So if you don't want to do this case with me..." I grabbed the folder and turned, heading to the door.
"Jessica wait." Logan's stern soft voice made my feet freeze as I stared at the handle on the door clenching my free hand down at my side. "I know you feel betrayed by Kendall for calling the two of us but he's worried about you. And to be honest so am I . There is no shame in feeling scared, or weak." I laughed quietly as I turned back to see both of them staring at me, pity written all over thier faces.
"You have no idea what I'm feeing. But it's not scared or weak, I can tell you that." James shoved his hands into his black pants and swallowed hard. "Why will no one listen to me? I want to be here, because I know every second I spend here is one less second I sit at home and think about the horrible things that man did to me." Logan sat back down and we locked eyes. "The more time I spend at work is less time I spend thinking about how he almost killed Kendall. How he almost killed me...almost let his men take turns on me." They both looked away from me and I sighed out hard. "So if you must be worried about me Logan, be my guest. But dont you dare let it affect how you see me as a detective. Don't let it change how you treat me because all I want is for things to go back to normal." I gripped onto the folder tighter in my hand seeing James look to Logan who quickly opened a drawer down at his side on his desk. He moved some things around for a few seconds before standing back up. He walked quickly around his desk and James walking right up to me. He quickly raised my badge, shinnier now, along with a 9mm gun in a holster. We locked eyes as I took them both from him and he smiled.
"Go catch me a serial killer Jess."
YAY SEQUAL!
I KNOW ALOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T READING BTR ANYMORE BUT I'M STILL GONNA WRITE THEM. THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES AND WANTED TO WRITE A SECOND ONE. AS ALWAYS I WILL TAKE ONE SHOT SUGGESTIONS OR FULL STROY SUGGESTIONS. LET ME KNOW!