Chapter 21

She drove on the freeway, past the lights and the commotion and into suburbs and then farmland. Following the signs, she took the exit and drove a few more miles to a secluded lake. She pulled the mustang to a stop. The engine clicked and popped as it cooled. They sat in the roomy front seat, looking out over the water.

She rolled down her window, letting in the humidity and the smell of mud and grass and fish. Crickets were singing their evening song, and the air was crisp, making her nipples stand out against the fabric of her shirt.

Marcus scooted closer and slipped his hand over the back of her neck, sending sparks through her body. His lips touched her cheek, and he whispered in her ear. "It's beautiful. It's a beautiful night."

Katie shivered, but not in a bad way. Her heart was racing, and she knew she was going to be in trouble, but she was thrilled just the same. He loved her, she loved him, and she had a buzz from the risk she was taking. She turned her head towards his, and their lips met. He returned her kiss with passion, and soon she was turned to face him, and his hands were drifting up underneath her sweater.

They finally called it a night, and the first thing Bobby did was call his wife.

"Hi, Bobby."

"Any word?"

"No." Alex couldn't begin to find words to express how she was feeling.

"Did you try his mother?"

"Of course I tried his mother."

"Well what did she say?"

"Marcus isn't answering his phone."

"Does she have any idea where they might have gone?"

"Do you?"

Bobby wanted nothing more than to pound his fist into something. Instead, he grabbed the back of his neck and tried to massage it. It was too early to file missing persons. They had no indication that Marcus might hurt her in any way.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," Alex said. "I don' t mean to snap at you. I'm just…" her voice trailed away.

"I know," he said; restraining his own anger like a champion.

"Do you want me to call in some favors?"

Bobby took in a deep breath. Without an official report, Alex still had the clout to get a lot of eyes on the lookout for Katie. The thing was, something like that wasn't to be abused. If they asked for that kind of help and she ended up making out behind the football stadium, it would be the equivalent of crying wolf. "No," he said, finally. "Let's give her some more time. I'll try to call her this time."

The girl was nervous. She couldn't complain, his gentle caresses were sending tingles up her spine. But she was tense, and nervous, and the seat of the car wasn't as comfortable as it seemed in the movies.

His hands cupped her breasts and lifted them, and he moaned as he kissed her. Suddenly, he broke it off and grabbed her hands with his. Marcus kissed her again and brought her hand down to touch the crotch of his pants. She tried to pull away, but he held her hand there, and pushed himself against it, moaning.

"Marcus," she managed to pant. "I… I can't."

"Oh, God, Katie, don't do this to me again. I love you! I love you baby, I just want to show you how much. I want to show you how good it feels, I want you to know… I want you to know how much I love you…" He punctuated his words with kisses, his lips and tongue on her mouth, her neck, her chin.

His penis was hard under her hand, and she broke into a cold sweat. Katie pulled her hand away, but she couldn't seem to break away from his yearning kisses. "Oh, Marcus, I love you too!"

"Then… don't… stop… let me show you… how it feels…"

Finally, she untangled from him. In seconds, she was nearly falling out of the open car door, groaning something about needing air. Katie straightened her sweaters as she stumbled into the cold dark night, clutching the keys firmly in her hand. She could hear his door open and shut, but she didn't turn back to look.

Bobby was home with Alex, and though they were both beside themselves with worry, they sat stiffly, holding each other and hoping for the best. Bobby's phone rang and he snatched it up before it had the chance to ring again.

"Katie?"

"Daddy?" She said, and she sounded like she was crying. "I'm sorry, Daddy!"

"Honey, where are you? Are you all right?" Alex's nails were digging into his arm, she was gripping him so tight.

"I'm… I'm at the truck stop. You know, the one Lewis always..."

"Stay there. We're coming to get you." He handed Alex the phone, and as she spoke to her daughter, he gathered up their coats. He dragged his on, and then helped Alex with hers.

"You're alone?" Alex asked. "He what? Honey, calm down. I can't understand what you're saying." Bobby was waving his hand in front of her now, let's go let's go let's go! "All right, Katie, you just get a coffee or something and we'll be there in twenty minutes. Yes. Love you." She hung up and their eyes met before they hurried out of the apartment.

She rose to meet them, and the three shared a family hug. Katie sobbed, and Bobby wrapped his arms protectively around his daughter and his wife.

"I'm… so sorry, Daddy! I know it was wrong…"

Bobby's heart felt like it was going to snap in two. He wondered what exactly, she was referring to. He glanced over at Alex, and kept his arm around Katie. "You take her in the SUV; I'll drive the mustang."

Wordlessly, Alex nodded. She whispered into Katie's ear, both comforting her and convincing her to start on the journey home.