I managed to do some more writing yesterday and today so I have the next chapter ready for posting after this one. I am working tomorrow but as it's a work from home day I should be able to write in the evening. We're getting so much closer to the end. I estimate this story ending on chapter 31, but it all depends what happens between now and then.
WARNING: the aftermath of the sexual assault though it's not mentioned in much detail there is mention of what happens next, plus Maura briefly mentioning what happened, as well as violence
Jane's scream sent a wave of panic through Maura. She pushed against the door, but it wouldn't budge. Silence followed and for a moment Maura wondered if maybe she'd misheard, but when she called out to Jane, and knocked again, there was no response. The sound of something clattering to the ground spurred her on and she barrelled into the door, bruising her shoulder but not moving the door. She took a couple of pins from her purse and picked the lock. As the lock clicked, Maura pushed the door open.
"Jane!" Maura shouted, her eyes landing on Danny. "Get the fuck off her!" He turned his head and smirked, ignoring her demand. She looked into Jane's eyes, could see the terror on her face, the desperation. A cut over her right eyebrow oozed blood.
"Gonna let your girlfriend watch?" Danny asked, laughing. Maura pulled the gun out of her purse and it clicked into place. Danny's eyes widened as he turned around.
"Get the fuck off her," Maura screamed, pulling the trigger three times. The gun recoiled. The bullets flew through the air, colliding with his chest. He crumbled to the floor at Jane's feet, blood pooling around him.
Jane let out a great gasping sob. "Oh God." She stepped over his body and rushed into Maura's arms.
"You're okay," Maura said, rubbing her back as she held her close. "You're fine. I've got you. I've got you."
X
Maura placed a mug of tea in front of Jane and sipped her own. She stared over at Danny's lifeless body, his eyes still open, the life vanished. She couldn't look away at the eyes of the man she'd killed. Not her father's fingers forcing her hand to pull the trigger, but her own cold blooded actions. Detective Bucks' face flashed before her eyes, replaced quickly by Danny's.
"Drink up," Maura said, resting her hand over Jane's. She could feel her fingers shaking against the couch. "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner."
"Not your fault." Jane tugged the blanket tightly around her shoulders, wrapped her hand around the mug and took a sip. "God, I hate tea."
"Sorry. I should have made you coffee, but they say that sweet tea is good for shock. It's probably an old wives tale but I didn't know what else…"
Jane sighed. "Doesn't matter, Maura. You saved me. I can't believe you saved me. I was frozen, I couldn't move." She turned her hand over and linked her fingers with Maura's. She glanced over her shoulder at Danny. "He's dead. I can't believe he's dead."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know." Jane closed her eyes and sipped the tea again, she spat the mouthful back into the mug and placed it on the table. "But you can't be here. You need to go."
"I don't want to go," Maura said, squeezing her hand tightly. "I can't leave you alone, not with Danny's dead body and this whole mess to clean up."
Jane ran her fingers over Maura's knee. "They're trying to find you, Maura. The detectives at work. They want to follow you, to know what you're doing. I can't make it easy for them. Not now, not today, not ever. It will ruin everything."
"I don't care if they find me." All Maura wanted to do was take Jane into the bedroom and hold her, cradle her as she cried, and comfort her as she settled into sleep. But she knew that wasn't possible now, maybe not ever again. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "But if I don't listen to you then it's not just my life that will be ruined, it's yours too."
"My life is already ruined," Jane whispered, the emotions flooding her voice. "But I have you and I'm not about to give that up, not for Danny, not for anyone."
She drank another mouthful of tea as she considered her options. "I'll wash up the tea and then I'll leave."
"When you've gone, I'll call the cops, tell them it was me who shot him."
"But…"
"They're colleagues. I'll tell them Danny forced his way in, forced himself on me, and I shot him."
"What about my gun?" Maura asked, nodding at the Glock on the table. "Do you need to keep that?"
"No. It's better that the actual murder weapon isn't anywhere near Danny's body. I assume your father didn't register it. I have a similar weapon in a safe in my cupboard, it's fully legal. Let's just hope they don't look too deeply at the forensics and accept my version of events."
She breathed in the scent of Jane's skin, cherished the moment as if it was the very last. She stood up and took her mug and Jane's into the kitchen. She emptied the contents down the drain, rinsed them off and returned them to the cupboard.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" She gripped Jane's fingers. "I hate to leave you when you've just been through all of this."
"You need to get as far away from here as soon as you can. For all we know the police could already be on their way."
"I love you," Maura said, pressing her lips to Jane's. She lingered for a moment, committing the moment to memory. A tear strolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry I can't stay."
"I love you too." Jane cupped her cheeks and kissed her again. "Please save yourself."
X
She marched down the street away from the apartment building as a police car pulled up. She didn't rush, but the weight of the gun in her purse was like a two hundred and fifty pound man sitting on her shoulders. She felt the sting of tears and a pain in her throat as she pushed them down. Every step she took away from the crime scene unsettled her further. Leaving Jane alone with the pain of Danny's death, and the horrific events leading up to it, was everything she didn't want to do. But the only thing she could do.
By the time she got back to the apartment, she was mentally and physically exhausted. She'd gone over the last hour in her mind repeatedly, the vision of the bullets piercing his clothing rotated around and around. She tossed her purse onto her bed, then remembered the gun. She took it out and turned it over in her hand. It felt far more comfortable in her hand than it had ever done before.
"Murderer."
She dropped the gun onto the bedsheets. Detective Bucks' haunted her nights, and now he was haunting her days. Only, it was now the complete truth. She didn't have anyone else to blame it on. She took a plastic sack from her cupboard, wrapped the gun up in it and carried it out onto the balcony. She tugged open a small storage cupboard, and pushed the gun into the back, underneath a broom and a trowel. She pushed the door closed and slid a potted plant in front of it.
She downed a glass of water and paced the apartment. Desperate to call Jane, to find out what happened, yet helpless as she knew the risk of doing so. She needed Jane. She needed the comfort of her arms, of her body. She longed to make love to her, to push aside the anguish and replace it with something satisfying and beautiful.
"What's going on?" Chelsea asked, the second she stepped into the apartment.
Maura took one look at her and burst into tears. The adrenaline finally wore off completely leaving her a bawling mess. She crumbled into Chelsea's arms on the couch and sobbed against her shoulder.
"Are you gonna tell me what's happened, or do I have to guess?" Chelsea rubbed her back. "I'm worried."
"I killed someone." Maura lowered her head into her hands, her shoulders shook. "He attacked Jane and I shot him."
"Oh my God." Chelsea covered her mouth and stared back at Maura. "What happened? How? When?"
"Her ex-boyfriend tried to rape her. He tried, and I shot him. He's dead. I killed him."
"Sounds like he deserved it." Chelsea gripped her hand, wrapping both hands around it as she held it in her lap. "What happened with the police?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Chelsea frowned. "What do you mean?"
"They know who I am, Chelsea," Maura said, fresh tears strolling across her cheeks. "They'll do everything they can to track me down and use me to get to my father. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do that to Jane, she's more involved in this than I can tell you. If they know I know Jane then her career could be at risk."
Chelsea narrowed her eyes. "But you killed him, you should explain…"
"Jane's talking to the police. I had to get out of there."
"But…"
"You don't understand. It's not as simple as you think it is."
"Sure it is," Chelsea said. "He attacked Jane. It was self-defence."
Maura shook her head and reclaimed her hand, she tucked it in between her thighs. "Do you think they wouldn't do everything they could to pin this on me? I killed a police officer, Chelsea. Danny was a cop. I murdered somebody because he attacked my girlfriend. It doesn't matter if it was self-defence. Cops look after their own. My life is far more complicated than telling the truth and right now I have to do everything I can to be there for Jane."
"I'm sorry." Chelsea stood up and ran a hand through her hair. She let out a long, loud sigh. "I don't agree, Maura. The police are there to find out the truth."
"The truth?" Maura scoffed. "They don't care about the truth. Not when it comes to people like me. People like my father."
"Your father is a criminal."
"Yes. But that doesn't mean that he should be punished for everything whether he's guilty or not. I shouldn't be punished for being born into his family, and most of all Jane shouldn't be punished for falling in love with me."
"I know, but…"
"You don't have to like this." Maura stood up, lips pressed together. "You don't have to agree with how I've handled this. You don't understand the complicated position I'm in, and you never will."
"Bullshit." Chelsea picked up her purse. "Do you understand the complicated position you've put me in by telling me all of this? What if they think I'm in on it? What if they think I helped you cover it up?"
A breath caught in Maura's throat. She dropped back onto the couch, her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I should never have told you."
"No, maybe not." Chelsea gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. "But now you have I need you to know that if the police come by, I won't say anything."
"I meant about everything. But thank you. That's more than I could expect of you."
"Oh. Yeah." Chelsea perched on the edge of the couch. "Some days I wish you hadn't told me either. Other days I'm glad I understand you better."
Maura's stomach rumbled loudly. "I forgot to eat. Do you want to get some pizza?"
"Will it help?"
"I have no idea." Maura sat back and closed her eyes. "Until Jane calls, I'm going to be on edge. I'm worried that her taking the blame will only make things harder for her. She's already given up her family for me, and now she's potentially going to give up her career."
"You shot him to save her, I doubt she'd see it as giving up her career for you."
"It's just…"
"Complicated?"
"Yes."
"I'll order the pizza," Chelsea said, patting her on the shoulder. "Go take a shower, get changed. You'll probably feel better for it."
"Thanks, Chels," Maura said, standing up. "You're a far better friend than I deserve."