Chapter 8

Never Coming Home

Over in New York, after a hard day of closing cases or gathering leads Harold returned to the hospital and watched over Natalie. She stirred, the first time he stilled himself not looking at her face because it was not her waking, just another spasm as her body lay trapped in her coma. Then it happened, her movement quickened Harold jumped to his feet. She weakly opened her eyes. "Nat!" Suddenly, monitors screamed of warning. No, he couldn't lose her not now, she was in trouble his mind screams in unison with the loud orchestra of beeps and bells. He pushed the button, though he hadn't needed to, doctors and nurses swarmed the room and backed him away. He walked to the infant hall that held the little girl. As he tried his best to stave off the tumbling torture of his thoughts at what he could catch of the doctors' words. A man he had never expected to see walked up near him and watched the young girl through the glass. "I see you've finally crawled out of your own ass, oh I'm sorry found yourself, enough to come see your grandchild."

"Which one is she?" Natalie's father asked. Harold's words were true. He'd abandoned his family to chase his passion, when he heard that his wife had been killed not long after he left, he felt he hadn't a place in his child's heart anymore, so he stayed away. He still had the recorded messages from his daughter leaving messages on his archaic message machine, the hurt in her voice weeks after she discovered that he wasn't coming back and then to read that her mother had met her death by strange circumstance. Natalie's son Ian had been sending him text messages. The young man's tone in writing turned from anger at his absence to fear that he wanted her to die without even ever seeing her dad again. Fulton Lynn looked at the man that had married his daughter. "You were to protect her, from the fact that this child here and my daughter is fighting for their lives, I'd say you fucking failed." The movement didn't register before Fulton found himself pinned against the wall by a man that looked like the calm soft-spoken man that married his daughter but the man that was pinning him to the wall by the throat looked crazed. Fulton's survival instinct kicked in as he kneed the man in the stomach and broke the choke hold. Rasping he says, "Killing me, won't save them. She is asking for you. You have been down here for an hour."

That was impossible he couldn't have been lost in his own fear and misery that damn long. Harold looked at his watch after scoffing at the older man's comment. A full hour had in fact passed. Fulton shrugged and says he would like nothing more than to go back in and tell her that the one she has requested has abandoned her because of his inability to trust whether he spoke the truth. Harold fighting to keep his mood in check says over his shoulder as he heads to Natalie's room, "The hell you will." She'd asked for him she was awake. Hope that had stood just on the perimeter of his emotional grid, afraid to enter his fear riddled thoughts finally swam closer as he quickened his steps.

Natalie felt nothing of her body and even her mood was so unclear, she hadn't even minded her father coming in and speaking to her. A man that had been out of her life by his own choice for the better part of 2 decades? He'd jokingly said it could be the good number of drugs she was on. She wanted to be concerned for the little life inside of her but though sorrow touched her mind, it didn't stay long. Warmth spread through her once again and brought a smile of relief. Harry was coming, she had sent for him. The thought of the child brought with it another feeling but it was too far away to grasp. Harry had spoken to her, but she didn't know if it was in her dreams or in life. Had he even been here? A flash of the fight with Stanford Ryan assaulted her. "Ian?" She couldn't move. She sounded weak to even her own ears. Her father had done most of the talking. Harold walked in. "Hi" He rushed to her. The movement scared her and fear that he would hurt her struck and then withered just as quickly. He took her hand, of which she could not feel in his. He'd been there the night Stanford Ryan had did this to her. She could only see him out of one eye. Maybe he knew where Ian was. "Ian?"

"No. Nat it is me Harold." She says no, then says very slowly where is Ian. "I sent him away, but he is ok." She was peering out at him from her left eye which was the less swollen one. Her right eye was still swollen shut. She says sorry. He didn't want to hear her sorry. To be sorry would be if the actions that lead to this were all her fault and she would have picked differently. He'd failed to protect her. "No stop that, you aren't sorry. If one of us would change what happened between us if given another shot, it would have to be me. I failed you Natalie, and for that I'm so sorry." He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

In a gravelly whisper she says. "You came. I saw you. I'm here, because of you." He says No! so loudly with such a finality, if she could flinch away, she probably would have. Instead she closed her eyes. Then he ripped through her blurry numb blanket of emotions and said that no matter how mad he became at her he'd have never done this to her. The pain in his voice as he misunderstood her words, spurred her on to speak. Him spearing her numbing med induced emotional cocoon made tears well in her eyes. As her words shook. "No, I meant. I'm alive because of you. You didn't fail me Harry. You saved me even after I'd hurt you." Something started beeping she didn't want to look away from him. She couldn't see him anymore for the tears in her eyes, and her world faded to black.

Fearing that those were the last words he would hear from her. Harold pushed the button, and once more the room flooded with a med crew. They shoved him backwards breaking his contact with her. The alarms stopped their violent song and resumed their lower timbre of beeps. Her father stood near him and said what the doctor said which was that she'd passed out, but she needed restorative sleep anyway. Harold calls Ian and told him about his mother waking. Ian asked to speak to her, and Harold told him that she was resting.

Ian sagged in the desk chair of Joshua's music room in relief. He wanted to ask about the case but figured he would ask without names, just in case Ryan had acquired ears on this call. "So, are you closer to pinning you know who to the legal wall?" Harold didn't miss a beat as he tells Ian not to worry about extra ears, he was calling from a very secure phone that had government level Ivey Tech installed. He then says to answer the question he is close to closing a few cases. Ian asks, "close enough, for me to come home?" His dad said no, but soon. Hearing that his mom had at least woke up on her own, was a step in the right direction. His dad then asked how he was holding up. "Well, I been talking to Uncle Mark mostly, he's back on the road now. He moved the two dogs back to the ranch to be looked after by his rancher neighbors in Houston. Uncle Mark thinks Ryan sent someone to shoot at us, to show that he could find me or have me found. I don't know, but he makes sense because it was one shot and Uncle Mark says if the guy really wanted us dead instead of scared, he would not have let us run in the house. He says by hitting the basketball, the sniper was proving that hitting moving targets isn't hard for him, since we are much bigger than basket balls." Harold says he will talk with Mark about being so blunt with him. "No, dad, it's fine. Please trust me, I won't lie it freaked me out, but he also pointed out the obvious." His dad still sounded angry as he asked what was the obvious. "I'm still alive. I'm not hurt, and I'll take blunt words by someone that cares about me, over getting hurt again, or being killed, any day." His dad says he guessed Ian had a point.

Back in Washington, Danny sets the controlled burn to a house for the training exercises. His conversation with the big dude (Robert) Joy was sporting around town was not improving his mood. Finding out she lied and still painted him with a negative stroke to strangers, was what set up in his mind to call her. She sure hotfooted it off the phone, when he confronted her. So, after time passed and he got bumped down to street patrol it still wasn't enough for her. She made that grand show in front of the guys at the Granville Police Picnic telling him she forgave him. His suspicion that she had another reason for doing that other than letting go, was more than a little aggravating. He didn't want her lies though he suspected that was what she did. Today just confirmed it. He may have cheated, but she played him. After sending her pictures of her and Robert Ivey at the airport, he threw the phone into the window and watched it burn. He logged into another tablet that was going into a fire soon and pulled older images and a nasty little set of videos that he'd secretly taken of some of the times that he'd convinced her to role play with him. Reflecting on how much of a newbie she was to the BDSM game was priceless. He watched the video in it he was covered, at no time could the watcher see his face. He edited over his own voice. Since she didn't forgive him for getting caught up in social climbing his boss, he'd make her regret lying. Police and EMTs had to be on scene just in case the new firefighters failed to put out the controlled burn.

Walking around the corner Danny bumped into none other than the Lt. Detective Jackal Oxendine. "I have what we were talking about. If killing off the parents don't have her running scared this will." Jackal says that both parents were alive as of now and to shut up. "Hey, that's not my fault, I did my part I torched the house and I pushed the ancient one down the stairs. I already sent video to Chief Patterson. He says his sources say that she missed her first official day back to work as of today. She'd be on leave anyway so he really can't push from where he is, but we can."

Jackal smirks as he takes the memory stick. "It's funny how such a small thing has the power to ruin a person's life." Jackal pockets the drive and walks away. His team was still attempting to get into Joy's work files. Her passwords were not the usual easy to guess passwords. He paid a few of her underlings through a gaming app to try to crack her passcode and break into her work computer. She had files that could expose more people than she thought. Without Patterson or their state Chief Jerry Miller to give the word they were at a stalemate. Jack grinned again as a plan better than the one he agreed to formed in his mind. Jack watched Danny who was dressed in all black complete with a hood that obscured his face, and who now sounded more like Bugs Bunny with the voice editing, giving the young female that his wife was so envious of, orders. Joy didn't look so tough now. He peered at her lower half and found her tattoo it was of a bird. He was getting aroused when Joy with her stiff dialogue agreed to use a safe word as she knelt in the middle of the dark bedroom. Danny feeds her fruit. Jack watched as whatever Danny fed Joy kicked in. Her tracking wasn't great, and she almost tipped over. When Danny cuffed Joy's hands behind her back with her own standard issue cuffs and asks to gag her, Jack's fucking phone rang. In a gruff tone he answered. "What do you want?" His spoiled wife yelled at him about not waking her when her father fell down the stairs. "I handled it, I got him to the hospital, and I have it on good authority that he is well." She spoke of how her mother got pulled from the lake. "You are yelling at me have you not taken your meds today? I can't handle you acting like them. We need time away from here, away from your toxic family, get packed and be ready when I get home." She scoffed at him and told him not to take that commander tone with her she was going up to the hospital. Seeing their little sister in freeze frame on his phone, only years older than when he first met her as Elation's boyfriend was making him hard. "You're right dear, I should have told you. Your mother is a looney tune. She went off on me, and then ran from the house. You sounded just like her just now yelling at me. Is that what you want to be just like them?" That shut her up. He told her for years that her acting like her parents wasn't mentally healthy, and very unattractive, he'd even coaxed her within the last 4 years to get help at a friend's office. "Go, take your med, and wait for me, I'll be home soon, and we can grab you some food, and then we will go visit our folks as a unit. We will show them what love really looks like." She used what he liked to call her little girl voice, as she said yes sir. "Goodbye." As the call ended, he watched the entire video. As he reached his car and got in, on his screen Joy stood naked in the middle of the room letting Danny hit her with something covering his hands he never hit her in the face, or lower arms, but the back of head and her lower body seemed to be fair game. She screamed and cried into the gag with the harder punches until she passed out and seemed to just melt onto the floor. In the second one, Danny spoke to Joy about how tough she was. She was wearing gym clothing. He asked her was she up for some playtime. She hesitated and he laughed at her. Jack noticed when Danny bashed her inexperience, was when he could challenge her to do something and she would do it. Jack thinks as he watches more that Danny must have been slipping something into her food for each of these playtime videos, because where she always told him no, within minutes she'd cave, when he fed her and played with her, she would smile at the camera. He knew that look on her face, it was one she shared with her older sister. He'd been drugging or having Elation drug herself for years. Jack watched the new firefighters put out the fire. One of the female ones that caught his attention. "Talbot, get over here." The young lady looked at him then at Danny for permission to approach him. Danny must have nodded because she walked over. Pointing to his radio where he could listen to the fighters give each other orders. "You did really good in there. I'll see you tonight at the bar okay." She grinned and asked was he asking or telling. "You'll figure it out." He winks at her then drove away. Danny called him and told him not to mess with his new toy. "I do what I want, and whomever I want, do not forget your place in this clan Danny Boy. You are below me in region as well as nationally." Danny stiffly apologized. "That's more like it. You don't have to like me; you must respect me. Don't let your bravado get you cut from the Dirty Cop Clan. Please do remember that the DCC is paying for your sports car, and house. Pedestrian homelessness looks good on no one, goodbye."

Elation took her med. She couldn't remind Jackal of her parents, that had to be wrong. She was wild and free not all mean like her mother, and father, or stiff and unfeeling as her baby sister. She only would take half the dosage; she didn't want Kindred calling her names when he saw her. She would walk in and take charge with her husband at her side, it was her birth right, she was the oldest. Hearing the mail truck leave their block, she goes to grab their mail. As she walks back to the house, she sees her name and opens a letter from her doctor. She read as she walked and almost tripped up the stairs. She was acting like her mother, standing out here not paying attention to her surroundings. She sneaks a peak at the letter again. She was with child, happiness filled her as she closed the door leaning on it. This time she had no fear that Jack would be angry at her. Years ago, when their love was still new, she never admitted to what Joy had claimed she heard. The night Joy had eavesdropped on her and Jack and made Kindred ask her weird questions for months even after Joy had left for college. That night after Jack had got all mad and accused her of cheating. Joy came to her bedroom door asking was she ok. As if she really cared, Jack had told her how Joy looked at him and wanted him. She'd told Jack that she was pregnant that night and he'd claimed she couldn't keep it. Jack had not believed that the child she was carrying was his. They fought and fought he'd left her, later after Joy had gone to college, Jack came back. He arranged everything, after making sure she had not told her family about the child, he'd sworn her to secrecy, and she'd had her baby in his friend's office after hours. Though she sometimes swears she heard the crying. Jack told her that her memory was not to be trusted, she'd been very sedated by the time it was her turn. Jack said that the baby was dead at birth and he'd handled it. She'd woke back in the car cleaned up, sore inside and out, her skin had burned from her cleansing of herself she hadn't remembered that either. Jack had even stopped touching her for a full week. In one of their arguments she brought back the violent part of his passion, she said no to him, and he slapped her, and she slapped him back. Shortly after that night, he'd got a promotion and a huge bump in pay. He demanded that she drop out of college, when she'd refused, he pulled out a huge ring and said she didn't have to go back to school. When she told her parents of her plans to quit college, they were mad, and her father put her out. Jack made up for that, and took her on a trip, she didn't remember most of it with the drugs the doctor had given her to get over the pain she was in. When they returned, she was no longer a homeless shell of the child her parents had thrown away, she was a married woman with a huge house off the reservation. Joy wasn't the only one that got things done.

This time would be different, she could feel it. Though she felt Jackal pulling away, this child would save their marriage. She'd married and kept her marriage together, unlike Kindred, who if his dinner time announcement was true, was going for his second marriage. His first wife had divorced him and sued him for full custody of their children. Kindred had been devastated but Marie, his ex-wife, had hired one of best legal groups money could buy. That's why Kindred was particularly nasty to Joy and her little rich boy Bobby Ivey, Robert Hawk-Ivey's family had helped Marie divorce Kindred and take his twins. Marie was the only person Elation had ever witnessed her mother truly hate. Kindred now lived in his own huge house, but it was just him. Elation wouldn't believe Kindred had met someone until the stupid bitch was being led in front of the family by her nose or at the very least her ring finger. Elation had been jealous of Kindred's success in love, he had it all and 5 years ago she made sure to keep reminding Marie that she could do better. Kindred was no match for the rich daughter of an engineer, and her new hubby a rancher that made millions. Kindred was way out of his league. His drunken admission to her and their parents after their mother asked where her grand babies Marvin and Mara were, sent Kindred into a crying dramatic fit as he spoke of how he tried everything, but his marriage was over as of February 15th of that year. Elation believed that was the real reason behind Joy not having Bobby come with her until now. Joy as the baby sister didn't want her boyfriend near their family either. Joy started using her line saying that Robert was on a case or out of the country. Elation had kept Jackal away from most family dinners because he always compared her to them afterwards, she would lie about what day the event was, and tell her parents that he was busy on a hot case. When Joy spoke of Robert, she didn't give a last name until last year when she said that she was moving in with her longtime boyfriend Robert Hawk-Ivey.

According to the letter Elation was six months along, Jackal had accused her of being fat at the family dinner that dissolved into chaos all because Joy was flaunting her mate. Elation had told Danny about Joy coming to town and he'd been overjoyed. Poor man worshiped her sister, and Joy had tried to ruin him. She calls Jackal. It went to voice mail. She left him an excited message proclaiming, "I'm not losing my figure because of food or old age, after all, babe we did it, I'm pregnant, call me back as soon as you get this. I can hardly wait to see the defeat on Joy's face when I tell her my baby will come first. Love you, bye." Her mother and father would get her child as a grandbaby that they could love and then she would be loved even more than Joy for once in her life she could taste sibling competition victory.

The other night at the dinner Jack had claimed that his eyes wandered that one time to another woman because he still blamed her for losing their first child. He'd said they could have kept it if had of survived. That night was one of the reasons she'd agreed to start taking the meds. Jackal got an even better paying position recently, he'd spoke of getting her pregnant or letting her keep the house and moving on. He'd got her pregnant and he would stay. She goes to their room clutching the letter to her breast. Not only was she with child she would beat Joy to the hospital and have the monopoly amongst her siblings, on marital love, and a child finally. Second guessing her decision to not medically prepare for her next family moment, she took the other half of the pill. She would have to talk this med situation over with Jack's friend her therapist. This time she would tell them all. She wasn't super large as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had hid a full-term pregnancy in her early 20s this was different she didn't have to hide anymore. She spun around and landed on their bed just lying there in pure bliss. Jack would be calling soon, or he'd walk through the door and be so happy. Her med made her sleepy sometimes this was one of the newer ones and it took her under fast. The recurring dream of her first pregnancy tortured her again she heard the crying. In the dream the nurse that strapped her hands to the railing smiled at her husband. Jack got in her face with tears in his eyes, Jack pressed her oxygen mask back in place as she tried to tell him with her eyes that she wasn't getting air until she must have passed out.

Hours and a few drinks earlier Jackal knew he should go home, but the little female that caught his attention at the controlled burn that made Danny lose his mind for a second, consumed his thoughts. He went to the local cop bar hangout and played pool waiting for her to show up. His chief nodded at him and his phone rang again he, looked at his screen and "I'll get home, when I get there." The chief laughed and said he wished he could be that tough with his wife, but she'd skin him. Jackal smirked but wisely said nothing. With that he let his spoiled wife's call go to voice mail. The female firefighter Talbot walked in and the hunt was on. Clapping his chief on the back he says, "Excuse me chief." The Chief didn't even look up as he set up for his shot and says for Jack to go answer his phone. Jack went into the outer part of the bar. After flashing money and buying her drinks he invited Dina Talbot to his secret second house near Lake Washington. She tells him that her old car would never make it to Lake Washington. He checked on whether Danny was at the station tonight finding out from one of his clan boys that Danny was heading to the hangout he says to Dina, "You drive back to your place I'll follow you and then I'll drive us up to my place by the lake." She says she was just going to leave her car here since she'd done it before. "Danny is coming, and I know he feels strongly about you, he's kind of overprotective of his new fleet. It is perfectly your choice." She agreed for him to follow her and said that Danny was her loud-ass stepbrother that never really liked her. "I'm sure he likes you just fine."

She got in her old Buick and sped off. Jackal drove at a more sedate pace. Dina's father called her worried that she was out with the wrong crowd according to Danny who was just looking out for her. She'd had a major screaming fight with Danny this afternoon and now her creepy stepbrother was suddenly so concerned. "Daddy, I'm home, I am going to bed so you can tell your son that he won, my friend didn't show, and his little sister is home." Her dad told her to dial back the attitude and don't forget to charge her phone. "I am home, and I'm going to bed." Her dad let her off the phone. Danny texted her and said it was good she was home. She accused him of getting that from their dad. He said no he could track her through her phone. That freaked her out. She typed back "Eat me bitch. Oh, I mean goodnight stepbrother." She was 22 had filled one of the three female spots on the local fire department and didn't need her creepy stepbrother virtually trying to babysit her. She plugged her phone into the car charger, got out locked her doors and put a little swing into her walk as she walked back to Jackal Oxendine's midnight blue Cadillac Escalade. As he turned on to a back road, he asked her for a little pregaming. She says, 'Only if you feed me first." He'd smirked and handed her a phone telling her to call them something in and add the word friendly as the discount term. She asked what he wanted. He orders a mega taco; the thing was 20 bucks by itself. She smirked and said "Do you want fries with that?" He chuckles and says sure. He tells her don't be shy just order whatever she wanted they had great food. Dina had just broke up with her ex and he'd been a super cheapskate. Jackal grinned and asked what that look was on her face. He was preceptive too. She was falling for him he had all the best traits she hadn't got with her ex. Jack was obviously wealthy, didn't mind spoiling her, and he was sexy without being overly cocky. "I was just thinking of the fact that you are so nice to me and we just met. I think I'll have the lobster combo." He says good choice. She put in the order and almost dropped the phone. Her meal by itself was 65 dollars. She put in the discount term and it took 20 dollars off. She leaned over and unzipped his fly. He was huge. She used both hands and her mouth until he slowed down and told her to stop. He sounded pleased though. He drove into his huge garage. "Where's the food?" He said it was being set up on his deck as they spoke. They headed to his deck that overlooked the water and ate. It's really beautiful out here. He offered her more wine. "Sure."

After their meal provided by a DCC friend who knew to slip some extra in the meal that wasn't his usual, Jackal waited for Dina to come out of the bathroom, his phone buzzed at him again, he turned it off and put it with his clothes. Dina came out in a bra and panties, and it was playtime. She was good and he made sure to give her a good screw. He asked if she wanted to take a stroll on his private beach. She agreed after getting dressed they went to the lake. She asked why he was still wearing his wedding ring. He jerked his hand out of hers and says, "Because, I'm married." She asked him to take it off when with her since they were a couple now. He scoffed at her and said, "I don't get in relationships outside of my marriage." She threatened to go to her high-ranking stepbrother if Jackal didn't properly date her. Jackal outwardly played up fearing her threat and took off his wedding ring. As they reached his deck he says, "I'll be right back. I need a drink." She asked if he was trying to get her drunk. "No, I said I need a drink, but if you want some, I wouldn't be rude and refuse you." She tells him to put away the wedding ring while he was in there, and bring the bottle of vodka, and the cola she spied on his counter out with ice cubes since she liked hers cold. Blinking to keep his eyes from telling off on him he says, "You are so bossy to be so little. I will do you one better, how about I get you a glass of ice and you can pour your own." He hoods his eyes looking at her cleavage and runs his finger over her lips before she says something that will anger him more and rush his actions. "I'm afraid, I tend to be heavy handed. I have never been good at mixing drinks." She agreed that she would mix their drinks because she was excellent at it. He kisses her and says, "We will see." He left her siting on his back deck that overlooked the lake.

Dina thought to herself, someone had to put a rein on his enormous ego and since his wife couldn't she was the woman to do it. Yes, she'd threatened to tell her stepbrother but truth was, Danny and she were not the defend you, kind of siblings. She had not stayed at the bar long enough for Danny to appear. Jackal walked out and handed her two tumblers one with her favorite type of crushed ice and one that had orange juice in it. She poured the vodka over her ice and then poured the cola in heavier than usual. She poured vodka into his orange juice. When he reached for the glass, she noticed that he'd taken off his ring and must have put it in the house because his swim trunks did not have pockets. After finishing their drink, she noticed him watching her. When he gets up and bends down in front of her asking was, she ready for round two. She felt hot all over and this time it didn't fade like it did when they were having sex. She had drinks at the bar and with dinner and this one. "I think I better be getting home; I'm not feeling so good and I have an early shift tomorrow. Danny will be worried."

Jackal grinned took her by the hand and lead her across the kitchen that led to his garage. She talked about how Danny and she were step siblings and how he'd tried to ruin her date. "Don't worry I'll drive you home that way Danny won't be the wiser and there will be peace between you two." She giggles and says, if he dumped her, she'd tell Danny. With a smile. "Why would I dump you? You and Danny Boy are my best friends." He turned on the air making her shiver. "What's wrong?" her words tumbled on top of themselves about he was going the wrong way as she passed out. He drove down a back road. DCC had a few properties that were to be control burn sites. They usually hid files or electronics that connected them to crimes. He found a house far from his secret lake house. Looking at the small woman she deserved better than a quick death. She'd waited until they finished screwing to threaten him with Danny. He walked in to see if he would need anything. This place was furnished for sale as a three-bedroom farmhouse. He didn't like the word no and he hated when women tried to control him. Dina Talbot was about to find out just how much. He found what had attracted him to this property. The place had a large hidden jacuzzi recessed into the floor of the master bedroom. At the push of a button the thing rose from the floor and started filling with water. Getting it to a decent level he stopped the water flow.

Outside Dina wakes up and looks around confused. Jackal walked back to the truck and opened her door. "What is this place? I thought you were taking me home." He said he thought about her comment about them being a couple. "Look, I was half kidding. 'I'm not going to tell Danny shit." He looked hurt and asked so she didn't want him either. "I do, wait, but what about your wife?" He tells her how his wife really doesn't want him anymore because she is cheating on him and Danny sent him the video as proof. He opened his tablet and handed it to her. She watched what must be his wife riding a dude in a hood. Looking closely, she gasped. Danny was banging Jackal's wife she could tell because of Danny's frame and the fact the person moved like her stepbrother. Jackal asked what she saw. She looked up at him and said, "I know who is sleeping with your wife, it's Danny." Jackal grabbed the tablet and flung it to the ground. He then put his hands over his face mumbling a gruff sorry. Dina flinched away from him ready to pull the door closed if he turned that anger on her. "Me and Danny aren't close, he plays big brother in public, but he is a real creeper. Ever since he moved back, he tried to sleep with me yuck by the way, to get back at me, for turning him down he threatened, and attacked a girl I was tutoring, she was 15 and he really messed her up. She ended up killing herself."

Jackal smirked with his hand covering his face. He drops his hands to his sides and his gaze to the ground and says, "So you weren't really going to tell Danny about us? I could lose everything before I divorce her. You at least pretended to like me before. I ruined it. I do appreciate that. Can you please stay with me tonight? I will get you to work on time I promise, I just don't want to be home by myself. My wife told me she was going to be in Portland at a family thing. I'm such a loser." She says he's not a loser. "I need another drink. But I think I'm out of booze."

He was totally broken about his soon to be ex-wife cheating on him and he called Danny his best friend. Her stepbrother was such a creep. She looks at the clock in Jackal's ride and says, "It's only 8 we could head to a store and come back have some fun." He shrugs, she gets out of the truck and stands on her tip toes kissing him. "I don't kiss losers. You are a great guy that loved your wife but since she wasn't giving you any you needed to get some and saw that video and didn't want me thinking I was your girl, I get it." He asked how she could read him so well. "You fucked the shit out of me like you were on a desert and I was water. I got caught up in the fantasy that a guy like you could like a girl like me."

He says, "A girl like you?" forcing confusion into his tone. He put his hand on her collar and slides his fingers along her cheek as he spoke, she pressed her face into his hand. "I'd loved a girl that liked me, like fucking me," he put his finger in her mouth, and watched as she sucked on it "a woman who appreciates me and wants to be spoiled." He moves his hand and sighs, "My wife is none of those things. We married young because she was pregnant, and she got rid of my baby." Dina put her hand to her mouth and teared up. "I'm sorry, it was years ago. Look, I really don't want to drive right now can we just order something? I really enjoyed when you ordered for me. It's the small things." He parks in the garage and they head into the house. She thought this was his home. Soon enough it wouldn't matter. He opened the liquor delivery app typed in (date) in a box. The word disappeared the and word active appeared. Once more, he handed her his phone and asked, "Will you do the honors please? They have celebration baskets, if you want you can get one to celebrate you becoming a firefighter. I saw you at the hangout but didn't get a chance to congratulate you."

"Thank you, sure." She takes his phone and got the same sticker shock as she did with the meal. The Vodka and Coke basket included chocolates and a message label that you could keep. She typed in Congrats to Dina. Hit send and says, "it said it would take 30 minutes to get here." He asked did she do drugs. She says, "Just weed but it is legal." She reached in her purse and pulled out an edible and popped it in her mouth. He asked better. "Ha ha" he takes her jacket and put it in the closet. She sits in the living room and looked around. "it's looks really storefront in here, did you decorate?" He says no his wife did. "Sorry."

He walks over and sits next to her. "You don't have to be sorry for being yourself. What would you say if I asked for a little pregaming before the drinks get here?" She said sure, he patted his lap and she climbed on pulling her dress up. He slides into her filling her. She went up and down bringing him close to losing it, he slowed her down, stood up with her still on him. He takes her to the rug and pounds into her. She squeaked and came when he went as deep as he could and let himself fill her. For every minute she continued to live his excitement grew. She was so impressed with what she thought he was spending on her. He could see it in her eyes as she ordered. He'd sacrificed a lot more than money to get to this level in DCC. The perks were sometimes worth it. Soon the drinks arrived. He presented her with the basket. He pulled glasses from the box. She ate some of the chocolate, and he made her a tall glass of pre-spiked vodka with Cola that had a powerful stimulant added to make the drug hit her faster. He told her he wanted his straight, he'd poured himself water and added ice. They toasted her success and she drank deeply. She grabbed the bottle with her name on it asking if she could have more. "It's your gift, you've earned it." She said she loved the taste as she ate more chocolate. He watched her as she drank the entire bottle, the candy that would keep her thirsty and wanting more was gone too. He put on some music and asked her to dance with him. She stood and swayed. He walked her into the master bedroom. She crawled on the bed. He got behind her and told her what to do she put her ass in the air and moved back until she had no choice but to lean into him or fall off the bed. "You didn't like it in your butt, you said it hurt. Now tell me you want it." He was testing how spellbound the drug could make someone as small as she was. She said she wanted it. He slid in his tip and she tensed. "Relax you deserve this. Don't scream, keep quiet no matter what ok." She repeated his instruction and said thank you and relaxed, he rammed into her hard, she trembled putting her hand over her mouth so he wouldn't hear her sobs. He stayed there as she pulsed around him. After driving into her as far he could, he pulled out, she was bleeding. He told her to set on the floor and suck him clean. She complied better than she had at the lake house not even questioning where the blood came from. "Get up. Take off your dress." She staggered to her feet and pulled at her dress she was flush. He hugged her to him she was hot and breathing a little harder. He put his hand over her heart and felt it racing. "You look thirsty." Sitting her back on the floor. He poured the rest of the Coke in a cup and handed it to her. "Here drink," she trembled but managed to drink the last of the Coke. He helped her to her to her knees and took her dress off. Putting his lips at her pulse point her heart was still racing. He kissed her and liked that she was winded and dazed. "What time is your shift tomorrow?" Panting she says 6 a.m. "Where is your phone? I'll set you an alarm so you can wake me." She said she left it in her car at her house because Danny was being creepy. "That's ok, I'll set one." She had a fever her face was getting hot. "Get up and walk for me. You need to move around." She stood swaying. He took her hand and walked her fast around the room. She mis stepped and clung on to him breathing heavy. He tells her to get on her knees she slides down his front and put her hand to her chest. He grabs her by the hair and pulls her panting mouth on to him and pushed in and she spasms and starts choking. Dina's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passes out he pulls out of her throat and slapped her. She opened her eyes and started shaking as she said her chest hurt as she put her hand there and breathed hard. He moves her hand from her chest and put it behind her back and told her to keep it behind her back. He liked this drug he could control her up until he made her body fight back. He grabs a zip tie from his bag. "Put your other hand behind your back." She complied he zip tied her hands. "You want me to warm you up?" She says yes on a shuddering breath. The pain on her face as she couldn't seem to catch her breath gave him an idea. He walks out and grabs the label that congratulated her. He quickly helps her over to the sofa that faced the jacuzzi and sat her down. She looked up with fear in her gaze. "I'm not going hurt you." The fear drained from her face as she laid back with her chest heaving. "We have been moving around and you seem to be having a lot of trouble keeping up. You look so young. How old are you?" Dina says 22. Jackal writes and says "Happy 22nd D-day." and put it on her heaving chest. He took the tablet and took a picture of her. She looks confused and says thank you. "Danny is going to love that picture. You look great, all sweaty and naked." She panted out that Danny will be mad. "Don't worry, I'm going to take you away from him." She says thank you. "You still can't catch your breath?" She shakes her head no. Walking to her purse he takes her container of edibles hold them up says, "These will help you breathe soundlessly, so your chest won't hurt anymore." Dina nods as she sits heaving with her hands tied behind her. "Tell me when you want me to help you." She pants help me please. He walks behind her as he put the gummies together and used her melted ice to wet them. "Lay you head back on the back of the couch it will open up your air way. But you know this you are a skilled first responder. Your family must be proud of you." She smiles and pants yes as she looks up at his face. He tilts her head back she opens her mouth wide he dropped the candy into her throat. Then put his hand over her mouth. She gaged then stopped breathing, her eyes twitched rapidly her mouth opened under his hand. "See, no more heavy breathing" Her body started seizing. Jackal didn't move his hand until her body stopped moving. He dragged her into the jacuzzi, she floated face down with her hands still tied behind her back. He hit the button and watched as the floor slowly swallows the tub from view and locked into place.

Autor note: Yes, I know this chapter is a wee bit dark. Thank you for reading. I will try to post more regularly over the next two months. End Note