I don't own these characters.
18: Let's Start Over
Kikyo watched as Naraku tried to taunt her by aiming a threatening spike at her. She waited for him to launch whatever attack he had in mind, needing to see some movement to predict how she might counter. The spike was one of the hanyou's fingers he manipulated, as he could do with his entire body. He seemed to want to see her squirm before testing which one of them had faster reflexes. He believed he would have her impaled before she had a chance to harm him, not that he believed she would even do that. And even if she did, he believed she was not powerful enough to truly hurt him.
"Come on, sweetheart. We both know you don't want to hurt me," he said with a laugh.
"Don't test me," she replied.
Naraku let the thorn fly forward and it crashed against a spiritual barrier. He was stunned Kikyo could do such a thing. How could she be in such control of her spiritual energy? It was not like the modern world had use for priestesses. He growled and pushed forward, trying to break through. She grunted as she tried to keep the barrier up. He was stronger than she gave him credit for, but she refused to kowtow to him.
Naraku smirked as he released more spikes and they banged against the barrier. She growled, sweat dotting her brow as she dug in deep. He snarled and put more force into the spikes, stressing the barrier to the point of collapse. Kikyo gasped, both because her barrier had been breached and he managed to impale her. He had thorns in her right shoulder and arm, pinning her to the wall behind her. His hand was not unharmed with light beams cracking through his limb, before they became wounds. He did not mind that there were cuts on his hand, blood oozing down to the concrete.
"It does feel special having your blood on my fingertips," he commented with a wicked smile. Her blood trumped his own, tickling his insides. "I wonder what it tastes like. I guess I'll find out soon enough."
"Don't think so highly of yourself yet, Naraku," she replied as she grabbed his wrist.
Kikyo pumped Naraku so full of spiritual energy that she burned his remaining hand off. His whole body glowed and his hair stood on end as he screamed in agony and terror. He fell back while she ripped the hand from her flesh and tossed it to the ground.
She turned her attention to him as he started laughing, dark and demented. She wondered what was so funny and then she noticed what was seeping out of his charred stump, miasma. She looked at her wounds and noticed they were purple-ish in color, even through her clothes. The bastard had poisoned her when he put his injured hand into her flesh with the miasma, leaking into her system.
"You filthy wretch!" she snarled as she tried to advance on his, but her arm pulsed with agony and she fell back against the wall. Blood gushed from her wounds and her body throbbed. Growling, she tried to push back onto her feet. She would not die like this, not on her knees before her ex-husband. Her muscles felt like they were dipped in acid, though, and she could hardly stand.
Naraku continued to laugh. "I could cure you, but you have to come with me. If I can't have you, no one can. You belong with me. You belong to me."
"That's where you're wrong," Sesshomaru stated as he stepped into the alleyway, causing attention to be turned to him.
"Sessho," Kikyo whispered, her heart thumping with hope. What was he doing here?
"Are you all right?" Sesshomaru asked Kikyo as he marched into the alley toward her. He ignored the half-breed for the moment. He would deal with him soon enough, but he needed to check on Kikyo. She was wounded, after all.
"Look out!" Kikyo warned the dog demon as Naraku tried to impale the dog demon with spikes from the remains of his arm.
Sesshomaru calmly turned around and countered the hanyou's attack with his energy whip. He cut through the remainder of Naraku's limb, burning cleanly through, so no miasma oozed out from the wound. He growled and was about to march over to the hanyou, who seemed so anxious to die in his opinion, but Kikyo collapsed.
"Kikyo," Sesshomaru gasped and he was by her side in a split second. "What's wrong?" he demanded. He could see she was wounded, but she was stronger than to buckle from one blow. What was he not seeing? He sniffled. He smelled her blood and something else, something sinister.
"Don't worry about me. Don't let him attack you, too," she replied, sweat soaking her clothing already. It felt like her joints locked up and fire burned down her every nerve.
"Do you think I'm worried about that flea? He couldn't harm this Sesshomaru. Now, tell me what's wrong with you," he commanded her. He needed to know, so he would know how to help her.
"I've poisoned her, mutt. If I can't have her, she'll die. Simple as that," Naraku announced with his chin tilted proudly into the air.
"As if I would allow someone like you to continue to taint my angel," the dog demon declared and he charged Naraku in pure anger.
The half-demon tried to flee. He was in no shape to face Sesshomaru. He got up and ran to the mouth of the alley and he went right into Midoriko. She grabbed him by his shoulders and noticed her fallen sister almost immediately. Blood stained Kikyo's shirt, sweat dripped from her face, and her skin was oddly purple.
Midoriko knew Naraku had something to do with Kikyo's diminished state, so she let him have it. She sent a good jolt of spiritual energy through his body, enough to cause him to drop to the ground when she let him go. His body was smoking, but she did not care about him. She stepped over him and rushed to Kikyo's side.
"Kikyo," Midoriko said.
"Big sister." Kikyo forced out a weak smile. She was so glad Midoriko was speaking to her again.
"What happened? What did he do? Where are you injured?" the eldest inquired, hands hovering just above Kikyo. She wanted to touch her younger sister, but she knew better.
"Poison in my wounds," Kikyo replied in a low voice. She coughed, black phlegm flew from her mouth and dripped from her nose.
Midoriko turned to Sesshomaru, grabbing his arm. "Sesshomaru, we have to get her to a hospital!" She knew enough about Naraku's powers to know Kikyo did not have much time, if any at all. She would never be able to forgive herself if Kikyo died.
"I can take her," he replied. He could move faster than any ambulance if he wanted to and he would do that to have his angel's life.
"All right, let me purify her wounds first," Midoriko said. It was the only way Kikyo would be able to make it to the hospital alive.
"Do it," he replied.
Midoriko went to work on Kikyo, hoping to get whatever poison Naraku used on her out of the younger woman's system. Sesshomaru watched the sisters for a moment and then he turned back to the front of the alley. Naraku climbed to his feet.
"Impossible," the sisters muttered together when they saw Naraku. How could he have survive a blast from both of them?
"It seems you just want me to kill you," Sesshomaru said to Naraku. He was happy to oblige.
"Kikyo is mine, mutt," Naraku growled, his hair a mess, his skin like charcoal, and blood oozing from his body. His body was still smoking for the treatment Midoriko gave him. He suspected had he been a lesser demon, she would have fulfilled all of the threats she had made over the years about reducing him to a pile of ashes. But, then again, Kikyo probably would have done the same earlier when she took his hand off if he was a weaker hanyou. It would seem the sisters did not believe he was a superior being and that worked out for him.
"If you think you can, come take her," Sesshomaru dared the fool.
Naraku seemed to take the dog demon up on his offer and strained to create some more spikes from his body. As soon as he started his attack, Sesshomaru was on him within the blink of an eye. The nobleman put his hand through Naraku's chest. The hanyou began laughing and the dog demon wondered what was so funny about being impaled on his arm. Then he found out what had Naraku so tickled. Sesshomaru found out the poison he used on Kikyo came from his own disgusting body.
"You'll die just like her," Naraku informed the full demon as his venom tried to crawl into Sesshomaru's veins.
"Your stench has no affect on me," Sesshomaru replied as he released his own poison into Naraku through his claws. His toxins could defeat whatever the hanyou threw at him.
"What?" the hanyou growled.
"As if I would allow a weak-willed fool to be the death of me," the platinum-haired male replied.
Sesshomaru gracefully yanked his hand out of Naraku, dropping the hanyou to the ground once again. The half-breed coughed, blood and guts coming from his mouth. He felt like all of his insides were being turned into powder, dissolved into nothing. Sesshomaru was about to turn his attention back to the sisters when he heard the sound of approaching sirens. The police showed up moments later. Apparently, someone noticed all of the commotion in the alley and called it in. Whatever nonsense they would bring had better not delay Kikyo getting treatment.
-8-8-8-8-
Kikyo's eyes fluttered open. She groaned softly while silently noting she was in some pain, beyond the dim lights hurting her eyes. It was muted, but she could feel it all over, down to the roots of her hair. She stared at the ceiling since her head faced that direction.
"You're finally awake," Midoriko said, a smile in her voice.
"Sister?" Kikyo asked, her voice scratchy and low, as she turned her head to the sound of her older sister. Taking in the background, she was able to tell she was in a hospital bed.
"We were all worried about you," Midoriko replied, moving closer to be seen.
"All?" the younger female echoed.
"Auntie and her family are here. Kagome dragged Inuyasha, who claims he doesn't care as long as you're alive. Kaede is here and Rin is keeping her company."
"I thought… I thought everyone was done with me," Kikyo said. Her heart thumped at the notion of not being abandoned. Hope rose over the pain, but she tried to stop it. Hope had gotten her nowhere before, except having a breakdown outside her sister's door.
"No, we're all here for you, little sister," Midoriko promised. She put a hand on the bed, nervous about touching Kikyo. She was not sure how Kikyo would react and she did not want to hurt Kikyo further.
Kikyo wanted to ask about Sesshomaru. She could not recall exactly what happened, but she remembered him being there. Had she imagined that? She decided against asking. She thought it might upset her big sister and she was happy Midoriko was there, speaking to her again.
"Kikyo, I'm sorry for abandoning you when you needed me, when you needed us. I shouldn't have judged you. You do love him, after all," Midoriko apologized.
"You don't have to apologize. I went about all of this wrong," Kikyo said. They were both wrong as far as she was concerned, but she could forgive and forget if it meant she had her sisters back.
"You did all you could. If you had asked for a divorce, Naraku would have never agreed. He would have never allowed you to leave him of your own will. I don't even understand how you're divorced now."
Kikyo squinted as she tried to remain awake and focused. "His idea, part of some grand scheme."
"I'm sure it was and I dare not think of the outcome he had in mind. I've always known he was diabolical and it's wrong of me to hold that against you because you wanted to see good in him. It's wonderful for you to look for good in people, be it Naraku or Sesshomaru. You should be allowed to seek peace and remain with it where you find it. It was wrong of me to make it seem as if you should be content with your misery. I don't wish that on you, sister," the eldest explained.
Kikyo inhaled deeply as she took in those words. "Thank you."
Midoriko shook her head. "There is no reason to thank me, especially since it took me too long to come to that conclusion. I never should have given up on you, especially while you were in Naraku's grip."
"Speaking of Naraku, what happened to him?"
"I'll tell you once you're totally better," Midoriko replied.
Kikyo nodded and accepted that. Throughout the day, everyone who was at the hospital for her visited her. They all seemed so genuinely glad she was all right and it threw her off balance, but pain medication helped numb even that. She was glad they were not upset with her.
Kikyo glanced out of the window in the room when she was alone. She thought her family went home because visiting hours were over, but they gave her sometime alone for a specific reason. She turned her head to face the door as she heard it open. Sesshomaru stepped in, holding a bouquet of red and white roses.
"Sessho…" Kikyo said in a low voice. Her heart sped up, anticipation and fear warring with each other, but making her heart flutter.
"Good evening. Are you feeling better?" he inquired as he walked over to her. He handed her the flowers, which earned him a confused look from the bedridden female.
She squinted at the bouquet, suspicious of the gift, and not sure if she should accept it. "What are you doing here? Why are you giving me flowers?"
Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders, bracing himself for the worst. "I thought it would be a step in the right direction for you to one day find it in your big heart to forgive me for being a fool."
Kikyo was so stunned she was speechless. She could not believe he was admitting to being something other than being perfect. She stared at the dog demon, mouth slightly open. She did not know what else to do.
"Should I bring a bigger bouquet?" he inquired since she was not speaking. He had purchased the largest one possible, but he supposed he could purchase a few more and just put them together if that would make her feel better. If not flowers, he would have to think bigger. What type of art would he need to purchase for her to understand his apology was sincere?
"No," she finally managed. "I thought… I thought you hated me now." He had threatened to kill her, after all. While he was a man of few words, he had been very clear about where they stood.
He shook his head. "I could never hate my angel. I made a bad decision on many things." One he hoped he would be allowed to rectify.
"What things?"
"Well, let's just say, you and your cousin look disturbing alike," he said with a frown.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked. She thought on it for a few seconds and then she remembered who her cousin dated. "Did you see Kagome with Inuyasha and assume it was me?" It would not be the first time.
"I did," he confirmed.
Kikyo could not help it, she started laughing. How many times had there been a case of mistaken identify with her cousin? Sometimes, people thought she was Kagome or that Kagome was her. There were also occasions when she was mistaken for her older sister or the other way around. People usually had to get very close up to tell which one of them it was if they did not know all of the relatives well. It had never done this much damage, though.
"Is it so funny?" Sesshomaru asked. He thought her laughter was a better sign than anything else that she could have done, but it still did not fill him with confidence and he was not sure how to react to the feeling or the sound.
"You hurt me so badly over something that could have so easily been shown false had you spoken to me. It is funny like when a clown dies," she answered.
"I fail to see how that is funny," he commented.
"Indeed, I agree with you. I fail to see how it is funny. It was such a harsh pain that all I can do is laugh at the tragedy," Kikyo explained.
Sesshomaru was a bit taken aback by that. It would seem he was not going to get out of things so easily. He supposed he deserved such a thing. But, he needed to earn her back or he would regret his actions for the rest of his life. Of course, even if she did come back to him, he would constantly think about to the moment where he almost ruined it all over idiocy.
"You can leave now, Sesshomaru," Kikyo said in an almost curt manner.
"Wait," he objected.
"There's no reason for you to be here. You so easily thought so little of me. How can there be anything between us if you would think I could be with your little brother while being with you? This whole thing started off wrong and it should just die," she stated.
"Don't say that!" he snarled, stepping closer. He would not give up on them without a fight. She was the best thing to happen to him. She completed his world. It was impossible to give up on that. "This was far from wrong. I made a mistake, but that doesn't make what's between us wrong."
"You assumed I cheated on you with your little brother. I'm sure the fact that I was married and cheating with you influenced that idea. You probably assumed it is so easy for me to do such a thing."
"I do not think that. I let him get to me, all right. I should have spoken to you rather believing pictures."
"Pictures?" she echoed. "Naraku sent them?" She was willing to bet it was him.
"Yes."
"And you believed something Naraku sent you over me. That's even worse," she pointed out. Everything they had was a lie if it could be toppled so easily. He did not feel for her what she had felt for him. He did not believe in her, know her, or care about her. She was a trophy to him, like she was to Naraku. Never again.
"Kikyo," he said, searching his mind for someway to keep her in his life. "I admit I was wrong and I judged you most unfairly. It was a foolish thing to do, but I would never make such a mistake again. I don't think lowly of you." Even when he thought she had been with Inuyasha, he could not put her out of his mind and could not stop thinking of her as an angel. Now, the idea of being without her made his stomach cramp.
Kikyo looked skeptical on that. She felt like if she continued anything with Sesshomaru, he would always be suspicious of her. He would always wonder where she was going, who she was with, and what she did when she was alone. He would never trust her and they could not have anything if he did not trust her. She was not sure if she could trust him. He hurt her so easily. How would she ever
"Angel, I love you," he announced and that was second big shock he delivered to her.
Kikyo gasped and was pretty sure her heart stopped beating for a few seconds. He loved her? How she would have longed to hear those words a month ago. Now, it only made things worse.
"Sessho, don't." She needed him gone, so she could move on with her life, rebuild things with her family.
"I love you," he repeated forcefully. He needed her to believe him, to understand him, to know this was not something he said lightly. It should have changed everything.
"No, you don't," she objected and she shook her head. He could not love her. He did not trust her, so he could not love her and it was not fair of him to lie like that.
"I do," he vowed and he leaned down to embrace her. He held her carefully, but she struggled in his arms.
"No, you don't," she repeated with tears falling from her eyes. She was hurting her injured shoulder trying to escape him, but it did not match the pain inside. How could he do this to her? How could he hurt her so much again?
"Be still," he ordered. "And do not cry. I do love you. You are my angel and I will cherish, protect, and love you always," he promised.
She shook her head, certain it was untrue. "You say that now when you already hurt me."
"And I will say it everyday and mean it from this moment onward. I was a fool. I admit that. I will never make such a mistake again, knowing what you mean to me. I will work for my whole life to get you to forgive me for what I did, just stay with me. I need you. You are the best thing in my life aside from my little sister," he informed her.
"You don't mean that," she said with tears continuing down her face.
Leaning down, he nuzzled her neck. "I do. I will be your eternal slave if that would make up for my actions." He meant those words.
Kikyo could not believe what she heard. The proud dog demon had just offered himself up as a slave to a lowly, little human? Even if he did not mean the words literally, they were still powerful. The fact that he said them while nuzzling her made things hit her harder. He was Sesshomaru, after all. The greatest thing ever made as far as he was concerned and he had offered himself to her like a little puppy.
"Sessho…" she whispered. She was not sure what she wanted to say.
"Make a command and I will do it," he promised her.
"I don't want that," she replied.
"What do you want? What can I do to get you to stay with me? I want you to stay with me," he said, nose pressed against her throat. "I'll be so good to you, angel. Just give me another chance. I'll be so good to you. I will never take you for granted ever again."
Kikyo bit her lip. She could hear the distress in his voice and the honesty in his words. She could only answer him in one way because she loved him, too.
"Sessho, you don't have to do anything. You don't have to give me anything. Just love me like this always, please," she requested. She could feel her heart settle, like that was the answer she was supposed to give. Her brain was not so sure, but she would allow it time to pass judgment. Her heart was content, though.
"I can and will," he promised and he gave her a tender kiss.
They both missed the feel of the others lips and thoroughly enjoyed the sweet embrace. Sesshomaru pulled away quickly, though. He did not think she needed to get too excited in her current state. He noticed she was crying new tears, so he wiped them away with a gentle sweep of his hand. She turned into his hand and they stared at each other in silence for a long moment.
"So, what happened with Naraku?" Kikyo asked.
"I killed him," Sesshomaru answered with a slight shrug.
"You killed him?" she inquired in disbelief. She could not believe how easily he admitted that.
"I did," he confirmed.
"What happened? I don't really remember," she said. Surely Sesshomaru had reason to kill Naraku.
"Well, it would seem your older sister had attempted to kill him with her spiritual powers after she discovered you in the alley, bleeding from wounds inflicted by that damned half-breed. I would have dispatched him before that, but you were so hurt I went to your aid first. He unwisely remained alive after Midoriko's treatment of him and I finished it. He was not even dust by the time the police arrived," Sesshomaru reported like it was an everyday event.
"The police?" She did not remember police. But, then again, she was foggy on how Naraku wounded her.
"Yes, the police arrived and they are the reason I wasn't here sooner. I had to give a statement."
"Are you in trouble?" she asked. He had to be in trouble. He killed someone.
"No," he answered bluntly. He was not in trouble. Naraku's demise had been ruled a justifiable homicide once he explained what happened and there were a few other witnesses who had backed up his story. Had Naraku not been a half-demon, charges of manslaughter might have been brought up, but two demons going against each other was different from two humans going at each other. It helped that people saw Naraku attack Kikyo.
"Then, it's all over? I don't have to worry about him again?" she inquired as if she did not understand. It seemed so long since she lived a life where he was not looming in the background, waiting to cast darkness over her.
"No, you don't."
Kikyo smiled. She knew it was wrong to smile because someone was dead, but she had her life back. She could finally go back to working and she would never have to look over her shoulder for that lying, insane hanyou. With a sigh, she felt her body relax, letting go long lived tension.
-*-(New day)-*-
"Sessho, come on or we'll be late," Kikyo called into his workroom.
Kikyo stepped onto the room to try to pry him away from his painting. She did not live with him, but they planned to move in sometime soon. She thought they needed to start their relationship over and rebuild, which he agreed to because he felt he owed her. So, for the past few months, they had been trying to recreate their relationship and believed they were doing a decent job.
"One moment," Sesshomaru replied as he put the finishing touches on his latest painting. He had done a portrait of a white dog looking into the midnight sky, seeing the silhouette of an angel. It was not his best piece, but he was quite inspired by them.
"Now, or we'll be late," she pointed out.
"All right," he sighed.
"Don't make that noise. It'll be fun," she assured him.
"I doubt it."
Kikyo offered him a smile for his troubles and sat down on his lap. He turned his attention to her as she made herself comfortable against him. He rested his hand on her hip and lightly caressed her. He felt so fortunate to have her with him and he always felt that way. He did his best to make sure she knew that, too.
"You promised," she reminded him.
"I know," he replied. He would promise her the moon and do everything in his power to make it happen. He wished she wanted the moon this time.
"It'll be fine. You promised you'd come with me. So, get up and let's go," she said.
Sesshomaru groaned, but he did not argue. He had better ideas on how they should spend Kikyo's day off, though. She was now a doctor at a small clinic and she thoroughly enjoyed her job. She got weekends off most of the time, but sometimes, she went in to help out. She always said that people got sick no matter what the day and she wanted to help. He respected that, supported it whenever she seemed to need it.
"I have to remember to stop promising you things," Sesshomaru said with a sigh.
Kikyo offered him a small smile for his troubles. The dog demon got up, careful not to let Kikyo fall. He went to change his clothes and they finally left. Sesshomaru drove them to Kikyo's aunt's home. They were getting together for a family barbecue. They pulled up just time to almost hit Rin with the car.
"Rin, what do you think you're doing?" Sesshomaru inquired as he parked.
"I was going to jump that garbage can over there until you showed up," Rin answered while pointing to the can on the sidewalk, but the ramp was in the street. Her brother turned to look and his jaw tensed. She never would have made it in his opinion.
"Where's Inuyasha? Why isn't that fool watching you?" he asked.
"Because I'm thirteen," she answered.
"That doesn't excuse either of you," he stated. "Now, where is that fool?" he pondered aloud as he marched off into the backyard to give their brother a piece of his mind.
"It is so tough being the middle child. You do know you got Inuyasha into trouble, right?" Kikyo asked Rin.
"Hey, if not me, he'd do something stupid sooner or later," the child replied with a shrug.
"I suppose. Where's Kaede? I'm stunned she's not out here egging you on to break your neck," Kikyo replied.
"Oh, she was. She went to get some lemonade and I was doing a practice to see if I could do it before she came back," Rin explained.
Kikyo shook her head. "How about you forget the stunt and go get some lemonade, too, while your big brother is around?" she suggested. She could hear Sesshomaru's blood pressure rising and she wanted him relax as much as he could at her family gathering.
"I guess," Rin sighed. She did not want to stress Sesshomaru out or he would start treating her like a child and she did not want that to happen.
The two walked into the backyard where Kikyo greeted Kaede with a hug. Kaede and Rin then walked off to get into trouble more than likely. Kikyo spotted Sesshomaru, who was scolding Inuyasha about letting Rin out of his sight. Kikyo's family and Sesshomaru's family were at the barbecue because everyone was either friends already or getting to know each other.
Kikyo spotted her sister speaking with Izayoi. She tried not to be rude and interrupt the conversation, but Midoriko saw her and greeted her with a short wave. The sisters embraced and then Kikyo turned her attention to Izayoi. It was not their first time meeting and they had quickly grown to like each other, despite the fact that Izayoi knew Kikyo had been carrying on an affair with Sesshomaru, but that all seemed like such a long time go. Everyone seemed to forgive and forget. The trio struck up a conversation.
Sesshomaru was done with his brother after a while and was approached by his father. His father was finally all right with him being with Kikyo now that he had come to see she was an outstanding female and better understood her situation from before. He accepted her as she was.
The barbecue was a good gathering. Somehow during the time, Sesshomaru got stuck working the grill and Kagome made sure to get a picture of that. She also had to make sure to get a picture of Sesshomaru and Kikyo sitting together in a corner, trying to be alone for a moment. She got plenty of pictures of everyone getting along, looking like one big, weird, but happy family.
-8-8-8-8-
"I told you that would be fun," Kikyo said to Sesshomaru as they settled down into his bed. She had a deal with him to spend the night as long as he went to the cookout.
"It wasn't wholly unpleasant," he replied as he gathered her into his arms. He always slept soundly with her pressed against him. When she stayed at her apartment, he worried over her being on her own.
"You are too much," she stated in an amused tone, kissing his cheek. "It was rather funny to see you cooking, though. I'm sure you had fun because you didn't complain about it." The fact that Sesshomaru did not complain about making "human food" spoke volumes. His actions always shouted things his words never would, which was why she was still with him. She knew from his actions how he felt about her, how he cared for her.
"I merely wanted everything to be perfect," he defended himself.
"Uh-huh," she teased, wiggling against him.
"I do want everything to be perfect," he insisted and he placed a small kiss to her lips.
"Let's work on getting close enough to perfect," she remarked.
He nodded and leaned in for another kiss, a deeper one. They were working toward perfect and he was certain they would get there sometime soon. After all, everything was working well between them, even better than before. They were in love and they could now express that whenever they felt like it, which helped a great deal. Although, they were both against anything over the top and they did not do public displays of affection. Still, the fact that they could be open with their relationship worked wonders. They worked.
-8-8-8-8-
The end.
I hope you enjoyed the story. There is a sequel called Out in the Open. I'm returning to padded cell. Thank you for reading. Come say hi to me on Facebook. If you like my work, please check out my books on Amazon under the name S.L. Kassidy.