Here is another chapter. I can't thank you enough for the wonderful feedback, it seems like I say that a lot, but it is true, your unflappable kindness encourages me to become a better writer, your wonderful words inspire my muse. So it is because of you and your wonderful words this story continues on.
Chapter Fifty
Sonny followed the officers out the backdoor and into the yard, once again the lightning had eased off, but Sonny could feel in his bones that it was only a matter of time before the storm once again picked up speed.
He walked past the waiting officers, walking in the direction that would take them to Lucky's body. For a moment, Sonny's worst fears were realized, but with a gut wrenching sigh of relief, he saw that the body wasn't missing, just moved…
It was possible that when the three of them had gone into the house, that Lucky hadn't really been dead, only injured or perhaps dying, but that didn't feel right to Sonny, his body being in a different spot, felt like a portent for something even darker waiting to arrive.
The cops converged on the body, all except one, he hung back, surveying the scene, looking with scurrilous, scrutinizing eyes at the scene before him and the older man. The lead detective watched his men work for a time being, then silently slipped back into the house.
Sonny watched him with wariness, the cop seemed to throw off a vibe that Sonny didn't much care for. The cop, in his opinion was out to make a name for himself, and whether his gut instincts were right or wrong, he felt like the truth and justice ranked very low on things to do list.
Nevertheless, having spent much time around PCPD, he refused to leave these unknown officers with Lucky Spencer's body. Evidence could disappear, new evidence could be planted, and that was something that they did not need.
And while he wanted nothing more than to follow the other officer into the house, he knew he had to remain here, even though every instinct screamed at him to follow…
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Elizabeth awoke to an ominous sound, then the hand on her bare leg jolted her fully into wakefulness. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for the touch that had terrified her, the sound…
The room was an expanse of darkness, the momentary lull in the storm prevented even a glimpse of relief. The candles that had once illuminated the room were now extinguished, but the darkness felt like it was fraught with malevolence, with an unrecognizable danger.
The hand once again grazed her thigh, making her jump in Jason's arms and extracting a terrified squeak from her lips.
The noise was enough to jostle Jason into wakefulness, his arms instantly going tighter around her svelte form. His hand seeking the small bump that housed their child.
"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" Jason asked, feeling the quake of her in his arms.
"Some-something, touched me, there was a noise." Elizabeth replied, scooting closer to Jason almost as if she hoped to merge with him.
"Where's Sonny, what happened to the candles?" Jason enquired, his own hackles raising.
"I—I don't know… I don't even remember falling asleep, just one moment I was awake and the next I was nowhere…" Elizabeth answered, grasping Jason's hand, gently pulling it to her lips. "Can we, umm… Go upstairs, I need to get dressed, it's freezing in here."
Not bothering with words, Jason stood deftly with Elizabeth in his arms, carrying her to the room which earlier in the evening had seen an act of love, an act of body and souls melding. Even though the night had been fraught with danger and an undercurrent of desperation, it couldn't sully what they had shared.
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Detective Sergeant McGregor held deathly still, breathing as silently as possible. He couldn't afford another black mark on his service record, one more and he would be facing charges and dismissal from the force.
He went into the kitchen, when his men and he had passed through the small room, he had noticed a back staircase, treading carefully, unsure of the strange house and the creaks it could give off.
He paused outside the master bedroom, a single candle offering a miniscule amount of light, but even that small amount was enough to color the woman's skin a beautiful golden shade. Her long hair was pasted to her head, but even the heavy weight of water couldn't dispel her curls. Her small body was lithe, a womanly creature by any and all standards.
As she turned around, dropping the shirt she had just picked up on the bed, she faced the man she called Jason, her arms going around his neck, her lips seeking comfort, maybe even satisfaction. It was as she turned that he saw the roundness of her abdomen, unaware of his growing hardness, he turned and left the sight, there was no choice, one of his officers was calling his name from below, if he didn't answer, they were liable to come looking for him…
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The affirmation of other's presence in or near the house was enough to solidify Elizabeth's determination to get dressed. She wanted in fact, nothing more than to fall into Jason's arms and into bed, erasing the ferocity of the night, because in Jason's arms, with their bodies entwined, they made the most beautiful music.
However, with everything going on making love had to be on the bottom of their list, because if she was honest, she would probably look guilty if the cops were to walk in on her in Jason's arms, in bed, with a corpse sitting just yards away.
Jason moved to the door, making certain no lost or curious cops found their way up here before Elizabeth was dressed. After everything they had been through, the law enforcement seeing his fiancé naked, didn't bode well with him.
Elizabeth moved next to him, gently squeezing his shoulder, then suddenly remembering that the one she had squeezed, was the one he had injured, but the perceptible wince was more than enough to alert her to his obvious distress, but Jason being Jason, never said anything, just gritted his teeth, offering a slightly lopsided grin.
"I'm sorry Jase, I forgot…" Elizabeth said, tears forming in her eyes, unable to hold them back, they spiraled down her cheeks, but Jason's hands gently, tenderly grazed her flesh, capturing the pearlescent drops before they could fall.
His lips touched briefly on hers before he replied, "It's understandable, you have been through a lot in the last few months. Besides, you didn't hurt me, not really." A small smile playing on his lips.
"You don't have to play macho with me, I can see that it hurt and since I inflicted the pain, I will be the one to soothe it, but first, lets get through this night!" Elizabeth replied, her own smile briefly alighting her face.
Hand in hand they walked down the stairs, turning the corner into the living room and running right into a lanky, forty-ish, dark haired man.
Elizabeth felt the cloying warmth of his hand on her midsection, jolting her back in time. The hand seemed to be playing at trying to steady her, but it was Jason's firm, strong hold that kept her from falling.
"Excuse, I didn't see you?" Detective McGregor said, casting his gaze on the floor, refusing or incapable of looking her or Jason in the eyes.
"Nonsense, it isn't your fault, we weren't watching where we were going…" Elizabeth said, shrinking even further away from him. Even though the man was thin, he exuded an almost devious aura almost as if he was twenty times his actual size, he moved like a man who is used to getting what he wants and when he wants it, to her, it felt like this man's wife, if he had one, didn't call him by his name, but called him daddy, something about him suggested that he had other agendas.
Jason could feel Elizabeth's unease, but instead of disregarding her first instincts, he drew her closer to him, then stepped carefully by the cop, trying to avoid even a small amount of contact. Neither of them bothered glancing back, they followed the living room into the kitchen and then out the backdoor, encountering Sonny on the stoop.
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Sonny strode up to the couple, questions unasked, lingering in the dark depths of his eyes, but being Sonny Corinthos he wasn't known for holding his tongue, so he asked, "How are you two feeling?" Then as an after thought he said, "This is going to be a long night, I was speaking with three of the officers, they say their boss is hard to deal with and thinks everything is a conspiracy. Just be careful when you are answering his questions, he is liable to try and trip you up, even though I know you have nothing to hide..."
"When is Alexis arriving?" Jason asked, knowing that Sonny's new lawyer would be able to stop any inappropriate questioning.
Jason could intimidate the officer, but then he was more than likely going to be cooling his jets in a holding cell, and there was no way he was going to risk being away from Elizabeth, the ordeal seemed to be over, but an inauspicious darkness, malevolence seemed to hum just below the surface, no there was no way he was going to leave her alone.
"She should be here in an hour or two, she left right after I called, but is taking a cab, her car seems to be in the shop." Sonny said, looking curiously annoyed.
"Wait, did I miss something? Why would Alexis be coming, you or Jason didn't kill Lucky, I did." Elizabeth said, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Just because you did something that needed to be done, doesn't mean that you won't get legal council from the best. You are Jason's fiancé, it is the least we could do." Sonny said, smiling briefly, allowing his dimples a moment to peak out.
Conversation lagged as the winded renewed itself, making simple conversation hard. It was only a matter of time before the winds brought in the storm system that was sitting idle in the west. The clouds looked pregnant with moisture, this new system seemed like it would divulge even more rain, it was the wrong time of year, and Elizabeth had never heard of a tornado in New York, but the way her life was going, she wouldn't put it past this storm, almost as if it was karmic retribution.
Jason followed her line of sight, he too was dreading the coming storm. He knew storms bothered Elizabeth and if he was honest, they disconcerted him a little too. The raw power of mother nature sometimes baffled him, nevertheless, if he had his way, Elizabeth would never see a single day of pain from this day forward. It was a hard thing to promise, but with everything she had been through, it seemed only fair.
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Deacon McGregor walked around the house, now that the occupants were outside, he was free to snoop. He hurried back upstairs, stopping once again in the master bedroom. His fingers glided over the soft material of the down comforter, but his eyes were searching, what he wanted he soon found, peeking out from the bottom of the bed. Stooping he grabbed the flimsy material, slowly bring it to his nose, he delighted in the scent, his previous arousal instantly coming back.
A deep barking, laugh, lacking the merriment of good will or humor erupted from his chest, most people who heard that laugh visibly shuddered, trying without understanding, to get as far away from the man who made the noise and the noise itself. He managed to keep it low, although, he needn't have bothered, thunder struck with shocking suddenness, dissolving the sound. The merry twinkle in his eyes refocused and he laughed again, slipping the small silky material into his pocket, enjoying the loud, booming sound of his own laugh, his happiness growing, knowing he couldn't be heard.
He finally made his way down the stairs, but before giving away his presence, he took a little bit of comfort from ogling the svelte brunette from behind. She was a specimen, a mighty fine specimen. And while her obvious pregnant form disgusted him, the rest of he set his loins on fire…
"Excuse me miss, can I have a word with you, I think it is time I heard your side of the story." McGregor said. His hand reached out to grasp her shoulder, but no sooner did his hand hover over her soft, pliable flesh, than she was jerked backwards, Jason's arm tightening around her body.
For a split moment, his demeanor changed, his body nearly crackling with pent-up energy. His dark eyes took on a shifty resolve.
Jason was instantly on his guard, something didn't feel right. A sentence from his dream came back with startling force, resonating deep within his mind, "This unnatural darkness was the core of something, something that was lurking, waiting…" He shuddered perceptibly, his blood ran cold.
He had hoped all the madness, all the danger would dissipate with Lucky's death, but now he wasn't so sure, a new darkness, perhaps even darker than Lucky was lurking near. It felt to him, like it was only moments before their world was once again torn apart.
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