Chapter 9 Scent of silk "You look a mess," as she said that she rose up and walked towards me. Softly and delicately she wiped away the blood from my bruised and battered face. The soft silk of her hankerchief felt good against me the smooth material sliding over my skin. She stood close to me now, as I drank her in, savouring her close contact, her hand held mine lightly. I stood there, silent. "Lie down," she said patting the bunk by us. I sank down into the old bed, various pains and aches rearing there heads up as I did. She moved over me now her delicate hands unbuttoning my blood stained shirt, as she carefully pulled it off. Unlacing my shoes, then slowly she unbuckled my belt and pulled my pants off me. "There more comfortable," she said with a sweet smile, I gazed up into her eyes. "Good thing you're wearing underwear mister Morgan." I made to say just Henry, she placed a finger on my lips, "I know it's just Henry." My head was spinning now, and not from the beating I had taken. Her movements were so graceful and assured, she reminded me of Jenn, what was she doing mixed up with Philips, why was she helping that psycho. I looked up at her eyes and she smiled softly down at me as she tenderly held my swollen hand in hers. I opened my mouth to speak. She placed her finger over my lips again. "I know Morgan, it's been tough but I know you can find it." As she said this she ran her hand down the zipper of her dress, the soft fabric fell to the floor, then in one smooth movement she pulled the straps of her slip down and that followed her dress to the floor. I looked up at her naked body transfixed as she stood there. Her skin marble smooth almost irredesent in the soft light of the moon. She climbed into the bed laying down next to me as I turned my beaten face to hers. She held my face in her hands as she softly kissed me, her lips soft, wet and warm, her breath escaping her mouth in gasps as I kissed her back. As our lips danced over each other I could feel my self getting ready, I wanted to grip her take her in my arms, but I was to weak. She smiled down at me, as she straddled me, I could feel her soft warm body on mine, as she took me inside, my hands softly touching her hips. "Let me Morgan," she said in a soft low voice, "Let me." I woke up the next morning smelling her on me, a soft sweet scent and she was gone, my jaw still ached, but I was feeling good, my foot steps as light as air. I made my way to Joes and slowly drank a coffee, wishing to dear god that this feeling would never leave me. Slowly but surely my mind came back to reality, there was a job to do, a ring to find. I was out of leads and my luck was running out. If the ring had got sold to pay a debt then it was long gone. If Philips guy had taken it when he had killed Juan then why would Philips be searching so hard. I slumped in my chair watching a gull floating along on the uplift from the waves. Then a thought hit me what if Juan had sent the damned ring away, for safe keeping maybe he had sent it to a friend or family for safe keeping. I slowly but steadily made my way to the public records office. All the time I did I could feel a shadow behind me, I caught a reflection in the glass once or twice, a hat pulled low and a cheap overcoat two sizes to big. I rounded a corner and waited by the side. As he came along I grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around slamming his back against the wall, his head slamming hard, as I caught him by the throat. "Why you following me bud?" I said in a low whisper. "I don't know what you're talking about mister," he said with startled eyes. I looked at him cold and hard. I was tired of this damn case, I wanted it ended and ended damn soon. Keeping my arm across his chest pushing him back I held his hand against the wall. I pulled the snub nose 38 to his fingers and fired. Instantly he lost two digits, the stubs falling to the floor. He screamed out in pain. "That's two you got eight left, I'm tired of playing around with you cheap hoods. Who sent you?" "Preston," wanted me to follow you, something about a ring." I stood back I was tired and old, I felt like at last the weight of the world on my shoulders was crushing me down. I put the gun to his forehead, for an instance I could see in close up, the sweat oozing from his pours. My finger half squeezed the trigger another ounce of pressure and he was dead. I had killed before, to defend myself and others, I had killed like this before as well cold blooded murder. I let the trigger go, I put the gun to his knee and fired. The bone shattered as his joint exploded. He let out a primal scream, a long loud burst from the depths of his lungs. I looked down at him the blood pouring from what was once his knee. "The next bum I find tailing me is dead." I bounded up the stairs of the public records office gave the name, Juan, slipped the clerk a bill and went to work, my fingers smelling of cordite, and a past long gone.
Lee ur writing is brilliant, i love the way u use de discription of a situation to capture the audiance in, had me holding my breath
Chapter 10 To the Sun I tried hard not to run. It was hard, I wanted to get this finished, wanted it ended. This was the best lead of a crummy case, I had been shot at and beaten more times then I cared to rember. I got to my Oldsmobile turned the engine over and took the highway. Next to me was what I had wanted. Carlos Santos, Juan had a kid nearly eight now. He was in new Mexico near the border. From what I could tell from the map a two bit hick town. It was a long drive from the bay but it was the best lead I had. The hot midday sun was beating down on the car as I made my way down to new Mexico. I was sweating like a pig in heat. The radio picked up nothing but static. I was left with a straight strip of road and my thoughts. She kept drifting in and out of them, then. Dancing trough my mind like a ballerina, turning, falling, spinning. Her movements graceful and true moving to the sweetest symphony. I sat there and laughed to myself I was like some love sick puppy, like a kid with his first girl. As she danced through my mind I was transfixed by her hands, her finger tips moved in tiny circles, gently stroking the air. As I sat there and day dreamed, I could feel a warmth in my soul that I hadn't felt in a long time. After a day and stop off at a rat trap motel I had made it to San Gurreo. It took two minutes to find the address. A small prefab, well kept and clean I made my way up the path and knocked. A old lady open the door and looked at me slowly. "Yes officer", she said with a strong Mexican accent. "Madam I'm here to see Carlos," I let the lie stay in place. She opened the door and let me into a sparse, but warm and welcoming living room. "One minute officer I will bring him. He's in the yard with his grandfather would you like a drink, officer." "Coffee please," I said as I settled in to a small armchair. The men of the house entered the living room, an elderly man in his 70's and a bright eyed boy of eight, Carlos, his skin a soft tan unlike his fathers. "Carlos did your father send you anything in the post, son," I asked in a soft and easy voice, cutting straight to the point. The boy looked at me puzzled, as he slowly shock his head. "Officer there was a letter came a week ago we haven't opened it yet." As the old man said this he disappeared to the hall way returning with a small envelope. Before he had even handed it to me I knew what it was, the sapphire ring. The envelope was plain and non-descript. I looked in side opening it up, there was our baby girl. "Sir I'm afraid I must take this as evidence," as I stood up my legs were unsteady and my hand was shaking. I got into my car and hit the pedal. I stopped at the same motel I had before. It smelt worse then before like another layer of grease had been added to the walls while I was gone. I walked back to the reception and grabbed the phone "Hey", the clerk looked at me, I looked him back in the eyes, cold and hard. "Go ahead mister, its fine." "Hello," her voice caused my heart to lift. "I have it. Meet me at my boat I'll be back at sunset," My voice was steady. Just. I pulled up to my boat breaking into a sprint as I made my way to the cabin. She sat there the last of the sun light reflected in her eyes. I handed her the envelope, my finger tips touching hers sending a electric shock through me. She ripped the envelop open looking at the ring. "That's it Henry, that's it," as she said this she lifted up the ring to the light the sapphire catching the last of the sun, sending its dying rays around the room. "This is my ticket out of here Henry, a million bucks worth of ring not bad for a old hooker." "That's what this was all about money." I said as I gazed into her eyes "Yes a new life for me and Carlos," she looked up at me those soft sweet eyes I wanted to dive into. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have a son you've only seen three times? Every morning I wake up thinking about him, what he looks like now, how he moves, how his day was I wake up every morning wanting to hold his hand, make his breakfast, take him to school. Henry it kills me every morning I die a little more. I was working in a brothel on the old town, I met Juan we fell in love, he was so sweet kind and tender. Can you imagine how hard it would be to bring up a mixed raced baby? The looks we would get when we were together. Juan took Carlos to his parents to look after. I meet Philips some after he wanted to possess me, to make me his prize. I went with him. I, we needed the money, I could see Juan now and then we could be together, I sent the money back to Carlos. Then Philips got arrested. There's a saying if you set a caged bird free, if it loves you it will fly back to you. I was free at last and I ran, right in to Preston. It was the same set up, he kept me, I sent money back to Carlos, I saw Juan when I could." I sat there transfixed she was icy cold as she told her story. I wanted to reach over to her then, grab her, hold her tight to me and take away her pain. Take it into me, exorcise it from her soul and hold it within me. "And the ring," I asked with a heavy heart, it almost didn't matter, the reason for this scavenger hunt, it was a falicey to think that by knowing it would change things. "Preston gave it to me as a gift, as I often did I went to pawn it for money for Carlos. The jeweller looked at me shocked, he told me it was worth a million bucks. First chance I had Juan and I made plans, we would run far away, we would sail away, somewhere were they couldnt find us. Some how Phillips found out, the jeweller must have been shady. Then of course Juan died." She said this emotionless, cold as the stone on the ring. "I have to get back before Preston finds me away." I took her hands in mine. "Meet me tomorrow at the docks. We're leave this flea bite town, we'll get away, run far away from this place, these people, we'll leave everything behind we'll get away, far away, you, me and Carlos. I'll protect, you care for you anything, but lets leave." She looked up at me with the strangest smile and the slightest nod, collected her self and left. Epilogy I stood there waiting the cold hard sea breeze cutting trough me, watching the gulls swoop and dive, flying trough the air as carefree and natural as only a bird could be. My case was packed in the car. Everything I cared about and mattered to me condensed in to a cardboard suitcase. She was two hours late, I had smoked my way through two packs of Chesterfields. As I stood there waiting, a man pressed a envelope into my stomach, pushing the old gunshot wound, then he ran off. "My Dearest Henry Words can not say how much I wish to thank you. All I can simply say is that you have my eternal thanks. Without you we would not now be free, with out you I would not be with him who means more to me then life itself. Nothing I can do or say can show you how much this means to me. I wish to all the gods that I could take your offer. But, I can't, I need time alone with my boy. And I can't bare the thought of another man dying because of me, I lost juan I can't lose you. One day when I'm ready and if your have me fate will bring us back together again. In the grace of your love Page I folded the letter into quarters and tucked the note into my suit pocket above my heart. I turned and walked away down to the beach, in the grace of your love, Page. The end
A big thanks for all the feedback and help along the way. Espically from Rose for editing my stuff and correcting my awful spelling, and Hun I think I've almost learned to put punctuation before speech marks. Couldn't have done it with out you hun. Henry will be back in "she kissed me with a kiss that could only mean goodbye"