Code 3: Finding Safety (4 page)

Eleven

Mark arrives at the bus depot in Austin, Texas two days later.  If he thought he was angry when he came home and found that his wife of five years had left him, then he’s beyond livid now.

I’m fucking tired, hungry and smelly.  This bitch is going to get exactly what she deserves,
he thinks as he exits the bus and grabs his bag.  He flags down a cab.  “Take me to the cheapest motel,” he instructs.

Just a few moments later, the cab pulls in front of the Sleep Tight Motel. 
Fuck, this place looks disgusting.  I better find that bitch soon before I catch some sort of disease.

He pays his fare and grabs his bag before kicking up gravel and walking in the office. “I’d like a room,” he tells the man behind the counter while sliding his credit card across the counter. 

The man, without looking up, takes the credit card and swipes it.  “Check in is at two and check out is at noon,” he slides the card and room key across the counter.

Mark grabs the card and key and turns to head out to find his room before a thought crosses his mind. 
If I ended up here then maybe, just maybe, that bitch ended up here or, better yet, maybe she’s still here.

A smile forms along his face and he turns and makes his way back to the counter.  He grabs a photo of Leanna from his front pocket and lays it on the counter.  “Have you seen this woman?”

The clerk puts down his Pepsi and takes the photo.  “Yeah, she was here for one night a few days ago.”  He slides the photo back across the counter and takes another swig of his drink. 

Mark’s heart begins to race with excitement.  Finding her may be easier than he had anticipated.  “Do you know where she went?”

“Nah, she was mugged not too long after she arrived and then some guy in a truck picked her up a few hours later.”

Anger radiates from every pore of his body.  If he were a cartoon character, steam would be shooting out from his ears. 
She was in this fucking sleazy place for less than a day and she already had a new beau? 

Mark storms out of the office and heads to his room.  He slams the fucking door and locks it.  “That fucking bitch!”  He yells as he throws his bag on the bed and pulls out his computer.  “Well, I’ll find her soon and make her pay for the bullshit she’s done.”

He fires up the laptop and begins his search for Leanna.  Mark isn’t a smart man by any means but he does know enough about the digital world to begin a small search for his runaway bride.  He pulls up their online bank account and scours the account for any purchases with her credit card.  Nothing!  Not a single charge since the morning before she left. 

After an hour of searching, he opts for a bottle of Jack Daniels.  He slams the screen down on his computer and heads out the door to go to the corner store.  He does his best work with liquid gold surging through his veins.

Twelve

“Officer McMullen,” Gidget Shallot calls out.  “I hoped I’d see you today.”

James turns to face the older woman; her graying hair, pulled back in a neat bun and her round glasses sliding down her nose.  “Hey, Gidget.  I hope you have some good news.”  James is hoping that Leanna met all the minimum requirements for employment.

“I do.  Leanna has been officially hired.  I know that she listed your cell phone as her primary number and, with you here at work, I assumed she didn’t have the phone on her.  If you could, let her know to call me so we can set up a day and time for her to fill out the proper paperwork.”

Gidget smiles at James.  James’ heart is racing with excitement for Leanna.  He knew she would get the job.  It’s not what you know but who you know.  He knew that his good words about Leanna would help her get the job.

“I’ll let her know,” he says before turning and heading, quickly, toward his personal vehicle.

***

“Leanna!” James shouts as he enters the foyer of his home.  “Leanna, where are you?”

Two days ago he’d taken Leanna to the precinct to fill out an application for employment as a dispatcher.  He just got word that she was hired on.

“Is everything alright?” Leanna comes out with yellow rubber gloves on her hands.  James catches a slight smell of bleach and realizes that she must’ve been cleaning the downstairs bathroom.  A deep cleaning of any room in his home hadn’t been done in…well, he can’t remember when.

“You got it,” James says as he lifts her up and spins her around.  “You got the job!”

James places Leanna down and looks at her with a huge smile on his face.  “You’re now employed with the Austin Police Department,” he places his hands on both of her cheeks and plants a hefty kiss on her lips.

The excited kiss turns softer and more sensual.  James slides his right hand behind her neck and his left hand down to the small of her back.  Her lips part and allows his tongue entry.  Her lips are soft and inviting.  He nibbles on her lip and a moan escapes her mouth. 

The kiss ends and James rests his forehead against hers.  “I-I’m sorry.  I don’t know what got into me,” he apologizes, though he’s not really sorry for kissing her at all.  In fact, if he could, he’d kiss her plump, gorgeous lips again; if she’d let him. 

Leanna diverts her gaze to her feet.  “So, I got the job?”  She clears her throat and slowly brings her eyes back to James.  He could get lost in those emerald gems. 

“Yeah, you sure did.  You need to call and set up a date and time to go in and fill out your paperwork and you’ll start your training the following day, but you’re a shoe in, Leanna.”

“Well, I guess I better call and set that up.  Do you mind if I use your cell phone?”

“Oh, sure hon and don’t let me forget to take you out to get a phone of your own tomorrow,” he says as he hands her his cell phone.  She needs a phone of her own and he would love to be able to reach her and know that she’s safe while he’s at work.

He watches Leanna saunter up the stairs.  He’s sure she doesn’t even realize how gorgeous she is.  He can’t take his eyes off of her.  And that kiss?  Damn!  He readjusts his pants because just thinking about her lips on his causes him to get hard. 
I’ve got to slow things down or I’m going to scare her away.  She hasn’t even filed for divorce yet and here I am acting like a little fucking horn dog. 

***

About an hour later, Leanna reappears from the second floor.  Her smile is contagious and James can’t help but smile right along with her.  “You get everything all set up?”

“Yeah, I need to go in tomorrow at eight,” her smile grows larger.

“Ok, I’m off tomorrow so I’ll take you in.  Now, how about I take you for supper to celebrate?”

“Aww, you don’t have to do that, James.  You’ve done so much for me already.  I can make supper tonight,” she tries to be modest about the exciting news.

“No, deal!  I’m taking you out for supper.  End.Of.Story.”  James puts his foot down. 

“Well, if you insist!  Let me go get ready and we can leave.”

Leanna disappears back up the stairs leaving James to his own thoughts. 
Damn, she’s a gorgeous woman and her personality is fucking amazing.  How in the hell did her husband treat someone as perfect as her like a piece of shit? When I make her my woman, I’m going to make sure that she always knows how important she is.  Yes, I will make her my woman—one way or another.

Leanna reappears not too long later wearing a knee-length, white-lace dress with one inch white heels.  Her hair flows down past her shoulders and she touched her face up with a small amount of make-up, highlighting all the gorgeous parts of her dainty, little face. 

“You look stunning,” James says as he holds his arm out for her to latch her arm through.

“Thank you,” she responds, bashfully, while diverting her eyes to her shoes.  She’s such a bashful woman.  James really wishes she could take a compliment without looking away or blushing.

“Let’s get outta here,” he leads her out the front door while patting Patches on the head.  “Be a good boy,” he tells the pooch before closing and locking the door.

Thirteen

Mark’s fuming.  He’s been in Austin for almost a week and isn’t any closer to finding Leanna than he was the day that he arrived.  Each day that passes without a lead on her is another day that causes him to grow angrier.  Mark Dickson prefers to keep his woman under an iron fist.  The fact that Leanna pushed against him is infuriating. 

“What can I get ya cutie pie?”  The bimbo waitress asks Mark at the Cross Roads Diner.  He looks her up and down and, though she’s not marriage material, she sure would be fucking material.  Her huge tits and tiny waist cause Mark’s dick to jerk in his pants.

“Eggs-over-medium, hash browns, bacon and sourdough toast.  Coffee, white and sweet; just the way I like my women,” Mark semi-flirts with the waitress whose name tag says she’s called Hannah.

“Coming right up, darlin’,” she smacks her gum and turns around and sashays back to the kitchen, making sure her ass sways a little more than usual.

Mark’s jaw drops just slightly as Hannah’s ass shakes and giggles as she walks away.  When he can no longer see that round, gorgeous ass, he diverts his attention back to the Austin Times.  If he’s going to be stuck in this Texas town, he might as well get caught up on the local news.

“I’ll be damned!”  Mark’s eyes dance with fury as he stares at the picture on the second page of the Austin Times.  “What fucking luck I have!”

“Here you go,” Hannah comes back with his coffee.  “Your order will be up shortly.”

He ignores the waitress and the coffee sitting before him.  All he can think about are the eyes that penetrate him from the paper. 
Leanna Dickson is the newest member of the Austin Police Department.  I have to hand it to her, she’s smart, but I always get what I want and it doesn’t matter if she’s surrounded by the whole police force.  One way or another, I will have her again and this time…this time, I won’t be letting her go!

***

Mark returns to his motel room after filling up on four cups of coffee and his manly breakfast.  He pulls out his laptop and starts it up.  As the computer warms up, he pulls out a notepad and a pen and begins scribbling down some notes—ideas he doesn’t want to forget. 

He begins to search the internet for information; address for the police department, a basic search for Leanna Dickson as well as searching for her by her maiden name—Brixton.  The only thing that popped up was Leanna Dickson as the new 911 dispatcher for the Austin Police Department.

Well, I’ll just have to use what’s available.  I’ll rent a car and then watch for her at the police department.  I will follow her to where she’s staying and then…then I will get my sweet revenge.  I’ll be out of this wretched fucking city in no time at all.

A menacing smile spreads across his face as his plan takes form.  When he gets his hands on Leanna, she’ll be sorry and he won’t ever have to worry about her leaving him again.  Mark Dickson will prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with.

Fourteen

Leanna dresses for her first shift.  She has her hair pulled back in a tight, neat bun and very little make-up on her face.  She has department issued BDU pants on with a white polo shirt that has the emblem for the department over her left breast and her name embroidered below that.  She takes one more quick glance in the mirror before inhaling a deep breath and letting it out slowly. 
You got this girl.  You’re going to rock being a dispatcher,
she mentally prepares herself for her eight hour shift.

“Hey cutie,” James stands in the doorway to the bathroom looking at her.  “Are you ready for your first day of work?”

Leanna blushes, “I think so.  I’m nervous though.”

James walks up to her and wraps his arms around her waist and rests his chin on her shoulder.  He looks at her reflection in the mirror, “you’re going to do wonderful.”  He kisses her cheek before giving her a wink and walking out of the bathroom.  “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs to take you in,” he hollers as he descends the stairs.

Leanna continues to stare at herself in the mirror. 
Did James just kiss me?  Oh my God!  He did just kiss me.  I knew that once I left Georgia good things would happen to me.  Look at me now.  I’m in Texas, have a great friend who took me in off the streets, I have my first real job and I’m happy.  I’m truly happy.  My smile is genuine instead of forced.  My parents would be proud of me.
  She smiles at herself before turning the light off and making her way down the stairs and to her job.

***

Leanna’s first day on the job was a bit overwhelming but very exciting at the same time.  Most of the calls that came into the police department were family or neighbor disputes but there was one that had her heart beating triple time.  She recalls the call that made her stomach flip and sweat seep from her pores.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” She asked.

“My mommy…she’s hurt.  I need help.” A tiny voice cried on the other end of the call.

“Okay honey, can you tell me what’s going on?”  Leanna kept her cool so that the young child didn’t become anxious.

“My mommy, she’s bleeding from her head and her tummy.  She needs help.”

Leanna’s heart raced.  This child was all alone and didn’t have a soul to help her but Leanna and she was only able to help her via phone when all she wanted to do was scoop the sad child in her arms and love on her and tell her it would be alright.  “Okay sweetheart, we have paramedics in route to 418 Evergreen Road.  Is that your address?”  She made sure that the tracer device worked properly.

“Yes.  Please hurry.  My mommy isn’t talking to me anymore.  I th-think she’s dead,” the child wailed out and a chill traveled down Leanna’s spine to her legs.

“They’re hurrying sweetie, just keep talking to me.  Can you tell me what happened to your mommy?”

More sobs and sniffles erupt from the small girl until she finally starts to talk again.  “My daddy…he came home mad and mommy and him screamed and yelled and daddy hurt mommy.”

Leanna typed all of it out and sent police officers to the location as well.  “Honey, is your daddy still there?”  Her concern for the child’s safety grew.

“Um, no.  He left after he hit mommy in the head.”

Leanna’s stomach tightens.  Mark had come home several times ready to fight and images begin to flash through her mind.  “What’s your name?”  She questions the girl.

“Samantha.”

“I like that name.  It’s a very pretty name.  How old are you, Samantha?”

“Four but I’ll be five in three weeks.”

“Oh, that’s great.  Happy early birthday.  Tell me Samantha, can you hear any sirens?”

“Yes….I hear them”. 

“Ok, I don’t want you to hang up but I need you to go open the front door for them.  Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah,” and Leanna heard Samantha place the phone down on a hard surface. 

The seconds felt like minutes as she waited to hear the paramedics or police officers in the background.  “Hello?”  A deep voice rings in from the other end. 

“Who am I speaking with?”

“This is Officer Sullivan.”

“Okay Officer Sullivan, this is dispatcher Leanna.  Ending call.”

“How was your first day?”  James asks while placing his hand on her shoulder.  Leanna nearly jumps out of her skin.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Leanna rolls her eyes with relief.  “It’s okay, I really do need to calm down and not get startled so easily.”  She takes a deep breath and tries to control her rapidly beating heart.  “It was alright.  I did have a tough call toward the end of my shift though,” her body shakes at the memory.

James gently lifts her from her seat and wraps his arms around her.  Her head falls against his chest as she exerts a deep sigh.  “We all encounter tough calls from time to time.  I know I’ve had several over the years.”  James inhales deeply, taking in Leanna’s scent.  “I’d like to say that they get easier to handle, but I’d be lying.  So long as you have a heart, you will always feel this way with those tough calls.”

A tear escapes from Leanna’s eye as she takes in James’ words.  Since her parents’ death, her life has always been full of pain and sorrow.  Up until this point, she always felt that she was numb to her feelings. 
Can I do this job?  Am I the right person for this job?  What if I fail the person on the other end of the line?  Could I live with myself after that?

“Hey,” James gently pulls back from her.  “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”  He tucks a piece of loose hair behind her ear as he searches her face for the answer to his question.

“What if I can’t do this job?  Lives are on the line when I accept that call.  What if I fail them?”  Her tears begin to fall in a steadier stream.

“Hey now,” he wipes tears off of her cheeks as his eyes pierce hers.  “You’ll be a damn good dispatcher.  You’ll keep your feelings at bay until you get your caller help.  You won’t let them down and you wanna know how I know?”

Leanna nods her head before diverting her eyes to the top button on James’ shirt.  She can’t look him in the eyes as she’s feeling shameful for how she’s behaving.  She’s never been the kind of woman who needed reassurance from a man; Mark made sure she could never confide her fears to him.

“Because you’re a kind and gentle human being, that’s why.  You know what it’s like to need help therefore you won’t let your caller down.”

Leanna looks up at James as one last tear escapes from the corner of her eye.  He brings his hand to her face and thumbs the tear away before bringing his lips down to hers.  His lips kiss hers gently before his tongue seeks entrance.  Her lips part and a gentle moan escapes her throat.  His kiss is tender and intoxicating.  Through the simple act alone, she feels safe and secure—wanted. 

His hands travel up the side of her face.  His fingers entwine into her long, brown hair.  He gently pulls her hair, tilting her head back.  He breaks the kiss and gazes into her eyes.  His eyes burn with passion, passion he hasn’t felt in his entire life.  Leanna’s stomach clinches with excitement.  Without a word, he begins to trail kisses from her ear to her neck.  Leanna, uncontrollably, arches her back as James makes his way to her collar bone. 

Without warning, he lifts her into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as he begins to ascend the staircase toward his bedroom.  With one, swift kick, the bedroom door squeaks on its hinges before clicking shut.  The floorboards creak and crack as he makes his way to the bed where he gently lays Leanna down.

His hooded eyes glance at Leanna’s clothed body.  A twitch in his pants indicates that he’s totally infatuated with the woman lying on his bed and he wants…no, needs to see more of her—more of her without clothes.  He kneels down between her legs and leans forward, his body hovering above hers. 

Leanna begins to bite her bottom lip as James starts to unbutton her blouse.  One…two…three buttons undone until her plump breasts pop out.  He licks his lips before he leans down and begins peppering kisses along the exposed skin above her laced bra.

She arches her back, pressing her breasts further toward his mouth.  James quickens his pace and finishes unbuttoning Leanna’s blouse.  He pushes it off her shoulders before reaching back and, with one hand, unsnaps the dreaded contraption that’s holding her luscious breasts hostage.

He slides the straps down and, after glaring at the pink buds staring him in the face, he brings his mouth down on one as he thumbs the other with his finger and thumb.  Leanna’s body begins to arc on the bed with each suck and nibble and twist and twirl of her nipples.  Her reaction only makes him want her more.  She turns him on in a way that no other woman ever has.

“Oh my,” she breathes out as a tingle travels down her spine.  James looks up at her through his lashes and a slight smile forms in the corners of his mouth.  Seeing her face contorted in pure pleasure causes the twitch in his pants to become a steady, pulsating throb.  He wants nothing more than to rip her clothes off and take her right there on the bed; but, he can’t.  He knows that he needs to take it slow.  He doesn’t know her whole story but he does know that the last man she was with abused her.

He switches breasts and gives the other one the same treatment as its sister.  Leanna’s moans become more regular before he moves his lips down her belly, toward her naval.  Her hips buck up as he begins to unbutton and unzip her pants while continuing to pepper a trail of butterfly kisses to her sweet spot.  She tosses her head back with a blessed cry of pleasure as James begins to circle his thumb over her sensitive nub.

Leanna bucks her hips toward James’ magical fingers.  Moisture forms with each stroke of his thumb.  He continues kissing her stomach as he circles her nub, knowing she’s on the verge of no return.

Just as she’s about to reach her climax, he removes his hand and commences removing her pants and, now, dampened panties.  She helps him by lifting her hips off the bed and wiggling out of the material that separates her from what she desperately needs—him. 

James, gazing at the gorgeous mound before him, feels himself growing so hard that it almost hurts.  He leans his head down and begins kissing her inner thighs, one at a time, slowly working his way to the ultimate reward.

Just when she doesn’t think she can take any more, he buries his face inside of her.  His teeth gently nibble where his thumb once was.  Her back lifts off the bed as a long, drawn out moan escapes her throat. 
Oh fucking God she’s amazing,
he thinks as he continues to feast upon her.  He reaches up and begins to pinch at her rosy, perky nipples as he feels her growing wetter with each slide of his tongue. 

One…two fingers enter inside her wet center.  Her head arches back and he feels her orgasm is growing.  Just as she’s about to reach her peak, he curves his fingers and hits her glorious, throbbing spot.  She screams with her gratifying release as his cock grows harder.

He rocks his fingers back and forth as she comes down the other side of her orgasm.  Just as she’s finishing her orgasmic descend, he steadfastly removes his pants with his free hand and meticulously shakes out of both his jeans and boxer briefs.

He circles his hands around her knees and drags her toward the edge of the bed.  Leaning down, he kisses her neck, working his way to her lips.  Kissing her deeply, he slowly inches his way into her, feeling her walls clinching around his shaft nearly has him coming right there.

She entwines her fingers in his hair and kisses him deeply—passionately.  As he begins to move within her, she moves her hips in unison.  Moans fill the room as they both begin a steady incline to sexual gratification.  Leanna’s grip on his hair grows tighter as her walls suction his cock with strength he didn’t realize it could possess. 

Just a few quicker, deeper thrusts and they are both coming in harmony.  For the first time in both of their lives, they know where and who they belong with.  He looks down at her and kisses her tears of joy.  “I love you, Leanna,” he breathes as he rolls over, carrying her with him.  With her head on his chest he runs his fingers through her chestnut hair.  “I never want you to leave.”

Leanna lies still against his chest listening to his beating heart while she absorbs what he’d just said.  She’s never felt so wanted in her life.  She knows that she’s found her home and it’s with James in Austin.  She allows herself to feel the happiness and love that surrounds her as she closes her eyes.