Promises Pt. 12

* * * * *

"They're still tailing us," Kira calls out from the passenger seat.

"Damn, these guys stick like glue," I grumble.

My training as a field operative is limited to what I've read in Tom Clancy novels. Breaking a tail is a lot more difficult than you might think, especially when you're dealing with a national media that chase down stories on a regular basis. The press has been dogging us for the last twenty minutes.

Then, up ahead, I spot what looks to be our perfect opportunity. We're leading the pack down the right lane of a four-lane city street, and the light is turning red ahead of us. The timing is good, and the traffic light is just the kind we need.

The sedan in the left lane, about a car length ahead of us, is slowing down at the normal rate, so at the last second, I gun it and whip in front of him, ending up at the head of the line waiting in the left lane. The aggrieved driver beeps his horn in protest of my rudeness, but that's the least of our issues. I give him a friendly wave, and he lays off the horn.

"Why did you do that?" Kira asks.

"Just watch."

I put my left foot on the brake, and ease into the gas pedal a little with my right, keeping us stationary but ready. I watch for cross traffic to make sure we can do this safely, and when the light turns green, I floor it.

Marsha's minivan has a V6 with a reasonable amount of jump off the line, and I use all of it to hang a left in front of the oncoming traffic, which is just now setting off on their green light. More horns blare, but my quick start gets us through the intersection without getting hit. I hold the pedal to the floor as we race away, our pursuers unable to make their own left turn due to the oncoming traffic, which is heavy and up to speed now.

After a couple of blocks, I turn off the main drag and drive through some side streets to finish losing our tail. Amazingly, it seems to work, so I head for the RV storage facility. A late-model silver minivan is about as anonymous as you're going to get, and nobody else tails us for the rest of the drive. Twenty minutes later I punch in our code at the gate.

I park us next to the motorhome and transfer the boxes and luggage. I lock the minivan and put its key in the little magnetic box inside the fender, then we're off and running. The prearranged plan is for Marsha to send some friends to recover her vehicle tomorrow.

After thirty nerve wracking minutes, during which I imagine half a dozen different scenarios by which the media might figure out what we're driving, we make it out of town and onto the rural interstate. We motor south, into the night.

* * * * *

Kira and I stop in southern Wisconsin at about one in the morning so we can get some sleep. She settles down next to me in the bed, wearing her long pajamas and chastely spooning herself to my chest. I'm painfully aware that for all practical purposes, she's a virgin again. Still, she takes my hand and guides it inside her pajama top to cup her little breast. Neither of us moves to do anything more intimate than that, but it's good, and we're fast asleep quickly. We're back on the road before dawn, though, planning on driving straight through to Homestead.

* * * * *

"I wish I knew how to drive," Kira says as we roll down I-57 through central Illinois.

"Have you ever driven at all?"

"Well, I was working on getting my license the first time I got kidnapped, but I was way too scared to drive after that. Maybe once Teri hears that she's safe, she'll be willing to learn."

"I have high hopes that she'll be willing to try a lot of new things," I say. "Dr. Jenson told me that if the threat was removed permanently, she might be able to overcome more of her fear."

"The more I think about it, the more I wish she'd been there to see you kill Spencer," Kira says. "It would be a lot more real to her than just hearing about it." She pulls out her phone and puts it into selfie position. "I'm going to start making recordings for her, starting with a very graphic description of how it went down in the dungeon." She proceeds to do that, diverging from the truth only in saying that Spencer had reacquired the knife.

* * * * *

We're in central Florida when it happens. "I think I'd better go to the bedroom," Kira says, shaking her head as if to clear it.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I'm really confused suddenly, and I need to be alone."

She unbuckles and heads for the back while I get us pulled over on a wide spot on the shoulder. I go to the bedroom door. "Teri, are you all right?" I have to assume she's Teri now.

There's a long pause, then the timid voice that tells me my assumption is correct. Happily, there's no wailing and tears this time. "The last thing I remember was being stuffed in a box and smelling sevoflurane," she says hesitantly. "Now I find myself in the motorhome, none the worse for wear. What happened?"

"You were kidnapped, by the same guy of course. This time, though, you were rescued almost immediately. You transitioned while you were unconscious in the wooden box, then you were Kira for a day."

"Only a day?"

"Yeah."

There's a long pause. "Oh, poor Kira," Teri moans, "she had so little time."

"She made the most of it, Teri. Her bravery and self-control saved my life, and probably yours too."

"Really? Tell me what happened."

I patiently step her through the events of yesterday, from my realization that she was missing, to getting the information from the witnesses, to seeing the Kozlowski house and finally putting two and two together.

"Oh my God," she gasps, "it was Spencer? He was, like, five years older than Bethany and I only met him a few times." She's quiet for a few seconds. "So how did Kira save your life?"

I explain the negotiations between Spencer and myself. I've had enough practice by now to get good at it.

"You wouldn't actually have pulled the trigger, though, would you?"

"Of course I would have. It was the only way. That is, until you... I mean, Kira, bit him."

"She did what?"

I do some more explaining. "I still don't know how she was able to fake being unconscious the whole time," I finish. "She did an amazing job."

"What happened after she bit him?"

I explain it to her exactly the way I did to the police, leaving out only our decision to kill Spencer in cold blood. I'm now the only one on earth who knows about that. I'm still torn on whether to tell Anna. I want to be honest with my beloved wife, but I don't see how burdening her with my actions has any benefit for us. And there was the promise I made to Kira never to tell...

"Spencer's dead?" Teri's voice is one measure sad and one measure hopeful.

"Yeah, he is. I wish I hadn't had to kill him," I say, which is true only in the sense that I wish he had never hurt Teri/Kira, necessitating my actions. I have zero guilt over the act itself.

"I'm sad for Bethany," Teri says. "Spencer was the only immediate family she had left."

I make no comment on Bethany. I guess I'm sad for her too, but I'm not happy that it took me to figure the puzzle out. For three years she'd known that Teri was missing at the exact same times that her brother was home alone. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I don't have any intention of digging into it. Best to leave sleeping dogs lie.

"By the way," I say instead, "Kira made a video for you a little while ago. It's on your phone."

"I'll watch it. Thank you for saving me, Peter," she says softly.

"It was what I promised, Teri."

I go back to the driver's seat and resume our southward trek.

As I drive, I think about Kira's latest visit. Indeed, the poor girl had had so little time. Sure, her body has gone on, and it's only a day's worth of memories that have been lost, but to her, it was everything.

For the thousandth time, I try to imagine how I would feel, knowing that the person I was today was going to be wiped away, only to be replaced by the person I was yesterday. How is losing our current memories any different than death? And to know it's coming? I don't know that I could be as brave as Kira. Any Kira.

Eventually, I call Anna and give her the latest update. We've talked half a dozen times since last night.

"Do you think she's going to be okay?" she asks, her deep concern obvious.

"So far so good. This was the smoothest transition I've seen her make from Kira to Teri. I think Dr. Jenson was onto something when he told me that her abductor's death could change things for her."

"I hope that's what's going on," she says.

"So Anna, how are you doing?"

"Oh, our kids have been kicking me all day. We've definitely got a couple of punters on our hands."

I long to be with her. "Anna, I can't wait to get home to you," I tell her simply.

"And I want you here with me. Give me a call when you get close. I love you, Peter."

"I love you too, Anna."

* * * * *

A couple of hours after her transition, Teri timidly opens the bedroom door and peeks out. Then she makes her way to the passenger seat. It's got to help that the motorhome is familiar territory for her.

"How are you feeling?" I'm tentatively encouraged by her quick progress. She's done in two hours what took her two weeks the last time.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to leave the bedroom for a long time, but I watched the video. That really helped."

"Just what I was thinking," I say. "In four or five hours we'll be home and be with Anna again."

"Home," she says, then smiles. "I guess it really does feel like home now."

* * * * *

I call Anna when we enter the greater Miami area. The sound of my voice wakes Teri, who's been curled up in the passenger seat, snoring lightly. As soon as I get off the phone, she starts texting back and forth with Anna.

The last few miles seem to take forever, but I hit the remote to open the gate just before ten o'clock. Teri is good with us parking in the circle drive in front of the house for now, rather than my opening gates and parking in the comforting safety of the backyard. We don't bother with luggage or anything, just getting out and walking toward the front door.

Teri surprises me by giving me the signal that she'd like me to pick her up. Teri has always shied away from even incidental physical contact with me, but I don't hesitate, gingerly scooping her up and sitting her into the crook of my arm. The feel of her lissome body against mine is wonderful. I like these changes in Teri.

Anna is waiting for us at the door, wearing a flowing robe that does little to disguise that she's really, really pregnant. I nearly melt. She's never looked more beautiful to me. Her eyes widen a little at seeing that I'm carrying Teri. She hugs the both of us as best she can with the kids in the way. I get a very nice kiss on the lips, then Teri gets a quick peck on the cheek, which she returns to Anna.

"You guys must be exhausted," Anna says.

"It was a long drive," I admit.

"Didn't seem that long to me," Teri says with an impish grin.

"Yeah," I chuckle, "because you were only there for the last few hours of it."

Anna smiles and rolls her eyes. "My mom just headed over to the guesthouse for the night," she says. "She wanted us to have some privacy, but she stuck something in the oven before she left. Anyone interested in a late-night snack?"

"I'm always up for that," I say.

"Me too," Teri adds.

We head for the kitchen just as a timer dings, and Anna pulls some hot, gooey brownies from the oven. They smell heavenly. I snag a carton of Death by Chocolate and the three of us dive in. Ah, the simple pleasures in life.

As we indulge, we all get caught up on the events of the week. Anna's got questions about the kidnapping and rescue. Teri and I get to hear about Anna's adventures with her prenatal checkups. (Everything is still going well.) I like her stories a lot better.

At last our spoons have scraped the last little bit of brownie and ice cream from our bowls. Teri yawns, and the contagion spreads to Anna and me.

"Look," I say sheepishly, "why don't you two head off to your beds. I'm going to put the motorhome back in its spot and check the security systems." I look at my lovely wife. "I'll join you in about twenty minutes."

Then Teri pipes up. "Peter, would you mind if I tried sleeping with you guys tonight?"

Even with how much better Teri's been doing, that catches me by surprise, but from the look on Anna's face, this was probably something she and Teri talked about when they were texting earlier. Her expression mirrors Teri's question. Mine must be displaying my surprise and delight.

"Teri," I say, "our home is your home, and you're always welcome in our bed." Both girls smile at my response. Like I ever would have said anything else.

It only takes a few minutes to get the motorhome parked where it belongs and to carry in our suitcases. The boxes of Teri's stuff can wait until morning.

After that, I go to the Security room and scroll through the surveillance logs, making sure that nothing untoward has happened in my absence. It all looks good, but first thing tomorrow I'm going to call in the big guns and have them figure out just how Spencer was able to hack us. I turn out the lights and head for the bedroom.

Anna and Teri are already under a sheet in bed when I arrive, chatting animatedly. I slip into the bathroom. While I'm showering, I debate what to wear to bed. My usual sleeping attire is obviously out of the question, but I really don't feel like digging out the long pajamas I wore the first night in Mexico. Do I even still have those? Looks like it's going to be boxers and a T-shirt.

Ten minutes later, when I come out of the bathroom, the room is lit only with our small red nightlight. Teri has her long brunette hair spilling out across her pillow, looking so much like Kira that it hurts. She's in the middle of the bed, with Anna next to her. My wife's eyes are closed and I can't tell if she's already asleep. I slide under the covers on my side as smoothly as I can, not wanting to wake her.

"Goodnight, girls," I whisper.

"Goodnight," they both whisper back.

"Peter," Teri murmurs, "would you hold me?"

"Of course," I say smoothly, as if anything that's happened since Teri woke has been par for the course. I scoot toward the middle, but when my fingertips brush across her hip, I get a surprise. I reflexively withdraw my hand. Teri's nude.

I stop scooting. She's close enough that I can feel the heat from her little body, but we aren't touching. "Wow," I murmur.

"I always told you guys I would try to be brave," she says. "It's still not easy, but knowing for sure that I'm safe really helps. Now I can talk myself into doing things I would never have done before."

Anna scoots closer to Teri and me. "That's wonderful," she says, "but we don't want you to push yourself beyond your comfort limits."

"But if I don't push," she says, "I won't make progress. Trust me, I'm only going to do things I think I can handle, and that I really want to do."

"Okay," I murmur, placing my hand on the warm, smooth skin of her hip. I start to scoot closer, but then she speaks again.

"Peter, I know you don't usually sleep with your clothes on. It's okay with me if you want to take them off."

"Thanks," I say simply, now beyond surprise at Teri's novel actions. As smoothly as I can under the circumstances, I remove my shirt and boxers, leaving them on the bed behind me. Before I can move closer, Teri wiggles and snuggles up against me. I wrap my arm around her just as if she's Kira, then take a calculated risk by cupping her little breast. She stiffens for a long moment, but then relaxes.

"Is this okay?" I ask belatedly. Forgiveness is always easier than permission.

"Yeah, it actually feels really good."

I realize now that my manhood has hardened and it's pressing firmly into her ass crack. That's got to be a little more than she wants.

Sure enough, and before I can scoot away, I feel her reach down behind herself. Part of me thinks she's going to push my hips away from her, but instead, she takes me in her hand. I feel her lift her upper leg, then guide me into the triangle between her crotch and thighs. She closes her legs, encasing all but the tip of me in her warm flesh.

"Peter, Anna," Teri says, "I love you guys more than I can say. Will you make love to me?"

"Do you think you're ready for that?" Anna asks.

"I want to see what's possible, that is, if you want to."

"Of course we do," I say, "but we don't want to rush you. You're still a virgin."

"And I'm ready to stop being a virgin. Being here with you and Anna is the perfect time for that to happen."

"Okay then," I say softly. "Did you have anything specific in mind, or do you want to just play this by ear?"

"I don't want us to shift at all. I love being held safe in your arms. This is how I want it to be, if we can do it this way."

"Sure, this will work just fine."

I begin to lightly stroke Teri's breast, thinking through what she might like as foreplay.

"Peter, I know you're really good at that kind of stuff," Teri says, "but this time I just really need to feel you moving down there."

"Are you ready for that?"

"Ever since I felt you press it up against me. Please, it's just what I need right now."

"Okay." I'm willing to play this however she wants. "We can do that."

Naturally, Anna knows exactly what to do. She reaches into the drawer of her nightstand and retrieves the tube of slippery stuff. Then she pulls the top sheet down below our hips. Guiding Teri to raise her leg momentarily, she gently coats my manhood, stroking me to make sure there's enough and that it's evenly spread, and then does the same to Teri's inner thighs and taint.

Teri lowers her leg, squeezing me tight, and I slowly begin to slide back and forth between her thighs. She shivers, then I shiver. This feels really good.

Anna turns onto her side to face us. Her obstetrician told her a couple of months ago to refrain from sexual activity. Anna was circumspect enough not to mention that she hadn't been sexually active since the week she conceived. Still, while Anna won't be getting wild and wooly, I have faith that she'll be a big part of our lovemaking.

Sure enough, Teri scrunches a little to put her ear to Anna's belly. Seeing this, I hold onto Teri and slide us down the bed so that her head is centered there. Teri wraps her arms around Anna's waist. She clings tight, drawing Anna to us.

I don't say another word, just gently thrusting.

"Oh my God," Teri murmurs. "This is so amazing."

"It is amazing, Teri. I love being with you, and you're not a virgin anymore," I whisper.

"Does it feel as good as the time you came in the shower, sliding between my thighs?"

I'm about to demur on that question, not knowing if it might be possible that Teri and Kira could be jealous of each other, but then it hits me. I come to a stop.

"How did you know about that, Teri? I've never mentioned it to anyone, and there's no recording of it." It also hasn't escaped me that Teri said, "my thighs," not "Kira's thighs."

She's silent for a long moment. "Peter, I've been having little, uh, I don't know if I would call them flashbacks, or memories of dreams or what, but since this afternoon I think I've been sensing things that happened to Kira.

"Just now, when you started thrusting, it was like a kaleidoscope of images came flooding into my mind. It's swirling around in there, totally out of my control. I'm seeing scenes that I recognize from the recordings, but from a whole new perspective. There's also a lot of other stuff. Things that weren't in the recordings."