A Glimpse of Emerald

Peri could feel Cameron's chest expand as he took a deep breath. "...I'm hiding out from the mob."

"No, seriously."

"I'm being serious, Peri," he said with cold clarity. "I'm on the run from the Dixie Mafia."

Peri felt her face fall. "No." She sat up, grabbing her pillow and holding it to her chest. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. "Seriously?"

Cameron nodded. "I don't talk about my past because I don't want anyone knowing where I came from, both for my safety and theirs. It's why I get paid in cash and don't even have a bank account. I'm as off-the-grid as one can get in this day and age."

"I..." Apprehension began to coil up inside Peri, wrapping around her like a python and giving her a firm squeeze she could almost feel in her chest. "...you're not a criminal, are you? They're not looking for you because you stole money or ran drugs, right?"

"Worse. I testified against them." Cameron pushed himself up so his back was against the headboard. "I grew up in Atlanta," he began. "My family was into real estate going back to Reconstruction. They made their money buying cheap land and selling it to developers for huge mark-ups. Business exploded after the '96 Olympics, and if there's money being made the Dixie Mafia wants their piece of the pie. These guys were smart and more vicious than a junkyard dog. They would...convince...people to sell their land below market value and my Dad would simply add 5% to whatever he sold it for and kick it back to the mob. My brother protested, but he was always overruled. All he could do was keep an eye on things and try to keep my Dad out of trouble."

"And what about you?"

"I was the black sheep of my family. I actually worked with my hands for a living." He held up a hand. Callouses crowned his fingertips and several small scars graced his palm, each one with their own story to tell. "I was a construction worker since dropping out of college. My Dad offered to pull some strings and make me a foreman but I wanted to do it the right way. I think he respected that, but I never found out."

"So what happened to put you on the run?"

"You can only pet a raccoon for so long before it's gonna turn and bite you. People started getting greedy, and my brother kept bailing water with a bucket full of holes. Eventually a deal went bad and my Dad lost money, but the mob didn't care. They had done their part, and it was up to my Dad to do his and get them their kickback. And that's when my brother started talking about going to the cops..."

Cameron fell quiet. Peri could see the turmoil behind his eyes as he tried to continue with the story. "Hey." When he turned to look at her, Peri reached up and gently cupped his cheek. "You don't have to finish. I didn't mean to make you upset."

He shook his head firmly. "It's...it's good to get this out. So once a month the entire family would get together for Sunday dinner. At one point my Dad and brother started arguing so I excused myself and went to the upstairs bathroom to take a breather. When I come out of the bathroom I hear yelling, but before I can go downstairs there's...there's this flurry of gunshots. The mob had sent two hitmen to silence my brother. They were just after my brother and didn't know my family was going to be there, but...these aren't the kind of guys who leave witnesses."

Cameron's entire body slumped like a deflated balloon. "They killed my entire family. My Dad, my Mom, my brother, and both my sisters. They even shot them in the head to make sure they were dead before walking out the patio door. The whole time I'm at the top of the stairs, just staring. If they'd just glanced up, I would have been killed too. I don't even remember calling 911, that's how out of it I was.

"Turns out it wasn't just a pair of hitmen. It was one of the mob's captains in DeKalb County and his flunkie. The FBI swooped in as soon as they heard about the case. Turns out they'd been trying to get at those guys for years but nothing managed to stick. I didn't want to testify. I knew their faces, I saw them shoot my family, and there was enough security camera footage and forensic evidence to make it an open and shut case." His body shivered as he let out a long breath. "But these guys walked right into my brother's house and shot him and my entire family in cold blood over money. What were they going to do to someone who could put one of their bigwigs away for life?"

"So what changed your mind?"

"My youngest sister. Her body was at the foot of the steps, staring up at me with these dead, lifeless eyes. I couldn't get the image of her out of my head. Just staring at me. Like she was pleading for me to avenge my family's death. I could hear her voice saying, 'all those stupid role-playing games of yours where you played the hero, and you won't step up to avenge your family?'

"So I agreed to testify. For three months I'm living in a hotel with round-the-clock FBI protection. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was a nervous wreck. But when I finally got on the stand, I felt this...sense of calm. Like I was supposed to be there. The defense lawyer couldn't poke holes in my story, and even though I was the black sheep of my family I was a squeaky clean member of society without any kind of criminal record. Both guys were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

"The FBI promised to keep an eye on me, but as soon as they didn't need me anymore they vanished. A month after the trial I started seeing the same cars parked outside my house, outside my job, even outside the bar I drank at. Then I started seeing the same guy. The one time I caught him staring at me, he just smirked and ran his thumb across his throat. The FBI wouldn't send anyone and the local police could only do so much. One night I come home and my front door's wide open and my alarm's been deactivated. The alarm company said someone had called them and used my emergency word to turn off the alarm. The house was empty, but I knew it was the mob's way of letting me know they could get me at any time."

"So what did you do?"

"I didn't even wait an hour. I threw some clothes in a backpack, grabbed every single bit of cash I had and left the house like I was going to get a late night snack to calm my nerves. I got to 7-11, took out as much cash as I could from the ATM, and drove out to I-75 on my way to Florida. As soon as I got to Tampa I went to the bank and withdrew the rest of my money, dumped all my credit cards after maxing out my cash advance, smashed my cell phone and tossed it in the trash, bought a Greyhound ticket to St Louis, and from there took a bus to Colorado. Once I got to Glenwood Springs I took the shuttle to Aspen and hitched a ride down to Emerald Pines." He spread his hands. "And there you have it."

"Why here, though? Out of all the places in the country how did a construction worker from Atlanta hear about a little ski resort town in Colorado?"

Cameron chuckled. "A few weeks before...before everything happened, I got lucky and met this woman at a party. Older woman, mid seventies, long hair, bandana around her forehead, and beads down to her stomach. Real hippie type, like the '60s never died..."

"Ellie Layton?" Cameron raised an eyebrow at Peri's question. "Sorry," she apologized, "just...you just described Ellie to a tee. Plus she owns Thrifty by Design, and I kind of figured out you worked there."

"Nice Investigation check. Anyway, Ellie was passing through the city visiting an old friend from college. She came with her friend's granddaughter to the party on a whim and we ended up on the roof just talking and smoking for several hours. At some point she mentioned that she lived in this place called Emerald Pines. It was the first and only time I'd ever heard of it so I had no connection, no ties, no way for anyone in Atlanta to trace me here. It was a longshot, but it was the only shot I had. She had made a joke about living on Nutmeg Street, so I walked over, asked around until someone pointed out her house, and knocked on the door." This time Cameron's laugh held some mirth in it. "When she answered the door, she took one look at me and said 'Cameron, you came a long way just to get high with me.'"

Peri offered a laugh of her own. "I can hear her saying those exact words."

"Well, I did get high with her. It calmed me down enough to explain my situation, and she immediately took me in. She hired me to work in her store, paid me under the table so I didn't have a W-2, and even got me a cell phone under her name. Since then I've done everything I could to stay off the grid. I haven't even looked at my social media because I'm afraid it'll say 'Cameron Forbeck has logged in from Emerald Pines, Colorado.'"

"Do you really think these Dixie Mafia guys will come looking for you?"

"They would come here in a heartbeat if they knew where I was. Their number one rule is 'thou shall not snitch to the cops'. Considering my testimony put away two of their guys for life..." He reached up and rubbed his face. "This is why I didn't want to say anything. You and Ellie are the only people who know my story. It's not that I don't trust you Peri, it's just..."

"Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead," she responded. "You're afraid someone will accidentally say something to give you away."

"Yeah, but I'm also afraid of putting them in the line of fire. Like, someone might come looking for you looking for me."

Peri reached out and took Cameron's hand, intertwining her fingers with his and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "My lips are sealed. You...what happened to you was horrible, Cameron. I couldn't imagine having to drop my entire life and run to a new town to live with a complete stranger. I promise, I won't say a word to anyone, not to Mark, not even to Ellie if I run into her. And I won't Google your name either." Peri sighed and gave her friend a soft smile. "Thank you for trusting me. I promise, I'll keep your secret safe."

Cameron lifted her hand to his lips. Peri almost shivered as he lightly kissed the back of her hand. "And thank you for listening. And forgive me if I came off as defensive and standoffish during the past few months."

"Forgiveness accepted but not required," she told him, keeping hold of his hand. The faint chirping of birds could be heard through the bedroom window as they lay in bed, neither of them speaking for several minutes. "I got burned in the summer between ninth and tenth grade," she eventually told Cameron. "My older cousin would have these big huge BBQ's on a regular basis, and one night I tripped and fell face first into a fire pit."

Peri ran the back of her burned hand along the left side of her body. "I was lucky I didn't lose an eye. I got third degree burns from my ear down to my waist as well as all along my left arm. I spent a good six months in the Children's Hospital burn unit in Aurora. It...it hurt. A lot. They had to debride me before every skin graft, and those weren't a picnic either." She motioned to her face. "It's a miracle I ended up looking THIS good."

Cameron nodded sympathetically. "I have one question, if that's OK. Does it still hurt?"

"Nope. The only time it hurts is if I let the skin dry out, but I put Vaseline on in the mornings and moisturizer before I go to bed."

The silence that fell between them was accompanied by soft laughter and nervous grins. Peri's fingers traced a path along Cameron's forearm as she mentally weighed her options. "So, do you have any plans for today," she asked cautiously.

He shook his head. "I have today off, just like you."

"Good. Good." Taking advantage of a temporary burst of courage, Peri leaned forward several inches. Cameron immediately did the same. They stared into each other's eyes, neither one of them daring to move, until Cameron closed the distance and kissed her.

It was like she had been struck by lightning. The soft, gentle feeling of his lips against hers sent an electric charge racing through Peri's body. It had been nearly three years since she kissed a man, which meant she returned Cameron's kiss with a clumsy, eager passion. It didn't take long for them to find their rhythm, however. Cameron grabbed Peri's nightshirt and pulled her down on top of him. She braced her hands against the mattress while he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. When he began making his way along her neck, each kiss was a shock to her system. His tongue against the hollow of her throat was enough to send a shiver from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. Her lips drifted over the boundary of her scar without hesitation. She felt his tongue drag over the ruined skin with the same intensity and passion he had shown earlier.

Peri felt Cameron's growing erection press against her. Her response was to grab madly at his tank top. She practically tore it over his head before ravishing his neck. Cameron writhed underneath her as she laid a minefield of kisses along his neck and shoulder.

She could feel Cameron grip the fabric of her nightshirt before he began pulling. There was no fear of embarrassment as Peri stretched her arms out, allowing him to strip the garment from her body, leaving her clad only in a simple pair of high-waisted blue panties. The vast scar dominated the left half of her upper body, covering her skin in a ruined patchwork of red, white, and pink textures. Even as her nightshirt fell to the floor his hands were eagerly exploring Peri's exposed body. Her pouty breasts were crowned with swollen nipples, and the mere sensation of Cameron's fingers brushing against them sent a jolt of pleasure through her that amplified her longing and drove her to give him a long, firm, passionate kiss. Cameron's pendant occasionally brushing against her skin was a welcome reminder that Peri wasn't dreaming.

The more their lips danced together, the more Peri found herself surrendering to her more basic urges. Maybe it was how long it had been since she last had sex. Maybe it was because Cameron's slender body appealed to her and his rough hands caused her to tremble each time he ran them up and down her naked back. Maybe it was how he saw...or didn't see...the burn that physically defined her. Or maybe it was the simple human need to comfort him after telling her his tragic story. Her kisses became fiercer, with her tongue slipping into his mouth. Her nipples were as hard as diamond. Each time she rubbed them against Cameron's chest, it sent an anticipatory thrill through her. And her panties were almost certainly soaked through. She could feel the fabric clinging to her lips, and she desired nothing more than for Cameron to peel them from her body.

Eventually Peri boldly slipped her hand into Cameron's boxers. A low groan escaped from Cameron when she wrapped her fingers around his stiff manhood. It was hot in her hand, like a piece of metal left out in the summer sun. Without quite realizing it, Peri began stroking Cameron's penis even as she continued to kiss him. When he arched his back, hissing with pleasure, her lips sucked on his neck. Cameron's breath grew heavy at her touch. His forearm tensed as he dug his fingers into a nearby pillow.

It was her hand that was driving Cameron crazy. The realization caused Peri to redouble her efforts. His manhood was adamantine between her fingers - hard, straight, unyielding. Trapped underneath Cameron's boxer-briefs, her hand glided quickly and somewhat roughly along his shaft. "Oh God," Cameron panted, "if you keep doing that Peri I'm going to..."

She traded speed for tightness, relishing the slickness beginning to coat Cameron's manhood as she stroked him. Cameron's verbal response was lost to the ages, but his physical response was to grab Peri by her blonde hair and pull her close to give her a scorching kiss.

Somewhere during their kiss, Cameron began shaking. His head fell back on his pillow while he began lifting his hips to meet Peri's strokes. His breath escaped in short, quick hitches before Cameron inhaled deeply. A second later Peri felt his penis twitch as drops of liquid warmth coated her fingers. She slackened her grip, keeping her fingers still, as Cameron spilled against the fabric of his boxer briefs.

Once the flow had stopped, Peri carefully pulled her hand free. "Going to do that?" All Cameron could do was nod, causing Peri to chuckle as she took hold of his underwear. "Let's get these dirty clothes off of you." Cameron lifted his hips, assisting her in pulling his boxer briefs down his legs. His softening penis was a light red color, slick with his own essence.

After using some hand wipes from her nightstand to clean off as best they could, Peri gently scratched her fingernails along the top of his thigh. "Well, that was a pleasant series of events," she gently teased.

"Yeah." He reached down to caress her hip. "Considering I slept over last night and shared something traumatic with you, the brakes were already coming off. Besides, it was taking every single bit of willpower I had not to kiss you every time we got together." Cameron crossed his legs and rested his hands in his lap as he sat up. "It was the look on your face when you showed me the dragon you had painted. After everything I had gone through in the past year..."

He glanced down at the bed. "I'm still trying to process what happened to my family. I haven't had the time or the emotional capacity to do it, with the trial and then running for my life. Then I saw you...and you were just GUSHING about that green dragon. Peri, it's one of the best painted miniatures I've ever seen. And you were so genuinely happy and proud of it. You weren't bragging, you weren't showing off, you just really wanted me to see it."

He took the rough emerald around his neck and held it away from his body. "All because of this. All because of a pendant my Mom gave me on my sixteenth birthday. Knowing I was responsible for inspiring you to paint that dragon, I wanted nothing more to walk over and kiss you right there."

Peri ran the back of her fingers along the scarred skin adorning the left side of her face. "Even with this?"

"It weirded me out at first, but now?" He reached out to gently run his fingers through the blonde hair covering her burned ear. "It's a part of you. Just like your hair, just like your smile, just like your laugh, it's part of who you are. I'm always going to notice it, but I stopped seeing it the night we went to the movies together. What I see now is a strong woman who owns her own business and paints some superbly beautiful figures."

From the sincerity in his voice and the affection in his eyes, there was no doubt in Peri's mind that Cameron spoke the utter truth. Without saying a word Peri slid her white panties from her body, revealing a trimmed glory trail of blonde hair. She tossed them over the side of the bed before scooching forward and crawling onto Cameron's lap. Her legs wrapped around his hip as she kissed him. He immediately responded by crossing his arms across her lower back, holding her body to his.

Peri's passion had ebbed during their conversation. But at the mere touch of his lips against hers, it was like someone had hooked her libido to a fusion reactor and turned the dials to 110%. Her fingers clutched at Cameron's hair as he lashed her stiff nipple with his tongue, sparking intense feelings of pure lust. With her entire focus on Cameron's tongue, she barely registered his hand slipping around to her stomach, making its way downward, tracing a path over her patch of golden hair...

Peri shook like she was being electrocuted as Cameron ran his finger over the fleshy button atop her womanhood. Making slow, lazy circles with his calloused fingertip, he sent a study buzz of euphoria through her lower body, amping her arousal to near overload, making her crave having him inside of her.