Civic Duty

"What happened?"

"There were two women there, an older one and one in her late 20s or early 30s, blonde braids, large hoop earrings."

"That's Sharon, Kari's mother. The other woman was probably Sharon's mom."

"They were lying in the bed, dead. Then this guy came out of nowhere, he pointed a gun at me—"

"Oh my God."

"Then that woman called for her daughter and came into the house. Thank God for nosey neighbors."

I tried a smile but couldn't pull it off. Lisa closed her eyes tightly for a moment. When she opened those amazing hazel-green eyes, tears spilled from them.

"You could have been killed."

"I'm okay now. What are you going to do?"

She shook her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I don't know. Maybe try the police? I don't know. I can't let them kill that little girl."

"Does she have any other family?"

"Not to my knowledge."

We were silent for a moment. My mind was racing, trying to think of a solution. I could only think of one.

"What about the money in New York? Does anyone else know about it?"

"No."

"We should go to New York. And then you should probably think of leaving...permanently."

I watched her comb trembling fingers through her silky, dark locks. She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You realize you can't go back, right?"

The words shook me. I don't think I'd thought about it. They now knew I was with her, knew I was helping, knew I probably knew about the murder. They knew where I lived, knew my name...she was right, I couldn't go home.

"I'm sorry Kenni."

I couldn't think of anything to say, and certainly nothing that would make anyone feel better. My entire life was over because a woman bumped into me and knocked a pizza out of my hand. My job, my apartment...Jesus.

"Let's get back on the road," I offered instead.

And so we did. I offered to drive this time. We made our way to a familiar highway and then drove north. A few hours later, adrenaline was still pumping through my veins so I continued to drive. I took a quick look in back, Kari was awake, staring silently out of the window. I glanced over at the passenger's seat, Lisa was sleeping. My mouth went dry just looking at her again. Her honey-brown skin, the shoulder length black, silky hair, tangled into a mess from her habit of running nervous fingers through it. Those long thick, dark lashes, kissing her cheeks as she slept. Her full pouting lips slightly open, absolutely kissable. I thought of the last time I'd seen those absolutely amazing hazel-green eyes, filled with worry and sorrow. What had started as a good will gesture had almost ended in my death and here I was still lusting after this stunningly attractive creature. What was wrong with me?

"Aunt Kenni?"

The young voice surprised me a little, chasing thoughts of Lisa's deliciously lush body from my mind. I glanced into the rear view mirror. Kari had been crying and my heart went out to her. I wasn't sure when she began calling me "aunt."

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Where are we going?"

"To New York."

She was silent for a moment as she glanced out of the window again. The sun had set so there wasn't much to see.

"Will my Mom be there?"

An invisible vice reached in and grabbed my heart, squeezing hard. I didn't want to lie to this little girl, she'd been through enough. I didn't want to tell her the truth either, it was just too horrifying. She was alone in the world now, with a virtual stranger who was not her family to look after her. Did any five-year-old need to hear that? I sighed before answering.

"No sweetheart, she won't be there."

More silence. I could see her putting the puzzle pieces together.

"Is she dead Aunt Kenni?"

I answered before I changed my mind, "yes sweetheart."

I checked the rear view mirror a few times as silenced settled between us. She was staring out of the window again and I saw her wiping away tears periodically. I wanted to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay, but it would have been a lie. I had no idea if everything would be okay. I prayed they didn't know about Ricky's money in New York and I hoped Lisa had a back up plan. And it was time I started thinking about myself. I had a few thousand saved, but it wasn't enough for a clean start anywhere. And my mother was probably going nuts, considering she had not heard from me since Tuesday. I had to figure out how I was going to put my life back together. But glancing into the rear view mirror, watching that haunted look on such a young face, I couldn't think about myself. The image of that sad little face would stay with me forever.

I drove through the night, too worried to sleep. Kari had fallen asleep again after a while and Lisa woke to check in with me a few times, but I wasn't tired. I was hopped up, anxious, worried. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. How could I make sure these two stayed alive? I didn't want to think of a world without them in it. There had to be an answer...

It was 5am on Saturday morning when I finally pulled over. I needed a shower and a change of clothes. And none of us had eaten in quite some time. I didn't feel tired, but I knew I had to give my body a rest in all fairness. We pulled our things from the trunk, registered under phony names (a willingness to pay double for a room in cash let us do that for some reason) and quickly settled into the hotel room. Two king-sized beds this time. I let Lisa and Kari have the bathroom first while I ordered room service. When Lisa sent Kari out in a towel, I quickly dried her off and changed her into her pajamas. The food arrived as Lisa was shutting off the shower. Kari gobbled her hamburger and fries down as she watched cartoons. I paced the room a little restlessly, ignoring the sandwich I'd ordered, still unable to settle down. I hoped a hot shower would help.

When Lisa stepped from the bathroom, wrapped in nothing more than one of those skimpy towels, I forced my brain to shut down the surge of hunger I felt for her. This woman had enough on her plate without some dyke hitting on her. I had to get my adrenaline and my hormones in check. I stripped down in the bathroom and stepped under a biting, hot spray. I felt great, but I knew it would not soothe me. I wasn't sure what I needed to be able to sleep for a few hours. Maybe I should have ordered a drink.

I was drying off quite some time later when I heard a tap at the door. She didn't wait for me to answer, instead slipping into the steamy bathroom and closing the door behind her. I noticed she locked it. Maybe she had something she wanted to discuss without Kari around?

"Kari?" This kid was forever on my mind. I wanted to make sure she wouldn't get into anything while we talked.

"She's asleep."

I nodded, continuing to dry off. I hadn't brought any clothes into the bathroom with me, so I wrapped a towel around myself, slightly amused when it didn't even cover my entire ass. I glanced over at her as I put toothpaste on my toothbrush.

"What's up?"

There was something in those beautiful hazel-green eyes, something different. I picked up on it only a second before she moved into me. I dropped the toothbrush without a second thought and pulled her against me. My lips were on hers suddenly, hungry, demanding, punishing. This woman had ruined my life. Everything I knew, everything I'd worked for, gone. If this was all she had to offer me, I would take it.

My arms curved around her appetizingly ripe figure, hungry for the feel of her. I impatiently slipped the oversized tee she'd bought to sleep in over her head, tossing it onto the floor and drawing her to me once again. She reached out to remove my towel and the feel of her velvety skin against me sent a jolt of electricity right through me. I didn't think, I didn't care. I wanted her, craved her, needed her. I lifted her up onto the counter, taking what I wanted from her. The kiss grew more heated, more demanding, my hands were all over her, enjoying the silkiness of her arms, the fullness of her hips, the weight of her breasts. I seized a hardened nipple between thumb and forefinger, twisting, enjoying the gasp of pain mixed with pleasure that was forced from her. My mouth followed suit and I impatiently captured the other nipple. I could feel her trembling beneath me, her hands curving around my neck, her nails digging into my back. The pain of her nails, of my teeth on her nipple, fueled the fire between us. I couldn't wait anymore, I wanted to taste her. I pushed her back against the mirror, unconcerned with the shocking feel of the cold mirror against her heated flesh. My fingers dug into her hips, roughly jerking them to the edge of the bathroom counter. I knelt before her, spreading her thighs wide, plunging in.

The shadow of doubt I had about her level of excitement, about whether or not I was moving too fast, disappeared. Her thighs were slicked with her arousal and I quickly lapped up the sweet honey as I made my way to her center. I heard the harsh intake of breath when my mouth found her, my tongue lashing at her pearl, her hands pulling my head closer, deeper. The taste of her settled sweetly on my tongue and I savored it, delighting in her. She was panting, her hips pumping into my face, and I knew she was close. I wanted to make her come, wanted to feel her thighs quivering around me. When she finally exploded in my mouth, I hungrily drank the milk flowing so freely from her. She bucked wildly, but I held her hips steady, continuing to enjoy the taste of her. I felt her settle down, but I didn't give her a moment to even catch her breath. Seconds later she tensed again, grabbing my ears as she rode the next wave. I have no idea how many times she came before I realized she was whimpering incoherently above me.

I had to force myself to let her go, stepping back and allowing myself to take a deep, cleansing breath. I was deliciously tense, I could feel how aroused I was, but I knew I would be able to sleep now. She had allowed me to release some of the tension that had me so wired. I wiped my face on a towel, enjoying the look of her, exhausted and spent, slouching on the bathroom counter as she tried to catch her breath. I retrieved her oversized tee, helping her back into it. Then I sent her out of the bathroom, taking a few moments to calm myself down. God, this woman was in my blood. And not only was she going to have to disappear in order to save her own life, I was going to have to let her go. I shook my head, glancing at myself in the mirror. Jesus, my life was really fucked up.

She was already asleep when I stepped from the bathroom, curled up beside Kari on one of the beds. I gathered their dishes, quietly setting the tray outside of the door and hanging the do not disturb sign on the knob. I collapsed onto the other bed and was sleeping within minutes.

*

Images of her ran through my brain as I slept. Of her naked, sliding into the bed behind me, curving against my lean frame, caressing, exploring, arousing. I felt her mouth on my shoulders, my back, her hands on my breasts, her pelvis spooned against my ass. It only took a moment to reignite the fire, to set me off. I turned to face her, realizing I wasn't dreaming. We were under the covers, it was hot, uncomfortable, but I didn't care. I was hoping Kari was asleep, but I didn't spend more than a second on the thought. I wanted her again. This time I wanted to take my time, to delve into the lushness of her slowly. She had other plans, her head already dipping to find me, tasting of me. I was still aroused from the earlier exchange, so she had only to suck my hardness into her mouth before I clutched the bed sheets in my fists, delighting in the waves crashing over me. I pulled her up, molding her to my frame, caressing her silken curves, laving at her breasts. She was biting her bottom lip to keep from moaning. My fingers traveled the length of her, arousing her further. I buried one finger into her creamy heat, then another, fucking her gently, my thumb worrying her clit. She clung to me desperately, her head thrashing from side to side, little mewls of pleasure escaping from her periodically. As much as I wanted to spend hours making love to this woman, I knew Kari would be awake soon if she wasn't already. I slid a third finger into her, picking up the pace of my thumb, holding her to me tightly as her body tensed, shuddering violently, her breath warm against my cheek. I kissed her then, as she fell back down to earth, deeply, intensely, pouring my soul into her. I wanted her to know we'd shared something special in the few days we'd had together. I wanted her to long for me as I would long for her. I realized she was crying when I felt the wetness against my cheeks. I wiped her tears and held her close.

*

She was in the shower when Kari finally woke. We ordered breakfast and hit the road as soon as possible. We found ourselves in New York around 11:30pm. The bus station was empty for the most part. We had no problem locating the locker. I didn't know what I expected, perhaps 8 huge duffle bags filled with money. There was only a small leather satchel. I grew nervous for a moment, but once we were seated in the car again, she pulled out $50,000 in cash and some papers with a bunch of numbers on them. Overseas bank accounts, she told me, totaling over $5 million. Ricky had not lied to her. There were also passports and birth certificates with phony names, one for each of them.

Before I could change my mind, before I could beg her to stay, I drove them to the airport. She bought the tickets while Kari and I played video games. An hour later, I walked them to their gate. We agreed it was best if I didn't know where they were going, just in case they caught up with me. I hugged them both to me tightly, swallowing tears. It had been less than a week and I felt I was losing two of the most important people in my life.

When I put Kari down, Lisa leaned in for a kiss, a tender farewell between the two of us.

"Thank you."

She whispered to me and I knew the words were filled with everything we would never be able to say to one another. I didn't wait to see the plane taxi down the runway, knowing my heart would only ache more as I watched them go. If it wasn't for my mother, I might have gone with them. Instead, I removed the plates, stickers and registration from my vehicle, leaving it abandoned, and hailed a cab. She'd given me most of the cash and I decided to spoil myself rotten, checking into the Waldorf Astoria for a night. I ordered a massage and a bottle of whiskey. It was going to be a long night. And tomorrow? I had to find a place to live and begin looking for a job.

*

Three months later, I was living in another spacious studio apartment, this time in Harlem. It wasn't as nice as my apartment in Philadelphia, but it was nice. I'd met a few friends, one of them with enough connections to get me a driver's license, birth certificate, and passport with a new name. I had found a new job, one that actually paid more than I was earning before. I sent my mother $10,000. It was the best I could do considering I had to sever ties with her for a while. I didn't know if they were watching her and I didn't want to cause her any harm. I wrote her a letter and mailed it to a friend in California, who then mailed it to my mother. I explained what happened and told her I would be in touch from time to time. I warned her not to throw away letters without return addresses.

Things went back to normal pretty quickly. I liked my new job (we could actually bring knickknacks in for our cubicles), I liked my new friends and Iloved weekday shopping in New York City. My old routines were reestablished rather quickly. Then one day, while I was paying bills on-line, I realized there had been a rather substantial amount of money deposited into my account. I thought it was a banking error, but after days of chatting back and forth with various bank personnel, I realized it was a legitimate deposit. Someone had deposited $250,000 into my account from a Swiss bank. I didn't have to think hard about who it might be. Images of her flashed through my mind, especially the one of her, sexually spent, on the bathroom counter. I wasn't sure how she had found me considering the name change, but I smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time and hoped they were both okay.

*

A year later, I met a very nice woman. Not nearly as intoxicating as Lisa, but sweet just the same. We moved in together. It was around that time that I received the first envelope. No return address and no letter inside, just a picture of an adorable milk chocolate, chubby little girl, about six years old, with long pig-tails, wearing a cute pink and white dress. Kari. She had changed so much. She was so tall and her hair was longer. She looked happy. Over the next few years, I received such photos from time to time. Kari riding a bike, attending birthday parties, riding a horse, skiing. I never did see either one of them again, but I knew they were safe and alive and that was enough for me. It had to be.