Safe Harbor

David looked down at Danni. In the brighter light of the living room, he noticed something he hadn't before. There were faint scars running down Danni's back. He traced one with his finger. She stiffened, then turned to him, memories of fear and pain evident on her face.

"Don't ask," was all she said.

"Ok, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

"Thank you...maybe someday."

It was getting late. They went back to the bedroom and got into bed. Spooning against Danni's warm naked body, idly fondling her breasts, David thought, "I could get used to this."

His alarm went off at 4 am. Danni turned and looked at David pleadingly. David laughed, "Oh, hell no!" He shut off the alarm. The lobsters could wait another day. David's rock hard erection pressed against Danni's ass. She reached back and steered the tip to her vagina. David fucked her from behind. After they both orgasmed, they fell asleep again with David still inside her.

The sun was streaming in when David awoke again. His hand was throbbing. He looked over at Danni. She was still asleep. She was lying on her back, uncovered down to her stomach, her tousled curly hair spread out like a halo around her head. God, she is beautiful, David thought. A patch of bright sunlight was working its way up her abdomen. Her skin practically glowed under it. He noticed faint scars here, too. Smaller and even fainter than the ones on her back, but if he looked hard for them, they were there. There were even some on her breasts, near the nipples. What the hell had this poor girl been through?

"They're called breasts...you've never seen any before?" a newly awakened Danni teased him.

"Never any quite so beautiful," David said. He truly meant it, despite the fact that he had actually been looking for more telltale scars.

He leaned in and kissed her. He heard a whine from behind him and turned to see Sampson by the side of the bed, pleading to go out.

"Mood killer...c'mon old man, let's go out before you pee on the floor."

David threw on some clothes and took Sampson out. When David returned, Danni had pulled back the curtains and was stretching lazily in front of the bedroom window, the bright sunlight outlining her entire naked body.

"Wow!"

Danni turned to David, "I'm starving."

"Well, I've got bagels or...well, that's just about it, actually. Or we could go to Walter's and see what Mildred is cooking."

"I vote we go see the old gossip. 'The Works' breakfast is sounding pretty good right now."

"You want a shower first?"

"No, I am way too hungry to wait."

David thought about it and realized that was probably the best choice if she was that hungry. He doubted they would make it through a shower without having sex again. Just thinking about wet soapy hands wandering over bare skin..."stop, stop it, David", the thought to himself, "think about bacon and eggs."

"Ummm...David? I just realized I don't have any clothes, except my dress from last night."

David rummaged in the back of his spare bedroom closet and found an old box with some clothes that had been his daughter's. Danni found a flannel shirt and an old pair of sweatpants. They were big on her, but it would have to do. Danni needed several pairs of socks to keep Renee's old pair of sneakers from falling off when she walked.

"Ah, new love," Mildred said with a nostalgic sigh when she saw them. "Look at you," she said to Danni, "all tousled hair and borrowed clothes...every man's dream. Probably a few women's, too."

After breakfast, David dropped off Danni at the motel and went to the walk-in medical center to get his hand checked out. The pain was increasing and it was turning ugly colors. It turned out he had broken a bone. They put a waterproof cast on.

The next few days, David and Danni got back into a routine. On the boat, they needed to make a few adjustments, as the bad hand limited what David could do. Their relationship when they were working was for the most part they way it was before they became a couple. Occasionally they would steal a kiss and sometimes Danni would need to remind David of the task at hand, because she would find him simply staring longingly at her.

When they were done for the day, they would go to David's place and shower. As David had anticipated, they found it impossible to make it out of the shower without having sex. Danni slept over David's place for the first few nights, but it was too hard to keep their passions in check to allow them enough sleep. They both agreed that it would be best for their health and safety if she slept at the motel most nights.

David couldn't believe how good his life had become. He had found a beautiful, sexy girl who actually liked his simple, hard-working life and wanted to share it with him. He worried that he didn't deserve her.

David knew he needed to come clean with Danni about his history. He hadn't hid from her that he had a dark past, but he also had yet to share the details with her. He needed her to know. He needed her to accept everything about him.

Danni contemplated her new life. She loved the simple, hard-working lifestyle and more importantly, she loved David. He was honest, strong and dependable, but he could also be playful and witty. He had a secret sensitive side that was endearing. Danni worried that she didn't deserve him.

There was something more that took Danni a while to put her finger on. She realized that, for the first time in many years, she felt safe. That feeling would be shattered a few days later.

One afternoon as the Alice Marie rounded the point to head home, David turned to Danni. "Danni, I need to tell you something. It's time you understood my past. I'm an ex-con. I did five years in the pen for assault and robbery."

David proceeded to tell his story. He had gotten into drugs in high school. He started college, but dropped out after he progressed from pot, to cocaine to heroin. His life had spiraled downward until one day, desperate for his next fix, David had held up a convenience store. The owner had lunged for his gun, and in the ensuing struggle, David had shot him.

"To this day, I thank the lord that he didn't die. He was a good, hard-working family man and I nearly killed him. When I sobered up in prison, I came to grips with the magnitude of what I had done. I realized I could never forgive myself, but I could change my life. That was almost 20 years ago."

David held his breath, waiting for Danni's reaction. With tears in her eyes, she came to him and embraced him.

"I don't recognize that man you are describing from so many years ago, but I know who you are now, and that's all that matters to me. You are a good man...and I love you."

"I love you too, Danni. More than you know."

Danni and David stopped into Walter's for a snack late that afternoon. Mildred came to them immediately, looking shaken. "Danni, a man named Rocco came in this morning asking where to find you. I didn't like the looks of him, so I told him I didn't know. He said if I saw you, to tell you that you couldn't hide from him."

The color drained from Danni's face. David could see that this was bad news.

"Danni, who is he? Are you in some kind of trouble?" asked David with concern.

"No, it's fine. He's just an ex-boyfriend who can't take a hint. If I run across him, I can take care of it."

That evening, David convinced Danni to stay at his place, for safety sake.

They were on a late tide, so they did not need to be at the boatyard early. They stopped at Walter's for breakfast, then Danni went back to the motel to get clean clothes while David headed for the boatyard. When it was time to catch the tide, Danni still had not arrived. When another 15 minutes went by, David knew something was wrong. In a panic, he headed for the motel.

The door to her motel room was ajar. Danni's clothes were strewn about and there was a kitchen knife on the floor, but Danni was not there and her car was gone.

David went to the motel office and found Rochelle. She told him two men had come asking for Danni and she had directed them to Danni's room.

David didn't know what to do. He called 911. The dispatcher seemed unimpressed with David's story, but said they would send someone.

Officer Mitchell arrived 10 minutes later. "What's this about David?"

"Hello, Arthur. It's Danni, she's missing." He told Arthur the story. Arthur didn't seem overly concerned.

"Usually these things have a simple explanation. I wouldn't be too worried yet."

But David was worried...very much so. He knew something was very wrong. He felt like he needed to take action, but what could he do? Mildred...yes, Mildred knew something about Danni's past that she had been unwilling to divulge. Maybe it was related to her disappearance.

David headed back to Walter's. He burst in the front door. "Mildred, Danni's missing...I think someone has taken her. I need to know what you know about Danni's past. No more secrets."

Mildred just stood looking at him in shock.

Suddenly there was a commotion and armed men burst out from the kitchen.

"FBI! Put your hands up!"

David was thrown to the ground and cuffed.

"What's this about? Where's Danni?" David asked, bewildered.

"David Cortland, you are under arrest for the torture and murder of Jennifer Griffin."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

The FBI read him his Miranda rights, but didn't seem interested in enlightening him any further.

When they arrived at their destination, David was brought to an interrogation room and was placed at a metal desk. An agent in a suit came into the room with a folder. A uniformed officer came in with him and stood by the door.

"I'm Special Agent Wilkins. Mr. Cortland, do you know why you are here?"

"No clue. They said something about torture and murder of a Jennifer something..."

"Griffin."

"I don't understand, I'm a lobsterman, a simple fisherman, ask anyone in town."

"You have a criminal record..."

"Yes, I do. That was a long time ago. I have turned my life around. What does that have to do with this? ...and where's Danni?"

"By Danni, you mean Danielle Rogers, AKA Lacey?"

"Yes! She's gone missing this morning. I'm worried she's in danger."

"What is your relationship with Miss Rogers?"

"She works for me. She's my deckhand. She's also the love of my life."

"How touching," said Wilkins sarcastically.

Wilkins tossed three photos on the table. They showed a naked woman; bound, gagged and bloody. Her face had a bluish tint and she was obviously dead. David turned away. It was awful to look at.

"Tell me about her."

David forced himself to look at the photos again and studied the woman's face. "I don't recognize her."

"What happened? She got too old? The market dried up for her so you killed her? Maybe it was an accident. The torture scene got too extreme and you accidentally killed her."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." David was baffled, but whatever this was about was very disturbing.

"If you don't know her, care to explain why your fingerprints were in her car?"

Wilkins dropped two more photos on the table. The dented blue Taurus with the "This car climbed Mt. Washington" bumper sticker looked familiar. It took a few moments for David to recall.

"I broke down on I95 a couple of months ago. It was a nasty night, pouring rain and windy. Stupid me, I had left my cell phone at home, so I was walking in the breakdown lane to get to the next exit. That car stopped for me. The woman who was driving gave me a lift to the truck stop at the next exit. I never got a good look at her. It was dark and she didn't seem to want to make eye contact. I was just grateful for the ride."

Special Agent Wilkins threw another dozen or so photos on the table. "How about these, tell me about these."

David looked. The women in these photos all appeared to be alive. All of them were nude and in various forms of bondage. Some of the more mild ones, David would probably consider erotic in better circumstances, others looked like pure torture. One showed a girl bound to a post with her back facing the camera. In the foreground stood a leather clad woman with a whip. Bloody welts covered the girl's back. He recognized that pattern...Danni! The bloody welts matched the scars on Danni's back.

In shock, he realized a number of other photos also featured Danni. In some of them, Danni looked to be in excruciating pain. "Oh my god! It's Danni...where is she? Tell me she's safe...please!" Tears sprang to David's eyes. He started to stand up, but the agent pushed him back down. "Take it easy, buddy. You don't want to do that."

David realized the photos had to be old. Those scars on Danni's back had healed a while ago. He felt desperation rising. He no longer cared what trouble he was in, all his concern was for Danni. The longer the FBI wasted their time with him, the more danger Danni was in, he was sure of it.

Wilkins dropped one more photo on the table, "Do you recognize this man?"

Indeed, David did. "Yes, that's Rocco Angelini. He was my cell mate for the last month that I was in the State Pen. I haven't seen him since." David shuddered at the thought of Rocco. He was a sadistic bastard. He finally made the connection to the "Rocco" that had come looking for Danni. This was bad.

"So let's recap," said Wilkins, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Your prints are in the dead girl's car, you're shacking up with this other bondage slut, who is now also missing, and you were cell mates with the kingpin of this bondage/torture empire, but it's all just coincidental, 'cuz you're just a simple fisherman."

David cringed at the crude reference to his beloved Danni.

"Mr. Cortland, where were you on the night of November 21st?"

David thought for a second. That date sounded familiar, like it was important. Then he remembered, it was the night of the dance. The night his whole world changed.

Wilkins and Special Agent Bennet met with their superior officer.

"He's got to be our guy, everything points to him," said Wilkins

"I hate to burst your bubble, but his alibi is rock solid," replied Bennet.

"You've got to be joking."

"I'm afraid not. The entire fucking town places him at this community dance, a six hour drive from where the body was found. We couldn't find anyone who didn't see him there. Apparently he had a memorable night. Punched a guy's lights out and got the girl. Even the town cops confirmed it."

"Damn."

The Senior Agent spoke up, "Alright...cut him loose, but tell him not to leave town. Put a tail on him just in case."

The FBI dropped him back off at Walter's where they had picked them up. David begged them to find Danni.

-------------------------

Danni opened her eyes. She was groggy and her vision was blurry. She was confused. Where was she? She couldn't make sense of her thoughts. She was bound by ropes to a chair and her hands were cuffed behind her. A gag was in her mouth. All this seemed normal...

David!...the memory of the last few blissful weeks surged back. Had that been a dream? She realized she was back at Rocco's studio. Had she never left?

As the fog cleared in her brain, she remembered the struggle at the motel. Rocco's thugs had taken her by surprise. She had grabbed a kitchen knife in a desperate attempt to ward them off, but it was in vain. One of them had injected her with something...and now she was here.

Rocco walked in. "Ah, you're awake. Your little disappearing act cost me a lot. The clients have been clamoring for you. I told you if you ran I would find you."

Rocco pulled out a knife and pressed it to Danni's throat.

"I should gut you right here. Gut you like a pig at the slaughterhouse. You are lucky that you are worth more to me alive than dead."

Despair swallowed up Danni. She couldn't go back to this hell. It occurred to her that her head was not restrained. A quick thrust forward with her head and the knife would plunge into her throat. With any luck she would bleed out and it would be over. But she couldn't. Not with David out there. He was worth fighting for.

Rocco left the room.

Danni flashed back to the last four years.

She had become restless living a farm girl's life. She headed to New York, excited to make her own way in the world. She took a menial job as a waitress.

A customer had offered her a chance as a model. She was not completely naïve, she knew that these offers were usually about selling overpriced portfolios to gullible girls who hadn't the slightest chance of actually modelling. She researched the studio and it appeared to check out.

They had not made any ridiculous promises about making her a supermodel. She knew at barely 5' 2", that wasn't happening. They did, however, get her some paying shoots for local business catalogs and weekly flyers.

One day, the studio owner came to her.

"I have an opportunity that you would be perfect for, if you are adventurous enough for it." Mr. Ferrara said. "I have a friend who shoots more...extreme material."

"By extreme, you mean nudity?" asked Danni.

"Among other things, yes. Also some bondage. Feel free to refuse if you are uncomfortable with this, but the pay is many times what you are getting from me. You have just the youthful, innocent look they like."

"I don't necessarily have an issue with nudity or mild bondage, but I wouldn't ever do anything my family could end up seeing."

"I don't think that would be a problem here. Look, why don't you just meet Rocco and see what you think. No obligation."

Danni agreed.

Rocco explained his business model. "I have a website on the "dark web". People need to really know how to look for this kind of stuff to get there. Trust me, your folks ain't getting there from Google. The front page of the website has some fairly tame bondage photos of a few of my models."

Rocco tapped the keys on his laptop and turned the screen around for Danni to see. These pictures were no big deal and some of the models weren't even showing their faces.

"The front page is free, and its only purpose is to attract members. On the member's page I have photo sets and videos of each model. For a small fee, members get access to this material. We have measures in place to ensure that members do not try to copy any of our material and post it on the web. A couple of members tried it early on and we made sure they regretted it."

Rocco brought up the member's page and let Danni explore it a bit. She thought she would be comfortable posing for the model sets she saw, as long as she knew her parents would never see them. To be honest, she was getting a little excited looking at these photos.

Then Rocco explained the final part of the business.

"This is where the real money is made. Carefully screened clients are offered custom photo shoots and videos of their favorite models to order. They come up with the scenario and the props. I bring their proposal to you. If you are comfortable doing the shoot, I negotiate a price with the client based on how extreme their wishes are. You get 50%. You are free to turn down any shoot that is too extreme for you."

Danni agreed to give it a try. Rocco gave her the name "Lacey" for the website.

She had thoroughly enjoyed making her member's page model sets. The bondage was mild. They mostly just tied her hands and feet and posed her in various settings. She hadn't anticipated how exciting being nude in front of the camera would be. She had masturbated in the changing room after the first shoot.

Likewise, her first custom shoot went smoothly. Rocco came to her with the proposal and she quickly accepted. The client had a thing for tickling, so the shoot consisted of tying Danni up and tickling her with feathers. The rope tied tight around her neck was a little frightening, but she got through it. Again she was incredibly aroused when the shoot was over.