The Lawyer and the Killer Ch. 05

She still couldn't get up, "I don't understand. What do you mean?"

Shawn pressed her head in his hands. He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, over and over, "Do you think I'd let anyone else come for you?" He reached down under her thighs and lifted her up. He slid her across the seat. He remembered how small she was. He reached over and turned off the car. He knelt on the ground on the passenger side while she sat in the car. He sensed she must be in some kind of shock like state.

He was desperate to hold her, hug her, and kiss her. Now more than ever he wanted to cherish her. "Susan when you were kidnapped I was the only person in the world who knew what really happened. It was me who had to get you out. No one else knew anything. Understand?"

Susan didn't move. Her mind was frozen. Why was she just sitting here? It was as though her mind, her brain; her whole body was locked in some box. Why was she just sitting there? She knew it was him. She knew he was the one. All along he was the one. All that time in that room she knew he was coming. Even in that filthy room with its pungent stale odors she could imagine the smell of his fresh breath, his masculine aura. In that car with that horrible man she knew it was Shawn who was protecting her. It was like she was wrapped in some kind of special shield that held that evil man at bay.

She had to say something. He lips started to quiver, "I don't think Tom has any water." She burst into tears.

Shawn slid his arms around her, "Well let's get you home. We can't have Tom going thirsty."

Susan slid in the seat, curling up against him, while he leaned over and closed the door.

It was amazing to her; moments ago she was in another car pressed as close to the edge of the seat as possible. Now she was in this car with Shawn, all safe and sound, "Would you mind if I slid over a little closer?"

He couldn't imagine her getting much closer. His smile lit up the car, "Sure."

As Susan pressed against him she asked, "That man said I was worth $470,000.00. Is that true?"

"Not exactly; he wasn't counting the original $5,000.00 I had to pay back."

She was feeling really warm and comfortable, "I'm a pretty big ticket item aren't I?"

He lifted his arm over the seat and wrapped it around her shoulder, "$500,000.00. You came pretty cheap actually. I was ready to pay twice as much."

She pulled his arm down so that it was hanging over her shoulder. She took his right hand in her right hand and used her left to rub it, "Where are you taking me?"

He used his right arm to crush her closer, "Have you already forgotten the other man in your life?"

Susan looked up, "Oh, Tom."

He looked down and answered, "Yes Tom!"

Susan snuggled in closer, "I need some down time, how about you?"

"Is your apartment OK?" He asked.

She touched him in a place she wasn't supposed to touch. She felt him leap to attention, "My apartment."

He whispered in her ear, "I love you Susan Slattery."

She whispered right back, "I love you Shawn McClellan."

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Shawn and Susan drove off into the night. Shawn figured he had a few days before he needed to leave. He could explain things to Susan. He'd be gone maybe a year. Then when he came back they could do all the things people in love were supposed to do.

Susan had finally put all the pieces together. She was resting in the arms of the man she loved, a man she knew loved her. Though he didn't know it yet, she was carrying his baby. She looked through the windshield at the dark night time sky and the black macadam road interrupted only by the white center stripes that whistled silently under the car. She kissed the back of his hand, and nestled her cheek against it. She couldn't wait to get him in bed, feel his muscular arms around her, smell his manly spicy aroma, touch his strong body, and caress his powerful man flesh. They'd make mad passionate love first. Then in a few days she'd tell him her secret. He'd be so happy!

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Oscar Camulos was on his way home too. He was thinking. We have a young lawyer. We have a whacko gunman. We have a covenant. He kept rolling the facts over and over in his mind. Somewhere in that mix there had to be a way to make money.

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A few miles further down the road a group of Asian and African men and women were making plans. On behalf of their friend and colleague Shawn McClellan, internationally respected aid worker, they'd called the United Nations. There were serious problems in Darfur in the western Sudan. Their friend Shawn needed to disappear. The people in the Sudan needed help.

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Of course this isn't over. Your comments and suggestions are always most welcome.