Chapter 4

Their marriage, like all the others in the family, was just a filing of the paperwork that stated that the two of them had tied the knot. Daniel was happy for that. He wasn't one to shy away from the cameras, but with all the other things that were going on, he didn't want to put too much out there that might have people thinking about the long-dead FBI agent who was going to be his wife. As soon as she had asked him to marry her, he produced a ring that Caleb had given him that was part of the collection of rings that his own mother had had.

The large, beautiful sapphire was set in a Tiffany setting with small diamonds all around it. The wide band, marked with small stones in it set perfectly with the larger setting on the set. The double ring set, which also had a man's ring with it that had belonged to Caleb's great-great-grandmother had fit perfectly on Cassie's finger as if it had been sized just for her.

Abby had been given the set on her sixteenth birthday, years before she'd been raped by Howard Berkley. As it turned out, the rings, both of them, had been much too large for Tabby's hand, and the man's ring had been too small for Caleb's own finger. He'd been set to sell them and buy something for Tabby, but he decided to share his mother's good fortune with his brothers. They all received a piece of her things as everyone had Abby to thank for their new way of life.

After things were filed away at the court house, Daniel asked for some help for them to be able to get away for a few days. At least before they were set on taking care of the man responsible for the death of Bradley Benson and the near death of Cassie. They also made the decision to not speak of it while away on the beautiful island where Tabby and Caleb had gone on their own honeymoon.

Once they were in the family's private plane, they settled in for the moderately long trip. Tabby and Caleb had made sure they were fed well on the plane as well as champagne to drink. The house they were going to be using was fully stocked as well, and the staff had gone in and aired it out, and set it up for them to use. Tabby had told them that they'd not have to leave the island for any other restaurants. Everything there was not just good but delicious as well. Also, they could easily catch their meal if it came to that. Daniel was looking forward to simply being able to not think about all the things that had been testing them of late.

"You know, I think that we're the only one of your brothers that waited until you were married before we made love." Daniel liked that as he'd been doing, she had long since started calling the other men brothers and not half like he used to do. "I'm kind of excited about this. So, let's not at all mention anything that is going on at home. All right?"

"I agree. And even if it does come up, we'll not dwell on it very much. I want this to be all about you. My wife. The love of my life and the one that has made me the happiest man in the world." She kissed him then, and he pulled her into his arms. It was awkward but fun, and he couldn't wait for them to get into more fun positions when they arrived at the house.

They spoke about going on a cruise together. And about Luke and his sisters. For now, they had plans to live in the safe house that Cassie owned as well as keeping the house that her brother had used for himself as a safe place as well. Right now, both houses were being cleaned up and repairs made. While he'd not seen Bradley's home as yet, he had fallen in love with the one that he and Cassie were going to be living in.

"I'd like to have children with you too." He asked her when. "Are you that ready to make love to me?"

"Yes, but that's not what I meant." They both laughed. "I meant, when did you want to be pregnant. I was thinking how if you were to get pregnant now, you'd have the baby in early spring, like May. However, if you wait, and I'm all right with that, you could be carrying throughout the end of summer. I've never carried a child, and I don't think that is something that I'd like to do, but I was only thinking of you."

"I never thought of the timing. Yes, I'd like a child with you whenever we get pregnant. We have a nice cool house with the one we'll move into. However, I can see where someone would be miserable in carrying a child at the end of summer if they didn't have air conditioning to bask in. Yeah, I'll have to think about that. But for now, we'll just wing it." Daniel laughed, asking her what that meant. "We'll have a child when we create one. Then, after that, we'll do the timing thing. Couple of years apart, but no more than that. I think that was why Bradley and I were so close. We were only a couple of years apart."

"All right then. That's one less thing that we'll have to discuss." Daniel settled back in the seat and closed his eyes. "I'm not tired, but my body is gearing up for vacation mode, I think. All I can think about is lying on the beach and having drinks brought to me. Food that isn't anything that we'd have at home and the sun shining on us all the time."

He must have dozed a bit. Being shaken awake by the steward startled him. Even Cassie had fallen asleep and was having a harder time waking up. It was the first time they had slept together, she told him, and wanted to cherish it. He was still smiling when they disembarked in the bright sunlight.

Their luggage was taken straight to the house they were using. The two of them were encouraged to walk around the island to get a feel for it. It wasn't all that big of a place but it had so much in the way of beauty that it was hard not to stop at each of the places they saw. He'd been given a map from Caleb, showing where things were, like the little market and the best restaurants that he and Tabby had eaten in.

Even though they'd eaten well on the plane, they were both suddenly hungry again, and they decided to stop and eat something light to hold them over for dinner. They ended up getting lobster rolls and the island's own special drink of mango and pineapple. Daniel thought that it was slightly too sweet, but Cassie thought it was wonderful. After leaving there, the two of them walked along the sandy beach and played around in the water.

It was nearly dinner time when they reached the house. As neither one of them had seen it before, both, especially Daniel as he'd grown up in middle class, the house was much like the house that Caleb and Tabby lived in now. Large, elegant, and wealthy.

It wasn't overdone, like a lot of the houses that they walked by on the way to this one, but it bespoke wealth on a scale that made him slightly nervous. As they headed to the kitchen to acquaint themselves with the cook who was there to prepare meals for them, Daniel had a hard time keeping to the middle of the room and not touching any of the obvious antiques that were all throughout the place. When they were shown where their bedroom was, Daniel was relieved. It looked like a regular bedroom with the biggest bed that he'd ever seen in it. Lying across the bed, he waited for Cassie to shower the sand off her feet right outside the room and join him for dinner.

After feasting on fresh fruits and seafood, the two of them made their way out to the ocean to relax. Daniel thought that he could get used to this, just relaxing and eating too much food. But he knew that it was imperative that they went back home to settle the things that were left behind when coming here. They were all in danger with things the way that they were.

Going to bed about an hour after watching the sunset, Daniel held her hand in his and told her that he loved her. Cassie told him, too, that she loved him and had decided that now was a wonderful time for them to create a child. He was both thrilled and afraid of being a father.

He'd not exactly been raised in a normal childhood. Being raised by a single mother, he didn't know the luxury of having siblings. But he was learning. Caleb and the others had made him feel just like part of the family right from the start. He couldn't have been happier about it either.

There had been trouble in his tiny family all his life. But he thought that with Cassie at his side, anything was possible. He was going to be the best that he could be and hoped that would be enough. Anything was possible, he told himself, if he had Cassie at his side for the rest of their lives.

"I want you to make love to me." He nearly fell off the bed when Cassie came out of the bathroom naked. "I think that we've waited long enough, and I don't know about you, but I'm about as needy as I've ever been. What do you think? Ready to take this marriage to the next step? Or am I being too forward?" It was the smile and the wink that got him.

"No. Christ, you're good." Stripping down to nothing but his nakedness, Daniel stroked his cock a few times as he moved from the bed and settled back on his heels where she lay down. Not only was she spread out for him, but he could smell her needs and saw her pussy soaking wet, and it was almost more than he could have imagined. It was almost too much, so Daniel touched her gently as he slid his finger into her pussy and thumbed her clit.

~*~

The climax was quick. It took her breath away and made her heart feel as if it had stopped for several seconds. It was more than she could have hoped for and not nearly enough, too. As she was trying to recover from the blast of pleasure, she cried out when he suckled her clit into his mouth. Her mind and body were his at that moment, and she loved him more than anything or anyone in her life.

Her body soared up and over without giving her any warning when she came. Daniel continued to eat at her until she thought she'd die from him making a feast of her. Even when she begged him to stop, to let her breathe, he continued to devour her. She wondered fleetingly if a person could die from so much pleasure. It was then that she decided that she didn't care. This was the stuff that dreams were made of. Having a loving husband who knew just how to pleasure her.

Cassie looked down her body and watched him look at her. Even as he slid his hands over her hips and under to her ass, her pussy felt warmed by his breath, making her more needy than she'd ever been with any other man. Cassie couldn't seem to tear her eyes from him as he continued to eat her, suckling on her clit until she nearly fainted from his loving her. When he spread her open, her thighs wide over his shoulders, she continued to watch his face. When he lifted his head, she thought for sure he was going to take her. Slam deep into her pussy and fill her.

"I want you to come again. Come hard for me so that I can get my fill of you." She nodded as her juices stained his lips and chin. It was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. "When you come this time, I'm going to come all over this pretty pussy and make you come again."

"Yes, please. Daniel, please fuck me. I want to feel you cock inside of me. Please, I'm begging you." He stared at her for several seconds before he sat up again.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I can't resist you. My need is nearly out of control. I need you so much, love." He crawled up her body slowly, nipping at her here and licking her tiny wounds as he went. Her nipples were suckled as his cock teased her entrance. She wanted to wrap her legs around him and pull him deep but wanted to make their lovemaking last. Forever would kill them, she knew this, but having him, just to herself, was more than she had ever hoped for in her life.

Daniel took her mouth as he entered her. He was filling her, fully and completely, to his groin, to her pussy. His tongue, tasting of her, invaded her mouth as his cock did her body. In and out, he stroked her until she knew that when he touched her sweet spot again, she was going to come.

He tore his mouth away and commanded her to come. She was so close anyway that it was no problem for her to obey him. But when she came, it was as if she came apart for a few seconds and then came back together, slamming together like she was an entirely new person.

She grabbed for something to hold onto and felt her nails dig into his chest. Blood pebbled in the tiny cuts, and she found herself wanting to taste it. Leaning up, she licked her tongue along the four tiny cuts and came again. It was something that she'd never wanted or done before. It was nearly too much and yet not enough as well.

When Daniel threw back his head and roared out, she came again, her body responding to his as if they were one. She felt his cum splash against her womb and felt his cock thicken incredibly more. She held him to her throat as he licked her ear and neck with his hot tongue. This time, she felt her vision narrow to a pinpoint before she blacked out.

Her very last thought was that this was going to be hard to top. Because she knew deep in the back of her mind that it would never be like this with any other man so long as she lived.

Cassie woke sometime in the early hours. The sun wasn't up yet, but with the purpling color of it racing across the room, she knew that it wouldn't be much longer. However, she had to get up and go to the bathroom. Stumbling a little, holding onto whatever was close, she gave herself a stern talking to about how she was going to not kill herself on her honeymoon. Nor did she want to have an unexplainable bruise on her body that someone might make a comment about. As soon as she was finished, washing her hands, Cassie looked out the window that had the ocean spread out before her.

The sun was just making itself known that it was awake and ready to take on the day when she made her way out to the chairs that they'd used last night before going to bed. However, she stood watching the antics of the ocean creatures by the shore to where she was standing.

Watching the water, she could see dolphins leaping in the air and making her smile. As she watched, too, shrimp boats were leaving the land and setting out for their day. It made her realize how close the food that they'd had last evening had been out their door. Sitting in one of the lounge chairs after wrapping up in her robe, she sat there and was mesmerized by not just the antics of the dolphins but all the other animals that used the beach as their hunting grounds.

"Are you all right?" She smiled up at Daniel when he joined her on the deck. "I was just thinking last night that I could stay here forever, but I don't think that it would mean so much to us now if this was something that we did daily. I'm going to see about being able to rent this out from Caleb and Tabby again. I'd love to bring our children here, too."

"They'd love it. I hope they'll like the outdoors as much as we do." He sat down, telling her that they only had to make them aware of these sorts of places and would want to go back time and time again. "Yes, I can see that. The people next door to my brother's home, they had about a dozen kids. Not really, but it always seemed like that when they'd be out in the yard. But they mostly did things that were free to them. As a group, they'd go to the library. To parks to take walks. We had a feeling that they were just living paycheck to paycheck, but they certainly had a lot of adventures when the father was off for work and what we assumed were vacations."

"Do they still live next to him?" She told him that the couple had moved out of the large house when their last child graduated from high school and that they'd not seen them again. "That's too sad. I hope they get to see their kids a lot. It would really suck if they just abandoned them for the rest of their life."

"That was sort of out there. What brought that negative thought out?" He laughed, telling her that he didn't know. "Well, nip that crap in the bud. We're having fun and not thinking the worst of anyone. All right?"

"Yes, my dear." He dozed off while she watched the waters again. There was a great deal more activity going on than earlier and she had a wonderful time thinking about how the fish market must be booming about now. Waking up Daniel, she told him that she wanted to hit the market. He was up and in the shower, before she was. Cassie decided that if she were to join him, they'd never leave the place. And she wanted to see as much as she could while there.

Coming home with bags of things that they'd picked up, she was happy that the cook, Mrs. Brightly, said she'd make them some dinner with the things that they'd brought to her. There were mussels as well as shrimp that they'd been able to get, as well as beautiful cheeses with homemade crunchy bread that they could have as their salad. The vegetables were a huge hit with them both as they seemed to be able to munch on just about anything while it was in front of them. Mrs. Brightly made them up a platter of fruits and cheeses to tide them over for dinner. She couldn't believe how much she'd already eaten while here and was going to have to cut back some when they got back home.

After taking another walk, this time ending in the backyard of their home, the two of them napped off and on until Daniel received a phone call from Caleb. There was trouble at home, and they would have to cut their vacation short.

"We didn't actually enter the house before the police arrived. But I knew that there was at least one dead. The gardener had been shot once in the head from a short distance. What I was able to get to after the police went inside, most of the staff of ten were shot as well. With two of them being brought to the hospital, where they later passed." Cassie asked him about the house as Daniel put it on speakerphone for her to be able to hear. "The house has been vandalized. Most of the furniture has been destroyed. Paint had been sprayed on the walls. They told me that the word trader had been mostly what was said. No one seems to understand that, as Bradley's name wasn't on the deed."

"No. Like the other houses that we both owned, it was in a fake name under an umbrella of other companies. I don't know that Bradley even stayed there, but a few times in the last ten years. He didn't much care for the house as a whole." Caleb asked them what they wanted to do. "We'll come home like you suggested. Unless you think that's what someone wants us to do. Sort of drag us out to the forefront of what is going on."

"To be honest with you, I didn't even think of that. I was more concerned about how you guys might know what else might be going on. But yeah, you could be right on that. So I'm suggesting that you stay put. It's more than likely the best place for you right now." Daniel told Caleb not to go to the house unless the police called for you to do that. "The only reason that I was called in the first place was that their cleaning staff is the same one that I use when I need a large cleaning of the house after a party. They were trying to ascertain whether or not we'd been targeted as well."

After talking for a bit more, it was decided that they'd stay here for the duration of their honeymoon. The mood had shifted, of course, but they were determined not to allow things to ruin it all. After hanging up the phone with Caleb, Cassie called her attorney, the only person who knew that she was alive other than Daniel's family, and told him what was going on.

"Yes, I was notified about the break-in and deaths just a little while ago from the police. I'm set to go over there in an hour to make sure nothing was stolen. I don't know what it would be. I don't believe there was even a television in the place that didn't belong to the staff." She asked him about taking care of the staff's families. "They'll be well compensated. Your brother, like you, had a fat insurance policy on his entire staff as well as insurance on the house. They'll be getting about a million dollars each for what happened there. At least the family will be taken good care of. Also, I wanted to speak to you anyway about the house. It was Bradley's intention to sell the house when he retired. I believe that he was setting things up so that he could. Did he mention that to you?"

"He did. He had been saying that for years, but I think that the last time we spoke about it, he was more set on retiring than before. Do you think I should have it put on the market? I was actually thinking about living in it rather than the one that I have. It's much larger and will be more updated than mine will be when we can move in." He said that was what he was going to suggest. "All right. Then have the place fully updated to this century. Also, while you're at it, have mine done at the same time. That way, we can get as much as we can out of it."

"Very good. I'll have them started on as soon as the police are finished with Bradley's home. Yours I'll have started on today." She thanked him. "I will also send out some photographs of the second house that I have. Nothing about the murders. But it will show you and your new husband a—I'm so proud of you, honey. You've no idea how happy I am that you found yourself someone when you needed them."

"Thank you so much, Henry. I love him so very much." She nearly warned him about the things that were going to come out soon but decided that he'd have to wait like the rest of the world. And the world would be decidedly shocked by it all as well. "I'll speak to you again when I get back home. Thank you for doing this." After hanging up with her attorney and friend, she asked Daniel what he was thinking about. He looked like he'd been thinking hard about something.

"Just wondering what will happen when this all hits the newspapers. It will, you know? It'll hit the papers in Ohio first, then after that, everyone will have a piece of it. And have an opinion on it, no doubt about that." She wondered if he had one, and he just grinned at her. "I do, but I think that it mirrors yours. It has to be done, and with all the shit that has gone down with it, it needs to be done sooner rather than later. It's been too long as it is."

"I agree." She stretched out, hurting in a couple of places that she'd forgotten about, and told him that she was going to figure this out before it got too close to the time. "I want to get DNA tests done on myself as well. But we'll have to be sneaky about it. Like figuring out who else might be in on this thing."

"I don't know how you can do that without involving the entire family. I know that they'll help, but you'd have to explain to them why your brother was targeted and why you thought that you were shot at as well." Cassie told him that she thought that it might be because Bradley might have told her. "That's what I'm thinking too. Even though he did tell me later, I never would have guessed it. Not even when we were alone had he ever mentioned it. I think that he hadn't any idea that he was his father until right before he was murdered."

Bradley had found out, quite by accident, that he wasn't the son of their father. That his mother, like Daniels, had been raped and conceived a child. Bradley. She was curious too to find out if she'd been another child conceived that way, so that was why she was having a DNA test done on herself. It boggled her mind that someone would do that once to a person, much less twice. She was going to have the tests done as soon as they returned home. She was also going to do this on her own, without the family expediting it for her to get results. That would be a red flag that would get them all into hot water. And more than likely killed.

The next few days found them talking more and more about the murder of her brother. It actually felt good to have someone to talk to about him. Daniel was a great listener and she enjoyed his input about what might happen when it came out. He also told her that he was worried about Caleb and how he'd take the news about it all. His mom had been directly involved in getting Wilhelm to run for the presidency, and she didn't want anything to happen that would tarnish her good works and name. As they were headed home, she felt relieved to be getting this over with. There was a great deal at stake, but she thought that it was the best thing for everyone involved.

Getting home, they took a nap. They hadn't been doing all that much, it seemed but they would make love then fall into a deep sleep that wasn't all that restful. She thought it was because they had so much on their minds that they couldn't relax enough. Even for as much sex as they were having, it didn't seem to matter when they went to bed. They were still exhausted throughout the day.

Applying for the DNA test, she was thrilled that Joey, one of Daniel's brothers, was able to do it for her so that no one would know who it was from. As soon as the tests came back, they were going to do what should have been done sooner. Confront the president about having her brother killed and raping her mother. This shit was going to end his career if it didn't put him in prison for the rest of his life.