Chapter Twenty-One

Ghost

I awake with a jolt. Where am I and why can’t I see? Why is it so fucking hot? I’m roasting to death. One of my arms is trapped under something heavy but the other is free to move. I bring it to my face and feel around. What the fuck? I pull the object from my face, freeing myself from its sweltering embrace. Gulping in lungfuls of fresh, cool air I scan the area around me. Where am I? A mumbling voice comes from beside me, “Stop flailing around would you? I’m sleeping.” Turning towards the voice has the reality of the last few hours crashing into me.

I’m with Mallory, in her bed. My panic dissipates as I take in her peaceful form. I didn’t mean to fall asleep with her beside me, it just…happened. A big fuck up on my part, she could have looked beneath the mask at any time, even now. I really should get home, I have plans to put into action for tomorrow and I can’t be late. Just five more minutes. I need to lie here with her and soak up this moment.

My mind starts to wander as I listen to Mal’s steady breathing. It assures me she has fallen back to sleep and it’s safe for me to retrieve my limb from beneath her. This act is probably comparable to defusing a bomb, I don’t have the Ghostface mask on and I do not want her waking up. After much finessing I’m able to free myself. I quickly dress and lean across the mattress. Brushing her hair away from her angelic face as I lean in and plant a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep well, little siren. I’ll see you soon,” I whisper across her skin and she snuggles into the blankets as a response. So stinkin’ cute. I move across her room and out into the hallway, shutting her door quietly behind me. I wonder what woke me so abruptly? My cop mode engages as I begin to check the rooms. Directly across the hall from Mallory’s room are two unoccupied rooms. I open the first door, nothing, it's completely vacant. Moving to the second room, I open the door and am welcomed by air that is a few degrees colder. She really has been busy today, this room is freshly painted and spotless. The window is open and there’s a broom laying on the floor. It’s odd…the scene before me, something feels off. Sweeper on the floor and a large scrape on the wall in Mallory’s fresh paint job. That simply will not do, I have to fix it.

I run outside quickly to put the ladder back in the shed, noting that I need to get her a padlock for it. On my way back inside I grab Mallory’s discarded clothes, phone, and earbuds. I hook it all up to the charger, and run her dirty clothes downstairs to the basement. I quickly flip the window lock behind the washing machine closed. No need for that anymore since I saw her spare key dangling by the door for me. Grabbing all her clean clothes from the dryer and stuffing them into the hamper, I bring them back upstairs and set them in the hallway, just outside her door so I don’t wake her again.

I head to the kitchen and set up her coffee maker so all she has to do is push a button. I’m so jazzed about being here and not having to hide. I just want to pamper the shit out of my woman. I think about making her something to eat but that will probably wake her up for sure. Not to mention it’s… I glance at the clock on my phone screen, 2:37 am. Shit, better get to it if I’m going to add another layer of paint to the walls for her. I quickly turn to the sink and scrub the sweat from inside my mask, dry it as best I can and shove it into the back pocket of my jeans. Turning, I make my way down the hall back to the new purple room, this shouldn’t take too long. The room isn’t huge and everything is still laid out for me. She must have been coming back to finish before I interrupted her. Oops. I’ll make up for it.

∞∞∞

An hour and a half later I’m climbing into my truck and heading home. I really don’t want to leave her, but my plans for the morning are important. I closed and locked the window in the freshly painted room. It looks damn near perfect. I cleaned everything up and put it away, the room is now ready for whatever vision she has for it. Rain starts to pelt the windshield as I turn the key in the ignition. Something in my gut is telling me to stay but I can’t smother this thing between us. It needs to grow naturally. Pulling out my phone I type out a message to Mallory.

Ghost:

I can’t wait to see you again.

My heart constricts in my chest, I hope she wants to see me again. I know I pushed her boundaries but I still let her lead our encounter, for the most part. I don’t know what I would do if she pushed me away. Even the simple thought of it makes my beast thrash against his cage. Nothing good will happen if she refuses me. Gravel crunches beneath the tires as I pull out from my usual hiding spot to make the boring trek home. It will be almost 5 am by the time I get there and I hope Mallory doesn’t want to get an early start to her day. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed from the two orgasms she had. She needs to get those cameras up, sooner rather than later. Maybe it’s something Officer Graves can offer her a helping hand with. They will undoubtedly be running into each other tomorrow. A sly grin spreads across my face and I eye myself in the rearview mirror.

What the fuck? It’s hard to make out through the rain that’s coming down in a torrent now, but I think I caught a glimpse of a red sedan behind me…with no headlights on. Very odd. Smith is on rural patrol tonight and that isn’t his civilian vehicle. Should I call it in? It’s a serious hazard to be driving without lights on, especially in this weather. Not to mention, an offence like that can get you a hefty violation ticket. The harder I watch my mirrors, the more convinced I am that I was just seeing things. The glow of my taillights must be reflecting off the puddles on the road, or the rain that’s coming down in sheets. I haven’t gotten much sleep at all the past few days, trying to ensure Mallory’s safety, and it must be wearing on me. Suddenly every muscle in my body aches and a bone-deep exhaustion overcomes me.

I press my booted foot down on the gas and try to hit every bump on the way home to keep myself awake and alert.

By the time I pull into my driveway it’s 4:45 am and I couldn’t be happier that I was able to shave more time off the drive. I shouldn’t have been speeding in this weather, but the alternative was to pull over and sleep in my truck. I don’t need to be woken up by a fellow officer rapping on my window asking how much I’ve had to drink tonight. I trudge my ass inside and collapse on my couch, welcoming sleep's immediate embrace.