Foreword: Thank you all for the feedback. I appreciate the perspective and constructive criticism. I hope that I'm growing as a storyteller and telling an engaging story. Please keep in mind that's all I'm trying to do. I know that it could be edited better, that there are continuity errors, and I don't take time to fully develop every facet of the story. This is just an outlet for some creativity and imagination. Enjoy the ride because no one is charging you for it.
Disclaimer: There are some descriptions of the after-effects of violent retribution. Since this is a complete work of fiction, no actual people were harmed. I don't tell the actual account of how it was perpetrated because that's gross. Additionally, this is a work of erotic fiction. All fictional people in the story that participate in sexual activity are represented to be 18 years or older.
We slept late the next morning, not even waking until 9. I took Lauren's truck to get breakfast and coffee for everyone. I'm sure that Lauren would have preferred cereal but this morning she would have to settle for a sausage biscuit. I did get her a latte rather than the regular coffee the rest of us got.
Lauren's phone was up and going so she called Alicia's number and then Alicia's mom. "Hello, Mrs. Thomas, this is Lauren. I'm trying to get a hold of Alicia. Is she okay?"
They talked for a few minutes and then I heard Lauren say "Thank you, we'll see you in a few minutes."
We all went to meet Alicia and her mom at a nearby park. Lauren and Alicia wrapped each other in a long, desperate hug; shedding even more tears. When they finally released one another I walked up to her. "Alicia, I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you. Is there anything that I can do?" She immediately wrapped me in a big hug as well.
"Thank you, Liam. I'm so sorry I opened the door! I..."
"Hush, Alicia. This isn't your fault and I'm so glad that both of you are alive and will be okay," I cut her off.
She nodded through her tears. Mom hugged her next and then hugged Mrs. Thomas as well. The ladies stood in a small cluster and talked with one another, leaving me and Poppee off to the side. He turned facing away from them but told me to keep my eyes on them. "Liam you're going to get a call in a little while on the phone you purchased. The phone number won't make sense and there won't be a name. When you answer don't say your name or ask who you're talking to. The only name that you're to mention is the person that you think is responsible for this horrible situation. The person on the phone will investigate the name you give them and get back to you with the results. Don't try to call or text the number. It won't work. Do you understand everything?"
"Yes sir" I replied quietly.
Mom came over to us and said, "The girls need a little TLC. Mrs. Thomas and I are going to take them out for a little while. We'll meet you back at the hotel in a little while. Liam, do whatever Poppee tells you to do, and don't go anywhere without letting us know where you're going. We don't want you to be caught by yourself."
"Yes ma'am. Can I tell Lauren 'bye' before y'all leave?"
"Of course, just be cautious, okay? Don't push her too fast."
I nodded and headed over to her. "I love you. Be ... careful okay." I didn't know what to do with my hands. I wanted to wrap them around her and kiss her goodbye but I kept them behind my back awkwardly.
"Come here, baby. Are you afraid to touch me or hold me or is it something else?"
"None of the above. I want you to know that you're in control. I want to do all the things we were doing before but I'm, I'm, I'm, not sure how comfortable you are with me."
"Thank you, Liam, for being considerate of my feelings but I need you to want me like you did before. If you're too grossed out or ..."
I stopped her with a kiss. Not a gentle peck or innocent smooch. In front of my mother, grandfather, Alicia, and her mother, I kissed Lauren open-mouthed with my tongue searching for hers. My hands slid down to her waist and then cupped her gorgeous ass. It was intense enough that we lost track of where we were and who was present. Finally, my grandfather cleared his throat and coughed a couple of times to get our attention.
"You're the sexiest most desirable woman I've ever met," I whispered in her ear. "I would make love to you in this park in front of everyone but I don't want to get you arrested."
She smiled. It was my smile, the one that let me know that I had got it right. "I'll see you later this afternoon. We'll get ready to head home tomorrow if the detectives are done with us," I told her.
I watched them head to Lauren's truck and drive off. Poppee came up beside me and bumped me with a shoulder. "Was that for her or you?"
"For both of us. She needed to know that I still want her and I needed to know that she would accept me."
We headed back to the hotel so I can make a series of important calls. I started with Detective Sampson. He picked up on the second ring, "Sampson."
"Detective, this is Liam Stanley. I need to ask you about taking Lauren home. Is there any problem with me leaving with her?"
"I can't compel you to stay, Liam, but I have a favor to ask. Please leave your phone with me. I'm in the process of obtaining a warrant but I would appreciate it if you would just drop it off. If you can do that I don't have a problem with letting you two head back to Alabama together."
"Georgia. We have to go to Georgia first, assuming that her mom and stepdad are still willing to board her horse."
"They're quite the pair. They've called me 8 times today trying to find a way to get evidence or force Lauren to undergo more testing. I think they're more worried about suing the school and hotel than they are about Lauren."
"Yeah, I imagine I'm high on their shitlist. It doesn't matter to me. I'm just here to support Lauren."
"When can you get me the phone?" He slipped in.
"Let me back it up and I'll tell you where you can pick it up."
"There's no need in doing all that. We'll only need it a couple of hours and I'll have it back to you before you head out."
"Sorry detective but I'm not losing my contacts, texts, and pics to accident in the lab." I wasn't worried about any of these but I didn't need him knowing that.
"Okay, okay. How long do you need?"
"Give me a call in 90 minutes."
"Talk to you then."
Next, I needed to contact Samantha and Darren. I dreaded making this call but I would rather do it than dump it off on Lauren. One of the only positive things about being in two different locations was that I couldn't hand her the phone when they demanded it.
"Hello Samantha, this is Liam."
"Thank you for calling us, Liam, is Lauren available?"
"I'm sorry but she's out with my mom at the moment. They needed to pick up some things before we started back. That's the reason I'm calling. We'll be leaving for home tomorrow morning. It will take us about 3 days to get there hauling Tate."
"Liam surely you realize that Lauren is not in a good place to make decisions right now. She needs to be checked out physically and mentally."
"Lauren has already met with a crisis counselor and we will be getting her an appointment with a therapist that I know as soon as possible. I'm not sure why you think she needs a physical examination. I think it would do more harm than good."
"Liam, you're a very young man and you have a good heart but this is an opportunity to set Lauren up with a very good start in life. The settlements could be in the millions but will at least be in the six-figure range. We need to ensure that we present a compelling case to maximize the opportunity," Darren interjected.
"So you want to exploit Lauren by using one of the most traumatic things she's ever experienced for financial gain?"
"Surely, you're not this naïve. This is an opportunity for all of us. You would likely have a case yourself if you file under emotional distress," Samantha sounded frustrated.
"I'm not interested in making Lauren relive a nightmare to get rich."
"It's not like she has to actually go through it again," Samantha nearly shouted.
"I'll support Lauren in whatever she decides. She's the only one that matters in this. Is it still okay for us to bring Tate back to the stables?"
"We'll need to talk with Lauren about it. Please have her give us a call." Darren was obviously annoyed as well.
Guess I was on speaker. "Yes sir."
I was frustrated I wasn't able to take care of it completely but at least I had broken the ice and hopefully it would make it easier for Lauren. I was glad to be done on the phone and thought about finding something to eat when the prepaid phone rang. I remembered Poppee's rules and answered, "Hello."
"I need a starting place; do you have any idea who's behind this?"
"Zack Taylor"
"Reason?"
"Two physical altercations and two verbal confrontations. Same language and voice."
"Any idea of whereabouts?"
"No, but I have a phone number from the text."
"Give it to me."
"251-267-xxxx"
"On it. I'll call again when I have information"
With that done, I backed up my phone and waited for Sampson to call. I met him in the hotel lobby and handed over my phone. "Did you take the lock off?"
"No sir, I didn't think of that." He handed it back and I removed the security lock. He immediately went to the messaging app and looked to confirm that the text that contained the videos was still there.
"Any idea of how he got your number?"
"Not really, just a guess. He and Ty, a roper on the team, weren't great friends but Ty could've given it to him."
"Ty's number in here?"
"Yes sir"
"I will put a rush on this and hope to have the phone back to you by tomorrow, if not I will mail it to you. I assume your provider has your correct address."
I nodded. "We'll be leaving early in the morning. If you aren't done with it by this evening, you'll probably need to mail it."
"Understood, I know this isn't easy for Lauren or for you but we will find the people responsible and they will face justice."
"Thank you, Detective."
The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting on Lauren and the other ladies to get back. It was close to 5 when Poppee got a call. He chatted with Mom and they were making dinner plans.
We were at a local chain 15 minutes later. I was shocked to see Lauren's long hair was gone. She now had a pixie cut and her nails had been done. I stood up and greeted her with a genuine smile and an appropriate kiss. "Hey beautiful, you look spectacular."
"Thank you," apprehension dissolving from her face. "You really like it?"
"It's adorable and I like your nails too." I wrapped her in a big hug and held her close to me. "I missed you today; did you have some fun?"
