Part 5 (1/2)

Katie pointed to Rainey's ears and then removed her own earplugs. She grinned like a kid at Rainey. ”Oh, but that was so much fun.”

Ernie laughed. ”You could blow a hole in a bus with that thing, before you knew what was happening.”

”Exactly my point,” Rainey said, letting the earplugs drop to dangle around her neck. ”Now, take out the clips like I showed you and clear the chamber.” Rainey was all business until the weapons were safely out of Ernie and Katie's hands.

Katie prattled on while she did as she was told, still giggling from the thrill. ”That was amazing. I wonder if I hit the target? After that first pull, it just got easier, but you're right. I think I need to be able to actually control the d.a.m.n thing, if I'm going to shoot it.”

”I tried to tell you both that I had given you the weapon most suited for you, but no, what does a trained FBI agent know about shooting?”

Rainey's sarcasm was not lost on Ernie, who practically raised her, and didn't take the smart remark without a comeback. She placed her hands on her hips, her gray head bobbing, as she said emphatically, ”Former FBI agent.”

”And you're making me miss it more and more every minute,” Rainey shot back.

Katie came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Rainey's waist. ”Don't lose your patience. That was fun. Finish up with Ernie and I'll go out and talk to Gary at the front. Take your time.” A quick peck on the cheek and Katie walked off the firing range.

Rainey watched the pet.i.te blonde, still mesmerized by the sheer energy Katie cast out around her. She had taken Rainey's breath the first time she saw her, standing at the gate of her old home in Chapel Hill. Now, nine months later, she took it no less frequently.

”Ain't love grand,” Ernie said snidely, drawing out the syllables in each word.

Rainey's face broke into a grin. ”Yes, yes it is.”

”All right, lovey-dovey, let's wrap this up. I got shows to watch.”

Rainey removed her father's Smith and Wesson .45 semi-auto from the shelf in front of Ernie. She double-checked that it was unloaded and placed it on the table behind them. She talked while she did this, returning with a smaller .380 revolver, and placed it, cylinder opened, in front of Ernie.

”Now, when we get here tomorrow, what are you going to do? Go through it step by step.”

Ernestine Womble, the sixty-seven year old office manager of Bell's Bail and Bait, wanted to qualify to carry a concealed weapon. With their clientele and what happened last summer, Rainey didn't really blame her. The nature of the bond business was bad enough. In addition, through her time as a behavioral a.n.a.lyst, Rainey was involved in some of the worst serial murder cases in the last decade. The fact that some of those cases remained unsolved kept Rainey's Glock tight to her side. Knowing there were so many more out there, roaming undetected, kept Rainey in a constant state of vigilance. She paid dearly the one time her guard was down. That was never going to happen to Rainey Bell again.

Chapter five.

”Rainey, did you see this article about the missing woman from Durham?”

At 7:45 a.m., Tuesday morning, Rainey stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist. She was using another towel to dry her thick hair as she walked bare-chested into the room. Last April, Rainey wouldn't have been caught dead without a s.h.i.+rt on, but that was before Katie Meyers took over her life. Rainey no longer felt self-conscious about the scar slashed across her chest and torso by a madman. None of that mattered anymore.

Rainey smiled at the sight of Katie seated at the computer wearing a terry cloth robe. She still had a hard time believing this was her life, now. Rainey had never been in love with a woman before, but then she never met a woman like Katie. During the previous July, Katie's marriage ended abruptly, and the ”Y-man Killer” that scarred them both met his maker. Katie moved in with Rainey immediately. Since then, life continued to get better every day.

Rainey, towel draped over her shoulders, stepped up beside Katie who was intently reading from the computer screen. Rainey put her hand on Katie's shoulder and leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head.

”What did you say?” Rainey asked.

Katie slid her arm around Rainey's toweled waist without looking away from the computer screen. ”This woman from Durham is still missing. Today's the fifth isn't it?”

”Yep, it says so right there on the screen.”

”Don't be a smarta.s.s,” Katie said, popping Rainey on the b.u.t.t. ”That means she's been missing for a week.”

”Really? Who is she?” Rainey peered at the monitor. A picture accompanied the article Katie was reading. It showed a smiling woman with short dark hair. She was attractive, but in a rugged, outdoorsy way.

Katie turned to look at Rainey. A smile spread across her face. ”I didn't realize there was a naked woman standing beside me.”

Katie stood and stretched her five feet-six inch frame, reaching up to wrap her arms around Rainey's neck. The four-inch difference in their heights forced Katie to stand on her tiptoes, until she could reach Rainey's lips with her own. Katie melted into Rainey's arms, kissing her slow and long. She could kiss Katie all day, every day, but alas her job beckoned and it was getting late. She pulled back from Katie's lips and whispered against them, ”Don't start this now, or Ernie will be over here knocking on the door, wondering where I am.”

”You started it, walking in here naked,” Katie said, kissing Rainey again.

As hard as it was to tear away, Rainey really did need to hurry. She tried a different tactic when Katie let her up for air. ”Don't you have a doctor's appointment this morning?”

Katie released Rainey from her grasp. She looked down at the clock on the computer screen and flew into action. ”Oh G.o.d, I need to hurry. I was so lost in that story, time got away from me.” She playfully pushed Rainey away. ”Go away, you. I need to get dressed.”

Katie took off toward the master bedroom with Rainey hot on her tail. Katie giggled in front of her, skipping out of Rainey's grasp. She caught up and tackled Katie onto the new king sized bed. Katie giggled louder. She brought out the playful, carefree side of Rainey, the part of her that slowly faded into the background during her years with the BAU. She smothered Katie with kisses, while Katie lost control of her laughter. Then just as quickly as she had thrown her onto the bed, Rainey released the squirming Katie and stood up.

”Okay, that should hold you for a bit.” Rainey said, while grinning down at the love of her life.

Katie smiled, raising a hand for Rainey to help her stand. ”Have I told you I love you today?”

Rainey grinned and winked. ”No, I don't think you did.”

Katie winked, accompanied by a s.e.xy smile. ”I love you, Rainey Blue Bell.”

One more kiss on the cheek, before they began to dress. Rainey chose her standard black jeans, black s.h.i.+rt, and gun holster. Katie a.s.sumed her cla.s.sic Chapel Hill, thirty-something, wealthy housewife persona in navy blue slacks and a white Peter Pan collared, short-sleeved, cotton s.h.i.+rt. Rainey dressed quickly, then stopped to watch with fascination as Katie stood in front of the mirror putting on makeup. Katie was beautiful without it, and she didn't wear much, but she was gorgeous when she did. Rainey only wore makeup when she was forced to and that was a very rare occasion. Katie winked at her, knowing Rainey was still captivated by the sight of her. She checked her hair in the mirror one more time.

Rainey leaned on the door jam. ”You're beautiful.”

Katie brushed past Rainey, pecking her on the cheek. ”Thank you, darlin'.”

They made it to the front door without further delay. Rainey swiped her finger on the biometric pad of the gun safe. Katie insisted Rainey install the safe after she moved in. The door popped open. She liked the ease of the fingerprint lock, but in case the biometrics failed it had back-up keypad access, and a battery for power loss. Katie's prints were stored there, too. Should Katie need a weapon, more than enough surrounded her, and Rainey was making sure she could use them all.

Katie didn't like to see the guns around the house, though she knew they were there and why. Rainey kept the weapons in the bedroom in a new larger gun vault built into the wall, but they were within arm's reach and one finger swipe from being in her hands. Katie said the guns were a daily reminder of the danger Rainey believed they were in. Katie liked to think if she didn't acknowledge the threat it would go away. Rainey knew different, but agreed to put the weapons in the safes. Rainey secretly kept a small pistol hidden in a secret compartment in the bookcase. Old habits were hard to break.

Removing her Glock 19 and holstering it, Rainey closed the safe door. She covered the offending weapon with a lightweight black jacket she pulled from the coat rack, by the door. Once they were ready to leave, Katie leaned up attempting to kiss Rainey on the lips.

”No you don't,” Rainey said, pulling back. ”You're going to kiss me and smear lipstick all over me.”

Katie grinned. ”Come here, I'll be gentle.” She rose on her toes and pecked Rainey lightly on the lips. Stepping back she looked at Rainey's mouth and ran her thumb across Rainey's lips. ”See, no harm done.”

Rainey hugged her and then opened the door. She let Katie out first and then set the alarm. Freddie Krueger, stalker of all things small, Rainey's bobbed-tail black cat was waiting to escort them down the cottage steps. He left the cottage every morning at sunrise to hunt and terrorize local wildlife. He returned about this time each day to walk Rainey to the office, before entering the cottage through his doggie door for a snack and a nap.

At the bottom of the stairs, Rainey parted from Katie. Walking backwards toward the office, she said, ”Call me when you're done with your appointment.”

Katie waved. ”I will. And hey... I wouldn't worry so much about the lipstick on your mouth, but I'm sure Ernie's going to love that full set of lips on your cheek.”

Rainey's hand shot to her face. She rubbed the spot where Katie had kissed her cheek and then looked at her hand. A smudge of pink glistened faintly on her fingers. ”d.a.m.n, you did it again,” she said, but she was laughing.

Katie opened her car door. ”See you later. Be safe.”