The Girl He Held Close All Night

The morning came too fast for her liking and surprise surprise it was dark and stormy outside.  If you had been blind and just given sight you'd believe the world operated in black and white.  He was already up and had shaven in the bathroom, now standing out on the balcony under the rooftop and smoking a cigarette.  Who knows when he got up but it was nice to know he didn't risk sleeping too long and not being up and fully aware if something did happen.  She joined him nude outside, the sound of the rain hitting above her distracted her from the upcoming day of events that held absolutely no resolution in her mind that ended well.  Cars sped up and down the streets below with their lights reflecting off of the wet surfaces around them.  She would come out here every time it rained and watch the world cleanse itself.  People would run and cars would make the fast splash sound with their tires that she could close her eyes and drift off to anytime.  At least it wasn't a cold day, she hated those with a passion, although her body claimed otherwise with a few notable physical signs that it was indeed cold.  "Been out here long?"
"Thought I'd watch the sun come up, still waiting."
"I think all it does is rain around here.....thanks for being there for all of this, I needed last night."
"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it isn't your last night."
She leaned her head against his shoulder and they watched the rain.  Lightning lit up the surrounding area and for a moment she almost forgot that they were on the hunt for something that may or may not even exist anymore.  The air drew out of her lungs and she tried with great force to stay uplifted.
"Do you have any leads?"
"Luckily I do, I pretty much exhausted everyone I've ever come in contact with and then some but I managed to have one ace in the hole that provided some help."
Every single person on the street could be a potential threat with their whereabouts currently on high alert.
"My contact says he's seen the briefcase and thinks he may know who has it.  Some willful spending was caught happening on the coast and there was a visual match on what you described the case to look like."
"Oh that's perfect!  Let's go get it now before we start getting housecalls."
"Not that easy, first we gotta make it over to the train station and ride that over to the coast, my contact will be waiting with the information and whereabouts."
"The train station?  We're leaving the city?"
"Gotta do what we gotta do to retrieve this case."
"What if they come after us, they've gotta be watching the routes out of here."
"They will be, so we have to be more descrete than usual.  So I'm afraid you'll have to wear something other than what you got on right now."
She covered her breasts out of embarrassment.  "Well yeah."
"We leave in fifteen, if there is anything in this apartment that may mean something to you I suggest moving it someplace else for safe keeping because this will be the first place they'll come looking."
"Don't have to move it, it's coming with me."
She held his hand and he showed a quick flash of surprise before covering it up with his usual detective gruff.  He squeezed her hand back and they kissed.  A flash of lightning and thunder exploded in the sky as their lips kissed like they're love was physically manifesting itself around them.  She made her way back inside to do a once over of her place and get dressed.  Today was going to be very interesting.  This time she dressed conservatively and with things that may lessen any blows or scrapes she may and quite possibly will encounter on their way over.  It had been one hell of an adventure so far and her heart quickly fell for this knight in shining trenchcoat.  If it had been anyone else she wasn't sure she would have felt the same way or even so quickly.  She emerged from the bedroom dressed and ready to go, he was standing near the door with a collection of roses in his hand.
"Oh Edward."  Her nose crinkled as she smiled at him and they kissed once more.
"A woman as pretty as you should always be cascaded with the most beautiful of flowers no matter what the situation."
"You are beyond words dew drop."
After a final farewell to the apartment she had come to know, they shut the door behind them and planned their next route as they walked down to the outside road.  It was always annoying how many people would try to ask for change and accost you on the streets.  The city wasn't something you wanted to show off to people with dirty streets and the homeless wandering around in droves.  Still, once it started raining it did literally clean itself up a bit.  Before they left the safety of the alcove and into the rain, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Probably not the best idea to go walking over out in the open, even if it is raining.  Less people will be out in the rain making us more conspicuous."
She knodded her head in agreement and was happy to be closer to him for the moment.  He scanned the area thinking of what the best method might be when finally he stepped off the curb and hailed the first taxi that drove by.  It was nicer than the usual dumsters on wheels and the driver didn't look like he was found in a field after five days of drug use.  He leaned into the window to speak with the driver.
"Fare plus double if you can get us to the Jamie Lynn station quick and with no red and blues noticing."
"Shouldn't be too hard, but if I see anything I don't like then your ass is out of the cab, got it?"
"Crystal clear."
He ushered her in first and took up residence next to her in the back seat.  The driver and Edward checked the areas all around them before taking off away from the apartment building.  The drive was smooth and rarely had to make any stops at all.  Even though it was raining harder, it didn't seem to affect the driver's visibility and he was making record time.  The driver began to glance a bit too often into the rear view mirror and while she assumed he was checking on his suspicious cargo, it was clear he was stealing shots of her cleavage.  Apparently conservative dress to her wasn't conservative enough, but it wasn't like she could hide the things.  Edward leaned a little farther into view and glared a little at the driver who cleared his throat and kept his eyes glued to the road after that.  The city blurred by in the watery view out of the window and her mind began to wander off to a time when she was younger and was able to walk these streets without as much danger as there was now.  She had lofty dreams and ambitions then, sidetracked a bit due to financial reasons and a certain friend who always seemed to get her in trouble.  She hadn't had a whole lot of luck lately, especially with other people.  But there was something about Edward that she just couldn't describe.  When she looked over he was busy looking out the window deep in thought.  He's putting a lot on the line for me and it could mean the end for him too.  He told her about what had happened the day before in his office, how he had killed two of the men after her but left the other.  She didn't think she had the stomach to kill someone maybe in the heat of the moment but even then.  Fear began to rise up inside of her, what if they were already waiting at the station?  As if he sensed her anxiety, he pulled her close and held her tightly.  Whispering in her ear words that made her fear drain out of her body.  "You're going to be okay.  I'm going to be right with you."
The sensation brought her back to last night when she let him have full access to every part of her body.  He had done things to her that she always fantasized about.  At least she was able to experience that before the end, if it does come to that.  The minutes went by quickly and before she knew it they were at the station.  The monumental iron design work was a sight to behold and created an almost out of place piece of architecture that housed the toughest steam engines the city contained.  The cab pulled up to the front and the rain continued to batter the windows in a way that dared them to step outside.  Edward handed him a wad of bills that she couldn't see the denominations of and just as quick as they left, they were outside in the rain again moving on to parts unknown.  Once the cab drove off it was just the two of them hand in hand looking up at the threatening building.
"Let's get this train and move on out of here.  Be careful and keep your head low, be ready if things go upside down."
She squeezed his hand in acknowledgement and they took the stairs up to the glass doors and disappeared inside.  The train hadn't left yet and there were small pockets of crowds sprinkled around the platform.  Smoke poured out from under the train creating a powerful and strong beast of a machine.  She had watched the trains go by growing up and always would make up where they were going in her head, pretending to be a passenger inside and commenting on the passing locales.  Another first for her, riding a train.  Also showed just how much she never left the city.
"Here, Gate 23.  Almost there."
He led her to the gate, his fingers twisting around hers.  If he didn't cut it out she would drift off her feet into the clouds, not paying attention to anything that was going on around them.  The people around them paid no attention to them and were too busy making sure they were together themselves.  Business men, children excited for adventure, and couples separating on business trips.  She envied them but also felt sorry for them.  It wasn't until her life was on the line did she realize how much she would take for granted.  A loud whistle sounded and the gates opened, people pouring onto the train like water out of a broken dam.  He made sure she was close and helped her into the train, then followed after her.
A man reading a newspaper peering overtop of the sheets watched them board.  Once they were on, he stashed the paper into a trash can and made his way through the nearest gate and onto the train.  He adjusted his sunglasses and scanned the platform back and forth before stepping fully onto the train.  From a distance he kept his eyes on the couple, he cracked his knuckles and tilted his head down to stay out of view.
They had made it to the train, he didn't want to congratulate himself yet, anything could still happen, but he did allow himself a moment to bask in what he was doing.  Out of the office on the most dangerous case of his life and with the most beautiful girl by his side.  When they survived this he was going to propose to ensure nobody else could ever come close to her. Meg, the girl he held close all night.

TO BE CONTINUED..........