Echo of a Bird's Cry

THE HERO ANGEL DECEMBER 10

Eden asked me to help her throw out everything in her mother's house. Eden has the strength to finally let this abandoned house of horrors go. I never thought the day would come. I was eager to get started. We've thrown out all the sheet covered furniture. We've tossed out all of her mother's old clothes. We've trashed everything and gutted the place. This house is nothing more but a shell. Eden found two keepsakes. She found a pair of pearl earrings and a massive crown her mother won first place from her last pageant. Eden places the crown on her head. The rhinestones still glitters. Her deep silky black curls cascade down her back. Her eyes are brown gemstones. Her smooth skin is dusted with gold. This woman takes my breath away. There will never be a day where I'm not completely awed by her.

I hold her hand as we recheck all the empty rooms. All that remains are bare walls and naked floors.

"This feels good," Eden says as we make our way down the hall and to the front door.

We step out on the porch, inhaling cool night air. "This was a huge step in the right direction," I say, pulling her into my arms. "I'm proud of you, brown eyes."

She hugs me tighter. "Thank you."

We stay wrapped in each other's arms for a short eternity. Five years ago I never thought I could hold this woman in my arms again. But now the possibilities are as infinite as the open sky above us.

"You're the love of my life," I whisper in her ear.

"You're my soulmate," she whispers back. "I'm incredibly lucky to have you, Angel. I love you more and more with each beat of my heart."

Her father's unmarked police sedan comes into view. Eden kisses me before she breaks free and walks to her father's car.

Darrius rolls the window to wave at me. "I have to steal her for a few hours. It's family dinner night."

I nod my head. "Bring her back safe."

"Always," he says."

Eden buckles in and greets her father with a kiss on the cheek. "Hey Dad."

"Hey honey." His phone chirps and he turns it off. "Things have been hectic at work sense they found Jake Hicks' body."

"What happened to him?" I ask.

"His body was found in a back of car trunk twenty miles from town. The car was abandoned on the side of the highway. He died from a clean shot to his head. Execution style. Unfortunately I'm not surprised. I never had a good feeling about that man."

Eden stiffens and blinks.

"Well, what is done in the dark shall be brought into light. I doubt if we find who killed him. From what I've heard Jake was involved in a lot of bad dealings. We are not guaranteed much in life. Death is the only certainty in this world." He shakes his head and sighs. "We're going to get going before we make everyone late."

***

John and I meet at the same bar. He has his bourbon and I order a glass cranberry juice. He takes off his suit jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair.

"Thanks for meeting with me," John says.

"No problem."

He rubs at his eyes and sips on his bourbon. "The investigation is going nowhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the investigation is at a standstill."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He nods, tossing back bourbon.

"Do you think Eden had anything to actually do with it?"

He snorts out a laugh. "No, I don't. I don't think she cut the brakes to my fiancée's car. I know Eden. She's not cruel or evil." He rubs at his temples. "She can be a bitch but she doesn't have it in her to harm someone I care about. She isn't a murderer."

"Your fiancée thinks Eden tampered with her brakes. Why do you think that is?"

"They're both in a vulnerable place. They both need time to heal. They have to stop blaming each other. This back and forth blame game is exhausting."

"I agree." I swallow down bitter sweet cranberry juice and ask what I truly want to know. "Has Eden made any contact with you or Ashely? Is she still following you?"

He grins, twirling the ice cubes in his squat glass. "She surprisingly hasn't. I pulled the footage of the security cameras from my home and work office. She hasn't been around. I will take that as a good omen. I think the worst part is over."

"Eden is taking her treatment seriously this time. Things will get better."

"May the future bring us abundance, love, and less fucking headaches."

We cheers to endings and new beginnings.

Eden is waiting up for me when I arrive home. She sits in the middle of our bed, surrounded by pristine white sheets. She presents herself like a gift, wrapped in red lingerie. Her long dark hair falls down her shoulders. Red lipstick highlights the sensuous curve of her full lips. Her mouth looks like ripe cherries that I fully intend to bite into. Full-fledge lust hits me in every part of my body, nearly knocking me off my feet. My fingers are unbuttoning my shirt and then tearing at the fabric when it doesn't come off quick enough. My lips fuse to hers when I have her in my grasp. I worship this woman. My prayers fall against her golden skin in whispered pleas. She tells me she loves me. I tell her I can't live without her. My teeth rips her thigh garter straps. Before my next heartbeat, I spread her legs. I'm tasting her with my mouth and tongue, making her moan and tremble. I have to shove my hand over her mouth when she screams my name. I lose myself in her body. She clings to me like ivy. We lose ourselves in the pinnacle of ecstasy. There's nothing I wouldn't do for this woman of mine.