Disclaimers - See Part 1 for disclaimers.
Chapter Twenty-six
As Lee entered Marc's office for the second time that day, she saw her friend and Keith Judson deep in conversation. Both men looked up and nodded at her.
"Hi, Lee," Marc said, motioning her to pull up a chair. "Keith just got something very interesting faxed from Vancouver that I think might help loosen Pike and Eddie's tongues."
Curious, Lee dragged a chair over and leaned her elbows on the desk, trying to see what they'd been looking at with such fascination. Marc pushed the faxes across the table, and she saw that they were crime scene photos.
Picking them up to examine more closely, she gave a low whistle. "Jesus! Someone must've hated this guy." Her stomach turned and she forced herself to look away from the corpse's naked, mutilated body, but even looking at his face didn't quell her uneasiness. The stocky Asian man's face was frozen in a rictus of fear. She had no doubt that he had died fully aware of what was being done to him. "Who is he?"
Keith answered. "His name is Chai Rhongji. He's Gao's cousin. He was executed sometime this morning and dumped where he'd be easily found. This was a clear message to someone, though we're not exactly sure what it means."
"I suspect that it means Gao's boss is not happy about the way he botched his orders last night," Lee said, pushing the faxes back across the desk, knowing she wouldn't soon forget the look on the young man's face.
The two men exchanged glances and Marc said firmly, "Keith, I think it's time to tell Lee everything you've told me. She'll be able to use it against the King boys." The tall police lieutenant sighed at his colleague's balky look. "The boys won't be afraid of us, Keith. They've been dealing with the law since they were kids. They're career criminals...not very good ones, mind you, but it means they're not exactly intimidated by the police. Lee, on the other hand, scares the hell out of them."
Keith looked at the big woman skeptically, and Lee could almost see the doubtful question. She smiled wryly. "Let's just say that we've had previous encounters, and that they came out on the short end of the stick...literally."
Grinning inwardly, she recalled the first time she'd taken things into her own hands. Pike had been a mouthy 19-year-old punk and Eddie a hulking 18-year-old dullard, when she'd caught them harassing a pair of young female privates on the base. The brothers had thought the lone military policewoman an easy target. She'd taught them the error of their ways and they'd had a healthy fear of her ever since.
Keith studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "All right. But this is for your ears only, got it?" He tapped his finger on the pictures of the late Chai Rhongji. "Every time we think we're getting close, something like this happens and sources dry up, witnesses suddenly get amnesia, and it's like the whole underworld holds it breath until someone gives the word they can breathe again."
Frustrated, he ran his hand through thinning brown hair. "We've been working on this thing for over a decade. We manage to pick off a few fringe players now and then, but they never know enough to get us to the inner circle where all the power is."
"The inner circle of what?" Lee asked, observing the Major Crimes officer closely.
"The Chameleon." Keith uttered the words with awed loathing in his voice, but the name meant nothing to Lee.
Marc, seeing her blank look, explained. "The Chameleon is the name of the intensely secretive head of a huge, well-entrenched, international ring that specializes in smuggling drugs and people. Until your friends' information, we couldn't even confirm that the Chameleon was a woman. No one but a very small inner circle knew her identity, but everyone who worked for her organization knew that crossing her in any way meant instant death."
Keith picked up the story. "It's set up like the resistance in a war, with small cells only knowing the identity of the person they report directly to; so if we manage to bust one part of the organization, the larger part barely notices the loss."
Lee nodded slowly, absorbing the incredible possibility that Marika's erstwhile lover was an international criminal of such magnitude. "Okay, I understand what you're saying. And you want to use this against Pike and Eddie how?"
Marc snorted. "Those two are the tiniest of fish, but from the information you provided, we figure they work for Gao, who apparently works for the Chameleon, assuming that DeAndre does turn out to be the Chameleon. They may be stupid, but they're going to understand that they're totally expendable at the moment. I've no doubt that's why they took off."
Grimly smiling her understanding, Lee boiled it down to its essence. "So we convince them that the only way they can avoid Chai Rhongji's fate is to cooperate with us...that they're safer in our custody than out where the Chameleon can reach them." With a pointed look at the men, she added, "We're going to have to trade them protection for what they know."
"We're prepared to do that if they cooperate," Keith agreed. "What we need from them is confirmation that they do work for Gao as part of the Chameleon's organization in order to implicate DeAndre."
Lee nodded. "Then the best way to get that is to let them think we already know all about what's going on." She grinned wickedly. "I can do that."
Marc laughed. "I know...I've seen you work, remember?" The phone on his desk rang and he picked it up. "Manion. Yes, all right, we'll be down in a few minutes. Oh, hold on a moment." Covering the phone, he asked, "Do you want them together or in separate rooms, Lee?"
"Together for now, and then we'll play it by ear."
Marc relayed those instructions, then hung up. "They're downstairs whenever we're ready."
Lee stood and held out her hand for the photos. "No time like the present. Let's go have a chat with the Kings."
Keith shuffled the faxes into order and passed them across the desk. Casting one last skeptical look at Marc, who simply rolled his eyes, the Major Crimes officer followed the other two out of the office.
Riding down to the basement in the elevator, Lee felt a tense excitement. More than anything, she wanted to punish the woman who had so terrified and abused her friends before ordering them murdered. Her instincts told her that she was so close that she was breathing down Cass' neck, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she saw the woman's empire crumbling around her feet. Closing her eyes, she pictured Cass pacing like a caged tiger, looking over her shoulder as the law finally, inexorably, closed in around her.
She opened her eyes to find Marc watching her with one raised eyebrow. She simply smiled at him, and he grinned back. Just like old times. Exiting the elevator, he led them down a long hallway, stopping at a door labeled, 'Interrogation One'. As soon as they stepped through the door, Lee could see Pike and Eddie sitting in a small inner room behind a large one-way window, watched by an impassive police officer leaning against the back wall.
Lee took a moment to study the brothers. Neither looked well. Pike was fidgeting nervously, his dark eyes flickering nervously around the room. The two-bit criminal's black greasy hair hung in tangles around the thin face marked with deep shadows under his eyes, and at least three day's growth of beard. Eddie didn't fidget, but he kept his dull eyes fixed on his brother's face as if waiting for direction. His once-white t-shirt was gray with dirt, and his buzz cut had grown out enough to add to his unkempt appearance. Like his brother, Eddie was unclean, unshaven, and appeared exhausted.
"I have to go in with you," Marc said, semi-apologetically.
Lee shrugged. "No problem. Just let me talk for the first bit, willya?"
When they entered the inner room, Marc turned on the tape recorder sitting on the otherwise unadorned table, then moved to stand beside Keith out of the brothers' field of vision. For her part, Lee enjoyed the instant apprehension on Pike's face as his eyes widened at the sight of her.
"What the hell! What're you doing here?"
Lee pulled out a chair across the table from the brothers and settled into it, crossing one leg over the other and making herself comfortable as she calmly regarded them.
Pike's fidgeting increased as the silence lengthened, and even Eddie shifted uneasily, his gaze moving between his brother and Lee. Finally, unable to stand it any more, Pike blurted, "We ain't done nuthin'. It was just a lousy shoplifting rap, an' it was a mistake anyway."
Lee smiled tranquilly, knowing that both her unexpected presence and demeanour were throwing Pike off balance. "Well actually, Francis," she began amiably, fully aware of the thug's bristling at the use of his given name, "it was a mistake, and rather a large one...on your part."
Pike glanced quickly at Eddie, and Lee could see the uncertainty before he mustered a look of bravado and sneered at her.
"Dunno what yer talkin' 'bout, cuz the most they got us on is boostin' a coupla bottles of booze. That's nuthin'."
"Sorry, Francis," Lee said with mock sorrow. "Quite apart from you two breaking the terms of your parole, we've also found out some rather interesting things about you boys since your abrupt departure from our fair city."
She chose that moment to set the photos on the table and gently push them across the table. Pike resisted looking down until a startled Eddie swore, "Jesus Christ!"
Alarmed, the smaller man glanced at the photos. He slapped his hand on them and half-shouted, "We din't do this! We ain't murderers."
"Actually, Francis, if young Miss Davies and her aunt hadn't escaped that fire you set, you would be murderers, but as it is, you're only guilty of arson and attempted murder."
It was a well-aimed shot in the dark, and Lee was gratified by Eddie's blurted "How?" before Pike glared him to silence.
Smoothly, the big woman went on. "However, that's the least of your troubles, Francis." Nodding at the pictures under Pike's hand, she said, "That is the late, unlamented Chai Rhongji, found rather publicly displayed on the Vancouver waterfront this morning."
She wasn't all that surprised when the name didn't appear to register with either of the men. "It seems that the late Mr. Chai was the cousin of your immediate boss, Gao Qui-jian."
That got a response, and for a brief moment, Lee thought Pike was going to faint. Even Eddie's dull eyes reflected panic. Not giving them a chance to recover, she continued. "It appears that Gao failed to carry out a pair of ordered executions, and this was the Chameleon's warning that he is to find the troublesome duo and get them out of her hair."
Lee was fascinated at how quickly Pike's olive toned skin turned a waxy yellow. It briefly crossed her mind that he looked one short step away from being a cadaver already. She'd figured it a safe bet that the brothers would assume that they were Gao's targets, and judging by the looks on their face, both of them were picturing themselves in Chai Rhongji's place.
She gave them a moment to absorb the full impact, noticing that Eddie couldn't tear his eyes from the pictures while Pike refused to look at them.
The smaller man tried to speak, but stopped, clearing his throat. Trying again, he snarled weakly, "Got nuthin' to do with us." But his defiance was paper thin, and Lee could clearly see the sweat breaking out on his face, even in the air-conditioned room.
"Francis, Francis, Francis," Lee cooed, gratified to see Pike flinch at the sound of his own name. Then suddenly slamming her hand on the table, she abandoned her casual pose and leaned across the table, grinning wolfishly at the startled pair. "Let's get down to it, boys. I'm not in the mood to waste my time. Here's how it is...you fucked up with the fire. It's well known that the Chameleon does not tolerate those who can't follow orders, so she instructed Gao to get rid of two loose ends...that would be you boys. Now, Gao, he looked all over town for you; and I happen to know that for a fact, cuz I was following him, looking for you too. But you boys actually showed a bit of good sense and took off in time. From what we know of the Chameleon that must not have made her happy, so she sent a little message of encouragement to Gao. I don't know a lot about Gao, but I do know that the Chinese tend to put a lot of value on family, so I'm guessing he is NOT happy that his cousin was killed because of you two."
Lee glanced up to see Marc and Keith leaning against the wall behind the Kings, beside the uniformed police officer. Marc gave her a little wink, and she picked up her narrative smoothly.
"So here you are...You not only have a very pissed off Gao looking for you, you've also come very unfavourably to the Chameleon's attention, and we all know what happens to loose ends in her organization."
"What...uh, what..." Pike's ability to form a complete thought seemed to have vanished. Eddie continued to stare-hypnotized-at the photos of Rhongji's mutilated corpse.
"That is the million-dollar question, isn't it, Francis?" Lee remarked sympathetically, leaning back in her chair again. "What do you do now? I guess the question you have to ask yourselves is--how far does the Chameleon's reach extend? How far must you run before she won't be able to find you?"
From the panicked looks on both men's faces, Lee suspected they at least believed there was no such place. "Okay, then, assuming your goal is to save your sorry hides, what are you going to do?"
Eddie was now staring at her almost pleadingly, and Pike kept running his tongue over obviously dry lips. Lee could almost see him frantically trying to think his way out of this one.
"As I see it, boys, you have very few options. We can bust you on the shoplifting charges, which, along with the parole violations will send you back to Drumheller," Lee explained patiently, invoking the name of the penitentiary the brothers had been released from the previous year. Doubtfully she added, "Of course, I'm not sure that you'd be safe from her in there."
Judging by the pure fear on Pike's face now, he was well aware that the barbed wire, armed guards, and high fences wouldn't keep the Chameleon's influence at bay.
"I'm thinking the better solution would probably be for you two to tell us absolutely everything you know about the Chameleon's organization, let us put you in protective custody until the trial, and then enter the witness protection program."
Pike summoned his last smidgen of defiance to dissent. "We ain't snitches." However the squeak in his voice belied any real conviction.
Lee shrugged. "No skin off my nose." Looking up at the men behind the brothers, she asked casually, "Marc, do you think you can get these two fine upstanding citizens released ROR this afternoon? I mean, after all, it's only a cheap shoplifting bust, and now that they're back in the city, they won't be too hard for...us to find when we need them."
Marc didn't even get a chance to answer, before Pike blurted, "Wait...look, let's talk about it, 'kay? Ain't no need to get hasty here."
Glancing ostentatiously at her watch, Lee yawned. "Got places to go and things to do, Francis. If you want to say something, you'd better say it now."
Pike hesitated a moment, until Eddie's voice galvanized him. "Tell her, Pike. It's over." Pushing the photo he'd been staring at to the table in front of his brother, the hulking man's voice trembled as he tapped his beefy finger on it. "Either of 'em catch us, this is the way we end up. I don't want to die, Pike. 'Specially not like that."
The smaller man gaped at his brother, and Lee wondered if he'd ever heard that long a speech from the usually barely intelligible man. Then with amazement, she watched Pike's thin shoulders square as he awkwardly patted his brother's shoulder. "Ain't gonna happen, Eddie. I wouldn't let it."
Mildly amazed at the unexpected display of fraternal loyalty, Lee waited, but she didn't have to wait for long.
"You guarantee protective custody and witness protection for both of us?"
There was an undertone of desperation in Pike's voice that almost made Lee smile in triumph. She motioned Marc and Keith forward, and the two men moved to the table.
"Gentlemen, can the city police and RCMP guarantee Pike and Eddie's safety?"
Keith spoke for both of them. Fixing the men with cool stare, he said, "That will depend on the quality of their information, and whether we can verify it as the truth."
"The tapes," Eddie blurted excitedly to his brother.
"Shut up!" Pike hissed, then drawing a deep breath, he said carefully, "Could be that we have proof of Gao's involvement."
Lee shook her head and laughed shortly. "You taped him? What did you think...that you could blackmail him?"
With a touch of pride, Pike shot back, "Wasn't blackmail...it was insurance. And yeah, we got some tapes, but you don't get them until Eddie and me get some guarantees."
Keith nodded, and took a chair. "All right. Let's talk."
Lee stood then and motioned Marc out of the room. On the other side of the mirror, they watched for a moment as Keith began his detailed questioning.
Turning away, the big woman faced her old commander. The adrenaline of the hunt had begun to fade, and she was starting to feel fatigued. It must have showed in her body language, because Marc asked sympathetically, "Tired?"
"Yeah," Lee agreed, stretching a little. "It's been a helluva long week. I could do with some peace and quiet."
Marc laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. "You did a great job in there, Lee. You played those two like a well-tuned fiddle."
Lee smiled and gave a little shrug. "Glad to help out, Cap'n. I had a lot of incentive."
The tall man nodded and lowered his hand. "We're going to get her, Lee. Don't you doubt it. Your friends will be fine."
Wearily, Lee regarded him. "As you yourself said, Pike and Eddie are small fish. We still have to connect the dots to Gao and then to Cass. We're a long way from proving that the eminent and highly regarded Mrs. DeAndre is the Chameleon."
"But we're on the right path. We use these guys to bring down Gao, and then we use Gao to bring her down. It's only a matter of time now, Sarge."
Lee snorted. "Right! We don't even know where the hell Gao is. He could be on a flight to China right now. And you can bet Cass isn't sitting still waiting to see where the chips fall. She's way too smart not to have a back-up plan."
Marc smiled. "One thing at a time, my friend. We've got Gao's photo flagged at every point of departure across Canada and the western U.S., so that should slow him down a bit. As for the Chameleon, if it is Mrs. DeAndre, as we suspect, she's actually going to be handicapped by her visibility. It's not like she can just drop out of sight, given her position. Her husband would raise holy hell to find her, and he has the clout to do it. No, I imagine she's going to proceed very carefully as she figures out what move to make next. Our advantage is that I think the dominoes have already started to fall, and they won't stop until they reach her doorstep."
Lee regarded him for a long moment, noting the suppressed excitement in his eyes. They shared the same instincts-part of the reason they'd worked so well together in the Special Investigations Unit-and even through her exhaustion, she knew that his assessment was probably correct.
Forcing a smile, she nodded. "You're right. It's only a matter of time."
"Exactly." Marc beamed. "And meanwhile, your friends are safe, sound and out of her reach."
"Yeah...out of reach," Lee echoed, unable to shake the uneasy feeling in her gut.
*****************************************************
Marika tore her eyes away from the sleeping form curled up in the passenger's seat, and tried to focus her full attention on the highway. They'd made excellent time, even through the twisting, narrow mountain passes, as she had...bent the speed limit in her eagerness to get away.
Or maybe it's really just to get there.
Marika smiled to herself at the thought of spending a couple of weeks with Rhi isolated at the lakeside cabin. Again her disobedient eyes strayed from the highway to caress the slight form of the young woman sleeping so peacefully next to her, and she felt a surge of love for the friend that was willingly casting her lot with hers.
Bemused by the onslaught of emotions, the lawyer drew in a deep breath and sternly instructed herself to watch the road. She managed to keep her eyes focused on the road ahead, but her thoughts stayed exclusively on Rhi. Marika was awed at the depth of what she was feeling. She had loved before, and been loved before, though not at the same time; but never before this small woman entered her life had she felt so completely and utterly overwhelmed by that particular emotion.
Sneaking another glance, she smiled at how vulnerable the young woman looked sound asleep, then smirked at the thought of applying that adjective to Rhi. This was the woman who stood up to bullies-whether in her home or in an alley; who had courageously tackled a knife-armed fanatic in their office; who had fearlessly kicked a psychotic killer in Marika's defence; and who even now was defying that same killer by adamantly refusing to separate herself from the lawyer.
Marika knew that Rhi could have bought herself at least a chance at life by abandoning her friend to Cass' influence, but she hadn't done that in Vancouver and she'd refused to consider it in Calgary, even with her life very much on the line.
The lawyer was stunned at the loyalty Rhi extended so selflessly. In turn, she wanted nothing more than to protect this small woman with everything she had. She had already decided that if it wasn't safe to return to work at the end of their enforced holiday, she'd take a leave of absence and whisk Rhi away somewhere that Cass couldn't find them.
Yeah, if you can talk her into it!
Marika gave a wry chuckle. Rhi was the farthest thing from a coward, and it might be difficult to convince her that running was the appropriate tactic.
Well, she didn't mind leaving Calgary today.
The lawyer smiled, fully aware that the eagerness both of them had displayed so openly at leaving the city had nothing to do with getting away from Gao, and everything to do with getting away with each other.
Marika shivered as desire coursed through her body, and she looked wistfully at the air conditioning control, but didn't want to wake the sleeping woman by increasing the flow of cool air. It was getting harder and harder not to touch Rhi all the time, and she'd noticed the younger woman was reacting in the same manner, as if there were a magnet drawing them inexorably together. Even when they'd stopped briefly at a roadside café for a sandwich and coffee, they'd sat side by side in a booth, unable to forego the sensation of their legs pressed together.
Take it slow! You don't want to scare her!
Aware of Rhi's inexperience, Marika was determined to let her young lover set the pace, or delay things all together, if that's what she wanted.
Though the way she kissed me this morning...
The thought made the lawyer smile. She was pretty certain that Rhi was as eager for their lovemaking as she was, but she was still determined to rein in her desire and let the younger woman direct their course.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn from beside her, and Marika cast an affectionate glance at Rhi as she stretched and opened her eyes. Blinking a little, she sat upright and looked out the window.
"Where are we?"
"Almost there. The last sign I saw said thirty kilometres to Sicamous. We'll stop there for groceries before we head for the cabin."
Rhi reached lazily for the area map, which had been folded to display the entire Shuswap region. "Kind of looks like an H, doesn't it?"
Marika smiled. "It does. We're going to be on the south shore of Shuswap Lake proper, across from Copper Island."
The younger woman inspected the spot that Marika had circled earlier and compared it to David's hand drawn map. "Looks like that's the least populated area."
"Well, from what David said, the cabin has been in Conor's family for ages, long before the lakes became such a tourist hotspot, and the road in there isn't the best, but that'll work to our advantage."
Rhi glanced at her sharply. "You don't think we'll be followed here, do you?"
Marika eased her foot up, slowing the big car as they approached the Sicamous town limits. "No, I don't. Lee was very careful to cover our tracks and there's no way anyone could know where we went. Besides, there's a thousand kilometres of shoreline in these lakes...It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack." She smiled at Rhi. "We're just going to have an unexpected holiday; and by the time we get back, the whole mess will be cleaned up."
Rhi gave her a delighted grin, then dropped her eyes and said shyly, "Can't think of anyone I'd rather go on a holiday with."
"Neither can I." The words were soft, but fervent, and both women were smiling uncontrollably as Marika turned into the first large grocery store they came to.
Once inside, Marika quickly abandoned her intent to buy a balanced menu of food groups, giving in instead to Rhi's irrepressible good humour as she tossed hot dogs, hamburger, buns, chips and pop into their basket. When she tried to protest, the younger woman just grinned at her.
"We'll eat healthily when we're back in our home again. You're supposed to eat junk when you're on holiday."
She started down the aisle towards the marshmallows as Marika shook her head in amusement. Exhilarated by Rhi's reference to their home, the lawyer followed, pushing the cart past an astounding display of junk food.
When she pulled even with the younger woman, Rhi was contemplating two bags of marshmallows, and Marika almost laughed out loud at the intense look on her face.
Thrusting the bags out, Rhi asked seriously, "Traditional white, or fruit-flavoured-what do you think?"
"I think I love you."
Marika was as startled by the spontaneous words as the woman she'd spoken them to. This wasn't exactly the romantic setting the lawyer had pictured for her first declaration of love, but watching Rhi's eyes soften and glow, she knew it didn't matter. She would be saying those words thousands of times from now on, and there would be many more appropriate times and locations, but she'd spoken from the heart and that was all that mattered.
Rhi dropped both bags in the cart and stepped closer until Marika could feel the heat of her small body. It was all the lawyer could do not to take her in her arms right there.
"I love you too. And I can hardly wait to show you how much."
They were frozen--staring at each other--until a matron with three children rounded the corner into their aisle, and her kids started squabbling over what treats they could have.
Quite sure that she'd been seconds away from throwing propriety to the wind, Marika stepped back and drew a deep breath. In a voice she barely recognized as hers, she suggested raggedly, "Why don't we finish up here and get going?"
Rhi only nodded, then turned back to the shelves. Marika grinned when she saw a bag of pretzels join the marshmallows. She knew that her friend didn't even like pretzels, but she doubted that the young woman's mind was exactly on her shopping selections.
Somehow they managed to make it to the front tills with a few healthy items in their cart. Marika paid cash, as Lee had instructed when she'd insisted they take the money she offered them. Characteristically shrugging off their objections, she'd insisted that they could pay her back when they returned, but that she didn't want any kind of electronic trail of breadcrumbs identifying their sanctuary.
Once the bags were loaded in the Buick's trunk, Marika studied David's map one more time before returning to the road leading out of town. Within half an hour they'd turned off the main highway and were bumping over a narrow, rutted, gravel road, looking for the well-hidden turnoff to their cabin as they caught glimpses of shimmering water through the thick trees.
"There it is!" Rhi exclaimed, pointing to a faded red plastic tie tacked to a hand-lettered sign that read "O'Reilly" nailed on a slender willow tree. Just past the tree, they saw a break in the woods where a trail wound it's way down to a well-concealed A-frame log cabin.
Marika turned off, wincing as she heard the brush of branches and foliage along the sides of the car. The trail was barely wide enough for the Buick, but within moments they emerged into a clearing behind the cabin. Getting out, the first thing the lawyer noticed was how much cooler it was here under the shade of the thick forest. The second thing was that even though the cabin wasn't as impressive as some of the cedar and glass chalets they'd passed on their way there, it exuded a homey, comfortable feel, and nestled into its environment as naturally as the pine and spruce trees that surrounded it.
The women looked at each other and smiled.
"I think I'm going to like it here," Rhi commented, as she began to pick her way down the steep path that led around the side of the cabin.
Marika followed, close on her heels. They rounded the corner of the house and saw the lake stretching out in front of them, shining in the late afternoon sun.
The area between the front of the cabin and the lake was also steep, as the cabin had been built into the side of a hill. Though the beach was private, with no nearby neighbours, it was also small. Littered with large rocks, it was edged by a thick, old dead tree that had fallen from the side of the hill and now lay half in and half out of the lake, the wood washed white by years of pounding wind, waves and rain. A short wharf jutted about eight feet out into the water, and a hut that Marika assumed was the wood hut David had referred to was on the edge of the property. Her eyes drifted to a brick lined fire pit on the edge of the small beach, and she grinned as she pictured them roasting marshmallows there.
It was not a refined, elegant locale, but Marika already liked it for its raw beauty. Turning back to look at the cabin, she saw that the top floor of the A-frame had a walk out balcony, and the lower floor had large picture windows on either side of the front door. A stone chimney on one side of the cabin suggested the presence of a fireplace.
"Shall we take a look inside?"
Marika smiled down at Rhi. "Why don't we grab our bags and get them stowed away. That ice cream you insisted on isn't going to last forever in the trunk."
"Oh, like I had to twist your arm," Rhi scoffed amiably as she retraced their steps back up the path.
The lawyer chuckled. She knew full well that the younger woman would never have to try very hard to get her way, and she was quite content being completely, utterly wrapped around Rhi's little finger.
When they retrieved their suitcases out of the Buick, Marika noticed a small rear door to the cabin and was glad they wouldn't have to carry everything back down the steep trail to the front door.
She went first, unlocking the door and pushing it open onto a short hall that led to a spacious great room at the front of the cabin. A quick inspection revealed a washroom on the left side of the hall, complete with a claw-footed tub, and a large bedroom with four sets of bunks on the right side.
They walked into the great room and stopped short in admiration of the view through the big picture windows. The thick forest framed the calm waters of the lake, and Marika was struck by how postcard perfect it looked.
"That's going to be an awesome view at sunset," Rhi breathed beside her.
"Mmm hmm," Marika murmured. "Be beautiful first thing in the morning too."
The young woman grinned. "But Lee said we didn't have to get up early."
The mood broken, the lawyer laughed and set her suitcase on the floor. "Why don't you stow our bags while I go grab some of the groceries? I don't want that ice cream to melt."
Casually she turned away, knowing full well from David's description that the master bedroom was the only room upstairs under the peaked roof, but leaving their sleeping arrangements for Rhi to decide. She was almost completely certain that her friend would take both bags to the upper floor, but she was determined that she wouldn't react with dismay if that weren't the case.
By the time she returned with several bags in hand, Rhi met her in the hall as she headed out to the car for the rest of the groceries. With admirable off-handedness, the younger woman remarked, "I put our bags upstairs. I figured we could unpack later."
"Sounds good," Marika said, a huge smile on her face as she made her way to the spacious kitchen that took up one half of the great room. Guess that answers that question. She could barely contain her delight, her hand trembling slightly as she set items in the old fridge.
When Rhi returned with the rest of the groceries, they worked silently to put them all away, stealing glances at each other as they did. Once they were done, they faced each other.
Marika watched as Rhi jammed her hand into her pockets and fidgeted a bit. Understanding the reason for the young woman's patent nervousness, she asked, "Are you hungry yet? We could make a bonfire in the pit and roast wieners and marshmallows."
"Um, I'd like that...but later. I'm not that hungry yet." Rhi smiled shyly. "Would you like to walk along the beach a bit, maybe stretch out our muscles after that car ride?"
"I'd like that," Marika assured her gently and, placing one hand softly on Rhi's back, guided her to the front door.
Once they were outside, Rhi regained her exuberance, bouncing over the rocky ground to the lakeshore as Marika followed at a more sedate pace. They headed away from the fallen tree, ambling along the shoreline, which varied from boulder strewn to fine grain sand to near marsh like conditions. It took twenty minutes before they passed their nearest neighbour, a squat, mostly stone structure that loomed over its patch of hillside.
"Ours is prettier," Rhi said confidently, looking at the questionable architecture.
Marika laughed. "I won't disagree there."
The lawyer was enjoying herself immensely, walking at the side of her soon-to-be lover, taking in the beautiful scenery and the plethora of boats out on the expansive waters of the lakes, from graceful sailboats to raucous speedboats to the ungainly looking houseboats that were so popular on the Shuswap waterways. She felt herself relaxing, letting all cares drop away as her focus narrowed to the picturesque lakeshore and her enthusiastic companion.
Rhi stopped every few metres, finding yet another item to examine, from the perfect skipping stone to an exotic looking chunk of driftwood to a tiny thumbnail sized frog that she gently carried back to Marika to display.
The lawyer admired every new find, though she shied away from accepting the frog, telling Rhi that she'd pass on that privilege. The younger woman grinned and carefully returned the tiny creature to the water, bounding on ahead to see what lay around the next corner.
Marika was entranced, but also slightly saddened, by her companion's childlike delight in the shoreline's treasures. As she watched Rhi stoop to examine something new, she wondered if her friend had ever even been to a lake. When Rhi returned with a particularly fine shell to show her, she asked that question.
Cheerfully, Rhi shook her head. "Nope, Mom and Dad used to take me to the lakeside park in Toronto, but Lake Ontario is pretty dirty, and it's not nearly as pretty as this. They'd let me swim in the pool at the park, but Mom didn't like me going in the lake." She paused and looked out at the crystal waters lapping at the shore, every stone of the lakebed clearly visible through the gentle waves. "I've certainly never seen anything like this though."
They'd been exploring for almost an hour, and Marika was about to suggest that they turn back, when they rounded a bend and saw a houseboat nosing slowly into shore. Several women were pulling on thick heavy ropes stretching out from each corner of the boat, and Rhi ran to help the woman on the rope closest to them.
Marika followed quickly, but by the time she reached them, they'd already looped the rope around a thick tree and the tall stranger was tying it off with an impressive set of knots. Finished securing the line, she waved at the woman who'd been steering the boat from the upper deck, a captain's hat pushed rakishly back on short, straight, strawberry blonde hair. "Good job, Karen. You can shut it down now."
The captain waved in acknowledgement and throttled down the engine. Marika stared in amazement at the apparently all-female crew swarming all over the ship. She estimated there were over a dozen of them, but it was hard to keep count.
"Thanks for the help," the tall woman said with a smile, her keen, intelligent eyes taking in both of them.
"No problem," Rhi answered with an amiable shrug. "Glad to help."
"Are you...some kind of club?" Marika asked curiously, still watching the women on the boat.
The tall woman laughed. "No, just a group of old friends that gets together every two years for a reunion." Turning to look affectionately at the boat, where two women were dragging out a metal gangplank, she added, "We all grew up together and went to school together. Now we're scattered, but we always come back together again." Facing Rhi and Marika, she smiled. "For one weekend we leave husbands, kids, jobs and everything else behind, and act like a bunch of teenagers again."
"Minus the making out." A teasing voice came from behind her as a stocky silver-haired woman climbed the shore to where the trio stood. "Hi, sorry to interrupt, but they need you to turn on the gas, Janene."
"My assigned duty," the tall woman grinned. "Thanks again for the help."
She walked away with her friend, and Marika heard the shorter one quip, "Well at least your assigned duty doesn't include getting the damned boat going every morning. I'll trade you any day!"
Watching the two friends laughing together as they returned to the boat, she was struck by nostalgia for what she'd never had. "Must be nice," she murmured, and found Rhi watching her understandingly.
"Yeah," her companion agreed. Glancing over at the boat, she added, "They all look in their forties, so they must've been friends for a lot of years."
Marika turned back in the direction from which they had come, and Rhi matched her pace, not stopping to explore this time as they started quietly back towards their cabin.
Lost in thought, the lawyer had no idea how long they'd walked before her companion asked softly, "Do you s'pose that we'd have had friends like that if we hadn't come from Broken Faith?"
Considering that for a long moment, Marika finally shrugged. "Hard to say, Rhi. I mean, who we are now has been shaped by everything that happened since you lost your folks and I was tossed out of my family. It's impossible to say what would have happened if we'd gotten to stay with our families."
Stopping in the sheltered lee of a prominent boulder, she took Rhi's hands and looked at her seriously. "Sweetheart, I can't change what's gone before for either of us, but I do know what we're responsible for what happens from now on. We have some wonderful friends that have stuck their necks out a mile for us this last week. It's up to us to cherish and appreciate them...and each other."
The younger woman stared at her, eyes sparkling with emotion and unshed tears. Marika gently tugged her forward, and Rhi slid into her arms and against her body as naturally as if she'd done it all her life. They clung to each other, rocking slightly as they banished the pain of their pasts in the joy of their embrace and the hope of their future.
This time it was Rhi who initiated the slow, smouldering kiss that weakened Marika's knees and left her gasping for breath. Their bodies pressed so fiercely against each other that the lawyer swore she could feel her young lover's heart pounding against hers. Lost in the sensual thrill of mutually exploring tongues and hands, Marika had barely enough self-control to stop Rhi from undoing her shorts.
"Not here, sweetheart. Let's go back," Marika croaked, though all she wanted to do was ease Rhi down on the beach and take her right here...the world be damned. The roar of a motorboat racing by a short way off shore restored some of her common sense, and she enfolded the younger woman's exploring fingers in her own. "Behave," she warned, but she knew by the ardent look in Rhi's eyes that they'd better get back to the cabin soon.
They made much quicker time returning to the cabin, and this time Rhi didn't hesitate. Her earlier shyness had vanished, and Marika almost grinned as the small woman tugged her urgently up the beach to the A-frame's front door.
They were barely inside, when Rhi pressed her back against the door and started working at undoing Marika's fly while trying to tug the lawyer's t-shirt up over her head.
"Off," she muttered, her voice muffled as her lips traveled over every bit of exposed flesh, nipping and kissing Marika's face and neck until the lawyer was frantic for more.
Marika paused just long enough to pull back and rip the t-shirt off before her eager hands were at Rhi's buttons, even as the younger woman was fumbling to push the unzipped shorts down long, slender legs.
Slightly exasperated to find herself pressed against the door clad only in her bra and lacy underpants while Rhi was still fully clothed, Marika renewed her attack on those stubborn buttons and soon had her lover's blouse off. With the benefit of the lawyer's long experience, the younger woman's bra quickly followed.
Marika wanted to slow down and appreciate the newly revealed flesh, but Rhi would have none of it, murmuring with pleasure as she slid her hands inside the lawyer's panties and eased them over her hips.
"Oh Jesus!" Marika moaned as eager fingers slid between her legs, avidly exploring the wet heat.
With every bit of remaining willpower, Marika pleaded, "Upstairs! Now!"
For a split second, she thought Rhi would ignore her, but the younger woman pulled away, her small, firm breasts heaving with emotion and her breath coming in short gasps.
Somehow they made it up the open flight of stairs, Marika discarding her bra and sandals along the way. When they reached the large bedroom, it was her turn to awkwardly divest Rhi of her remaining clothes as they stumbled towards the bed, unable to bear being parted for even a second.
They fell back on the soft mattress, Marika's longer body covering Rhi's, as she reveled in the feeling of the slight but sturdy frame pressing urgently up against hers. She couldn't have slowed down now if Gao himself had appeared at their bedroom door. Rhi's frenzied pleading drove her on, and she slid one thigh between legs that willingly parted for her.
Rocking slowly against the smaller woman, Marika lowered her head to capture one pert breast, its nipple already hard. She had intended to go slowly, gradually introducing her inexperienced lover to the new sensations, but an urgent hand at the back of her head held her firmly as Rhi tried to push up, forcing more of the soft, smooth flesh into the lawyer's mouth.
Almost dizzy with joy, desire and amazement, Marika abandoned any hesitation and threw herself into loving Rhi, whose vocalizations increased in volume and intensity when the lawyer's long fingers traveled down her belly and between her legs.
It was only a matter of moments before Rhi began thrashing feverishly, thrusting against Marika's hand and thigh. The lawyer was startled, but deeply gratified when her lover erupted in a throaty growl, straining against the hand that possessed her so deliciously before slumping back to the bed, sucking in air.
Marika gentled her touch and wrapped Rhi in her long arms. "I love you, sweetheart."
Marika had never meant the words more than right at this moment, with this woman. Her heart soared as she heard the simple response in barely audible tones.
"Love you, too."
Ignoring the persistent need in her own body, she concentrating on making Rhi feel loved, safe and cherished. Marika whispered to her love, telling her how very, very glad she was that the young woman had come into her life. Murmuring her appreciation of Rhi's responsiveness, of her beauty and eagerness, she enfolded her beloved with her own body, feeling the smaller woman's breathing slow as her limbs relaxed.
"Oh...wow!"
Marika laughed at Rhi's breathless exclamation. Hugging her even tighter, she whispered, "I take it that you liked that?"
"Oh...wow!"
Unable to stop the giggles at her lover's inarticulate eloquence, Marika buried her face in Rhi's thick hair, enjoying the younger woman's answering chuckles.
She was startled when moments later she was abruptly rolled on her back, and sparkling, mischievous, blue eyes regarded her.
"I think I've only had half the experience here, Rika." Rhi trailed her hand up the lawyer's belly and curled around one breast. "Could I interest you in going a little farther?"
Acutely conscious that Rhi's finger had settled on her nipple and was rubbing gently, Marika gasped, "I wouldn't say no."
"No?" Rhi slid down, replacing her finger with her tongue for a few moments, before raising her head and teasing, "Then what would you say?"
"I'd say...oh my!" Marika bucked against the sensation of one very agile hand sliding between her legs.
"Hmmm, oh my? That's interesting. What else would you say?" Rhi moved to half cover Marika as she transferred her attentions to the other breast.
"Uh...God!" The lawyer's legs spread as her hips thrust up, accepting her lover inside. Through a fog of pure sensation, she felt Rhi laughing against her breast.
"Commendably spiritual, my darling," Rhi purred, instinctively finding her lover's most sensitive spots.
"Oh, Jesus! Please, Rhi...harder...please!" Marika felt her body soar as her lover possessed her, driving her higher and higher until the cabin echoed with the sounds of her pleasure.
Finally Marika slumped back, her body drained of every bit of tension, but her heart overflowing with feeling for the woman who curled around her, holding her tightly.
They fell asleep like that, and when they woke, the sun had started to sink, illuminating the lake with a rosy light. Marika piled the pillows behind herself and sat up with her back comfortably cushioned. Rhi slid into position between her legs and leaned back as the lawyer wrapped her arms around the smaller woman who sighed in contentment.
"Happy?" Marika asked softly, nuzzling at one pink ear.
"I can't remember ever being happier," Rhi confirmed, squirming a little and sending familiar sensations through Marika's body. She chuckled and shook her head at herself. She suspected she was going to live in a near permanent state of arousal for the foreseeable future. God, what she does to me!
In utter contentment, they watched the lake, quietly reveling in the beauty-of the lake, of each other, and of the feelings that were overwhelming them. They saw an osprey land on the old deadfall briefly before flying off again, and watched a boat, its white sails catching the fading rays, tack by them and disappear from view. Finally, Marika asked, "Are you hungry? We could go start a bonfire."
"Hmmm, we could," Rhi agreed, but she made no move to extricate herself from her lover's arms.
Marika chuckled and lifted one hand to lovingly stroke Rhi's hair. "It's been a long time since we ate. You must be getting hungry."
"Oh, I'm hungry all right."
The lawyer shivered at the undisguised passion in the young woman's voice. She felt her own desire begin to rapidly escalate, and she pressed harder against the lithe body in her arms. Rhi leaned back and lifted her legs over Marika's longer ones, eliciting a small groan from the older woman.
"You know, it occurs to me that...technically...I'm still a virgin," Rhi murmured, capturing the hand that had been making small circles on her belly. Sliding it down to where she wanted it, she asked throatily, "Think you could do something about that?"
"Something like...this?"
"Oh yeah! Oh God, I love you..."
*****************************************************
Lee frowned at the clock. It was quarter past ten, fifteen minutes beyond Marika's deadline to call. "Damn it! Why hasn't she called?"
Unwilling to leave it any longer, Lee picked up the phone and punched in Marika's cell phone number. By the tenth ring she was starting to get seriously worried, when she finally heard her friend answer.
"Hello?" Marika sounded breathless, as if she'd run a long distance.
"It's past ten," Lee said gruffly, her worries slow to fade. "Everything okay?"
"Oh shit! I'm sorry, Lee. I forgot. Yeah, everything's okay. Cabin's great. Lake is great."
Lee raised an eyebrow as she heard a distinct giggle in the background. She started to smile as the picture came into focus. Before she could say anything more, Marika gasped and blurted, "Uh, Lee, can I call you tomorrow? I promise...first thing in the morning."
Torn between teasing her friend and not wanting to interrupt the...festivities, Lee chose mercy. "Okay, no problem. Just make sure you plug your cell in overnight."
She grinned as she heard a muffled moan and then, "Rhi!" When Marika's voice came back on the line, it had gone up an octave. "Plug in...oh right. Hell, I forgot to bring the charger!"
"No you didn't. Dana packed in the side pocket of your suitcase."
"'Kay."
Shaking her head in amusement, Lee said with mock sternness, "Do NOT do anything else before you plug the phone in, Rika!"
"Right...phone...plug in." There was a muted yelp, and then Marika gasped, "Gotta go. Talk to you later."
The connection abruptly terminated, and Lee broke out laughing as she stared at the receiver in her hand. Dana poked her head around the door, staring at her partner.
"What's up, hon?"
Lee hung up the phone and grinned at her mate. "Let's just say that I think Rika and Rhi are enjoying their holiday."
Dana looked at her in puzzlement and then comprehension dawned. "No! Really?"
"Oh yeah...really," Lee confirmed with a chuckle, walking over to Dana. "Told you that you didn't need to pack jammies for them. I'd say they're having a lot of fun on their little holiday." She wrapped her arms around her partner and kissed her soundly. "Mmmm, what say we have a little fun too?"
Dana answered her with a kiss, before turning and leading a very willing Lee down the hall to their bedroom.
Continued in Chapter 27