Vigilante

Chapter 2

Chapter 1"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

What felt like fire born somewhere from the depth of her soul raced to her face. Her throat raw with the intensity of the statement she had just released, every muscle in her body tensed in anticipation of the series of quick strikes Ashlyn would be forced to throw if her opponent did not heed her warning. Somewhere in the darkness, she heard the villain scrambling. His hurried, clumsy attempt to comply had caused him to stumble, as the sound of him slamming onto the ground below reached her.

“Ash, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was thinking…”

She would not allow him to finish his statement. He obviously didn’t take her seriously and it was time to escalate the matter. Reaching her hand out, she quickly tried to locate anything that would allow her to drive home her point. Her eyes could only see shadows, and betrayed her. Her hand however, would be true. She had found the object of her desire. In a motion so swift it would rival any major league pitcher, she scooped it up and hurled it in the direction of the commotion.

A second of silence that felt as palpable as any she had ever perceived hung in the air. Then, as if ripping through a barrier, the solid thwack followed by a strong “oomph” reached her. Her projectile had hit its intended target.

“What the hell! A SHOE! You threw a SHOE at me!”

“Be glad it was only a shoe. Now I said, ‘get the hell out of my house’ and do it now. You’ve got till the count of ten before I really get angry.”

“Ash, come on.”

“One.”

That apparently was what it took to motivate the scoundrel. To aid his attempt at retreat (because ten-seconds was not swift enough), Ashlyn extended her hand to her left. There she found her lamp. Which, thankfully, had not overturned in the confusion. Flicking the switch, the shadows receded and she could clearly see the object of her rage.

Though the light was blinding, and her pupils ached from the sudden adjustment they were forced to make, she willed her eyelids wide. She did not want to miss a single movement of his. She would be sure that every move the jerk made was made in a deliberate motion to hasten his escape.

He was using his hand as a shield, though she wasn’t sure whether it was due to the sudden flood of light that entered the room, or as a protection in case something else was hurled his way. The sudden brilliance had impeded his efforts to comply with her wishes. It was as if he was frozen. The light had become as a cleansing fire. She could now see him for what he truly was.

Standing six feet, three inches tall, weighing in the range of one hundred eighty-five to one hundred ninety pounds, the man was lean muscle. If he had six percent body fat, that was probably one to three percent to high. His abdominal section was crisscrossed and outlined so perfectly, it was as if someone had taken a flesh colored permanent marker and drawn it across his midsection. At the sight of him, a brief memory dared to surface in her mind. The thought of how hard his skin was when her hands first ventured into his space. The sensation she felt, when he had indeed removed his shirt and her eyes had confirmed what her hands told her. He was cut in all the right ways. But that was then.

“Two.”

That seemed to thaw his frozen state. He began to move with a purpose now and she watched him intently. As he reached down for his clothing, which had been strewn across the floor, she was able to get a fuller picture. His arms were chiseled and bulging, like an artist had molded him from human clay. His smooth, olive skin had been warm to her touch and contrasted perfectly with his dark, thick eyebrows and rugged beard stubble. She couldn’t believe she had actually found him sexy.

“Three.”

He was clothed now. Not fully, but enough where she wouldn’t feel guilty in the morning for casting him out in the nude. She began moving toward him to usher him out and he could obviously feel the intensity emanating from her as he began to back towards the door. Good, she wouldn’t have to shoot him, though the thought was at the forefront of her mind.

“Ash. Ashlyn. I made a terrible mistake and I just feel horrible. Can’t we start again?”

“You are correct. You did make a mistake. When you’re home and it is just you and your hand, then I think, you will truly realize the depths of your failure. This was a night you would have remembered for the rest of your life.” And with that statement, the door was forced shut and her evening was officially scrapped.

A terrible mistake indeed. What was he thinking would happen? They had had such a nice outing too. It had been a while since she had allowed herself to be intimate with a man. Sure, she had that one time with Dustin when she was in high school and curious. He was inexperienced and she was a virgin. He had no idea how to please her, and the whole experience was just messy.

Then there was her boyfriend at the university, Kenny. She was so in love with him. More than just a capable lover, he was a man who knew how to please a woman. In fact, he was so good that apparently, he felt like he should share his ability. With her roommate. Yes, what fun times those were, especially when she walked in on them. She was on her way to class, when she remembered that she forgot her notepad and doubled back. Fun times indeed.

She had so hoped that maybe this one would be a little different. He had picked her up on time, he drove a nice car, took her for a very nice meal and she even found him funny. He was a little taken aback when she told him what she did for a living, but he appeared to get over it quickly. He even said he found it sexy. She was not sure if he was just saying it to get in her pants, but it didn’t hurt. Especially since she had already determined that as long as he didn’t do anything idiotic, as all her other recent dates had, he would be the one to finally enjoy her. And she would be able to release some pent up s****l frustration. She did have needs after all.

They had returned to her place and she gave him all the right signals. She was selling and he appeared to be an eager buyer. Whispering all the right things as he slowly undressed them both, he was proving to be as smooth as she was longing. She was ready, oh so ready.

They had made it into her bedroom and he was still talking. The man had all the right words and she wondered if his tongue was good for things other than just forming words. He guided her to her own bed and slowly worked his way south. Touching, biting, l*****g, setting all her nerve endings aflame, his face eventually found her mark buried between her thighs. They were enjoying each other, and she knew this was what she deserved. At least, one night of happiness. She ached for this, her body yearning for the sweet release that would soon arrive. Then he said it.

“I wonder if yours looks like your sister’s.”

And that was it. Within seconds, the only part of her that ached was her fist after she had rammed it into the top of his skull, knocking him backwards. Another asshole. And what made it worse, was that this one had come at the recommendation of her family. Her sister Alyson had introduced her to him, and then pleaded with her to call him after they had exchanged business cards.

“Jake’s a good guy Ash.” She had stated. “Trust me, he’s not like those other good-for-nothing bums you’ve been out with. He’s different. A true gentleman.”

Yeah well, Aly was damn sure going to hear about her good guy first thing in the morning. For now, she knew she had better tend to the throb that was going on in her right hand. After all her training, she knew better than that. Punching someone in the head, fist to skull, went against every strike technique she had mastered. Damn, this thing better not be broken.

With a heavy sigh, Ashlyn turned and walked into her kitchen. She opened her freezer and grabbed an ice cube tray. Setting it on the counter, she opened her cabinet door and found her large, casserole bowl. As she turned the faucet handle to the cold water, she could feel her jaw tighten at the mere thought of what was to come. Emptying the frozen cubes into the now half full bowl, and feeling the corners of her mouth turn into a sneer, she plunged her hand into the icy cold depths. A yelp and a curse later, her thoughts of informing Abby of her true gentleman and their evening together were the only things keeping her from slipping over the edge and breaking something other than her body parts.

Twenty minutes, and two five hundred milligram aspirin later, Ashlyn returned to the scene of the crime. Her bedroom light was still on, her clothes still lying on the floor. The only thing calling her at this point was her pillow and the safety of her sheets. The clothes could wait till the morning.

What was wrong with these men that she kept meeting? Was it true? Were all the good ones already married? Just because she could kick their asses didn’t mean that she could not be a lady. She knew the difference between being hard for her job and soft for her lover.

And what was so ironic about the whole situation was that she was an outstanding detective. Her commendations proved her prowess. She just could not find a man worthy. She could hear her sister Alivia telling her once again that her standards were too high, the man she was looking for simply did not exist in the real world. Now she could feel the heat rising to her face once more. She had never settled for anything in her life, and was not about to start now. One thing was for sure, Matt was going to have a hearty laugh at her expense if and when she decided to tell him how this one went. Again.

At least she had the day off tomorrow. The bad guys she didn’t date, would keep for another day.

#

“She’s not going to like this one bit.”

“Captain, I want you to look deeply into my eyes. I want you to tell me if you see anyone in there that cares? No? You don’t, because I don’t care. Get her in here. We currently don’t have the manpower to contain this situation, so I want all off duty officers and I want them now!”

“Yes, sir Commander.”

Captain Matt Black reached into his pocket, feeling for his cell phone. Finding the device, he put his finger to the keypad and began punching out the numbers. Steeling himself for what was sure to come, he held the metal object to his ear and felt his chest rise and fall slowly as the breath came in and exited. This was going to be interesting.

The sound of ringing entered his ear. Ashlyn Rivers was more than a handful. Handful actually didn’t do her justice. The best word he could think of to describe her was obstinate. Her greatest strength could easily be perceived as her greatest weakness. Type A personality, it was her steadfast determination, her stubborn adherence to her purpose, her unyielding effort and die-hard attitude to not be controlled or overcome that made her an outstanding officer.

Finishing her undergraduate degree in criminology in only two and a half years, Ashlyn was one of the fastest the force had seen to rise to the rank of Detective Lieutenant. She passed both the Sergeant and Lieutenant exams on her first try. Exemplary worker, who still enjoyed being out in the field, she was definitely one to be reckoned with and everyone knew it.

Ashlyn gave one hundred and ten percent on everything she did and demanded nothing less than the best from those around her. Supervisor or subordinate alike, it didn’t matter. She was respectful of authority and position as any officer would be, but if she deemed you a liability for the task at hand she let you know. She didn’t play the political games that often accompanied the higher ranks. The woman didn’t know how to relax.