Toxic Delights: Part 10 (The Ending)

Elle never thought she'd feel this peaceful after being back in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Even the howling winds banging against the windows in Hazel's farmhouse, warning them of a nearby storm heading their way, did nothing to stop the stability she felt just by being near her friends. She needed this. More than she needed to be out there, facing the danger she used to let dictate her life.

"Auntie Elle! I finished the puzzle! Come, look!" Lily's cheerful claim brought her attention away from the pouring rain pounding against the windows. The little girl smiled brightly at her accomplishment and Elle felt her heart burst with unconditional love for her.

"You're a genius. Just like your auntie. But, can you handle this one?" Elle teased as she brought out another box filled with a thousand puzzle pieces from underneath the coffee table, and watched as the beaming little girl stared at the gift with excitement and ambition. It reminded her of the time she had given Leah the friendship bracelet she handcrafted herself, with the money she had stolen from her mother's purse for the materials. The beating Elle had received that night from her mother had been worth seeing Leah's face filled with joy and appreciation.

Since her secret had come to light, Leah had gone off the grid. Left her job at the precinct the same night McKee was sent back to prison and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Elle didn't bother tracking her. She'd been battling with the ghosts of her pasts for too long. She had to let her go, she had to let her find her own way. Elle owed her that much. Even though she had helped someone hurt her, just as much as she had hurt her all those years ago.

An eye for an eye. That was how people in her old neighborhood used to handle things. And now they were even.

"She's happy you're back. We all are," the sound of Dante's voice made her smile and she held his gaze as she joined him in the entryway of the living room. Hazel had had a long day in court, and was upstairs asleep in her bedroom, while she and Dante kept an eye on Lily. Dante had somehow gotten more handsome with his new haircut and neatly groomed scruff covering his cheeks and she couldn't help but notice the light was back in his warm eyes. Hazel had done that for him, and Elle felt just a tad bit jealous she hadn't been able to spark that kind of smoldering look in Carter's eyes. Not yet anyway.

"It's home. It's where I need to be," Elle answered, as she shrugged and stood beside him, and they both watched Lily and her fierce determination take over her angelic and youthful face.

"Hazel told me about what happened in Miami. I'm sorry you had to go through that," Dante offered, but Elle waved it off. There was no looking back anymore. A brighter future was her new goal and she'd start on that as soon as Carter returned her phone call, and told her the office space they invested in for their private investigating firm had finalized and they could start a brand new chapter in their career.

"There's no way to go around Hell. Only through it," she replied, crossing her arms as she rubbed them back into a warmer state.

"I also heard someone gave an anonymous tip into the police about Tobias' accomplice. A videotape of him burying the bodies in the backyard. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Dante baited, but she honestly had no idea who turned it in.

"I wish I did. I'd like to thank that weirdo personally for keeping Haze out of hot water. She's been through enough."

"She's taking it better than I expected."

"She has to. That little girl in there depends on it," Elle reminded him and he nodded, smiling proudly as he watched her trying to figure which puzzle pieces fit and which ones didn't.

"We never got a chance to talk about what happened between us. And—" Dante started, but Elle raised a hand to stop him. Dante had been a good fuck, the beginning of her revelation, but it meant nothing more than that. And that conclusion had come to her in the dead of night, as she stirred awake and Carter's arms wrapped around her instinctively, as if he knew she needed them. There'd been no doubt in her mind then that Carter Murphy would be her next target. And as evasive and mysterious as he was, she had her work cut out for her. But she'd gain access to his secrets sooner or later. She just had to keep playing the role of his best friend and business partner until she could gain access to his heart again.

"You're a good man, Dante. You did nothing wrong," she assured him, giving him the answer to the question he'd been struggling with since she left. People had been telling him his entire life that he was something people needed to be afraid of. And they were right. Not because he was evil, but because he brought an intriguing concept to light. We are all capable of doing bad things. To protect, to keep people safe, to keep harmful secrets from destroying lives. Did it justify taking the law into their own hands? People who've never lost everything would say no. The rest, wouldn't hesitate in showing them why they're wrong.

"You didn't either, Elle. And you should stop punishing yourself for it," he mentioned, not just referring to their encounter in his den the night of Hazel's birthday party, but to the recent events haunting her dreams at night, as he patted her shoulder and headed into the living room, to join her beautiful goddaughter. That was when Elle imagined what her own children would think about putting a puzzle together, and how much she'd love to help them figure out the distorted and confusing pieces life would inevitably throw at them.

"I need to tell you something," Carter Murphy's words caught her attention as she emerged from the humid bathroom of their apartment, right above the commercial space for their P.I. firm. They'd closed about a month ago, and were just now gaining traction for their clientele. To her surprise, St. Cloud had a lot of hidden secrets dying to burst out of their graves and people were willing to pay nice amounts of cash for it.

"If this is about whose name should be on the awning—" she began but Carter laughed as he shook his head.

"I already know you're putting yours first. I'm fine with it."

"Not that you have a choice, but go on. I'm listening," Elle answered as she pushed the robe off her body and used the towel to remove the excess water from her curls. When she saw him struggling to find the words to continue, she used her body to distract him, and held his gaze steady as she crawled into bed beside him and brought his lips to hers. He tasted like mint flavored toothpaste and it reminded her of the mint chocolate chip ice cream waiting for her in her refrigerator, and she couldn't wait for Carter to lick it off her body.

"I'm not who you think I amm" he finally spoke, tearing away from her lips as his eyes pinned hers when she pulled him on top of her. This was it. His big confession. Was she ready for it? Her rapid beating heart was clearly saying; no. But she could tell it'd been weighing on him for a long time and he was desperate for some relief.

"Who are you Carter?" she asked hesitantly, and the seconds ticked by before he decided to keep his secret a while longer, and his hand made its way between her legs, pulling them apart to make space for his head. He left a trail of kisses down her abdomen, treading lightly as he approached her aching mound of neatly trimmed dark curls. His warm tongue felt like heaven on her clit and her fingers took a hold of his hair, running through it as he ate from her. He used his fingertips to rub against her nub lightly, testing her patience as he dipped his tongue deeper inside. When he felt her muscles beginning to make room for the river of juices coming his way, he lifted himself up and finger-fucked her into an orgasm. Her body rode the first waves of pleasure until she felt his cock slip inside of her. Carter held her hands above her head and she let him hold them hostage. His first thrust came slow and deep, while his eyes displayed nothing but raw arousal and a spark of something wild and frightening she'd been scheming to achieve for weeks now.

She felt safe with him again, he had her trust unconditionally. The dark secret he carried around with him daily would shatter that. Or so she assumed. And she knew it was the reason why he'd kept it from her for this long. She couldn't promise things would be the same once all the cards were on the table. The only thing she could offer him was the notion that they'd get through it. No matter what it was. Just like they always had.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him in deeper inside of her. She needed to feel all of him, to remind him she'd be more than capable of handling whatever he was about to throw at her, and she was the only one who could. His body released its tension and all of his restraint dissolved completely, his forehead resting on hers as he picked up his pace and began to drill into her core.

She hadn't been taking her birth control pills, and it's a secret she wasn't trying to hide but Carter knew her better than anyone. He knew what it meant. He knew what it would bring to their lives. Yet here he was, taking the risk anyway, leaving their fates and future up in the air, a gamble he seemed more than willing to take despite his distaste for things that would bring about his nasty habit.

"Before I come inside of you, and possibly cause you to regret not taking your birth control, I need you to know my name isn't Carter Murphy," he admitted, as he stilled his movements and looked her straight in the eye.

"It's not?" she questioned, and dread began to fill her just as her second orgasm flowed from her painted toes to her taunt nipples.

"No," he said, and when she felt him quiver against her, she held him close, which caused him to swell even more inside of her, "It's Harvey Freeman," he confessed and she wished she hadn't shivered against him at the sound of the Skull Man's last name. He was the Skull Man's first born son, the only body they never found in that river all those years ago. The cloak of shame he wore so well finally made sense to her after all this time, but it didn't change how she felt about him. She wondered if that made her all the more sinister for it.

"Say something before I—" he insisted before Elle took his lips in hers and silenced him. She kissed him like she'd done a thousand times before, with feverish passion and an all-consuming need for more of his alluring enigma.

"Have you ever killed anyone who didn't deserve it?" she asked him when she finally broke away from his swollen lips. He studied her for a moment before he answered her.

"Never," he answered genuinely and that was all she needed to finish her seduction. Elle reached between them and positioned his shaft inside of her again. He was just about to explode with his warm liquid and her wet walls had taken note of it, clinging onto the hard rod as they pulled and pulled until he finally spilled heavily inside of her core. Their lips crashed while their hips rolled and dipped as one, their bodies writhing and losing what was left of their inhibitions. Once again, they embraced the toxic delights that came with their fragmented hearts and brought to life a spec of happiness back into their somber lives.