25
ALEXIS rolled over and looked into Peter’s eyes. “So, do you regret us?” she whispered.
“Not a chance. I’ve enjoyed our time together,” Peter gently brushed her hair out of her face. “What about you, Lexie? Do you regret us?”
“No. I really don’t. I wanted to get lost and that’s what I did. I got lost in you. I do care about you. After first, I thought, I thought that we would be about sex, but, Peter, it doesn’t feel that way.”
He kissed her softly on the mouth. “No, it’s not just about that. Yes, we’re so great together, but it’s not about that.”
She curled next to him and covered them up with the blanket. “So, have you told anyone about me yet?”
“Just my dad. He doesn’t live around here. You know, I can’t tell anyone about you. I don’t need the hassle of that kind of fame,”
“I really don’t want anyone to know that I’m here either. Unfortunately, sitting in that banquet hall the entire last three years of my life came flooding back. Well, most of it.”
“Cops and badges? What is it with that?”
“I don’t know anymore. Peter, I’m not with you because you’re a cop. I’m putting cops behind me. I want to move forward. I don’t want to be me anymore. It’s so difficult to be me.”
“Lexie, you’re fine just as you are. You need to decide what you want to do with your life. You can’t be lost the whole time, but you can be a new person.”
“Right now, I just like being with you. I like being in your arms. I like talking to you. You’re nicer than you let on, you know.”
“Lexie,” he kissed her. “You have a spell over me. I can’t explain it, but you do. I can’t stop thinking about you. Even when I’m out to bust the scumbags of Vegas, I think about you.”
“Oh, Peter, don’t let me interfere with you job.”
“I don’t, but I like thinking about you.”
“You’re so sexy,” she kissed him. “Come here. Let me show you how much,” she pulled him close to her and held him tightly.
He kissed her all over her bare chest and gently touched her face. “Oh, Lexie, I want you more than ever.”
She wrapped her legs around him as he made love to her. She was so afraid that he was in love with her. I don’t love him, but he feels so good right now.
Alexis woke up and sighed heavily. She put on her robe and stood out on the balcony. “Oh, Matthew, the nightmares will never end. I’m sorry, I have to try and forget. I’m enjoying myself with Peter, but I know he’s not the one. Nothing seems to be working. In order to escape from the past, I need to become someone else. I’m just not sure who that is, anymore.”
She walked inside and sat down on her bed. She lifted up the pillow and pulled out the gun. She set it in her purse carefully. She picked up the phone. “This is Alexis Garris. I’ll be checking out today. Please send someone up in an hour to retrieve my bags,” she then dialed Peter’s cell number and left a voice message. “Peter, it’s Lex, I’m checking out of the hotel. I think I’m just going to get a room off of the strip. I’ll just stay where we usually go, the Forest Arms. Stop by tonight. It’ll be under Lexie Garrison,” she hung up the phone.
She got dressed and packed up her bags. Soon, the bellboy was there to take her bags. He carried them out to the car and she headed to the Forest Arms Motel.
“Hi, I’m Lexie Garrison. I’d like a room. I’ll pay for a month in advance, if that’s OK. I’d also like to make sure that the room next door’s vacant at all times, unless Peter Johnson books the room.”
“Yes, ma’am. We can do that for you. That will be an extra $5000.”
“Here’s a check for $10,000. It’s good. If you keep your word, I’ll pay an extra $5000 when I leave. I don’t want anyone to know where I am.”
“Don’t worry. Who are you anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter. No one special. If Lieutenant Peter Johnson wants to know where I am, please let him know which room. Thank you,” Alexis headed to her room and started to unpack. She took her gun out of her purse and placed it under the pillow.
She laid down on the bed and sighed. “Well, here I am, lost, totally lost,” she closed her eyes and fear entered her dreams.
Matthew pushed Alexis out of the way and Amanda plunged the knife into his chest.
“Matthew!” Alexis screamed. “Oh, god, Matthew. No. No, baby,” she held Matthew in her arms. “Stay with me, Love. Please don’t leave me,” she cried.
Matthew looked up at Alexis. “Love, know that I love you. I’ll always be with you,” he smiled slightly. “I do love you,” he reached up slowly and touched her face. “Love,” his arm lowered to the ground as he took his last breath.
“No, Matthew. Please come back. Don’t leave me. You promised you would never leave me,” she cried as she held his lifeless body.
Alexis looked up at Amanda, who just stared at her. “You killed him!” She screamed. “You killed my Matthew!”
Alexis looked around and everyone disappeared. “Matthew, where are you?”
“Angel, you’ll be safe soon. Just follow your destiny. I’ll save you, but first, save yourself. Decide who you need to be.”
“Who are you?”
“When I save you, you’ll know. See you, Angel.”
Alexis woke up with a start. “Who are you?” she yelled. She opened the window to the room and stared at the road below. “And who the hell is following me?”
She shook her head angrily. “I’m not who I’m supposed to be.”
She opened the door to leave the room, and there stood Peter.
“Peter, what are you doing here?”
“I got your message. Why are you here?”
“Alexis is dead, now. I figured I might as well stay here. It’s easier for us,” she hugged him.
“Lex, are you all right?”
“No. I’m not,” she dropped on the bed.
“More nightmares or stalkers?”
“I know. You think I’m crazy. But I’m not. Ever since I left Pennsylvania, I feel like someone’s following me. That’s why I have the gun.”
“What gun?”
“No questions, please. Yes, the nightmares are coming back. Why now, I just don’t know.”
“Lex, sit, talk with me. It’s OK,” he sat down next to her and put his arm around her.
“Peter, thanks.”
“For what?”
“Well, I know that, we’ve had, well, a lot of really good sex, but you’ve also become my friend.”
“Lex, yes, the sex is incredible, but aside from that, I care about you. You do have that spell over me,” he kissed her cheek.
“What are your plans right now?” She leaned in to him. “You always make me forget the bad dreams.”
“Well, I have to get back to the station, but I can come back in about three hours.”
“Three hours?” She sighed.
“Yeah, Lex, just sit back. Have a nice hot bath, watch your favorite movie and then I’ll be here. I’ll give you a night to remember. I promise. I’ll just check my things in next door, OK?”
“Sounds like a plan. I wish we didn’t have to, but we do, don’t we?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. But you still are really Alexis Garris. You can call yourself any name, but legally, you’re Alexis Garris.”
She kissed him softly on the mouth. “See you soon,”
He left the room and she ran the hot water for the tub. After her tub, she followed Peter’s advice and watched Stalag 17 until he arrived.
He smiled as he looked at her. “Lex, are you feeling better now?”
“Much, now that you’re here,” she wrapped her arms around him.
He slowly removed her robe and ran his hands down her shoulders. “You’re so beautiful,” he laid her on the bed and caressed her skin so gently.
“Peter, come here,” she removed his utility belt and threw it on the ground. She unzipped his pants and lowered them down his legs. He carefully kicked them onto the
floor.
He held her so tightly. “Lex, I need to tell you something,” he whispered. “I think that I l-l…”
“Later,” she kissed him hard on the mouth and rolled him over. He looked up at her in shock as she heard a muffled bang.
She looked down at him as blood streamed down his face. “Peter, are you OK?” She felt for his pulse, but he was dead.
“Oh, god, Peter,” she ran her hands through his hair and felt a tiny hole. When she noticed the hole in the pillow, she pulled out the gun. “Oh, god. I forgot to put the safety on, what the hell did I do?”
She held Peter’s body while she cried in pain and guilt. “Oh, god, Peter. I’m so sorry,” she closed her eyes as she clutched him close to her.
“Murderer! You killed again. This time you won’t get away with it!” She heard the reporters’ voices in her head.
“I can’t go through that again,” she looked down at Peter. He had this large lump on his forehead. “I’m sorry, Peter,” she kissed his lifeless mouth softly.
She wrapped towels around her hands, opened the adjoining door to his room, and carried Peter’s body into his room. She placed him in the tub and turned on the shower. She stood in the shower also, so that his blood would wash off her and be in the tub.
She dried herself off and went back to her room. She picked up his clothes off the floor and put them back in his room. She removed the sheets from her bed and switched mattresses with his room. She took the sheets off his old mattress and put them on hers.
Then she locked the adjoining door from the inside of his room. She carefully opened the front door, and placed the do not disturb sign on his doorknob. She walked down the hall to the linen closet and pulled out some clean sheets.
She piled up the bloodied sheets and stuffed them into one of her bags. She put the clean sheets on her bed.
She sat down, wrote out a check for $5000, and placed it in an envelope. She laid it on the table. She wiped down her entire hotel room so that her prints would not be there. She grabbed her bags and hurried out to her car.
She took a deep breath as she pulled out of the parking lot. She tried to stay at the speed limit and drove for about fifty miles until she hit another motel. The motel had cabins behind it, so she rented one of the cabins.
She parked her car behind the cabin and brought all of her bags inside.
She looked around the cabin room. It had a nice bed, bathroom, table, and fireplace. She went outside and grabbed some of the complimentary firewood, and started a fire. Once the fire was burning, slowly, she added the bed sheets to it.
As the fire burned, she just stared at the flames. “Good-bye, Peter. I’m so sorry,” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “Good-bye, Alexis.” She leaned back in the bed and fell asleep.