Skeletons Without Halos 4

Welcome to another thrilling chapter of "Skeletons Without Halos"! Now things are really starting to heat up for the pair as an old flame from Nicky’s past has returned. Will she run away with her former lover or stand by her woman? Read on to find out!

And if you haven’t read the first three chapters you can find helpful links to the entire story below. Just my way of saying thanks to my loyal readers. You’ll also have a chance to leave feedback on the story and reader feedback does make a difference.

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Chester drew me into another kiss and I gave in, feeling his arms go around me the way they used to. His kiss was everything I remembered and then some. But it was wrong to be there kissing him when Vicky was supposed to be my girl, even if she didn’t know it yet. I tried to pull away and he cupped my head, gently pulling me back in for another kiss.

When at last we parted Chester moved away, leaving me missing his warmth and the smell of his good cigars and cologne, and a lamp flickered on. He came to sit across from me and I took in the luxurious apartment we were in. “Nicky, I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I love you, you know that.”

“You were trying to saw me in half with a tommy gun.” I growled and he shook his head in denial.

“No, I was going to march you out of there, I swear.” He tried and I glared at him. “And you did a real good job of not recognizing me.” He said and I flushed and looked away. “At first I thought you really didn’t remember, but I remembered the tire iron bit. Nice way to tell me to take a powder.” He chuckled and lit up another cigar.

I sighed and looked at him. Chester had always been irresistible to me. And I had no idea why. Maybe because he was the bad guy and I was supposed to catch him. Maybe because he’d always treated me right, and I remembered him missing me plenty of times before. “We’re going to get caught, Vicky’s going to figure out what really happened. You’ve missed me once too often, Chester, and we’re both going to swing for it.” I said and Chester shrugged like he didn’t care.

“What can she do, arrest me? I own everything and everyone, Nicky. And she can be bought, everyone has their price.”

“Not her.” I said. “She’s one of the good ones. Like I used to be.” I said and he frowned.

“You’ve always been good, real good. What’s got you rattled?”

“Nothing.” I lied.

“It’s her, you are sweet on her, aren’t you?”

“I’m more worried about being a failed cop at the moment. It’s my job to arrest you.” I said shakily. I got up, and his eye sockets trailed my movement.

“You’re not going anywhere.” He said quietly and as he rose to meet me the sole window of the apartment exploded inwards, and we both hit the deck.

“Friends of yours?” I growled.

“Not exactly.” It was Victoria’s voice and I flipped over to look at her. “I’d ask you to cuff him but I heard everything.” She said. “So you are what is today called a dirty cop?” I winced like she had slapped me. And I didn’t fail to notice her gun was trained on me as we shakily rose to our feet

“Will everyone stop saying that?” Chester asked. “So we were in love. So she kept letting me slip away and I kept failing to kill her when I had a chance. We made it work.” Even I realized how wrong that sounded. When he gestured to make his point her gun switched to him and we both froze.

“There doesn’t have to be boneshed.” Chester said quietly.

Victoria lowered her gun with a sigh. “You disappoint me, Nicky. I thought you were one of the good ones, that we could make a difference together.”

I hung my head, her words hurt. I loved her, I loved them both. But would I have ever loved her if I hadn’t given up Chester as being lost to me forever?

Chester looked at me and shrugged. “Up to you. You want to walk out on me a second time you go ahead and do that. I’ll give you two days to make yourself scarce, then I ain’t gonna miss.” He turned and walked out the door and I followed Vicky numbly out to the fire escape.

She looked at me once we had climbed down then seemed to smile. “I knew you’d make the right choice, that you were one of the good ones.”

“You just called me a dirty cop.” I complained as we got in the Jag.

“What was I supposed to say?” She asked. “Vicky I love you, run away with me before your maniac ex-whatever kills us both?”

“Good point.” I said and Vicky just smiled at me and put the Jag in drive.

Chester was as good as his word, giving us two days head start. He might have been a homicidal maniac, but he tended to keep his word. And as we lounged on beach chairs on a tropical isle Nicky looked at me. Her operation to look flesh and blood hadn’t been cheap but our guess had been right. There were other bosses out there and one had sent us back to the land of the living to hide out from Chester. “Nice idea, hiding out in paradise.” She said and I nodded.

I neglected telling her it was the same island Chester and I had planned on running away to until we’d realized we’d both end up getting the other one killed. My heart still ached for him but Vicky really didn’t judge me. “It gets better, you know. You’re not the first detective to fall for a criminal.”

Something in her voice made me look at her more closely. Vicky was now a raven-haired bombshell but that wasn’t what caught my attention. “You?” I asked in surprise and she nodded.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her either.” She said.

“What happened?”

“She left me. For another defective of all things.” I didn’t get to ask anymore as there was a distinctive click behind my beach chair and I looked up to see Chester looming over me. “Told you I wouldn’t miss this time.” He said, smiling. Then he pulled the trigger.

My word, this story is getting exciting! As always your feedback matters, what do you think will happen next, or is it game over for our lovely Nicky?