DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, Fox does. I'm only
taking them out for a test drive.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story contains some adult situations, so be
forewarned.
SPOILERS: Strap-on, Ryde or Die
After the Fall
By Sam
Part 1
I got a story, ain't got no moral,
Let the bad guy win every once in a while.
- Billy Preston
Billie Chambers stood outside the door, her hand resting on the knob as she fought off a sudden urge to turn around and walk away. She knew there was a very bad scene awaiting her on the other side. In fact, she had spent most of the ride over debating whether or not she should even bother. But, there was unfinished business that she couldn't ignore. There were angry words that needed to be said.
And she knew that it was only right for her to listen to them.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, all traces of her nervousness quickly buried under a cool, confident exterior. A quick nod to the officer standing nearby was all that was needed as he acknowledged her subtle command and exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him. She stared back at it for a moment, pausing to take in a slow, deep breath as she steeled herself for this confrontation.
"What are you doing here?"
Billie shifted her gaze toward the rooms only other occupant. A pair of pale blue eyes suddenly focused on her, the betrayal and anger residing in them so palpable she felt as though a physical force had struck her.
"I just thought I'd stop by and make sure everything was taken care of," she explained.
Sara clasped her hands together and rested them on the table, her grip so tight it caused her knuckles to turn white. "Just wanted to tie up some loose ends, then?"
"What did the doctor say?" Billie questioned as she gestured toward Sara's bandaged arm.
The blonde shrugged. "I'll live."
The brunette leaned her thin frame against the wall behind her, taking a moment to examine the blonde's demeanor. She looked relatively calm, given everything that had happened today. The only sign of her inner turmoil was the slight shaking of her hands as they remained tightly clasped in front of her. "Did you tell the D.A. everything?"
There was a brief pause before Sara finally shook her head and responded, "No."
Billie narrowed her eyes. "Sara."
"I may have skipped a few details," Sara replied as she made eye contact once again, her gaze cold and intense. She stood up and came around from behind the table, her movements slow and deliberate as she approached the young detective.
Billie straightened up as Sara drew closer, not really fearful of what she might do, but still uncertain as to what the woman's intentions were. After all, this was the same person who had nearly shot her several hours ago. "Such as?"
The blonde came to a stop directly in front of Billie, arms hanging loosely by her side as she fixed the other woman with a venomous glare. "I left out the part about you fucking me last night."
Billie could feel the heat travel up her face. "That's not what I meant."
Sara tilted her head to the side and studied the attractive brunette for a moment. "Did you enjoy it?"
"Sara, don't do this," Billie pleaded, her tone barely a whisper. "You know what happened between us has nothing to do with any of this."
Sara arched an elegant eyebrow. "So, you didn't just come on to me so you could catch me?" She reached a hand out and slipped her fingers into the waistband of Billie's jeans, pulling firmly until their lower bodies nearly touched. "Maybe we should do it again." Her tone was soft and intimate, drawing the words out slowly as she fixed the young woman with a hungry look. "Only this time...I get to fuck you."
Billie's skin felt a slow burn where Sara's slender fingers made contact with her bare flesh. The other woman's close proximity was beginning to make her feel a bit.crowded. Warm breath caressed her face as the svelte blonde leaned in close, nearly brushing Billie's lips with her own.
"Would you like that, Billie?"
The brunette could feel her heart rate climbing steadily as she remained rooted to the spot, her eyes captured by the beautiful thief's simmering gaze. The only words she could find to say were, "Umm." God, she had it bad.
"What's the matter, detective?" Sara whispered before tracing her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. She could hear the other woman's breath quicken, and it gave her a small feeling of satisfaction. "Have you forgotten how to play your part already?"
Billie's eyes dropped to focus on Sara's mouth, her mind replaying the events of last night as a warm, soft hand cupped her cheek. She tried to convince her overeager body that this was all a ploy on the other woman's part, but as their lips finally touched, she decided to block out any and all reasonable thought.
The kiss was slow and sensual at first, all warmth and softness as lips parted and tongues brushed together in a delicious tease. Billie moaned softly as Sara removed her hand from the young woman's jeans, her fingers tracing along the edge of her waist, before finally reaching under the hem of her shirt.
Sara pulled Billie tighter, pressing their bodies together as she leaned in closer, her mouth becoming more demanding, fighting for more ground. She slid her right hand through the brunette's hair, tightening her hold as she grabbed the long strands and wound them through her fingers. Her left hand slipped out from beneath the soft material of Billie's shirt, her fingers trailing slowly up the woman's spine.
Billie could feel herself being pressed down, her back arching as the blonde became more aggressive. Her own hands had been hovering near Sara's hips, unsure of the reaction if she took hold of the other woman. Now, it was obvious she needn't have worried.
A subtle shift of her leg brought Sara's body into the position she desired, as her hands worked in tandem, slowly coming together at the base of Billie's throat. She tightened her grip gently, causing Billie's eyes to snap open.
Their kiss ended abruptly as the young detective brought her hands up and grabbed Sara by her upper arms, fully intending to shove her off, if need be. The blonde clenched her teeth as Billie's left hand came into contact with her injured arm.
Billie continued to hold Sara, firmly, as she looked at the angry visage before her. The hurt and betrayal so evident in the hard stare that focused on her brought her up short. It was difficult to fathom that these were the same eyes which had greeted her when she awoke this morning, eyes as blue as the ocean that shined with warmth and affection.and desire. Now, those emotions were seemingly gone, replaced instead by something dark and cold.
"How could you use me that way?" Sara hissed as a pair of deceptively strong hands continued to tighten ever so slightly. A flash of pain shown in her eyes for a brief second, but Billie couldn't be sure if the cause was emotional or physical, although she suspected it was a little bit of both.
The blonde suddenly released her hold and pulled away, aware of the fact that hurting the other woman wasn't going to accomplish anything. A part of her wanted to strike out at the brunette, to finish what she'd started when the truth had been revealed a short while ago. But, there was another part of her that just wanted to run. to get as far away from Detective Billie Chambers as her legs would take her.
Billie stood there watching, helplessly as Sara turned her back on her and walked over to the window. After that display, she realized things were even worse than she'd thought.
The two women's first meeting had taken place only days ago, but it seemed as though they'd known each other much longer, at least that's how it was for Billie. She had never fallen for anyone so quickly, and although she was afraid to admit it, the very idea that this woman could have such an overwhelming effect on her was beginning to scare the hell out of her.
It's not as though the detective had never used her good looks to get close to anyone before. Working undercover was sometimes more luck than skill, and she often found herself in situations where she stepped over the line. Despite what people preferred to believe, it was actually done with alarming frequency. But, this was definitely one line she had never crossed. She had never slept with a suspect.
Never.
Until she met Sara Matthews.
This mysterious, sexy, dangerous young woman had managed to slip past all of the defenses Billie had spent years erecting around herself, and the detective was not even sure she knew how or when that happened.
At first, it had all been purely flirtatious, and Billie certainly had no qualms about playing that game. Sara was beautiful. She was friendly. She was breaking the law. She needed to be stopped. No problem. The physical chemistry had been there from the moment their eyes met, no doubt about that, but it didn't take very long before a deeper connection began to form.
In hindsight, Billie supposed it had started after their first dinner date. Her invented persona, along with her financial and marital woes, had obviously struck a cord with the young blonde. Those machinations had been a deliberate ruse to get a way in, but it was the unexpected display of protectiveness and sympathy that had taken Billie by surprise. It was then that she realized the person she was trying to bring down was not what she'd expected. Not at all. And that only served to make her job all the more difficult.
But, it was still her job.
So, why the hell had she slept with Sara? Why did she put her entire investigation at risk for the chance to be with her? The first answer was obvious. She wanted to.it was as simple as that. Of course, she should have used her better judgment, but in the heat of the moment, she threw out her good sense and went purely on instinct. Unfortunately, that instinct was not coming from her head.
There was also the nasty business of her sudden emotional attachment. When Sara asked her to stay at her place the day before, she spent all of two seconds weighing out the implications before accepting the invitation. The winning argument had been a simple one: If she turned the woman down, she might lose all the ground she was steadily gaining, and she was not about to let that happen. So, she stayed.
But in actuality, she was enjoying herself. She liked being with Sara. The two women seemed to share something that Billie had never experienced with anyone else before. Everything was so easy, so natural. There was a level of intimacy that couldn't have been faked. Billie just wasn't that good an actress. She couldn't exactly say it was love, but it certainly felt like it might be going in that direction. And with the knowledge that it was all about to come to a screeching halt, she wanted to savor it for as long as she could.
And now, the truth was out.
Billie had done her job. She'd done it so well, in fact, that she actually managed to convince the D.A. to go easy on Sara.in exchange for testimony, of course. Everyone was pretty much in agreement that the real danger had been Jill. And with Sara's eyewitness account of the shooting, not to mention the little altercation Billie had with the woman just prior to her arrest, she would go to jail for quite a while. Just the thought of Sara's soon-to-be former roommate cooling her heels in prison until she reached menopause almost brought a smile to the detective's lips.
Lieutenant Wilhemina Chambers had gotten her man, or rather, her woman. And she had to admit, after being away from undercover work for so long, it felt pretty good to know she still had what it took to do the job.
Unfortunately, investigations like these always left debris in their wake. Sometimes, it was friends or family members caught up in the web of deception their loved ones had created. Some were willing participants, of course, but more often they were innocent bystanders, whose only crime was that they trusted someone who hadn't deserved it. They were usually the ones left behind to deal with the lasting effects, while the guilty parties either wound up in jail, or just disappeared into thin air.
Collateral damage.
It was a cold unemotional term.but an accurate one. And although Sara could hardly be considered an innocent bystander, she was still the one left behind to deal with the consequences. Her testimony would be the nail in Jill's coffin, and Billie knew it would be very difficult for her to betray her friend, no matter what she'd done.
And in the midst of all that, there was still the small matter of Sara's growing relationship with Billie. The young woman felt betrayed, which was completely understandable. Even if the young detective could somehow convince the blonde that what they'd experienced together had been genuine, it still didn't change the basic facts.
Sara was a criminal that had to be caught, and Billie was the detective that had been assigned that duty. She had used the other woman's affections to get close enough to do it, and even though she found herself developing strong feelings for the blonde, that hadn't stopped her from taking Sara down.
Now, the worst was over. The damage had been done. Billie could admit to herself that she felt guilty for hurting Sara, but she also knew that, in the end, she had saved her. Of course, it might take some time for Sara to see that, so in the meantime, the detective would do the best she could to help the young woman through the difficult times that lay ahead. Maybe not the foundation on which to build a relationship, but she knew it would have to do.
For now.
"Don't you have someone else to do?"
The corner of Billie's lip turned up in a smirk, feeling somewhat relieved to hear the cool, steady tone of Sara's voice sounding more like herself. Having bore the brunt of the other woman's rage more than once today, the young detective found her sarcasm infinitely preferable. "I'll be at the arraignment tomorrow morning. We can have a talk afterwards."
Sara's gaze remained fixed on the street below. "I don't think we have anything more to talk about."
"Yeah, well." Billie turned and reached for the door, pulling it open as she shot a quick glance over her shoulder. "Maybe by tomorrow one of us will come up with something." Without waiting for a response, she headed out into the hallway, stopping in front of the officer waiting just outside. "I want you to keep a close eye on her, got that?"
The young policeman nodded, politely. "No problem. So far, she hasn't been any trouble."
Billie smiled to herself as she walked away, muttering under her breath, "So far."
Part 2
What I want is not to want what isn't mine.
- Tori Amos
The figure moved silently, one hand trailing languidly along the edge of the bed as she fixed her gaze on the lovely brunette's sleeping form. She reached out and stroked the woman's cheek, her fingers moving along the firm delicate jaw line, savoring the softness of skin until finally journeying further down to the base of the woman's throat. The pulse beneath her fingers was steady and strong.
She pressed down into the silky sheets, slowly stretching her body out as she lay next to the young woman. A soft sigh escaped from tired lips as a single word was whispered in to the dark.
"Billie."
Sara caressed Billie's hair as she watched the woman's eyelids flutter, holding her breath while she waited for those crystal blue orbs to focus on her. She felt her pulse quicken as the brunette finally opened her eyes, a look of confusion forming at the sight of the beautiful blonde lying next to her.
"Sara?" Billie's voice was thick with sleep. "What are you doing here?"
"Ssh," Sara placed a finger against her lips, effectively silencing the young woman. "I had to see you." She leaned over Billie's prone form, drawing her finger down over the woman's chin and along the slender contour of her throat, traveling further still, until she reached the valley between the brunette's breasts. The blonde placed the palm of her hand on Billie's chest, feeling the steadily increasing rhythm before allowing her fingers to trace along the outer edge of a rapidly hardening nipple. The silky softness of the brunette's nightgown was helping to make her gentle touches all the more appealing.
Sara could hear Billie moan softly as she began to move her hand even lower, her nails dragging gently along the flat, taut muscle of the brunette's stomach, finally reaching the hem of the fabric and making contact with the warm skin on the inside of Billie's thigh.
"Sara, please."
The blonde smiled as she leaned down and captured Billie's lips in a searing kiss. She poured every ounce of herself into it, trying to convey all of the passion and feeling that she had been unable to put into words.
Billie returned the kiss with equal fervor as Sara continued to stroke the woman's inner thigh, her hand slowly getting closer to the focus of her desire. Another soft moan was all the encouragement she needed as she slipped her fingers inside, causing the brunette to arch her back.
Sara moved inside of Billie, her hand creating a delicious friction as she continued to bring the woman to a higher state of pleasure. The brunette closed her eyes, arching her neck to give the blonde more access as warm kisses tickled the sensitive skin at the base of her throat.
"Billie," Sara suddenly stopped her ministrations, causing a small whimper of protest from the woman beneath her. The brunette's eyes opened, her blue eyes now darkened with passion. Sara thought she had never looked more beautiful.
"What's wrong?" Billie's voice was hoarse.
Sara placed a soft kiss on Billie's forehead, her lips brushing against the small bandage on the edge of her brow. "Are you sorry?"
"Sorry?" Billie echoed as the look of confusion returned.
"For lying to me," she explained.
"Of course I am," Billie sighed. "I told you that already. How many times do I have to say it before you believe it?"
Sara examined the brunette's face carefully, searching for any sign of deception. After a moment, she smiled. "I believe you."
Billie's expression was still troubled. She reached a hand up and brushed her fingers through Sara's hair, lovingly. "But, do you forgive me?"
"I."
"Are you crazy?"
The voice startled both women as they turned in unison.
Sara's eyes widened as she spotted the person standing only a few feet away. "Jill?" Seeing her roommate standing in the middle of Billie's bedroom wasn't nearly as shocking to Sara as the gun the woman clutched tightly in her hand.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Jill shouted angrily as she leveled the weapon at them. "Didn't she already hurt you enough?" She focused her aim on Billie.
"Jill, no!" Sara leapt off the bed, instantly putting herself between the two women.
"You're pathetic, you know that?" Jill remarked as she pulled the trigger.
Sara's eyes shot open as she uttered a small, strangled gasp. She sat up too quickly, one hand clutching her arm as the other came up to shield her eyes from the sunlight piercing through her window.
It took a few seconds for her to realize where she was. Home. She was home. In her own apartment.the one she shared with Jill.
Used to, she reminded herself bitterly. After today, Jill wouldn't be seeing much of anything beyond the inside of a jail cell.
She looked around for a moment, taking in all of the familiar shapes and colors. Normally, it would have given her some comfort, but now, it only served to remind her of what she was about to lose.
A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand elicited a soft groan from Sara as she realized it was nearly seven o'clock, which meant she needed to get her butt in gear. She dropped back to the pillows, defiantly, wanting nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and let the day pass by without her.
She grabbed a fistful of sheet and drew it up to her chin. There was a familiar scent still clinging to them and she felt her body shudder in response to the memory of the person who had left it behind.the very same person she had been dreaming about.
"Damn you, Billie," she whispered out loud to the empty room as thoughts of the young woman began to fill her mind. Their first meeting at the bar.dinner the evening after.the gentle touches, the whispered words, the soft kisses.
The lovemaking.
It had been intense, passionate. All of the things she knew it would be from the moment she first laid eyes on the gorgeous brunette. And after barely a week of knowing her, Sara had trusted her implicitly. Of course, that had been the plan all along, hadn't it?
Billie fed Sara all of the right lines, pushed all the right buttons. And even though she knew everything was about to blow up in Sara's face, that hadn't stopped the intrepid Lieutenant Chambers from getting into bed with her.
Sara blew out a frustrated breath and tossed the sheet aside. Sitting on her ass and musing about her stupidity wasn't going to help. She needed to take a shower and get a move on before the D.A.'s office decided she'd skipped town.
As she got up and walked toward the bathroom, something on the dressing table caught her eye.
It was a picture of Jill.
Actually, it was Sara and Jill, shot during a kayaking trip they had taken with a group of friends the previous summer. They had done a lot of traveling last year, enjoying the fruits of their illegal labors.
Sara traced the edge of the frame with the tip of her finger, contemplating the smiling face of her friend as she forced herself to face a hard truth.
Someone she cared about had betrayed her, and now she was about to do the same thing to Jill. It didn't matter that her friend was the one who pulled the trigger. Sara had been there, too. She could have done something.maybe called an ambulance after they left, or phoned in an anonymous tip to the police.
But, she didn't.
The only thing she was interested in was saving her own ass. Plain and simple. And now, here she was again, handing Jill over to the cops just to keep herself out of jail.
So, what exactly did that say about her?
Sara opened the top drawer of the table and dropped the picture inside before turning away and heading off to the shower.
"He what?" Billie practically shouted at the man seated across the desk. Steven Williams, the current District Attorney of L.A. County had originally considered himself a little too busy to talk with her. But, after she waited outside his office for nearly an hour, he finally decided that the only way he would get rid of her was to see her.
"Look, we're just as surprised as you are."
The brunette glared at him. "That psychopath shot an innocent woman in cold blood, not to mention the fact that she tried to knock me into next week." She slammed her hand against the arm of the chair, clearly frustrated by this recent turn of events. "How could he set bail?"
"It gets worse."
Billie turned as one of the Assistant D.A.'s came in and shut the door behind him. She remembered him from a previous case. The young man's dark features gave him an intense, serious look. She thought that was probably a good thing for a lawyer.
"Warren Colby, Lieutenant." He held a hand out as he approached her. "We met during the Loomis trial."
Billie nodded as she shook his hand. "I remember." He was one of the few people downtown she could tolerate. Most of her cases didn't generate any publicity for the D.A.'s office, due to the secrecy required for her work, which meant that Williams didn't give a rat's ass about them. Fortunately, one or two of the people that worked for him were still interested in enforcing the law, not making political maneuvers. "You did good work on that case."
He flashed her a brief smile. "You, too."
Williams cleared his throat to draw their attention. "What's the bad news?"
Warren handed a document to his boss while still giving Billie his full attention. "She walked twenty minutes ago."
"What?" The brunette stared at him in disbelief. "The bail was half a mil." She shot a look at Williams, who was still reading the paper in his hand. "You said you got every penny she had."
"We did."
"Then who-"
"Felicia Ralston." Williams handed the paper to Billie. "Looks like our little thief has some powerful friends."
She snatched the document from his hands in irritation. "She also shot someone, in case you've forgotten."
"Why is that name familiar?" Warren questioned.
"She owns a string of art galleries," Williams replied. "A few here in California, and one or two in New York." He leaned back in his chair, clasping his fingers behind his head. "I guess we'll have to come up with another plan of attack here."
"Excuse me?"
He focused his gaze on Billie. "Martin Rosewood is her attorney. He's one of the best in the country. It's a foregone conclusion that he'll want to settle."
"What the hell does that mean?" Billie shot back. She did not like where this conversation was headed.
"It means that I'm not in the habit of wasting the taxpayers money on a case that could take months to bring to trial, not to mention the amount of time that trial could last." Williams leaned forward and placed his hands on his desk. "Rosewood is famous for his stall tactics and we're taking about robbery and attempted murder. If it were a capital case that would be one thing, but-"
"But there won't be enough press coverage, right?" Billie cut him off as she threw the paper onto his desk.
"Colby, why don't you go see what's keeping our witness, alright?" Williams kept his gaze locked on Billie, confident that his underling would get the message.
Warren gave them each a look before answering. "Uh, sure." He turned and left the room.
As soon as they were alone, Williams pointed a finger at Billie. "I don't appreciate that kind of disrespect. You came here looking for a favor yesterday, and I gave it to you. Pull that shit again and you'll be lucky to get your fucking parking pass validated, you got that?"
"Look," Billie started, trying to keep her anger in check. As much as she disliked this man, she knew that pissing him off wasn't going to accomplish anything. "I realize that this case isn't up there on your list of priorities, but it is on mine. So, why don't we just cut the bullshit here and you tell me how you want to handle this."
Williams remained silent for a moment before finally settling back into his chair, once again. He reached a hand up and absently patted his thinning hair down as he seemed to give Billie's question some careful consideration. "They won't go for attempted murder, I can guarantee you that. The robbery charges shouldn't be a problem, but without any priors, it won't amount to much time."
"And what about Sara Matthews?" Billie questioned. "She agreed to the deal."
"Right," the older man agreed. "The problem is, it's really just her word against Kistler's."
"But, we know Jill was the shooter."
The D.A. eyed the brunette for a moment before opening a folder on his desk. He sighed heavily as he scanned the contents. "What we know and what we can prove are two different things. Even the physical evidence is a little sketchy." He shook his head as he pushed the documents away. "About the best we can hope for is that a jury will believe Matthews version of the events."
"She'll need protection," Billie pointed out.
"We can handle that," Williams confirmed.
The brunette shook her head. "No, I'll take care of it."
A knock at the door brought their discussion to an immediate halt. Warren Colby opened the door and stood aside, allowing someone else to step through before him.
It was Sara.
Billie felt her throat tighten upon seeing the young woman again. The familiar pang of guilt welled up, and it took her a moment to find her voice. "Hello, Sara." She chided herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her. This was not the time or the place.
A pair of blue eyes turned her way. "Hello, Lieutenant." Billie almost flinched at the cool, dismissive tone. "It is Lieutenant, right?"
The brunette nodded, slowly. "That's right."
Williams cleared his throat as he got up and came around from behind his desk. "Miss Matthews, I was getting a bit concerned."
Sara shrugged her slender shoulders. "Sorry, I overslept." She ignored the man's hand and dropped herself into the nearest chair. "So, let's get on with this." The blonde directed her attention to Billie. "When do I testify?" She stared up at those beautiful eyes, the details of her dream coming back with startling clarity, as a hot flush suffused her cheeks.
Billie narrowed her eyes, noticing Sara's reddening face. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Sara responded as she looked away from the woman's penetrating gaze. "I'm just a little tired." She finally looked back at Williams, trying to hide her embarrassment with annoyance. "Where's my deal?"
Warren stepped forward, brandishing a set of papers. "I have everything here." He handed them to Sara, who began flipping through the pages with feigned interest.
"Okay," she said breezily. "You got a pen?"
"Why don't you take a few minutes to read it through," Billie suggested. "Make sure everything is in there."
"You're sudden concern for my welfare is very touching," Sara replied acidly without looking up. Instead, she stretched her hand out, palm facing up, and spoke to Warren. "Do you have a pen, or not?"
"Sure," he answered, immediately producing one from his pocket.
Sara took it from him and flipped to the last page, signing her name in a flourish. She stood up and handed both items back to Warren. "There. Can I go now?"
"Sara, there's a few things we need to talk about," Billie responded in exasperation.
"I already told you that we have nothing more to discuss," the blonde stood up abruptly, feeling her anger returning in earnest.
"I'm talking about the trial!" Billie barked at her.
Williams finally interjected. "Look, ladies, I'm not sure what the hell is going on between the two of you, but we have a case to worry about. Now, why don't you both sit down so we can discuss this calmly?" His tone implied it was more of an order than a request.
Billie tore her gaze away from Sara, frustrated at her own inability to keep her cool. She needed to push all of this crap aside for now and focus on her job. Enough was enough. She made toward the door, mindful to grab Sara's uninjured arm as she passed by her. "I'll fill her in on our way out."
Sara suddenly found herself following the brunette out the door, too surprised by the woman's actions to offer any resistance. As they made their exit, Billie could hear Williams voice calling out to her.
"I'll need to go over her testimony when the two of you can find some free time! And for God's sake make sure she stays in one piece!"
A woman seated at the desk outside William's office looked up with a startled expression. Billie flashed a quick grin and pulled another door open, nearly pushing Sara out into the hallway as she hurried them both out of there.
That action finally snapped Sara out of her compliant state. She whirled on the brunette as she yanked her arm out of the woman's firm grip. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Billie fixed Sara with a fierce look. "I'm protecting you."
"From what? I don't need-"
"Jill's out on bail," Billie interrupted her.
The angry retort died on Sara's lips as the images from her dream invaded her thoughts once again, only this time it was the abrupt ending that flashed through her mind.
"We need to find a safe place for you to stay until the trial," Billie explained
Sara ran a hand through her hair anxiously. She didn't really believe that Jill would do anything to her. The woman might be angry with her for agreeing to testify, but a part of her also believed that if the tables were turned, her friend would have done the same thing.
The real concern was Jill's nearly obsessive fixation on Sara. There wasn't any romantic component involved, but her friend had a tendency to take Sara's relationship foibles way too seriously. The restraining orders that littered the blonde's past attachments was a testament to how far Jill would go to seek revenge on her friend's behalf.
Sara had completely ignored Jill's warnings about Billie, which of course turned out to be a huge mistake. The gorgeous cop had pulled the wool over her eyes, and she and Jill had nearly come to blows over it toward the end. It wasn't until the evidence was staring Sara in the face that she could even bring herself to believe it. And she knew Jill had taken that betrayal, and her inability to protect Sara from it, deadly serious.
Even after she managed to hide from the police, she took a chance at being caught just to get her hands on Billie, to make her pay for what she did. And now that there were formal charges pending, Sara was certain that Jill would be more dangerous than ever.
A myriad of emotions were pulling at Sara. There was a part of her that wanted to see Lieutenant Chambers get what was coming to her. After the way she played Sara, a little physical punishment held a certain appeal to the young blonde. Hell, she had even attempted to dole some of it out herself.
But, there was another part of her that was horrified by the idea of anyone hurting Billie. And Jill would most certainly not stop at a few bumps and bruises.
No, Sara told herself. There was simply no way she would allow that to happen.
"Where to?" she finally asked.
Billie offered her a genuine smile. "My place."