Chapter 1

After making a visit back to her childhood home where her mother resides, Keriann Kavanagh has an encounter with an all too familiar stranger and can't seem to shake the feeling as if there were something else lurking just outside her door.

The door creaked open slowly. That faint but distinguishable squealing pitch reminiscent of sounds you could only imagine to hear in horror stories and flicks. Her face appeared, eyes blinking as she tried to hold back the shock that quickly ran through her body. Standing before her, a face, one that she hadn't seen in years. "Well, well...look what the cat dragged in, and to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your face again?" Her words were laced with sarcasm and her tone not as friendly as one might expect upon greeting a visitor. However for her, this was no random visitor. As much as she tried to hold back the wave of emotions that flooded her the instant she opened that door, her heart started racing the moment her eyes met with his.

With his head tilted to one side, he cracked his mouth, the white of his teeth glowing in the darkness that surrounded him. His lips slowly stretching into a smirk as his eyes came up to meet hers. "You always were a sucker for cat's, are you trying to say that you aren't happy to see me?" His hand came to his chest as he forced a fake expression of surprise on his face. "Why Keriann Kavanagh I am shocked, no longer the friendly young woman I used to know are you?" She crossed her arms now, leaning against the side of the door, her eyes piercing through his. "Seems like you are still the same jackass I have always remembered you to be Andrew." 

She raised a brow at him, as she watched him hoist himself up on his toes, his head turning back and forth as he tried to get a peak into the house. She planted her foot firmly behind the door if she were expecting him to just invite himself in, hoping her foot would not fail her as a doorstop. "Nothing changes much does it Keri?" He said as he lowered his feet back to the porch. "It appears that way doesn't it Drew?" She snapped back almost instantaneously, Andrew not taking it as the insult she had fully intended it to be. "Even after the past couple of years, you still can't get me out of your head, can you?" Of course Keriann would never admit this to herself, let alone him, but it is obvious when you love someone, you never truly completely rid of them. "Don't flatter yourself Andrew, why are you here anyway, what do you want from me this time?" 

It was no secret to anyone in this town that Andrew and Keriann had history, in fact they had a whole mess of history behind them. Mess, of course, being the key word. Keriann had thought she made herself clear when she told Andrew that she had never wanted to see him again, now only finding herself to  wonder why after the three years he had managed to keep himself at bay, she found him on her mother's doorstep.

"A man makes one mistake and suddenly he is being outcast." Andrew shook his head from side to side, the smallest frown set upon his face. Keriann not budging,  allowing herself to believe that his emotion was anything but genuine. "I nearly lost my life Andrew." She paused for a moment, as if she were waiting for him to acknowledge his wrong doing and apologize, but nothing came. There was only silence between them for that moment. "I would call that a really big mistake, wouldn't you?" She pulled her foot away from the door, ready to close it when her body shuddered.

Her hand came up and gripped at her neck, as her eyes stared out into the darkness behind Andrew. "You okay Keriann?" Andrew cocked his head again, snapping his fingers in front of her face. She shook her head side to side as her eyes shifted from the darkness to his before finally speaking. "Yeah...just...cold." She wrapped her arms around herself.  Of course she hadn't been completely truthful with Andrew. That very sensation she experienced, that chill that runs up your spine and rips through your body in nearly the blink of an eye causing the hair on the back of your neck to stand straight up. That reaction you get when you feel as if someone were watching you, yet when you observe your own surrounds you see nothing in your vision.

 

She jumped a little, placing her hand over her chest to contain the rapid pounding in her chest as a cat jumped on the porch. Raising a brow slightly when she watched it weave in between Andrew's legs, purring loudly. "She doesn't know you well enough to hate you." She hissed at him as she bent down to pick up the cat. "Interesting choice of pet. Very fitting." She turned her head and gave Andrew a confused look. "She's a stray, found her on my property, funny thing, she followed me here too. Showed up unexpected one night on my porch." Keriann glared at Andrew as if she were trying to make reference to his own similar behavior. She reached for a bag of food by the door and filled the bowl before turning back to Andrew.

"I assume you stopped by because of my mother, shame she isn't in right now, but I will let her know you stopped by." She began to shut the door when his own foot came in between it and the frame. "That's just it Keriann, you and I both know your mother hasn't been here for some time." She paused, the door stopping just before it hit his foot, her eyes came up into his as her left brow raised. "Now if you would just let me in like a friendly neighbor would, we can exchange information." He raised his own brow at her. She was hesitant but eventually caved to his request and let him in. "Five minutes, and no funny business, or you will find yourself at the wrong end of my dagger."

Keriann pulled two mugs from the cupboard, turning and holding them up to Andrew, who politely declined her invitation for tea. "How could I forget, you are a coffee drinker. Perhaps a beer to wet your throat instead?" She said as she turned back around and placed one mug back. She dipped her tea bag into the hot water and retrieved a beer from fridge and placed it down before him.

"Let's get right down to business, how do you know my mother has been gone, and why exactly are you here?" She slipped herself into the stool and slowly sipped from her tea. "There is an assignment…" She shook her head, holding up her hand to him and cut him off before he could even finish. "I told you I was done with that world Andrew, and I meant it." He tilted his head, leaning back slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How could I forget, you never let me get a word in edge wise." He raised a brow at her before leaning forward and leaning on the counter.

She set down her mug, pushing it aside before propping and elbow on the counter and forcing a smile on her face. "Well then...go on...you have my full, undivided attention now. The floor is all yours Andrew." She raised a brow at him just then. "You always did like the lime light, so why you are here asking me for help has intrigued me." Of course, she didn't need him to finish his sentence to know that he came here for some sort of favor or help, she just wasn't sure what it was exactly.

 

"Just when I think  you couldn't be anymore of a smart ass…" The left corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards into a smirk. "Never cease to amaze me do you." To some their petty banter and exchange of insults and sarcastic comments might have been something reminiscent of a rivalry, and while that also might be true, to Andrew and Keriann, it was the one thing that drew them to each other, one fueling the other.

Before Andrew could even blink and eye, Keriann had kicked back her chair, leaned over the counter and into a slightly startled Andrew, who had snapped his head up to meet her anything but friendly glare. "You think this is some sort of game Andrew, you better start giving me answers, if anything, it is you the one here that owes the favors." She hissed at him. She slowly backed away from the counter, turning around and running her hands through her hair. She knew that he had information as to the whereabouts of her mother, and it frustrated...no...infuriated her that he was playing coy.

 

It didn't take long for Andrew to return the favor, catching her completely off guard as he moved quickly before her, leaning into her as he pressed his hands to the counter. Keriann gasped to catch her breath, one palm planted firmly on his shoulder. "Now doesn't this look familiar Keri?" He raised a brow at her and smiled. Keriann just laid there, back nearly against the counter now, and still no words could come from her. Her breathing becoming shallow and rapid as she bit down on her lip. "I know you still have feelings for me Keri, if you didn't, you would have just sent me across the room." He lifted a hand from the counter and gently ran it through the side of her hair, tucking the lose strands behind her ear as he slowly lifted her from the countertop, pulling her closer in his arms.

He knew very well what her weak spot was...him. His sarcastic nature, his inability to be intimated by her, and his ability to push every button the woman had until she felt as if she were going to explode. The man made her feel so many things, both good and bad and he made her feel that fire, that adrenaline that rushed through her veins, that was something she could never resist.

She took one look in his eyes, her hands slowly trailing up over his shoulders, following the lines of his neck until they had met with his jaw, where she paused, closing her eyes as she leaned towards him...waiting. All she needed was one movement, one word from him before they both completely lost any self control that might have remained.

But they weren't alone. She pulled away quickly when she seen the stray out of the corner of her eyes, looking up at them curiously. She pushed Andrew away, scooping the cat up in her arms. "How did you get in here." She turned to look at Andrew, who only shrugged his shoulders before his eyes came down to the cat's with a glare as if to thank it for ruining his moment.

 

Keriann walked to the back door, opening it slowly and setting the cat on the porch before shutting it and returning to the kitchen. Her hands coming up to smooth down her hair and tuck it behind her ears. Inside she was still dying to jump into his arms, but she new that nothing good would come from any encounter with this man. "My mother?" He shook his head quickly from side to side. "Right." He walked back over to his stool, sitting down, folding his hands and placing them on the counter in front of him. "We were out on a job, a few weeks ago and she went missing, figured if anyone would be able to track her down it would be you, have to admit I had a hell of a time trying to find you." He gave her a quick smile, but she was un-amused. "And if that is any indication, think we have a long road ahead of us."

The worry, the anger on her face, were some of the only expressions she couldn't hide. However, she was determined to keep herself from falling apart in front of him. It took her a moment to compose herself before turning back to him. "What happened Andrew." She backed away, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms, anything to keep her from wrapping them around his neck out of pure anger. "I warned my mother about working with you, after you nearly got me killed, I wouldn't expect you to be anymore conscious of her life."

 

He let out a sigh, slowly making his way over to her. "Don't come near me." She put her hand out trying to push him away. "It is taking every ounce of self control I have as it is not to strangle the life out of you right here and now." He put his own hands up, as if to surrender to her demands. "Keriann...I...I swear one minute she was there, the next gone. I spent the rest of the night looking for her, went back the next day to search the area and it's as if she just...vanished." He gave her a sympathetic look. "I know you don't want to be involved with this life Keriann, but I think your mother is in danger and you are the best chance at finding her."

She let out a sigh, feeling defeated having to tell herself that he was right. She paced for a moment, her hand pressed to her forehead as she let out a few grunts of frustration. Stopping and turning to him. "Don't think for one moment I am agreeing to this because of you, my mother's safety is all that matters. If she is still alive that is." She moved her eyes slowly up towards his. "Which you better hope she is." There was nothing kind about her tone and for once he had appeared to take her serious.

 

"And let's get one more thing straight Andrew." She walked towards him, her face only inches from his. This time her rapid breathing wasn't so lustful in nature. "There is no we Andrew, hasn't been for a long while, and there will never be again, do I make myself clear?" He looked up at her with a nod of his head, no visible expression on his face. "Crystal." He gave a look before backing away. "Good, now that we have settled some things, were do we begin?" He pulled out a slip of paper, opening it and smoothing it out on the counter. He pointed at the map.

 

"This is where our job was." He looked up at her. "And last I saw of her, we were over here." She looked up at him, blinking her eyes. "The abandoned mill...what the hell kind of job were you on? That place is a…" She paused. "Did you hear that?" Snapping her head around to glance out the windows, she turns to Andrew. "There's someone out there…" She lifted her leg, slowly pulling a dagger from her boot as she crept through the house and to the back door. "Isn't that a little dramatic, it's probably just the wind Keriann." Andrew lifted himself from the counter, following her as she opened the back door, keeping her hand on the doorknob as she peered onto the porch, jumping and letting out a gasp.

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NOTE: There is a hidden Easter egg in two of the pictures. Of course I can't say which they are, or what they are if found, but they do have significance in later parts of the story. They are only visible if you click on the pic to make it bigger and really really look. Good Luck! :)