The Monster Hunter Ch. 41-50

He knew that changes would have to come. Amber graduated in seven months, and she wasn't going to stay in rural Pennsylvania. She was bilingual in French, thanks to growing up in Quebec. With a degree in International Relations and a minor in Russian, she'd be a valuable asset to any multi-national corporation. Her dream job would be in Europe or Russia.

They hadn't talked about a future together in detail, but Michael was already planning. His job with SecuriTech didn't tie him to any specific location; the training was in South Carolina, but the contracts he took could be anywhere. Michael liked to take three to five assignments a year, each lasting from two weeks to three months with training included. He stayed with his sister because it was convenient, he could see her in between motorcycle trips, and he didn't want to pay for an empty apartment.

He could get a place to share with Amber, and if that was in Europe, he could live with that.

Michael knew that he might have to move out eventually. Daniel's shore duty at the Naval Academy ran another eighteen months, and then he'd go back to sea. If the two married, he was sure Angel would put in a transfer to follow him. There was nothing to hold him to the DC area if Angel moved.

He had a lot to talk about with both of them. If Angel insisted on him leaving right away, he'd get a month-to-month lease on an apartment near Amber's college so they could live together until graduation.

The hospital moved him from post-op to a room, and he spent a sleepless night thinking about the events of the past twelve hours. The confession hadn't gone as he had hoped; he thought Angel would understand what he was doing. He never expected her to assist him because of her job, but he thought she would appreciate him for punishing those who hurt her.

If he'd never put the camera in her room? If he hadn't accessed her FBI computer without her knowledge? Those mistakes broke the trust, not the serial killer part. She said as much when she offered to put it all in the past if he'd stop now.

And that was the decision he had to make. The flip side was that if the Monster Hunter made another appearance, Angel would turn him in. She would have to; her only chance to avoid jail would be to throw him under the bus.

Could he do it? Could he give up the power and the rush that came with taking these predators out? Could he stand back and watch them continue to harm other children, knowing that he could have stopped it?

It would not be easy, but losing Angel and his freedom would be worse. He would have to stop because protecting Angel was his highest duty.

There was only one decision to make, and Michael made it. The Monster Hunter was officially retired.

The choice removed a heavy burden from his shoulders and freed him to make a life for himself. Amber was his first serious girlfriend; until now, women could only hamper his vow for vengeance. It was easy enough for him to find release in a willing one-night-stand and move on without guilt. Amber had found her way inside his walls, and he couldn't walk away now.

Amber would never understand him or forgive him if he got caught. She didn't understand how being a victim changed you, and an arrest and trial would ruin her life.

He heard the television say something about the Monster Hunter, and he turned the volume up on the female anchor. "Massachusetts State Police divers have recovered the body of Brian Michael Kavanaugh of Boston, Massachusetts from the Charles River in Cambridge. Kavanaugh was one of only two remaining convicted child molesters the Monster Killer promised to target if they did not turn themselves in and make a full confession. Cellphone video from stopped motorists showed the 55-year-old man standing on the bridge structure before his leap."

Michael had to concentrate on making out the voice among the traffic and other background noise. "It's not fair! I've done my time, and I've met ALL the terms of my parole! I paid my debt to society. I followed the rules, and all I wanted to do was live out my life in peace. The real criminal is the Monster Killer! You people make me sick. You're rooting for a sadistic vigilante to kill me painfully, and I'm not going to play along. I'll see the Monster Hunter in HELL!" Michael heard screaming, and someone yelled, "He jumped! He ***** did it!"

"Police recovered Kavanaugh's body an hour later. With his suicide, only Henry James McKnight of Chattanooga, Tennessee, remains alive and out of prison. Mr. McKnight, whose demands for protection have been rejected by Chattanooga police, remains in seclusion as the deadline approaches. In other news..."

Michael smiled and turned the television off. The Monster Hunter had struck again, this time while under anesthesia in a surgical suite.

The surgeon checked in on rounds after breakfast and warned him of the damage he could do if he didn't stay in bed. "It won't happen again, Doc," Michael promised. The nurses finished cleaning him up and changing his dressings a few minutes before Amber arrived. "Hey, baby," he said with a smile as she walked into the room. "Is Angel coming?"

"She'll be here a little later. I told her I needed some time alone with you first." She sat in a chair near his head, holding his hand as she asked him how he was feeling. "I can't wait to get you back home so I can stay with you again. I have to head back to school soon, but I'll come back late tomorrow."

"I'll miss you."

"I will too."

Michael could tell she had something to say but couldn't work up the courage. "What is it, Amber? Are you worried about Angel and me after the fight? Is it my job?"

She put her head down on her hands, then looked up into his eyes. "My period didn't come, Michael. I took a test last night and another this morning. I'm pregnant."

She was watching his reaction closely, hoping for the best. His eyes went wide, and then he looked at her with concern. "Are you all right? The baby?"

"I've got an appointment with my OB in two weeks, but I'm fine. I haven't had any other symptoms yet."

Michael pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm going to be a Daddy?" She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "Who knows about this?"

"I told Angel last night, but I was afraid to tell anyone else until I knew how you reacted to the news." She smiled and continued. "I'm worried about my parents. They don't even know you exist."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "You don't talk often, or you didn't want to tell them?"

"I kinda told them because I said a former Federal Agent stopped me from drinking the drugged wine. I didn't tell them I went on a date with the guy who did it."

"That wasn't your fault, Amber. I'm so glad I spotted them before they could take advantage of you. I'm sure your parents will appreciate that."

"They don't like to hear about me going to bars or dating when school costs so much. Plus, I didn't want to put you through the wringer of my family until I knew I had you hooked good."

Michael laughed at that. "You don't have to worry about me shaking the hook." He closed his eyes and smiled. "You better tell your folks about me soon, my love. If they ask, I was off at training and then my deployment. Send them a photo or two, and it's all right to tell them I got hurt."

Amber nodded. "I can tell them I planned to bring you home over Christmas after you got back from Kazakhstan." They talked for a few more minutes before Angel knocked on the door. "Come in, Angel! He's cool with it."

Angel was smiling wide as she congratulated the pair. She took a photo on Amber's phone that she could send to her parents, but she let them talk until Amber had to leave. "I love you, Michael," she said after she kissed him goodbye.

"I love you, and I love our baby. It's all going to work out fine."

Angel waited until the door closed before she took the chair by his head. "I knew you'd be shocked but happy."

"I never thought I'd have a family," he told his sister. "I need to move my plans up; I don't want her to go through this as a single woman."

"You're going to ask her?"

"I've already ordered the ring. She's bringing me home over Christmas, so I'll do it there."

Angel was happy to hear it because it answered her other question. "You're going to stop?"

Michael nodded. "I made my decision after you left last night. I couldn't risk you or her, and now I can't risk my child. The Monster Hunter will fade away, never to be heard from again."

Ch. 46

Michael had one more day in the hospital, so Angel was alone again. She missed her work and her friends there, but she still didn't have a hearing date set.

Angel passed the time by deep cleaning her kitchen, and it was almost eleven now. She had the long cleaning gloves on and was scrubbing crust out of the back of her oven when her cellphone rang. She got up off her knees, pulling the gloves off and leaving them in the sink, and picked up the call. "Hey, Mark."

"Hi, Angel. I know it's short notice, but I'm on the job in Bethesda right now and thought you might like to get lunch." Bethesda was not far away, and Angel leaped at the chance to get out of the house and see her partner again. "I'll see you at Lilit Café at noon."

Angel hung up and finished the oven, then took a quick shower and dressed comfortably before driving to meet him. She got a table near the window and waved him over. He bent down and gave her a quick hug before sitting across from her. "How is Michael doing?"

"He should get released from the hospital tomorrow, and this time, maybe he'll stay in bed." She'd told Mark that Michael fell when trying to go to the bathroom alone, nothing about the argument. Angel had rented a carpet cleaner to get the blood off the stairs and living room floor.

"Marines are known to be stubborn," Mark said with a laugh. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm nervous," Angel admitted. "They haven't scheduled a hearing, and my lawyer hasn't heard anything. What is the mood at the office?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you about, Angel." He had that look he got when he had to deliver bad news. "Most of us are behind you and want you back."

"Most?"

"The Purges have created a lot of ill will. Dozens of respected agents in the building got suspended or reprimanded because of participation in that board, and everyone knows your complaint is behind it. They won't be so welcoming to your return, but they won't openly harass you either."

"But shunning and passive-aggressive bullshit is fine."

He nodded. "I'm starting to see some of it already as your partner. Our boss stops it when he sees it, but it's still there, even in the Task Force."

Angel took a bite and processed what he was saying. "So, I can expect to take some low-level shit when I return."

"Hard to tell how much. I doubt the boys will do anything to your face, but you'll be the topic of a lot of conversation."

"Wonderful. What about Ken?"

"That's the other part. Ken came back to work this morning. Walked in like he owned the place."

"What?"

"Human Resources couldn't find any evidence to tie him to the meme, and the IT guys couldn't tie him to the username that posted it. He flatly denied any involvement in the meme or the board, and he passed a polygraph. They had no choice but to reinstate him after that."

"He fucking ruined me, Mark!"

Her outburst got a few of the other patrons looking their way, so Angel sat back and gathered herself. Mark leaned over and put his hand over hers. "You know it, I know it, but he beat the polygraph and is back on the task force. His lawyer has warned the brass against retaliation against him now that he's cleared of wrongdoing, so Ken stays on the Task Force as a lead investigator. If you come back to us, he'll be in the office with you every day. That fucking smirk of his makes me want to smack it off his face."

"Don't. Not for me." Angel had already concluded that remaining an FBI agent while hiding her brother's activities as the Monster Hunter was a bad idea. A realistic fear of continued harassment might be her out. "Thank you for telling me, Mark. It helps me decide my next move."

"I'll stay on the Task Force if you decide to come back, and I'll be your partner and help you through this shit. If you don't want the fight, I'll understand."

"What if I don't come back?"

Mark fiddled with his glass. "I'll ask to transfer off the task force before I do something stupid. Honestly? I like working for Dan, and I love working with you, but the job itself is a loser. Carla told me that if we catch the guy, she'd never want to prosecute the case. A public trial where people are rooting for the defendant to get away with it? No way."

"Yeah, I didn't want the assignment, but I didn't have a choice. I'd rather be back with Human Trafficking." Putting those guys away felt a lot better than this.

Mark had to run, so he finished his sandwich and left. Angel called Carter Pederson and got an appointment at two at his downtown office. He stood as she walked in. "Agent Johnson, this is a surprise. My assistant didn't say what you needed."

"I need to know if a deal is possible," Angel replied. She laid it all out; her worries about the FBI taking so much time, Ken's return to the office, the warnings about resentment over her complaint, and her reluctance to go through it again. "Within the FBI, I'll never escape this. It won't matter if I leave the Task Force or transfer to another Field Office. I'll always be the one who complained to HR and got people fired over a cartoon."

"You had nothing to do with their actions, Angel."

"And we both know that won't matter. The FBI leadership doesn't want me back, but they're having a tough time justifying it with my employment application. They are petrified of me going public and creating a big scandal about this. Offer a settlement that gets me enough to go back to school and get my law degree. In return, their problem goes away, and I agree not to pursue a lawsuit. The whole thing gets tied up with a confidentiality agreement, so I can't talk about it, and they can't block me from future employment."

Carter sat back at his desk, thinking of the implications. "There's more to it than the money. You have benefits, a vested Federal retirement, and more."

"See what you can do. If nothing else, I can pay for my health care out of the settlement."

"I think I can do better than that. I would rather negotiate your return because I think the FBI is better with you in it, but you're the one who has to make that decision."

"I've made my decision, Carter. Negotiate an exit package for me."

He stood up and extended his hand. "I'll put an offer together and meet with the FBI soon. I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Carter. You've been a big help to me, and I appreciate it."

"You'll see my bill for that help; if you're going to be a lawyer, you'll understand how important that is. Downtown offices aren't cheap."

"Call me when you know more." Angel walked out, feeling a little lighter in her step now that the looming hearing no longer held sway over her life. In truth, anything Carter could get for her was a bonus since she knew she'd have to resign as an agent anyway. It was too dangerous to be an active agent while protecting Michael's secrets.

Angel texted Daniel that she was heading his way and let herself into his apartment with the key he'd given her. Her lover had another hour of work to go, so she busied herself making dinner for them. "Damn, something smells good," he said when he walked through the door.

"Hey, baby," Angel said as she kissed him. "It's almost ready, so go change out of that uniform and get that cute ass back out here."

He was back in a few minutes, wearing sweatpants and a Navy T-shirt. Angel had the garlic bread on the table and was plating her homemade lasagna. "Pour the wine?"

"Thank you for making dinner, Angel. I wasn't looking forward to Freezer Surprise." As a single man, he rarely cooked, and he froze the leftovers. Freezer Surprise was reaching in and grabbing a container without knowing what it was. Sometimes you won, and sometimes you lost. He opened the bottle of Merlot and poured them each a glass.

Angel raised hers with one hand and reached for his hand with the other. "To new beginnings," she said.

"New beginnings," Daniel replied as he clinked his glass to hers. They each took a sip, and Daniel complimented her cooking after tasting it. "Not that I don't appreciate the meal, Angel, but is something going on?"

"I'm not going back to the FBI," she said. Over the meal, she told him everything she'd learned from Mark, then related her meeting with her lawyer. "It's better for everyone. By the time I finish my law degree and find a job in a US Attorney's office, the whole FBI thing will have calmed down again. I can fight my battle in the courtroom instead."

"Wow." Daniel hadn't interrupted her talk with questions, though so many were going through his head. "For what it's worth, I think you're right. Your reputation is everything, and right now, yours is shit through no fault of your own."

"I'm going to miss being an agent."

"You'll be a better prosecutor because of it, love. I have every confidence in you." He got up and cleared their plates as Angel finished off her wine. "Now for dessert."

"I didn't make anything," Angel protested.

"Oh, my dessert is always ready," he said with a grin as he pulled his shirt off. Angel squealed as he picked her up and carried her to the couch, setting her on her back. He kissed her as he stripped her down, finally leaving her moaning in just her stockings and garter.

She leaned back and spread her legs for him as his lips kissed their way up her inner thighs to his target. "Daniel... oh fuck, right there, baby." Angel closed her eyes as his tongue started to circle her swollen clit before sliding between her labia and down. He teased her, never touching her with more than the tip of his tongue. His fingers spread her sex like a buffet but never gave her the penetration she desired. "Please, Daniel. I need more!"

He looked up at her, panting and needy, and smiled. "You'll cum when I want you to, and not a second before." He spanked her wet pussy with his fingers, causing her to shriek, then went back to his slow tease. Every time she got close, he'd back off until it passed, and then he'd start again.

Thirty minutes later, Angel was promising to do anything he wanted if he'd just let her cum. "Anything?" He let a slippery finger trail down and started to circle her dark star with it.

"Oh, god, even that, just let me cum!" Angel moved his head back where she needed it. Daniel smiled and went back to work, using his fingers and mouth to build her to another peak. When she was ready to explode, he sucked hard on her clit and bit down while pushing his index finger into her ass. "FUUUCKK! DANIELLLLLL!" She bucked like a bronco, taking his head along for the ride as she held his face tight to her. Angel squirted three times, the spray hitting him in the face as she moved. The titanic orgasm washed over her body like a tsunami, tossing her limbs around and leaving her limp. He retrieved her stocking-clad left leg off the arm of the couch, putting her legs back together, and rocked back on his knees. Angel was catching her breath, slowly returning from the intense experience he'd just given her.

"You hosed me down," Daniel said with a grin as he wiped at his face.

"Jesus, Daniel. They should call you Das Tongue." She looked over at him and laughed. "You look like a glazed donut!"

"You aren't any better," he said. "Come on, let's shower and prepare your ass for later." He saw the fear in her eyes as she pulled back from him. "Angel? If you don't want to, I won't hold you to what you said while I had your brain fogged up with lust. I'd never hurt you or force you."