Chapter 1

Melanie felt a shiver go down her spine. Her normally flawless, radiant skin went ashen, as the blood drained from her face. He had been in her condo again. He had sat at her dinning room table and ate. He had used her silverware and china. The antique lace trimmed napkins which had her family's name hand sewn into them had always sat in a velvet case in her china cabinet. Now they all lay crumbled and dirty on the floor. The prized set had been given to her by her grandmother and she had barely even taken them out of the box, much less used them herself. The fact that he had purposely dirtied a set of twelve napkins when he knew how much they meant to her was particularly vicious. It was clear that he just wanted to demonstrate his power and that he knew how to get to her. Now she felt all the anger, humiliation and vulnerability that a victim of this sort would feel. She had been violated, and he had invaded much more than her condo. He had invaded her soul....again.

A normal call to the police would bear no fruit and she wasn't sure if she should waste her time. She had no proof, and there was no evidence that it was him. There was just a bunch of dirty dishes in an untidy dining room. There wasn't even a sign of forced entry. What could she gain by accusing one of the most powerful men in the city of such a petty crime? The fact that she had accused him several times before of coming into her home, to do nothing but make his presence known, made her seem a little unbalanced. He even accused her of harassing him and of course, everybody believed him. He had lots of money, friends in high places, long time family and political connections, and lied so convincingly that he could make you doubt your own instincts. Who was she to go up against a US senator?

She shouldn't allow herself to be bullied, even if the bully was rich, clever and well connected. But what choice did she really have? She had just started her public relations firm, which is clearly a success thanks to the strings he pulled for her. What he could do, he could undo; and then where would she be?

Melanie knew this when she first got into bed with him, literally. He had become her business advisor, client and lover all at the same time. It was a mistake to get involved with him on any level, she knew that now, but he made her feel like she needed him. He made her doubt herself, but the truth was that she was quite capable of taking care of things on her own.

Maybe because he was used to having all the power, he always had to prove that he was better and smarter than anyone else. He always had to take more than he needed just because he could. Melanie looked down at her grandmother's napkins and saw the footprints. Not this time. She grabbed her cell phone and called the number on her speed dial.

"West speaking,"

Melanie was momentarily thrown off guard with the sound of his voice. She half expected it to go to voicemail as she mused over making the call in the first place. Now she was a bit embarrassed that she was, all of a sudden, so nervous. It was just his voice but it still made her heart flutter. It was strong and sexy, just like everything else about him. Melanie held her breath.

"Hello?"

"Yes, yes, hello Lieutenant West. This is Melanie McKnight."

"Who?"

"Melanie McKnight."

"Oh yeah, Miss McKnight," Lt Thomas West said with a hint of a smile.

"Ms McKnight, thank you very much."

Melanie knew why he was taking that tone with her, and she wasn't in the mood. At their first meeting she had complained to him about her treatment by some of the male officers. They had described her as a hysterical, irrational woman scorned and Melanie had demanded and apology. Lt West acted as if she was making too big of a deal of the incident. He must have thought she was an angry feminist who blamed men for everything.

"You're not married are you? I was always taught that if a woman wasn't married she should be called Miss. You know, to distinguish her from all the married women who could hold on to a man."

Now that same strong warm voice that had made her heart flutter just moments ago was grating on her last nerve. She had been physically attracted to him from the first moment she saw him but then he opened his mouth. He wasn't worthy of her attention even if only in the occasional fantasy. Why was the biggest jackass in charge of her case? They really didn't take her situation seriously.

"I'm not asking you to strain your brain trying to keep up with the plight of women in the twenty first century, but how about you just try to keep up with the progress we made through the seventies, Ok? I would appreciate it you would just respect my wishes and refer to me in the manner in which I have asked. Is that so hard Mr. "at least the size of my ego is big" West?

"Ouch! Was that really necessary? You college educated women. Boy, we should have never let you out the kitchen. What you need, Miss McKnight, is a good man, with any size ego to relieve your stress." West chuckled as he leaned back in his office chair and propped his feet on his desk. He was about to get hit with both barrels after that comment and he was ready for it.

"You know what," Melanie eyes narrowed as she tried to control her anger, "I have so much to say to you right now, but since I use big words you won't understand a thing!"

"Oh, try me."

"Did you have to pass some type of "jerk" exam to become a lieutenant or just to work on my case?"

"Just your case. Because no wants it and I can't ignore it. Listen," he said over her protest. "Just listen for a minute!" West became serious as he continued. "You claim your ex-fiancé is breaking into your home to do nothing except leave signs that he's been there. He claims, you invite him in and then for revenge deny it. He always has a working key even though you've changed the lock several times. It's his word against yours and your word isn't worth much against Senator William Ashton Calhoun II in this beautiful city we call our nation's capital."

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I want all of this just to go away? Because I do!" Melanie could feel a lump in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. She willed herself to maintain control. She would not allow herself to cry over William's latest antics and certainly not on West's shoulders.

Melanie took a breath and then walked into the kitchen and let out a loud gasp. The kitchen was a mess. Broken dishes cluttered the sink and every pot and pan she owned was piled up on the stove. The cabinet doors and drawers were open, and their contents were scattered everywhere. Garbage littered the entire kitchen floor along and her refrigerator door still hung open. Both the milk and the orange juice cartons had been overturned so that their spillage left huge puddles in the floor. Melanie felt an uneasiness as she stood surveying the damage. This was going too far even for William.

"What's going on?" West asked as Melanie hung up the phone and dropped it on the counter.

She looked at the clock and knew Mama Aida would be home soon. She went to St Matthews most days to volunteer, but always came home in time to cook them a nice dinner. Melanie smiled thinking of her. She wasn't really her mother or any blood relation to her at all, but she was the only parent that Melanie could remember. Even though her real mother was gone, it felt like a betrayal to call someone else her mother. So, Melanie compromised and started calling her Mama Aida when she was a little girl and the name stuck.

It was Mama Aida, her mother's best friend, who stepped in to take care of her when her parents were killed in the accident. Melanie was only four, but she remembered Mama Aida holding her tightly and rocking her as they both cried on that terrible night. Then, the next thing Melanie knew, she and Mama Aida were out of the country. They stayed in Italy for a few years living in the same house where her mother grew up before coming back to the states. Mama Aida had always loved her and protected her like she was her own daughter. She couldn't let her walk in on this mess. It would only upset her. Mama Aida didn't even know about William's odd behavior and she wasn't going to find out today.

Melanie walked towards the storage room to get the cleaning agents and rubber gloves, stopping briefly to grab her ringing cell phone. It was West calling her back. He was probably a little pissed that she hung up on him. Well, too bad. Melanie hit the "silence" button and put the phone on the kitchen table.

Looking up, Melanie froze as she stared at the door to her pantry. She could feel her heart pounding harder in her chest. Slowly walking towards the pantry Melanie blinked her eyes quickly as the fear bubbled up inside of her. She stopped at the pantry door and realized her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. It was definitely blood seeping out from under the door. She wanted to run. Even as she reached for the doorknob, she could hear her own voice in her head screaming run! But her legs wouldn't move.

Melanie swung open the door and immediately covered her mouth to stifle a scream. She was still gawking at the sight in disbelief as she staggered backwards. Her cell phone vibrated noisily on the kitchen table and she reached blindly for it, unable to take her eyes off of the sight. Melanie answered the phone with a moan before words tumbled out between sobs.

"Melanie! Melanie! Slow down! I can't understand you!" West was up from his seat and halfway to the elevator before he was able to understand a word she was saying.

"Get out of there, right now!" West screamed as he ferociously pounded the elevator button.

"Wait downstairs at the front of the building, but get out of the condo right now!"

West hung up and barked orders to everyone in earshot. Melanie McKnight was now his number one priority.

Chapter one Poll
Who or who was in the pantry?

A) Mama Aida (the reasons why could be quite creative)
B) Senator William Calhoun (it's about more than politics!)
C) Her real mother - (no, apparently she's not dead)
D) Not human - (perhaps something ritualistic?)

Enjoy the next Chapter!