Malevolent

by Cassia Brightmore

  Grabbing Brady’s arm, she pulled him back and then had the satisfaction of seeing the rage in Mila’s eyes as she slammed the door in her face.

  Huffing, she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. That woman was infuriating! And so damn rude. Gertrude. And her implications that something had happened with Brady. Just thinking about it had her blood boiling again.

  “That was so hot.” Gwyn whipped around at the sound of Brady’s voice. She had forgotten he was there.

  “I’m sorry I lost my temper. She just makes me so mad…” Brady was at her side in two strides, his hands sliding into her hair and yanking out her ponytail. “Fuck, you got me so hard. Hearing you claim me as yours like that.” His hands slid their way under her white uniform shirt, cupping her breasts and tugging on her nipples.

  “Brady,” she panted as the fire began to build inside her. He dragged her over to the couch, bending her over the arm.

  “I need to fuck you, sugar. You’ve got me begging here,” he fumbled with his belt as she pushed her slacks down her legs. The sight of her little ass perched like that, her pussy glistening and waiting for him, it was too much. He slammed fully into her in one pump, groaning at her tight warmth.

  The angle was perfect, he reached around and sought her clit. Finding it and pinching, making her squirm beneath him.

  “Brady, don’t stop.” Her plea came out garbled as she pushed herself back to meet him thrust for thrust.

  “I fucking love being inside you, darlin'. You feel so good wrapped around my cock.” His dirty words were all she needed to have her clenching him tighter, pulling him deeper as she exploded in an intense orgasm. Brady didn’t stop, he was pounding into her relentlessly. Gwyn’s whole body jerked when he raised his hand and landed a hard smack on her ass, before rubbing the sting away.

  Unprepared, he did it again, this time on the other cheek. The sensation was like a thousand fireworks setting off under her skin. She moaned, begging for more.

  “You like that?” he panted. She nodded, arching her back. Landing one more smack, Brady finally found his release, pushing further up as he filled her.

  Breathing heavy, they both tried to get their bearings after such ecstasy. “Jesus, you’re gonna be the death of me darlin'.”

  Happiness filled Gwyn as she looked up into Brady’s eyes. The man was truly gorgeous and he was all hers.

  “I’m so lucky I found you. You make me happy, Brady.” Her words were soft, a spear to his heart.

  “Me too, Gwyn. You’re my light, my goodness.” He kissed her hard. “Now, let’s get you off to work little lady.”

  Gwyn’s blissful glow carried her all throughout the morning rush at the diner and into lunch. Her smile was infectious to the customers and to Joan. “You are just a little ray of sunshine today Miss Gwyn,” Joan commented. “It’s a nice change to see a bit of happiness.”

  No sooner had she spoken the words than their mood plummeted by the arrival of Agents Harris and Walker. Though no fault of their own, just the sight of them reminded of the danger that was still lurking in their town.

  Greeting them as they came to the counter, Gwyn offered them menus. “What’ll it be today boys? Earl has a pot of delicious stew on the go, with fresh bread to go with it.”

  Agent Harris flashed her a grin, showing off his perfect white teeth. His gaze lingered on her a little longer than was acceptable, causing her nerves to flutter as she shifted from foot to foot.

  Agent Walker was oblivious to them both, studying the menu. “I think I’ll have one of those grilled sandwiches again. And the biggest cup of coffee you’ve got,” Barrie said. “Please.” He added after catching Gage’s glare.

  Not offended, Gwyn smiled. “You boys are all the same. Brady never remembers his manners either when we’re together. It must be a law enforcement thing,” she joked.

  Barrie looked confused. “Brady? As in the Sheriff?” he asked. Gwyn nodded, puzzled.

  He sat back, letting out a low whistle. “Man, that is one lucky guy. He’s got that smokin' hot brunette and you as his pieces.” Looking at Gage, he continued, “What is it with this guy? His dick coated in diamonds or something?”

  No one spoke for a few moments. Gage put his head in his hands, avoiding her eyes. Barrie looked confused, his gaze darting between the two of them.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. The brunette? Who are you talking about?” Gwyn knew the answer. She knew what he was going to say before he said and she wished desperately that it wasn’t true. This has got to be a joke.

  “What's her name again, Gage? Stapleton. No, that’s not it. Stevenson. Something Stevenson.” Walker rubbed his jaw, lost in thought.

  Gage finally looked up, meeting her eyes. He looked her dead in her eye when he confirmed her worst nightmare.

  “Mila.”

  Gwyn doubled over as though she had been punched in the gut. Reeling, she blindly reached for the counter to steady herself. Taking a deep breath, she mumbled, “Excuse me,” and darted for the swinging door leading to the back exit.

  Gage called after her. “Gwyn wait, you don’t know the whole—” The rest of his pleas were cut off as she slammed the door shut and took off running down the street.

  God, she had been so stupid! How did she end up back under the thumb of a man that just wanted to hurt her? To make a fool of her. She had trusted him, opened up to him in ways she never had before.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Stopping, she realized her old car was still parked at the back of the diner, her purse still locked up in her locker. Turning down the alleyway to head back, her only thought was to get to her car and get the hell out of this town.

  Her heart was shattered in her chest, betrayal swimming through her. She was just a few feet from the diner’s back door when she heard fast footsteps behind her. Startled, she whirled around just in time to see a baseball bat swinging towards her face.

  The force of the impact knocked her to the ground, her vision blurred. As the world turned black, she heard a laughing voice.

  “Gotcha.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Brady spent the day poring over all the case files again. He knew there was an important piece of information he was missing—he just needed to focus and find it. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and imagined the scenes.

  Ava Marshall. 18 years old, abducted outside of her friends house

  Claire Baxtor. 22 years old, abducted from her apartment

  Dan Percy. 27 years old, shot point blank on Main Street

  Hailey Ridley. 26 years old, abducted on her way to work

  Percy was the only piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit. His death was impulsive, risky. And if there was one thing they had learned about this killer, it was that he was meticulous. Percy was the key. Why kill him? Standing, he scratched his head as he paced his office.

  He knew something. He had to have stumbled across some information or witnessed something that threatened the killer. This man was always one step ahead of them, any break they had—it hadn’t panned out. No physical evidence on any of the victims with the exception of Claire. Brady had never encountered a more methodical man. It was almost as if he—

  No. It couldn’t be. Could it? Was the lunatic they were searching for a fucking cop? Tearing through the files again, he read over all the reports. There was one consistent name on every one. One key person was listed on every investigation. One man that was conveniently missing right after Percy was murdered.

  Deputy Jed Rims.

  “Fuck!” he yelled. He met Sarah’s eyes through the window. Striding to the door, prepared to bark orders, he nearly collided with Harris and Walker.

  “Get out of the way,” he ordered, he needed to find Rims.

  “Sheriff, there’s something you need to know. It’s about Gwyn,” Gage informed him. Those words stopped him in his tracks, dread filling his stomach.

  “Gwyn? What about her?” He looked aroun
d and she wasn’t with them. Confused, he met Harris’s eyes.

  “Look, there was an misunderstanding at the diner. She kind of got the idea that you and Mila might be an item.” Gage explained, choosing his words carefully.

  “She kind of got the idea?! What the hell are you talking about?” Brady was furious. “Where is she? Is she with Mila right now?” He headed to the door, preparing to break up another fight.

  “Brady.” He looked back as Gage said his name.

  “She took off. We can’t find her.” With a growl, he had Harris by the front of the shirt in seconds.

  “Where. Was. She. Last.” He ground out the words, livid.

  “Calm down, man. We will find her. She took off down the street, she probably went to your house.” Brady relaxed his hold and nodded.

  “You need to locate and pick up Rims now. Do not let him out of your sight, consider him armed and extremely dangerous. If he isn’t the one behind all this, he’s damn well involved somehow. I’m going to find her.”

  Brady stormed out of the station without giving anyone a chance to disobey his orders. Arriving home in mere minutes, he raced into the house, calling her name.

  “Gwyn!” her name echoed back at him off the empty room walls. She wasn’t there. Panic skittered up his spine as he rushed into this bedroom. The bed was still made, a new occurrence since she had started staying with him. Yanking open the closet doors, he was terrified to see all of her clothes still hanging on the hangers. She hadn’t been here.

  Running back down the stairs, he headed for the front door, pulling his radio out from his belt. “This is Sheriff James. I need a unit to my home address now. Tape it off as a crime scene and dust for prints.”

  Speeding to the diner, he double parked when he got there and ran inside, nearly ripping the door from its hinges in his haste.

  Joan’s eyes widened at the state of him, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. “She’s not here, Brady,” she told him straight away. “But you need to come out back with me.” A sick feeling of dread filled him as he followed her through the stock room and out the back door.

  Joan led him a few feet away. “I found it when I came out here to see if I could see where she went. Brady, it’s hers.” The fear was evident in her voice as she relayed the information.

  Squatting down, he pulled a glove from his back pocket and picked up Gwyn’s shoe. Droplets of blood were splattered on the ground nearby.

  Looking up at Joan, he confirmed their fears.

  “He’s got her.”

  Gwyn’s hands were throbbing, the rope cutting off the circulation. She had lost track of how long she had been left tied up on the floor of the dirty basement; but knew it had been several hours at least. Her memory of what happened was fuzzy at best, she remembered seeing the bat swinging towards her and that was the only thing all she could recall.

  Something was niggling at the back of her mind, a key detail that she was trying to grasp and pull forward into her mind. Her head was killing her, she could feel the dried blood matted in her hair. Being tied up in the dark with no human contact was getting to her, the terror was so thick she could taste it on the tip of her tongue.

  Tears pooled in her eyes, she didn’t want to die here. Not when she had fought so hard to free herself from one nightmare already. She wanted to live. Anger rose in her, who did this fucker think he was? Kidnapping innocent girls for his own sadistic pleasure. Well, she was going to fight. There was a large clattering noise that alerted her that someone was coming. Scrambling up to her knees, she drew herself up to her full height. Pulling away from the wall as much as the rope that was attached to the radiator would allow her, she prepared to defend herself.

  Recognition slammed into her when his face came into view. His cocky grin showcasing his delight.

  “Rims,” she breathed. “You? You’re behind all this?” He was one of Brady’s most trusted men. The realization that he was the one behind these gruesome killings was shocking.

  Spreading his arms wide, he chuckled. “That’s right, sugar. I’m the man of the hour.” Approaching, he slid his gaze down her body. “I love how you’re on your knees already, darlin'. Makes me think maybe you’ve had your eye on me, the way I’ve had mine on you.” He stroked her hair, gripping it tight when she flinched and tried to pull away.

  Disgusted, she let her derision for him show in her eyes. “You’ll never have me willingly. Never.”

  His hand slid from her hair to grip her jaw. Forcing his thumb into her mouth, he moaned when he made contact with her warm, wet tongue. She struggled, and bared her teeth, ready to bite. “Ah, ah.” He removed his thumb. “Can’t have you doing that. And don’t worry, Gwynnie girl. I fully expect to take what I want from you, willing or not.”

  He ran both hands down the front of her, cupping her breasts through her shirt. “You are such a tempting little thing. I’ve been fantasizing about running my hard cock all over your tight body for weeks.” His fingers found her nipples and he pinched and tugged hard. Gwyn squeezed her eyes shut tight, refusing to look at him.

  “I need to taste you. Need your blood,” he muttered more to himself than to her. “Just gonna take a little to start. Okay, sugar?” he asked the question as though they were two friends having a casual conversation.

  “No.” Rearing back, she spit in his face with all her might. “No, it’s not okay, you fucking psycho.”

  Wiping the spittle from his face, he raised his eyes back to hers. They turned black. Unfeeling. Inhuman. His voice was hard as metal and as cold as sin. “Pleasantries are over then, sugar.” With a feral grin, he raised the knife…

  The déjà vu Brady and the other townsfolk were feeling over Gwyn’s disappearance was almost unbelievable. Although she hadn’t been a member of their community for very long, she had already made an impression. Her kind soul and loving nature had already touched so many. The first 24 hours that she was missing, Brady thought he was going to go out of his mind.

  When Rims didn’t show up, it confirmed his suspicions that he was the one they were after. Fury burned in him that he had been right under their noses all this time, undermining them at every turn. Brady vowed that when he caught him, there would be no end to the suffering he would have to endure.

  Sarah handed him another cup of coffee, which he took gratefully. He hadn’t slept since Gwyn went missing, not wanting to see the nightmares behind his eyes. His imagination at what was being done to her at that very moment was too much to bear. He had to focus and work the case. Gwyn was counting on him to bring her home safe—he wasn’t about to lose anyone else. Especially her.

  Sam and Ben Marshall were in his office pouring over old maps of the town, trying to determine if there were any abandoned houses or buildings that Jed Rims could be using to hold his victims captive. So far, they were coming up empty handed, but Brady refused to give up hope.

  Joan, Earl and Mr. Bartlett were leading a small group of volunteers from house to house, pleading with anyone to come forward if they had any information on Jed, or knew of somewhere he might be hiding.

  Harris and Walker and the two other FBI Agents were prepping for a task force that was flying in from D.C., intent on compiling a profile on Jed. They claimed it would assist them in their search. Brady couldn’t help being exasperated with them. They were acting like this was an episode of Criminal Minds.

  Sighing, he scrubbed his hands over his face. Hang on Gwyn, I’m coming.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Gwyn’s body throbbed with a dull pain. Rims had taken his time on her, his tenacity evident with each swipe and stab of his knife. He was truly crazy. Lapping at her blood and moaning with pleasure. He sickened her and frightened the hell out of her. Was this what it was like for Hailey? For the others? She was woozy from the blood loss, but knew she had to focus and keep her head on straight.

  Brady would come. She knew he would. Rims hadn’t left the house as far as she knew, so by now they must have noticed his a
bsence. She just needed to stay alive long enough for him to come for her.

  Rims came back into the room, carrying a tray. Panicking at what might be on it, she breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw it was a bottle of water and some slices of bread. Her mouth was so dry, she was dying for a drink. Eyeing him, she held her tongue—refusing to ask for it.

  Instead, she pushed for more information. “Why do you do this, Jed? Why kill people? You’re a goddamn cop.” She asked partly out of frustration and partly hoping that him talking about himself would keep her alive longer.

  He pushed her back down onto the concrete ground roughly. Her pants had long since been torn off her, she was clad now in just her panties and the thin tank she had been wearing under her uniform shirt. Both were covered in blood.

  He leaned over her, and out of nowhere, thrust two fingers inside her. Moaning, he licked her ear. “You are so tight, sugar. It’s like you’re made for me. I can’t wait to stick my cock in you.” His fingers were digging into her at a brutal pace, his eyes boring into hers.

  “To answer your question, yes I’m a cop. And I’d say that when I’m on the clock, I do a damn fine job of upholding the law, wouldn’t you?” He withdrew his fingers from her and shoved them in his mouth, licking them one by one. “Love the taste of your pussy almost as much as your delicious blood, darlin'.”

  Revulsion flowed through her and she turned her head away. He picked up the bottle of water and grabbing her chin, forced her gaze back to his. He twisted the top off and poured the water over her face, forcing her to open her mouth or risk choking. Chuckling, he tipped the bottle to his own lips and downed the last of the contents.

  While Gwyn coughed and sputtered, he continued. “I had a very good teacher. Someone who enlightened me on this way of life. There’s no greater thrill than holding someone’s life in your hands. Of being in charge of someone’s destiny. I am the one in control. I am the true leader. The blood lust, that’s my own special touch to the craft I’ve been taught.”