Destiny Disrupted (There's Always Tomorrow Book 1)

by Saperstein, M. D.

  That is actually one of the main reasons that Vance is having trouble keeping his shit together. Just the thought that this sicko might know where he or his family lives makes his stomach turn. What if they are next on his list? The stress and worry is nauseating. And now, with Melina, what if he is putting her in danger just by being with her? Vance stops in the doorway to the kitchen, maybe he isn't so hungry after all.

  “That babe of yours is pretty noisy, my friend,” Dayne's voice says, making Vance jump.

  Vance smirks; he can't help it, his mind is now wrapped around Melina's smokin' hot body writhing under him. He looks over at the table to see Dayne chowing down on some sugary kid cereal, his eyes filled with amusement. Vance is positive that he wants details.

  “How long were you two fuckin’ for? Shit, it had to have been at least an hour,” Dayne says then shovels another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

  “No fucking,” Vance says, shaking his head.

  “Oh, I'm sorry, making love.” Dayne snorts and rolls his eyes.

  “Nope, there was none of that, either.” Vance grabs a bowl and a spoon then sits across from Dayne, whose eyebrows have shot up.

  “What the fuck did you do to her then?” Dayne asks, dumbfounded.

  Vance gives him a devilish smile. “I'm good with my tongue, what can I say?”

  “Motherfucker! You're telling me that she was moaning and screaming like that because you have a talented tongue? I don't believe it,” Dayne says, his tone appalled.

  “Well, that was just the first orgasm; the second was due to my talented fingers.” Vance smiles wickedly, making a sexual finger motion in the air. He pours cereal into his bowl then adds milk over it.

  “Fuck you, what’s she doing now?” Dayne bites out.

  “Sleeping it off,” Vance says lightly, shoveling cereal into his mouth.

  “I hate you,” Dayne growls and finishes off his cereal.

  “I’d be more than happy to give you a few pointers.” Vance chuckles.

  “Asshole,” Dayne mumbles, giving Vance a dirty look.

  “Man, I can't help it if I'm good at all things sex related. It's not like I went out of my way to practice or some shit. I just feed off what the woman's body tells me; if you do something and she moans, do it again. It’s simple really.”

  Dayne's chewing slows and he gives Vance a considering look. “What if you're with a quiet chick who doesn't moan?”

  “Listen to her breathing patterns.”

  Dayne's eyes narrow. “What would you be listening for exactly?”

  Vance fights not to smile because he knows that Dayne is being dead serious. He must be seeing someone who he's not exactly able to please in bed. Wouldn't be the first time for Dayne. He likes sex to revolve around him, but some women won't put up with that shit, they want to get off, too. But Dayne isn't really in tune with a woman's wants and needs.

  “A hitch in her breathing or if she starts breathing faster or shallower are all signs that she most likely enjoyed whatever you just did. Then try it again to see if she reacts the same way,” Vance explains.

  Dayne nods in understanding just as Tripp walks into the kitchen. He grabs a bowl and spoon and drops into the seat next to Vance. “What are you talking about?” he asks as he pours himself some cereal.

  “How our boy, Van, here, is the master of all things sex,” Dayne answers.

  Tripp laughs. “There's no question there.”

  Vance rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

  The last of the quartet walks in a minute later. Ryder also grabs a bowl and spoon. He sits next to Dayne and shakes the cereal box. He then pours what’s left into a bowl in silence. Vance, Tripp, and Dayne all watch him and wait. Ryder looks up at them after pouring milk into his bowl.

  “What?” he grunts.

  “You're not going to ask what we're talking about?” Tripp asks.

  “I already know, I heard the convo from the living room,” Ryder says and shoves a heaping spoonful of cereal into his mouth. A little milk drips out the corner of his mouth, but he catches it with the tip of his tongue before it gets far.

  “Yeah, well, all of you listen up…not a word to Melina okay? I don't want her feeling awkward in this house because you assholes are talkin’ shit about her being loud,” Vance says seriously, looking at each one of them.

  They all nod and agree.

  “You like her a lot, don't you?” Ryder asks, his expression gentle.

  Vance feels a blush creep up his cheeks. He clears his throat. “Yeah...yeah I do. I really do.”

  Tripp claps him on the back. “Good, cause we like her, too.”

  “Yeah, like I give a shit whether you like her or not,” Vance jokes, wrapping his arm around Tripp's neck and pulling him down for a noogie.

  “Aaggghhh...” Tripp pushes Vance away. "Cocksucker,” he mumbles while rubbing his head.

  They all laugh and go back to eating their cereal.

  A phone ringing cuts through Vance's dream, startling him awake. His head shoots up from his pillow and he looks around frantically, trying to figure out what’s going on. A body shifts next to him, a feminine sigh coming from it. That's when he remembers that Melina is sleeping next to him. The phone rings again. Vance reaches over to the nightstand and grabs his cell phone.

  “Hello?” he answers while pushing himself up to his forearm since he is on his stomach.

  “Summers, we’ve got another murder,” the Chief says.

  “Fuck,” Vance bites out and rubs his eyes.

  “Yeah, don't eat anything, it's bad.”

  “Same MO?” Vance asks.

  “Yeah,” the Chief answers softly.

  “Give me the address.”

  Vance commits the address to memory then hangs up with the Chief. He rolls over and rubs his face with his hands. Melina rolls into him, pressing her naked body against his side. Her hand snakes down his stomach to grasp the erection that he woke up with. Vance sighs, he can so go for some of her loving right now, but he has to get up and go.

  He removes her hand and turns to face her, slipping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against his own naked body. Melina lets out a little moan and snuggles in closer to him. He kisses her on the lips.

  “Baby?”

  “Hmm?” Melina mumbles, still half asleep.

  “I gotta go. There’s another murder and I got called to the scene,” he says quietly while stroking her hair back from her face.

  Melina opens her eyes and looks at him. Her gaze is already worried. “What time is it?”

  “Three am.” Vance sighs.

  She laces her fingers into the hair at the back of his head. “Are you going to be all right?” she asks. The frown on her face is clear, even in the dark.

  “Actually, I'm devastated that I have to leave your luscious body alone in my bed.” Vance smiles and presses his hips tighter against hers, his erection firmly lodged between their lower bellies.

  Melina's hand sneaks in between them and wraps around the head of his cock. “Are you sure I can't take care of this before you leave?” she purrs.

  Vance groans. “I would love for you to, but I really have to get moving.”

  “I can be really quick,” she says convincingly and pushes him onto his back.

  “Melina…”

  “Shush,” she snaps as she moves his legs so that she can kneel in between them.

  “Baby, I really…” Vance starts to protest but then Melina takes him into her mouth, making his eyes practically roll back into his head and a guttural moan bubble up his throat.

  She sucks him hard and fast, focusing mostly on the head. She cups his balls in her hand, giving them gentle squeezes, while her other hand wraps around his shaft working in time with her mouth.

  “Oh god, Melina, don't stop,” he breathes, his hands finding her hair. He loves how the silky strands cover his hips and thighs.

  It only takes a minute before Vance comes. Once again, he can't control himse
lf. What is it about this woman that makes him lose control so quickly? He comes long and hard into her mouth, and Melina keeps going until she pretty much sucks him dry. Vance pants hard as Melina swirls her tongue around the tip then lets him go.

  “Fuck,” Vance rasps.

  “Now go get ready,” Melina says, biting back a smile as she flops down onto the bed next to him.

  Vance turns his head to look at her. “You're evil.”

  Melina laughs and it’s music to his ears. He sits up and puts his feet on the floor. He rubs his face then rakes a hand through his hair. The bed moves behind him, and a second later, Melina's bare body drapes over his back. Her arms wrap around his neck and she plants a kiss on his cheek.

  “Remember how strong of a man you are and how you are going to find the person who did this and put them in jail. Don't make yourself sick over it, just think about how you'll get to see me when your day is done,” Melina whispers against his cheek.

  Vance reaches up and holds onto her arm that is around his neck. God, she’s an amazing woman. Can he actually share his fears with her? He knows that she won't judge him, and maybe he really doesn't have to go through all of this by himself. But then she'll worry right along with him. Can he do that to her?

  “Thank you, baby,” he whispers.

  Melina grabs his chin and turns his face toward her, kissing him tenderly on the lips before letting him go. Vance forces himself to get up then goes through the motions of getting dressed and ready to leave.

  He brings his suit out to the bedroom and lays it on the end of the bed. Melina is lying on her back, arms above her head, sheets pulled up just enough to cover her breasts, the blue silk hiding very little of her perfect shape.

  Fuck, if Vance could have her in his bed every night he would. She was made for him. She looks so right being under his sheets with her dark hair strewn across his pillows. Vance watches her as he finishes dressing. She, in turn, watches him, a tender smile on her face.

  “You'll call me when you get done?” Melina asks.

  “Of course,” Vance says as he tightens up his tie. He holds his tie to his chest so it doesn’t smack her in the face, then bends over to give her a kiss goodbye. “I'll talk to you later.”

  “Okay, be safe, Vance,” Melina requests, kissing him again.

  “I will,” Vance promises. He straightens, grabs his suit jacket, gives Melina a quick smile, and heads out.

  It takes Vance about half an hour to make it to the crime scene, which is already surrounded by tons of cops and yellow tape. He ducks under the tape and sees the Chief standing on the sidewalk talking to the crime scene photographer. He gives Vance a nod. Vance nods back then starts taking mental notes of the outside of the house. His sharp eyes take in everything as he looks around the perimeter of the house. The house is very similar to the first one, not only in exterior style, but also in the layout.

  There is no sign of forced entry. So, did this guy have a key? Or maybe he is a whiz at picking locks? Did he know someone in the family who let him in? He has so many questions with no answers. Vance walks back around to the front of the house, his mind working overtime. He makes a note to find out if the families have any kind of connection to each other.

  Shawn is walking up the driveway when Vance turns the corner of the house. Shawn stops and waits for Vance. "Hey, stud. How’s that gorgeous woman of yours?” Shawn asks with a sly smile.

  Vance smirks. “She’s amazing.”

  “Oooh, you thinkin’ she might be the one?” Shawn wags his eyebrows and nudges Vance in the side with his elbow.

  “Maybe.” Vance shrugs.

  “’Maybe,’ my ass. Do you remember how you abused me yesterday because I let slip that you've had a two year dry spell?”

  “Let slip? Fuck you, that was on purpose!” Vance snarls.

  “And did she give a shit? No! She's still with you,” Shawn shoots back.

  “Will you two stop bullshittin' and get to work!” the Chief shouts from across the lawn.

  Vance and Shawn immediately turn and start toward the front porch. They both stop on the porch and put paper booties over their shoes so they don't fuck up the crime scene. After taking a deep breath, they enter the house. Vance is first with Shawn on his heels.

  Vance is immediately hit in the face with the sickening stench of death so bad that it makes his eyes water. The scene is pretty similar to the first one with blood and body parts all over the place. For added shock value, the killer draped intestines down the railing of the stairs like Christmas garland. Sick, it’s absolutely sick.

  It’s almost impossible to move across the living room without stepping in blood, but Vance and Shawn do the best they can. They snap on latex gloves so that they don't accidently contaminate any evidence by touching something or getting fingerprints anywhere.

  And just like last time, the family’s heads are set up on the mantel of the fireplace, starting with the father, then mother, then the oldest child to the youngest. There are two boys and a girl this time. Vance’s gut is telling him that the kids’ genders bear no significance, but there’s still not enough evidence to be certain, so he won’t make that call yet. Thank god Vance took the Chief's advice and didn't eat anything because his stomach is roiling.

  There are people everywhere collecting anything that can be evidence and putting it in little plastic baggies. But, Vance can't see anything that can possibly lead them to whoever did this. He turns to glance over at Shawn when he catches sight of one of the kid’s hands, where it was tossed onto the couch. Vance moves in closer and sees that there is what looks like chunks of skin under the short nails. The kid fought back and most likely scratched the killer. This may be their best chance at a lead.

  “Jackie! Scrape under these nails and send it to the lab ASAP,” Vance calls to the head crime scene investigator, who jumps right on it.

  “Whatcha got, Van?” Shawn asks from the other side of the room.

  “Possible DNA from the killer,” Vance replies.

  “Nice.”

  Vance continues looking around the carnage for any possible evidence that can lead them to the killer. He avoids looking at the heads on the mantel. Seeing them once is enough to give him nightmares again. After forty-five minutes, he can't take the stench anymore, so he leaves and heads back outside.

  Vance works at his desk late trying to find any kind of connection between the two families, but there is nothing other than their houses being similar and each having three children. There is nothing else. The houses aren't in the same school zone, so the kids don't go to school together or play any sports together. The adults all have completely different jobs that never even cross paths. Vance is going out of his mind; how can there be no connection? Is this killer actually choosing at random? He finds that hard to believe.

  A hand comes down on Vance's shoulder, making him jump. “It's 9:30 pm, my friend. I think it's time to call it a night,” Shawn says.

  Vance blinks blankly up at Shawn. “9:30?” he asks.

  Shawn nods. “Yeah, and I think you should call your woman. She’s probably wondering what happened to you today.”

  “Fuck me.” Vance sighs and rubs his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. “I forgot all about calling Melina. How do you leave this shit here and not take it home with you?”

  “Listen, Vance. If you really like this girl then she has to come first. Is what we do important? Yes, but it's just a job and you have to live your life outside of this office and crime scenes. I saw the way that you were looking at her yesterday. She’s special, and you need to make sure that she knows it,” Shawn says softly and gives Vance's shoulder a squeeze.

  Vance nods. “You're right, Shawn. I'm just not used to not being single; for two years, I haven't had to let someone know where I am and what I’m doing. I'm not used to someone waiting for me to call them.”

  “Well, get used to it because you don't want to lose her before you even really have her,” Shawn murmurs then head
s for the door.

  Vance glances around, he is the only one left in the office. He pulls his cell phone, which is sitting next to his computer, toward him and touches the screen to wake it up. Two missed calls. What? He never even heard it ring. He checks to make sure the ringer is up and it is. He must have just blocked it out while he was working. Both calls are from Melina, one at 6:00 pm and the other at 9:00 pm.

  Vance pulls up her number and hits the call button. The phone rings a few times before she picks up with a somber, “Hey.” Dammit, she is upset with him. Nice going, asshole.

  “Baby, I'm sorry I missed your calls...”

  “It's fine, how was your day?” Melina says, cutting him off.

  Vance hesitates. He doesn't know what to make of her nonchalant tone. “It's been non-stop. How was your day?”

  “It was fine,” she says shortly.

  “You're mad at me, aren't you?” Vance sighs and leans back in his chair. He leans an elbow on the arm of the chair then rubs his aching forehead with his hand.

  “I'm not mad, Vance. I'm just afraid that this is how it's going to be and I’m not sure if I can handle it,” Melina says, her tone level and emotionless.

  “Lina, don't say that. Listen, I fucked up today, I know that. I swear it won't happen again. I'm not used to having to call someone if I'm staying late at work.”

  Melina is silent for a long time before she answers. “I don’t like sitting around, waiting while you work all day and night. I can’t be in a relationship with a man I never get to see. I already did that, and it really took a toll on me. I need to feel more important than your job. I was sitting by the phone for hours, just waiting to hear from you. I don’t want to be that girl. I want to be the one who you come home early to because you can’t stand being away from me for so long. Then when I didn’t hear from you at all, I was worried sick. You can’t imagine the crazy scenarios that were going through my head,” Melina says, her tone hard and a little icy, yet hurt and vulnerable.