by Kells, India
Still unable to move, she felt Mason circle her hips and shoulders from behind and pull her against his muscular body as Malco grabbed the box and took it outside with Alex, Shane, and Emme on his heels.
Mason’s hold was reassuring and calming, and after a moment, muscle by muscle, she relaxed.
“I’m sorry.”
His mouth was close to her ear with a low, annoying growl. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re safe with me.”
A male yelp and Emme’s muffled scream came from outside, making Cleo jump, but Mason didn’t let her go. Alex came running inside, disappeared for a few seconds and came back with a plastic storage container in his hands. He appeared pale and swallowed hard before disappearing out the door.
“What was in the box, Cleo?”
Calming down, she exhaled, slowly returning to herself. “Snakes. I have a snake phobia. So many snakes…”
She shuddered. “I was checking the mail, and there was a box addressed to me. I thought it was the office supplies I’d ordered because the box was so big…”
“Easy. A fear of snakes is not uncommon, and if I’d opened that box, I probably would have screamed louder than you.”
The silly thought made her laugh, helping her to relax even more until finally, Mason loosened his hold on her.
Glad her head wasn’t spinning anymore, and her legs held her up, she turned to him. “Thank you. Damn, I hate being this weak.”
“It’s not weak to fear snakes. Some are dangerous, and you didn’t know what kind they were.”
The team came back inside, Malco carrying the empty shipping box with him. “I was right. There were several baby Arizona coral snakes inside. There are coral snakes here in Florida but they are a bit different. The sicko must have gone to a lot of trouble getting them. They’re extremely poisonous. You did well keeping the box closed, Cleo.”
She shivered but remained calm. “I come from Arizona and never saw them. Not that I was ever an outdoorsy girl anyway. Didn’t know you were an expert on snakes, Malco.”
The man smiled. “Not an expert, but as I used to live where they were found it was prudent to learn to respect them and be aware. I’ve put them in my car and called animal control to pick them up.” Malco showed them a tarot card: the Lovers. “When we transferred them into the plastic container, we saw that inside the box.”
Ice settled in her belly, and she rounded the desk. She took the card from his hand and frowned, turning the card over. “I need to go home. Now.”
Shane stepped in front of her before she could bolt for the door. “Easy, Cleo. Why do you want to go home now? What’s the significance of the card?”
She hesitated. “I have a similar deck there and that card could have come from it.”
Shane nodded. “Okay, take Mason and Malco with you.”
Alex whitened a bit. “What about the snakes? Animal control isn’t here yet.”
Malco clapped him on his shoulder. “I’m leaving the keys with you. You don’t even need to go near the car, just point and click to unlock the doors.”
Alex grimaced but took the keys. His reaction made Cleo feel a bit less ridiculous. Alex Webb was a big and dangerous man and wasn’t a snake fan either. The knowledge made her feel a bit better. And now that she had seen the card, she feared the snakes weren’t the only thing she should be afraid of.
* * *
In the bright light of the morning, her neighborhood didn’t seem as scary as last night. Mason drove in silence, Malco in the passenger seat beside him scanning the area. Cleo wanted to ride shotgun, but both men nixed that, and she was forced to sit in the back much to her chagrin.
Within five minutes they had arrived at her place. She got out of the car, but Malco blocked her as she was taking out her keys. “Wait for us to check the place, Cleo. Please.”
But she was tired of not being in control of anything and ignoring him she headed for the front door. After all, they had been in her tiny apartment last night. Did that mean her stalker could have been hiding there while she packed her bag? Or after? Taking a single card would be easy; nobody would notice.
Mason jogged behind her as she unlocked her door and immediately pushed her behind him before she could enter, but not before she glimpsed inside. Her heart stopped at the sight. It looked as if a wild animal at been turned loose inside her home.
Everything had been thrown to the ground. Her curtains had been pulled off the poles and someone had slashed her lovely blue couch and the colorful cushions on it, completely destroying them. On the living room wall, spray paint had been used to draw two huge interlocking red hearts with a black arrow through the middle. Mason and Malco bypassed her, guns drawn as they advanced, making sure the place was empty. Their shoes crunched over the broken dishes, glasses, and trinkets smashed on the floor. Cleo felt her heart break at the sound of her possessions being destroyed even more.
Mason returned, sliding his gun into his holster under his jacket and Malco came back shaking his head. “The place is clear. I don’t know what this asshole’s problem is, but he did a thorough job in trashing Cleo’s place.”
Not listening to the men, she went to her bedroom, and it took everything in her not to fall into a mess of tears and rage. Every piece of furniture was broken and her dresser lay face down. The perpetrator had sliced her mattress and drapes like he’d done to the couch in the living room. She could practically feel the rage it took to do that kind of damage.
With all the destruction, it was the sight of her purple vibrator sitting in the middle of a pile of fabric and stuffing that had her sucking in a breath. To have something so intimate touched by a stranger—most probably the man who’d attacked—her made her feel dirty and vulnerable in a way she never had before. At least the men behind her didn’t comment, thank goodness.
As she looked around, Cleo saw the tarot cards all over the floor. Some were torn, others bent. Returning to the dresser, she noticed it had been knocked over before the person had the chance to rummage through it.
When she bent down, it was evident that the piece of furniture was way too heavy for her to move by herself. She remembered the two men who were now standing by her bedroom door and she looked at them with raised eyebrows.
Mason, arms crossed, came nearer, a smile tugging at his lips. “And here I thought we were here as silent extras. Take a side, Malco, use your muscles for once.”
It took both men to put the dresser upright and Cleo managed to keep most of the drawers closed during the process.
Cleo pulled open the first drawer and sagged in relief when she saw the carved wooden box still intact. It contained the few family heirlooms she possessed, mostly inexpensive jewels, several old photographs, and the tarot deck from her grandmother. Quickly, she pulled it out, checked the deck, and found the Lovers card before sagging in relief. She closed her box and put her forehead against the lid.
Mason approached, his hand finding the familiar spot on her back in a show of support. She was glad to have it as she began to explain. “I don’t own much, but this box contains the few memories and valuables I do possess. I thought it was from my grandmother’s deck when I saw that card with the snakes,” her voice shook on the word, “but it was from my own set. I can live with that fucker destroying those.”
Mason seemed tempted to ask a question, but more pressing matters needed to be dealt with. “We need to call the authorities on this. Grab a bag and pack everything you don’t want to leave behind. Bring your clothes too.”
Keeping the box against her chest, she looked around. “I don’t want to touch anything he may have touched. It feels dirty to me.”
Mason nodded, and Malco disappeared. “You can take what’s in the dresser, that hasn’t been touched.”
Malco reappeared with a folded garbage bag. “I found it under your kitchen sink. It’s clean and was still in the box. Not pretty, but you can use it for now.”
Grateful, she smiled at the man. “Quick thinking, Ba
tman, thanks.”
He nodded a small grin playing on his lips before excusing himself saying he would call Shane before calling the cops.
Mason picked up the bag and opened it for her so she could throw in what would be useful and take it with her. But where? To Mason’s apartment?
“Why a frown? A penny for your thoughts, Cleo?”
Distracted, she shook her head. “I need a place to stay. I just realized I might never be able to live in this apartment again. And that makes me mad because I loved it. After Emme and Shane hired me, finding this apartment was the first thing I did. I splurged on the furniture, the decorations, and the clothes. I remember my first night here. I was so happy I had moved here.”
She wasn’t on the verge of tears this time; she just felt so very sad. And then she thought of who could have been so vile; a fire started burning inside her. “I don’t understand who this person could be! I haven’t been in Miami long enough to have much contact with people, let alone make any enemies. And I work all the time. Apart from here and the occasional trips to the store, I barely leave the office.”
Mason put the bag down before looking at her. “Stalkers are sick people. They’re obsessed with the object of their desire. It doesn’t mean it’s someone you know or noticed. It could be someone you’ve met once, and instantly became the object of his sick fascination. The team is going to find him, then we’ll have answers to your questions.”
Cleo puffed out a breath and rolled her shoulders. “In the meantime, I feel like my home has been burned to the ground. I’m like a boat lost at sea, without anywhere to go.”
“You do have a place to go. You can use my guest room for as long as you need. My building is safe, and as we work together, we can use my car to get to and from work.”
“I can’t invade your home like that. Last night was a one-off, an emergency, but staying until we find this guy? I can’t impose on you like that.”
Mason took another step, and this time, a dark cloud descended over his handsome face showing his annoyance. “You are not imposing on me. In fact, Emme and Shane wanted to take you to their place last night, but I decided to take you to my home.” He lifted his and his fingers traced her jaw. “I want you at my place. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”
Delicious shivers started rolling over her skin as his mouth came closer. It took all her might not to lean up and taste him. “What happened last night won’t happen again. I told you, I don’t date or have sex with co-workers.”
“As you had sex with yourself, I think your point is moot. I can be as stubborn as you, Miss Darwin. Accept it or not, there is something between us. It’s been there since the first moment we met. It stands between us and I don’t think there are many options. My choice is to explore it.” When she opened her mouth to answer, Mason shook his head. “Don’t deny it. You’re too smart to play dumb. And you can say we’re opposites all you like, but I don’t agree. I don’t think you know me enough to make that call, and the glimpse I’ve had of you makes me believe I’m right. So take this little cohabitation period as a possible test. You look beyond the suit, and I’ll look beyond the purple hair, and then we’ll see where we truly stand. I won’t ever force myself on you. But I won’t be taken for a fool either, not when I know you want me as much as I want you. When you’re ready to admit that we can talk.”
Speechless, Cleo couldn’t say anything, as she tried to wrap her mind around what he’d just said.
“Now, let’s put your stuff in my car and deal with the team, the police, and most probably your insurance. Then we can head back to Alliance and take this fucker down.”
Chapter Six
Mason left the black bag full of Cleo’s things in the trunk of his car. She had vetoed all her underwear, stating she wouldn’t wear anything the scumbag who was trying to scare her had touched. She was putting on a brave face, but she was frightened and upset, and he didn’t blame her. Emme and Shane had taken her back to the office earlier while he stayed and dealt with the police. They had filed a report and had people dusting for prints, but unfortunately in a place with the crime rate Miami had, it was low on the list of priorities.
It was a sad but true fact that MPD was overstretched and underpaid, with drug dealers, murderers, gangs, and other heinous crimes taking priority. He got it, but it meant he and Alliance were on their own with finding Cleo’s stalker. He had passed his card to the lead detective who had promised to share information with him, probably happy for someone else to solve the case for him.
However, the stalker had escalated fast. It worried him. Most stalkers started with the small stuff—late-night calls or hang-ups, the victim feeling as if they were being followed, but he had talked to Cleo, and she’d had nothing like that happen. Fuck, he probably had more hang-ups than she did.
Walking across the carpark toward the office, he saw Alex standing way back as animal control removed the venomous snakes. That was something else he could get Alex to follow up on. “Hey, Alex, got a second?”
Alex turned to look at him, his forehead beaded with sweat and Mason had a distinct feeling it wasn’t the Miami sun that had caused it. Alex seemed to have a deep-rooted fear of snakes, almost as bad as Cleo’s. “Yeah, sure. What do you need?” He kept an eye on the car and didn’t seem to want to turn his back on the perceived threat.
“Can you look into all the places you can buy this breed of snake? It can’t be easy to get hold of them, even illegally. There might be some chatter you can find.” It may well be a dead-end, but it was a start.
“Sure, I’ll get right on it.” Alex nodded before moving toward Alliance’s front doors. Mason watched as the snakes that could very well have put Cleo in the hospital—or worse—were taken away.
Moving inside, he saw her desk was empty and walked toward his office. He wanted to touch base with a friend of his who was a profiler and see if he could run a quick profile on the stalker. He took a detour when he heard giggling coming from Emme’s office. Female’s giggling, and Cleo’s voice stood out. It was melodic, and sexy, and shot desire straight to his dick when he’d first heard it. It was even worse now he had her face and the feel of her sexy body pressed against his to imagine with it.
Knocking on the half-open door, he pushed it fully open when Emme called for him to come in, prompting the four women standing around the computer to burst out laughing.
“I feel like I walked in on something I shouldn’t have.” Mason was more terrified of the four women who turned in his direction than he was of a psycho wielding gunman.
“Cleo was doing some online shopping.” Mercy walked toward him, a look of mischief on her face he didn’t quite understand. “You should go help her.”
With that Mercy, Caitlin, and Emme exited the room as if the hounds of hell were after them. He watched the door close and heard a barrage of laughter moving down the hall.
He turned back to Cleo, who was blushing crimson. It wasn’t a look he had seen on her before, but he liked it, he liked it a fucking lot. “What just happened?” He moved closer as he looked at the door then back to her.
“They’re idiots.” Cleo minimized the screen she was on before he got to see it.
“Sounded like you were having fun,” he said as she stood, and he noticed the way her green flowery dress swooshed around her toned thighs as she stood.
“We were, kind of…” Distracted, Cleo moved around him, her breasts brushing his chest.
Mason snaked out an arm, grasping her around the waist and hauling her closer to him. Her body pressed to his front. ”Why are you blushing?” His voice was soft; he wanted to feel her skin against his lips but fought the urge. He heard her breath hitch at the position that almost mimicked the one from last night.
“Caitlin told a rude joke.” Cleo’s answer was breathy, and his dick twitched.
“Yeah? Want to share it?” He was close to her neck as he took in her scent.
“I, uh can’t remember it.” Cleo pulled away, pr
actically running for the door.
Mason watched her go and turned back to the computer. Taking a seat, he shook the mouse to wake the screen and maximized the display from the bottom. A popular website with a lingerie covered model popped up. Mason felt his lips curl into a grin as he realized what they had been looking at. Cleo needed new underwear and didn’t that make his dick go from the semi-erect state it always seemed to be in around Cleo to rock fucking hard.
Moving the mouse, he saw the basket showed nine items and he couldn’t resist. He was going to hell, but he didn’t give a flying fuck at that moment.
Clicking on the basket icon, a list of the things she wanted to purchase. He almost swallowed his tongue when he saw a dark red lace teddy, black lace thongs, satin demi-cup bra’s—whatever the fuck they were—and the pale green silk slip with black lace on the breasts. Jesus Fucking Christ!
The instant visceral image of Cleo in that lingerie was more than he could take. That she might be wearing something like that now made him want to club her over the head and drag her to his office and find out. Of course, he would never do that, but fuck if he didn’t want to.
Deciding that now was as good a time as any to loosen little Miss. Darwin up, he quickly set up an account and purchased the items in the basket before forwarding the email receipt to her private email.
He closed the screen and walked back to his office, stopping to talk to Shane on the way. He wondered how long it would take before she saw the order confirmation email. Mason didn’t have to wait long. She banged on Shane’s door, moments after he and Shane had finished discussing what happened with the MPD.
“Yes?” Shane called, and Mason bit back the smirk when she entered.
“Can I talk to Mason a second please?” Her voice came through gritted teeth. Cleo was rattled, and he liked it way better than Cleo frightened.