“Goldie? Hey, calm down, you’re not making any sense. Tell me from the beginning.”
That’s exactly what she did. From beginning to end, Goldie told the truth. For the first time she wasn’t looking in the mirror and hating what she saw, she was finally revealing to someone where those seeds of self-loathing had originated. She waded through all of it and in that moment decided to not only own her mistakes but to try to somehow make amends. She could live the rest of her life in regret or she could own it and grow.
She didn’t expect Bee to ever forgive her, but she was going to make Brian pay for the part he played in the breakup of a true friendship. As embarrassing as it was that her jealous streak had put her friend in danger, it was cathartic to finally admit it to someone else.
“Where are you now?”
“I’m at the club. You’ve got to help me find her. What if Brian Reed is the Mummy Man? Oh my God, what the fuck have I done? I’ll never forgive myself if he kills her.”
Thomas could feel her rational mind slipping away and he needed her thinking clearly. Every detail mattered. If Thomas was anything, he was detailed to a fault.
“Goldie,” he said sternly. “You’ve got to calm the fuck down.” He looked over at his wife whose eyebrows were arched skeptically at his firm tone of voice. He shook his head, silently conveying that, no, it wasn’t too harsh, not if he wanted to catch a killer.
Everything Goldie was saying was raising red flags. When she started rambling on about how Queen Bee’s fiancé would be so worried and what a beautiful engagement ring he’d gotten her from the most exclusive jewelry store in town, he cut her off. “Stay where you are, Goldie. I’ve got to make a couple of calls and then I’m heading out to find her. Stay put. I don’t need you getting killed tonight, okay? I’ve got this.” He tried to sound convincing. “Everything’s going to be okay.” He was talking to Goldie but it was his wife who was feeling the piercing glare of his frosty baby blues.
Teegan and Thomas jumped from the bed simultaneously, pulling on clothes and talking over each other.
“God, I hope this is just Goldie’s guilt talking and Bee isn’t really in the car with a fucking killer.”
“You and me both, baby girl. You and me both.”
They rushed down the stairs and out to where the SUV was parked in front of the house, both hoping they weren’t dealing with a madman who got off on wrapping his victims and suffocating them.
“You need to call your father,” Teegan said in a rush. “We have no idea where he’s taking her; not to mention he’s going to be pissed if you don’t fill him in on what’s going on.”
“Agreed. You need to get comfortable with my dad. Call him, baby.”
Teegan decided arguing with Thomas would do no good. She didn’t want to deal with Black Rose but right now time was of the essence. Her fingers trembled as she placed the call and spent the next five minutes explaining what was happening.
“I’m glad you called me, Teegan,” Charles said in his distinctive baritone that unexpectedly soothed her in the midst of all the mayhem. “Queen Bee is a special friend of ours. Is there anything else I should know? Is anyone else involved, as far as you can tell? I just want to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Well, Goldie said Queen Bee just got engaged.”
“Yes, Melanie mentioned that. That’s happy news in the midst of this madness.”
“Her fiancé, Terry Ransom, gave her the most beautiful canary yellow engagement ring. He got it from this little boutique jewelry shop in town. Appointment only, very posh”—
“Yes, I know the one,” he said, his voice taking on a curt tone.
“Goldie kept going on about how he knows the owners.”
“Does he, now?” Charles took a deep breath and considered this new information. It appeared that Mummy Man had chosen the wrong woman to be his next victim. If Terry Ransom was friends with the owners of the most exclusive jewelry dealer in town, then speed really was of the essence tonight. Fuck…
That jewelry business was owned by the Glazovs. The last thing Charles Wentworth needed was the Russian mafia getting involved in his family’s personal affairs. He had no doubt the Bratva would be most efficient in eliminating any threat posed by Brian Reed, but Charles wanted this handled simply. Involving his contact in the FBI was enough drama for him. If it were the only option, he wouldn’t hesitate. But with the FBI on his side, he sure as hell didn’t need to be obligated to Alexander Glazov and his Russian mafia cronies, even if they did appear to be on the straight and narrow these days.
“As luck would have it, Agent Turner had been planning to put a tracker on Reed’s car. I’m not sure how or when he may have managed it, and I’m not planning on asking for details. But I’ll check in with him to see if it’s in place yet. That should tell us everything we need to know. Keep your phone handy and I’ll be back in touch.”
Thomas waited until she’d ended the call to speak. “Good idea calling Dad. We’re going to catch this son of a bitch tonight. I can feel it.”
She reached over and touched his forearm. When he turned toward her, his face held so much anger that she had to resist the urge to look away. He spooked her when he got like this: absolutely hellbent on making things right and willing to do whatever was necessary to make it happen.
“I don’t want you to kill him, Thomas. I know you want to because of his obsession with me, but please…don’t.”
Something about his expression made her wonder if he actually enjoyed killing. There was something noble about his father’s path in life, but Thomas seemed to have taken it in a different direction. Yes, he killed those that he deemed somehow deserving of death, but he seemed to take real pleasure in it. Maybe there was a beast deep inside him that he had managed to control…up until now, anyway.
It wasn’t the beast she feared as much as the prospect of him going to prison or being killed. She knew if the full onslaught of his rage was unleashed, there would be no turning back. It was one thing to kill because you were a vigilante but this had become personal. Not good. She’d had no problem when he killed that pedophile. But this time? He would be killing for her.
Chapter Fifty Four
“You know, I thought about keeping you.” Brian cocked his head to the side as he studied Queen Bee. Her head bobbed against her chest as she went in and out of consciousness. He had been meticulous with the sedatives he used and knew she would be waking up soon.
Queen Bee felt the wrenching pressure in her arm sockets but couldn’t think clearly enough to recognize that she was hanging by her wrists from the end of a chain that he’d hooked into the ceiling.
“You are a beauty,” he continued as he let his gaze wander over the lines of her body. “I would love nothing more than to put that pompous rich boyfriend of yours in his place. I’ve been expanding my horizons lately; maybe I should fuck you until you don’t know your own name, and make sure he knows it. He’d never be able to look at you the same again. He’d sure as hell never want to touch you after I was through with you. You see, I’ve always hated rich people; the way they act like everyone is beneath them. Yeah, I’d love to return you to him after you were all used up. But I’ve got to kill you. It’s not my preference, you understand, but it’s unavoidable. It’s the only way I’ll get Teegan’s attention.”
He circled her, reaching out and pushing against her shoulder. Her toes were barely touching the floor so she easily began to twirl from the end of the chain. He liked watching her moving at his command, having surrendered all control. He’d like it better if she wasn’t so drugged, but he hadn’t wanted to risk a full-blown fight during the drive over, so he’d made sure to give her the hard stuff.
“I had to find a different place for our time together tonight. Those fucking FBI agents have been keeping an eye on my house. They think I don’t know, but I’m not stupid. They were inside my house!” he bellowed, then closed his eyes and struggled to regain control. He swallowed harshly, then con
tinued with some effort. “Things…had been moved. They’re circling and planning my demise. But I’m too smart for them. I made sure we weren’t being followed. The old fart who owned this dilapidated fishing cabin didn’t have many more years to live anyway. I did him a favor by killing him.” He paused and grinned. “More like a public service, really.”
He grabbed her shoulders, bringing her twirling body to an abrupt stop so suddenly that her bleary eyes flew open in fear. “Ah, there you are!” he said brightly. “I’m so glad you’re awake. It’s so much more gratifying to kill when they know what’s going on. Do you suppose anyone will miss you? Or will you drop off the face of the earth and no one will even notice?”
Her mouth felt dry and her tongue felt so thick she could barely whisper, “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can.” He shrugged dismissively, as if he couldn’t believe she was even asking him such a dumb question. “Personally, I think you’ll just drop off the face of the fucking earth and nobody will care. You have no family and the one so-called friend you did have set you up. And your boyfriend will just think you’ve lost interest and moved on. But that bitch Goldie is the reason you’re here. Beauty has a price—envy.”
It made him happy when he saw a single tear trail down her cheek. “Aw,” he pouted, “didn’t you know your best friend set you up? No?” He shook his head pityingly. “She’s always been jealous of you. Your friendship was a farce.”
He turned away from her and crossed the room to turn on a small CD player with classical music. When he faced her again, he was holding a box of clear plastic kitchen wrap and a large roll of white gauze. He stepped close to her and tossed the supplies on a nearby chair.
“Shall we begin?” he asked softly as he stepped in close to her and pulled her against him. He ran his hands over her torso, down her back and over her ass. He inhaled deeply and released a shuddering breath as he squeezed and stroked her sleek curves. “Damn. You really are something else. I’m going to enjoy this more than I should. When I’m through with you, Queenie, there won’t be anything left. Won’t that be nice?”
When she mumbled frantically and tried to twist away from him, he laughed and shoved her aching shoulder, sending her spinning in a wide arc around him once more. He turned slowly, smiling serenely as he watched her progress until she slowed to a slow, swaying motion in front of him.
“Dizzy, are we?” he asked solicitously. “Here, then, let me help you out of your pretty dress.” He gripped the zipper tab and slid it down her back. “Oh dear, I’m afraid this won’t do at all.” He pulled out his knife and sliced through the fabric over her shoulders. The silk dress slithered down her body, landing in a heap on the floor. He stood back and admired her delicate, lacy Agent Provocateur lingerie. “Terry does have excellent taste, but I’m afraid these will have to go too.”
He stepped toward her, licking his lips as he slid a trembling finger beneath the scrap of silk that covered her genitals.
Queen Bee frowned and shook her head, unable to understand why her shoulder muscles still felt like they were on fire, and unable to make any sense of the bizarre scene before her.
As Brian gripped her panties in his cold, clammy hands and began pressing wet kisses down her belly heading south, her eyelids drooped once more. Nothing was making sense. As everything went dark, her last thought was that it was probably better that way.
Chapter Fifty Five
“I knew they’d be here.” Agent Turner looked over at Rene as she peered out the car window at the sight that had caught his attention. Thomas and Teegan Wentworth were parked nearby, having arrived moments earlier.
Turner’s eyes closed for an instant as a wave of relief washed over him. They hadn’t gone into the shack yet. There was still time to rein Thomas in and salvage the situation. That was one death notification he hoped he never had to handle. He didn’t want to ever have to tell Charles that his son wouldn’t be coming home again. This way, he could orchestrate the sequence of events, get the bad guy, and send everyone home safe and sound.
Turner pulled in behind an outcropping of trees and got out. He approached the other vehicle with Rene following close behind him. “Well, at least you had sense enough to wait for us.”
Thomas cut his eyes impatiently at the agent as he clenched his hands open and shut on the steering wheel. The outward manifestation of stress relief wasn’t having its usual soothing effect. His blood was practically boiling within him from the overwhelming desire to kill. Like an addict craving a drug, Thomas was hungry for it.
Agent Turner was a realist. If he had learned one thing in his years at the FBI, it was to view the world as it truly was, no matter how distasteful the truth was. So he shook his head on a harsh exhale, resigned to the fact that he could do nothing to stop the son of a serial killer from fulfilling his destiny. In the back of his mind, Agent Turner had been holding out hope that Thomas Wentworth might somehow take a different path. But no more. Thomas had a thirst for blood for its own sake, whereas his father Black Rose killed to right the ultimate wrong.
“You know your father doesn’t want you in there, but I can’t stop you. To be honest with you, I need the backup.”
“You’re right, you can’t stop me.”
“Don’t be so hungry for blood or it will be your undoing, son.”
Thomas looked at him with a crooked smile. “You can’t change the nature of the beast.”
“True. But my efforts to cover your ass can only go so far. You waited for me, which tells me you intend to work with me on this. That’s good, Thomas. You need to approach this with the intention of me taking this guy in, not with the intention of killing him.”
Thomas met the FBI agent’s penetrating gaze solemnly. “Look, I might enjoy spilling the blood of those who prey on the weak, but I’m not going to do anything that jeopardizes you or your partner. You’ve had my dad’s back,” he muttered as he turned his gaze to the ramshackle shack and tapped impatiently on the steering wheel. “I respect that. But we both know that a court of law is never a sure thing. You really want to take that risk?”
Agent Turner didn’t acknowledge the question but got right down to business. “According to the tracker, our boy’s car is still here. So whatever’s going down is going to happen right here. Agent Murphy and I will go through the front door. You go through the back. That’s as far as my plan goes. We’ll take it from there when we see what we’re dealing with. Okay? Now, let’s try to get through tonight without anyone getting killed, shall we? That is one conversation with your father that I would like to never have.”
“You got it.”
They cut through the trees, with Turner and his partner heading straight to the front of the wooden shack. Thomas got out of the car and gazed solemnly at Teegan when she joined him.
When they reached the rear of the shack, Thomas pulled Teegan close and kissed her hungrily. He cradled her face in his hands as he pulled away and studied her face. “I know you’re nervous. Everything in me wants to lock you in that car and keep you out of all this, but I’m selfish, Teegan. I need you with me to do this. We’re a team now. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her in tight to his chest, his words coming out in a rush. “I love you, girl. I love you with everything that’s in me. I was okay with being alone before you came along. I didn’t know any different. But now? Now I can’t imagine walking through this world without you by my side. You belong beside me in everything I do. I think you understand that or you wouldn’t be out here in the woods with me right now.”
“I’m yours, Thomas. I’m not going anywhere. Whatever you have in mind, I’m up for it. You’re not alone anymore.”
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned as he cradled the back of her head and brought his lips down on hers in a searing kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, “So fucking perfect for me. You stay behind me, okay? Behind. Me. Do not underestimate this guy.”
&n
bsp; All she could do was nod. She was scared, but the desire to get a killer off the street was stronger than the sound of her heart pounding against her ribs. Their bond went far beyond a marriage certificate that kept them from testifying against each other. Theirs was a connection that needed no words.
She watched as he took a small black case from his pocket and unzipped it. He worked the door lock efficiently and gently turned the handle. It was the moment of truth, but he managed to keep his expression neutral as he opened the door. If it creaked, it would alert any inhabitants to their presence. Normally he would be feeding off the adrenalin coursing through him at the thought of the ultimate thrill kill, but not today. Today he was worried about his wife being in the line of fire, but he knew that the worst thing he could do would be to let that fear distract him.
He placed a finger to his lips in a silent message to be quiet and slowly stepped inside, listening for any telltale sounds that would betray the presence of their target. Thomas reached around for the gun that was pressing against his back where he’d tucked it into his jeans.
They crept along the darkened hallway. Thomas knew that, with the agents entering through the front door, they would likely meet somewhere in the middle. Hopefully, they’d have their target cornered like the pathetic animal he was.
Thomas moved toward the sound of muffled voices, placing his feet carefully in the hopes of avoiding any creaking floorboards that would give away their position.
Brian stood near Queen Bee, his gleaming eyes looking toward the doorway as he stroked the skin of her lower abdomen and whispered in her ear. She was in a bra and panties, suspended by her wrists from a long chain. From the looks of things, she was barely aware of what was happening to her, and Thomas sent up silent thanks for small mercies.
“It appears we have company, love,” Brian declared, then stepped away and shoved her, sending her swinging around from the end of the chain. He stood in the center of the room as she twirled and spun around him. He held what appeared to be an icepick in his hand.
Mommy's Dearest (Black Rose Book 3) Page 19