by Justus Roux
“Alright, come back to Chicago and we will put all of this together and get Michael Lyons formally charged with murder. I will contact the London police and see if we can get him into custody while we sort this out. The only trouble is how we are going to find Michael in a city that large. I’m sure he has covered his tracks well.”
“Don’t worry I have two people over there searching for him now. I took some initiative.”
“Two people? You know what I don’t even want to know. Just get back here and let’s get this son of a bitch.”
***
Adam and Nicole went to the park over the last couple of days and watched the young woman who had caught Michael’s eye.
“He didn’t show up again,” Adam said as they followed the young woman back to her car.
“He will. I just know it.”
Adam answered his cellphone when it started ringing. Nicole watched Adam’s face light up and then a big smile come across his face.
“What is it?” Nicole said.
Adam hung up his cellphone and put it back in his pocket. “That was Rodney. They are going to formally charge Michael with those murders in Chicago. They are having the London police arrest him when they find out where he is.”
Adam hugged Nicole really tightly, lifting her off the ground.
“It’s almost over,” Nicole said, hugging Adam as tightly as he was hugging her.
Adam slowly set her down. “Rodney is going to text me a number. If we find Michael we call that number.”
“I think we should call that number now and tell them our theory,” Nicole said.
“Michael might get spook if he feels something is going on.”
“I’m sure the London police know how to stake out someone.”
“You’re right.”
Adam called the detective whose number Rodney gave to him. Then both Adam and Nicole went to the police station to talk with him in person. They explained everything and the detective assured them that they would have someone in the park waiting.
They headed back to their hotel room. Adam got on his laptop trying to find where Michael would be staying. Nicole made dinner.
“You know he must be using an alias. I was thinking over all the conversations that Michael and I had trying to find some clue to what name he might be using. I can’t think of anything.”
“Can you register under any kind of alias at a hotel?”
“Yeah, I guess, I’m sure you can tip the person at the desk to put in any name you want.”
“I was thinking that famous people sometimes use silly names when they travel.”
Nicole handed Adam the plate with the sandwiches she made for him.
“Thank you,” he said as he took a big bite.
“Are you sure that program your band member sent you is working?”
“Oh yeah, Denny is the biggest computer geek in Chicago. If he said this program will search the registered guests of every hotel in London it will.”
“Tears and Beers. Try a variation of that name.”
“The bar…” Adam type in the name. “Nothing.”
“Linda Bennett.”
“There are a couple but I don’t think Michael would stay in hostiles.”
“Monica Jenkins.”
“Nope.”
“Johnny Turner.”
“Nope.”
“Damn it.” Nicole paced back and forth while she nibbled on her sandwich. She stopped. “Nathan Porter.”
Adam typed in the name. “Yeah there is a Nathan Porter registered at the Hotel forty one. That hotel is quite pricey.”
“If it is him why would he use Nathan’s name?”
“It tells me he is still thinking about you.”
“Should we tell the detective that might be Michael?”
“No, what if there really is some guy named Nathan Porter staying there. If Michael isn’t in the park tomorrow we will go see if that is him staying at the hotel, then we call the cops.” Adam stood and went over to her. He gently took her into his arms. “Are you going to be able to watch them put Michael in handcuffs?”
“Of course why wouldn’t I after everything he has done. He would have killed me if you hadn’t saved me.”
“You know, I remember Michael asking me if a part of me wasn’t glad that Mindy suffered the way she did before she died. He couldn’t believe that even a small part of me wasn’t secretly happy about that. I’m not happy at all that she died like that. She really hurt me, but I would have never wanted that for her. So, what I am saying is that you gave your heart to Michael. You said yourself that his greatest fear was to be put in a cage, when he is handcuffed that fear will be realized. True, the guy tried to kill you and that bastard killed Monica and is basically a fucking monster. But you saw a part of him I think very few people saw.”
“I get what you are saying.” Nicole looked up at him. “A part of me will feel bad for him. I hate that part, how could I possibly have any sympathy for a monster. Yet, when he said he loved me I think he really meant it.”
“Whatever you feel is okay, Nicole. If you can’t do this I will understand and I will handle this for us.”
“No, I want to be there when they catch him. I have to be there. I have to know we saved that woman.” Nicole began to tear up. “Monica would want me to be there. She would tell me it was the closure that I need to move forward.”
“Yeah, she would have said something like that.” Adam hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “I need closure too. I was the idiot that didn’t see through Michael’s generosity and friendship.”
Neither said another word. They just stood there holding each other, both lost in their thoughts.
***
“Who are you?” Johnny asked as they brought him into the interview room of the prison. The guard chained him to the table.
“I’m Detective Lewis.”
“What more could you people possibly want from me? Let me rot in here, but leave me the fuck alone.”
“Do you remember a woman named Nicole Fisher?”
“Nicole…”
“She was the assistant to the defense lawyer Michael Lyons.”
“Yeah, I remember her now. Don’t tell me the woman is dead.”
“No, she isn’t dead. But why would you think that.”
Johnny was quiet.
“Anyways, Nicole told me what you told her at your trial. Why would you say that to her?”
“I’m already in prison for the rest of my life, so I think pressing harassment charges against me is kind of pointless.”
“This has nothing to do with you. This has to do with Michael Lyons. Why were you afraid of him?”
“Who said I’m afraid of some lawyer.”
“Detective Tim Dane told me.”
“Yeah, I heard he is dead, I saw it on the news.”
“I’m pretty sure Michael Lyons killed him. Now I want to know why you were afraid of your defense lawyer and why you felt the need to tell his assistant to run from him or she will end up dead.”
“The fucker gave me the creeps. And that woman…well she was different than some filthy whore. Michael Lyons told me he was a killer. He taunted me on my stupidity, because I was caught. Hell, he even told me what he would have done to that fucking whore that got away, so that she wouldn’t have escape. Michael Lyons is a fucking monster in a fancy suit. The only difference between him and me is that he is a hell of a lot smarter than I am. I’m done talking to you.” Johnny motioned to the guard.
Rodney turned off his voice recorder then left the room. This was one more nail in Michael Lyons’ coffin.
Chapter Twenty-four
Adam and Nicole headed back to the park. They watched the young woman heading over to the bench. She took out her book and started to read.
Adam looked around. If there were cops in this park he couldn’t spot them, which means Michael hopefully wouldn’t either.
“Adam…” Nicole tugged at his shirt.
Adam quickly looked over at the woman on the bench. Michael was walking up to her.
“What if the cops aren’t here?” Nicole said.
“I won’t let him lure that woman out of the park, Nicole.” Adam readied himself if he had to go after them.
“Put your hands up and get on your knees!” A man in a suit hurried over to Michael. Soon three more people all wearing different kinds of clothing so they could blend in with the other people in the park surrounded Michael.
Michael slowly came down to his knees with his hand in the air.
“Michael Lyons, you are charged with multiple counts of first degree murder. You will be deported back to the United States where you will stand trial.”
Nicole watched the cop put the handcuffs on Michael, then they stood him up.
Adam stepped out of his hiding place. Nicole followed him.
Michael locked gazes with Nicole. He started to laugh. “Well fuck me.” His mind was so wrapped up on losing Nicole that he didn’t just kill these two and flee to another country. “I guess you didn’t need that gun, huh Adam.”
“Be quiet.” The cops escorted Michael out of the park and to a waiting car.
“I have to talk to him, Adam. This wasn’t enough.”
“I will make sure it happens, Nicole. But, I don’t want to ever lay eyes on him again.”
***
Nicole waited in the interrogation room. Adam called Rodney and asked him to help get Nicole into see Michael before he was deported. Rodney came through. Adam waited in the lobby for her. He had no desire to see Michael. To him this was all over with and Adam wanted nothing more than to move on. But he had to make sure to try and give Nicole what she needed.
The police officer led Michael in the room. He chained him to the table then stepped out.
She just looked at Michael. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. They were getting ready to deport him to the United States soon.
“Nicole, what do you want from me? You have helped them put me in a fucking cage, something I was trying to avoid my entire life. I was going to kill you because I didn’t want to be here. And here I am …because of you…”
“What do you mean because of me? You killed those people.”
“Because I loved you I dropped my guard. I should have killed you the moment I started feeling something for you.”
“I fell in love with a monster…I should have seen…”
“You didn’t want to see. You didn’t want to burst your happy little bubble. I’m sure your friend tried to tell you the truth she saw, but you closed your eyes.”
“Shut up!”
“Does the truth hurt, Nicole? Your friend is dead because of you. Live with that the rest of your life.”
“She is dead because of you,” Nicole said coldly.
“Tell me something, are you fucking Adam now?”
“That is none of your business.”
“Seeing how you are getting defensive I’m going to take that as a yes. You two are perfect for each other. You two are too kind, too naïve…you are just asking for someone like me to hurt you.”
“No, because I’m not going to let you hurt me. Now that I see the monster you are, nothing you say to me will affect me. Yes, I loved you when you were behind that mask. I loved that Michael. I have nothing but hatred for this monster before me. I’m glad Adam didn’t shoot you. That would have been too light of a sentence for you. I can’t wait to read that you will be spending the rest of your life in a cage, surrounded by monsters just like you.”
Michael started to laugh. “I like this new Nicole. Now I know another monster won’t prey upon you.”
“Why do you care?”
“I love you, and it was my downfall.”
Nicole went to the door and pushed the button letting the guard know she wanted out of the room.
“Goodbye, Nicole.”
She hurried out of the room and straight to the lobby. She threw herself into Adam’s arms.
“It will be okay, little Nicole.”
“I know it will be.”
She hugged Adam tighter. She couldn’t stop all the memories of her time with Michael, when he pretended to be someone else. God damn it, she loved that Michael. She started to cry. She wanted to hate him, she needed to hate him, and a part of her did. Yet, at this moment she could only see his smile…and how that smiled made her feel. She was angry at herself for thinking about this. She wanted to scream. She leaned into Adam needing to borrow some of his strength.
“I will make it better, Nicole…I swear I will make it better.” Adam held her just a little tighter.
***
Adam and Nicole moved into a small apartment in Queens, New York. Adam’s bandmates made the track over and stayed with them until they found their own apartments. Nicole found work as a paralegal with the city’s prosecutor. And Adam’s band was finding New York a great place to make decent money performing.
Adam walked over and handed Nicole a newspaper. He kissed her then sat on the other side of the table.
“I thought you would want to know,” Adam said.
Nicole read that Michael was convicted of thirty counts of murder which spanned over fifteen years. Maxwell Stevens was released from prison after being acquitted of all murder charges. Michael looked the same in the picture of him being led out of the courtroom. The case was so big it drew national attention. Even if Nicole didn’t want to know anything about the case there would be no way to escape it. It was probably for the best anyways, she needed closure.
“He looks the same,” Nicole said.
“I know. Are you alright?”
Nicole set the paper down. “Surprisingly, I’m okay. You are a big part of why I am.”
Adam smiled at her. “My little Nicole, you have no idea how much being with you has helped me.”
They both turned to the door when it burst opened.
“Come on, man, you can play with your lady later we got a gig to go to,” one of his bandmates said.
“Go on, you don’t want to keep your fans waiting,” Nicole said.
“Are you sure you are alright?” Adam said.
“Yes, now go.” She smiled watching his bandmates drag him off. She loved his bandmates they were like family. She got up and stared out the window. These last couple of months with Adam were the best months of her life. Even dealing with all the emotional pain that loving Michael has caused. A part of her felt guilty to feel this happy with Adam. And yet, Adam always found a way to make her feel better. God, she hoped she did the same for him.
She was going to start her therapy sessions next week to come to terms with all of this. Adam was going to see a therapist too. You can’t just simply get over something like this, no it will take some hard work. If Adam was waiting for her at the other side of all the pain then it would be worth it.
She grabbed her jacket and headed out of the apartment. She wanted to see Adam’s band play. She didn’t really want to hang around the apartment all day thinking about all of this. Besides, he loved when she came to his shows.
***
Michael looked around the cell he would be calling home for the rest of his life. He glanced over at his cellmate, some twink who killed a couple of people to get some drug money. It will be easy to fuck with this idiot’s mind. At least he will keep himself occupied.
“What did you do to get in here? Cheat on your taxes?” his cellmate chuckled.
“No, my guilty pleasure got me in here.”
“Guilty pleasure?”
Michael turned to the young man. “I like to watch the agony in someone’s face when I carve them up, and then when they can’t stand it anymore and beg me to kill them, I love watching the light fade from their eyes.”
“Dude…”
Michael smiled seeing the fear in his cellmate’s eyes.
The End.
Other books by Justus Roux:
Master Series:
My Master
Master's Ecstasy
Obey!
Sweet Rapture
Erotic Shivers Volume I (Has novellas: Yes Master Dante, Wrath's Story, Ecstasy's Story)
Mistress Angelique
Wrath's Lust
Breathless (Has novella: Master Drake)
Love Thy Master
Master Nikolai
Dante and Angelique
Kiss the Moment
A Master’s Love
Amoureux
Obsession
Bind Me
Lilith’s Romulus/ Rex’s Jinx
Lilith’s Web
Love Hurts
Love’s Escape
My Mistress
I Got You
Ferocity
Yes…My Master
Strict Machine
Whispers of Change
Judas’ Kiss
Chained Heart
Chains of Apollo
Inner Beast
The Demon Hunter Series:
Keeper of My Soul
Heavenly Surrender
Breathless (Has novella: Forever, Demon Hunter Ryo's story)
Ayden's Awakening
Barbarians of Malka Serie:
Protector of My Heart
A Warrior’s Will
A Song for my Warrior
The Warrior’s Heart
Barbarians of Malka
Anthologies edited by Justus Roux:
Erotic Tales
Erotic Fantasy: Tales of the Paranormal
Who’s Your Daddy?
Bosslady
Erotic Tales 2
Single titles:
Paradise
With These Chains
My Warrior
Black Velvet
Zero
Silk Ropes
In the Arms of Oblivion
Darkness is Coming
Surrender/whips
Masquerade
Master of Puppets
Toy Soldiers
Guilty Pleasure