“We aren’t just friends, Aubrey.”
His mouth met hers in a slow perusal, exploring every inch of her soft lips. Aubrey tensed at the contact, unsure, but when his tongue darted out to taste her, there was no more holding back. She leaned into him and let her hands travel up his muscular chest to wind around his neck. He was relentless in his efforts and when she opened her mouth slightly to grant him access, there was no sweeter victory.
“Damn, baby. You make me so hot,” he told her in a low voice. “We need to stop before this goes any farther right here.”
Aubrey nodded, her body was limp and she clung to him to keep herself upright. He opened the door for her and she climbed inside on shaky legs.
The electricity in the air was alive with passion on the drive back to her house. When they arrived, he walked her to the door and pulled her back into his arms for a deep kiss. “We aren’t just friends, Aubrey. Say it,” he demanded against her lips.
She moaned and opened her mouth for his tongue to slip inside. “Say it, Aubrey.” Her nipples hardened and pressed against his chest, protesting the material separating her from him.
“We aren’t just friends,” she whispered. Satisfied, West opened the door and gave her a gentle nudge to get her inside.
“Goodnight, sweets. I’ll be by the library tomorrow.” Aubrey nodded, once again unable to speak. She leaned against the door after it closed and sighed.
“I’m in big trouble here.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Gabe opened his eyes and immediately pulled on his restrained hands. He was sitting upright in the chair in the “observation room” as Dr. Daniels called it. The last thing he remembered was watching video after video of Marcus with his family. The fucker loved to play the ones of him fucking Nora. It ripped his heart into even tinier shreds each time he watched it. He alternated in between rage at Marcus for doing this to him and anger at Nora for not knowing the difference. How could she not know there was a problem? Didn’t she know him at all? He’d know her anywhere. Her taste, smell, touch. All the things that made her his Nora.
“Fuck!” he yelled out. Who the hell knew what kind of a mind game he was playing with her. He could be drugging her or manipulating her somehow. Threatening to take the kids away. He had no idea what was happening to his family and it fucking killed him. He had to find a way to get back to her. To save her and Caleb and even baby Hope from the sadistic monster they were trapped with.
Gabe heard the door behind him, but his restraints prevented him from turning to look at who had entered the room with him. After a few moments, Dr. Daniels came into view.
“Good morning, Gabe,” he greeted him. He set a tray of food down on the table beside his chair. Gabe ignored him, keeping his gaze straight ahead.
“I’ve brought you some food. I’ll leave it here for you to eat yourself. Just remember—there is no escaping from this room. Trying anything is only going to end badly for you. Marcus couldn’t be here today; he’s away on a trip with Nora and the children, but he asked me to play this special video for you. I’ll load it up for you to watch.” He stepped closer and loosened the restraints to just a loose binding which would allow him to pick up the food from the tray and feed himself.
“Fuck you.” Gabe spat.
Dr. Daniels just shook his head. “Very ungrateful you are. I could have left you here to starve.”
He walked to the projection screen and pressed a few buttons. It sprang to life and brought with it Nora’s smiling face. She was holding both Caleb and Hope’s hands as she walked through a park heading towards a swing set.
“I love you, baby. I love our family. I’m so glad we have this time together.” Marcus had Gabe’s voice down pat and it sent spikes of anger through Gabe how easily he was able to fool everyone. Nora smiled at his words. A real genuine smile that lit up her entire face.
“I’m happy we did too. I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. I know things—” the video cut off. What was she about to say? Did she suspect something was wrong?
It jumped back to life, this time focused on just Nora and Gabe as they kissed. The children were seated securely on the swings and they were on a bench a few feet away. Marcus twirled a piece of Nora’s dark hair around his finger as they kissed and tugged, causing her to lean her whole body into him. He broke the kiss and whispered something in her ear that caused her to giggle.
Gabe turned his head to the side, unable to watch any further. The sounds of their giggling and kissing had his stomach in knots. Looking at the breakfast tray, his eyes landed on something stainless steel. It was a knife. Dr. Daniels left behind a fucking knife. Was it a trick? He had to risk it. Sliding his hand across the tray, he grabbed the knife and with some difficulty managed to slip it into his sleeve; concealing it.
He might have just got his first taste of good luck. Just wait till those fuckers came back. “I’m coming, Nora. Wait for me, baby.”
* * *
Brady and Sam left their most recent meeting with Sheriff Moore more frustrated than either knew was possible. The FBI had shown up the previous day, stating that they were taking over the case. No one was surprised by their arrival, they actually took a lot longer than expected to get involved given the nature of the murders and the rapid way they were escalating. Their presence meant it would be a lot harder for West, Theo, Gabe and the two of them to conduct their own side work, however they weren’t giving up. After informally interviewing several eyewitnesses, Brady felt like he knew Rosie Jenkins personally. She was considered the “grandma” of the entire town and from what he’d learned about her, he couldn’t agree more with that description.
“This is a fucking mess,” Sam commented as they got into Brady’s car.
“You got that right,” Brady agreed as he maneuvered the car towards West’s country home. They’d thought that bringing the information they had on Mila and the murders in Durham Heights might help the investigation, but Sheriff Moore refused to see the connection. The coroner had confirmed that the weapon used was indeed a machete, but even that didn’t sway him. He simply believed the killer had gotten angry; an isolated incident. Brady and Sam both knew he was dead wrong but with the FBI showing up and it not being their town, there wasn’t a lot they could do about it.
Brady’s phone vibrated and since he’d forgotten to hook it up to the Bluetooth in his car, it went straight to voicemail. He ignored it, deciding to check it once they got to West’s place. “Do you think it’s a local behind all this?” he asked Sam, wanting his friend’s opinion.
“I think it could be. Whomever it is, they have a knowledge of this town and even how the system works.
Sam’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. He pulled it out of his pocket and seeing the caller, answered it straight away. “Joan?” He listened intently for a few moments and then went pale. “What? Are you sure? How long has it been since anyone has heard from her?” Another few beats passed. “Yeah, I’m with him now. No, I’ll take care of it. We’ll call you back. Thanks.” He ended the call and sat silent, staring out the window.
“Sam? What was that all about?” Brady asked, puzzled. Sam looked at him and then pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Brady, you need to pull over. Just do it. Now.” Sam said, catching him off guard.
Completely confused as to why he was acting this way, Brady pulled the car off to the side and flipped on his emergency lights.
“What happened?” he asked, knowing that bad news was coming.
“Fuck. I don’t know how to say this,” Sam began. Brady’s heart began to pound in his ears and sweat rolled down his back.
“It’s Gwyn. It is, isn’t it? Tell me. Tell me what happened!” he shouted, trying to push aside the terror that gripped him.
“She’s missing, man. I’m so fucking sorry. That was Joan, she called you earlier but you didn’t pick up. Gwyn never showed for her shift at the diner so she went by your place. There was signs of a struggle and she�
�s nowhere to be seen. Her car is still there so Joan doesn’t know what happened. She’s already called the station and got them involved.”
Brady’s vision blurred and black dots danced before his eyes. She was missing. Missing. Again, taken from him and God knows who the fuck was responsible. She would never have opened the door to a stranger; not after what happened with Rims.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He slammed his fists down on steering wheel. “I never should have left her. I should have made her come with me. What the fuck was I thinking?”
Sam clasped his shoulder and squeezed. “It’s not your fault, man. We’ll find her, I promise. We did last time, remember?” Sam reminded him with a grim smile. He was obviously thinking of Hailey and the grief he’d suffered through when he lost her.
“I’m sorry, dude, I am. Fuck, I have to get back there.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and seeing the light blinking indicating he had a message waiting he hit the voicemail button. He wanted to hear Joan’s recounting for himself.
When the voice that came across the line wasn’t Joan’s he was shocked. He’d never thought he’d hear that voice again, especially now. After listening to the message, he switched to speaker and hit replay for Sam to listen in.
“Hello, Brady. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten me, but it’s Mila. I’ve heard you’re getting involved in a case in Stockton Crossing involving a serial arsonist. I thought you might benefit from some insider information. If you’re interested, I’ll meet you in front of the old post office in town—yes I’m nearby—and I’ll trade it to you for something that I want. Be very careful with your decision on this. If you bring your whole damn cavalry, I’ll disappear. And then you won’t get any tips on how to a) catch this guy or b) where to start looking for your precious Gwyn. One hour. Post office. Alone. Don’t disappoint me, Brady.”
“Holy fucking shit,” Sam burst out when the call ended. “Was that really her? And she’s here—in town? I’m coming with you.”
“Sam, no. I need to go alone and see what she knows. If anyone, I’ll take West and Theo with me, but I can’t take you. You know why,” Brady told him as he pulled back on the road. They reached West’s house in record time and he ran inside, relieved when he and Theo were sitting in the kitchen.
“We have a situation.”
Brady, West and Theo pulled up to the post office with five minutes to spare on their one hour deadline from Mila. Climbing out of the car, they all approached the alleyway beside the post office cautiously.
Brady tugged his hat from his head and roughly ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t believe he was going through with this. Glancing behind him at West and Theo, he was reminded of everything that was at stake. Sometimes, to play the devil’s game, you needed to push your morals aside and step into the ring with all the ammunition you could get your hands on.
For this, there was no one that disgusted him more or was more perfect a match for what needed to be done. Despite every instinct screaming at him to take out his gun, he maintained and reeled himself back in.
“Hello, Mila.” He walked towards where she was standing at the end of the alley, leaning on the wall. She looked the same as he remembered, her dark hair perfect and her clothes in impeccable condition. He also knew that under the façade of a classy woman was a ruthless and merciless killer. She was evil in its truest form. The one without a conscience, eager to do whatever it took to capture her next victim. He was revolted at the fact that he had to stand here and talk to her when all he wanted to do was smash her into the wall and slap bracelets on her; haul her away and make her answer for all the destruction she’d caused. Hailey was dead because of her; Gwyn almost died because of her. So many other innocent lives lost all to feed her sick, insatiable need for blood. It made him churned his stomach to even look at her.
“It’s good to see you, Brady. I see you didn’t listen and brought along some pals. It’s not the cops so I’ll allow it, however you should know that this doesn’t please me.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about what pleases you, Mila. You’re only standing there and not on your way to the station right now because I need answers on where to find Gwyn. On how to stop this fucking psycho that’s terrorizing this town. If I find out this is another one of your games, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in you. Justice be damned.” Brady was seething, fucking furious. How dare she instruct him and act like this was some kind of a business meeting.
Mila let out a sigh and pushed her heavy dark hair off her shoulders. “Fine. I can help you with both of your problems, but it will cost you dearly. Are you sure you want to deal with me?”
“I sure as fuck don’t. But I don’t have any choice. Gwyn doesn’t have time for me to be selfish, I need to find her and bring her home fast.”
Mila wrinkled her nose. “I never did see what you saw in that tacky waitress. We were a much better suited couple.” She walked forward into his space, swaying her hips in a seductive manner.
Brady stared hard at her, not giving in to her advances at all. Seeing that she was having no effect on him what-so-ever, she rolled her eyes and looked down at her nails.
“I guess I just thought you had better taste. Well nothing to be done about it now, so let’s see if we can strike a bargain, shall we?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
True to his word, West arrived at the library the day after his date with Aubrey with coffee and a croissant for each of them. It had already been one hell of a day with the run-in with the infamous Mila and learning that Brady’s fiancée was missing. Everything was such a clusterfuck, he just needed to see with his own eyes that Aubrey was okay and not having any doubts about their date and what they’d admitted to each other about wanting to explore things between the two of them.
He knocked on the main door, pleased that he’d found it locked. She’d listened to him and that had a big grin splitting his face. She opened the door after a few minutes. She was back to being dressed in her prim and proper librarian outfit of a pencil skirt and frilly blouse, but West couldn’t have been happier to see that. Things were going back to normal and in a few days, the library would be back in business. A fact that he was sure would go a long way to restoring her comfort level.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile, accepting the coffee he handed her. She spied the white paper bag and reached for it as well. “I didn’t have time for breakfast,” she admitted as she peeked in the bag. “Mmmm, my favorite,” she sighed as she pulled her croissant from the bag and bit in. She closed her eyes as she chewed and West’s mouth went dry at the sight and the sound of her sweet moan.
Realizing she’d kept him standing in the doorway, she backed up and waved him inside. “Sorry,” she mumbled, slightly embarrassed at her actions.
“No worries,” he replied. He set his coffee down on the main desk and snagged his croissant out of the bag. They ate in companionable silence—Aubrey was stealing glances at him from under her lashes when she thought he wasn’t looking. “How’s the cataloguing going? Are you going to be ready to open next week?”
She swallowed her sip of coffee and nodded. “Yes, it looks like everything is on track. I need to post some signs around town today to see if anyone is interested in taking over our children’s group since…”
“Since Rosie is gone,” West finished for her when she got too emotional to say the words. Tears filled her eyes and the sadness he saw there chipped away at another piece of the stone that had formed around his heart when his brother died.
“Yes,” she whispered, brushing at her tears. “I’m sorry, I just still can’t believe what happened to her. Um, how is the case going? Do you know anything?”
“There are a few new developments.” He couldn’t tell her about the information that Mila gave them until they’d had a chance to follow up on it. Brady and Sam were working those angles while Theo filled Gabe in. That left him free to spend a bit more time with Aubrey since he would be back on shift the following
day.
Aubrey read between the lines and nodded. As long as they were making progress, she could understand that she had no right to be kept in the loop about things that were official business. She had no doubt that if West could share with her, he would.
They finished their breakfast and Aubrey took him on a tour of the library to show him where things had been repaired or completely replaced. Most of it he had seen or known about, but he let her play tour guide. Plus it was a perfect opportunity for him to check out her delectable little ass. He was so focused on the natural sway of her hips that he didn’t notice her stop and he nearly plowed her over. His hands shot out to steady her, wrapped around her narrow waist. She turned in his arms and looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling. He lowered his head and nipped at her bottom lip playfully.
“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?” Aubrey’s face flushed at his words and her hands automatically flew to the tiny pearl button at the collar of her high-necked white blouse. His eyes tracked her movements, burning a blaze over her skin.
“Fuck, I’m dying to know what you wear under these clothes,” his fingers flicked a tiny button, sucking in a breath when it popped open.
She gasped and started to shimmy around him, intent on escaping his intense dark eyed stare, when he grabbed her and pushed her up against the high shelf of books.
One hand slowly trailed up her smooth stockings, teasing at the entrance of her modest pencil skirt.
“I can feel the heat coming off you, doll. You want this as much as I do, don’t you? I bet your pussy is soaked and aching for me,” he trailed his tongue along her neck in a slow assault, his hand climbing higher under her skirt.
“Tell me, Aubrey. Tell me you want me.”
He kissed his way down her body, pulling her blouse free from her pencil skirt as he went. His tongue circled her belly button in a slow movement, causing Aubrey to arch her back against the stacks. He was slowly driving her mad with his touch, each kiss unlocked another part of her resistance.
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