“Carter, you should get that.”
Right. He was still ignoring the ringing because he didn’t want to let Rose go.
Grabbing another quick kiss, he turned toward the side of the bed and nabbed his phone from the nightstand.
Yep. It was Jade.
“Is this important?”
“Good morning to you, too, Sunshine.” Jade chuckled. “And yes, we have another dead body.”
Carter closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and then grabbed Rose’s hand that lay on his chest and kissed it lightly. “Do we have an ID yet?”
Jade paused. “It’s Nathan Insoll.”
Jerking upright, Rose’s hand still clutched in his, he made eye contact with her, then looked away. “He should be in jail.”
“He made bail last night. His father paid the bail, brought him home, left and came back this morning and found his body. Are you going to meet me or what? Where are you?”
Squeezing Rose’s hand, he kissed it one more time, then let go and got out of bed. “I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.”
“Go ahead and ignore me, but I can take one guess where you are, and I wouldn’t be wrong.” Another laugh echoed in his ear. “Tell Rose I said hi.”
Hitting end, he dropped his phone to the nightstand and dressed quickly.
“I take it that wasn’t good news.”
Pausing in buttoning his shirt, he turned to Rose, who looked rumpled and sexy sitting up in bed with the sheet covering her chest. He’d kissed every inch of her body last night and she thought she had to shield her body from him. It would take time to make her feel more at ease. He had all the time in the world.
And he knew he couldn’t lie to her. He didn’t know how to say it either. So he figured straight and to the point was best.
“Nathan’s dead.”
Her mouth dropped open, then closed, obviously so shocked no words could come forth. He was shocked himself. He had pegged Nathan as his killer for Evelyn and those other women.
But now …
Now he had no clue what was going on.
Who would kill him? Who would kill seven women and hide their bodies at the bottom of a lake?
He strapped his gun to his belt, grabbed his phone and keys from the nightstand, then leaned over the bed and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Do you want to come over later? I’d like to cook you dinner.”
A sweet smile lit up her face. “I’d love that.”
“I don’t want to leave.” His hand lifted and touched her cheek.
“I understand why you have to.” She frowned. “I don’t understand how … how he’s dead.”
“I’ll figure it out.” Grabbing one more kiss, he left her apartment before he decided he couldn’t leave her at all. For some reason, leaving Rose’s side was difficult. Not because he’d miss her—which he would—but his gut was telling him he shouldn’t.
He made it to Nathan’s residence fifteen minutes later and met Jade by the front door.
“So … it’s not pretty. Have you eaten breakfast yet? Did Rose—”
“I haven’t eaten, thank you.” He grinned, not willing to divulge details of his night with Rose. Not yet. It was fresh and new, and he didn’t want to jinx anything.
But Jade was his partner and best friend. It wasn’t uncommon for them to talk about their relationship issues with each other. He’d eventually tell her everything, but not right now.
Jade nodded, then tossed her head toward the front door. “Watch where you step.”
His brows puckered low at that, but followed her inside. As soon as they reached the kitchen, he barely made entry when he stopped, looking around.
There was blood everywhere. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the counters. Not one inch of the place was left uncovered.
Nathan lay on the floor, his head nearly decapitated. Did someone use an axe to chop his head off? That’s how brutal the wound looked.
“Someone really hated this guy.” Carter’s brow rose as Jade made eye contact. “Besides me, of course. And I didn’t do this.”
A smirk touched her lips. “I know you didn’t do this. But yes, this looks like pure hatred.”
Just like that, one person popped in his head.
“Lincoln Tallont.”
Jade frowned, as she placed her hands on her hips. “He’s an odd choice. Why do you think that?”
Carter looked back at the dead man, his head barely attached to his body, his eyes vacant and empty, blood coating the floor all around him. “Because I was pissed when he dared to lay a finger on Rose. I wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp with what he did to her.” He looked at Jade. “Lincoln had murder in his eyes, too. I saw it. He cares about Rose. A little too much, I think.”
Her eyebrows rose with skepticism. “Is this jealousy talking, or do you honestly believe he could’ve had something to do with this? He has no record. No complaints against him.” Her eyes held a bit of sympathy, as if she felt sorry for him. “He’s good friends with Rose.”
“And I think he wants to be more than friends. Call it jealousy if you want, but didn’t you see his expression at the funeral? He was not happy, just like me.”
Jade looked away toward the body, then nodded. “I know what you’re saying. I saw anger on his face.” She met his gaze. “A little hatred toward you as well. Maybe I should go talk to him myself.”
Carter laughed, like that was the most hysterical thing he’d heard in the longest time. “Yeah, right. If he did this,” he said, jerking a hand at the body, “there’s no way I’m letting you go anywhere near that man alone. We’ll go talk to him together.”
Jade walked out of the kitchen first. “For your sake—and Rose’s—I hope we’re wrong.”
Following her out of the house, he agreed wholeheartedly. Especially for Rose’s sake. He didn’t know how much more she could take.
Rose hummed to herself as she puttered around her apartment, putting a load of laundry on, unloading the dishwasher, making the bed.
She was in such a good mood.
Last night had been so amazing.
Despite the bravado she’d shown with Carter, she’d been a little concerned about how well she would cope with having sex for the first time. Being raped at such a young age changed how you perceived certain things—most notably, yourself, your ability to trust others, and sex. The fear of having a panic attack right in the middle of things and making a fool of herself had put her off even trying, and the couple of times she’d dated, she had never been tempted to take any of those relationships to the next level.
But with Carter it had been different.
She’d known that from the first time they’d met.
With him, there hadn't been any fear because she knew that, even if she’d had a panic attack, Carter wouldn’t hold it against her. He wouldn’t walk away because she was too high maintenance and more trouble than she was worth.
Everything had gone perfectly, though; she needn’t have worried. As soon as Carter’s hands and lips touched her body, all she’d been able to think about was him and how he was making her feel. Not just her body, but her mind, too. He made her feel safe. He made her feel special. He made her feel important, and he made her feel loved.
Rose picked up one of the pillows from the bed to fluff it up and held it to her nose. It smelled like Carter. Her whole bed did. Even if she didn't spend the night at Carter’s after dinner or he didn't come and spend the night here, when she got into bed it would feel like he was here with her.
Setting the pillow back down, she straightened the quilt, then headed into the bathroom. As much as she didn't feel like it, she had to go to work today. She had a couple clients who had appointments and she’d already missed several appointments over the last few days. She loved Evie. She would always love Evie, but life had to keep moving on. Even with a hole in your heart, you had to keep moving forward.
She turned on the shower, dropped her clothes, and was just about to go in when she th
ought she heard her phone beep with a message. Hoping it was a message from Carter, she was smiling as she walked back into the bedroom, but then she froze, the smile falling from her lips.
She wasn't alone.
There was someone in her bedroom.
Immediately, her mind flew back to last night and the figure she had been so sure she’d seen standing in the doorway.
The man was looking out the window, but he turned around when he heard her come in.
Rose relaxed and let out a shaky breath. “Lincoln, you scared me. What are you doing here? Did you hear about Nathan?”
“I’m here for you,” he said.
“What do you mean?” She was starting to tense again; something felt wrong. Lincoln felt different—not like the friend she’d had since they were both children in foster care.
“I did it for you,” he said, taking a step toward her. She took a step back.
“Did what for me?”
“Because they hurt you.”
“They?” What they was he talking about? What was he doing here? What was going on?
“I won't let anyone hurt you ever again.”
She had to be reading too much into this. He was probably just stressed out and upset about everything that had happened recently. “I know,” she assured him. “You’ve been a great friend to me through the years.”
“I have.” He nodded too vigorously. “I've made mistakes.” He began to pace the room, his hands waving about as he spoke. “I’ve done things I'm not proud of because I liked the money and it was nice to be the one in charge for a change. But it went too far. I didn't mean it to. I really didn't. But it did, and I had to protect myself. I had to protect you, too. I would never let anyone get away with hurting you.”
He continued to ramble, almost incoherently, like he was having some sort of psychotic break.
Only Rose was very afraid he wasn't.
She feared that, in actuality, she was getting her very first glimpse at the real Lincoln.
Her gaze fell on the phone; it was only three or four steps away on the corner of the bureau. She could probably make it there. If she could, she could call Carter, tell him he needed to get here immediately.
Lincoln didn't notice when she edged closer to the phone.
He didn't notice when she picked it up.
Or when she dialed.
Just as she was about to lift it to her, ear he spun around.
Quickly, she put the phone behind her back. She might not be able to talk to Carter, but she had already called him; as soon as he answered, he should be able to hear everything that she and Lincoln said.
“We have to go.” Lincoln stalked over to her.
“Go where?”
“Away from here. We can't stay. If we do, he’s going to end up hurting you.”
“Who? Carter?”
“Don’t say his name!” Lincoln screamed, wrapping his hands around her biceps and shaking her so hard her head snapped back and forth, sending shooting pain up and down her neck.
“You’re hurting me,” she said, trying to get out of his grip. Her gaze dropped and she saw the handle of a knife sticking out of his pocket.
Lincoln was armed.
In that second, she knew.
It was Lincoln who had killed Evie. It was Lincoln who’d killed the man she had bumped into on the street. It was Lincoln who’d killed Nathan, and Lincoln had been in her apartment last night. He was the figure she’d seen in the doorway.
Rose gasped. “You were in here last night.”
“I came to kill him. I was going to, but I was afraid you might accidentally get hurt.”
“You were here while Carter and I were making love.” Tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she realized the extent of Lincoln’s depravity. For the first time since she stepped into her bedroom, she realized she was naked. She’d already taken off her clothes ready to get into the shower when she’d come in here to check her phone. She wanted to cover herself, but she still held the phone behind her back.
“What did I say about speaking that man’s name?” Lincoln screamed, shoving her backward up against the wall.
“S-sorry,” she stammered, fighting back her tears. How had this day gone so bad so quickly? Just minutes ago, she was on top of the world. Now, she was buried deep in hell.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm and began to drag her toward the door.
“Lincoln, wait, I'm not wearing any clothes. Please let me get dressed, then I’ll go with you.” She attempted a smile. Lincoln appeared to be obsessed with her, so she didn't think he would hurt her.
At least, not yet.
Carter had to have heard their conversation. If she could put the phone in her pocket and keep the line open, then he’d be able to trace the call and come after them.
“Please,” she said again when she could see he was wavering.
“Fine,” he muttered, releasing her and yanking open her dresser, pulling out a pair of sweat pants and T-shirt. “Put those on and I’ll turn off the shower.”
For once, luck was on her side. The second he left the room, she quickly pulled on the sweats and dropped the phone in her pocket. She wanted to say something to Carter, most prominently goodbye and that she loved him in case she never got to see him again, but it was too risky. She was just pulling the T-shirt over her head when Lincoln returned.
“Let’s go,” he ordered.
“Please let this work,” she whispered under her breath as he took her hand—holding it so tightly it felt like he was crushing the bones—and began to pull her across the room. “Please let Carter find me before it’s too late.”
Rage consumed him, pushing through his veins like a violent current. The fear was just as intense as he listened to the conversation on the other end of the phone.
Rose. Oh God, Rose.
His hand clutched the phone harder. When he saw her calling as they were walking out of Nathan’s house, he didn’t know what to think. For the briefest of moments, he thought she was calling to cancel tonight’s dinner plans, changing her mind about him and their future.
But no.
So much worse than that.
He almost would’ve preferred her canceling plans with him. That he could handle. He could plead and beg with her to give him another chance. Tell her they could work through both their insecurities.
But this.
He didn’t think he could handle this and maintain his sanity.
After saying her name a few times, finally figuring out she couldn’t answer, it hit him like a ton of bricks. That gut instinct before he left her house. He should’ve listened to it. Now she was in the hands of a lunatic.
“You’re hurting me.”
His heart dropped out of his chest at her muffled words. What was Lincoln doing to her?
Lincoln Tallont wasn’t just a murderer. He was unraveling, losing his mind. And he was with Rose. Hurting her. Hurting the woman he loved.
He snapped his fingers at Jade. “Get a trace on Rose’s phone immediately. Call your computer geek friend. Now!”
By the venom in his tone, the terror plastered over his face, the rigidness in his stance, Jade didn’t even question him. She pulled out her phone and dialed her friend, who was a wiz with computers. He could hack into anything with a flick of his wrists. Carter didn’t even care if he was breaking any laws to achieve his end goal—getting Rose back safely.
From Lincoln. A psychotic lunatic.
He knew it. He knew it the second he saw Nathan’s brutal body. The pure rage displayed in the kitchen was the same mirrored in Lincoln’s eyes—his own as well—when Nathan put his grubby hands on Rose.
He raced to his car, listening closely as Rose pleaded with Lincoln to let her get dressed before he dragged her … who knows where.
Get dressed?
She was naked in front of him.
If he touched her—
No. He wouldn’t let his thoughts go there. He couldn’t. His sanity was b
arely hanging on by a thread. Losing Rose would never happen. He wouldn’t allow it. He’d die before he’d let anything happen to her.
He had to get to her. He had to find her before she disappeared from his life completely.
Fear clutched his heart, wrapping it so tightly, like a snake coiling its prey, he almost tripped over his feet running to his car.
The sounds on the other end of the phone suddenly became muffled, as if she put the phone in a pocket.
Good girl. So smart.
As long as he could hear something, he wouldn’t lose complete control, and right now, he needed to stay in control and focused.
Pressing the phone harder to his ear, as if that would help him feel closer to her somehow, his jaw clenched tightly when a scream ripped through the phone.
No!
What was he doing to her?
It sounded like a car door slammed.
Where was he taking her?
Grabbing the door handle, he jumped instead of opening the door when a hand landed on his shoulder.
“He’s got a trace going.” Jade’s eyes looked wide as she held out her phone. “What’s going on?”
His expression hardened, his entire body rigid and tense as he snatched the phone from her hand. “He has her. Lincoln.”
“Okay. We’ll—”
“I’ll follow them. I’ll find her. I need you to start an APB on his vehicle and get a barricade set up on all the possible ways out of town.”
When her eyes widened into large saucers, he knew something like that would take time, but it had to be done. Lincoln could not get out of town with Rose. And he trusted Jade to get it done while he tried to find her.
His partner knew him well. She didn’t argue as she shouted to another officer for his phone.
He couldn’t hear much being said on Rose’s end, but as long as he could hear something, all was good. He hadn’t lost the connection yet.
Placing Jade’s phone on speaker, he tossed it to the passenger seat and started his car.
“Tell me where they’re headed,” his hands tightened on the wheel as he spoke to Jade’s friend, “and whatever you do, don’t you dare lose that trace.”
Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology Page 203