Iris managed a wry twist of her lips. “Yeah, I know. The question is, who?”
Mya shuddered. “I don’t know but I hope Sundance figures it out soon. I don’t like this. I have a feeling something bad is coming if he doesn’t.”
Iris wished Mya hadn’t voiced aloud what she was already dreading. But it was out there, just like the person who’d done this.
Chapter 20
“I think that about does it.”
Sundance stopped what he was doing to shake the hand of the man responsible for the swift response to his call out. Russell “Barking Dog” Jacy was head of the forensic team in the neighboring Quinault Nation. They had more resources than Sundance and he wasn’t above asking for help, especially when it seemed the stakes had just been upped.
Russell shook his head, something causing him to frown. “You know, I heard about the attacks that happened here and I couldn’t help but think that it seems similar to what happened on our reservation about two years ago.”
“Did you catch who was responsible?”
“No. The case went cold and it’s been quiet ever since.”
“How many victims?” Sundance asked.
“Three, that we know of. Sometimes these types of crimes aren’t reported so we’re not sure if there were more.”
Of course, Sundance’s reservation was considerably smaller than that of the Quinault Nation. It would be damn near impossible to hide that kind of thing here; however, on a bigger rez, it might go unreported just like Russell said. “The victims, were they drugged?”
“Yeah, ketamine. Not the usual drug of choice anymore for date rapers from what I hear because of the high incidence of death. Whoever is doing this must have some kind of knowledge about the drug to use it so skillfully. We’d done a search of the area vets but everyone came up clean. After that we just plain ran out of leads to follow.”
“Why the vets?” he asked, snagging on the odd detail.
“Because vets often use ketamine for anesthesia. They have the easiest access to it.”
Sundance digested the information, his mind going arrow-straight to Paul Brown but he kept quiet for the time being. He couldn’t very well start voicing suspicions about a top level BIA employee without ruffling feathers.
“Not so skillfully,” Sundance said. “He nearly killed the sixteen-year-old girl he drugged. It was only because her boyfriend found her and raced her to the urgent care center that she didn’t die.”
“That’s rough for a kid to go through. All our vics were in their mid-to late-twenties, all single ladies, too.”
A random thought came to Sundance. “When you were investigating your cases did you contact the neighboring tribes to see if there were any similar cases?”
“No, we didn’t,” Russell said, frowning as if trying to remember details. “Honestly, the attacks stopped as abruptly as they started. We were just happy to see them end and the victims weren’t interested in rehashing the event over again so when the trail went cold…”
“You let it go,” Sundance finished for him. Russell seemed chagrined to admit this but Sundance wasn’t interested in passing judgment. “I have a theory that whoever is doing this has been doing it for a while. I’ll bet if we dig a little harder, we’ll find more victims assaulted with the same MO.”
“Sounds plausible,” Russell said, a seemingly permanent crease deepening in his forehead. “I’ll make some calls and let you know if anything comes up.”
“You’re a good man,” Sundance said, gripping Russell’s hand.
Russell packed up and headed out with the rest of the team he’d brought from the Quinault Nation. Sundance found Mya and Iris deep in conversation, talking about something that clearly made Iris agitated. He approached and they both looked up. “They found a few partial prints that might yield something and bagged a few things they think might’ve been handled by the intruder, and they’re putting a rush on the forensics due to the possibility that there are multi-jurisdictional cases involved here. Still, I suspect we won’t hear anything until the end of the week, one way or another.”
“That long?” Mya asked, distressed. “That seems like an eternity to sit here and wait.”
He agreed but there was little anyone could do about that. He’d rather focus on what he could change, rather than bang his head against a cedar. “In the meantime, I don’t want you staying here,” he announced.
Iris and Mya shared a glance and he realized they must’ve already broached this subject. Iris exhaled and squared her shoulders, nodding. “Mya offered her place—”
“I’m not comfortable with that,” he cut in, earning a stubborn look from Iris but he wasn’t going to budge on this. There was only one place he’d agree to and that was his place. “Mya isn’t in a position to protect you if this person comes looking for you. She doesn’t carry a gun and isn’t trained to use one. No, the best place is with me.”
Mya smiled, knowing full well he’d say that, and simply kissed Iris on the cheek, saying, “You’re in good hands. Take care, love.”
Iris watched Mya leave and Sundance said, “You’d already made the decision to go home with me, hadn’t you?”
“Yeah, Mya is as stubborn as the both of us when she really sets her mind to something. You don’t mind do you? I could sleep on the couch.”
“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it. I’m going to do a perimeter check and while I’m doing that why don’t you gather an overnight bag. Grab some dog food for Saaski, too.” He didn’t wait for her to agree or chatter, he wanted to get Iris out of the house. It felt contaminated to him, knowing that her home had been invaded. He hated this helpless feeling, it ate at him like a cancer. If he didn’t find a way to solve this case it might put him in an early grave.
Iris had always secretly loved Sundance’s house. He’d built it on the land inherited through his family but instead of making do with the old house, he’d razed it to the ground and built fresh, putting blood and sweat into the equity.
The modest house was simple yet classic with its strong lines and sturdy craftsmanship. Saaski sniffed at the unfamiliar surroundings like a sentinel at duty, prowling the confines of the house until he felt satisfied nothing was lurking in the shadows that he could bite or eat. He settled by the woodstove as Sundance made quick work of stoking the embers to blaze again with fresh wood.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, moving to the open kitchen. “Damn, I should’ve had you bring one of those casseroles.”
“I’m casseroled out,” she declared, though she felt somehow guilty for saying it. Mya had gone to a lot of trouble to make those casseroles for her and she felt obligated to eat every damn one of them. “I’m not really hungry,” she said. “Just a bit thirsty.”
“Juice okay? I don’t have alcohol.”
She smiled. “Juice sounds great.” It would likely be a long time before she could stomach alcohol again after what she’d been through.
Was it weird that she was sitting in Sundance’s living room watching as he went about something so domestic as getting her a glass of apple juice? Hell, yes. But she’d be a liar if she didn’t admit to finding it soothing, too.
Sundance returned with a glass of juice and a water for himself. He settled onto the sofa, looking worn. She inched toward him, not quite sure of her place in his life and afraid of overstepping. When he seemed open to her approach, she nestled into the crook of his arm, draping her arm across his chest. The muted sound of the logs crackling behind the closed woodstove door made everything seem cozy and safe. Tucked against Sundance, she almost fooled herself into thinking all things were possible, including a true relationship with him, but even as she cleaved to the comforting thought, something dark and menacing hovered at the edges of her happiness, the knowledge that someone was out there, waiting to hurt her again.
She squeezed her eyes shut as if that alone could prevent it from happening.
Sundance tightened his hold on her, conveying without wor
ds that he felt her fear and met it head-on with his strength even though she knew the mental stress was wearing him down.
“If we don’t find this person, you ought to consider leaving the reservation,” he said, his voice heavy. She startled and lifted her head to stare at him. He wore the weight of the world on his shoulders and every pound seemed etched in his eyes. He ran a knuckle down her cheek. “If I can’t keep you safe I want you as far away from this place as you can go.”
“I won’t leave,” she said. “I won’t let him take my family from me, as well. I’ll get a gun if I have to. If he tries to hurt me again I’ll blow him all over creation.”
He smiled as if he liked the idea of that but it didn’t last. “He isn’t likely to just show up on your doorstep. He’s a sneaky bastard. He’ll try and catch you unaware, that’s his signature. He doesn’t want someone in a fair fight. He wants to make sure the odds are always in his favor, which means even if you had a gun, you might not be able to get to it when you need to.”
“That’s what Saaski is for,” she maintained stubbornly. “I know he’d break a few bones if he sensed I was in danger.”
“Yes, I know he would but there are so many variables,” he said on a sigh. “I hate the idea of you being in danger. It makes me sick to my stomach. It’s like fighting an invisible opponent. You never know when they’re going to strike and they could be standing right in front of you but you’d never know.”
Iris understood his frustration but she couldn’t let some psycho rule her life. She bit back her protests, knowing they would only serve to worry Sundance more and she wouldn’t do that for the world. He was already taking on so much, she wouldn’t dream of adding to his burden.
They remained quiet for a long while, both too tired to do much else than simply enjoy the silence but Iris couldn’t keep one thing from poking at her.
“Why have things changed between us? Is it because of the attack?” she asked.
He stilled and she almost told him to forget it, she didn’t want to know but that’d be a lie because she needed to know. If his feelings were grounded in the fact that she’d been victimized and he felt responsible, she couldn’t trust what was happening between them.
“It’s late, we should get to bed,” he said, pulling away. He held his hand out to her and she accepted it, though her heart was sad. He wasn’t answering her question. His deflection was answer enough. “You’re welcome to sleep with me or if you’re more comfortable on the couch I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow.”
She ought to sleep on the couch. But it would be hard enough to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings much less after the day she’d had.
Iris tried to keep her heartache from her smile as she said, “I want to sleep beside you, Sundance.”
His eyes warmed for the briefest moment and he tucked her into his side as they walked into the bedroom.
The next few weeks passed in a strange twilight zone of domestic bliss for Iris. She and Sundance went home together, ate dinner, chatted about their day, did their individual tasks and then, at the end of the night, retired together. Iris had quickly become accustomed to the comforting bulk of Sundance’s warm body pressed against hers and the fact that he never tried to push her boundaries, only served to endear him to her even more. He had the patience of a saint. She’d never known the depth of his restraint until the night he’d bounded from the bed, terrified he’d scare her when he’d inadvertently gotten an erection.
Bless him, she’d tried not to laugh because his concern was grounded in reality. She hadn’t yet been able to contemplate the idea of sex, even with Sundance whom she was fairly certain she was falling in love with, but when he’d leaped from the bed like a superhero avoiding the one thing that could kill him, something inside of her had melted.
“Come back to bed,” she said in a husky murmur, smiling when he’d shook his head in agitation. “Come on—” she patted the bed in invitation “—it’s okay.”
“I’m sorry,” he ground out, clearly annoyed with himself, pushing a hand through his hair. “It’s difficult being so close to you and knowing I can’t touch you.”
“You can touch me,” she whispered on a nod.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes.”
He hesitated, the conflict written plainly across the planes of his face, but he slid back into the bed and gathered her close with a gentle touch. She closed her eyes, quelling the panic when his erection nudged her bare thigh, reminding herself with the scent and touch of the man she cared for deeply, that Sundance would never force her, that he wasn’t the man who’d hurt her.
“You’re trembling,” he noted, distress in his voice.
She clutched him tighter. “I know.”
He pressed a kiss to her crown, his arms closing around her like a cocoon of warmth and safety, and he murmured, “Whenever you’re ready, sweetheart. I’m willing to wait.”
And just like that, any doubt she might’ve had about her feelings fled like a bad dream in the morning light.
He might not know what his feelings were but she knew where hers were living and breathing and for the moment, that was enough to sustain her.
It was late afternoon on a Sunday, the chatter on the dispatch radio had been subdued, likely due to the sheets of rain that drenched the land causing everyone to hunker down in their homes to wait it out, and Sundance was savoring the day spent being lazy with Iris.
She sat curled on the sofa, her feet tucked up under her while she read a book. She’d put her hair up in a messy knot at the back of her head, and the stray strands that escaped the hair band trailed down her back. She wore her reading glasses, something she’d reluctantly brought from her place when he realized she’d been trying to make do without them, and he wondered how he’d ever been so blind.
It was hard to remember thinking that she was funny-looking.
She glanced up and caught him staring. A shy blush colored her cheeks as if she knew the bent of his thoughts—of the hunger that tightened on his insides— and he longed to take her into his arms and feel those beautiful, full breasts pressed against his chest.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked, lowering her book to peer at him with worry.
He shook his head and closed the distance between them, her delightfully surprised smile warming him to his toes. She removed her glasses in a self-conscious movement and he chuckled at her vanity. “You’d be beautiful covered in mud,” he assured her softly. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were ugly.”
She gasped in mock offense. “Ugly?”
He grinned, reaching up to twine a lock of hair on his finger. “Yeah, don’t you remember I used to call you fish lips?”
Iris’s laughter filled him with joy. “I do. But I thought you were just being mean.”
“Oh, I was, but there was some truth to it, too, at least I thought so at the time. Of course, now I realize I was an idiot.”
“I believe you also used to call me boulder boobs,” she recalled.
At the mention of her breasts, his groin heated. He managed a chuckle. “Yeah. Again, I was an idiot.”
She put her book down and wrapped her arms around him. “So now that you’re newly enlightened, what do you want to call me?”
Mine. The simple word sprang to his lips but he held it back. She leaned forward and pressed a featherlight kiss to his temple, murmuring, “No more fish lips?”
“No,” he answered huskily, burying his face in the soft skin at her neck, nuzzling the junction where her neck met her shoulders. “Sweetness, perfection, hot as hell,” he growled, wishing he could lay her down and show her how much she meant to him, but knew it still wasn’t time to go that far. He pulled back with effort and met her soft gaze. “Am I forgiven?”
She made a show of considering his request, then said playfully, “How about we’re even?”
“Even?”
“Well, do you remember having a giant crush on Karen Reynolds in school?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah,” he answered, wondering where she was going with this. Karen had been a year below him in school but three years ahead of Iris and Mya. He’d been certain she liked him, too, until one day she’d started avoiding him. It’d been a serious blow to his high school ego. “What about it?”
She giggled. “Well, I might’ve had something to do with her sudden decision to date Bryan Strather instead.”
He sat up, regarding her with the same mock offense. “What?”
“Yeah…I might’ve let it slip in conversation after gym class that you…”
“That I what?” He started a slow climb up her body, loving her delighted shriek and playful protests. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and he claimed her mouth. She accepted his tongue, tentatively tangling with his, slowly regaining her confidence. He retreated, staring into her dark eyes, drinking in how lucky he was to be with her. She touched his cheek with her knuckle. He raised an eyebrow. “Out with it, Beaudoin,” he instructed softly. “Or face the consequences.”
She bit her lip in an endearingly sexy manner as she said, “Well, I may have told her that you were a…bed wetter.”
His eyes widened and Karen’s distaste when he’d asked her to the winter homecoming flashed in his memory. “Why, you little devil,” he exclaimed, raising her shirt to tickle her stomach with the scruff on his chin. “Payback is coming, sweet cheeks. Payback is coming!”
They rolled onto the floor and he cushioned their fall with his body so that she landed on top. As she stared down at him, a smile playing on her generous lips and a sparkle in her eyes, he was consumed with the overwhelming desire to shelter her from any harm. He’d give his life for hers.
Of that he was certain.
Thoughts buzzed around the darkness that threatened her—the knowledge that a serial rapist was likely biding his time for the right moment to strike—but he pushed them away. He needed this. She needed it, too.
It was selfish, but right now, he just wanted to enjoy the simple pleasure of being with her.
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