Luna Tick: A Sunshine Novel

by Merriam, Angie

  "Yeah. Meet you at the car in an hour. I'll let Trish and Ronin know."

  "Cool." We went our separate ways, him going one direction to his room, me to mine. I let myself in and was flooded with the sound of Sunshine singing in the bathroom. Our room had one of those giant spa tubs next to the standup shower, and I could hear the water running. That's just what I needed to relieve some stress–a nice bath with my gorgeous wife. It didn’t take long before I was stripped down and slipping into the bathroom. She was singing so loud she didn’t hear me come in. "Hey, babe, room in there…" I can't finish my sentence because I was suddenly being assaulted with water. "Holy hell, Matt! Don't fucking sneak up on me like that! You scared the shit out of me!" She sat up in the water, looking at me, her chest moving rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.

  "Sorry, I just heard you in here singing and running the water, thought you'd like some company."

  "Of course I do. Get your ass in here, you sexy beast." She scooted forward in the tub, allowing me to slip in behind her. "Just warn a girl or something. Geez."

  "Sorry, babe. But did you really have to attack me with water? Look at the mess you made."

  "What else am I supposed to protect myself with?"

  "I don't know. Maybe a razor, or throw the shampoo bottle?" I teased as I pulled her close to me, her body snug between my legs.

  "First reaction, asshole," she teased back. "Any progress today?"

  "Yes, but we'll talk about it over dinner. We have an hour before we need to meet the others and I don't want to spend it talking about Nick."

  "Okay, how about we don't talk at all then?" she suggested her voice low and seductive.

  "Good idea. Instead, let me wash you then fuck you then wash you again."

  "Aw, baby, you're such a romantic."

  "Shhhh," I whispered, making her giggle. We talked dirty to each other on a regular basis, well we tried to. We weren't great at it, usually ended with one of us laughing, which worked for me because nothing turned me on more than her laugh.

  "Turn around." She did as instructed, her legs linked over mine. Her pussy close to me but not close enough to touch. I washed her slowly, leisurely. Slow circles caressed every inch of her skin, her eyes never leaving mine. Once she was completely soaped up, she slid under the water closer to me, her pussy nudging my eager cock. She laid back, floating, as I used my hands to rinse off the soap. She was breathtaking in the water like that. Her black hair flowed around her face while her pale skin glistened on the water. I slid my legs under her, giving her balance while I massaged her full breasts, pinching her nipples until they both stood in perfect peaks.

  Her legs tightened their grip around me, pushing hard against my cock. Dragging my hands down her body, I stopped at her hips, gripping them tightly, pulling her onto me. She moans loudly at the invasion, then lifts out of the water, straddling me. Her hips grinded into me, pulling me deeper inside of her. The warmth encompassed me while the look of ecstasy on her face made my already engorged cock swell a little more. The pride I took in making her look that way is nearly orgasmic. Knowing I am the man who makes her feel that. Makes her want to feel that. Only me.

  I pulled her head to mine, covering her mouth while gripping her ass with my other hand. We moaned into each other as her hips moved faster causing her breath to become ragged. My tongue assaulted her mouth the same way my dick assaults her pussy, with passion and dominance. I feel her body begin to tense as her movements slow. She stops moving all together, holding onto me tightly as she milks my own orgasm from me with her spasms. Once we're both spent, she kissed me again quickly before sliding off of me and letting the water out of the bath.

  "Let's wash off in the shower," she said breathlessly. We moved to the standup shower where the showerhead rained water down upon us, and I fucked her again against the wall, making her cry out my name before we both felt sated. We washed and left to meet the others.

  ***

  We found a small diner in town to eat dinner at. It wasn't anything fancy but the food was amazing and the service even better. One thing about small towns, people were friendly and service was great, at least in every small town I'd been in. We had small talk over dinner. Trish and Sunny told us about the mall, which, according to them, wasn't a mall at all and about some of the other little shops they'd been in that day. Shopping, that always kept those two busy. Once we were done eating the real talk ensued.

  "So, tell us what you found out today," Sunshine said, getting straight to the point as she always does.

  Dade and I both sighed loudly, leaning back in our chairs. "That good, huh?" Trish questioned.

  "We saw him, well Matt saw him," Dade recounted. "He's a police officer here. A fucking officer of the law. He's married with a daughter and goes by Nate now."

  "Are you fucking kidding me? How the fuck does someone like him become a police officer?" Sunshine questioned, her sailor mouth taking over. Just one more thing I loved about her.

  "He's got an entirely new identity here. He actually killed again, a dude this time. Shot to the head made to look like a suicide. Even left a damn note in the car. It was pretty convincing and every single cop in that shop fell for it." I paused, taking a drink of my beer, before I told them the rest of the story. All three sat listening intently.

  "Did you find anything at any of the crime scenes?" Ronin asked with interest.

  "Well, not really. The only thing we know for sure is that he's committing the crimes somewhere and dumping the bodies somewhere else, much like Joe did. He's not leaving any traceable DNA or evidence on or around the bodies," Dade informed them.

  "His wife? She wasn't cooperative? You think she knows what he's doing?" Trish asked, her voice not hiding the fact that she was worried.

  "Possibly. She sure as hell wasn't letting us in her house." I let out a sigh, taking another sip of my beer as the others do the same. "Now what?" Ronin asked. He's a good guy. Great for Trish. I was glad he came along with us. I wished there was more he could do to help out the case but keeping the girls’ safe was all the help we needed and probably the most important job, at least as far as I was concerned. If I couldn’t watch my own wife, Ronin was the man for the job.

  "We find him–and fast. Now that he knows we're here, he's going to get cocky and sloppy. It's even more important now that you girls never fucking go anywhere alone." I look right at Sunshine. I know Trish won't leave Ronin's side, but Sunshine, she's kind of stubborn. "I get it, Matt. I won't go anywhere alone. I promise." She squeezed my hand under the table, trying to reassure me.

  "Let's drink up and head back. We might be in for a long couple of days." I took the last sip of my beer before paying the tab and heading back to our room where I made love to my wife one more time before falling into a fitful sleep. He would come for Sunshine now that he knew I was here. I had no doubt. I had to get to him first. There was no other choice.

  Chapter Seven

  Nick

  Seeing Matt at the station was like coming full circle in my life. I always wondered how I'd feel when I came face to face with that douchebag again, and surprisingly I felt pretty fucking great. He was hunting me. He saw me. He knows I saw him, and now he's fucking scared. I saw it in his eyes. The fear. Disbelief. The realization that I was an officer of the law, just like him. I had to work hard not to bust out laughing hysterically. If only I had a camera to capture that moment. The timing couldn't had been more perfect, me having handed a killer right to the chief. The entire department was beside themselves with relief. It would take some convincing for the chief to believe they got the wrong guy. I'd have to thank Michelle later. The decoy was her idea. She's more twisted than I could have imagined.

  As soon as the blinds closed I said my goodbyes to Lonnie and hightailed it out of the station. I doubted Matt would make a scene right there, but you never know. Can't be too careful now. Quickly sliding behind the wheel of my cruiser, I immediately dialed Michelle's number.

  “Hello.”<
br />
  “Hey, babe. I have news.”

  “What's that?”

  “Matt saw me.”

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Now what?”

  “Well, your decoy was fucking brilliant and will buy me some time. The chief almost pissed himself with excitement when I told them what I'd discovered. But they're going to come to you I'm sure. You can let them in, we have nothing to hide and only answer questions you're comfortable with.”

  “Fuck that. They're not coming into my house! Where are you?”

  “Doing my patrol.”

  “Are you out of your damn mind?”

  “No, we have to keep things normal. So far it's Matt against me. Let's not raise any more flags.”

  “Ugh, fine. Be careful.”

  “I will. Love you, Shell.”

  “Love you too.”

  I tapped end call on my phone and continued driving aimlessly around town. I steered clear of my normal seedy areas, no need to raise more suspicion. I wondered if they were telling the chief about me. Would Matt keep it to himself, try to come after me on his own? If he was the same asshole Matt, he would. The cocky motherfucker would take the law into his own hands. At least I hoped he would. I might have to make sure that happens.

  My normal route was boring as fuck. A few traffic stops and domestic violence calls but nothing exciting. No sluts. No murders. I'd just finished giving my third speeding ticket to a cocky teenager who was sure he owned the fucking world when my phone rang. Michelle.

  “Nate here.”

  “They were here. They showed up asking questions and wanting inside.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “I told them to fuck off.”

  “I knew I loved you for a reason, then what?”

  “They left. But they're not going to stop. They're going to get a search warrant. “

  “Shit!”

  “Yeah, shit. What are you gonna do?”

  “I'm going to drop the car off at the yard after my shift and come home, then we're going to pack our shit and head to the cabin for a few days. I'll be home in two hours. Can your mom keep Nici for a few days?”

  “Yeah, she already has her.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  No sooner did we end the call when my phone rang again. I glanced at the caller ID. Shit. Lonnie.

  “Yeah?”

  “Nate? What the fuck, dude? You're the fucking Luna Tick killer? “

  His voice was low and clearly angry. Well, Matt has surprised me. He wasted no time exposing me to Lonnie, and I'm sure the chief if not the rest of the department. My fate was sealed but not before my final kill. The big one.

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Lonnie?”

  “Don't bullshit me, Nate or should I say, Nick? How the fuck have you been able to pull this off without anyone knowing?”

  “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “Meet me in fifteen minutes at Moore Park, up by the picnic area.”

  He didn't give me a chance to respond before the line went dead. Without thought I turned my car around and headed toward Moore Park. Maybe not my best plan, but something in Lonnie's voice told me he'd come alone. He wasn't trying to set me up. Even so, I'd park far away and walk in, check the place out before meeting him.

  The sun was setting, casting a gloomy glow over the park. The cold weather and hour meant the park would be empty. I drove through, looking for signs of other officers or an ambush. I didn't find any but found Lonnie waiting, earlier than we'd planned. He was standing outside of his car and looked pissed.

  I considered turning around, picking up Michelle and getting the hell out of town, but curiosity and years of friendship got the better of me. I parked the car and walked over to the only real friend I'd ever had. "What's up, Lon? What's all this crazy talk?" I stuck my hand out to shake his. He didn't reciprocate. Instead, he pulled out a smoke and lit it up, taking a long drag and blowing smoke before he even looked at me again.

  "Why?" was all he said.

  "Why what?" I tried to sound innocent, but it was pointless. He knew. It was one thing to hide my secret, another to deny it outright to my best friend.

  "Why are you fucking killing women? Why are you posing as a police officer? Why did you fucking come to my town? Who the fuck are you?" His voice remained steady, even. He stood there, smoking that cigarette, waiting for me to answer.

  "Give me one of those cancer sticks."

  "You don't smoke."

  "Don’t I?" I countered, he shook his head and handed me a smoke.

  "I'm sorry, bro, I don't know what you want me to say."

  "I want the truth."

  "Do you? Do you really want the truth? Once I tell you there's no going back. Once I tell you we're on different sides of the law, bro. Can you handle that?" I looked at him, trying to convey the seriousness of what he was asking me to tell him.

  "We're already on different sides of the law." There was sadness in his words. Sadness that actually made me feel bad, that wasn't a feeling I was accustomed to. Even as a child and teenager, I did shit without thought of repercussion or how it would affect others. I've always been reckless, and if I am honest with myself, I was reckless with my marriage. I cheated on Shannon long before she went to Matt or even to Joe. It wasn't until she served me a dose of my own medicine that I was remorseful. Why did I suddenly feel bad with Lonnie? Michelle? Had I actually been able to build a normal life outside of the killing? Maybe that truly was the balance I've always needed. Fuck if I know.

  "Nah, as long as you remain ignorant we'll be just fine. You'll be just fine. You can move on with your life and when all the details emerge when the news breaks you won't have to act shocked because you will be." I tried to deter his curiosity. I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want to say the words to him.

  "I don't want to be shocked. I don't want to be a part of bringing my best friend down. I want to know what the hell made you do this. I gotta know how I've associated with a killer all this time and not known? What kind of officer am I? What kind of man am I? I had you around my wife. My kids." Distress laced his words making me feel truly sorry for the turmoil I was causing him.

  "Look, nobody knew because I kept it that way. If you really wanna know I'll tell you." If the only thing I could give Lonnie was peace of mind by telling him everything, then that's the least I could do. He didn't bring the police with him. That's gotta mean something.

  "Fucking spill it then, all of it."

  "You wearing a wire or anything?" I had to ask. I didn't think he was wired, but I wasn't stupid enough not to ask.

  "Fuck no! Who the fuck do you think I am? A nark? Never! But that doesn't mean I won't arrest you if I have to. Depends on what you tell me right now, right fucking here."

  "Okay. Seven years ago my wife Shannon went missing. We'd been having marital problems but nothing I didn't think we could get over. Around that time some local girls' bodies were found just outside of town. I assumed my wife was the next victim and went straight to the one asshole I thought would hurt her…Matt Everly. See, Matt and I both had affairs with the same woman, one of the victims. Matt and Shannon dated briefly during our separation. I was positive that he had something to do with Shannon's disappearance. No other reason than jealousy. When I couldn't find him, I attacked his wife Sunshine. Did a good job on her. Almost killed her. I ended up in jail, and my cellmate was the real killer and wouldn't you fucking know it, he killed Shannon. She'd been fucking him. She wanted him to kill her. She was pregnant. With my child. I was out of my mind when I found out. I almost killed him myself in that tiny cell, but something stopped me. His promise of redemption. His teachings. He promised I'd feel whole again when I started to kill on my own. He told me he saw that greatness, and I had no choice but to believe him. I felt the darkness inside. I knew it was there all along. He helped me harness it. Learn to control it and use it in ways that I'm less likely to get caught."

 
"By killing slutty women?" he questioned, not angrily but curiously.

  "Yes. The way I see it, I'm ridding the world of drug addicted whores while feeding my monster. Win win. Of course other's don't see it that way and my method of killing may be a little more extreme than say Batman, but I still consider myself a vigilante," I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the situation.

  "You're definitely not Batman, bro," he chuckled nervously. "Does Michelle know?"

  "Yeah, she figured it out," I confirmed, still not really believing the words myself.

  "And?" he pushed.

  "She hasn't run away screaming," I replied with a shrug, not really wanting to go into details about the darkness I saw in her. He took the last drag of his smoke before letting it fall to the damp ground then crushing it under his boot.

  "Well, this is the thing. They know you're an officer. They are going to catch you. I'm sure the chief has someone watching me. I lost him on the way here, but it won't be long before he finds me so you need to go. Don't go back to work. Don’t go anywhere near the police station. Call Michelle, have her pack a bag, come get you and get the hell out of town." He glanced at me before looking back at the ground. The moral dilemma playing tug of war inside of him was obvious.

  "You telling me to skip town?" I met his eyes. The man was a pussy but he had a good heart and loyalty that was beyond measurement.

  "Yes. Look, I don't condone killing or anything but I get it. I get your reasons. You've been a good friend, husband, and father. Go, start over and next time don’t fuck up."

  "I can't. I have unfinished business here." The words came out quietly. I almost can't hear them myself.

  "Yeah, yeah I guess you do. Look, do whatever but from here on out I have to be an officer not your friend. I can't give you more warnings. I can't cover for you. I won't willingly turn you in, but I won't be an accomplice either." This was the strongest and most determined I'd ever seen him. If I had to be arrested, I'd prefer it be Lonnie that puts me in cuffs, it would be justice for him.

  "Understood. You know, you've been a good friend. I'm sorry you got caught up in this. Take care, Lonnie." I reached a hand out and was surprised when he pulled me in for a hug. "Get out of here, Nate. I don't ever want to see you again." He pulled away with a wink before turning to get into his car. I stood and watched my only real friend drive away. His taillights were still visible when I heard the sirens. Fuck! There was no way I was getting out of there in my car before they arrived. They were too close. Without much thought, I took off on foot into the woods that surrounded the park and hoped to hell I made it far enough before they arrived, and that they didn't bring the dogs.