by A. A. Dark
“Anna. Anna, wake up.”
Shaking had my eyes flying open. Had I thought I couldn’t move? I couldn’t. Weight pinned me down and my arms went limp in Boston’s hold as I gasped repeatedly and stared up into his puzzled face.
“Jesus. You scared me half to death. Are you okay? You started screaming. You…” he swallowed hard, easing up from the top part of my body and letting go of my wrists. “I’ve never heard a woman scream like that before.”
Sweat met my palm as I slid it down my face and sat up. I barely noticed the water as Boston handed it over to me.
“I’m sorry. Bad dream.”
“Were you back with him?”
Burning laced my throat as I avoided the question and went back to taking deep swallows. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. It’s already morning.”
“Morning?” I put the bottle down, pushing from the bed. The map on the desk was expanded, but not like I’d thought it would be. My eyes cut over to Boston as he lowered to the edge of the bed. “Did you leave? The map, it’s…” Back and forth, I looked between them.
“I was here.” He brought his eyes up from the floor. A good minute passed before he clenched his fists and rested his forearms on his thighs. “I think Dr. Patron was right. My mind…it’s not okay.”
“What you do mean? What happened? What were you doing?”
“Nothing. Thinking.”
Rapidly, I blinked through the confusion. “About what? What was more important than finishing the map? Boston, I don’t understand.”
“You wouldn’t.” His tone calmed as his head lowered again. “I tried to work on the map. I really did, but then you started talking in your sleep. I couldn’t make out what you were saying, so I got closer to listen.” He paused, bringing his stare right up to mine. “Lucy’s lips aren’t as full as yours. Her nose slopes a little more too. It’s slightly thinner than yours, but…” he squinted, “the two of you are so similar and yet completely different, though only by the slightest measurements. It’s fascinating how the smallest variance can alter someone’s appearance. I’ve never met anyone who was a close enough match to her to even consider comparing, and probably wouldn’t have if she was here. I just...I’m searching for her in everything. My mind, it won’t stop.”
“You were watching me sleep? For hours?”
“I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re right. I don’t. We needed that map done for Lucy. To find her. Time is running out. Do you understand that? Do you have any idea what she could be going through this very moment?”
Boston stood, taking an angry step toward me. “I know exactly what she could be going through, and my knowledge of that is what’s fucking me up the most. Anna, the map is great for when we’re not together. It’s great as a reference to guide us as we go over where we’ve searched. But nothing is comparable than the two of us on the streets trying to unravel who did this. We can work on expanding the map later. Right now, I say we grab breakfast and start digging through the dirt of this town. Someone has to know something. Let’s go figure out who.”
Chapter 16
M
Blood…
Splatter speckled the white door to the bedroom like I’d pulled the pin from a grenade and stuffed it in Lucy’s mouth. It started mid-level, dotting toward the edges and smearing in the middle from Lucy’s fingers. Indentions marred the surface from where her nails had broken against the wood. The clawing was constant. Even now as I slammed my cock into her ass and held her trapped, this game of pushing her to the extreme had been going on for hours. For the life of me, I couldn’t stop. Repeatedly, I tightened my fist into her hair, smashing the side of her face into the hard surface. I wanted to see her brains decorating the white. I wanted to beat against her skin until it was mush, covering the floor and walls around me. I growled like an animal, tearing at the blonde strands as I pounded her back entrance savagely. Back and forth I went, restraining, demolishing. The hate she had set free knew no bounds. It had no buffer the moment I’d tasted my own blood from her kick.
“You’re not going to attack me again, are you? Did you really think you’d manage to escape? That your pathetic attempt would hurt me enough to allow you out the front door? I’m not weak. Do you hear me! Not! Weak! Not! Weak!”
I jerked back, slamming her head into the door with each word. The anger kept coming. Intensifying. I palmed the side of her face, applying crushing pressure as I stilled. She was screaming so loud, I could barely hear myself. My voice, the pulse in my ears, they were drowning in her broken pleas for help.
“Dr. Patron! I…stop. P-Please.”
My hand dropped as my arm immediately locked under her chin. I squeezed tight, spinning us back to the bed. She didn’t fight as I shoved the upper part of her body down and continued to thrust. My fist reared back, pausing in the air as I tried to reel myself in.
Out of all the distinct types of murderers, I was a lust-killer. I derived sexual pleasure from torture and death. For me, it wasn’t necessarily about the thrill, personal gain, or power. No…lust. It was the blood. Watching the damage I could inflict while her ass clenched around my cock—damage I had to be careful committing. Boston. Anna. I wanted both. I wanted them to tell me their secrets. To continue to kill so I could live through their fascinating tales of gore and death.
“Please,” Lucy breathed out. “I…won’t…I’m…done.”
Crimson was already staining the light-colored comforter under her nose and mouth. The dark bruises and swelling made her unrecognizable from the girl I had taken. The fact that she was even still conscious was baffling. She shouldn’t have been alive after the damage I had inflicted and might not be much longer.
Just the thought had my hips slapping against her harder. My hand flattened over her busted up profile, and I let my fingers pull against her temple and cheek as I smeared blood down to her throat. Lucy’s body shook through the cries.
“Open your eyes. Look at me.”
My fingers were already grasping her chin to try to turn her more my way, but she had strength enough to resist. The small rebellion had me reaching over to the side of the bed to get the cane. Lucy’s eyes shot open at my movement.
“No! Okay. Okay.”
Even as she said it, her eyes rolled. She was so breathless. So weak. Her. Not me. The comprehension slowed my assault. My thrusts agonizingly decreased. Instead of beating her, I held the ends of the rod and flattened it against the side of her neck. Pressing, I used enough pressure to put her at unease.
“You’re breaking, little one. You’re almost there. Daniel likes for his girls to call him Master. Do you remember that word? Let’s hear you say it. I want to see how it feels.”
My hold eased, and Lucy’s mouth opened, but she was hesitating.
“Have you not learned? Do I need to beat you with this again?”
“No. No…Master.”
I buried my cock in her ass. Lucy jerked and turned rigid, sobbing while I weighed the power that came with the title.
“Again.”
I withdrew, waiting.
“Master.”
The blood on my dick made her channel slick, coaxing me to keep going. I didn’t. I held still, letting her continue and learn. Seconds passed.
“M-Master.”
Slam!
Lucy’s body convulsed as she broke down and got in a rhythm of saying my new name. And she hated it. I wasn’t gone enough in lust not to see her say the title between tightened lips. Somehow, that it made it better. That meant there was still fight in her.
“Master…Master…Master…”
Faster, she said it, and faster, I thrust. Lucy was beginning to squirm, and her obvious pain had my balls drawing up. Nails clawed into the bed as I thickened inside her. The pleasure was ecstasy and agony in one. I pulled out, stroking down my length as cum shot repeatedly from my cock. Sweat covered my nude body, making me itch to shower. Throbbing returned to m
y head as I pulled her up and dragged her to the restroom. When the toilet flushed and she stood, I put her back to bed, cuffing her into place. Again, she didn’t fight. She stared up at me through massively blood shot eyes. The entire whites were almost red from broken blood vessels. Whether it was from the hitting or choking, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care. It looked glorious. Beautiful.
I turned for the bathroom, only making it a step before Lucy’s raw voice had me stopping.
“May I…have water. Please, Master.”
I stared ahead. For the first time, I looked at my reflection, and it rendered me speechless. Even if I wanted to say no, I couldn’t. Dark purple was edging at the corners of my slightly puffy eyes, and crimson was smeared under my nose and across my cheek. None of my victims had ever gotten the upper hand on me. But Lucy…she had. And she was the most important of them all. I couldn’t hide this from Boston or Anna. I needed to be there with them and hear what was going on so I could try to sway them to what I wanted. They’d naturally be suspicious. Anna, anyway. No lie would erase the questions going through her manipulative mind. But this…this I could work with. It could help me.
“Please, Master. Just a little. A-Anything. I’m so thirsty. And…hungry.”
Turning, I blinked through the wheels turning in my brain.
“Water. Yes.”
Instead of heading to the kitchen, I entered the bathroom. It was only after I showered that I made my way into the kitchen. Lucy was barely conscious when I reappeared. Her injuries were taking their toll.
What the fuck had I been thinking letting myself lose control like that? It wasn’t Lucy’s time. I could have bashed in her brains, and then where would I be? I couldn’t remove them like I dreamed. Like I craved more than anything. And a little more gone, I would have. I would have cracked her skull like a walnut and dug them out right there at the door where I had caught her.
Water poured from the faucet, and I pushed the glass under, letting it fill. It was morning now. Light shined through the blinds behind the pale peach curtains, and I knew I wasn’t getting sleep anytime soon. I had to make it back to town. Anna and Boston would be digging deeper into the investigation, and I needed to be there.
Turning off the water, I headed back to the room. Lucy blinked slowly, becoming more aware as I approached with the glass. Tears streamed down the sides of her face and her legs came to life, going wild as she tried to push her body up.
“Calm.” I sat level with her stomach and helped lift her head while she took greedy gulps. The coughing was almost immediate, but it didn’t stop her from trying to take in more. “Enough.”
My voice was smooth as I placed the glass on the bedside table and reached over brushing back her hair. Calmness was settling in, as was my doctor personality.
“Get some rest. I have to go. I’ll return later with food. If you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll give you some.”
Lucy’s cracked lips trembled. “Thank you. Thank you, Master.”
I kept quiet as I stood and headed to the closet. Getting dressed went by with a random sob, but it wasn’t long before deep breaths filled the room. Lucy was sleeping, and from the sound of it, she was out cold. I grabbed my keys and phone, heading for the front door. Exhaustion was there. The meeting with Anna and Boston would be quick. Once I learned what they knew, and got them trusting me even more, I’d put the next level of my plan into motion.
Chapter 17
Detective Casey
New vehicle—an insanely expensive black sports car with tint as dark as you could get without being illegal. Intense stares at their surroundings. No ease. Constant leaning in—whispering.
Anna and Boston could have been reflections of each other. Halves making a whole. How I had never seen it before left me perplexed as I watched them scan over the paper Anna held. Both, at random times, would stop to take in every little movement around them. One, then the other. As if they were twins. As if instinct had them subconsciously protecting one another. It was baffling, yet fascinating. How they were so in tune didn’t make sense to me. Which had me paying closer attention to Boston. I knew everything I ever would about him. At least from the information I’d gotten from talking to the people who knew him. As for his record, he didn’t have one. He was as clean as they came. The only questionable person in his life was the doctor, but what rich person didn’t have a shrink now a days?
As if my mind conjured the man himself, white pulled at my peripheral. Dr. Patron was walking at a fast pace, wearing his fancy suit and a pair of shades. Anna was the first to spot him. Her face inched closer, and Boston turned at whatever she said.
No smile. No expression at all.
Boston’s eyes went back to Anna. Whatever he said caused her to squint.
I couldn’t stand not knowing what they were saying. It pulled me to stand from the table of the outdoor café and jog across the street. It was Boston’s turn to snap his head around. His eyes met mine. Another whisper, bringing Anna’s attention to me. Dr. Patron got to them only seconds before I did. At my approach, the doctor’s lip twitched.
“I wasn’t expecting so much help to show up.” The slight sarcasm in Anna’s voice brought a smile to my face. After the way we’d left things earlier, I knew she had only meant to put more distance between us, but I wasn’t letting that happen.
“This is my investigation. Why wouldn’t I help?”
“You mean spy? I saw you the moment you got out of your car half a block down. You’re curious what we’re up to. Posters,” Anna said, pointing to the small table next to them. “Nothing more.”
“Posters. Great idea. But what’s the paper in your hand?”
Boston took the paper, and Anna smiled sweetly, moving in front of him as if she were some sort of shield. In sync. One. Their actions had me leaning my head to the side to look around her.
“Just a few ideas. I’m sure you have them covered already, so…” She shrugged. “Since you’re here, do you want to grab a coffee? We met here. Well, right over there,” she pointed. “I ran into you and soaked us both with coffee. Do you remember?”
“You’re changing the subject.” At her silence, I frowned, glancing to Dr. Patron, and then to Boston, catching the hint. “Of course I remember. And yes, coffee would be great.”
Anna headed for the door, and I followed. The doctor was already moving in, speaking lowly to Boston. Everyone seemed to be communicating in secret. I had no idea what the hell was going on, and my agitation was building by the second.
A ding sounded as Anna and I entered the coffee shop. Just like the day we met, people were lined through the small area. A couple was sitting in the far corner and random men and women were scattered throughout. The smell of coffee and pastries were heavily in the air, reminding me I hadn’t eaten breakfast after my night shift. Luckily, I would be rotating soon.
“What made you decide to come over?”
I turned more toward Anna as she stared up at me. There was something in her eyes. Hurt? Anger? I couldn’t tell from her tone. She held no more emotion there than she did in her voice.
“Curiosity. What was on that paper? The two of you were very serious while looking at it.”
The question had her glancing through the large glass windows. The two men were still talking, and it appeared the conversation was slightly heated. Boston was shaking his head, pointing down the road, while the doctor was just as unreadable as ever.
“Just locations I believe may be of interest.” She paused. “Have you learned anything new?”
“I’m asking the questions. Tell me more about this paper.”
“It’s neighborhoods and their crime rates. I was explaining the dangers to Boston.”
“Good. Both of you need to stay away from there. If for any reason you feel you can’t, I’ll escort you.” I paused, narrowing my eyes with how compliant she was being. “Are we going to pretend nothing happened earlier?”
Brown eyes fluttered innocently. “Which part?�
��
“All of it.”
Silence.
“Anna…I know what you’re doing. Don’t. Please.”
“Do what? I told you how I felt. We made a mistake, and—” At my hardening stare, she let out a deep exhale. “Okay. We both wanted it, but that doesn’t mean it was right. We’re better off apart.”
“Says who? This new you?”
“Yes.”
I laughed at her seriousness. “I think this new you needs me. Wants me.” I stepped closer, flattening my palm on her lower back and bringing her closer. My volume lowered, and Anna’s lips parted as my fingers pushed just above her ass. “Admit it. You still want me, and not just as some occasional lover to satisfy your needs. I see through you and your hurtful jibes. You still love me, and I love you.”
“Sir, can I take your order?”
Anna stiffened in my hold, wiggling free as I cursed and closed the big gap between us and the counter. Anger thickened my tone as I ordered, and Anna backed away, moving closer to the door. When I had the Styrofoam cups in my hands, she was all but waiting on me to exit. Each step had her pushing the door open and side-stepping away.
“Keeping fighting it, baby. Someday,” I said, lifting the cup in her direction, “you’re going to change your mind. And when you do, you’re going to regret this. I can help you in more ways than one. You know that.”
Anna took the coffee, refusing to meet my eyes. “If I need you, I’ll call. Today, I don’t. Boston and I can put up these posters on our own. You should get some rest. You worked all night.”