“I’m the one who’s sorry,” he whispered into her hair.
From the bathroom a few feet away came the ringing of his cell phone. Dean normally would have ignored it, but not now, not while he was on a case—especially this case. Carefully disentangling himself from her, he padded naked across the room and grabbed his jeans off the bathroom floor. Tugging the phone from his pocket and seeing the familiar number, he couldn’t keep a smile from his mouth.
Not the case. Not the job. Something much more important.
“Hey, big guy,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
“Hi, Daddy. We gotta talk.”
Smothering a chuckle at Jared’s serious tone, he knew before the words left the boy’s mouth what the problem was.
“They’re back.”
“No way.”
“Yes way. They’re under there. I hear ’em.”
“Impossible, dude. You know your mom wouldn’t stand for any dust bunnies under your bed, so there can’t be any dust-bunny-eating monsters.”
From across the room, he thought he heard a sound. A quick glance, however, revealed that Stacey was still sleeping soundly.
“I think they eat candy wrappers now.”
“Well, that’s a different story then. Have you been tossing candy wrappers under the bed?” Candy. He almost snorted. His ex and her dentist husband would have a fit.
“Maybe one or two.”
Or maybe his son just wanted to say good night once more. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d shared a second good night phone call since he’d given Jared the cell phone. His ex hadn’t liked it, but too bad. Dean wanted Jared to be able to reach him whenever and wherever he wanted.
“You’re gonna get those wrappers out of there in the morning, right?”
“Yep. But until then …”
“Okay.”
Cupping his hand around the mouthpiece of the phone, he began to recite the rhyme he’d made up when Jared was five and had first started hearing monsters under the bed. They banished them with invisible laser beams. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader—who’d somehow become a hero between Dean’s generation and his son’s—helped. So did Jared’s favorite stuffed bear, which he still slept with but hid from his buddies by day.
“Jared’s not coming down there; you can wait all night. So just get going or we’ll have another fight,” he concluded, hearing his son sigh in sleepy happiness at the end. The boy barely even murmured good-bye, already half-asleep.
Dean was smiling as he stuck the phone back into his pocket and carried his jeans into the bedroom. At least until he saw that Stacey was now awake, climbing out of the bed, not meeting his eye. And definitely not smiling.
“Where are you going?”
“Are you hungry? I’m hungry. I forgot about that steak. Let’s go eat.”
“Better idea. Let’s go back to bed.”
She did that weird take-the-sheet-off-the-bed-and-wrap-it-around-yourself thing that he had only ever seen in movies. Like he hadn’t explored just about every inch of her body in the shower less than an hour ago.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. “Stacey, look, if anybody was due for a meltdown, it was you. Don’t wig out because you happened to let some of the pent-up emotion in your head come out through your eyes.”
She stared at him, snagging that full bottom lip between her teeth. Sniffing, she murmured, “Thank you for that. I guess I needed to let it go.”
Exactly. But that damned sheet stayed in place. And she actually headed toward her dresser and began pulling out clothes. Sensible, nonseductive Stacey clothes, including a simple white bra and boy briefs that he knew would look sexy as hell on the woman.
He didn’t, however, want anything on the woman. Except himself.
“What’s going on?”
She pulled on the underclothes, dropping the sheet. Yeah. Supersexy.
Grabbing a brush, she yanked it mercilessly through her long hair. He knew she was putting up barriers, but damned if he was going to watch the woman rip those long strands out by the roots. Stepping into the bathroom again, he grabbed his shorts, tugged them on over his naked body, and walked up behind her. Dean took the brush out of her hands and began working it through the tangled, damp mass of hair, which had begun to curl softly against her skin as it dried. Such beautiful hair, kept so tightly restrained. Like the rest of her.
“You don’t have to do that.”
He met her stare in the mirror over her dresser, unsmiling. “I know. It’s not a problem.”
They remained silent while he worked out the knots, sliding his fingers through the strands as each one was freed. With each stroke of the brush and his fingers, he silently gave her time to figure out what she wanted to say to him. Because he knew her well enough to keep his own mouth shut, not asking her what was wrong. Something was; that was clear. She’d let him know when she’d figured out how to tell him.
Finally, when he’d finished and placed the brush on the dresser, he put his hands on her shoulders and stared at her in the mirror. “Okay?”
Her eyes were moist and red from her crying jag. But they also swam with fresh emotional uncertainty.
“You’re wonderful,” she whispered.
He rolled his eyes.
“It’s true. You’re all hard-ass and tough, but you’re also utterly wonderful.”
“You’re nuts. I told you before, I’m no nice guy.” He had an ex and a bunch of other people, like those he’d busted and some he’d worked with, who’d confirm it.
She turned around in his arms, her body pressed against his as she looked up into his eyes. “Yes, you are. That’s what’s killing me here.”
“I so don’t get you.”
“I heard you on the phone with your little boy.”
He shrugged. “He’s afraid of monsters under the bed.”
“You love him. You’re a wonderful father. You gave me exactly what I needed just now. And I can’t have that.”
Her seriousness told him they’d finally reached the point. “Care to explain?”
“This is a fling, damn it. Just sex, just while you’re in town, just because I’m lonely and you’re newly single.”
Ahh.
“No strings, no emotions. No wonderfulness. No hearing you on the phone with the kid you adore, when I don’t even want kids.”
Taking the same tack she’d used earlier in the car, he forced a dry laugh. “Hey, I came over to have a beer, not knock you up.”
She saw right through him. Putting one hand on his chest, she pushed him back and ducked away. “I could fall for you.”
“Don’t,” he warned her, knowing that she was right. This was just a fling. A get-back-in-the-saddle interlude for them both to gain a little release. The fact that she was someone he already cared about was something he’d fully intended to ignore when he’d shown up here tonight.
And the idea that she could care about him? Inconceivable. He didn’t have to hear her say it to know that her coming back here to Hope Valley had been all about getting away from men like him, in jobs like his. And he had already proved once that he totally sucked at the whole relationship thing.
“Stacey, I get the picture,” he insisted. “I agree. It’s sex, great sex, no strings. That doesn’t mean we can’t like each other. In fact, liking you makes it better, in my book. Less …”
“Impersonal?”
He nodded, liking how quickly she got him. “God knows the situation couldn’t be much worse, but the timing, at least, is right. We both need exactly what we’re getting. No more, no less. Not a one-night stand with a stranger, and not a lifelong relationship. Something in between that works for both of us.”
She eyed him warily. “Really?”
“Really. You’re not falling for me; you are attracted to me and you like me. And there’s not a damn thing wrong with that. We’re friendly lovers.”
“Not loving lovers.”
; Yeah. Right. Exactly. At least for now.
If his expression changed with that crazy thought, she didn’t appear to notice. Instead, she seemed almost relieved, mumbling, “Okay.” She glanced at the bed, then down at his body. “Still want that steak?”
He reached for her, sliding a hand around her waist and tugging her against him. “The steak can wait.” Then he covered her mouth and kissed her deeply, with slow deliberation. He’d had her up against a shower wall before. Now he wanted her in bed. For hours.
Before he could take her back there, though, his damn cell phone rang again. “I’m sorry; I can’t turn it off.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
Not allowing himself to get frustrated, since he knew Jared’s calls were more about staying connected to his dad rather than any real fear of monsters, he got his phone. But the caller ID said it wasn’t Jared.
“Hey, Wyatt,” he answered. He immediately pulled his head back in the game, shaking off his sensual lethargy. And willing down his hard-on.
He listened to what his boss had to say, the information doing a lot to remove from his brain any thoughts of sultry sex with a sultry sheriff. In fact, by the time Wyatt was finished, Dean’s mind was filled with nothing but red rage.
Because it appeared they were too late.
“What is it?” Stacey asked after he’d disconnected the call.
He’d already begun pulling on his jeans, hoping the shadowy room, and the fabric, were dark enough that she wouldn’t notice the bloodstains on them. He’d change the minute he got back to the hotel.
“Dean?”
“They think they’ve identified the latest victim.”
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, drawing a hand to her mouth.
“She’s a teenage girl who disappeared from a mall in Bethesda, Maryland, Friday night. She’d fought with her parents that day, and then with her boss, and the local guys figured her for a runway. But when they found her wallet and her car in the mall parking lot, and all the security cameras in the area shot out, they changed that theory.”
“Cameras shot out?” she whispered.
“It isn’t the first time. Our guy’s damn good with a twenty-two rifle. He shot out the cameras at another location when grabbing the third victim.”
“So there’s no doubt he’s got her?”
“Very little.”
She covered her eyes, as if wanting to block out a horrible sight.
He knew exactly what she was trying to block out. Because the same vision had filled his mind from the moment he’d read the transcript of that last sick online auction.
Beheaded.
“Twenty-four hours,” she finally whispered. “Is there any chance she’s still …”
“No,” he snapped, crushing his own tiny bit of hope that the girl, Amber something, was still alive. “I don’t think so.” He finished yanking on his clothes, then kissed her roughly. “I’ve got to go to Maryland. I’m going back to the hotel to meet up with Stokes and Mulrooney so we can all go.”
She nodded. No tears, no regrets, no sighs that he was walking out on her right in the middle of their first night together.
Damn, he liked her.
“Call me when you have more news.”
“I will.” He kissed her again, more gently this time. Stroking her soft, almost-dry hair, he murmured, “Be careful. Keep your head down and leave this alone until you hear from me, okay? I don’t want you doing anything to attract this bastard’s attention.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to hurt the case.”
“I don’t mean the case, Stacey.” He cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I mean you. Just because we’re friendly lovers doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you. I want to know who the hell left that hateful message for you on the porch.” Frowning because he wouldn’t be around to help her deal with that situation, he quietly added, “The box is in the trunk of your squad car.”
“Thank you. And don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m sure that isn’t connected to the Reaper case.”
“I know. It’s not his style.” He offered her a grim smile. “Believe me, if I thought it was that bastard, I wouldn’t be leaving you here alone.”
She nodded, completely understanding, not arguing. She saw the sense in what he was saying without his having to explain a thing or justify himself. What a rarity.
Damn, he could love her.
Which was the last thing he could afford to think about as he said his good-byes and left to go try to find the Reaper’s latest victim.
FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL HOURS after receiving that anonymous e-mail message, the Reaper lost himself in the Playground. He disappeared from the dirt world, the one some people called real, but which he considered only dark, drab, ugly, and colorless. No life at all, just existence.
In that world, someone was trying to do him harm. Someone actually believed he could be blackmailed. Unacceptable.
He needed to escape in order to think about it and decide on a course of action. He couldn’t panic, couldn’t allow rage to make him do something stupid. Only one location calmed him now; only one provided any real escape. In the sunlit, warm, beautifully colorful world that was the Playground, no one could ever touch him. He’d never be betrayed. Never criticized. Never hurt.
He did all the hurting, of both the game-generated ’bots who inhabited Satan’s Playground, as well as personalized avatars created by those who wanted to see what it would feel like to be murdered.
And now it was even easier to do. He had lots of new toys to try out. He’d just bought some new custom-made weapons and implements to enhance the torture chamber that existed in the dungeon of his cyber castle: vises and blades, whips and chains, a stretching rack, gallows, and a spike-lined box. All perfect.
He’d filled a pit of snakes and rejoiced as a dumb bitch had broken her ankles and been devoured after he’d tossed her in. He’d finally experienced the excitement of seeing someone drawn and quartered. How wonderful a death; and how weak and pathetic people were to have stopped using it so long ago.
He loved his new toys. Worshiped them. He couldn’t stop touching them, testing each one several times as he acknowledged just how perfectly equipped he was to do his job now.
And he did it. Throughout most of the night, he gave free rein to his violent fantasies. Walking among the others, he plucked victims randomly, bringing them back to his lair and spending hours doing things to them.
If life were fair, he could have such a chamber in this cold, ugly world. Hearing the real cries, smelling the blood, tasting the fear that dripped from every pore of his victims, that would be heaven on earth. Acting furtively in the night no longer gave him enough satisfaction. He longed to take his time and enjoy it, to play and play, as he could in the Playground.
And now, even that could be lost.
Which was why he finally said his farewells with a few more swipes of his scythe and emerged from the light back into the darkness. Damp air assaulted his nostrils, and from within the walls he heard mice skittering around. Whenever he’d gone on a long visit away, his senses were always heightened upon his return. Even his eyes saw clearly into the darkness of his basement hideaway, and he couldn’t help picturing it laid out as a second dungeon.
There would be no room for the gallows, or for the pit. But a table with chains at the head and foot, a spike-covered board, those would be just fine.
“I will,” he whispered. If he got through this new threat to his safety and security, he’d do it. Somehow, he’d bring prey here and enjoy them for hours. Even if it meant removing others who might stand in his way.
Starting with the blackmailer.
Because in the long night of violent pleasure, when his mind had been washed clean with blood, the truth had come to him. He’d seen with utter clarity what he should have realized right away.
He knew who’d sent the message. There was only one person it could have been.
Warren Lee.
>
When he’d scoped out the perfect spot to kill Lisa, he’d realized the crazy man had cameras protecting his house. He’d spotted one on the perimeter of his property, pointed into the adjacent woods, and had steered clear of it. Still, he should have looked more carefully, should have known there could be others. But he gave himself a break. After all, it had been his virgin experience.
The black-and-white photo was fuzzy, and shot from above, probably the top of the whacked vet’s fence. Lee must not have realized the significance of what he had. But he’d held on to it, knowing it meant something.
Then the FBI had started poking around, looking for Lisa’s body. And Lee had put two and two together and come up with murder.
“He won’t be easy to get to,” he muttered, his own voice stark against the silence. “Not easy at all.” The man lived in a fortress of his own. He would defend it. Violently, if necessary.
“Damn him.” Why did that old bastard have to go putting his nose into it? What did Warren Lee need with money, anyway?
Someone should teach him a lesson about minding his own business. In fact, a few other people in this town might be due for lessons, too.
It could be done, taking Lee down. But he might not be able to do it soon enough to meet the deadline. Which meant he had to have a plan B.
Coming up with the money and using it to pay off Warren Lee long enough to get him alone and take him down. That was plan B.
He knew of only one way. That way both thrilled him and terrified him.
He’d have to hold a very special auction, where the potential gains could be huge.
But where all restrictions were off.
STACEY PROBABLY should have gone into work on Sunday, but after the week she’d had, and mindful of her promise to Dean to keep her head down until she heard from him, she didn’t. Instead, she drove out to her dad’s, gave him a carefully edited version of the news, and helped him bury Lady’s body. God, how it hurt to see the sadness in his eyes.
Stacey hadn’t kept a secret from her father in years, and she hated to start now. But causing him pain, and making him fear for her, would be much worse.
FADE TO BLACK - Thrilling Romantic Suspense - Book 1 of the BLACK CATS Series Page 20