Aries

by WL Knightly

  “Hello?” Her voice reflected her grief and forced Darek to take another breath of courage.

  “Edie? This is Detective Darek Blake from the NYPD. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m pregnant, and the only man I have ever loved, the father of my child, is dead. I think I’ve cried more than humanly possible, and if it keeps up, I might dehydrate. The doctor wants to give me a sedative, but I’m afraid it will not be best for the baby, and my parents are not helping a damned bit.”

  Darek was content to let her go on and on, but she stopped and took another long breath that sounded like a sniffle on the phone. “I hate that I have to call and ask questions that might seem like too much, but I want to get answers for you.” He tried to keep his voice as tender as possible. Edie seemed like a good woman, and she didn’t deserve any of this.

  “I understand, and I really do appreciate it. I know you just want to help, and I’ll try to give you the answers you need. It’s just so frustrating because I don’t know a whole lot about what he was really doing apparently. I mean, we checked in daily, kept in touch, you know, and he would tell me things, but they were all lies.”

  “I need to know anything you can give me on the woman, Edie. Did he tell you anything else about where he met her? The nature of their relationship?”

  “No, but I have a feeling she knew more about his sexual preferences than I did. She practically propositioned me and offered to share him.” There was a tinge of anger in her voice, and Darek thought it was understandable. “I don’t think it was a new concept by the way she put it. Like I was their new plaything.”

  Darek was even more certain that Finn had picked the woman up in a club, and he knew he was going to have to make a trip down to Bay’s. “I’m going to find her, but I hoped you’d be able to tell me more about her looks. You said she looked like an escort, but what was her hair color, skin, eyes, anything?”

  “She had perfect, alabaster skin and black hair that was shoulder-length, straight. She did have a streak of blue on one side, which normally might be tacky on most, but no, I wish I could say she was a skank, but she pulled it off, you know? Like someone you’d see in a movie. Who knows? Maybe he was casting her for a lead role in his movie. She looked like some kind of sci-fi action heroine.”

  “That’s a good description, Edie; it’s going to help a lot. You said her name was Raven?”

  “That’s what he called her, but I’m not sure it’s her name. It could be some escort alias for all I know. I just hope that she has answers, and if she did this to him, I want her to pay.” Edie’s voice steeped with such an evil tone that it sent chills down Darek’s spine.

  He knew that the other woman most likely didn’t have anything to do with Finn’s death, but maybe she could lead him to who did. “I’ll keep in touch, but if you remember anything else about her, anything Finn might have said, please, you have my number. Don’t be afraid to use it.”

  He wished he could offer her more support, knowing Finn as well as he had, but it wasn’t like he could admit that he’d ever known him on a personal level. And Finn had been out of his life long enough that he’d most likely never mentioned him or the others from the ritual to her.

  Edie’s voice broke, choking on tears. “Thank you. I’m sending my father to New York after the memorial to get his car. The hotel has no idea what happened to his luggage, so if you get any word, could you let me know?”

  “Yeah, we figure that’s not going to be recoverable, but I’ll keep in touch.” He didn’t want to tell her that Finn’s luggage was most likely at the bottom of the river or dragged away by the currents. The water was too murky to go down and retrieve it.

  He ended the call and then rested his head on the steering wheel. These were the days as a detective he hated the most.

  13

  Seth

  Seth walked into his house after a long day of meetings, and it was nice to find Kari placing dinner on the table. His own mother hadn’t been much of a homemaker, and having grown up with maids, he’d vowed not to make his children grow up in such a stale environment. He wanted his home to be personal, to have more close-knit relationships around the dinner table than he had. Kari was perfectly suited for it whether she knew it or not.

  “My father called three times. He couldn’t find you today.”

  Seth clenched his teeth and met her eyes. “I was in meetings all day. I swear that man is losing his fucking mind.”

  “He probably just forgot. I’m sure it’s not a big deal. He only wanted to tell us that there is a charity event that he wants you to attend. It’s not even for three more months, though. I’ll write the date down. I figured maybe that would give me a good reason to call Gretta.”

  “Yeah, she’ll have a schedule, and then you can invite her over. She’d like that. Besides, three months will be perfect. Maybe you’ll be showing by then if we can work fast enough.”

  “Seth, are you sure you want a baby? I mean, we’re still newlyweds, and there’s so much we can do together still without having to bring a baby along.” She took a seat at the table, and he dropped his keys on the counter and then walked over to take her hand.

  He sat beside her. “We can still do things, Kari. Besides, I’m not going to be a hands-off father like my own. I’m going to be there with you to help every step of the way; dirty diapers, spit rags, obsessive crying, and all.”

  “You make it sound so appealing.” She rolled her eyes.

  He kissed her knuckles and then dropped her hand to the table so he could dig into the mashed potatoes that were perfectly piled in a serving bowl. “You really outdo yourself, you know, and you’re going to make a fabulous mother. Just think of our kids, how perfect they’ll be. They’ll have our looks, our brains, your funny little laugh, and my stubbornness. How can it ever be a bad time?”

  A slow smile spread her lips. “I guess you’re right. It’s just so scary to think about. I’m used to being your little girl, and I don’t want that to change. I don’t want my body to change or to be undesirable.”

  “That couldn’t happen. I’ll always desire you. I love you, darling.”

  “I love you too.” She gave him a sly smile. “Can we start tonight?”

  “Have you already stopped taking your pill?”

  “Yes, yesterday. I guess I just needed some reassurance that I was doing the right thing.” She passed him the pot roast and then began to serve herself.

  While they ate, his cell phone pinged on the bar. He hopped up to get it, hoping it wasn’t Gretta wanting him to run to her. He’d already made up his mind he wanted to spend his evening at home with Kari and work on the baby-making process. But instead, the message was from Lane. Before he could watch the video, his phone rang.

  “Lane, hey.” He returned to the table, and Kari got up to pour them another glass of tea. “I was just about to read your message.”

  “Yeah, I thought I should call before you see it. It’s not good news.”

  “Yeah? What’s going on? Is it about the property?”

  “No, it’s about Finn. He’s dead. They pulled him out of the river two days ago, but they just released the name.”

  “Damn, I just saw him.”

  “You did?” The busy sounds of Lane’s kitchen made him hard to hear. “Did he seem okay?”

  “Yes, he was at Bay’s club. He was having a good time.” Kari walked over and placed his glass back in front of him, but he backed away from the table and dropped his fork.

  “This makes three of us now, Seth. It’s even more proof that you should sell off that land and stay the hell out of New York.”

  “I plan on it. My beautiful bride and I are talking about starting a family.”

  “That’s awesome, man. Congratulations and good luck.” Lane was quiet a moment. “Seth, do you think we should be afraid? I mean, that’s three of us, not to mention the others that were bludgeoned in this case. I’ve been keeping up with the news, and I’m thinking someone is trying
to make us pay for our past. Like maybe they’re driving us to hurt ourselves or something. Tad jumped out a fucking window, man. Tad, Mr. Vanity.”

  “I know, and Logan in prison. What the hell kind of universe does he end up dead from a shanking?”

  “Darek must be doing a hell of a job keeping our connections secret, or the NYPD would already be knocking at our doors, you know? I just wonder how long until that happens. The right one of us goes, and bam, we’re all in the spotlight.”

  Seth looked over at his wife. He couldn’t imagine trying to explain his past to her or what he’d been involved in. Sharing kinks and sexual fantasies with her was easy. Letting her see how turned on he’d been by another man’s mouth, another man’s submission, that hadn’t been as horrible as it would be to make her understand what he’d done to the girl. And her knowing, it could only put her and everyone else involved in danger. Kari continued eating and turned on her phone to play a game, but he would still have to be careful what he said. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it, though, and I can’t see anyone coming all the way South to get to us. As for the NYPD, let’s hope that our friend can keep things in check. I’m not going to sit and worry about it.”

  “I’m still hoping it had something to do with Tad and his uncle, which I can honestly say I had no part of.” The statement was almost a question.

  Seth responded accordingly. “Me either. I didn’t know shit about that. It floored me.”

  “The news said Finn was shot. The trick now is to find out by who. Darek has his work cut out for him. With Tad’s death being suicide and Logan’s killer being an inmate, someone who couldn’t be related, this could be the big break the case needs. Let’s hope it ends soon.”

  “Amen, brother.” Seth looked down at his plate and stirred his potatoes. He was prepared to call Bay and offer him a steal just to be rid of him and the rest of the drama.

  Lane broke the silence with a sound of frustration. “I guess I should go. I’ve got to get this kitchen staff in shape. I’ve got a few orders piling up, and they act like they can’t function without me.”

  “Later, man. Thanks for sending the news.”

  “No problem. Take care.” The call ended, and Seth returned to the video, which he decided to watch when Kari wasn’t around.

  Kari met his eyes; her own were concerned. “What was that all about?”

  “Just an old friend. He wanted to tell me that Finn passed away.”

  Kari’s eyes widened. “Finn? That was the man we played with?”

  “Yeah, one and the same.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was shot, but look, I don’t want you to worry about that. It’s a lot of drama, and I thank heavens we’re not involved.” He was going to leave it at that and move on, but he couldn’t help but be happy that there was no way Finn could come against him now. And whatever Bay had heard was only hearsay.

  “It’s just awful. He was a nice guy, sexy, and fun. Way too young to die.”

  “You had a lot of fun with him, didn’t you?” He had turned Finn loose on her as well.

  “You know I did, and it was hot watching him with you. You really punished his throat.” She grinned.

  “Maybe we should go to bed and remember him the best way we know how.” He gave her a wink, his cock hardening at the very thought of having her the way he had that night. She’d been so into it, her inhibitions completely discarded, and he wanted her in that state when he soaked her core with his seed.

  She got up from her chair and came around to sit in his lap, her hand taking over his fork, spooning a bite of potatoes that she placed at his lips. He took the bite, and as he swallowed, she kissed his neck and then made her way to his lips. She dropped the fork and then reached down to stroke his cock through his pants. And that’s when his phone rang again.

  He growled and looked at the ID. “Fuck, I have to take this. Go warm the bed and choose any toy you want to get started. I’ll join you in just a moment.” He gave her a quick kiss, and as she left his lap, he swatted her ass and answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Seth, this is Darek Blake.”

  “Detective, how are you? I heard about Finn. It’s a damned shame.” He hoped that he wasn’t calling because he knew anything about the hookup and wondered if he had Bay to thank.

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m calling actually. Bay said you were in town the other day. I was wondering if you’d seen Finn, perhaps with a woman?”

  Seth could only imagine what all Bay had said, but he found it best to just keep it simple. “Yeah, I saw him, said hello, and that was it. I didn’t see him with a woman, but then, it was a quick meeting.” He lowered his voice. “I can’t believe what happened to Finn. I mean, damn. It’s like everyone is dying lately. Have you any leads?”

  “That’s why I’m calling, Seth. I need to talk to the woman. She might know more about what happened. Maybe she’s in danger too, or worse, dead. I’m just chasing down every lead I can.”

  “Maybe talk to Bay again. I know he and Finn were really close. They talked a lot from what Bay said to me.” He hoped by putting Darek on Bay’s trail, he’d leave the search for Raven alone. He couldn’t let Darek know about the woman and hoped he never found her. He should have cleaned his act up sooner and never taken the fucking trip to New York. Seth had known it was their last chance to do something that outrageous but had no idea what kind of trouble it could cause.

  “Look, I’m doing all I can to keep you all out of this, but I’m the one having to stare at the corpses of our old friends, and quite frankly, it sucks. Someone’s playing an awfully deadly game, Seth, and I’m the one who gets to chase this shit down. So, anything you can tell me, anything at all, I’d appreciate it.”

  “I wish I could help more, man. I just don’t know anything.” He hated that Darek had been put in the position, but he’d done it to himself.

  They ended the call, and Seth eased back in his chair. Talking to Darek had ruined his mood, but hopefully, Kari could bring him back to where he was before.

  14

  Darek

  Waking up late on a Saturday was great, but Darek wondered when that luxury had become the highlight of his weekend. He had to have the most boring life of anyone he knew. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what Lizzy was doing. He turned his head and hoped he’d not wasted too much of his day, only to find that it was nearly noon. Lucky for him, he was taking it slow and had nothing to do until nightfall.

  Going to Bay’s club was going to be weird, especially since the place was all about sex, and in his heart, he didn’t want to sleep with anyone else. He had been longing for her for days and had even rubbed out one or two in her honor with memories of their stay in her Maryland home.

  It wouldn’t be bad if Darek could share the case with Lizzy from his point of view, but being as it was, he wasn’t even going to be able to tell her about his lead, much less explain why he had to go to a sex club to find the woman.

  He had tried to call Lizzy the night before, but since she’d been working with Reed, she’d not answered many calls. Being a Saturday, he hoped that she would pick up, but he still had to convince himself to try and call. He’d had one too many blows to his ego as it was.

  He rolled out of bed and made his way to the shower where he made quick work of lathering up and rinsing off. His hand stopped to feel the prickly stitches still in his shoulder. He had let them stay in much longer than intended, but at least he was certain he had healed properly.

  As he stepped out of the shower, his supple skin cooled in the moist air while he grabbed a towel and dried off. He walked to the counter and wiped the fog from the mirror and searched for his manicure kit. Megan had bought it for him their first Christmas and had actually left it for him. Unzipping the pouch, he found the pair of cuticle scissors and a pair of tweezers and went to work on the sutures.

  A couple of snips and tugs and they were out. His r
eflection, for once, made him smile, and he ran his hand over the place, for the first time in years not feeling anything but smooth skin. The new scar had healed completely clean and flat. Marie had done an amazing job.

  He told himself he wasn’t going to call Lizzy until he was out the door and in his car, but his first attempt came shortly after brushing his teeth and combing his hair.

  The phone rang and rang, and that only made things worse. It wasn’t like her to not stay in touch, and with the crazy shit that they faced daily, not only in the Zodiac case but the other shit she’d seen as an FBI agent, he wanted to make sure she was okay. He finished dressing, glad to wear some casual jeans and a T-shirt instead of the buttoned-down, pressed, and pleated shit he was used to.

  After he made his way to the car, he tried again but still had no luck. The drive across town to her apartment would have been easier if he hadn’t gotten caught up in the aftermath of an accident, but he finally made it to her door. He raked his hand through his hair and popped in a fresh piece of mint gum before knocking. He knocked and knocked, but she never came, and then his phone rang.

  It was Lizzy.

  “Hey, where the hell are you?” He hated to sound so stern, but he felt like his luck with her was running out.

  “I’m out of town on a case, and you’re standing at my front door.” The laughter in her voice made him remember her smile, and he looked up to see the small camera she had mounted just above the door. “I didn’t even think you knew where I lived.”

  He waved and gave her a wink into the camera. “I wasn’t sure if you were okay, but I guess you were just screening my calls.” He tried to play it off, but it bothered him. He didn’t understand why it was so hard to just pick up a fucking phone.

  “Actually, I just realized you’ve called. I’ve had to keep my phone turned down.”

  Darek felt like a heel and turned his face down from the camera. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything.” He knew he must sound like an ass. She had him all mixed up. He wished he’d just stayed in bed and slept the other half of the day away. It would have been much easier, and he wouldn’t have looked like a big ass.