Aries

by WL Knightly

  “You led him to her, didn’t you? You are out of your fucking mind. Did you kill him, Bay? Did you set this whole thing up to frame me?”

  “Man, you’re really narcissistic, Seth.”

  “That’s rich, coming from you.” Bay was the most narcissistic asshole he knew. “I’ll send the papers over to you as soon as I get them. We’ll get this deal wrapped up and be fucking done with it.”

  “No, I want you to come to New York.”

  Seth had already decided not to go back, especially with someone gunning for Zodiacs. The bad luck his friends had wasn’t about to rub off on him. “Why? So I can get shot up like Finn? No way. I’m done coming up there. I can make all of the arrangements so we can sign the papers without all the travel time.”

  Bay’s voice was firm as he responded. “No, I want it done in person, or I’m not going to sign anything at all.”

  “You’re going to make Alan travel as well? He probably won’t be sober enough to find his way there. He was a drunken mess the last time I spoke with him.”

  Bay grumbled through the phone. “You’ll come and so will he. It will be a nice little reunion, and we’ll make sure and sign the papers quickly before the big, bad boogeyman gets you.”

  “At this point, the motherfucker would be doing me a favor.”

  “Stop being so dramatic. You act as though being under my thumb is a bad thing, but just think of it this way. You always have been. Now, instead of your father’s reputation, it’s yours on the line.”

  “That doesn’t make it any better, Bay.”

  “I’ve got to go find someone else to harass. Tell Kari I said hello and that I miss that sweet honey hole of hers.” The phone went dead.

  “Fuck!” Seth screamed the word so loud, the sound echoed around his small patio and stung his ears.

  Kari slung the door open so fast that by the time he spun around, she was already pulling him into her arms. “Seth? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” He held her tightly, unsure that he could tell her the ugly truth without scaring her. If she were going to get pregnant and carry his child, he wanted her to do it with as little stress as possible hanging over her head. “Nothing at all.”

  18

  Darek

  Another day was in full swing, and Darek had seen and heard little from Lizzy. He was getting used to her absence, and it had nothing to do with what happened at Taunt with Raven. He wondered if he should feel a tad guiltier for what happened, but then again, he hadn’t exactly slept with the woman, and he wasn’t in a committed relationship.

  What had happened was enough that if Lizzy ever found out, she might be a little upset, to say the least. Darek had not stopped anything that had happened, and even though it was nothing more than a lot of touching and heavy petting, even if self-inflicted, he felt a little strange about it.

  He’d never been a voyeur before and had no intention of ever being one, but he had been so intrigued, watching the couples as they sucked and licked, prodded and fucked. Raven had been right next to him the whole time watching too, her eyes narrowed in pleasure, her mouth slightly open, panting as she slid her fingers in and out of herself. Darek didn’t so much as touch her, but when he finished, he’d stood over her and poured on her tits. She even kissed his cheek in a friendly way as he left, and all in all, it was pretty innocent.

  “Earth to Darek. Incoming.” Max threw a paper wad at him, and he turned to see that Lizzy had walked in and stopped at the coffee maker. If she poured coffee, it was a good sign that she was going to stay.

  Darek tugged at his collar, still thinking of Raven, and sat up in his seat to try and not look as guilty as he felt. “I didn’t think I’d see you here,” he said to her as she turned and walked over.

  She rested her ass on his desk, perching in her favorite spot as she sipped her coffee. “I told Reed that I needed to go over the case a bit with you. I let him know I didn’t like being out of communication too. He let me pull back a little, but he still needs me.”

  “That’s great.” Now he had a whole day to feel awkward and guilty about where they were in their nonexistent relationship.

  Lizzy had a big smile for him. “I thought so. Do you have your case file? I’d like to look over your notes and catch up.”

  “Sure.” He took the folder off his desk and handed it over. It wasn’t going to say anything about Raven or anything that he’d learned from her.

  Lizzy scanned the notes. “Who was this bum with the shoes? Did you call him in for questioning?”

  “Yes, and I questioned him on the scene, but he gave us nothing. I took the shoes because I think they’re our victims.” Darek knew everything was in the notes, but it would be easier to tell her.

  She nodded, her nose still buried in the folder. “They were found in the water?”

  “Near it. They were hung on a pipe.”

  “Lucky find. And what about the other belongings? Has anyone found his cell phone? Where was the last place it pinged?”

  “Near his hotel, but he’d checked out of the place.”

  “Maybe he was going to check back in?”

  “He met his girlfriend there. She was in town for a day or so.”

  Lizzy looked up and met his eyes. “Have you checked her out?”

  “Yes, she went back to California.” He didn’t think he should give unsolicited answers.

  “She comes all the way to New York to see him? How long did she stay? What did they do? There’s more to the story.” Lizzy looked confused. “That’s a long ass trip to make for nothing. Was she involved in his movie business? Did you check the clients?”

  Her mentioning of the clients was a welcome subject change. “I’ve put out a memo to some of the places he might have tried to contact and asked around about some of the artists and actors.”

  Lizzy’s questions came fast. “Anyone come forward?”

  “Not yet.” He felt like he was the one being interrogated.

  “Did you ask the girlfriend why she came to New York?”

  Darek knew the answer to that. “She had just found out she was pregnant, and from what I understood, she thought the man was messing around. She said she got upset and left.”

  “Any ID on the other woman?”

  Darek hesitated a minute, and Lizzy looked up at him. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to think. Um, I looked into that. It wasn’t anything.” He shrugged, and she smiled and shook her head.

  “You’re starting to worry me. I think that fall you had in Maryland did something to your brain.” She gave him a wink and turned when Darius came into the room and called for Max, who got to his feet and headed off to join him. The rest of the office was empty, and other than the people in the distance at the front counter, they were alone.

  “You don’t have to worry about me.” He met her eyes, hoping to convince her.

  “It’s just, this case is important to you, and you seem a little unsure, unfocused.” She stared at him like she was lost in thought, and then she shook her head.

  “What?” He tried not to sound defensive but couldn’t help it.

  “I think you should call some of the men back in. Shake them up a bit.” She paused and stared at him again. “Darek, is there something you’re not telling me?” She smiled at first, but then it faded, her expression growing more serious. “Is it the sex club? Did you get cooties?” She belted a laugh, and he breathed a sigh of relief that she was only kidding. “Lighten up. You’re so serious. You’re scaring me.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve just been a little tired. I think it’s the one murder after another thing, you know? I’m used to a variety of crimes, but they usually work themselves out pretty easily. This one is harder.” Only because he had to hide what he could.

  Lizzy reached over and held his hand as if to offer reassurance. “The answers are there. It’s just a matter of gathering and reading the evidence. I mean, you’d think we’re missing pieces, but
I don’t see how. And I know you’ve been thorough, but I just thought I’d run down the list with you. I hope you don’t think I was trying to insinuate you weren’t doing a good job.”

  “No, not at all,” he said. She didn’t seem convinced, and he hated that things were strained between them. Not only was he making stupid decisions like he had Saturday night, but he found the tension was intensifying every time they were alone together. He missed the times when the only thing intensifying between them was passion. “Look, we need to talk.”

  “Are you breaking up with me?” She searched his eyes, and he felt his face pale, the blood rushing to his feet until she giggled. “Relax, shit.” Her smile quickly faded.

  “You’re joking about breaking up one minute and telling me we’re not together the next. I need clarification. I’m serious.”

  Lizzy looked up toward the door before turning her attention back to him. “I know. You’re too serious. What happened to us? We weren’t like this before. I played hard to get, and you didn’t freak out on me. We played and joked and teased, and just because we’ve slept together, it doesn’t have to complicate things.”

  “I want more, I guess. I knew from the start this was a horrible idea, but what’s done is done, and…” He looked over his shoulder to the front desk behind the partition in the distance to make sure they didn’t have an audience. He lowered his voice. “And I want you. I want us. I want more, Lizzy.”

  “And I’m right here, Darek. I’m not going anywhere.” Their eyes met, and he reached out and placed his hand on hers, his thumb stroked her fingers slowly and softly.

  He wanted to kiss her so badly, but all he could say was, “Good.” He didn’t want her leaving again but knew the nature of the game would take her away from him soon enough.

  As if on cue, footsteps sounded in the distance, and Lizzy pulled away. “Sam!”

  Darek turned to see the older agent walking into the room, one hand in his pocket rattling change and the other swinging freely, adding to his swagger. “I was just on my way to see the chief and thought I better check on you and see how things are going.”

  “Darek’s got everything under control, Sam. He’s doing a great job handling the few leads, and so far, there’s not a whole lot to go on. Now that Logan Miller is dead and we know he didn’t have anything to do with the last two murders, we’re out of ideas. The killer’s MO has changed, so I was about to propose to Darek that we’re looking at multiple killers. Perhaps even a cult or a group who are working against a common enemy or for a common purpose.”

  Sam frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re still on the Virginia lead. I thought you said that trip didn’t produce much new evidence and nothing that could dismantle the case against Gough.”

  Lizzy got to her feet and squared her shoulders. “No, I’m off of that for a while, at least until it I hear something. But I’m still standing by my theory. I’m willing to put it aside for the good of the investigation since it’s turned into a dry well. And let’s face it, I’m overworked as it is.”

  Sam chuckled and gave Darek a nudge. “Darek doesn’t mind the extra workload, do you? I figured you’d be able to handle it on your own.”

  The comment made Darek think maybe the man was testing him, and he turned his eyes to Lizzy who grinned. “Yeah, it’s been going great, but I can’t say that I don’t miss Lizzy’s company.”

  Sam nodded. “She’s a special lady.” He looked at her adoringly. “I hope you are well rested after this weekend. Nothing like some time off to refresh and recharge. You know I’m not done overworking you yet.” He pointed his finger at her and winked.

  Lizzy’s cheeks stained with a blush. “I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way.”

  As he walked away, Darek got up from his desk and pushed his chair in. The guilt from his Saturday faded with the realization that she had lied to him. “You said you were out of town on assignment, yet clearly that was a lie.”

  “Fine, I went out of town on my own. I needed a relaxing weekend, and I didn’t want you to ask to go along. It was nothing personal, Darek.”

  “I see. Well, next time just tell me the truth, Lizzy. I promise I don’t want to go on any more trips with you. Nothing personal.”

  He turned and walked away, remembering her own words. She wasn’t alone on her trip, and she hadn’t wanted anyone to hear her sweet talking him. Was that because she was with someone else? He headed out of the office and didn’t stop until he made it to his car. Maybe this is what he deserved for his time with Raven. He was pissed off at himself as much as he was pissed off at Lizzy.

  He should have just left things alone and been content enough with being partners. Instead, he’d tainted the entire integrity of their working relationship. Maybe he was better off flying solo.

  19

  Seth

  Seth stood at the small bar in his living room and filled their crystal decanters with a little more bourbon as Kari brought him a bottle of wine she’d chilled in the freezer and a bucket of ice.

  “This should do,” she said. “I’ve been saving this for something special.”

  Seth placed the bucket on the bar and went to the couch to straighten the cushions. “Gretta will love it.” He had hoped that Kari would forget all about the fucking invitation, and he couldn’t think of anything more awkward than having the two women together. He had a feeling there wasn’t enough ice in the bucket for whatever beating he’d get if Kari found out about Gretta. And that would come from her father, which was the first person she would run to.

  Kari walked over to the couch and straightened the very cushion that Seth had just handled. “I hope she’s not vegan or on a strange diet.”

  “I’m sure she's not.”

  “Maybe I should have cooked the chicken? You can’t go wrong with chicken.” She was trying so hard to please that it was only making Seth feel worse about the situation.

  He turned and headed to the kitchen to check on her lasagna. “Everyone loves lasagna, darling.”

  Her voice carried from the other room. “No, they don’t. My brother hated it. It was always my favorite, though. Do you think she’s a picky eater?”

  “It looks and smells delicious. If she doesn’t like it, she’s crazier than I thought.” He had a feeling his wife was only asking him a hundred things about Gretta to feel him out, and he didn’t want to look like he knew her that well.

  “Why do you think she’s crazy?”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Kari, it’s a figure of speech. I hardly know the woman.” His phone rang, and he knew he would do best to take it in his study. Without a word, he grabbed the phone off the counter and headed down the hall.

  “Hello, Alan. Now’s not a good time.” He wasn’t in the mood for the man’s drunken ramblings, and he had little patience for them either.

  “I just got a bullshit call from Bay Collins telling me that you’re selling the land for fifty grand. He’s only offering me twenty-five now. That’s five grand I have to come up with! What the hell happened? He said you pissed him off?”

  “He’s full of shit. I didn’t piss him off, and I can sell my land for whatever I want.” He was ready to hang up on him.

  “It’s commercial, though, and I could have gotten a higher price too if you hadn’t sold out for so little.” Alan’s voice was clear as a bell, so at least he hadn’t been drinking, but he was still out of line.

  “Watch yourself. I’m selling that property, and I’m going to be done with New York, Las Vegas, and Bay Collins. If you’re smart, you’ll do the same.”

  “I am cleaning myself up and staying out of the casinos, and as for Bay, I’m not scared of him. I just need that extra five grand. Could you give it to me out of your part? I’m desperate, man.”

  “Fine, if you’ll shut the fuck up, I’ll give it to you. But let’s get this straight, Alan. Once I’m done with this deal, don’t call me anymore. I’ve got a life now, and unlike you, I’m not letting anything ruin it.” He slammed
down the phone and headed out to the front room where Kari was making her way to the door.

  “She’s here, Seth!” She waited until Seth joined her and then opened the door.

  Gretta stood on his front step, holding a bottle of wine and wearing a knee-length dress with heels that were almost too formal for the occasion, considering they were dining in.

  “Welcome, Gretta. Come on in. This is my wife Kari and our humble home.”

  “Oh, I love what you’ve done with the place.” Gretta feigned interest in Kari’s décor, but Seth knew that such trivial things didn’t matter to her. She was all about power and position, and housewife and homemaker were two words that weren’t in her vocabulary.

  “Thank you. Seth and I enjoy it. I love your dress. Is that silk?”

  “Yes, it is.” Gretta looked Kari up and down, and even though the younger woman wore a plain cotton party dress, she looked far more polished and sophisticated than Gretta. But that was a difference in social class.

  Seth took Gretta’s wrap, and then Kari led her to the couch where the two continued their small talk as he placed the wrap across the back of a chair near the door. He sat in the chair across from the two women and cleared his throat. “I’m glad you two ladies have found it so easy to talk, but I’m dying to hear about the schedule.”

  “Oh, yes,” said Kari. “Did you remember to write down my father’s charity event? I hope it didn’t interfere with anything.”

  “Yes, I did. I had to shift a few things, but I think it’s the better option. It’s always good to have an involvement in helping crime victims.”

  “Crime victims?” Seth narrowed his eyes. He had forgotten to ask what the charity event was for.

  “Yes, I thought I told you, Seth. Daddy’s annual charity event. You missed it last year.”

  He hadn’t missed it as much as he’d avoided it. It wasn’t easy being surrounded by survivors of violent crime and knowing that you participated in one. “Wait, Gretta, you said you cleared a spot for it?” If there was a way to get out of it, he would.