Deadly Deception

by Kris Norris

  “Or maybe you didn’t know her all that well. After all, she never really wanted you, did she?”

  It wasn’t a question and Mallory wasn’t going to grace him with an answer. “Ancient history.”

  “Ah, but isn’t history supposed to teach us about the future?” He cocked his head to the side. “You really did spend all your time hiding from your father. Shame. I’m told your mother put on quite the show between the sheets.”

  “What my mother did was stay with a man who beat her.”

  “Maybe she enjoyed it.”

  He held up his hand, sliding the knife a bit farther along the woman’s neck, repositioning the tip as she jerked in his arms.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but even if you manage to kill me, the woman will still die. No matter how I fall, the knife will cut her artery, and we both know what happens next.”

  “I thought you wanted me to be your final victim?”

  “All in good time.” He nodded at a chair off to her right. “Sit.”

  She hesitated. He tsked and shoved the tip deeper. The woman made a gurgling noise as she slumped against him.

  Mallory moved over to the seat. “Easy, Carter.”

  “Then don’t fuck with me.” He eased his grip as she slid into the chair. “Better.”

  “So why should I care if my mother enjoyed sex?”

  “Because your father wasn’t the only one she was having it with.” He smiled. “You see, you and I aren’t that different. We both had fathers we’d rather forget. My father was a cop, but not just any cop. He was a beat cop in one of the toughest districts in the city. Do you know what that meant? It meant he didn’t have to abide by the rules. It meant that when he beat his wife and his kid, his friends looked the other way. It’s all part of their stupid code—watching out for each other. Hiding the truth for each other. Brothers in arms and all that bullshit. It went on for years until one day, she didn’t come home, and I was all that stood between him and his drunken rages. Then he found your mother and things got better. He stopped drinking and hitting, and for a moment—one precious fucking moment—he was nearly human. That all changed the night she decided to get rid of your father, and it all started again.” He sneered at her. “If you hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have gone to jail, and I wouldn’t have had to suffer at the hands of that bastard. Do you have any idea what he did to me?”

  “I can imagine.”

  “No! I don’t think you can.” His voice echoed off the walls as he shuffled to the other wall. “You had someone to save you. I was alone. Abandoned by the women who should have been the ones to take his abuse—to spare me the agony of being raped by that bastard. All those years.” His voice cracked and he chuckled. “And it all started with you.”

  “So why kill those other women?”

  He smiled. “I think you know why.”

  “What makes you think you can stop once I’m dead?”

  “You have a point, but that’s just a chance I’ll have to take.” He straightened. “Now, you have a choice to make. Either I kill this innocent girl, or you agree to take her place.”

  “And if I don’t choose to save her?”

  “You will. You’re not like me and besides, you wouldn’t want Don’s niece to pay for your mistakes.” He nodded. “She really should watch the kind of men she gets into cars with. Never can tell if they’re what they say they are.”

  “Shit.” She stood. “Let her go, and I’ll take her place.”

  “Again, I’m not an idiot. You toss away that lovely Glock and sit back down on the chair, facing the door, and we’ll see how generous I’m feeling.”

  “No way, Carter. I’m not an idiot, either.” She motioned towards the doorway. “Why don’t we take this into the kitchen? You can let her go out the back door while I sit at the table.”

  His gaze darted to the hallway. “Or I can just kill her now.”

  “Kill your only leverage? You said you weren’t crazy.”

  “Fair enough. You first.”

  Mallory moved towards the door, never taking her eyes off Carter. He followed, keeping the girl positioned in front of him, never giving her a clear shot. She shifted right once she reached the hallway, walking towards the end of the house. Shadows played along the walls, making weird patterns across the floor. She sidestepped into the kitchen and headed for the table.

  “That’s far enough, Mallory.” Carter shuffled in behind her, stopping between her and the back door. “Unlock the door then sit down.”

  She nodded, twisting the lock before sliding into the seat closest to her. The girl stumbled along with Carter, her pale skin a sharp contrast to the oppressive darkness.

  “Put your gun on the table and weave your hands together behind your head.”

  She did as he asked, clasping her fingers together as he inched his way to the door. He scanned the area, then opened the door and pushed the girl out, closing it behind him. Mallory heard the girl trip her way down the stairs before an eerie silence filled the room.

  Carter sighed as he pointed a Beretta at her. “You knew I had a gun, didn’t you.”

  “I would have.” She drew a quick breath. “But you’re not going to use it. Not on me. You see, I don’t think Davies was the only one who got pleasure from the details. You’ll want this to be as accurate as possible to that night. That means you need me back in the bedroom.”

  “Clever. And correct. But know this. I want you dead more than I want the perfect scene, so don’t think I won’t shoot you in the back if you so much as twitch.”

  She rose from the chair, slowly making her way towards the bedroom again. She kept her back to the hallway, electing to watch every step Carter made. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored it, turning into the room as she crested the doorway. Carter stepped in behind her and closed the door.

  He motioned to the small bed in the far left corner. “Not quite the setup you had, but I like it. It’s more reminiscent of my room.” He smiled. “Unfortunate your partners couldn’t join you, but they’ll be seeing you soon. Sit on the bed.”

  She shuffled over, resting her hip on the edge of the bed. “This isn’t going to stop those demons in your head. You know that. Killing me…it’ll only make them louder. Believe me. I’ve heard them before.”

  “But that’s where we’re different. You hide from them while I…I embrace them.”

  “Believe what you want, but you’re hiding, too.” She took a deep breath, waiting for the numbing fear to course through her veins as memories of that night resurfaced. But instead she felt a sense of peace. Everything slowed around her and she relaxed. “This won’t turn out the way you intend. Nothing good will come from this.”

  “I’m only finishing what we started. You and me—this case. You see, Davies was only supposed to gain your attention that night. Keep you busy while I got a chance to knock you out. But the damn fool got scared when you interrupted him and stabbed you instead. Pity he isn’t here to see our work come to fruition.”

  “This isn’t going to end the way you’ve envisioned.”

  “Is that so? I’ve seen you fight, but even you can’t outmanoeuvre a bullet. And on the off chance Sawyer and Cole do manage to track you down, I’ll know the second they get close. I’m afraid it’ll be too late.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Do you honestly think I didn’t prepare for your company?”

  She allowed the smile tugging at her mouth to lift the edges. “I have no doubt you did, but there’s just one problem with your theory. What if they’re already inside?”

  Surprise widened his eyes and Mallory moved, diving off the bed as Sawyer popped out from behind it, hitting Carter in the shoulder with a single round. The man reeled backwards only to jerk forward as Cole crashed through the door, his shot hitting the creep square in the torso. Blood arced up the walls and across the ceiling as the man crumpled on the floor, his gun skipping across the old wood.

  Mallo
ry drew in a much-needed breath, staring up at Sawyer as he stumbled out from behind the bed, nearly tripping over his feet. He braced his weight on the wall as he glared down at her.

  “Of all the dumbass stunts to pull—”

  She jumped up and silenced him with a kiss, her arms reaching around to encircle her neck. He leant back, bridging both their weight as he returned the kiss, finally pulling back. His expression softened slightly, but she knew he was far from happy.

  She glanced over at Carter, watching as Cole checked for a pulse. He shook his head, closing the man’s eyes as he pushed to his feet.

  She eased away from Sawyer, accepting the gun Cole handed her. “Before you both start, you know it was the right thing to do. He would have kept killing if I hadn’t confronted him.”

  Sawyer crossed his arms on his chest. “Right or wrong, you’re just damn lucky one of those bloody apps worked. The first one kept telling us you were at the fucking airport.”

  “That’s just the starting point, Einstein. From the last time you used it.” She laughed. “You really need to learn how to use that thing.”

  “I know how to use my thing just fine. It’s you I can’t handle.” He held out his hand, pulling her against his chest. “Just don’t scare me like that again. Ever.”

  “Deal.” She pushed away. “Damn. Don’s niece. He shoved her out the back door.”

  “She’s fine. Well, alive. I darted back out when I heard him close the door and sent her to the truck. Ambulance is already on the way.” Cole shook his head. “You do know that’s not Don’s niece, right? Not unless she’s looking really grown-up for a twelve-year-old.”

  Mallory drew her brows together. “Say again? I know there’s a photo on Don’s desk of a girl about her age and colouring.”

  “That photo came with the damn frame, Sherlock. You know how bad Don is about that kind of stuff. Promised his wife he’d change it years ago. Guess he hasn’t had time yet.” He nodded at the door. “Now, if you two think you can handle one dead creep, I’ll go back out and wait with her. Niece or not, she’s pretty freaked out.”

  Mallory nodded, stepping over to Carter’s lifeless body.

  Sawyer moved in behind her, brushing his chest against her back. “You okay?”

  She shrugged. “He did all of this—killed all those women—just to get to me.”

  “He killed all of those women because he enjoyed it, plain and simple. The guy was a nut job. It’s just too bad we didn’t discover that until now.” He gave her a nudge. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough of Davies and Carter for one day.” He took a step then stopped. “Where is Davies?”

  Mallory gave his shoulder a pat. “You don’t want to know.”

  Sawyer groaned as they headed out the door. “Damn, Carter did something disgusting, didn’t he? Like put him in a rocking chair in a room somewhere.”

  “That was Norman Bates. I think Davies is in the freezer.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to tell me?”

  “I changed my mind seeing as you lied to me.” She stopped and turned into him. “You said you’d be right back.”

  He released a ragged breath. “I didn’t see the creep until he hit me with the damn Taser.”

  “You scared me.”

  “Good. Now you know what it’s like to be your partner.”

  She shook a finger at him. “Don’t do it again, or—”

  “Or what, darling?”

  “Or I might have to do something drastic.”

  “Such as…”

  “I don’t know. Something rash, like…like asking you to marry me.”

  Sawyer grabbed her shoulders when she went to turn around, spinning her back to face him. “What did you just say?”

  She closed the scant distance between them, pressing her body against his. “I said, will you marry me?”

  Emotions crossed his face, flashing in and out of his eyes before one side of his mouth lifted into a smile. “I’m pretty sure you’re a couple of years late on that particular question.”

  “Never hurts to be sure.”

  “Are you?” He took a deep breath. “Sure?”

  She smiled and slipped her hands around the back of her neck as she unclipped her necklace and laid it across one palm. Something sparkled in the light as she removed the ring he’d given her and refastened her chain. She held his gaze as she pushed it on her finger, twisting it until the diamond cast speckled dots along the wall. “Pretty damn sure.”

  Sawyer stared at her, then brushed his finger across the surface. “When the hell did you put that on there? I swear I haven’t seen it, and darling, I’ve seen a lot of you, lately.”

  “This morning. After everything that happened last night, it just didn’t feel right not to have it close to me.” She took a fortifying breath. “Unless you’d rather I didn’t. Wear it, that is.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” He grabbed his wallet and opened the small zippered pouch, removing a matching band. “I only took this off to come here. I didn’t want to push you into anything you weren’t ready for.”

  “So is that a yes?”

  He winked and yanked her into his chest. “I’ll let you know in a couple more years.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sawyer sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at his feet. Pain radiated through his body and he wondered how the hell he was going to get his socks off. A bemused laugh sounded off to his right before a pair of bare feet entered his line of sight. He smiled as Mallory knelt beside him, looking up at him with an easy love that spiked his heart rate.

  “Contemplating your place in the universe?”

  “Close. I was thinking how the hell I was going to get my socks off.”

  “That was close.”

  She reached for his feet, the diamond in her ring glinting in the light. The sight quickened his breath and he remembered the look in her eyes when she’d asked him to marry her. A tremble skirted down his spine as she removed his socks then climbed on the bed, motioning him to swing his legs up. He clenched his jaw then levered back, grunting as the movement irritated the shallow wounds on his ribs.

  Mallory pursed her lips. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

  He gave her a sly smile as he glanced at the clock on the side table. “Less than four hours since you asked me to marry you and already you’re trying to get rid of me. That doesn’t bode well.”

  She huffed and smacked his leg. “You’re an ass.”

  “But I’m your ass, darling.”

  “Lucky me.” She poked his leg. “Lift up and I’ll take off your jeans.”

  He winked at her. “Shouldn’t you disarm me, first?”

  She leaned in, hovering her face inches from his. “I’m pretty sure I can handle whatever’s inside, baby.”

  He chuckled and lifted his hips, panting through the pain as she slipped the zipper free and removed his pants, tossing them to the floor. Her gaze swept up his body, pausing at the bruises lining his ribs.

  A frown tugged at her luscious mouth, making her full lips protrude ever so slightly. “Good God. Have you seen what that bastard did to you?”

  He shook his head, reaching forward to cup her chin in his hand as he caressed her jaw with his thumb. “Nope. I’ve got something far better to look at.”

  Her gaze flew to his, the soft lines around her eyes crinkling as a genuine smile curled her lips. “Were you always this charming?”

  “Probably not.”

  “I didn’t think so.” She glanced down his body again, this time swiping her tongue across her lower lip as her gaze paused at his groin. “I was thinking…since sex is obviously out of the question—”

  “Who said sex was out of the question?”

  “Are you serious? You couldn’t even remove your socks.”

  “I don’t have to bend over to have you ride me.”

  She tilted her head as she sighed. “And the pain in your ribs? I’m fairly certain
any kind of movement, no matter how pleasurable, will be too much for them.”

  “Then you’ll have to go slowly.”

  “Or…” She placed a finger over his mouth, silencing him. “I could simply give you the best blowjob in the history of blowjobs and call it a night.”

  He grabbed her as she started to move back. “If you think, after everything that’s happened today, I’ll be content without returning the favour, you’re crazier than I thought.”

  Her eyes held his as she straddled his thighs. “You can make it up to me in the morning if you’re any better.”

  “Mal—”

  “Would you just shut up and let your wife give you a blowjob?”

  The word sucked out his breath and he sat there, back braced against the headboard, his hands ready to grab her shoulders, staring at her. Doubts he hadn’t realised he still harboured faded away, leaving only love to fill the empty space.

  He closed his eyes against a rush of emotion, wondering what he’d done to deserve her, when her lips brushed his. He forced his eyelids apart, instantly surrounded by a brilliant blue.

  “I love you, Sawyer. I’m sorry it took me so long to realise that it wasn’t you or getting married that I was afraid of. It was just the distorted memories of a ten-year-old girl, who’d spent her life hiding under the bed.”

  He traced a finger along her cheek. “She didn’t hide. She survived.”

  “Either way, I don’t need to hide when I have you. You’re all the strength I need.” Her lips quirked as she backed away. “Now be a good boy and let me perform my wifely duties.”

  “Now this, I could get used to.” He winked at her. “Does this mean you’ll start cooking me dinner?”

  She chuckled. “You do know I’m about to put your cock in my mouth, right? I’d lay off the chauvinist remarks until after you come.”

  “Point taken. But I’m still going to recipro… Damn.”

  His words rasped into a groan as Mallory bent over him and wrapped her lips around his shaft, taking it deep to the back of her throat. Wet heat engulfed his skin, making the pain in his ribs a distant memory. He reached for her hair, holding it back so he could watch her move along his length. Study the way her lips stretched to accommodate his width or how the pink of her flesh contrasted with the pale white of his.