by Evelyn Glass
“We found out a few interesting things yesterday. Fancy some breakfast, and we’ll tell you everything?” Sophie asked, holding up the bag with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course,” Stephan said, “anyone with free food is welcome in here.” He held open the office door, and the three of them sat at the battered old desk, while Sophie dished out the food and drinks.
The men instantly bit into their food, but Sophie was straight down to business, her coffee steaming in front of her on the desk, untouched.
“So, the twin brother of one of Zeke’s colleagues who was killed…” She shot Zeke a small glance of support. “… supposedly committed suicide after the accident. But his body was never recovered. We think he may be in hiding, taking his anger out on Zeke, the only survivor.”
Zeke sat up straight and added, “His father says he didn’t take the loss well. He could have gone off the rails, and this is his way of coping.”
Stephan nodded with a mouth full of food. He swallowed. “Jesus. That sounds like a promising lead.” He took a long, sip of coffee and seemed to think for a few moments. “I’ll see if my friend Toby can dig up the death records and see if there are any gaps. If he’s still out there, we need to work fast.”
Zeke and Sophie nodded. She finally tucked into her food.
“I think I’m so uptight about all this I just can’t eat,” she said, putting it back down.
“Your dedication to all this is... well, it’s unbelievable,” Zeke said. “I really appreciate you both helping.”
“There’s something else we could do,” Stephan said, placing his palms down on the desk. “We should try and catch this guy in the act, while we’re waiting for information.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking that,” Zeke agreed. “How about leaving my bike somewhere and keeping a lookout? Surely, he’s going to try again. Someone who’s pissed enough to stick a bomb in my bike is not gonna give up on one attempt.”
Stephan nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Tonight, leave it exposed.”
“Pull an all-nighter,” Zeke added.
Sophie sighed. “Or maybe it’s time to go to the police?”
Stephan downed the last of his coffee. “We will. But let’s just see if we can give them something to go on first. If we involve the cops right now, it might scare the guy off and then give us no chance of catching him.” He turned to Zeke. “I have some surveillance cameras I use for the shop I can lend you. Set them up tonight, but hidden, and we can go through the footage every day until we have something.”
“Good idea.”
Zeke and Sophie left the shop with the cameras and Stephan went to call his detective friend about Troy’s suicide case.
Zeke turned to Sophie. “At least we’re making progress,” he said, smiling.
She looked uneasy. “I just wish it was all over. I worry about... you.”
Zeke couldn’t think of what to say. Just as he was about to attempt a sentence, his train of thought was interrupted as his cell buzzed in his pocket. It was Tina Graham.
“Hi, Zeke, I really need to speak to you, without Jeffrey. There’s something you need to know. Jeffrey’s out of town on a golfing trip. Can you come now?”
“We’ll be right there,” Zeke said, his heart quickening.
Chapter Ten
Zeke
When Tina opened the front door, her face was pale. She looked so different to the motherly, smiling woman they’d seen yesterday.
“Come in, dears,” she said, ushering them in and glancing at the street anxiously.
“Are you OK?” Sophie asked. “You look quite shaken.”
“I think so,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “Last night, I got a call. I haven’t told Jeffrey. I pretended it was my sister. He’s fragile right now... he hasn’t dealt with the grief very well. Anyway, the man on the other end of the call said, ‘it’s Zeke’s fault. Don’t get involved. He will pay’.”
Sophie gasped and held her hand to her mouth before looking up at Zeke.
“OK, you did the right thing telling us.”
“But now I’m worried that he might be watching,” Tina said, her eyes wide with fear. “What if he knows I’m helping you?”
Zeke placed his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t you worry. This guy’s an amateur. If he was that smart, I’d already be dead, wouldn’t I?”
He didn’t really believe his own words, he just wanted to make sure Tina could cope with the stress. If he made this look like no big deal, surely, she could believe it.
“Shouldn’t you tell Jeffrey?” Sophie asked.
“He’s not ready,” Tina said, turning to Sophie. “He’d go mad. And if he got his hands on the fella God knows what he’d do. He’s still so full of anger at the loss.”
“I’ll protect you. We can monitor your calls, get them traced if need be, I deal with this sort of stuff all the time at work,” Zeke said. “But I agree, you should tell Jeffrey.”
“I can’t,” Tina said. “Not yet. Do whatever you need to do, bug the phone, set up cameras, whatever. I just need to protect Jeffrey from more stress.”
“If you’re sure,” Zeke said reluctantly.
He and Sophie left Tina’s, being careful to check for anyone watching or following. They swapped vehicles and returned immediately with the phone recording equipment that Zeke had in his apartment. He often kept basic equipment at home for last-minute emergencies. They cropped up more than anyone else would believe. He’d set up phone bugs in the early hours of the morning at several client’s houses before – usually for nuisance calls from ex-husbands or wives, though. He’d never had a bomb scare on such a personal level as this before.
While Zeke set up the equipment, Sophie helped Tina put together a pasta bake in the kitchen.
“It’s really nice having youngsters around,” Tina said, as she called Zeke through to the kitchen table for food. “It’s quite lonely sometimes, just the two of us. And with Jeffrey being away tonight, I’m glad you’re both here.”
Zeke watched Sophie’s beaming smile. He couldn’t help thinking about how she’d never had a mother figure in her life. This must have been nice for Sophie too as it had a family feel to it.
The three of them ate in the brightly lit room, discussing holidays and work and general small talk. It was like being at an aunt’s house. Suddenly the phone rang. Tina stiffened and looked to Zeke with panic in her eyes.
“It’s OK,” he reassured her. “We’ll trace whoever it is... if it’s him.”
Tina picked up the phone and nodded to Zeke when she heard it was the caller.
Zeke ran to the laptop connected to the cables and signaled to her to roll out some conversation, to buy some time.
“What do you want?” she asked. “Did you know my son?”
She listened as the caller repeated the same sentences about the accident being Zeke’s fault. He warned her to keep clear of “that murderer.”
She stayed strong and listened, her eyes on Zeke the whole time until the line went dead all of a sudden.
Zeke let out a grunt of anguish. “I nearly had him,” he said, rubbing his forehead.
“I’m sorry,” Tina said, still clutching the receiver.
“It’s not your fault,” Zeke said. “You did great. Honestly.”
Tina’s chest rose and fell quickly. “Will you both stay tonight? I don’t think I could bear to be here alone.”
“Of course,” Sophie said.
“I have night dresses or T-shirts you can borrow,” Tina said, “and there’s a guest house out the back you can share. At least I’ll know you’re on the property if I need you.”
“Sure thing,” Zeke said. “But she can have the night dress,” he added, pointing to Sophie.
Chapter Eleven
Zeke
Zeke turned the key in the lock of the guesthouse. It was getting dark, and he wanted to get Sophie indoors again as quickly as possible if there was a chance someone could be lurking on
the grounds. He gave the main house one last glance over, noticing a soft light through the closed drapes of Tina’s bedroom window. Probably reading, he thought. At least she knows we’re here. He surveyed the darkened garden quickly from the doorway before shutting out the cool night air and switching on the guesthouse lights. It was a small open-plan space with stairs directly opposite the front door leading up to a double bedroom. The downstairs was mainly a living area with two small, flower-patterned sofas, a few kitchen units in the corner, and framed watercolor paintings on the walls, signed by Tina.
“I didn’t realize she was an artist,” Sophie commented as she tilted her head to examine one mountainous landscape. “They’re brilliant. She’s such a lovely woman.”
“She is,” Zeke agreed, siding up to Sophie to join in the appreciation. “And so are you.” He turned to her with a smile and laughed to see her blush, but for once she didn’t avoid eye contact. She fixed him with a powerful look, which said so much more than words. His heart quickened. Surely, all the conversations, the dinner date (which was not technically a date, but clearly was), the car rides, all of it, had been leading up to a moment like this. He knew she was thinking the same. He could see her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was as nervous as he was. But the hunger they felt cut through their nerves so strongly it completely overpowered them. He couldn’t hold back any longer. He plunged his fingers into her silky hair and pulled her head in gently until their lips were only an inch apart, their breath hot and short on each other’s faces. She closed her eyes as if the anticipation was too much to bear and parted her lips in invitation. He accepted by planting his lips directly on them while inhaling slowly and savoring that familiar scent of her skin from their last kiss.
It was only a matter of seconds before their tongues were locked in an intense tango and Zeke roamed her body with his hands, as if sealing her entire being in an armor of his affection. She let out a shallow moan of pleasure as his fingers brushed over her breast and a rush of heat coursed through his veins to feel her nipple harden under her shirt at his touch.
He gently tugged at the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and over until she stood before him in her bra and jeans. He kissed a line of gentle pecks across her perfect collarbone and up her neck to her ear, noticing her shudder as his breath tickled her earlobes. She pulled his torso in closer with one hand on his back and slid the other hand into the front of his belt, which caused him to let out a gasp.
“I think we should go upstairs,” she whispered, turning to pull him by the waistband. He laughed but put up no hesitation. He was putty in her hands. This was a side of her he’d never seen before and he sure as hell couldn’t wait to see the rest of it. Her confidence was a real turn on.
When they got to the top of the stairs, now in darkness with only the downstairs light licking everything with a faint golden glow, she unclipped her bra and let it drop to the floor. A rush of hot blood surged to Zeke’s cock. This was a game changer. She’s raised the red rag, and he was the bull. He needed her.
While dropping hungry kisses on her soft mouth, he edged her toward the bed and cradled her back with one arm to lower her onto it. The gentle light bounced off her perfect skin, highlighting the curves of her breasts. He crawled over her on hands and knees, kissing her chest as he went and then unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down her smooth legs.
“God, you’re so hot,” he said, in barely more than a whisper. She smiled and bit her lip, as she leaned up on one elbow to tug his belt off and then undid his zipper.
“Your turn,” she whispered, coaxing him to discard his jeans on the bedroom floor. His raging hard-on was pushing against the fabric of his boxers, which Sophie eyed in all its glory. She put one hand firmly around the base and kissed down one side of his cock, the pleasure teasing him with each bit of contact with her lips.
He groaned. “Damn, I want you so much.”
“I want you too,” she whispered, lying back and teasing her knickers down her hips. Zeke took over and slid them down past her ankles. She was beautiful. Every bit of her. He kissed up one thigh until his mouth was between her legs. She opened them enough for him to plant a few gentle kisses on her smooth folds, causing her to throw her head back and groan.
He couldn’t stop there. He was pumped up with lust for this gorgeous girl – the girl he’d longed to sleep with since the moment he’d met her. But he’d been too much of a gentleman to push it, and she’d been so different to every other woman, he hadn’t known how to get to this stage with Sophie. It had to take its natural course. And, thank God, it did. They were finally wrapped in each other’s nakedness, and the taste of her was amazing. He licked her lips and parted them gently with his fingers. She was already slick from excitement. The soft light from the hallway reflected off her wetness like jewels.
Sophie moaned and breathed heavily as Zeke’s hot tongue played with her body.
“It’s too good,” she said, panting. “I’m dizzy.”
“You OK?” he asked, lifting his head.
“Hell yeah,” she replied breathlessly. “Don’t stop.”
He kept circling with his tongue and slid one finger inside her at the same time, withdrawing it slowly before plunging it back in and causing her to gasp and grip the bed sheets. Five minutes of this teasing, tender dance with his tongue and finger sent her over the edge into orgasm. As her body jerked and writhed, he held onto her hips, watching the pleasure pass through her. She eventually relaxed and let out a long breath, while putting one hand firmly around his dick.
He placed one hand up by Sophie’s head and used the other hand to gently tease himself into her opening, causing her to let out a low moan of pleasure.
He couldn’t take it slow; his hunger for her was too much. He immediately began pumping into her, feeling her tightness all around him.
“Faster,” she panted.
“Try and stop me,” he replied, picking up the pace and breathing fast like he’d just ran ten blocks.
He withdrew all of a sudden and kissed down her torso before rolling her onto her side and lifting one leg up over his shoulder. He slid back in and rocked his hips back and forth, the change of angle causing all sorts of shockwaves as they got accustomed to the new sensations. He kissed the leg resting on his shoulder and ran one hand down towards her thigh, grabbing it fondly as he rocked into her. He watched as her breasts bounced around as she lay on her side, her eyes closed and her head bent back in bliss. She placed one hand on his inner thigh and held on tight before pleading him to go faster.
“I can’t hold off if I go faster,” he panted. “It’s too good.”
“Don’t hold off. Let go. Do it,” she demanded, fixing him with an intense look of lust.
He plunged in and out, picking up speed with every move until his body took over and his thoughts were long gone. His head swirled with joy and energy as the tension built and the pace quickened still. He was so deep inside of her that he felt, at that very moment, part of her. It felt like the best place on Earth, and though he wanted the blissful explosion to come, he didn’t want the embrace to end. He could have happily stayed in a time warp like this forever, but the mounting pressure inside him couldn’t hold off. His head spun, and his blood raced through his body as he came, his hands caressing her soft flesh as he did.
Afterward, he sank down onto the mattress next to her with a long exhale. They lay, wrapped in each other’s limbs in the silent darkness for ten minutes.
Eventually, he whispered, “Damn, that was good,” and laughed gently.
Sophie giggled. “Yeah. God. I can’t believe we just did that.”
“It had to happen,” he said, grabbing her hand in the darkness and squeezing it tight.
Sophie yawned. It was getting late.
Zeke pulled the blankets up and over her naked body and moved closer to her. They drifted off into a peaceful sleep, which both of them were craving more than they’d realized. The past few days had been exhausting. At least
now they’d opened a valve and let off some of the steam between them. It could only be a good thing, right?
Chapter Twelve
Sophie
Sophie rubbed her eyes and peered around the unfamiliar room. They’d been so wrapped up in the events of last night that they hadn’t even closed the drapes, and now sunlight was spilling in over their discarded clothes on the carpet. Sophie glanced over at Zeke, who was still sleeping with his back to her.
He’d seen everything... touched everything. They’d certainly crossed a new boundary. She buried her face into her palms and sighed quietly. She didn’t want to wake him because then they’d have to talk, act natural, as if everything was normal and she knew there was no way she’d be able to do that.