Before the Moon Rises

by Catherine Bybee

  “Then don’t,” she told him.

  Max reached over to his nightstand and quickly removed a small silver packet, making quick work of the condom. He moved to her side and nestled between her legs. Her hands guided him to her. “You’re huge.”

  “The more to pleasure you with,” he said with a smile.

  Keeping her eyes locked to his, he plunged into her with a moan. Her tight body molded to his, her muscles squeezed around him and her hips began to move. “Perfect. You are so perfect,” he exclaimed.

  Their hearts beat in tandem, their breath merged. Like him, her body heated and rose higher and higher. Fingers dug into his back, raking his skin. She was close again, so close to the edge he held back, praying she would come quickly.

  He felt her body shudder; her legs circled his hips. He caught her cries with his mouth until his body shattered in a million pieces. He called out her name in his release.

  ****

  Curled up beside Max, Janet allowed her system to come down to earth. He had taken her higher than she could ever remember going. She knew they had chemistry, knew the sex would be astounding, but this was different. Together they were nothing short of spectacular.

  “Humm,” she purred while his hand traveled up and down her back. “Let me know if I’m alive or dead.”

  “Alive, most definitely, alive.” He kissed the top of her head, just as content to stay close to her as she was to him.

  “I’m surprised there isn’t a harem of women in the wings, waiting for you to service them.”

  His chest rumbled with laughter.

  “I’ll bet you have a very full little black book.”

  “I never understood the little black book theory. If a man can’t remember seven numbers to dial than the woman isn’t worth their time.”

  “If there is more than one woman, it might get a little confusing. What happens if you dial Stephanie using Sally’s number?”

  “Well, you’d better hope Stephanie and Sally are roommates.”

  Janet slapped his chest. “You’re terrible.”

  “I don’t know. The possibilities could be fun.”

  She laughed in spite of his words. She wiggled out from under his arm and straddled his chest. “Well, I don’t have any roommates, and you better not call me by any other name than Janet.”

  His eyes soaked her in, his playful expression changed. His hands moved to her waist and ran up her sides cupping her breasts. “What about, lover?”

  “That’s okay.” Janet held her breath while he pinched her nipples. Her body responded and heat pooled between her legs.

  “What about, gorgeous?”

  “That’s fine too.” She felt him growing hard beneath her.

  “What about, beautiful?”

  “Okay, beautiful is good.”

  He lifted her hips with little effort and placed her over his shaft. “What about, mine?”

  Slowly he lowered her until he’d buried himself deep inside her once again.

  “I like that!” Janet leaned over and started to move in rhythm with him. “Mine,” she called out.

  His complete possession of her didn’t go un-noticed. As they rocked together, Max’s eyes captured hers. His playful banter slipped away and he replaced it with more depth and promise. Max’s gaze delivered a profound reaction from both her body and her heart. As her body clenched and tingled with building passion, so did her awareness. Their relationship was moving incredibly fast but Janet wanted nothing to do with slowing it down.

  Chapter Six

  Gorman crushed the paper with Philip O’Brien’s address in his hand before throwing it to the floor of his car. Waiting for her to check on the misbegotten cat was proving more than he could endure.

  He knew she stayed with Ritter. Knew there was no way he could claim her on his property. So, here he would wait.

  Taking her out from under Ritter would be exactly what Gorman needed to claim his position as head of the pack.

  Ritter had plagued him and his like for years. Now, Gorman had a chance of evening the score. Turning the blonde in front of him would give him the leverage he needed to take the title which was rightfully his.

  His cell phone rang from the seat next to him, after checking the caller ID, he answered. “Talk!” he ordered.

  “They are leaving his place now.”

  “They?”

  “Yeah, Ritter is with her.”

  Gorman let out a curse then mumbled, “Follow them. If they come within a mile of here, call me. And don’t let them see you.” He hung up and sat back.

  All he had to do now was wait.

  ****

  “What is this?” Max held a piece of paper in his hand and waved it in front of Janet’s face.

  “A grocery list,” she told him.

  “Aren’t you going to come in the store with me?”

  “No, I want you to drop me off at my dad’s so I can take care of things there.”

  “That shouldn’t take very long.” He glared at the list as if it were a foreign concept. He had grumbled about the grocery store stop ever since they left his house.

  “You don’t know my dad. When he calls and says he needs me to look after his cat, it’s really his code way of asking... Can you come over and help me pick up around the house?”

  “Oh, I see. How long could that take?”

  “Long enough for you to pick up a few things at the store.” Janet saw his lip drop into a pout. Damn, it was such a cute pout. “The store is right around the corner, and the list is really small. The sooner we’re finished, the sooner we can get back to your place.” Janet slid her hand over his upper thigh.

  “You don’t play fair.”

  Lightly tracing the outside of his groin with her fingers she said, “I didn’t hear you complaining.”

  Max lowered his sunglasses and put his car in gear. “Let’s get this done.”

  ****

  Max walked around her father’s house, inspected every room before he deemed it safe for her to enter.

  “I’ll be fine,” Janet tried to convince him while pushing him out the door.

  He glanced around at the busy neighborhood. “I don’t know.”

  “You’re trying to get out of going to the store.”

  “Well... I tell you what, I’ll help you here, and you help me at the store.”

  Shaking her head, Janet gave up and put Max to work cleaning out the litter box. If he wasn’t going to cooperate she would give him the dirty work.

  She hated to admit it, but cleaning up her widowed father’s house did go faster with help.

  Within a half an hour, they were pushing a cart around the market. The store was an anomaly Max didn’t understand. The produce department had him picking up every vegetable and looking at it as if it came from the moon. Having pity on him, Janet gave him a job. “I’ll pick out the vegetables. You take a look at the meat department and find some steaks.”

  “Now we’re talking.” Happily, he scurried off to much safer territory.

  He rushed away, past a very attractive brunette, who made a point of smiling his way and flipping her hair. A smile brushed Janet’s lips when Max ignored the other women’s flirtatious gestures.

  Surrendering to the happiness that bubbled inside her, she continued to shop with a spring in her step.

  After fondling a few apples and bagging three pounds of grapes, Janet worked her way to the back of the store where the organic vegetables were kept.

  An employee barged through the swinging doors, which lead to the stock room almost knocking Janet over in his haste. Frightened eyes stared her way with a rushed apology. “I’m sorry, oh God. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Janet told him, straightening her shirt.

  “Oh, shit!” The kid turned back to the employee only area, then back to her again. Janet noticed the shake in his hands.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, no. Listen, can you please run to the front of the store and te
ll someone to call 911. There’s a guy back here who isn’t breathing.” The kid’s eyes bugged out their sockets.

  Janet dropped her handful of vegetables. “I’m a nurse. Show me where he is.” Her heart rate jumped as it always did when she knew time was critical.

  He walked her in a few feet and pointed to an open door. “He’s in there.”

  “You go call the paramedics,” she ordered while she ran in the direction he pointed.

  The door was open, but no one was on the floor of the room. There was another door, which she ran to and opened.

  Empty.

  Frantic, knowing time for the patient was ticking away. Janet scanned the first room again. Boxes were stacked high with very little room for a person to be behind. She searched anyway but found no one. “Where is he?”

  Walking back the way she came, Janet heard the creak of a hinge. The weight of someone’s stare burrowed into the back of her head. Hair on her neck stood as the cold bristle of tension wove along her spine. She stopped mid step and swirled around. A cloth covered hand clamped over her mouth and nose in a firm grip. The last thing she remembered before blackness came was the distinct smell of ether.

  ****

  The first thing Max thought when he rounded to corner and saw their cart abandoned with Janet’s purse in the basket was; she thinks I’m the one who doesn’t know anything about grocery stores. Everyone knows not to leave your purse in the cart.

  The closer to the cart he moved however, the stronger the smell became. He spun in a complete circle then called her name. He tossed the packages of meat on the russet potatoes and followed her scent. Each step brought his fear for her safety closer.

  Her scent mixed with Gorman’s when he passed through the swinging doors. He ran around yanking open doors and calling her name, his search frantic.

  Gone.

  He ran his hand through his hair searching for clues. There, on the floor outside a small room was a matchbook. On it was an address and the words. “Before the moon rises.”

  He snatched the small paper and placed it under his nose. Bile rose in his throat.

  Jaw clenched, Max cursed Gorman’s name.

  He retrieved her purse, pushed through the crowded store and hopped into his car.

  Alone, he flipped open his cell phone and dialed. He started with his parents, and then moved on to the rest.

  ****

  The pounding behind her eyelids woke her. She murmured a protest and tried to turn on her side, but the task proved impossible.

  Janet’s eyes shot open when the memory of her abduction hit her. She attempted to shift her weight but pain shot through her arms which dangled above her. Panic-stricken eyes traveled the length of her bound arms. Shock bolted her upright when she realized she'd been shackled to the wall. Her body screamed in protest with her sudden change of position from slouched on the stone and dirt floor.

  Her eyes adjusted to the dim light that peeked through the small window above her.

  She was in a basement, of that she was certain. Her clothes were intact, and her body felt more normal than not. The fact she had no recollection of how she had gotten to where she was scared the hell out of her, and had her worrying about whether or not she’d been raped. Her memory flashed to a past patient who had been violated during a drug induced stupor. The lady woke with a distinct feeling of the violation, but couldn’t remember the act.

  Trying her best to keep her wits about her, Janet closed her eyes and forced her breathing to slow down.

  “Freaking out isn’t going to help,” she told herself.

  She wanted to panic. God knew she was on the edge. But doing so would decrease her chances of survival.

  How many times had she stood by a patient’s side, listening to the cop’s applauding a victim’s strong sense of calm, which kept the person alive? Or the opposite when, under whispered words around a grieving family, the police told the ER staff of what could have been to make the outcome more favorable.

  Janet opened her eyes again, shaking loose the images of dead patients from her mind.

  Assess first.

  The basement was large, probably under a house of at least two thousand square feet. Pivoting, she noticed a set of stairs, wooden and broken down. The pipes above her head were old and covered in rust. No noise came from them, leading her to believe the house above was vacant.

  She gave the chains that bound her hands a quick tug. They were secure and unlike everything else around her, new.

  She managed to get to her feet, giving her arms a break and increasing the circulation to her fingertips.

  On her right, she noticed another set of chains. Leaning in she saw something hanging on them. Her eyes narrowed before terror in the form of a scream escaped her throat.

  Flesh and strands of skin dried in blood hung to the edges of the metal links.

  Her screams filled the empty space. Her breath ragged and forced controlled every muscle in her body. Grotesque images haunted her concerning the fate of the person there before.

  Her eyes dropped to the ground and saw for the first time the dried blood she sat in. Her screams erupted again, until thankfully she passed out.

  ****

  They gathered, as they always did when one of their own was threatened.

  Stoned-faced and determined, Max stood over the pack. Every one of them brought a civilian so cars could be driven at night.

  “How do we know where he’s keeping her?”

  “We don’t.” Max’s admission came at a price. Not having the exact location would mean they would have to spread out. Doing so was risky. The outcome, uncertain. “The address on the matchbook could be nothing more than a trap.”

  “Going there could mean suicide, Max.”

  He glared at his brother who stated the obvious. “Not going would mean her death. Or worse.”

  Richard nodded.

  “You’ll follow me to this address. The rest of you, pan out to his other known locations. Keep your cells on. If I leave this address with another person let the others know where I am,” he told his brother.

  “He could kill you then and there,” Lisa, his twenty-four year old cousin said from the side.

  Max shook his head. “No. He wants me to watch.” At least that’s what Max kept telling himself. Gorman wanted to torment, otherwise he would have already done away with Janet. Keeping her alive would draw Max to him.

  Max’s father pounded him on his back. “We’ll get her, son.”

  “We need to get moving.” Lisa started for the door. “Sundown is in less than two hours.”

  Max held back while the others filed out of his home. His father stood by his side.

  “She’s the one, dad. I can’t let him have her.”

  A smile skirted across his father’s face. “I thought as much. It isn’t like you to call the whole clan.”

  “Gorman can’t turn her.”

  “We won’t let that happen.”

  Max shoved his fists in his pockets. “If he tries, and I’m unable to stop him. Get to her first.” The unspoken request for his father to be the one to change Janet before Gorman had a chance to, left an empty hole in the pit of Max’s stomach.

  “I will.”

  Chapter Seven

  The address Max obtained directed him to a neighborhood filled with rundown houses and graffiti clad streets. Heavy iron bars burdened every window and door, indicating that this was not the place to linger unless you belonged. Even then the chances of surviving past nightfall was slim.

  Max walked the perimeter of the house before approaching the door. She wasn’t there, had never been according to his nose.

  Just as assured of her absence, he was certain he was being watched. Over his shoulder, he noted the van his brother drove parked several houses down.

  Inside the boarded up, abandoned home would be a clue as to where to find her.

  It wasn’t locked. In fact, the door almost crumbled when he opened it wide. With a gun i
n front of him, he bent his ear to listen for signs of life.

  All he heard was the hum and static of an old television. The dial and tube type, which took several minutes to warm up once turned on.

  The black and white picture filtered snow on the screen. He stepped closer for a better look.

  His throat clenched. There she was, chained like an animal, and dangling on a wall.

  Janet struggled to free herself. Her frantic movements showed him her desperation.

  “I’ll kill you for this you son of a bitch!” he yelled, spinning around as he did.

  Laughter crackled through the speakers of the old set. Max focused on the TV. Janet had stopped her movements. Her feet braced wide as if ready for a fight.

  “You’ve been quite a nuisance, Ritter.” Gorman’s voice said in defiance.

  “It’s me you want. Leave her alone.” Max said to the set, not certain he could be heard.

  “Max? Is that you?” Janet frantically searched the room. “Please, Max. Help me.”

  Kneeling next to the set, Max placed a hand on it wishing he could calm her fears. His were mounting by the second.

  “Please, Max... Help me.” Gorman’s mocking voice squeaked.

  Janet’s attention focused on the right of the camera. Max heard a door open and the sound of footsteps descending wooden stairs. She attempted to back away, but the chains restricted her movement.

  “You!” she said to Gorman when he approached.

  Max moved away from the set and leveled his gun, desperate to put a hole in the man who appeared on screen.

  “You picked the wrong patient, Miss O’Brien. You really should be more careful about the strays you take home.”

  Gorman reached out and cupped her chin, she jerked away, but he captured her head again, this time Max saw his fingers biting into her skin. “I see why you wanted her.”

  “Leave her!”

  Gorman moved in closer. Janet’s eyes, wide with fear, watched his every move. “I’m going to enjoy her, Ritter. And you will watch while I make her mine.”