Slenderman

by Ceeree Fields

  This was the sister she knew the least. Juliette had the gorgeous Polynesian bone structure of her mother’s ancestors with Joseph’s pale blue eyes. Long black hair cascaded in a sheet down her back and swayed gently as she chose her cue stick.

  Where Karma flew through life by the seat of her pants and Jenna was intense about anything computer related, this sister was an enigma. Cool and composed, most mistook her for Asian.

  “Or not. If you don’t want to be paired with me.” Her sharp brow arched in question, jolting Jo out of her thoughts.

  “Sorry, I figured you’d want to play with the others.” She gestured toward the other tables.

  “Nope, I’m good.” Juliette headed for Rhys and Sullivan’s table. “Hello, boys.”

  “Oh, this will be easy. Two midgets who can’t get around a nine-foot table means me and Rhys are gonna wipe the floor with you.” Sullivan strutted to the end to rack the balls.

  “In your dreams, Sully,” Jo called to her partner. “We might lack height, but we more than make up for it with our kick-ass moves.”

  In between games, cops from different departments came to the back to congratulate Jo. She’d not been able to invite everyone to their wedding. Being here allowed them to join in where they wanted. It was nice Charlie had let everyone know where she was.

  Jones and Brown strode in, making Jo question asking Charlie to let everyone know where she was. “What’re you two doing here?”

  “What? We can’t say congrats? I mean I know we have our differences, but we work in the same department now. What do you say we let bygones be bygones?” Jones held his hand out, and Jo clasped it wondering what the catch was. She still had blackmail material in case this ‘friends truce’ turned to crap.

  Brown followed his partner and shook her hand too. “We’ll be reporting to you after the honeymoon, so we need to work together and quit giving each other grief.”

  “Okay.” She clapped them on their shoulders. “First beer is on me.” She waved Marcie over and told her to get the gentlemen a beer.

  It was true they would be reporting to her, and she needed to quit the prank war that had sprouted up years ago between them. They joined the game. She was still surprised the two hadn’t taken the exam to move up to Lieutenant as well but when she’d asked, they’d said ‘No, we actually like being in the field. And Lieutenants have too much political bullshit they have to wade through.’

  Jo knew that. She and Sullivan had discussed it at length before applying for the job. None of Jo’s team had liked the prospects being floated to their captain. To protect their department, Jo and Sullivan had stepped up.

  Hours later they sat around several tables in the back. It was just her team, Ian, Redden, and Rhys everyone else had long since gone home. Inevitably the talk devolved to Lucy.

  “Still no sign of her?” she asked Ian and Redden.

  Ian and Karma were leaning against each other. Abe had left before the pool games were over, he claimed it was to help cover their shift with Brown and Jones tomorrow, but she’d seen how he’d looked at Karma. He wanted her as much as Karma wanted him. After her honeymoon, Jo would see about forcing them past their stubbornness to see what was right in front of them.

  “No.” Ian sighed. “I’m due in Ireland next week for a new case.”

  “Same. We’ve tapped every resource we have,” Redden rubbed his face. “She’s gone.”

  Jo’s shoulders slumped in defeat. It looked as if none of the victims’ families would find closure.

  ~ ~ ~

  They were due to leave for Huntsville in another two hours to begin prepping for the wedding. Rhys looked at the woman who had become the center of his world. Brown hair covered her face, one arm clutched him tightly, and her face was buried in his shoulder.

  It took him time to untangle himself from her grasp and slip from the bed. Tiptoeing to the walk-in closet, he dug into a box he’d tucked behind his hanging clothes and hurried back to Jo’s sleeping form.

  Pressing a kiss to her neck, he slowly roused her from the first deep sleep she’d had in weeks. He hated doing it, but he was out of time. Jo had been so focused on finding Lucy and then throwing herself into their wedding plans she hadn’t stopped to breathe. He refused to slow her down; instead, he wanted her to deal with the perp that got away the best way she could. Or come to terms with losing Lucy.

  “Jo?” he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

  “Humph.” Her arm tried to snake around his waist, but she came up against the box. “What?”

  She dragged the sheet to her chest as she pushed her hair from her eyes. The blue chips of ice warmed when they landed on him. He loved looking into their depths. His friends had cautioned him to make sure her heart was open to him. To them, she seemed cold, distant, and harsh. Though his friends William and David appreciated her protective streak when getting rid of Cristal, who was now neck deep in lawsuits and various hearings. He cherished her shielding their family and friends from danger.

  None realized the barriers Jo erected protected her tender heart from the nightmares her job brought to her. With him, she was warm and caring. Sometimes brash, but her prickly defenses weren’t armed for him. He saw the soft cuddly Jo and loved her for it.

  “Rhys? What time is it?” Her sleep raspy voice sent a shiver through him.

  Looking at the clock, he groaned. They didn’t have time for another round if they wanted to eat with Rian and Evan. “We need to leave in a few hours.”

  “Why the hell didn’t you wake me up sooner?” She tried to slide out of bed, but he stopped her with a hand on her hip.

  “We’ve got enough time to clean up and eat with the boys. But first, I want to give you the gift I bought for our wedding day.”

  Bright blue eyes widened. “You got me a gift? It really is a thing? Because Karma wasn’t sure—”

  “Maybe not a thing for others but I wanted—”

  She was out of the bed and racing to the closet before he could finish, appearing seconds later with a small box in her hands. “I have something too. I didn’t buy it, but—”

  “Okay, how about we exchange them together?”

  “No, umm. Like I said I didn’t buy it, but I planned to take it with us and give it to you before the wedding, but now—”

  He pressed a kiss to her lips to stop her rambling. It happened whenever she became flustered or nervous with him. No one else saw this side of her. His porcupine never lowered her guard enough to be vulnerable except with him. “Open mine first. Then I’ll look at what you have.”

  She nodded and took the box. The lid easily came off to show another black box nestled in it. She clicked it open and gasped. “You bought it? For me?”

  “You’ve been going on and on about it. You can’t use it as your backup piece, but I thought for the gun you put in the nightstand you can use this instead of the .38 you have now.”

  Her fingers trembled as she traced over the Lady Hawk 2.0. It was the gun of her dreams.

  “I didn’t think you’d like the rose gold, but I liked it, so I had everything else designed in black with only a few accents.”

  She squealed, dropped the unloaded gun on the bed, and leaped in his lap. “I love it. Thank you.”

  “Well, you can’t test it until we get back. But I couldn’t carry it with us on our honeymoon.”

  His voice was silenced when she claimed his lips and tried to push him back to the bed. Gripping her waist, he stopped her. “Wait. What about my present?”

  “Oh.” She twisted around and pushed the box into his hand. “You know the office you gave me was your dad’s outer office, right?”

  Rhys nodded. He had struggled with letting go of the space. It helped that Jo had not changed much just added a few of her own pieces to it.

 
“Well, I wanted to keep that large file cabinet he had the one with the front glass—”

  “I remember it was custom made.” Not just custom made, but his mother had designed it for one of their anniversaries. Rhys secretly thought that was the real reason Jo had kept it but never asked.

  “Because of your schedule, I cleaned it out and boxed everything up. Do you remember?”

  “Yeah.” His gaze dropped to the box.

  “Well, your dad had this in there. It was your grandfather’s, but your dad had it engraved. I think he was planning to give it to you if you ever married.”

  Rhys’s eyes jumped to hers. “What?”

  “It was probably supposed to be your something old.”

  He shook his head and tore into the box. Nestled inside was his grandfather’s OMEGA 1954 Mens Seamaster watch. “I’d wondered what happened to it. I loved my grandfather’s watches. He had several, but this one was his everyday piece.”

  With trembling hands, he turned it over to read the words his father left for him. My son, may your love be as magical as what your mother and I found.

  A rustling and Jo drew a small card from the box lid. “You missed this.”

  He opened the envelope and drew out the card.

  Rhysian,

  Your mother and I kept this back after your grandfather passed because we wanted you to have it on your wedding day. It was at your grandfather’s request since your grandmother gave it to him on their anniversary. He loved her until the day she died. And he hoped this watch would be a happy memory of them on your wedding day.

  Love,

  Mom and Dad

  “I’ve no idea why he had a note or the engraving already done.” Jo tucked her new gun away. “And it was weird to find it just sitting there, but I wasn’t sure how to broach it with you and then the whole Lucy thing blew up on us—”

  “This is the perfect time.” He dragged her to him. “Dad was a planner. If Granddad asked for it to be handed down to me, then I can see Dad having it engraved the next day and making a card for it. Heck, he’s probably got a note in his day planner about the watch. I’ve just never had the nerve to read it.”

  Jo nuzzled into the hollow of his throat. “Maybe when we get back, I can read it for you.”

  “Or we can do it together.” He was stronger with her than alone.

  “I’d like that,” she said, kissing him.

  A loud banging on the door separated them. “Hey, you two need to get your asses out of the bed if you plan to be on time for your wedding.”

  Jo growled. “Go away, Karma.”

  “Suit yourself. I’ll just tell three hundred plus people—”

  “We’re up!” Rhys yelled through the door laughing.

  “But we’re sharing a shower,” Jo added as she walked into the closet to store the new gun in the safe.

  “Fine, don’t blame me if I see you two naked because you took too long.”

  Rhys laughed harder when Jo burst from the closet, grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the shower.

  “We’ve gotta hurry or Karm will really come in here. Then I’ll have to kill her because your doctor and I are the only ones allowed to see you naked.”

  He shook his head at Jo’s antics but quickly disrobed and joined her under the steaming water. Quick wouldn’t be a problem since they’d have a lifetime to make love slow.

  Chapter 16

  “You have nerves of steel, hon.” Terry closed the door behind Jo’s sisters after sending them off on various errands to make sure everything came together without a hitch.

  Arching a brow, Jo tried to not to wince as the stylist pounded her hair into submission. “I don’t get why you’re saying that, but okay.”

  “Well, there are well over three hundred people out there. Between Rhys’s group of friends, his parents’ friends, your massive family, and your family in blue it’s like a sea of people. Yet, you’re sitting here pretty as you please not asking for a Valium, no bottle of rum in sight.”

  Jo shrugged. “I don’t need it.”

  “I can see that.” Terry gestured at Jo. “I mean, you didn’t even flinch at the number.”

  Was she nervous? A little. But the thought of Rhys calmed her. He was better than any substance for her nerves, and at the end of the day, he would be all hers. Besides, the reward for braving all this pageantry was the honeymoon. Two weeks of no one interrupting them when they kissed. No snickers or snide comments. And the resort they booked the private bungalow had a private beach for the resort only. Jo was sure they could work it so she and Rhys could make love in the ocean.

  “Jo, seriously. You hate crowds.”

  “I do.”

  “And?”

  Jo huffed in frustration. She’d just gotten rid of the last of the people crowding her. Just her luck her best friend had stayed behind. Though Terry had sent Maddy to Rhys and Rian since they must be missing their parents today. Jo had asked Terry to get Maddy away from her before the woman drove her nuts with all the fussing and fluttering. Now Terry was doing the same thing.

  “Jo.”

  Terry was a trained interrogator and could be as persistent as Jo when on the trail. Giving in, she met her friend’s gaze in the mirror. “I want to give him this. I know I joke about eloping, but I could tell he wanted the whole fanfare with all the bells and whistles.” Her hands were steady as she petted the velvet burgundy robe with Bride stenciled across it on the right. “I don’t mind being uncomfortable for a few hours when the reward is Rhys for an entire lifetime.”

  The stylist sniffled.

  Panicked, Jo tried to turn, but the stylist held her hair too tight. Instead, she had to resort to patting the woman’s hand. “Oh, Christ. Don’t cry. I don’t do tears.”

  “We’re done. Why don’t I chat with your matron of honor while you get dressed?” The stylist dabbed at her eyes.

  Jo looked at herself in the mirror and gasped. It was the weirdest thing she’d ever seen. Her pale eyes looked smoky and mysterious and not scary at all. Her brown hair had been set in a loose twist with curled tendrils dripping down her neck and shoulder. It made her seem softer and more approachable. The delicate band of Austrian crystals Rhys had given her as her something new glinted in the locks, drawing the eye away from her drab hair color to the pretty bauble.

  While Terry regaled the woman on how they’d chosen the colors for the wedding, she headed for the other side of the suite to dress. As Jo slid the thigh-high silk stocking up her leg and attached it to the garter belt, she saw that Terry was right, Jo’s hands didn’t tremble with nerves. Her stomach didn’t clench in fear. Everything about this moment felt right.

  Rhys had sealed his fate the second he’d taken Jo in after Terry was shot two years ago. Even though he was turned on, he didn’t press Jo for anything. He held her. Offering nothing but comfort and safety as he allowed her mind and body to shed the terror of leading her best friend into an ambush that had almost gotten the woman killed. Jo might not have known she was in love in that exact moment, but looking back she knew that was when she fell. The second his love for her overcame their passionate need for sex she knew Rhys was the right man.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jo stood behind Terry as she was the matron of honor with her sisters arrayed ahead of her. From Abigail, her half-sister through Maddy and Carl, to Jenna, Juliette, and Karma, her three half-sisters from Joseph. They all looked gorgeous in the black and silver satin dresses.

  The simple decorations fit Jo and Rhys to a tee. White and green arrangements with bands of sheer black and silver ribbons wound through them perched at the end of the row of chairs her mother and brothers sat in. The colors carried over into the display at the archway overlooking the gardens. The gardens were the on full display and bursting with colors from innoc
ent white to the lush pink. Black lined with silver carpet runners flowed down the main aisle stopping just short of the archway.

  “You ready?” Carl asked from Jo’s right.

  “Yes.” She linked her hand through Carl’s elbow and then turned and did the same with Joseph’s.

  It might have seemed odd having her adopted father and her biological father walking her down the aisle, but she didn’t care. Joseph had saved her at five when she’d been kidnapped, then he’d protected Rian after Rhys had been abducted during the Skinned case, and he, Carl and Maddy would be there to watch over Rian while Rhys and Jo took their honeymoon.

  He might not have been in her life, but based on the stories her mother shared and the pictures decorating Joseph’s house he had always been a part of her life. He deserved to be by her side just as much as Carl did, and she loved the two men hadn’t made her choose. Instead, both stood proud beside her as the music swelled and they stepped onto the runner.

  The whispers from hers and Rhys’s family and friends as they shared in the event made Jo smile. Then her gaze landed on Rhys, and she forgot to breathe. Forgot the three hundred plus guests surrounding them. Forgot everything except her love for him.

  When she tried to hurry to him, Carl and Joseph kept her walking sedately up the aisle. Her smile turned to a scowl, and she narrowed her eyes on her two fathers. “I want Rhys.”

  Carl chuckled and patted her hand. “And we want to get you there safely. If you go tearing down this aisle, you could trip over that skirt and hurt yourself.”

  “Then where would you be on your honeymoon?” Joseph added, making Carl laugh that much harder.

  She jabbed both of them with her elbows. “No talking about sex and Rhys. At least not with you two.”

  It felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before her hands were clasped in Rhys’s and her fathers melted away. They had kept the traditional vows, omitting the obey part as there was no way would Jo obey anyone. She might listen to Rhys, but she had a mind of her own. Luckily, her fiancé agreed with her. Her favorite word through the whole ceremony was cherishing.