Slenderman

by Ceeree Fields

  She cherished Rhys. His quirks, like watching bad police dramas, and his love of golf. She cherished the way he calmed her when she would rage at a criminal getting off because of a technicality. But most of all she cherished him as her haven. When the job took her to the deepest pits of hell, his arms and his love pulled her back from the brink. Put her back together so she could battle on against the demons of humanity. He was far from perfect, but he was perfect for her.

  The rest was a blur filled with his shining eyes that sparkled like champagne. When they kissed, it was as electric as the first time his lips touched hers but so familiar. A few steps led the group into the reception hall. Tasteful touches of silver and black with floor to ceiling windows that brought in all the colors of the rainbow were more than enough decoration.

  “Only one cake?” Rhys asked.

  This was one piece she kept as a surprise. The cake. She had not been able to decide on one kind but had enjoyed the taste of several. Instead of choosing just one, she had picked several flavors.

  “I didn’t like a bride and groom cake. I wanted our cake.” She pointed to the various tiers. One was decorated with mini handcuffs and her badge. His was decorated with a stethoscope and a panda Band-Aid. There were other pieces of their life together. A small gaming piece that incorporated their time with Rian. One with a silver and black orchid for his mother being held by a wooden box for his father’s woodworking projects. Her parents were there as well in a fishing rod and a heart for Jo’s mother’s infinite love. Even the dancing frogs were present to represent her partner and Arabelle.

  “I love this, Jo,” he whispered in awe.

  Overcome with joy, she could only smile and press a kiss to his lips. She was so glad she’d been able to keep this a secret.

  Their first dance as a married couple to Halestorm’s “Beautiful With You.” There was one dance after another with family and friends. Until finally the last toast given by Rian was done, and they could escape down the gauntlet of their friends and family toward the waiting limo. Karma had the door to the car open, and Jo hesitated at the impish light dancing in her sister’s pale blue gaze. Rhys stopped and yanked Jo into his arms, bending her back he claimed her lips amidst hoots and hollers.

  He pulled away with a gasp when air was needed. Licking his lips, he grinned. “Hot and spicy, just like my porcupine.”

  She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous nickname he’d given her at the beginning of their relationship. Before she could retort, Karma was pushing them toward the backseat of the waiting car.

  “Get a limo you two . . . oh, wait you have one,” Karma snarked next to them. “If you’re gonna ravish my big sister, you should at least do it behind tinted windows like the rest of us.”

  Jo groaned then laughed as she tugged Rhys to the waiting limo.

  “And if you’re going to stay in Mexico longer, don’t worry, Maker and me will look after Sullivan,” Karma shouted as the limo door shut.

  “I don’t think so!” Sullivan yelled back.

  She joined Rhys laughing at their crazy friends. He rolled up the privacy screen between the back of the limo and the front before he pounced on her. “I didn’t think we would ever get away.”

  She giggled and slapped a hand over her mouth. Rhys nudged it away and captured her lips in a long kiss that only broke when the driver tapped on their window. Sitting quickly, they both straightened their clothes. Jo had changed after the pictures into a black pantsuit that flowed around her legs imitating a skirt, complimenting the black and silver long sleeved top that hugged her few curves.

  Stepping from the limo, she froze at the sight of Rhys. Sunlight danced around him as he introduced their pilot to the limo driver and the two began to shift the luggage from the back of the car to the private plane. She memorized the liquid warmth flowing from his gaze as he held his hand out for her. Unable to be away from him for a second longer she laced their fingers together.

  ~ ~ ~

  Jo woke to feel Rhys’s body wrapped around her. Her favorite way to wake up was secured in the warmth of his arms and held close to his heart. She loved Rhys. The word, though powerful, didn’t come close to describing how she felt. When she came home at the end of a long shift and he wasn’t there, the place didn’t feel like home to her. She longed for him to return and breathed easier in his presence. He had become the center of her world.

  Today she could be sappy since it was the first day of her honeymoon. Closing her eyes, she reveled in the moment’s perfection before a quiet knock pulled her out of bed. With a jerk, she grabbed the fluffy white robe from the back of the bedroom door and cinched it around her waist.

  Opening the door, she found her first smile as she stepped aside. The waiter nudged the cart over the doorjamb and rolled it next to the table in the corner. “Your breakfast, ma’am.”

  Really, this place had everything. Sidewalks to make it easy for the wait staff to bring meals to the bungalows. Ramps for wheelchairs also worked for meal carts and the maid service carts. She could appreciate the amenities of having her breakfast delivered.

  She snagged her purse and handed the man a tip. “Thank you.”

  The waiter got the message as she reopened the door and he tossed a smile over his shoulder on the way out. She hurried to the bathroom before waking Rhys. Quickly washing her hands, she sauntered back into the bedroom and froze.

  His gorgeous gold hair was spread out like spun gold on the pillow. One flattened palm slid across the spot she had just left. His other hand trailed over his defined chest beneath the sheet.

  Jo grinned as her blood heated. Forget breakfast, she wanted a taste of her husband. He rotated his hips. A moan pushed past his lips. She let the robe drop behind her and crawled over him, her naked skin sliding across his. His lids fluttered open, and he smiled. “Best dream ever.”

  She laughed as he grabbed her around the waist and pushed her under him.

  An hour later they were eating their nuked breakfast.

  “Tomorrow I’m golfing with the package Joseph gave me, if you want to come.” Rhys cut into his omelet.

  “Nope. I’m using the spa package.” Jo dug into her spicy omelet she’d been dying to try. She couldn’t help but moan at the flavors. Even an hour old and heated in the microwave it tasted delicious.

  “Do you think it’s odd we’re going in two separate directions? This is our honeymoon.”

  She shook her head. “I think we should be allowed to have interests outside of ourselves. We can’t have a non-stop sex-a-thon. One, we’d end up in the hospital probably dehydrated and two, I wanted you to have a golf experience while we were down here. It’s why I put a bug in Karma’s ear to see if she and Maker could figure something out.”

  “Looks like they did by telling Joseph. He booked me a place at the Quivira Golf Club.”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “It’s on a cliffside and has amazing views of the ocean. There’s one hole that’s literally positioned on a cliff.” Rhys was so excited which made her happy to give up one of their days together. “Jack Nicklaus designed it.”

  “I’m happy for you, hon. And I’m just as happy to get pampered while you do your golf thing.” She sipped her coffee. Everything tasted better on her honeymoon. “Then the rest of the trip we’ll visit the sights we talked about while planning this.”

  “Lover’s Beach? The Catamaran Tour?”

  She grinned. “Yes. And maybe one of the temples? The Pyramid of the Sun is south of Mexico City. Or we can fly to the Yucatán and explore El Castillo. We can charter a plane and stay a few nights.”

  Rhys shared her smile. “But today is about the sex-a-thon.”

  She laughed as she sprung from her seat and darted toward the back of the bungalow. “Sounds like a plan. First one in bed has control.”
>
  Chapter 17

  “I still can’t believe Joseph got me this as a wedding present,” Rhys said excitedly. He finished tying his shoes and picked up his golf bag. “This is one of the premier golf courses in the world. To top that off, I read that there are areas that incorporate not just the oceanside cliffs but the ponds too—”

  “I’ve no idea what you said, but I’m glad you’re going.” She shook her head at how her husband all but bounced like his younger brother as he got ready.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?” he asked one more time stuffing his wallet and cell in his golf bag.

  “Nope, I’ve already told you I’m going to the spa. He bought me a package of Total Luxury. Not sure what that entails, but I’m hoping a massage is somewhere in there.” She bit her lip to keep the chuckle from bursting out as Rhys raced back into the bedroom and rushed back to the door. “I love you, and I’ll see you in time for dinner.”

  “Okay.” She kissed him before he could get away.

  Slipping into her shoes, she grabbed her purse to start her day of pampering. A soft tap on her door had Jo arching a brow. “Did you forget your keycard?” Her jaw dropped in shock. “Dad? What the hell?”

  Ian stepped around Joseph. “Hi, Jo.”

  She looked between the two men, unsure what was going on. What were these two doing interrupting her honeymoon?

  Joseph pushed into the room. “We don’t have much time.”

  “Okay, but I have a spa deal you set up for—”

  “That was a ruse. I have you and Rhys scheduled for a couple’s massage and a full kit day after tomorrow. Your spa package was just to give you something to tell Rhys so he wouldn’t feel guilty leaving for the golf course.”

  Confused, she crossed her arms. She didn’t want to lie to Rhys. Would they expect her to keep whatever they were up to a secret? “Why?”

  “Because Joseph had Lucy arrested here.” Ian snapped the door shut.

  “He what?” She rounded on her dad. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t know until the day before your wedding. I have contacts all over the world and was able to get Rhys a golf trip that would coincide with your honeymoon—”

  “What’s the big deal? He could’ve gone—”

  “No, Rhys would’ve wanted to help her.” Joseph scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “And what makes you think I won’t help her? Or have her pulled back to the States?”

  “I have the complete picture now.” Joseph passed her a thick file. “I’ll paraphrase since we’re on a time crunch. You all had her for twelve deaths, but you couldn’t figure out the dead period after she killed her boyfriend.”

  “Right.” Jo saw dates for flights into China and another set for Russia as she flipped through the file.

  “She wasn’t dormant. Based on my contacts, she went to Russia later that year when she told everyone she was going to Mexico on a trip to help orphans and young mothers. And she got a Chinese visa the next year when she was supposedly backpacking through Europe to help deal with her parents’ deaths.”

  “That’s in this file?” Ian leaned over Jo’s shoulder to read.

  “It is. And now I’ve pulled a hell of a lot of strings to have her arrested here when another contact found her.” Joseph took the file and tossed it on the couch. “We have to go, or we won’t be back in time for you to meet Rhys for dinner.”

  “Okay.” This she had to see with her own eyes. It was probably someone posing as Lucy. She made sure the door shut behind them and stuck a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the bungalow door handle. With how their house was nestled next to the private beach, she didn’t have to worry about them being seen.

  She tugged at the sundress, wishing she’d been able to change into something more professional. Not that she’d brought any professional clothes, but one of the dressy outfits she packed for the dinners at the fancy restaurants would have worked.

  Then again Joseph was dressed in his usual dark slacks and dark t-shirt paired with aviator sunglasses hooked on the collar. Ian was dressed in khaki shorts and a gray t-shirt with a short-sleeved plaid shirt in blue and green hanging open over it and sandals on his feet. Compared to his outfit, hers was a step up. They climbed into the SUV with Joseph at the wheel since he knew where they were going.

  Joseph wound through the resort area like a pro.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Mexico City.”

  Jo gasped. “Dad, we won’t make it back in time.”

  No way could they get to Mexico City from Cabo San Lucas and back before tonight. Not driving at least.

  “You need to trust me, kid.”

  Instead of heading to any main road, Joseph took a dirt road filled with potholes that slammed them into the doors and their seats with equal fervor. The road bottomed out at a private airport. Parking the car near an old hanger, Joseph hopped out with Jo and Ian slowly following.

  The hangar looked like the beginning of several horror movies Jo had watched. Rust, primer, and military tan were splotched across the metal surface. Inside wasn’t much better with parts of what looked like the inside of engines strewn over several surfaces their entrails trailing to the oil-stained floor.

  They left the beat to hell hangar and made their way through a side door to a nicer hangar that held two small planes.

  “Your dad seems to know his way around,” Ian said as they approached Joseph and a white-haired man with a face like tanned leather left in the sun too long. His blue-gray coveralls were stained with grease and worn.

  “Thanks, Mick.”

  “No problem, Mr. Smith,” Mick said his chin tipping in acknowledgment.

  “Consider us even.”

  The old man shook his head. “Never even. You and your daughter saved my grandbaby. You come by here anytime you need me.” He tapped the side of a small twin-engine plane painted white with blue trim. “Treat her good.”

  Joseph shook the man’s hand. “I always do, Mick. See ya this evening.”

  With that, the man disappeared into the door they’d just come through, and Joseph motioned her and Ian toward the plane.

  “Who’s going to drive this thing?”

  Joseph laughed as he slid into the pilot’s seat. “It’s called flying Jo, and I’ll be your pilot. Strap yourself in and let’s get this done.”

  Shock poured into her. He flew? Was there anything he couldn’t do? Her father fiddled with several buttons and switches before turning the plane on. It was loud. Ian passed a set of headphones with a microphone attached to her. The second she put them on the cacophony from the engines muted, and she could hear what Joseph and Ian were saying.

  “It’ll take us about two hours to get there, so sit back and relax.”

  “How are we keeping her in this prison?” she asked.

  “We’ve got two victims that were Mexican citizens,” Ian answered.

  Jo nibbled her thumb as she sorted through the victims she knew. None of hers were from Mexico.

  “The one in Michigan and the one in Georgia.”

  “No.” They were both American citizens, she had their information.

  “Yes, the Michigan man was from Mexico studying at the college there. Whereas victim number two, in Georgia, had dual citizenship.”

  She didn’t remember the dual citizenship piece. “I remembered Michigan after you pointed it out. But are you sure about the other—”

  “Yes, I’ve got the file here.” Ian lifted his leather satchel. “Along with both of their birth certificates. Joseph suggested I bring everything.”

  “Way to go, Dad.” She patted his shoulder.

  Joseph snorted. “Just logical, Jo. This way we have it at our hands. It’s always a good idea to make things as
easy as possible when people are doing favors for you.”

  “And her being arrested here is a favor?” Her eyes drifted to the view below. The blue jeweled ocean sparkled in the cloudless sky. Today was turning out better than she had imagined. The spa package was fine, but Lucy being captured was the best gift her father could ever give her. To see the serial killer get what she deserved would bring closure to a lot of lives, Jo’s included as it would give Rian and Evan peace.

  “No, them keeping her in their prison is the favor.”

  Jo arched a brow. “Will she be able to bribe her way out?”

  “Nope. Again, it’s why I want all our ducks in a row.”

  Curious, she needed to know. “Who’s your contact?”

  “A Commissioner General—”

  “With the Federal Police?” Ian asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Damn, Joseph.” Ian’s face paled.

  Jo didn’t know much about the ranks in Mexico but based on Ian’s reaction the man must be intimidating. “Aren’t the Federal Police mostly focused on drug cartels?”

  “Yes, but my contact is willing to help smooth the way to keep a serial killer behind bars.”

  “Why?” she shouldn’t ask, but her mind spun so many stories about how her father could have this contact. “Why is he willing to go out on a limb and help you?”

  Joseph cleared his throat. “His son was kidnapped. I was on a mission and ended up rescuing him as well as several other hostages. The Commissioner appreciated it, especially since I was hurt in the process.”

  “The Thailand incident. The one that distracted Karma so much she stopped calling me when we all first met.” She had heard so many stories now from Karma and Jenna it was easy for her to pick out which adventure it referred to.