by K. A. Fox
As I sat down, he glanced up at me from the table, then back down. “I’m sorry. This is harder to do than I thought it would be. But it’s just too important not to tell you.”
He pulled a couple pictures from his jacket and laid them face down on the table in front of me but didn’t remove his hand. I didn’t want to see any more pictures of me at the club or anywhere else for that matter, so I didn’t reach for them.
“I know this will be hard for you, but I think it’s important you know what’s happened since that night in Angel Falls,” he said keeping his voice low.
I sucked in a shocked breath as he turned them over. In each picture, a woman was laid out on the ground. One was wearing the same devil costume I’d used at the club, a curly blonde wig askew. The other was wearing a costume that looked very much like the angel costume I’d worn once while I waited for the murderer to show. I remembered that I’d worn a bright color of lipstick, probably borrowed from one of the dancers that night. The woman in front of me had the same color on her lips, but it had been smudged, as if someone had kissed her roughly. Both women had been strangled, telling bruises left behind on their throats. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by the sensation of strong hands wrapped around my neck and the agony as I struggled to breathe.
“Are you all right, Delaney?” Detective Bishop’s voice was soft.
I shook off the lingering panic I felt, refusing to give in to the memory. “Why are you showing me these?”
“Because you need to know. Looking at these pictures, all I can see is their resemblance to you. I think whoever did this, he was working with the guy you killed. Maybe he was there at the club, scoping things out. He saw you and when you stopped his partner, he decided that you needed to go. But you left town, and now, he’s working his way to you. Killing women who look like you in the process.”
I forced myself to look at the pictures again. Closely. “But, they don’t look like me.” And they really didn’t. They were wearing the same clothes, the same hair and makeup maybe, but if you were able to look past those things, you could see we weren’t matches. Both of them were obviously taller and more slender than I could ever hope to be.
“Close enough to be your stand-in for this guy. And when these girls went missing, they weren’t dressed like this. He put them in these costumes, made them look like you.”
I wanted to keep my voice low, but could feel fear building inside me, making it hard to breathe. I tried to be calm, but my words trembled as I spoke. “I haven’t seen anything about this. I have online alerts set up to notify me if anything like the other deaths were reported. Nothing has come through.”
“It’s been kept out of the media for now. But if this keeps happening, it’ll be everywhere soon. And the part you played in this won’t stay hidden long.”
I was responsible for this, that’s what he was saying. I tried to sip my drink and give my heart time to slow down to its regular pace, but I couldn’t. I pushed away from the table and dashed down the dimly lit hallway to the women’s restroom. Inside, alone, I ran cold water in the sink, using it to wash away the tears that had started to fall. Despite what I’d tried to do, despite wanting to keep other women from being hurt, I was the reason two more had died. I remembered what it had felt like to have those hands around my throat, to be desperate and gasping for air. The pain of it blossomed fiercely in my chest even as I fought to regain my control.
When I could look in the mirror again, I was shocked at how white my face was. My eyes were wide, the shock still evident, and my lips stood out, a slash of bright red against my skin. I didn’t want any of this to be true. But that didn’t change the fact this had happened. Would likely happen again. I needed information to catch this guy and end whatever game he thought he was playing.
Knowing I had to face the harsh facts, I whispered to myself. “You have to go back out there. Hiding won’t do any good now.” I bit my lip, straightened my shoulders, and stepped out into the hallway.
Strong hands grabbed me, pushing me up against a wall. I felt like everything slowed down, moving forward in minute increments. I dazedly recognized Detective Bishop, beautiful eyes fierce as he looked down at me. He glanced over his shoulder, toward the seating area, his fingers just grazing the skin over my collarbone. The small accidental touch shocked me, and it felt so good. I gasped pulling the detective’s attention back to me, the dark centers of his eyes eating up the bright blue surrounding them. He leaned in, his tongue wetting his lips, but I could feel restraint thrumming in him. Holding him back. I heard the whisper leave my mouth before the thought had fully formed in my mind. One word. “Yes.”
A triumphant smile flared on his face before his lips crashed down on mine, demanding. My mouth opened in surprise, letting his tongue in. I couldn’t move, and the kiss slowed down, an exploration. When I didn’t resist, his hands moved into my hair, tangling his fingers in the curls. I leaned into that touch. Heat pulsed through me and desire rose up fiercely, my stomach fluttering. I wanted more, so much more. Suddenly I was kissing him back, tasting him the way he had tasted me. He moaned softly, and his hands moved from my hair to cup my face and then down to my arms, holding me firmly between him and the wall.
As he broke away to take a shaky breath, sense began to force its way back into my brain, reminding me I shouldn’t be doing this. I pushed at his arms, trying to break the connection. I was in danger of falling, losing myself in how wonderful it felt to be held. To be desired. But I couldn’t let it happen. I had to stop this. I ground the heel of my shoe into the top of Torren’s foot. He flinched away, and I was able to step out of his embrace, putting some much-needed distance between us.
His gaze was unfocused, the blue of his eyes replaced by a deep darkness. A soft grin spread across his face as he said, “You taste good. Sweet with a little spice. Hot.” He closed his eyes, swaying like he was drunk, and when he opened them again, he said, “So good.” Need layered those simple words and he took a step toward me, like he wanted to taste me again.
I held my hands up, backing away from him, down the hall to where the tables were. I needed to maintain a healthy amount of space between us. “We shouldn’t have done that,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.
“I’m sorry. I was just waiting out here to make sure you were okay.” He pleaded with me, each step he took bringing him closer to me. His voice was almost a purr, silky against my ears and I fought to resist its pull. My body desperately wanted me to close the gap between us, to let him kiss me again and see if it felt as good a third time. And a fourth. And on and on.
“No Torren. Please. We can’t.”
He kept talking, the rhythm of his voice pulling me in. “When you left the table, I saw this guy. I think he was looking for you. When you came out...” he stopped, confused. Shaking his head, clearing it, he continued. “I’m not sure why I did that. But it felt good. Perfect.”
The panic in me rose to the top when I felt heat between us snap into being again as he reached for me. I slipped away from him. “You don’t understand what just happened.”
“I understand exactly what we did. I kissed you. We liked it.” He kept coming toward me, daring me to deny it.
“That’s not what I meant. You can’t just kiss me. This is a problem.” I knew I was babbling, fear making me ramble. “I have to go.”
He reached out again. “Stay, please. Or I’ll come with you. If that man I saw is following you, I can’t let you go alone.”
I dodged his grasping hand. “No. You need to go back to wherever it is you’re staying. Take a very cold shower, get some sleep. Do anything but think about what happened here.”
“But, Delaney,” he started. I cut him off with a wave of my hand and a quick shake of my head.
“Go. Now!” I turned and ran through the cafe, past the chairs and the customers ordering. Out in the cold air, I realized I’d left my coat behind. But I wasn’t going back, not with Torren still there,
high on what we’d done. I’d used my magic around him from the first time we met, and he’d followed me home. Things had just gone from bad to worse. We needed to stay away from each other.
This was yet another problem for me to fix. Angus was going to be so completely pissed.
Chapter Fourteen
My hands were shaking when I made it to my car, the cold chill of panic taking me over. My heart hammered in my head and I kept hearing Torren’s voice, the soft way he said my name. I jerked the transmission into reverse and slammed my foot down on the gas, ignoring the high whine of the engine at my rough treatment. Horns sounded behind me, but I didn’t spare a look back. I had to get out of there.
I spotted Torren, following the path I’d taken to my parking space as if he was a born tracker. My feet jammed down hard on the clutch and brake, the tires protesting even as I shifted violently into first gear. The tires spun as I dumped the clutch and mashed the gas again. The back end slid to the right before it hooked up and my Hellcat jumped forward, racing toward my escape.
I didn’t look back until I was surrounded by empty countryside. No cars were visible in my rearview, and I tried to slow my breathing. Tears had fallen as I drove, leaving salty tracks down my face as they dried. I couldn’t go home like this. I saw the turn off to an old gravel road up ahead and took it, following it away from the highway until it bent around the curve of a hill and I was hidden from view by the slope and a stand of trees. I pulled off to the side and stopped, resting my head on the wheel. Silent sobs shook me, and I gave in, the memories of the last time I’d been kissed sweeping over and pulling me under, back into that night two years ago. Angus had come to me, after my prom had erupted into mayhem at the sudden emergence of my magic. He’d given me a choice.
“All of it? All that happened because of you?” I faced him, tears blurring my vision. I didn’t want to believe what he’d just told me, but gut deep, I knew every word had been true. The screams from the gym still echoed in my ears.
“No Delaney. It happened because of you.” He gave me a sad smile. “The sins of the father and all that.”
The room swam as I fought to catch a breath. My mother. My friends. My future. Everything I thought my life would be was slipping away and there was nothing I could do.
“You have to make a choice.” This time his voice was softer. “Stay or go. You have to decide.”
I forced myself to swallow against the bile in my throat. “That’s not a choice, Dad. But you already knew that.”
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t look away. No matter what, he would be my witness.
“Go. It’s the right thing to do.” As I choked the words out, an agonized scream rose up from the hall right outside the room I’d hidden in, as if somehow my answer had penetrated the walls. I recognized the voice that called my name, pleading with me not to leave as a heavy fist battered the door I’d locked behind me. My heart twisted in my chest, a pain I almost welcomed. But the decision was made. I nodded at my father, more strength in my answer this time. “I have to go.”
“That’s my girl.”
He came to stand behind me, strong arms wrapping around and pulling me close, snuggling me up against his heart. The scent of brimstone stung my nose even as it comforted me. Then he took one step back and we fell, together, into Hell.
I tore myself free of the memory. Darkness had settled in outside my window the stars bright in the cloudless sky and silence wrapped itself around me, only my ragged breathing breaking the quiet. I couldn’t sit here all night. Cal and Moose would be waiting for me, wondering where I was. I started the engine, and let the car roll forward. Gravel crunched as I angled the tires back onto the road, leaving my moment of weakness behind.