Once they were all there, introductions were made. Officer Brightly’s given name turned out to be Theresa. She was in her early thirties, and Cecily cast a glance at her brother. Like Ethan said Jake had done to her earlier, Marcus was looking at the cop like he knew what she looked like naked. She looked at Jake. He was giving the cop the same look. She hoped Ethan noticed.
“Let’s go inside,” Murphy said.
The sight of the new door was a strange thing to see, and she was nervous about seeing the one that was inside the door, vandalized and calling her names that she’d rather not think about.
She used the keys Marcus had given her to unlock the door. The first thing she saw was the door lying on her living room floor. Her sharp intake of breath must have been heard by everyone behind her. She stood above it and stared down. The door was white, and the lettering was red. It was quite a contrast, and it added weight to its words.
“Let’s all take a seat,” Murphy said. “I have officers coming in a few moments to take away the door. It’s evidence.”
“Thank you,” Cecily said. “The last thing I want is to have to stare at it for too long.”
They moved to the dining room table. Ethan sat next to her and held her hand under the table.
“You know most of what happened,” Murphy said. “We checked the video at the fast food place where you had the run-in with the unknown guy. The license plates were stolen from a car about a week ago. I have no clue why he took them off to come over here last night.”
Cecily squeezed Ethan’s hand, and he squeezed it back.
“Cecily, there has to be some reason someone is after you,” Murphy said. “Have you pissed anyone off recently?”
“Not that I know of,” she said.
“No one you have an ongoing feud with?” Brightly asked.
“No,” Cecily said. “Truthfully, the last time I had a fight with someone was in high school, and that was fifteen years ago. I don’t think someone would wait that long to piss me off.”
“What about ex-boyfriends?” Brightly asked. “I understand from your brother that you and Ethan recently became engaged. That might make an ex mad.”
Cecily shook her head. “I’ve had several boyfriends over the years, but they’re all happily married now. I can’t see why any one of them would be involved in this.”
She didn’t mention that these men had been her Doms, that they had bonded together, and then when it was decided it was time to split, things had ended on very good terms.
“What about you, Ethan?” Murphy asked.
“Me?” She felt Ethan’s body jerk. “You think I did this?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Murphy said. “Do you have enemies? Former girlfriends who might be mad that you’re getting married. They might want to take things out on your future wife.”
“No,” Ethan said. The word was so short, and said with such force, that Cecily was sure the officers would know he was hiding something. Seconds later, her fears were confirmed.
“What’s up, Ethan?” Murphy leaned forward. “Tell me what you’re hiding.”
Ethan looked away, and then he glared at Murphy. “It has nothing to do with this.”
“Let us decide whether or not it’s important,” Brightly said.
“My wife was murdered,” he said.
The room seemed to grow frigid. Cecily squeezed his hand once more, and he did the same.
“When?” Murphy asked.
“Six years ago,” Ethan said. “The cops thought I did it. I’m sure there’s quite a file on it at the station.”
“So it was here in Vegas?” Brightly asked.
“Yes,” Ethan said. “Her name was Leah Pratt. Leah Marie Pratt.”
His voice seemed to break on the last word, and Cecily wanted to take him in her arms and hold him.
“Tell us what happened,” Murphy said.
For a moment, Cecily thought he wouldn’t say anything, but then he said, “It was a Wednesday afternoon. She was coming out of a casino where she’d just had a meeting with a client in the restaurant.”
“Which casino?” Murphy asked.
“Tate’s,” Ethan said. “Witnesses say she stepped off the sidewalk and into the path of an oncoming car. It hit her and then sped away. But when they went to tend to her she wasn’t dead. Seconds later, someone came out of the crowd and shot her. She died instantly after that.”
“So it was a targeted hit,” Brightly said.
“Which is why the cops thought I did it,” Ethan said. “I loved my wife, and I would never have done anything—and I mean anything—to hurt her. The same is true about Cecily. I love her, and I don’t want to hurt her. Ever.”
“Where were you during the road rage incident?” Brightly asked.
“At home, in Silver Creek.”
Brightly frowned, and then she said, “That fancy resort near Hollis Creek?”
“You mean that BDSM resort near Hollis Creek,” Ethan said. “Yes, that’s the one.”
Cecily wanted to ask how Brightly knew about the resort, but she kept her mouth closed. They had stopped focusing on her and were now thinking Ethan had something to do with what was happening.
“Ethan was with me when the door was vandalized,” she said. “We were sleeping, at Silver Creek, which is three hours away from here.”
“He could have hired someone,” Brightly said. “Just as he could have hired someone to kill his wife.”
“So he asked me to marry him, and then set about to hurt me?” Cecily pointed a finger at Brightly. “I don’t know what sort of world you live in, but in mine, Ethan loves me, and he would never, ever hurt me. I trust him with my life.”
Brightly opened her mouth, and for a moment Cecily was sure she was going to say something that would pretty much tell Cecily that she was a stupid fool. But Murphy snapped his fingers.
“Let’s keep things civil, shall we?”
“Look into Leah’s murder,” Ethan said. “The cops said they cleared me. The officer in charge was Detective Sanchez. I haven’t heard from him in years, so I have no clue if he’s still around or not.”
“We will,” Brightly said. “And he is. I’ll chat with him.”
“While we’re investigating, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay here,” Murphy said.
For the first time, Gregory spoke up. “But we don’t want you to go very far. We would like you to stay in Vegas until we get to the bottom of things.”
“Like you got to the bottom of my wife’s murder?” Ethan asked. “It’s never been solved.
“So you say,” Brightly countered. Murphy shot her a look that made Cecily smile.
“We’ll stay at a hotel,” Ethan said. “I’ll let you know which one after we check in.”
“We have your numbers, right?” Murphy asked.
“Yes,” Ethan said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“See that you don’t,” Brightly said.
Cecily wanted to smack the woman upside the head. She wondered why her brother thought the cop was sexy. Her attitude was certainly nothing that would make her attractive. She wanted to tell Marcus he needed to change his taste in women.
A knock at the door broke the tension in the room. Cecily got up and went toward it, but Ethan rushed past her and said, “Who is it?”
“Las Vegas PD,” a voice answered.
“Let me,” Gregory said. He opened the door to admit two men in plainclothes. “Heller, you’re here to get the door?”
“Yup.” The two men shook hands, and moments later Heller, and a man who had not been introduced, carried the door outside. When they were gone, Murphy, Gregory and Brightly followed suit. Before she could shut the door, Murphy stuck his head inside.
“Ethan, I personally don’t think you killed your wife.” Murphy held out his hand, and Ethan shook it. “I just wanted you to know that. We’ll be in touch.”
When the door was closed once more, Marcus spoke up. “I talked to Dylan
this morning. He offered you his tree house.”
“No,” Cecily said. “I don’t like the idea of putting anyone else in danger.”
“You mean like a hotel full of people?” Marcus asked. “If you ask me, the tree house is safer than a hotel.”
“He might be right,” Ethan said. “I’ll call Dylan myself and discuss it with him, let him know the risks involved. Sweetie, go pack a bag. Hell, pack two. There’s no telling how long this is going to take.”
She knew he was right. She went to the bedroom and started to pull clothes off hangers. As she was pulling out a suitcase, Ethan came up behind her.
“Baby, I promise that nothing is going to happen to you.” He pulled her into his arms. “Remember when I told you I was determined to make you happy?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Well now I’m determined to keep you alive, no matter the cost.”
Chapter 6
Cecily was not concerned with what she put in her suitcases. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t care if she ever stayed in this house again. She would put it on the market as soon as she could and move her things to Silver Creek. She wanted to live there, with Ethan close by to keep her safe.
But the moment that thought crossed her mind she knew it wasn’t right. She had to face the problem, and with Ethan by her side she felt as if she could face anything. If he wanted to stay at the tree house she had an idea that would, hopefully, draw out whoever was screwing with her. But she wasn’t sure how Ethan would react to it.
She emptied her lingerie drawer, packed up all her shirts and tops in the dresser and then crossed to the closet. By the time she was done she’d packed every suitcase she had, and there were still clothes hanging there.
“I don’t think I need all these,” she said when Ethan came into the room. “My best friend, Rita, used to tell me I had a shopping addiction. Looking at all the things here tells me she was right, even though I dismissed her words all these years.”
“I’m not sure I have room for all that at the house,” he said with a laugh. “You have to share a closet, now.”
“Then we should build another one.” She ran her fingers over tops she’d never worn. “Either that or I should go through these and donate some of these items before I move to Silver Creek.”
“You might want to hold off on that,” he said. “The guys and I talked about an idea last night. I want to see what you think about it.”
Cecily turned her attention to him. “I’m listening.”
“I think we should open a Silver Creek Club here in town,” he said. “Open from five in the afternoon to two in the morning. We would offer classes for people who wanted them, or just places to play for others.”
“What brought that idea up?” she asked.
“Zane Little,” he said. “He and his wife like to play outside their home, and they like to do it at Silver Creek because they are comfortable there. But the more popular we become the harder it is to get a reservation. But if there was a place where they could play one or two nights a week, and then go home. Well, I think it’s a great idea. I think Randy would be on board. Shawn’s the only one who doesn’t want things to change. He wants to keep things the same as they are.”
“Would you hire a manager?” she asked. Cecily was pretty sure she knew the answer to that question, but she had to ask it anyway. She needed to hear the actual facts before she jumped to conclusions about what he’d said.
“Well, if we opened it, I think one of us should live here in Vegas to run it,” he said. “And I think that should be me, and my new wife.”
“So we’d live here,” she said. She smiled, and then she said, “Ethan, don’t do this just for me. I would live anywhere with you, just so you know.”
“That’s good to know,” he said. “But if we do decide to do this then you should know I don’t want to live here. I want a house where we can stock a dungeon and then we can play like we want, and not have to worry about your neighbors hearing.”
“That’s good,” she said. “I’m not sure I want to live here anymore.”
She turned back to the clothes. “I still think I have too many clothes. I need to go through them.”
“We can do that soon,” he said. “I talked to Dylan, and I think staying at the tree house is a good idea.”
Cecily shooed him out of the closet. She followed him into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. “I have an idea about that. I don’t want to piss you off, though.”
“We’re not staying here,” he said. “Doing that would make us sitting ducks.”
“No, I agree,” she said. “But I’ve been thinking about the fact that this man followed me from Capp’s to my hair appointment in Henderson. Now how did he know I had an appointment at that time?”
“Maybe he didn’t,” Ethan said. He sat down next to her. “Maybe he just followed you from Capp’s.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe he’s tapped into my phone or something. That’s where I keep my calendar.”
“Could be,” Ethan said. “Randy has a friend named Dawson who is a computer whiz. We could ask him if there is some way to see if someone had been tapping into your line.”
“Is that legal?” Cecily asked.
“Who cares?” Ethan asked. He pulled out his phone. “I need to give them an update, anyway.”
“Before you do that,” she said. She swallowed hard. “We need to consider something else, I mean something other than the tree house, but still the tree house.”
“That makes absolutely no sense,” Ethan said with a laugh. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying if he’s using some sort of electronic surveillance to keep track of me, then we check into a motel, but we stay at the tree house.”
“What a devious little thing you are,” he said. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”
“Well, don’t sound so surprised,” she said. “I are a college graduate.”
They both laughed at her intended misuse of grammar.
She took a deep breath. “I think we need to consider the reason why someone would do this.”
“You’ve got an ex somewhere, don’t you?”
Cecily heard the uncertainty in his voice. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. Then she cleared her throat and said, “This isn’t about me, Ethan. You know it as well as I do. This is about you, and your wife. Someone killed her to get to you, and now they are after me for the same reason.”
“Bullshit,” he said. He stood and started to pace. “You’re blaming this on me.”
“That is not true.” She raised her voice to match his. “I’m saying the cops never figured out who killed Leah, and whoever killed her did it to get to you, and it worked. Now they’re trying to scare the crap out of me, and it’s working.”
“No, no, no!” His pace increased as he crossed from one end of the room to the other.
“Yes,” she said. “Just because you don’t want to hear something doesn’t mean it’s not true. I think Murphy realized it, and that’s why he said he didn’t believe you killed Leah.”
“No, no, no!” he yelled again.
Cecily wasn’t sure exactly what to say. She was sure she was right, though.
“So you’re so perfect that you don’t have any enemies?” he asked sharply.
“I didn’t say that,” Cecily said. “But I can’t remember anything happening until now.”
“We’ve been seeing each other for a year, Cee.” He took a deep breath, and she figured he was trying to get his emotions under control.
“I’m not attacking your wife, Ethan.”
“Aren’t you?” he asked, his gaze drilling into her.
“No.”
“Then you’re saying this is all my fault,” he said. “Yeah, thanks for that.”
He headed for the door and she said, “Where are you going?”
“To the living room,” he said. “Finish packing your bags. I’m also going to pull t
he car into the garage so that no one sees us adding bags to the trunk if they’re watching.”
That made sense to her, but she didn’t like the idea that he walked out and shut the door behind him. It was like a barrier between them, and it reinforced the fact that he was not happy with her. She was right, she was sure of it. Someone had killed Leah to hurt Ethan. She had no clue who it was and wished she could get a look at the police report. She wondered if Murphy would send it to her digitally if he could or give her a hard copy. Of course getting to see him without Ethan close behind her would be tough.
She wanted to call the cop and ask him, but she also didn’t want to go behind Ethan’s back to do it. That would be one of the worst mistakes she could make. If Ethan found out it would be a nail in the coffin for their relationship. You had to have trust, or else there would be no future for them.
That meant she needed to tell Ethan she thought looking at the report would be a good idea. But she didn’t want to do it right now. She wanted him to have time to get over the anger he was feeling. Hopefully in a few hours, or less if she played her cards right, he would be back to his normal self.
She went back to the closet and examined her supply of clothes. Then she started to separate it into two piles, keepers and the giveaways. Soon the giveaway pile was much larger than the keeper pile. They were both lying in the middle of her bedroom floor.
Cecily wasn’t sure what time she’d started, or what time it was now. All she knew was she’d been working in total silence and had totally lost track of time. She opened the bedroom door and found Ethan sitting on the sofa with her neighbor, Joel.
“I thought you might have fallen asleep you were so quiet,” Ethan said. He came over and kissed her gently. The look in his eyes said he was sorry for the argument they’d had. She nodded ever so slightly to let him know she felt the same way. He took her hand and they went back to the sofa together, holding hands as they sat down.
“Hello, Joel,” she said. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve had to go through today. Where is Brenda?”
“At the movies with her friend Jessica,” he said. “They’ve had it planned for weeks, and she was really frightened by the door thing.”
Ethan’s NaughtySubmissive: Silver Creek Resort Book Three Page 7
