Code 11- KPD SWAT Box Set

by Lani Lynn Vale

  Viddy pursed her lips. “It was too tight, so I let Mercy wear it.”

  My gaze turned to my Mercy, who was carrying on with my mother over by the food table.

  The two were laughing, pointing at my grandmother’s hat that was bigger than some of the one’s the Queen of England wore.

  One of the many kids who’d been running around had hung a plastic snake from one of the back swirls of feathers, and the woman was talking so animatedly that the snake was swinging back and forth with her enthusiasm.

  “You’re lying. That’d fit you. You just wanted her to wear it,” Trance said softly, giving Viddy’s head a kiss.

  A well of thankfulness bubbled inside of me at Viddy’s welcoming hand, and I was excited to see how the two interacted. Especially since they were going to have babies together. Not that Trance knew that, yet.

  Viddy shrugged. “I wanted her to feel like she belonged. Plus, you never let me go more than three feet from you; I’m pretty sure they’ll know I belong.”

  Trance shrugged. “You’re really missing out with these ‘Team Spurlock’ shirts. I can’t believe she made these such obnoxious colors. Mine doesn’t even fit.”

  “Umm,” Viddy smiled widely. “That’s ‘cause I told your mom you were a large.”

  Trance shook his head, laughing slightly. “You’re such a shit.”

  “Heads up!” Foster yelled from across the room.

  I looked up just in time to see a football a few feet from my face.

  Reflexively, I caught it and then launched it back at him like a missile.

  Which my cousin immediately intercepted with a beer in one hand.

  “Let the games begin!” Foster roared, then tackled Aiden to the ground.

  Chapter 18

  Abs are cool and all… but have you ever tried Olive Garden’s breadsticks?

  -Mercy’s secret thoughts

  Mercy

  I opened my eyes to a wall of tattooed muscle.

  Turning over to my back and stretching, I took in the bright neon lights of the Las Vegas strip.

  I glanced at the clock and groaned.

  It was nearly six in the morning, and yet again, I was awake and starving.

  It almost felt like déjà vu as I went through my morning routine and came out of the bathroom. Except, this time, Miller was awake and leaning against the headboard; his legs were crossed, and the sheet was pulled up to around his hips.

  I licked my lips as I took in the scene before me. “You’re awake.”

  The statement sounded breathless coming from my lips, and Miller’s sleepy eyes smiled, although his mouth didn’t.

  “Come ‘ere,” he rasped in his sleep roughened voice, patting the bed beside him.

  I went, getting to the end of the bed and crawling up onto it.

  He whipped the sheet off, giving me an unhindered view of his flaccid cock that was lying against one of his thighs.

  I crawled up his body, settling my ass over his lap, and pinning his cock between us.

  The heated lips of my sex covered his cock, but he was focused on something else besides us, bringing my attention away from how good he felt skin to skin with me, and to the way his eyes were slightly worried.

  He threw the sheet back over us and wrapped it snugly around my shoulders before wrapping his arms around my body.

  I laid my head down on his chest, tucking my arms between us as I did.

  “I’m hungry,” I said softly.

  He snorted. “You’re always hungry.”

  I smiled against his chest. “True. I’m overly hungry today, though.”

  “You said that yesterday at lunch and dinner. As well as the midnight snack from the bakery we passed on the way home from the family reunion,” he teased.

  I pinched his side. “I’m sure it’s only going to get worse.”

  His lips skimmed the top of my head. “My mom said that when she was pregnant with me, she gained fifty pounds because she was always so hungry.”

  I winced. “Let’s hope that’s not the case. I don’t think my feet could manage an extra fifty pounds. I’m already so freakin’ tired, there’s no telling what that much weight added to them would do.”

  “I need to tell you about Faris,” he said softly.

  I blinked. “What about him? Did the police find anything out?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I got a call from Tony while we were at the reunion. I just didn’t tell you.”

  I swallowed. “Okay, what?”

  He ran his fingers slowly through my hair.

  “He was on our floor, I don’t know why, and that’s where you came in. Once you leave Silas, the security cameras can track you all the way down the elevator, and then to the bathroom where you disappear for twenty minutes,” he hesitated. “Faris followed you into the bathroom. You came out, and he didn’t.”

  I blinked, absently encircling Miller’s nipple with my finger.

  “The only thing saving you from being arrested right now is the fact that your clothes were clean, and you had no… residue… on you,” Miller said softly.

  I stiffened and leaned up, looking at him. “Residue?”

  He nodded. “Whatever happened, was pretty messy. Whoever did it, had to have left that room covered in it… or they stripped out of their clothes.”

  My mouth opened and closed like a fish. “How was that not heard? Or seen?”

  Miller shook his head. “I went in there yesterday with another buddy on LVPD. The stalls are all like tiny rooms. Whatever happened to Faris was contained by the very farthest stall. The door was locked, too, so nobody even bothered to try that door until the cleaning lady came in later that day.”

  “What does this mean for me?” I asked in worry, leaning forward until my hands were resting on his muscular chest.

  He lifted his hands to cover the back of mine before he said, “Right now you’re just a person of interest, although all they have on you is circumstantial. You’re allowed to leave the city, but you have to come back if they have any questions.”

  I heaved a relieved breath. “Good. That would’ve sucked having to stay in Las Vegas while everyone else went home.”

  He leaned forward and captured me to his chest once again. “I wouldn’t have left you here alone.”

  I threaded my arms around his neck, studying his face. The cleft in his chin. The blueness of his eyes.

  Taking a deep, soothing breath, I broached the subject that was never really resolved yesterday.

  “I don’t want to be your charity project. I want you to be with me because you want to be with me, and I’m sorry if I forced any of that on you unwillingly. You’re free to leave if and when you want to. I’ll never force you to stay with me,” I said softly, looking into his eyes as I said it.

  His lips tightened. “I don’t know where you keep coming up with this bullshit,” he snapped, reversing our positions until he was settled deep between my thighs. “Does this feel like you’re just a charity project to me?”

  He ground his humongous erection into me. One that hadn’t been there when I’d broached the subject.

  Holy shit, he got hard really, really fast.

  The head of his cock worked into the seam of my sex, working back and forth as he looked into my eyes.

  When I didn’t reply, he leaned back and the head of his cock nudged at my entrance.

  Then started pushing slowly forward.

  My eyes opened wide in surprise.

  He filled me to perfection, and he felt even bigger in this position than he did in others.

  “Ohh,” I breathed, lifting my hips to clamp his chest between my thighs.

  His eyes stayed on mine as he slowly started to move forward and backward.

  His eyes studied my face, taking in my slightly parted mouth, and the way my chest heaved with the breaths that weren’t sending oxygen to my brain.

  When my hips started to tilt farther,
he pushed up onto his knees, and then pulled me up until my hips were supported by his thighs.

  His hands went forward and pushed the hem of my shirt up, freeing my small breasts to his intense gaze.

  “Can I play with your pretty little nipples?” he asked roughly, bucking his hips up and down. Each movement of his hips pushed the head of his cock against a delicious spot inside of me, making my breath catch with each pass.

  Something hot and heavy was pooling in my core, burning me from the inside out.

  I nodded, and he captured each between two fingers, bucking his hips, using the pressure on my nipples to urge me up and down.

  “God,” I gasped, as the slow buildup of my orgasm turned into a rushing freight train, barreling down the tracks at me with no chance to move out of the way.

  My silent scream stole through me as I arched my back and came hard, clamping down on his length with all the ferocity my body could muster.

  He grunted in surprise, letting go of my breasts and latching onto my hips as he started to pound inside of me.

  I held on for the ride as my orgasm started to build up once again, not fully recovered from the last time.

  When his movements became jerky, he pulled out of me quickly, fisting his cock as he aimed it at my pussy.

  Hot spurts of semen shot from the tip of his cock.

  The milky white substance hit my clit and belly.

  I alternated from watching his face to his cock, totally enraptured with the entire act.

  It was so erotic, so fucking right, that I came again on his fingers as he rubbed his essence into me in slow, sensual circles, focusing on my clit as he did.

  “God,” I jerked. “Stop, it’s too much.”

  He grinned and leaned forward, capturing my nipple with his mouth as he continued his erotic torture, coaxing yet another orgasm from my too-tired body.

  Once the torture stopped, my limbs fell to the bed in exhaustion as I stared up at the mirrored ceiling, realizing too late what an erotic picture that would’ve been.

  Hell, it was one now and all I could see was the top of Miller’s head and shoulders, as well as where his cock lay against my belly as he leaned back looking at me.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he rasped, bringing my eyes back to him.

  I smiled. “Thank you.”

  I’d never heard those words uttered to me from someone’s mouth besides my father, and it was nice to hear. Especially from his beautiful lips.

  He was about to say something more when the sound of my belly growling in hunger stopped him in his tracks.

  “I guess that’s our cue,” he teased.

  I smiled and sat up, then kneeled even farther to reach Miller’s face.

  I captured his mouth with my own and said, “I love you.”

  He jerked and looked into my eyes in surprise. “You… you… you’re sure?”

  I nodded. “Don’t think you have to say it back…”

  He captured my mouth, kissing me wetly before he ripped his mouth from mine. “I love you too, you crazy girl.”

  “Hey!” I said indignantly.

  He grinned unrepentantly and dropped me to the bed before exiting it.

  Walking to the bathroom backward, he said, “I’d suggest you get cleaned up. Cum has a very distinctive smell. And I guarantee you that every one of the men we came with would be able to smell it on you.”

  I grinned. “Maybe we’ll save that for some time when we’re not with your family.”

  I followed him into the bathroom and took a very long, very sexy shower with him.

  One that had lots and lots of soaping involved.

  Though, I was squeaky clean afterward.

  Especially my breasts.

  ***

  “Why are your parents staying at a hotel when they live here?” I asked curiously.

  Miller smiled. “So they can be near us. The last time we were down here, we all stayed in a hotel, and Mom and Dad stayed at their place outside of the city. We didn’t see them anywhere near as much as we would’ve liked.”

  I nodded as we walked hand in hand down the hall. We came up short, though, when none other than Officer Tony DeRoy walked off the elevator that we were trying to enter.

  “What are you doing here?” Miller asked suspiciously.

  “I need your woman to look through some pictures for me. That alright with you?” Tony asked Miller.

  Miller shook his head in exasperation. “You don’t have shit.”

  Tony nodded. “This isn’t about her anymore. We have a suspect.”

  “A suspect?” Miller said shortly. “Who?”

  Miller led the way back to our room, opening it widely to allow Tony and me in, before closing it firmly behind him.

  Tony laid out his pictures, and both Miller and I walked up to the table warily.

  There was only one person in each of the photos. And just one where I could actually see the woman’s face since the other one only showed a person with their hood pulled up high over their head.

  The blonde woman had a hideous amount of makeup on and too-tight jeans that made her look awful. The sky-high heels weren’t any better. Not to mention she was startlingly familiar, although I couldn’t tell you who she was.

  “I don’t remember seeing her in the bathroom, but there’s something about her that seems so familiar. Maybe if I could see her hair and a better picture of her, I could tell you. But right now, she just looks like she needs to find a mirror.”

  Tony and Miller both snorted.

  “Alright, well this is officially our suspect. This is who we believe did it. She’s the one who went in just after you did. Faris followed right after her. Like literally thirty seconds after her. This woman spent almost as long in there as you did and came back out wearing a pair of black yoga pants, black shoes, and a gray hoodie,” Tony sighed. “She had a large backpack with her, big enough to hold her clothes and belongings.”

  “If you’ve had her all along, why’d you immediately think it was Mercy?” Miller asked warily.

  Tony shrugged. “Timing and motive, mostly.”

  “Well, whatever the reason, just know I don’t appreciate it, and the next time you talk to her, we’ll have a lawyer present,” Miller growled.

  “Noted,” Tony said, offering his hand. “Safe flight home, man.”

  Miller took it. “You watch your six at work. Keep us informed, please.”

  Tony nodded, and we watched him leave.

  I had a feeling it wasn’t anywhere near being over.

  At least we could go home later this afternoon with the rest of them, though.

  ***

  We arrived home eight hours later, tired, exhausted, and wary.

  The police allowed me to go home since they couldn’t pin the murder on me, but they had told me to ‘stay in contact’ in case they had any questions.

  I’d, of course, agreed. Miller had been pissed. In fact, he was so pissed, that he’d hired a lawyer, at James’ recommendation, while we were on the return flight home. Some man who was supposedly a very good lawyer and could advise us on what we should do next.

  The return flight hadn’t been anywhere near as fun as the way there had been.

  They’d figured out that if they gave Trance a sleeping pill the moment he started for the airport, he’d be asleep the entire flight home. Which he was.

  The rest had slept, trying to recuperate from their crazy week in Vegas.

  Miller and I had both pretended to be asleep. Both of us too lost in our own worlds to worry about trying to talk about things that had no consequence.

  As we started up the walk to my house, a sudden impending feeling of doom hit me the moment I saw the man waiting for us on the porch.

  “Can I help you?” I asked the man.

  He was in his forties with glasses and graying hair. He was fairly bland in appearance, but his eyes were a nearly translucent shade of brown.


  He smiled at me sadly. “Yes, sorry. I was just waiting to see if anybody arrived this time.”

  “This time?” Miller asked.

  The man nodded. “Yes, this time. I’ve been trying to reach the owner of this residence for about four days now. Are you the owner?” he asked, pinning his eyes on me.

  I swallowed, then nodded. “Yes.”

  “Mercy Shepherd?” he clarified.

  I nodded again. “That’s me.”

  He nodded and walked down the steps toward us, a brown manila envelope in his hands about a half an inch thick. “You’ve been served. Twice.”

  Chapter 19

  I’m tired of getting fucked in ways that don’t end in an orgasm. Let’s just say I’m not taking it up the ass anymore.

  -Miller’s secret thoughts

  Mercy

  “What the ever-loving fuck is this? Some sort of vile convention of sick, fucked-up people who paired up and start taking out all their problems on us?” I yelled loudly, arms waving frantically.

  Miller wrapped his arm around my waist, hand going to rest just underneath my shirt, against my belly. “Linda wants something, and she’s trying to prove it by doing this.”

  “How’d she even know I was pregnant?” I hissed. “And who did she fuck to get them to call in the bank loan on my house… and my business?”

  “She’s trying to intimidate you. Make you look bad,” Miller said as we walked into the lawyer’s office we had an appointment with.

  As if we didn’t have enough to deal with, with some random murder of a man I saw for no more than three minutes, tops. I was then served. Twice.

  Once telling me that the bank loan had been called due on my business and house. But another one stating that Linda was filing for partial custody of my child upon his or her arrival. A child who was not even eight weeks in gestation. A child who I hadn’t even seen at the doctor yet, because my first appointment wasn’t until next week.

  I took a seat while he went to sign us in and was instantly disgusted by what I saw on the table.

  “Well, she fucking succeeded. Stupid, crazy bitch,” I growled, staring at the woman who had nearly ruined my life.

  It was a picture of Linda in the city’s newspaper. A ‘heartfelt story’ that was ‘sure to capture your heart.’