Cellar Door

by Suzanne Steele

“Ugly doesn’t even begin to describe what I’ll do to you if you betray me.”

  Some people don’t need to raise their voice to be taken seriously, the look on their face says it all; Liam is one of those people. His relationship with his brother has to be profoundly complicated. From what I recall about the case, Liam and his brother were separated as infants and only reconnected the day his brother was arrested for a killing spree that terrified the good people of Louisville -- the bad people, too, probably.

  Liam has been through an experience unlike anything I could ever imagine, and he bears the emotional scars. I’m not sure how he’s managed to make me feel compassion toward him, but, God help me, I do.

  Chapter Forty One

  His Deception

  Knowing there are security cameras in the hospital parking garage just adds to my excitement. Killing has become a drug to me. The fact that I’m deceiving people who think they’re better than me makes it even more intoxicating. By the time I’m finished with the twins they’ll be going for each other’s throats while I sit back and watch. It’s going to be so gratifying knowing I’m the cause of it all.

  I park close to the good doctor’s reserved parking space. As much as I don’t want to draw attention to myself, I don’t have much of a choice with all the security cameras around. With my baseball cap under my gray hoodie and some seriously big sunglasses, I look like the fuckin’ Unabomber.

  I am well concealed by Louisville’s pre-dawn twilight, but I must work quickly. I shove my hands in my pockets and walk with my head down toward the lobby of the hospital, looking for a wheelchair. I take it as a good omen that one has been abandoned just outside the lobby entrance. I slip on my gloves and casually push the wheelchair back to my van, which I parked next to the doctor’s reserved space. After I set the brake, I take a surreptitious look around before heaving the body from the back of my van. Getting this guy to sit upright in the chair is a challenge but I finally manage it.

  Now, to pose him. “Hear…no…evil…” I giggle as I tilt his head back and press his hands to his ears. The screwdriver is still protruding from his ear, so I position that hand carefully so that it extends between his fingers. Luckily, my timing is perfect and he’s just starting to stiffen up. His limbs are still pliable enough to move around, but stiff enough to hold what turns out to be a spectacular pose for whoever finds him.

  I waste no time backing up and getting the hell out of there. I return to the place where I feel safest: home. The Riddler’s house. I have an exciting day planned, monitoring the local media outlets for breaking news reports about the dead guy who was found illegally parked in the hospital garage.

  And that reporter is going to present me to my public properly by announcing my name, I can just feel it. After all, tonight…it’s all about me.

  Madonna

  I sneak a glance at Liam as he pulls up his brother’s history on the Urban Elite blog. He is an impressive sight first thing in the morning, sipping his morning coffee, his hair a tousled mess. But his blue eyes that are usually so much like my own have an arctic, distant quality today. His strong, sturdy jaw line is a testament to a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. His lips are set in a straight line and I wonder if he ever smiles. Five o’clock shadow only adds to his good looks.

  “You’re staring, Madonna. Do you like what you see?”

  I can feel the heat wash over my cheeks but I don’t let it stop me from being candid.

  “You’re a handsome man. I’m sure you don’t have any problems getting a woman so why did you resort to kidnapping?”

  “I think you should be asking yourself why being taken by me keeps your pussy so wet.” He doesn’t give me time to answer, which is fine by me because what the fuck am I supposed to say to that kind of comment? He continues without missing a beat, “You might want to do some soul searching and come to terms with your own sexuality before you question mine or anyone else’s, for that matter.”

  I force myself to meet his icy gaze—the same one I bet he uses when putting a nurse in her place.

  “Yes, Liam, I freely admit that my body responds to the things you do to me. I’m a big girl, I can deal with that. I’m not accusing you of anything; I’m just asking why…”

  “Baby…we were born this way,” he drawls. A wide smile spreads across his face and puts a twinkle in his eyes. I’m pleased to be the one who put it there. In fact, it gives me an idea for a journal entry…

  Liam

  I study the face of this woman who somehow has the ability to make me smile. Before I can stop myself, the words are out of my mouth, “You’re mine now. I’m never letting you go.”

  “I don’t want to leave, Liam. Trust me, nobody’s more surprised than I am. I do, however, want to solve this crime and put this crazy asshole behind bars.”

  “The best way to do that is to delve into my brother’s psyche. You need to be prepared for anything when you meet him. You should also be aware that I don’t like taking you to visit him. He can spot weakness a mile away, so he’ll use my feelings for you against me.”

  “What feelings would those be?”

  I turn in my chair toward her and cross my legs, resting an ankle on the opposite knee as I reply, “Ownership. Possession. The need to protect you at all costs.”

  “I think that’s how you’ve pulled me in, Liam. No one’s ever wanted me. Not really. Growing up in an orphanage and yet seeing the other kids in school with their parents only reminded me that my family never wanted me.

  “I’ll never understand it, how anyone can walk away from their flesh and blood. But as you can see, I’m not running away from you with my hair on fire. My only explanation is that you refuse to let me go when everyone else refuses to have me in their lives. It’s fucked up but…I need what you give me.”

  “Well…I damn sure need what you give me, girl.” I wait until her eyes go soft at the sentiment, then continue blandly, “Every time I look at you I want to chain your ass to the wall and fuck you until you can’t walk.” I laugh when I see her eyes go wide.

  “You have a room with chains on the wall?” she sputters incredulously.

  “Yes, ma’am, I do and I have every intention of showing it to you.” The steady look I’m giving her causes her to look away and I change the subject back to my sociopath of a brother.

  “Lance is going to flirt with you to piss me off. He’ll flatter you and in the same sentence demean you.

  “Give me an example.”

  “‘Your necklace is lovely, my grandmother had one just like it.’”

  “Ha!” I laugh, “So he could be telling me he likes the necklace and then in the next breath say my taste is old fashioned.”

  “Exactly. Subconsciously it’ll make you want to please him, which puts him in control.”

  “Is that what all this is about, then? Control?”

  “It’s like Oscar Wilde said: ‘Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power’. This is a man who has been stripped of his power, so he’ll take someone else’s if he can; especially if it concerns me.”

  “Why does he hate you so much?” I ask as I shake my head, bewildered at the actions of this man whose madness continues to shape his life.

  “In his mind, my mother chose me over him. She kept me and gave him up for adoption in what was probably a completely random decision. However, it’s understandable that he took it personally. You of all people should understand how deep that kind of rejection goes. Mark my words, as soon as he finds out that you grew up in an orphanage, he’ll use that information to forge a connection with you.”

  “That’s why I have you, Liam…to help me decipher the mind of a sociopath.”

  “Well, I’m damn sure tightening my hold over you now. You’d do well to remember that. If we’re going to do this, I’m going to have to trust you. Don’t do anything to make us both regret it.”

  Chapter Forty Two

  His Reality

  I’m in fr
ont of my flat screen TV, patiently waiting for that perky reporter, Stacy Halsey, to deliver the shocking news to the Louisville community that a killer is once again walking among them. Mass hysteria is about to settle over the city. No one will know for sure, but they’ll all have their suspicions. Some will even turn on each other because they won’t know who to trust, only that the killer could be a friend, a neighbor, or the coworker sitting in the cubicle next to them.

  I sit up and take notice when the “Breaking News” alert appears on the screen. And there she is, standing at the entrance to the hospital’s parking garage. Goosebumps rise on my forearms when Ms. Halsey begins her report:

  ‘A maintenance worker arriving for work this morning became concerned when she saw what at first appeared to be a patient in a wheelchair positioned in a reserved employee parking space. When she approached to offer assistance, she made a grisly discovery: the man was deceased and had suffered a particularly gruesome death at the hands of an unknown assailant. A screwdriver had been being forced through an ear, piercing the man’s brain.

  ‘In a bizarre twist, the wheelchair was positioned in the reserved parking space of Dr. Liam Sheldon Chambers, a local orthopedic surgeon who was in the news several years ago. Viewers will recall that Dr. Chambers’ long lost twin brother was found to be the serial killer the media dubbed The Riddler.

  ‘Earlier this month, I reported that a woman’s mutilated body had been dumped in an alley behind the Urban Elite building in downtown Louisville. The victim’s eyes had been plucked out. According to police, if these killings prove to be connected, the killer is establishing a pattern of grisly mutilations that follow the ancient Japanese proverb known as The Three Wise Monkeys: See no evil; Hear no evil; Speak no evil.

  ‘Police are referring to this victim’s assailant as the Kikazaru Killer because a note was left on the body stating as much. Was Kikazaru sending a message to Dr. Chambers? If so, what’s next?

  ‘If these gruesome murders are indeed connected, then it’s two down and one to go: Speak No Evil. Police tonight have more questions than answers but one thing is certain: the city of Louisville may have a serial killer on its hands…again. Police are advising citizens to avoid being out after dark and to never go out alone.’

  Elation roars through me as the reporter interviews the woman who found the body:

  ‘Ma’am, how did you feel when you realized the man was deceased?’

  ‘Horrified, absolutely terrified. Why, was afraid the killer was still around and was going to come after me.’

  ‘It must have been awful. What did you do?’

  ‘Well…I didn’t want to leave the body but I decided the best thing to do was to call 911. A police officer happened to be parked in front of the hospital and was here right away. I was relieved he got here so fast.’

  ‘Yes, I can only imagine. Thank you so much for telling us about your harrowing experience. This is Stacy Halsey, reporting live from downtown Louisville.’

  The woman’s only reply is a goofy smile as she stares at the camera like she’s mesmerized by the blinking red light. She’ll have her fifteen minutes of fame, but me? I’ll live on forever as a serial killer.

  The Riddler has to take me seriously now. I’m no longer his student, his copycat. I’m my own man. He’s behind bars wishing he could be me. Finally, the tables are turned and I’m the one in control.

  Madonna

  I lean against Liam’s shoulder as we watch the reporter describe the crime scene at the local hospital. As the city reels from this latest crime spree, I know without a doubt that I’m the safest person in Louisville today because the man next to me will do everything in his power to keep me safe. I also know that the last thing Liam wants is his name in the news again. I can’t help but feel a flicker of compassion for this misguided man.

  “I’m so sorry this is happening to you, Liam.”

  “Me, too. Un-fucking-believable that I find out about this on the news. Just when I start to feel like maybe I’m not a household name around here anymore, half of Louisville is going to be taking selfies at my goddamn parking space now.”

  His cell phone ringing interrupts our conversation. From what I can hear of his end of the conversation, the FBI wants him to come to the hospital.

  “Take me with you.” The words are out of my mouth before I even realize I want to say them.

  He seizes my shoulders and pins me with his searing gaze as he bites out between clenched teeth, “If you’re serious about tapping into the writer in you, this is your chance. Just don’t fuck me over. Remember, if you seek out help from the authorities, then your stalker goes free and you die. And the police won’t be able to stop him. Simple as that.”

  His eyes roam over my face hungrily and his hands slide up my neck to cradle my face. “I took you for myself to satisfy my own cravings and satisfy this need for you that consumes me and defies explanation…” His voice trails off as he strokes my cheek. “I never counted on caring about you like this.”

  “Don’t you mean you never meant to become obsessed with me?” I cock my head to the side, teasing him.

  “That too,” he says, tapping my nose before turning me around and smacking my ass. “Now go get dressed. We’ve got a killer to catch.”

  I’m excited about going to the crime scene and seeing firsthand the havoc a serial killer can wreak on a community. Who knows, maybe Liam isn’t the only one here people would view as fucked up in the head; he was born with a taste for kink, but it looks like I was born with a fascination for the workings of the criminal mind. Well, whatever…One man’s crazy is another man’s normal.

  Chapter Forty Three

  Liam

  I know it’s beyond risky to take Madonna with me to the crime scene, but I can’t keep her on lockdown forever. Hopefully, she understands that it’s in her best interests to maintain our…arrangement.

  I know from experience that reality usually doesn’t sink in without a visual, very much like mourners not accepting death until they see the body of their loved one at the funeral home. Or a patient not facing the fact that they need surgery until they see the x-ray. I’m hoping that by seeing for herself the lengths this guy will go to to make his point, she’ll accept once and for all that she is exactly where she belongs.

  With me.

  Thirty minutes later, we pull into the hospital parking lot and take in the chaotic scene. After I park, I lean my head against the headrest and take a deep breath. I turn my head to look at Madonna, who is already looking my way. I tilt her chin up with my finger and idly stroke my thumb back and forth across her lower lip. As I study the plump curve of her lips, I remember how velvety they felt pressed against my own and wrapped around my cock, and suddenly I just want to get her out of here.

  “Sometimes I want to go somewhere far away and just start over,” I murmur on a long exhale, never taking my eyes off her lips. We stay like that for a few minutes, just savoring a singular moment of peace before the FBI descends…Two broken souls that may yet find a way to heal each other.

  Madonna

  Even though I knew we were coming to a crime scene, nothing could have prepared me for this. There are so many vehicles and people milling around that it takes forever to ease our way through the lot. A security guard stops us and is about to wave us off when Liam identifies himself. We are immediately cleared to park near the garage entrance, which has been cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape.

  It’s a surreal scene. In addition to the officials who are here to process the crime scene, there are what I refer to as the ‘looky-loos’. People are standing behind the crime scene tape, gawking as the police go about their business. The reporter’s camera crew is busy packing up their equipment while she holds court on the sidewalk with a group of smiling fans.

  “Selfies and autographs at a goddamn crime scene,” Liam mutters in disgust.

  I had placed my hand on his forearm when he talked about wanting to go somewhere and start over.
His life had barely returned to normal (whatever that is) after the scandal with his brother and now this psycho dumps his latest kill in a wheelchair and parks it in Liam’s reserved space. Once again, he’s back in the glare of the media spotlight, which is the last place he wants to be.

  “Maybe we’ll do that, Liam. Just start over somewhere.”

  His only answer is the raising of a sardonic brow, as if to say, “So you’re siding with your abductor. Interesting.”

  “Ours is a strange situation, Liam. I don’t expect anyone else to understand.”

  I cross my arms over my chest and set my chin at a stubborn angle. As I watch the organized chaos just beyond the car window, I take stock of my circumstances. Though kidnapping me was a crazy, extreme thing for Liam to do, it was, nonetheless, a means to an end. The fact that the man’s kinky and enjoying it is another matter.

  Who the hell am I to judge him when I like the things he does to me? Never in a million years would I have thought I was a closet deviant but the evidence is right there in the way my body responds to this man who uses me for his pleasure. I’ve spent my life feeling like I don’t fit in anywhere—until now. With Liam, I’m home. I don’t care how crazy it seems or what anyone else thinks.

  For the first time in my life I feel wanted and I like it—a lot. If Liam’s crazy…then I guess I am too. An even bigger surprise is that I’m okay with it. I can’t deny who I am or what I want, any more than I can deny that I’ve bonded deeply with this man who has saved my life.

  We barely get out of the car when a man and woman approach us, their faces grim, their strides purposeful. Judging by the way they’re both dressed -- black suits with white button-down shirts -- it’s obvious they’re with the FBI.

  “Dr. Chambers, thank you for coming so quickly. It’s been a while. I think you met my partner, Agent Rene Murphy, during the course of the previous investigation.”