by Chrys Fey
To the top of her list, she put Jackson Storm, followed by all his minions as well as Buck. After that, she added Cruz Ramirez, the man she helped Thorn apprehend when she went undercover as a prostitute. She glanced at Donovan’s list and saw the same names topped his; these men were their main threats. They’d always be at the forefront of their minds. To make Donovan happy, she included Craig. Then she added her most recent grudge: Dave. She tapped her pen to the table as she considered who else could hold a grudge against her.
When the CSI team came, Beth set her list aside. From a distance, she watched them bag the knife and note while investigators dusted the chair’s armrests and the screen door for prints. They pulled off several, but Beth felt certain they would be Donovan’s fingerprints, or her own. When they finished, they left, leaving behind an uneasiness that clung to Beth like skin. She stared at her favorite chair with a stab wound and a layer of white residue over the wood. Never would she be able to sit there in relaxation again. Never would she be able to escape to the porch to feel her mother’s presence, because now the only presence she would feel was a psycho’s.
“I’m gonna go,” Thorn said. “I have a lot of cases waiting for me. Two of which are yours.” He rubbed Beth’s arm. “We’ll figure out who’s doing this. Trust the system.” He faced Donovan. “And you…don’t do anything stupid. We don’t know who did this, so don’t go to Craig’s house and cause trouble.” He moved closer and lowered his voice, but Beth could still hear his final words. “Stay with your wife.” With that, he followed the CSI team out the door.
Beth sighed as she looked at the chair, ruined forever by a creep who wanted to scare her. And scare her he did. She hated that she could be so rattled by a knife after all she had been through, but she suspected that was also the reason why she had been so easily shaken by it. Someone had been on their property, on their porch, feet away from their bedroom. And if the message was written in blood, whose blood was it?
Although he wasn’t in her peripheral vision, she knew Donovan stood behind her, watching her. “Could you help me move the chair to the curb? I don’t want it anymore.”
“Sure.”
Together, they carried the chair to the end of the driveway and put it next to their trash cans. Someone would pick it up, not knowing the story behind the one-inch long cut in the armrest. That was for the better.
Inside the house, Donovan locked the front door and put in the code for the alarm system; they’d be staying in for the rest of the day. “I think we’ve been stupid.”
She arched a brow at him. “How so?”
“We don’t have security cameras here. I don’t even have them at my garage. After we risked our lives to get the security footage from my brother’s house after Hurricane Sabrina, I should’ve thought more like him. He had the cameras installed for a reason, and they ended up helping me prove my innocence. We’ve been dealing with the same men he had, worse men, and we never figured it would be smart to add cameras as a precaution. If we did, we would know who’s doing this.”
“We thought it was over,” she said.
“And that’s how we were stupid a second time.”
Donovan’s statement was exactly what she had thought that morning, before she found the knife and bloody note. They had been stupid. They got too comfortable. But were they supposed to live on pins and needles their whole lives because of what they went through in the past? What kind of life would that be?
“One day, Donovan, this will be over. I have to believe that.”
He wrapped his arms around her and put his head in the crook of her neck. His lips touched her skin, warming her. “I know, but that time isn’t now.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for seeking Craig out and not telling you. If I hadn’t, we may not be in this situation.”
“If you’re right that this is Craig, he may have done this sooner-or-later, without your provocation but—” she shook her head “—I still can’t see him doing this. He would cringe whenever he got something sticky on his hands. And he would grow faint at the sight of blood. This doesn’t make sense.”
Donovan stroked his hands through her hair. “Maybe I’m wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. Let’s do something that goes against my nature and listen to Thorn. We’ll wait for any information the investigators get and let Thorn do what he does best.”
She chuckled. “I think he’d appreciate that. We’ve been a pain in his ass for too long.”
Donovan smirked back. Then his smile faded. “So, what do you think about getting security cameras set up?”
“Can we get them by tonight?” She let out a slow breath. “I’d feel better if we had them in place before we crawled into bed.”
Lines appeared at the corners of Donovan’s eyes as he studied her. She knew he saw fear.
She couldn’t mask it. Not now. Not after their home had been breached. Not after seeing her friend’s house burn to the ground. She had no fear-masking powers left.
“I’ll get right on it.”
Donovan called the man who had installed Ryan’s security cameras to equip their property with interior and exterior cameras. He used the same technique that had stumped Chewy and Buck when they disabled the outdoor cameras, thinking it shut down all of them, but because the cameras inside had their own system, they were left running. Beth hoped that whoever was targeting them now would be as inexperienced with security systems as Chewy and Buck had been. That night, she felt safer knowing that if anyone came close, they would be recorded and Thorn would be able to catch them.
Chapter Twelve
Early the next morning, Donovan contacted the security tech for a second job and called a locksmith. He met them at his garage where cameras were set up and new locks were put on the door. Neither would stop someone from breaking into the garage in the future, but he’d be able to catch the asshole’s face. He almost wished whoever was responsible would make that mistake so he’d be able to nail the bastard and do away with him once and for all.
He drove home wondering who that person could be. He considered Craig but just wasn’t convinced. It frightened him more that it could be someone not even on his radar, as opposed to a creepy ex-fiancé; he hated that someone he didn’t expect could be causing havoc in their lives. Every criminal they had ever faced was now behind bars, from the dirty cops in Jackson Storm’s drug ring to the criminals who acted on Jackson’s behalf after he was locked up in maximum security. Maybe a lone man, who had lain low, resurfaced to enact vengeance in his boss’s name. Based off their past experiences with these men, they’d stop at nothing to complete their mission. Beth had nearly died because of their determination.
He passed lawn after lawn of brown grass. Everything was dry. Too dry. A single ember would set everything ablaze. Ash from a nearby fire floated from the sky and shattered against his windshield.
At home, he parked next to Beth’s beat-up car. He had offered to buy her a better used car, but she had declined. As long as the engine didn’t crap out, she preferred cars with character. He suspected it also had to do with the fact her cars never lasted long and, in her mind, paying for a new car that could get bashed in by someone trying to kill her would be a waste.
The driveway was speckled with ashes. The lawn had huge patches of dead grass. The palm tree in the front was brown. He knew how vulnerable his home was with the ashes falling from the sky. He could just hope the ashes had time to cool before touching the roofs, trees, and lawns in their neighborhood.
Beth was watching the mid-day news when he came in. “Another fire broke out near us, and two more in Palm Bay,” she said as he came in.
“I know. Ashes are coming down pretty heavy. I’m going to make sure our gutters are clear of debris. Can you turn on the sprinklers?”
“Sure.” She turned off the TV and followed him out the door. It took a good hour, but he picked every last leaf clear and flushed the gutters with water for good measure. While he did that, Beth pulled down the dead branches from the palm tr
ee and used loppers to cut away as much brush as she could that hung close to their house. When they were done, they were sweaty and hungry. Side by side, they worked on sandwiches. Beth slathered mayo on slices of bread and cut tomato; Donovan layered cuts of turkey and pieces of Romaine lettuce. They had just finished eating their late lunch when there was a knock at the door.
Beth dusted off her hands. “I’ll go see who it is.”
He peered over his shoulder as she looked through the peephole.
“It’s our favorite detective,” she said and unlocked the door.
Thorn stepped in and kissed Beth on the cheek. “I heard that and appreciate it, but I’m afraid I’ll be your least favorite detective soon.”
“Not possible,” Beth said and walked into the kitchen. “Do you want a sandwich?”
“No, I’m good.”
She pointed to a stack of papers on the counter as she went to the sink to rinse off their plates. “Our grudge lists are complete. Or as complete as we can get them anyway. I printed out my client list and starred the ones I thought could fit.”
Thorn picked up the papers and flipped through them. “Damn, Beth. There’s ten or more stars on every page.”
Beth leaned against the counter and shrugged. “I told you it would be a lot. My job is to help these women, not turn them away. I wouldn’t be a good self-defense instructor if I did.”
Thorn set the stack on the table. “I’ll have my team look at these. I, uh, have a couple of things to tell you.” His tone told Donovan that neither of these things were going to be good.
Donovan glanced toward Beth, who looked at him at the same time. She crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive stance. In his chair, Donovan’s spinal column shifted as he braced himself. “What is it?”
“Well, I went to talk to Craig.” Thorn’s gaze met Donovan’s. “I questioned him about his whereabouts between the morning of Beth’s birthday and Sunday morning when the note was found. He said he was out of town for a business trip. I checked, and his boss confirmed a weekend business conference in Jacksonville.” His eyes shifted toward Beth. “He also claims not to know where you live.”
Donovan shook his head as anger radiated through his system. “That’s a load of crap. She lives on the same lot where she has lived most of her life.”
“Yes, but if he’s checked, he would’ve seen that the house was demolished and the land put up for sale.”
“And if he’s been stalking her, he easily could’ve followed her here and seen her.”
Aggravation flashed across Thorn’s face. “I’m telling you he has a sound alibi. He didn’t get back until Sunday night. I talked to his coworkers and the hotel. They all confirmed this. He’s not the one responsible for what’s been happening. Someone else is.”
That was what Donovan hated. He wanted it to be Craig. Not just so he could nail the prick for his disgusting ways, but so the problem would be dealt with quickly. Yes, he wanted Craig to be the culprit for an easy way out of this mess, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Thorn shifted his feet. “The other thing I wanted to tell you…” He looked uneasy. Donovan clenched his hands into fists, as if he could hold onto his control.
“The results came back on the knife. No fingerprints.” He paused. “And the blood wasn’t human. It was pig’s blood.”
Donovan frowned at that. There weren’t many places you could get a pig in these parts. They didn’t roam wild, and there weren’t any farms close by. Someone had to have killed a pig, collected the blood in a bucket or something, and brought it to their porch to leave their sick message. And when did they accomplish this? While they were out celebrating Beth’s birthday, while they were making love, or while they slept soundly in bed?
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Beth whirl around. The sound of her gagging met his ears. He turned his head to see her throw up in the sink. He jumped to his feet as Beth twisted the faucet and let water flow. In a few strides, he was at her side. He took her shoulders in his hands and tried to look at her face, but her head was dipped low as she braced her hands on the counter.
She breathed slowly between her teeth.
“Beth?”
She shook her head. With a shaky hand, she collected water into her palm, brought it to her lips, and swished out her mouth. Then she flipped the switch for the garbage disposal. The loud whirling sound filled the kitchen. After a moment, she turned off the disposal and faucet. When she faced him, he saw all the color had drained from her face. Beads of sweat dotted her brow.
“Pig’s blood,” she whispered. “Not a good thing to think about when your stomach’s out of whack.”
“You’ve been sick?” Thorn stood a few steps away. Concern dominated his face.
Donovan had thought she was better. Was she keeping an illness from him?
“It’s nothing,” she said. “But I do think I’ll sit down.” She went to the table and dropped into a chair. She didn’t look like his indestructible self-defense instructor anymore, but more like a porcelain doll that could shatter into a trillion pieces.
“I’ll get out of your hair. Take care of yourself, Beth.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I will.”
For the rest of the day, Donovan stole peeks at Beth. Her color came back, and she ate as if nothing was wrong. After dinner, they went for a walk. Hand in hand, they strolled around the block. Wildflowers sprouted in the tangle of overgrown grass along the woods. Beth stopped to pluck a few. One of them had long, white, triangle-like petals.
“This one was my favorite when I was little,” she said when she came back with a handful. “Every time I took a walk with my mom, I would pick every one of these I saw, because I thought they looked like stars. Back then, we were just about the only house on the block. Well, except for the Franks.” She pointed at the house at the end of the road. “They moved in a few years after we did. A few more families came, but it wasn’t until I left to live in my own apartment that the neighborhood really built up. I’m just glad there’s a few lots yet to be plowed. I like seeing the trees. I’d really hate it if we were side-by-side houses.”
As they were walking past the lot next to their house, Donovan admired the pine trees. He wondered how much the lot would cost. They could buy it and never worry about losing this bit of nature and the privacy it provided.
Beth kicked a stone in the road. It rolled to a stop several feet away. When they reached it, she kicked it again. Donovan chuckled at the innocent fun in the action.
“Are you making fun of me?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. You’re just incredibly cute.”
“What? Because I’m kicking a stone?”
“Exactly because you’re kicking a stone.”
She lowered her head. Pink touched her cheeks. “I used to kick a rock around the entire block back to my house when I was little.” She shrugged. “It’s a habit.”
“Like I said, it’s cute. You can do it with our kids.”
Her hand flexed on his. She stopped and turned to him with her boutique of flowers, which he suspected were really weeds, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her so. A sweet smile was on her lips, and a twinkle was in her eyes.
“I like it when you talk about our future kids. I seem to recall when the mention of our future made you squirm.”
He thought back to his uncertainty about what he wanted when they went to San Francisco. It was after the quake when he realized he wanted it all with Beth—an engagement ring, a wedding, a marriage, a home, and some babies.
“I was an idiot then.”
She laughed. “When you took me to Michigan to meet your mom and grandma, they asked me about our relationship. Your grandma even asked if the sex was good.”
Donovan stopped breathing. He stared at Beth with wide eyes. “Please tell me you’re kidding.” He couldn’t believe his grandmother would ask a woman she just met such an embarrassing, not to mention intimate, question about her grandson. Then a
gain, she was a spunky one. When the time came, Grandma Lily had given him his first box of condoms—much to his horror. He gave them to a friend and asked Ryan to buy him another box. He couldn’t use the condoms his grandma had bought; he would’ve had nightmares afterward.
Beth threw back her head in laughter. “I’m not kidding. When she asked, I nearly chocked. But I think she was just really trying to get at what you meant to me.”
Horrified, Donovan rubbed his hand over his face. “Leave it to my grandma to use sex to do that. Gosh that even sounds wrong.”
Beth laughed again. “You’re impossibly cute when you’re embarrassed. I don’t get to see that much.” She kissed his cheek. “I hope I get to see you embarrassed more often.”
“You will. Just wait for when you’re pregnant and she starts talking about my sperm.” He could imagine his grandma inspecting her first great-grandson while she changed his diaper and her winking at him when she saw the baby’s fresh circumcision. “Oh God.”
Beth doubled over. “This is great. We need to have a baby just so I can witness this.”
Donovan gave her a soft whack on her butt. “Just you wait. You’ll be the one who will be pregnant. Just think about the things she can say or do to embarrass you.”
Beth’s laugher came to a halt as she considered this. All the humor fled from her face. “Shit.”
Now it was Donovan’s turn to grin. “Exactly.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll be in the same boat, Mrs. Goldwyn.”
She elbowed him. “But we’ll have life vests on in case we have to jump ship.”
“Why of course.”
****
The air wasn’t choked with smoke the next morning, so Beth went on a run with Donovan. The sky was a soft gray with the sun barely above the horizon. Most of the houses they passed were still shut tight as the people inside dreamed. They ran side by side, gently pushing each other. Their shoes made a steady rhythm, two beats blending into one.
