FRIDAY. CANDLELIGHT Theater, Seattle, Washington.
Jay shoved the door to the boiler room open. His arms still ached from sitting in the closet for what seemed like hours. When he went to visit the girls he was prepared. Today he’d had to hide while those men defiled the space.
Roger Blew.
That fucker could go blow himself.
Jay had been aware of the detective for about fifteen years. During the nineties the guy had taken to TV, spouting off all kind of garbage about Jay that wasn’t true. It would have been funny if it weren’t insulting.
A whimper broke through Jay’s thoughts.
He whirled toward the bed.
Megan sat on the mattress, her wide eyes on him.
Fuck.
He hadn’t been able to get back here as soon as he’d have liked.
“You need to pee? Want some water?” Jay wasn’t keen on the smell of urine especially if he was going to have to wait a while longer.
Megan nodded.
“I went to visit your house. Bethany was not there.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the chain holding Megan’s feet to the frame. “You know who was?”
The loudest sound in the room was Megan’s snotty breathing. She must have been crying. He couldn’t even enjoy her fear, the power he had over her, because Bethany had ruined it. This was all Bethany’s fault.
Jay unlocked the other chain securing Megan’s wrists to the headboard and stood back, holding both of her leashes. He had to be smart handling her. He wasn’t a big man, and he’d had women try to fight back before. Megan was feisty. He wasn’t going to let her fool him. She was as manipulative as Mom.
“Get up.” He gestured at the corner of the room where he’d set up a little partition to hide the piss bucket. “The cops were at your house. The cops. No Bethany. Faith is still at work. Everything is fucked.”
Megan hobbled to her feet.
“I had a plan. If we’d stuck to the plan it would be perfect, but no.” Jay shuffled along with Megan to the corner.
She paused at the entrance and glanced from the bucket to him and back.
“Go,” Jay snapped.
This was only supposed to be a temporary arrangement. Pick up Megan on her way to the movies. Get Bethany while she was at home alone and make it back before Faith was off work. If it’d gone according to the plan he’d have everyone by tomorrow morning and spend the day setting the stage. He wouldn’t care what they smelled like. Hell, Mom sometimes stank of piss, so it could be perfect. He just didn’t want to smell it for days if he could help it.
Megan edged into the cubby hole, her eyes still on him.
“Fine.” Jay rolled his eyes and took a step back, behind the partition.
He couldn’t touch Megan, not like that. Sex wasn’t her purpose. She had a higher calling.
Jay’s phone vibrated. He frowned and slid it out. He’d been dead certain he didn’t get a signal down here.
Strange.
What wasn’t strange was that it was Mother. Again.
She never took these trips well, but he needed them. Always pent up with her and her bitching about her younger years, how much better she’d had it. He worked close to seventy hours a week to keep her comfortable and the most thanks he got was a pat on the cheek. Like he was still a fucking child.
Mom tried is patience.
“Are you done yet?” Jay snarled.
Megan made a whimpering sound.
Jay shoved his phone in his pocket. He’d take care of her later. Once his needs were met. He just couldn’t handle Mom until then.
The chains rattled and scraped the floor.
“Finally.” Jay straightened.
Megan stepped out from behind the shelter, hands clutched to her chest.
“Get back on the bed,” he said.
She stank of fear and sweat. Usually that combination would intoxicate him but not right now. Everything was ruined. He’d have to come up with a new plan to get the girls. He would not abandon his plan.
Megan stumbled, lurching sideways. He recoiled, unprepared for touching her. She kept coming, smashing something hard clenched between her hands against his face. Jay stumbled backward, yanking on the chains, forcing Megan to keep coming. She screamed into the gag. Pain radiated through his face and down his spine.
Jay tripped over debris he hadn’t bothered to clear and they both went tumbling to the ground. He landed on his side, Megan driving her knees into his chest. She snatched at his knit mask, pulling it around and blinding him.
“No!” he wailed and threw up his arm to shield his face, fearing those nasty nails.
Except...that wasn’t Mom. Jay wasn’t a little boy.
He jerked on the chains and rolled. He shoved the mask back into place just as Megan hit the ground. He threw himself at her, grabbing her throat with one hand. Her eyes bulged.
They were brown, not blue.
The wrong color.
“No.” Jay shook his head.
“That’s not right. It’s not right!” He shoved to his feet and whirled toward the bed.
The mask where was the mask?
Megan lay on the ground coughing and gasping for breath.
“Everything has to be perfect.” Jay grabbed the chains and dragged Megan’s spent body to the bed.
He didn’t even bother putting her back on the mattress. He chained her to the heavy bottom frame and left her there.
If he couldn’t get Bethany next, he’d settle for Faith. Going out of order wouldn’t kill him. It wasn’t the plan, but the end result would still be perfect.
7.
FRIDAY. KYLE’S HOME, Seattle, Washington.
There it was again.
Bethany swallowed and peered at the window. The blinds and curtains blocked out almost all the light, but it couldn’t keep that sound out.
It had started as a scratch, like a finger on the wall.
Was someone in the yard?
The neighbors had privacy fences, but someone could walk into Kyle’s back yard through the driveway which could put them right under her window.
Kyle didn’t have any kind of security system. Someone could, in theory, break in without him hearing. And then what?
Bethany sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed and glanced at the clock.
She’d fled to the bedroom around ten, mortified and ready to hide. It was now a little before midnight and she hadn’t closed her eyes for more than a few seconds at a time.
This wasn’t working.
She got up and wrapped her arms around herself.
Something banged outside in the backyard.
She crossed to the window and peered out, but couldn’t see enough of the back yard. That noise wasn’t her imagination. She’d really heard it.
Bethany opened her door and crept out into the hall. The window at the end of the house should let her have a better view of the apartment and yard without venturing downstairs. She leaned over a little decorative table and pulled the sheer curtains aside, peering out into the darkness.
“Bethany?”
She gasped and whirled at the sound of a gravelly man’s voice.
Kyle stood at the opposite end of the hall in a pair of basketball shorts. His bedroom door was open behind him.
“Shit, you scared me.” She leaned on the table, her heart racing and shoulders sagging.
“What’s wrong?” He shuffled toward her and rubbed his face.
“I heard a noise. A bang or something.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know. I thought...” Her mouth dried up before she could embarrass herself with her nighttime theories.
“I’ll go check it out.” He put his hand on the banister at the top of the stairs.
“You don’t have to do that.” She cringed. Whatever the sound was, it was probably all in her head.
“But I’m going to.” He started down the stairs.
Bethany watched him pad downstair
s without making much noise at all. She tugged her baggy shirt down lower until it covered as much of her as her shorts.
Should she stay here? Or should she follow?
If someone was down, there she’d be trapped upstairs. There were three exits downstairs. It made sense to follow.
She descended after Kyle into the darkened living room. A gust of wind blew in through the back patio doors standing open.
A loud bang startled her again.
It was louder now.
“Kyle?”
“Shoo. Get out of here. Go.”
She crept toward the patio and peered out into the yard.
Kyle waved his arms. Small, furry shapes scampered into the neighbor’s yard.
Bethany covered her mouth with her hand.
Oh, God...
Were those cats?
No they were too small.
Shit.
She’d been terrorized by kittens.
Kyle strode into the house chuckling.
“Guess the neighbor’s cat had her babies.” He stepped through the patio doors but left them open with the evening breeze coming in.
“I am so sorry. What were they doing?”
“Playing on the metal cover to the fire pit.” She didn’t need light to tell Kyle was grinning at her.
“Don’t laugh at me.” She covered her face. The heat in her cheeks nearly burned her palms.
“It’s okay.” His voice vibrated with laughter.
“I thought... Never mind.” She dropped her hands to her sides and stared at Kyle’s chest. His very bare and muscular chest. Great, like she needed to see that.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“No.”
“I’ve got an idea.” He turned around and walked into the kitchen.
She stayed where she was. The breeze helped cool her down after the intense blush.
Kyle opened the fridge and retrieved something from the bottom. She blinked back the white spots and listened to him moving around.
“Let’s go sit outside.” He nodded at the doors as he approached her.
It was almost midnight, and he wanted to go sit in the yard?
Then again, it was a beautiful night, not a cloud in the sky and the weather was still nice.
She stepped out onto the deck and let Kyle lead her across a stone path to the gravel surrounding the fire pit. Out here, under the star light, she could see the wine bottle and glasses he’d brought with him. He pulled the cork out and filled one of the glasses.
“Pick a seat.” He offered her the wine.
“Thanks.” She took the drink and cradled it between her hands.
Kyle bent over the fire pit and lifted the cover off with a grunt. He leaned it against the other side, then perched on the edge while he put a small log into the pit.
She should tell him to go back to bed, that her overactive imagination and worry would keep her up all night, but all she did was watch him light a match. Only when the flames had caught did he move to sit next to her and pour himself a glass.
“You like it?” he asked, nodding at her glass.
“Oh, I hadn’t tried it yet.” No, she’d been too engrossed watching him.
“Well, cheers.” He tapped his glass to hers.
She took a sip of the dry, white wine and eased back.
“Is this another of your DIY projects?” she asked.
“Yup.”
“I approve.”
“Thanks.”
She took another drink and watched the golden flames cast shadows against the opposite wall of the fire pit. Something about Kyle’s presence calmed her frayed nerves so that she could breathe again.
“More?” Kyle asked.
“Oh...” She stared down at her very empty glass. “Sure?”
He poured the last of the bottle into their two glasses.
“This is nice,” she said. The wine. The view. The company. If this had happened other different circumstances, she’d be able to enjoy it a hell of a lot more.
“Want to talk about what’s bothering you?” Kyle asked.
“Not really.” She knew her fears intimately. They weren’t all rooted in the here and now.
He reached over and took her hand in his, but didn’t press her for more.
They sat like that for several minutes, fingers linked, sipping the wine to the tune of the wind in the trees and a crackling fire. The more wine she drank, the more she relaxed. She didn’t know if she’d sleep, but at the very least she wouldn’t be as wound up as she’d been.
She peered at Kyle out of the corner of her eyes.
What was she doing here? With him?
She’d been attracted to him the day they’d met. For twelve months she’d wondered what she’d do if the opportunity presented itself to pursue something with him. The question had been a fantasy. Something she day dreamed about. Not a reality. Because guys like Kyle, the real heroes of the world, they didn’t rescue damaged goods like her.
She blinked and found Kyle looking back at her.
Her cheeks heated, and she glanced away, at the softly glowing fire. She might not be the most well versed when it came to men, but even she knew there was something on both sides here.
“Beth?”
“Hm?” She drank the last of her glass to save her from a case of dry mouth.
Kyle tugged on her hand.
She leaned toward him and set the glass on the log serving as their wine table.
He tugged again.
She couldn’t get any closer being in this chair.
He’d kissed her earlier. She hadn’t imagined that. And the way he’d looked at her? That was what sent her running from him. There was only so much lust a woman could handle, and she hadn’t been up to that kind of job. But now? With two glasses of wine? Why not?
Bethany wanted his comfort. She wanted him to take her mind away from everything. And damn it, she wanted to feel desired, whole.
She got up out of her chair. Kyle leaned to one side, making plenty of room for her on the wide, wooden chair with him. She sat down, leaning back beside him, his arm wrapped around her.
He nuzzled her cheek, his nose drawing lines on her skin. Despite her last drink, her mouth still went dry and her stomach clenched from nerves. Maybe she hadn’t had enough wine after all?
Kyle kissed the corner of her mouth, his lips lingering, inviting her to participate.
Was this what she wanted?
Bethany swallowed and placed her hand on his thigh. She turned her head, her eyes studying the promise of his lips. He tightened his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Their mouths met in a wine fueled kiss. Months of repressed attraction came surging up within her. Bethany groaned and pressed closer to him. Despite her enthusiasm, his mouth was gentle, coaxing. She couldn’t remember the last time a man’s touch left her hungry and wanting more. It was a feeling she hadn’t had in far too long, and she didn’t want to give it up.
Bethany smoothed her palm down his chest feeling the well honed body she’d only ever admired from across the room.
The sense of need took hold of her. This wasn’t oxygen or air or even food, and yet she felt as though she’d die without him.
She braced her hands on the arm rests and tuned, sliding her knee over his thighs and straddling his lap. Kyle looked up at her, his eyes glittering in the low light. He wasn’t like anyone she’d met before. He was good. And maybe they could be good for each other right now.
“Bethany—”
“Sh.” She stroked her finger over his lips. “I don’t want to talk. I want to do everything—but talk.”
He sat up straighter and kissed her, curling his fingers into her hair. They fit together from hip to shoulder. This close she could feel his growing erection against her stomach. She slid her hand between them and cupped his cock. The human anatomy was familiar to her. She’d studied it. She spent her days evaluating it. And yet touching him was an experience on another level. Her body grew warm and h
er breasts heavy.
Without warning he grabbed her by the ass and stood. Bethany clutched at his shoulders as the world pitched and rocked before Kyle set her on the wide edge of the fire pit. The heated stones rivaled the warmth thrumming through her veins.
Kyle bent, kissing her mouth, his hand tangled in her hair.
She hooked her fingers in his waistband and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He let go of her, bracing his hands on the edge of the pit, and went to his knees. He kissed her neck and chest while she panted for breath.
Yeah, she’d never been left with such a full body tingle-rush in her life from a kiss.
Bethany reached out and cupped his cheek, pulling him toward her.
“I have a lot of inappropriate thoughts right now,” he said with his eyes on her mouth.
“You, too?”
“I’m not doing a very good job of respecting your boundaries.” His hands cupped her knees, then moved up her thighs.
“Let’s forget all that right now.” Whatever this was, it deserved to be investigated fully.
“You shouldn’t say that,” he whispered.
“But I did.”
She hooked her calves around him, drawing him closer and bent her head. He kissed her back, a new, urgency in the way he held onto her.
He tangled his fingers in her hair and she groaned into his mouth.
“You’re giving me all kinds of ideas,” he said against her mouth. His voice had this low, raspy quality she’d never heard before.
It was hard to tell if the heat nearly making her eyes water was from the fire, his body heat, lust or a full body blush. She fought the urge to run and hide from the desire spiraling through her. Instead she swallowed around the lump in her throat and managed to speak without squeaking.
“Want to tell me about them?” she asked.
“I’d rather show you.”
The way the firelight gleamed in his eye had her breath catching in her throat.
Kyle kept staring at her like a predator about to pounce. Her desire to run was quickly becoming kindling for the fire inside of her as they sat there, frozen in the moment.
What was he waiting for?
Her verbal permission?
“Show me, where?” Her voice wavered a little, betraying her nerves.
“Here.” Kyle placed his fingertips on her abdomen and drew a line straight down until he was just above her mound.
Dangerous in Charge (Aegis Group Alpha Team Book 5) Page 8
