“Really, and what brought that up?”
“You’re a good nurse. I don’t know. I guess in a way I can relate to the whole voices in the head thing. Hearing you say that just makes sense to me.”
She chuckled. “I can’t imagine a man like you dealing with demons. You seem so confident and in control.”
“You of all people know a surgeon has to appear that way to put patients at ease. The façade we surgeons have comes from years of practice. We need to be able to convey confidence to patients and their family members in their time of need.” You’re full of shit.
“So, what stirs up the voices in the midnight hour for you?”
“Losing patients,” he said with no hesitation. Murderer.
She stuck her hand out to shake his. “Then let’s work together and see what we can do about that. Maybe together we can silence the voices in our heads.”
For the first time, the doctor felt something he hadn’t in years—hope. Could there truly be someone who understood the torment he lived with on a daily basis? Maybe he wasn’t going crazy after all. Maybe everyone else was as fucked up as he was, and they were hiding it behind a mask just like he was.
Chapter Eleven
Jericho listened to the medical examiner. Even though he was telling him what he already knew, he’d learned in his early years of working with the FBI to let the evidence be his truth. Science was the one thing he knew that was absolute. Your gut could only go so far when it came to investigating any crime. Though his very rarely let him down, he still needed the scientific proof to have the security of knowing he’d sent the right person to prison.
“She was smothered. The petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes is a sure sign of that. Most likely, it was done with something soft—I’m thinking a pillow. Definitely a weapon of opportunity. Hell, she was in her eighties and the pillow was there, so it was easy enough to accomplish. Even though we know how she died, and you’ve got an idea of who is doing it, it’s going to be hard as hell to prove it with just having circumstantial evidence. Unless this guy gains a conscience and confesses, you’re going to need some direct evidence.”
“I’m working on that as we speak.”
“Well, good luck. Because right now you’re going to need it. With this woman having breathing problems already, it just brings more doubt to the case that it was murder. Even if you can prove it was murder, proving your guy did it is still going to be difficult.”
Jericho hung the phone up after telling the man thank you. There was no sense in listening to something he already knew. He had bigger fish to fry right now. He turned his computer off and made sure everything was locked down before he left to go to Angel’s house. What he needed to do needed to be done while she wasn’t there.
He had a sneaking suspicion she was going to run. He had every intention of preventing it before the thought ever crossed her pretty little head. She was bringing out a side of him that normally only showed up when he was working. It was like she’d awoken some primal beast in him that couldn’t stand the thought of her getting away. He hadn’t wanted to let her go to work and had been surprised with the odd feeling of jealousy. It wasn’t his habit to get into relationships. Sex was more of a way to burn off steam. In the little time she’d been in his home, any other women had been the furthest thing from his mind. He knew there would be no more one night stands. She’d invaded his life, and turned it upside down from the moment he first laid eyes on her at the cemetery. Watching her weep in anguish and seeing her so broken was almost more than he could bear. It had awoken the possessive need to protect her and he would kill to do so if necessary.
Chapter Twelve
Angel knew she was pushing it, but she was on a roll now. She couldn’t believe how well it had worked out. When he asked her to work with him, it was a total shock. The problem was that no doctor was going to admit he’d killed three people. Suddenly, the thought popped in her head that three killings made him a serial killer. He had all the marks of a serial killer. Most people thought they were the stranger in a dark alley abducting women and killing them. No one expected a man with Doctor Jackson’s reputation to be a hideous monster.
She looked up and down the hallway and ensured no one was around as she wiggled a credit card, sliding it between the door and frame to unlock the doctor’s office. She wiggled just enough to open the door and slid in before she could change her mind. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for, but she’d know it when she saw it.
She looked over his desk at different post it notes and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She made her way over to the filing cabinets and fingered through the files under the letter M until she found Matilda Mayweather’s file. She quickly made her way over and turned on the copier and made copies. She didn’t have time to read over the file. She’d have to wait to find out the other patients’ names he’d killed, and then she’d repeat the process. Maybe the files would reveal something they hadn’t caught yet.
She hurried up making copies and took one last look around to make sure her presence there would remain her secret, and then she slipped through the door undetected. One last twist on the handle ensured it was locked. She was taken aback that she was enjoying the surge of adrenaline coursing through her system. She liked the way her heartbeat had sped up like it did when she was in the operating room. The thundering of it in her eardrums is like some song filled with bass that gives the music more umph. Jericho has done exactly what he said he would, given her the will to live. Maybe it wasn’t in the way he expected, but there had still been a change in her. It was the first time since the death of her child that she had an interest in something that was bigger than her.
She rushed down the hallway and made her way to her locker, placing the file safely in her large purse that could more than accommodate it. She was itching to get into that file and find some kind of information that had been overlooked, but it would have to wait. She purposed to leave early and go back to her house to look it over before she gave it to Jericho. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, or so she thought.
Chapter Thirteen
Jericho didn’t feel bad about what he was doing. He needed the assurance surveilling her would give him. He justified his actions for doing so by telling himself that he needed to keep her safe now. After all, she was helping him catch a killer. She was in more danger than she realized. The doctor killed for money and Jericho knew he’d kill to hide that secret. Image was everything to a man in the doctor’s position.
As far as Jericho was concerned, Doctor Jackson was nothing more than a coward. The problem was he knew that when a coward is backed into a corner they can be more dangerous than a cold-blooded killer. He was a man who preyed on the elderly, and if he got the chance to prey on Angel, Jericho was assured he’d prey on her too. The man wasn’t going to give up his opulent lifestyle without a fight. If he’d kill for money, then he’d kill to keep the money he’d murdered for. Anytime somebody killed it was always the first kill that was the hardest—after that, it was just a number. The only way this doctor was going down was if he died or was put in prison. He was in too deep to go out any other way. Lately, Jericho had been feeling like he’d oblige the bastard if the opportunity came up.
He made one last sweep through the house, and that’s when he heard her pull up. Well, well, this time my gut instinct was right. He made his way around a corner, hiding and waited. Angel was getting ready to get her first lesson on just how far Jericho would go to keep her in his sights.
He waited until she dropped her belongings and made her way over to the couch, kicking her shoes off. He watched as she opened a file and began reading it. He could tell it was a medical file. The little sneak had been rooting around at work getting Intel. She was more into this job than he’d expected her to be. He licked his lips as he watched her pull her scrub top over her head and remove the listening device she’d been wearing. Nice view. Suddenly, he was having visions of bending that tight
little body of hers over the end of that couch and fucking her from behind. His cock hardened at the thought.
He made his way around the corner without her seeing him and placed his hand over her mouth, gagging her. When she began squirming and attempting to scream, he plugged her nose. The power he felt of having her very breath in his hand was intoxicating. Something about controlling her intrigued as well as invigorated him. She was bringing out his most base nature—the primal side. He hoped she’d survive it. One thing was for sure: it would be fun finding out.
“You’re supposed to be at my house. Now I want you to be very quiet, and I’m going to remove my hand.” She shook her head yes. He tilted her head back where she was forced to look at him. “You’ve been a very bad girl.” He ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip that was trembling. He made his way around the couch and picked up the tape recorder. He never took his eyes off of her as he clicked the button to listen.
He waited until he’d heard everything that had been said before he spoke. “Isn’t that sweet? You bonded with a killer. I’m not sure how much I like that, Angel. Why did you leave work and come back here?”
“You are crazy.”
“You have no idea. Why did come here instead my place?”
“I wanted to look over the folder. It’s quiet here.” She said it like it would justify her not going back to his house.
He took her hand and she stood as if her body had a will of its own. He took her face in his hands looking intently in her eyes. “I don’t want you to die, Angel. I’m obsessed. I’m obsessed with following you. I’m obsessed with keeping you safe. I’m obsessed with you. The first time I touched you I knew once would never be enough. The more you give, the more I need to take. You’ve become my nasty little addiction, one I’m enjoying very much.”
She took her hand, placing it on his cheek. The stubble on his face felt good beneath her fingers. Something about the need he had for her pulled at her instincts to make him feel safe and secure. Something in her was changing. The depression and will to die was becoming weaker with each passing day. Jericho was doing what no one and nothing had been able to do—restoring her will to live.
He grabbed her, turning her around and over the arm of the couch.
“I need to be in you. I need to take you.” He tore at the scrub pants she was still wearing, pulling them down, and she kicked them to the side. She needed him as much as he did her.
She could hear him unbuttoning his jeans. As quickly as he could get his pants down, he was in her, buried as deep as his body would allow. He stopped and rested his head on her back, savoring her warmth. She could feel his need for her. It went much deeper than anything physical. It was like he was reaching out to her without saying a word. He needed the assurance that she wasn’t going anywhere, and she needed to give it to him.
“I’m not going anywhere, Jericho.” Only then did he start moving his hips. His fingers gripped into her hips, forcing her body back on his hard length. She felt his hand slide around and begin stimulating her clit. He felt so good, so right, like they’d been together forever. It was natural the way he made her feel. She couldn’t help but wonder where he had been all of her life.
He could feel her body wrapping around him, assuring him she wasn’t some dream that would disappear like some vapor in the mist.
“I love making you feel good.” His voice was like some raspy growl that took her over the edge and into the abyss of pleasure, which no other man had ever been able to provide. Only after she climaxed did he give in to his own release. He wondered if she would ever want another child after what she had been through—his child.
Chapter Fourteen
As soon as he made his way into his office, he knew someone had been there. How in the hell did someone get in here? I know I locked the door.
He tried to convince himself it was his imagination, but the quiet hum of the copy machine negated that. He lifted the top of it to see if the intruder had left any evidence of what they’d copied, but no such luck.
He opened his filing cabinet, not really sure what he was looking for... until he saw it. Matilda Mayweather’s folder was sticking up slightly higher than the others. He pulled it up, opening it and everything seemed to be intact.
The thought came out of nowhere. He knew who did this. He wasn’t sure how doctor Mooney had gotten into his office, but it had to be him. The bastard was jealous of patients leaving him inheritances. He was in here trying to figure out how he was getting patients to leave them in their wills. I bet if you knew I was killing people you’d respect my property more.
He’d have to come up with a plan. Maybe he should see how much the guy knew before he just killed him. Surely he didn’t know he was killing people. Why would he go so far as to break into his office though? It didn’t make any sense. It had to be him. He hadn’t talked to anyone else about it. He thought back to the day in the hallway, the way he’d run up to him asking questions about the windfall. It was always about money. It never failed. Money changed people, and when people saw you getting ahead, they got jealous. No doubt the guy was probably as in debt as he was.
Doctor Jackson willed his mind to stop running amuck. Nobody knew anything. If they did, they would have already locked him up. He was going to back off for a while. He had more than enough money to carry him through the next couple of years. The fact that he’d opened a separate account his wife didn’t know about would ensure she didn’t go hog wild on some unnecessary shopping spree.
It would be harder to kill his colleague if it came down to that. There were ways though. He needed to find out how much he knew and why he was nosing around. Part of him wished he’d never gotten caught up in this, but then again, if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be a multi-millionaire. That’s what it was going to take for him to be able to support his family. He’d spoiled them and now he was going to have to keep spoiling them. First… he was going to have to find out why the man he suspected of breaking into his office had done so. Then… he was going to have to figure out how to kill him. Then, and only then, could he go back to living the normal life he had before he started killing people for their money.
Chapter Fifteen
She watched him as he poured a glass of wine and set it down at the table in front of her where she had papers strewn out, researching them.
He waited until he sat down to speak.
“I don’t like it—this sudden urge he has for you to work with him. It’s not good. The guy’s up to something.”
“You’re jealous.” She chuckled, as she placed her hand over his.
“I’m not laughing. I don’t trust this guy. If he gets wind of the fact we’re onto him, it could put you in a dangerous situation.”
“He has no reason to believe I know anything. Half these doctors think they’re God and nurses are just their lowly servants put on this earth to do their bidding.”
“Another reason I don’t like him. I certainly don’t like the idea of another man ordering you around.”
“Oh, that’s your job, huh? I’m nobody’s doormat. I’m here because I want to be.”
“Keep telling yourself that if it keeps you here.” The look in his eyes was direct, as if he dared her to defy him. She knew he was serious. She did wonder if it was because he was scared she’d make good on her threat to give up on living.
“Would you ever think about having kids again—with me?”
“Wow”—the question shocked her. Looking at the man in front of her who looked more like a biker than an agent for the FBI— “I never would have taken you for the daddy type.”
“So, because of the way I look, you assume I can’t fall in love and have a family?”
“Is that what we’re doing? Falling in love?”
“I can’t speak for you, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m definitely falling for you.”
“I’d be open to having more children. Nothing will erase the pain of loss I feel over losing my firstborn, but I don’t
want to let that keep me from living. In answer to your question, you’re the first man I’ve felt any kind of connection to, so in time, yes, I’d consider it.”
“I am falling in love with you. I don’t love like normal men. I’m obsessed with you. You’re mine and I refuse to let you go.”
It shocked her the way he was towards her. She couldn’t ever remember a time a man had needed her to live like he did. She didn’t know if she was some kind project for him. Would he feel guilty if she decided to go through with her plan? She hoped not, because she knew she cared enough about him to not want to put that burden on his shoulders. Now she had two lives to worry about. She hadn’t planned on bringing someone else into her fucked up world of the agonizing guilt she felt at times.
There were still so many questions, or rather accusations. Over and over she’d blamed herself for not checking on Celeste. She’d named her that because it meant heavenly, and for the small amount of time she’d been on this earth, she had been a taste of heaven for Angel.
She wondered if the guilt would ever go away, or if death was the only way to rid herself of it. At least if she died she would see her darling baby again. Maybe the serial killer doctor would do it for her if he found out she was trying to set him up. The problem was, now she was torn. Before, she knew she wanted to die. There had been no will to live, but now there were shards of light at the end of the darkened tunnel she’d walked through for years—light that promised something good in her future. If she died, she would never know if it was truth or simply a mirage. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She would live to fight another day so that she helps Jericho put away a serial killer.
Chapter Sixteen
Dr. Mooney made his way through the hospital parking garage, completely unaware that he was being watched. It had been a good day. Any day a patient didn’t die on the operating table could be construed as such. He had a good life even though he had so much responsibility, not to mention the bills that seemed to come faster than the money did sometimes. People always thought surgeons were rich because they didn’t understand the overhead they had. Just his insurance alone would make most give up the dream of saving lives. It was worth it though. He had a beautiful family, a good job, and above all, a good name.
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