“If this wasn’t for the job, would you ever…?”
She covered his mouth with hers. The kiss was heated. Slowly, when she needed to pull away, she stared into his eyes. “I would in a heartbeat, Newton. I love you.”
That was all he needed to hear. In the dark confines of his Mercedes, he slipped the condom onto his dick.
“Make it count.”
She would do just that.
Slowly, she slid her hand down his rock-hard erection, and her heart began pounding.
The awkwardness was gone.
Chris was watching her, she was watching him, and all she had to do was…
Gina, their babysitter hooker leaned into the window before she started. “I’ll give you privacy,” she whispered. “Cathy and I have your back.”
There was relief.
Vice had a second woman under.
“She’s in the clear,” she heard from outside the vehicle. “She’s blowing him good too. He’s getting his money worth, Daddy!”
There was laughter.
Then there was clapping.
Clayton snapped his fingers, and they all went back to work. As the hooker walked away, she knew they’d sold it.
“We’re safe,” she said, keeping her head down and in his lap. Elizabeth stroked him again. They’d dodged a bullet on this one. Carefully, she tucked his erection back into his pants after she pulled off the condom.
Chris wanted to weep.
He wanted to scream and beg her to finish it.
Hell!
He wanted to beg her to start it.
Chris was damn curious what it would be like. He loved her, and he needed to see if she was right about it not fulfilling either of them.
Shit.
He was so damn close finding out what it would be like to take their relationship to the last level.
So.
Damn.
Close.
“Christopher,” she whispered, staring up at him with her head resting in his lap. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. You should be safe and in autopsy. I can’t ever risk you like this again.”
He kept his head tipped back, hoping they bought it. He hoped it looked like one hell of an orgasm—which is what it would have been had she started and finished.
“It’s okay, honey. It’s okay.”
It wasn’t.
Now he wanted her even more. This had to be the most torturous evening of his life. Elizabeth had fondled his man parts, her breasts had been right there, for the taking, and she’d stroked him through a condom.
It was if he’d been a horrible person and his karma was a mess.
After tonight, Chris swore he was going to have this vehicle bronzed. There was no way he’d ever give it up.
When she sat up, she stared at him.
“I have a plan.”
“Another one? I can’t wait. Will I be parachuting out of a plane without a pack?”
She smiled. “I’m sorry, but you can’t get it up again. You’re going to send me back out there,” she stated. “I’ll start listening.”
“No,” he stated.
“What?”
“I just played this for you, Elizabeth, and you’re going to do something for me.”
“Uh, what?” Really, she wanted to get away from him. Elizabeth was feeling some shit that she shouldn’t be feeling, and being beside him wasn’t helping.
She’d nearly blown her best friend, and she liked the idea. This was something she had to mull over in her head.
That meant escaping him.
“We’re going to drive around a little while so I know you’re safe. Your job scares the shit out of me. I paid for your services, and you’re going to deliver.”
She stared at him.
“Christopher.”
“I don’t mean sex. We’ll grab a burger and disappear for a little while.”
Okay, he really did mean sex, but he didn’t think she’d go through with it, and he couldn’t blame her. No woman wanted to feel like a hooker.
He didn’t want to make her feel like one. This was his Lyzee. She mattered so much to him, or he wouldn’t be doing this shit.
She wanted to escape, but she owed him. This was a rough moment.
“Okay, Christopher.”
How could she say no? She’d nearly had to give her best friend a blowjob, in front of a hooker, because of a pimp. That didn’t happen in normal lives.
Only hers.
“Let’s go shack up at some seedy hotel, and I’ll pay you back for the hooker fee.”
He glanced over. It was worth having her mouth that close to his dick, and her hands all over him. He would have paid two million.
“That was well worth the two hundred bucks. You can buy me dinner for the next hour. I am NOT pretending I can’t get it back up. It’s still up.”
She didn’t know what to think.
Yes, she did. Why did he want her?
Elizabeth was a train wreck in the making, and here was the proof.
Instead of asking him, she changed the subject.
“Chris, where would I put money in this outfit? There is only one place to carry money, and I’m not getting some raging kitty infection from carrying cargo up there. I’ll have to pay you back tomorrow.”
He stated at her.
“What?” she asked.
Chris laughed. “You’re just wrong. I’ll buy the burgers. I don’t even want that visual. Hooker and infection are not good together.”
She laughed. “No, they really aren’t, and thank you for dinner, Christopher.”
Yeah, truth be told, he didn’t want to think about putting anything in her. If he did, it would just make this night more brutal. He was still hard, and now he was freaked out.
“Just promise me one thing,” he said, as he pulled away.
“What?”
“You love me long time.”
She started laughing.
They were fine. Her best friend was awesome, and she was a damn lucky girl.
“I already love you long time. No need for a happy ending. We already have a great story.”
Chris wasn’t nearly as amused.
He was somewhat serious. Tonight, when he got home, he was picking one of those women online. Saturday, he was going to do what it took to get them to bed.
He couldn’t hold out much longer.
He wanted more from Elizabeth.
More than she would ever give him, and he was about ready to crack.
* * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *
Precious had a rough night. Being a cop was hell, but in heels…yeah, it sucked. Being some slut was way out of her range, but Cathy was working it. She tried damn hard to stay in character. The only time she didn’t was on Fridays when she went and picked up her paycheck.
She left the seedy apartment early. She pretended to run around the block, getting some exercise. Hookers had to stay in shape, right?
Well, she’d slip out, get to the car she had stashed, and go get her money. Then she’d hit the bank, park her ride, and run the three blocks home.
So far, it was working. No one was any the wiser, but the men she called backup.
Tonight, she was pretty sure she was going to get her cover blown by the Fed, but she’d held up. It was one hell of a pleasant surprise. The girls had been talking, and apparently, she gave one hell of a blowjob to stay under.
That was impressive.
By the time Cathy came back, Elizabeth was gone. She’d taken off with her one John, then came back, and did the stroll with the rest of them.
She even told Clayton that one of the men, who tried to buy her, was a cop.
It was ingenious.
She actually pulled it off.
The girls had been talking while Clayton was off working, and they spilled a lot more than they normally ever did.
Clayton was buying her act, and the Fed got them to spill their guts. That said a lot about her skill.
She was g
ood.
Now, Precious was going to head home, pull off the vinyl, and be Cathy for a little while. She was sick of hooker duty twenty-four seven, and couldn’t wait until they got Clayton to roll on his drug buddies.
The man was up to something.
As she clipped and clopped down the alley toward home, she wished she’d gotten a ride. Her feet hurt, but she couldn’t break cover. She’d gotten four hundred bucks for ‘services’, and Clayton took three fourths of it.
Little did he know it was money doled out by cops. He’d shit himself. As soon as he slipped it into his drug money, they’d be able to track the serial numbers. With each dollar that he claimed, they were one link closer to locking him up behind bars.
Thankfully.
She couldn’t wait to slap the cuffs on him.
As she was feet from her stoop, facing the dirty alley, she let her guard down.
She stopped thinking like a cop and let herself just be a woman in pain.
That’s when it happened.
Cathy felt the taut wire across her throat, the way it was pulled tight, cutting off her air. There was the smell of blood, and the way the pain shot through her body.
His mouth was by her ear as she fought and struggled to live.
“Tsk. Tsk. Precious. Your mother would be ashamed of you doing shit like this.”
She gurgled and fought to live.
Only it was too much.
The wire cut deeply into her throat, and the blood sprayed in front of her.
Her jugular was severed.
She was dead.
The assignment was over.
And so was her life.
* * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *
Friday
Four AM
Her cell phone rang, and it was dispatch. It seemed that a body was called in to the homicide division, and the cop on duty recognized it as the one he’d just passed off to the FBI.
So, he made a call.
Now she was back on duty. It looked like it was going to be a long day. So much for some downtime and out of those heels before her shift started again. All Elizabeth had was two hours of sleep. It was going to be a long ass day.
Dialing her phone, Chris’s voice came over the other end. “Honey, what’s wrong? Do you need me?”
“We have another hooker. I’ll pick you up on my way to the scene, Christopher.”
“I’ll be ready in five minutes.”
Elizabeth hustled, brushing her teeth, tugging on her clothes, and finally grabbing her gear. She rushed out the door to get to Chris’s place, and fast.
He was standing outside, and he looked well put together. It was as if he had an hour to get ready.
She was a mess.
“How the hell do you look good at this time of the night?” she asked.
“It’s actually morning, and I was in bed after I dropped you off. I wasn’t out trolling the streets for Johns.”
He lied.
Chris didn’t go right home. He’d parked his car not far away and hid in the shadows across the street. He wasn’t going to let his best friend stand out there alone. Granted, he couldn’t do anything to help her, but he’d try if something bad went down.
Then, when he’d gotten himself worked into a tizzy, he went online trolling for a replacement to get off with that weekend. If he couldn’t have the woman he wanted, he needed to find someone to take the edge off his horniness.
She snorted. “Gee. Thanks. That doesn’t make me feel dirty at all.”
“Same as the others?” he asked, buckling in.
Elizabeth drove the Denali toward the address she’d been given.
“Yeah, and it’s not far from where we were last night.” She knew she didn’t need to say anything more. Chris was smart. He’d pick up what she was hinting.
“So, he was watching you do your thing?” he asked, feeling sick to his stomach. He didn’t want Elizabeth on that slab.
“Yeah, he was watching.”
“Please tell me you’re not going back to that again tonight.”
She wished she could. Honestly, she didn’t plan on it, but it was going to depend on what they found when they arrived on the scene.
“Elizabeth.”
“Chris, I have more important things to worry about right now,” she stated.
“What?” he asked, getting angry. How did she not see how important she was when it came to his life.
“He saw you.”
Chris felt bad. Here he was, getting upset, and she was worrying about him the same way he was worrying about her.
He was speechless.
She glanced over at him. “This crazy likely saw you pulling up in your sexy ride, and you could be a mark. Here’s a news flash, Christopher, you are not wandering around without me. If you leave the Hoover building, we’re stuck like glue.”
That was appealing.
He laughed.
Then he realized she wasn’t laughing.
“Wait! You’re serious.”
“Dead serious.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t buy that.
At all, but arguing with Elizabeth LaRue was one hell of a dead-end street. Little did she know, he’d be watching her too. No one was hurting his best friend—not if he could help it.
They pulled up to the scene and hopped out. The techs were already there, securing everything like they’d been trained by Doctor Leonard. Metro PD had it under control, keeping everyone back, and now the FBI was going to handle it.
As they approached, it was clear that this was going to be a new one.
The killer had placed the body inside her door.
He’d actually unlocked it.
Or she unlocked it.
Normally, he left them in the alley, or the trash, in the case of the first victim, but here, the woman was almost safe.
Was that a message?
Was the killer screwing with them by leaving her like this for a reason?
Elizabeth knew she was treading into crazy territory, and that would mean a profile.
Whoever Gabe tagged on this was going to be up to his eyeballs in crazy.
“What do we have?” she asked, directing it at the one lab tech. She couldn’t remember his name. It was Bill, Bobby, or who knew. Techs burned out so fast that she didn’t get attached. In the last year, Chris had yet to replace his head tech. There were some prospects, but no one ever panned out.
Keeping them was tough, and here was why…
The guy was kneeling in about five pints of human blood. It was hard to pay people enough to do that. She wouldn’t look forward to that when she came to work each day. At least she got to investigate. It was rare she had to help work a scene.
“Update me,” Chris said, pulling on his protective clean suit to keep his street wear clean.
“She was found here by a group of partying teens walking by the place. They called the police, and they swear they didn’t touch anything. She’s still face down.”
Elizabeth looked around. There weren’t any tracks through the blood that had puddled beneath her.
“I think they’re telling the truth.”
Chris studied the scene, and then the body.
“I agree,” he offered.
“COD, Doctor Leonard?” she asked, getting down to business.
He glanced over the top of his glasses to focus on her face. “Really, Elizabeth? We just got here. I know you think I’m good but…”
She placed her hand on his shoulder and the back of her hand touched his cheek when he looked up at her.
Elizabeth didn’t speak. She was thinking about the killer seeing him yesterday. She couldn’t imagine what she’d do if she risked…
He stood.
“Honey, are you okay?” he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
Chris pulled off his gloves and took her by the elbow to a secluded spot in the woman’s h
ome. Once inside the small room, he closed the door.
“Talk to me,” he said, staring into her eyes. “You’re never rattled on a scene, but you look ready to freak out.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of?” he asked, and then took a guess. “The killer?”
She was, but likely not for the reason he thought.
“Yes. What if he gets you?”
His face softened. “Oh, honey, I’m not even a target. I’m not a hooker. There’s a better chance he’ll come at you, since you were playing dress up.”
“I wasn’t recognizable.”
She had a point.
“What can I do to make sure you don’t worry?” he asked, touching her cheek. “How can I help you, Lyzee?”
She rested her head on his shoulder.
Chris relaxed and took the moment to hold her. He was thinking about all the times he was worried, and she stopped what she was doing to help him.
“I will be safe.”
“Promise me that you won’t do anything stupid.”
Yeah, like want to jump his best friend. Chris prayed she didn’t realize that his lower anatomy was waking up. He hoped she wouldn’t notice.
“I won’t, honey.”
She relaxed against him.
“You smell nice.”
That caught him off guard. “Do I?” he asked, as she nuzzled his neck.
“Yeah, it’s one of the things I like about you. You smell like a cool breeze filled lake.”
He laughed. “I will never wear another cologne but this one. Want to take a swim?”
She lifted her head up and took his face between her palms. Elizabeth didn’t know what she wanted.
She was so damn confused.
“Maybe.”
He stared at her. “I think I’m dreaming.”
Then she punched him in the gut.
“And no, I’m really not.”
Elizabeth laughed. “You caught me without caffeine. You know how I get.”
He touched her cheek. “Yeah, I know.”
Gently, she went up on her toes and gave him a kiss. “You’re the best, Newton.”
He smiled. “Back at you, LaRue.”
“When we get out there, I’m going to ride you hard. Don’t take it personally.”
Stalked by the Past: An FBI Flashback Novel. (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 17) Page 17
