by WL Knightly
“The chamber?”
“Yes, it’s a room down at the studio where Victor keeps his submissives. Usually, they are free to roam the house and live like anyone else, but Lily said the last time he’d come home, he found out someone had been in his shop where he keeps his tools and supplies. He bound Lily and left her tied to the wall, but the others, well, he’d left them caged.”
“Jesus. They’ve been down there this whole time? Why didn’t you tell us sooner, April?” The girl had lied to them that first day they’d questioned her, and it had nearly cost people their lives.
April closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know they were there. After you left, I called and called. And eventually, I went down with Eli. We found them and convinced them something must have happened to Victor. We unbound Lily and got her rehydrated, the only thing that had saved her was the others were free and scared she’d die.”
“I thought you said they were caged. Not to mention you already lied to us once.” Darek wasn’t sure the two weren’t covering for their friend.
She shook her head. “I meant they had cages on their penises. Victor kept the keys on him. So when one of the guys tried to pick the lock, he punctured his scrotum and had to go to the ER.”
Darek cringed. “What kind of sick shit is that?”
Lizzy coughed and glared at him. “Is he all right?” she asked.
“Yes, his name is Phillip. But that’s all we knew about him. His other friend got his cage off at the hospital.”
“So, has he ever left you in that shape for days on end before?” Darek was still hostile, and his nuts hurt just thinking about poor Phillip.
Lily leaned forward with tears flowing down her face. “He wouldn’t just leave us there! That’s not how he is!”
Darek shook his head. “He did, though. He left you chained to the wall with two of his other toys, and he abandoned you.”
“No! My Master would never hurt me. He’s never even lifted a hand to me in anger. Don’t you see that something’s happened to him? The only way he’d have done this is if he were dead!” The girl collapsed on the table, and April wrapped her arms around her.
“She’s not kidding, sir. Victor would never leave his home, his business, and certainly not his submissives unattended like this. Something had to have happened. That’s why we came down here.”
Lizzy put her hand up and grabbed onto Darek’s arm. Then she spoke in a calm voice to the girls. “We’re going to file a report, and we’ll be in touch. I’m very sorry for what happened to you and your friends. Please, stay close. We’re going to find out what happened to him.”
Lizzy got to her feet and pulled Darek’s hand, leading him back to his office as the deputies helped April and Lily find their way out.
Once there, she paced the carpet in front of him. “Are you sick? Those poor girls have been through hell and back, and you’re flipping your fucking lid in there?”
“I’m pissed off!” he snapped. He needed to know how this sick, twisted fucker had ended up abandoning three people, one being a girl he’d molested for the past three years.
“Why do you think it was hard for them to come in here? Then, you go off like a hothead?”
“Do you think this guy left them on purpose? I mean, he could have killed the girl and then ran off without thinking, right? Or if he’s that fucking sadistic, maybe he didn’t care if they starved or if their dicks fell off.”
“No. He was most likely looking forward to getting back to his fun. Which means we need to consider the possibility that there was someone else in that hotel room.”
“You’re right. He’s probably been in the fucking river all this time, and we’re spinning our wheels looking for him.” He knew this was all going to lead right back into his fucking past. His life was falling apart. His nostrils flared, and he doubled his fists.
“Calm down.” She flattened her palm on his chest, and when he looked up at her, all he could think about was kissing her and how she’d rejected him.
“We need to get those guys in here and anyone else who knew him. Including those two girls. We question them separately, ask them if they’ve seen Victor with anyone else or knew of any other submissives in his life.” His eyes bored down into hers. “We’ll go over the security footage and see if there’s anyone going into that building, anyone suspicious on the street. We’ll show them the footage if we have to.” He was throwing out a whole lot of stuff that he knew Lizzy knew, but he needed to talk it out, or he was going to explode.
“Yes, and I’ve already got a call into that department in Virginia. They are supposed to send me everything they collected from that murder twelve years ago. If we’re onto something, this could be the same killer.”
Darek shook his head. “I still think we need to consider the fact that this killer left a message. ‘The beginning of your end’, remember? The other murder had no message. They are different, Lizzy. You’re spinning your wheels on that, chasing fucking breadcrumbs.”
“I know you think it’s a waste of time, but there are other people out there who need the truth. And if this is a serial killer, Darek, we need to stop the son of a bitch before it’s April or Lily, or some other little girl with another message carved in her back. Maybe you can live with that guilt, but I can’t. I won’t.”
She stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
20
Darek
The next day, Lizzy had arranged for the guys to come in and speak about Victor’s little playroom. Not one of them had been a day over twenty-one, although all of them were legal. The shit they’d told was enough to make Darek’s skin crawl, and one had come in beaten and bruised from his infatuation with pain.
“I’ve been Victor’s lover for nearly four years now, and while I’ve known him to inflict pain, it’s always consensual.” The guy, whose name was Brok, with a “k” and not a “ck,” or so he’d specified, had gone on record that Lily had been his replacement when he turned eighteen. “He doesn’t like males past eighteen.”
“You don’t have a problem telling us that your lover broke the law?” Darek asked.
“Hell no. That bitch had Phillip caged in his fucking playroom for days. The man nearly lost a testicle for fuck’s sake, and he was one hell of a pitcher when he was in the mood. Don’t get me wrong, I care about the guy. I don’t want something terrible to have happened, but damn, don’t bite the dick, you know what I mean?”
Darek’s head hurt, and he got up to leave Lizzy to finish up with the guy as he stepped out into the hall. He’d heard enough about CBT, which he’d found out referred to “cock and ball torture,” to last a lifetime. He wasn’t sure he would be able to masturbate if he had to hear another disturbing story of how Victor liked to shove things in—he couldn’t even finish the thought.
Lizzy came out and exhaled a cleansing breath. “I can’t believe some of the things they’re so open with. Like it’s every day in there.” She must have been getting tired, too. “I guess you see now how I know things. Work one case on this subject matter, and you never forget what people like to do in their private lives.”
“And to think, all I want is a kiss. I’m such a fucking prude.” He turned to look her in the eyes.
She looked as tired as he felt, but the dark circles under her eyes and the heavily-creased brow did nothing to diminish her sexiness. If only he could convince her to go home with him later and take a nice long, hot shower, he’d give her a good work over and a full-body rub after.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not kissing you. I bet Brok with a ‘k’ would, though.” She laughed. “I could go stop him if you want. He wanted it bad. Couldn’t you tell?”
“Stop it. That’s why I had to leave. I wasn’t sure if he was checking me out or if it was in my head.”
“No, I think he was. But you are nice to look at.”
Darek smiled, feeling his cheeks warm. “Is that a fact? Do you like to look at me?”<
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“It’s not the worst part of my day, Detective, but again, I’m not kissing you!” She rolled her eyes and was so playful, he wondered if she’d ever cave.
“One day, you will, Special Agent. And when you do, you better hold onto your badge.” He gave her a wink, and she shook her head.
“We’ve got about two or three more people to interview, and Max is going to start looking over that security footage. At least one of the places sent theirs finally.” She walked back to the door as the deputy ushered Lily back into the room.
“You know,” she said. “Maybe I should see this one alone. I’m not sure you made a great impression.”
“Fine, you’d be doing me a favor anyway. I’ll go over and see what Max is into.” He gave her a wink, and she turned and went in with Lily, using the same gentle, comforting voice that she had the day before.
“How’s it going?” Darek asked Max, who sipped his coffee and watched the screen with another officer.
“There’s barely any traffic on this one, although we think we spotted Victor from the photograph we had from his house on another. Looks a lot like him.”
“Anyone else?”
“Nope. No one suspicious. Some younger girls, a few guys in a group, one getting into a car. There are a few people passing through here and there, but most aren’t suspicious. A few of the files are blank, which is puzzling because the guy from the shop where these came from said that they were all here.”
“Maybe we should check him out,” Darek said.
Max smiled. “Already done. The guy is a college kid, clean, no priors. He was at work the entire night and has witnesses to prove it.”
“It was worth a shot.”
“Yeah, it’s getting desperate now that Victor’s MIA.” Max gave a frown and turned back to the screen.
“You should be in the other room,” Darek said. “The shit those people do to each other just to get off? It’s fucking crazy, man.”
“How does Lizzy take it?”
“Like she’s got a set of brass balls. I think I’m a wuss, no kidding. But I can’t deal with the way they treat their dicks. Sticking needles in it, shoving—"
“Hey, man, that’s enough,” Officer Talbot said, adjusting himself and making a face. “I don’t want to hear that shit, man.”
“No kidding,” Max said. “The worst I’ve ever done to mine is catch it in my zipper.”
“Oh!” Darek winced. “Done that, brother. But it’s not like we did it for shits and giggles. These people are getting their rocks off on this stuff.”
“No thanks,” Talbot said. “I’ll keep my vanilla sex, three nights a week with the wife, thank you very much.” Officer Talbot was an older man and had been married for years. He still adored his wife, and at one time, Darek had wished that his marriage was going to last just as long. Now, he couldn’t wait to get the divorce over with just so he could kiss the only woman that had caught his attention since Megan.
Darek sighed. “I’d take vanilla sex right now, too.”
Max shrugged. “I’m more of a rocky road man, myself.”
“I don’t even want to know what that means,” Darek said, exchanging a look with Talbot.
Officer Talbot cut his eyes in Max’s direction. “I don’t know, but if it’s nutty, you need to stop.”
“Darek?” Lizzy called out from where she stood by the door. “I’m ready for you. April canceled. She’s apparently starting a new job, so I’d guess she has no hope of Victor’s return, and Eli is about five minutes away.”
He left the guys and walked down the hall beside her. “Do I have to talk to that kid?” He wanted to go back, hang with the guys, and look at the footage. The kink and ink crew were creeping him out.
“Yes, and Lily wanted me to tell you hello.” She shook her head, clearly puzzled.
Darek straightened his collar. “I guess I made a better impression on her than you thought.”
Lizzy laughed. “No, I think the poor thing just likes men who yell at her. Are they having any luck?”
“No, not much. They think they found Victor, but there are a few blank files.”
“Blanks? What the hell?” She let out a growl and stopped outside the room. “Have you ever talked to the security company? We need to find out if there’s a glitch causing that. They’ll know. I’ll call them tomorrow and see if I can’t find something out. Max is not getting results.”
“In his defense, I’m the one who dropped the ball on that. Let me handle it.” He didn’t want Lizzy calling Alan Lowe’s office with a fucking attitude.
“Whatever, as long as it’s taken care of. I don’t want any stones left unturned.”
He loved it when she talked that way, with her naughty teacher voice. He wished he could tell her that, too, without her reminding him of the previous rejection. He’d just have to suck it up, grin, and bear it.
Darek opened the door, and an officer was walking Eli into the small room. The guy had changed his appearance. His hair was combed and trimmed out of his eyes, and he was wearing a button-down shirt and a tie.
“Eli?” Darek sat down and held out his hand.
“Yes, sir. It’s so good to see you again.” His voice was still effeminate, but not as exaggerated as before.
“It’s good to see you, too. Thank you for coming down.” Darek was as polite as possible, and Lizzy gave him a blank look like she was onto him.
Darek ignored the look and continued. “Eli, we’re trying to figure out if Victor told anyone where he was going the night of the murder. Do you happen to remember anything about the last time you spoke with him?
Darek didn’t think any of the people who worked for Victor would have any useful information, but then Eli cleared his throat. “He came to me asking about supplies. His travel kit was low, and I helped him pack it. He wanted to make sure he had everything he needed. He said the client was very particular.”
“Did he say anything that would lead you to assume anything about the client?” Darek asked.
“No, but I know he was supposed to come back. He had promised me another lesson.” Darek sighed and waited to hear another weird sex story from the boy. “I’m an apprentice, and he’s been instructing me on different artistic styles.”
Lizzy jotted something down in her notebook. “Did he tell you when your next lesson would be? Specifically?”
“No, but usually that means the next day,” Eli said. “He was in the shop every day at some point. Even if he didn’t open up or close, he never missed a day. He even taught me to use the latest printing program, for things we find online, but he had gotten called away, so he never finished that either.” Eli frowned. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Victor was helping me through art school. He said he’d never seen a talent like mine.”
“This might be a personal question, but you mentioned a mistress before?” Lizzy asked.
“Yeah, she heard about Victor being missing and turned me loose. She said she didn’t want the cops on her.”
“Why would we be?” Darek asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Because when she took me in, I was only seventeen.” Lizzy shook her head, and the boy leaned back in his chair. “I’ll never tell you her name.”
She looked him right in the eye. “I’d never ask. You were seventeen, and sometimes, seventeen is old enough to make decisions.”
Darek could tell by the conviction in her voice that she meant that with her whole heart, and he wondered just what had happened to her in her youth that she’d be so passionate about it. At that moment, seeing her connect with the kid on that level, he thought he might somehow love the woman.
They sent Eli on his way, and Lizzy sat back in her chair.
“Where did all that come from?” he asked.
“All of what?”
“That seventeen talk?”
She looked at him, and he waited in suspense to see if she’d answer. “My dad was an abusive asshole, and at seventeen, I made the decisi
on to leave home. Some might say my decisions weren’t right, but they were right for me at the time. Some of these poor kids we’ve had to talk to, they had no other options, either, and even though I think Victor Barnes is a real piece of shit, these kids see him as their salvation. I know what it’s like to be them, and I’m a whole lot better off because I took a chance. I had no idea what I was running to, but I got lucky. The man who took me in never took advantage of me.”
Darek understood her a little more. “My old man was abusive, too. I wish I had your courage back then. I would have run away, too.”
She took his hand and squeezed it tight. He’d never felt connected this intensely to anyone in his life.
21
Darek
The day had been productive, and they had a pretty good idea that Victor Barnes was dead. Now, they had to find his body.
His brothers in blue were combing the area for any leads. Darek was done for the night and headed home when his phone pinged. He glanced down and saw an address. His partners had always texted him locations for crime scenes and lunch stops, and then he’d feed them back into his GPS, but this time, the number was from someone unknown.
His heart began to race. Whoever had been fucking with him by dragging his past into this new case was bound to be on the other end of it. He punched the location in and ended up at a penthouse in the city. He took the elevator up and palmed his gun when he got to the top. The doors opened, and he was greeted by Bay Collins.
“Put that shit away. I don’t allow guns in my house.”
“This is your house?” Darek stepped inside and noticed they weren’t alone. Tad and Logan were there. Alan, too, who must have flown all the way in from Vegas. Darek gave them a nod. “Gentleman.”
They stood around the room, sipping their drinks and trying not to make eye contact.
“This is where I usually meet people,” Bay said. “People I do private business with. You, being a cop, have never been invited, until now. So, I guess I don’t have to tell you the amount of trust I’m extending.” Bay was a cocky son of a bitch.
