Bones popped.
Muscles went lax.
Her eyes were huge, filled with all the emotions found during a violent death. As life was slowly ebbing away, so was his anger. April’s body shook beneath him as it released the last ounce of her spirit.
And then…she was gone.
Thankfully, it was over. He was free. Now, he could take that moment to prepare himself to move on. In her passing, there was life. He stared into her eyes to seek the truth. All he found was that blank, hollow stare.
She was dead.
Empty.
Gone.
Slowly, he released her, watching the dead eyes staring up at him. They held so much calm and peace. It gave him the same feelings. Obviously, this was meant to be. If in death, while in the deliverance into God’s hands, there was such calm, it had to be right.
“Thank you for the months you gave me,” he said, slowly closing her eyelids. “I’ll take you where the others are, and then we can break up once and for all. You won’t be forgotten. I promise. I’ll carry a piece of you with me forever. I hope you enjoy your final resting place.”
Of course it wouldn’t matter, since she had no say in that. At the moment, she was broken and released to the maker.
It was how it was meant to be.
Dressing, he got ready to head out. It was dark enough outside that he knew he could find the special place to put her.
It was one his father knew well.
Before his passing, the man had shared his secrets.
“April, I wish things could have been different,” he stated, slinging her nude body over his shoulder. She hung there, dead weight.
“Since you’re going, I’ll have to start looking for your replacement. I learned my lesson. I’m picking a better woman this time. She’ll be one I can break. I can’t be so impulsive with her. I’m going to have to watch her more. I learned my lesson.”
He wondered if she had.
Carrying her from his bedroom, and past the door which led to her old prison, he felt no remorse. It was another sign that she wasn’t the one. “Say goodbye to our happy home, April. You have a colder hell to head to now.”
With that, he dropped her in the back of his truck and threw a tarp over her. For now, he’d take her to the grave where his first two ‘wives’ were at rest.
While they weren’t worthy to be placed with the family, it was the one thing he needed to do. At the very least, they deserved a decent burial. After all, he did have compassion.
He’d learned that from his beloved father.
His other ‘mistakes’ would now have company. How much more mercy could he offer them?
He laughed as he stared in the rearview mirror. Maybe their spirits could discuss what they did wrong. Maybe there would be a schooling in the afterlife on how to be a good wife.
They all needed it.
All three were failures, and he needed to find a success.
“It’s time to look for a new wife. I think I like this part the best. It’s like shopping.” He had his mental list, and now all he needed was to see who was available.
With that, he pulled out of his driveway and headed to the spot. Tonight, he was a free, single man on the town. He knew just the place to find a girl.
That evening, he was going to get a new wife.
Whether she liked it or not…
* * *
One Month Later
Kentucky
Dig Site
Tony Magnus was almost completely healed.
There was no longer an ache in his chest from the bullet which nearly stole his life, or the heartache which had followed when he thought he’d lost Jaxon Armstrong.
After healing with his friends protectively surrounding him, he’d come in search of the woman who called to his heart and soul. It was the biggest risk he’d ever taken in his life.
When he arrived, he never thought it would unfold like it had. The second he’d seen Jaxon in that drab green Army tent, reporting for work, his life had changed.
He knew she was the one.
Despite the hurt of her leaving him behind, his soul knew she was his other half. All the fear had fallen away, and the path he was on looked much clearer.
She was the beacon at the end.
He had to reach her side.
There was no doubt that chasing Jaxon had been the best thing that he’d ever done. The simple act of signing up to be the dig boss for the FBI’s job with the university was his other salvation.
It had been years since he’d worked like this, but it had all come back to him rather easily. It wasn’t hard to see why Doctor Jaxon Armstrong liked being a burial rat. There was some immense satisfaction when you unearthed a victim of atrocity. It made you feel like you were one of the good guys.
A hero.
It filled him, opening his eyes to what lived in her. Despite the atrocity, there was a feeling of immense pride.
Then there was pain for those who lost their lives, and there appeared to be so many of them.
These destroyed lives had been found accidentally. The university had bought some land to build new student housing, and on the day they broke ground, there were bones unearthed. Calling the police, they then notified the FBI. As a favor to a friend on the board of trustees to the university, Gabriel Rothschild let them borrow some of his people. Now, they had a strong anthropological team working the site. Was it as good as the FBI?
No, but they couldn’t tie up one of FBI West’s teams for almost two months.
For now, they were trying to move fast, unearthing the victims of some yet unknown crime.
Tony stared at the log sheet, and the number of old bones they’d found. The earliest ones dated back forty years, if not more. They were aged and riddled with the calcification of the earth’s minerals, and told a tale.
It was nothing less than some macabre horror story, and one he wouldn’t wish upon his worst enemy.
Digging up the remains, one thing was crystal clear. They all died violently.
From broken bones, to fractured ribs, each female they pulled from the gaping grave proved that violence had been the means to their end. It was a sad testament to their lives, and a strong indicator to the sickness of the person who did this.
Tony couldn’t imagine hurting a woman—let alone killing her and placing her in a hole.
It was cold.
Heartbreaking.
Cruel and callous.
It wounded him on some masculine level, and yet gave him a purpose. Before going back to the FBI in a month’s time, he would find a name and face for each and every one of these broken souls. As his team of doctors and students began scanning and sending the faces to the FBI, there was no doubt that justice would be found.
If only they could catch the killer, that would be even better. Yet, Tony knew the truth. The murderous bastard who had his hand in their deaths was likely in a grave of his own, or long gone. Despite that, he wouldn’t give up. That didn't matter, since he would find them peace.
It was his vow.
As it was with every victim he came across in his career. He would save them now, when they had no voice. He would do it for his mother.
Wherever she was…
As he sat in the tent, doing most of the meticulously needed paperwork, he could hear the team outside working. One of the voices which grabbed his immediate attention was his fiancée. Tony could hear her calling up from the hole in which she was camped, dusting off the dirt and layers of clay from the next victim.
It was hard work, but she was thriving.
Tony’s heart had never been happier. Together, they were getting over what had happened to him on his last case. They were building a strong foundation.
It was built with love.
Trust.
Adoration.
So much had happened between them in the last month. Jaxon was letting go of her fear, and they were constructing something beautiful. Yes, he’d ambushed her, forcing her h
and when it came to marriage, but he didn't regret it.
Not for one damn second.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
After all, she had abandoned him. In that moment, when he saw her again, the anger took over, making sure that she’d have no other choice but to accept him.
Love him.
Be his.
Now, he was very glad he did it.
After she found him on the site, they’d both struggled to get through the sign-in process. Seeing her again, all broken and hurt made him want to protect her.
No, that was a lie.
What Tony wanted was to drag her back to the room he was assigned and take her over and over again. Their weeks apart made him crave her even more, despite his damaged heart and soul.
After Tony managed to get through the day, he made his dreams a reality. They went back to his room, and Tony claimed her in more ways than one.
He took.
Stole.
Plundered.
The beauty of it all was that Jaxon gave all she had. She didn't bother holding anything back. Together, they rose to new heights as lust and love collided, intertwining together into something so very strong and unbreakable.
It was the most beautiful night of his life.
Tony wouldn’t forget it for as long as he lived. How could he?
Jaxon was his dream woman, and one day would be even more.
His wife.
Yet, they seemed to be the only happy ones. While they were mired in love, the rest of the people working the site were not as enthusiastic.
Yes, there was talking among the team.
They saw the way he watched her, and Tony didn't give a rat’s ass. They gossiped that she was only leading the dig under him because nightly she was ‘under him’.
It was ridiculous.
Jaxon was damn good at what she did. Anyone worth his or her salt, as a forensic anthropologist, could see that.
Let them cackle like hens in the barnyard.
Before this was over, she was going to be his—no matter what. In fact, Tony planned on a romantic night soon, where he could give her the ring he’d bought.
Then, it would be official.
One day, Jaxon Armstrong would be his wife. That day was coming, and soon. When the dig was done, she was coming home with him. What they were going to do about her being in the FBI on the East Coast wasn’t his concern. Those details would have to be worked out along the way. As of late, he’d noticed that Jaxon wanted someone to be in control.
Well, that was him.
It wasn’t just in their professional lives. In bed, she was more submissive to his dominancy. When he touched her, Jaxon purred under his hands, always trying to make him happy. She wanted to serve him, and he couldn’t help but be surprised at such an honor.
All he wanted was to keep her safe.
Oh, and love her to death.
In their professional lives, Doctor Jaxon Armstrong didn't miss a thing. Even here, she was always trying to make him happy.
She was definitely the bottom to his top, and anthropologically, he understood that. After all, he was male, and she was his female.
It was incredibly sexy.
Was it barbaric, outdated, and insane to get pleasure from it?
Hell yes!
But Tony couldn’t help it.
It wasn’t his fault that his younger wife-to-be had the overwhelming need to please him in and out of bed. In return, he wanted to do the same.
They were equals.
Tony had no doubt that in a marriage, you had to give as much as you took. He was so smitten with the woman, that he would build an altar to worship Jaxon if people wouldn’t think he was insane.
He’d found the perfect woman for him.
The second they met, something secretively dark and hidden was released, giving him a new lease on life.
He wasn’t the only one to benefit.
Jaxon came alive too.
Together, they were a team. Their mating became special and uniquely them.
Doctors Magnus and Armstrong had a long future ahead of them if he had anything to say about it.
Since she was letting him be the boss, and he was leading the way, they’d head right into ‘happily ever after’.
It was the only way.
His younger fiancée would be given the perfect life, if he had anything to say about it.
Tony leaned back in his chair to read a message that came in on his cell. It was from one of his best friends, Chris Leonard. If there were two people he missed most, being out on this dig, it was his ME buddy and Elizabeth Blackhawk.
They were his family. Since he had none left, he had been adopted by both people. Chris was his brother in arms, as they fought the good fight against the killers and murdered. It bonded them together, making them as close as possible.
Then, there was Elizabeth. What could he say about her? She was his surrogate mother, best friend, and sister of sorts.
When he stumbled, she picked him up.
When he was lost, she helped him navigate the darkness.
Because of her, he was with Jaxon right now. He owed her more than he could ever repay her. What they had was so special and precious to him.
As he thought about her, Tony sent another text. Oddly, she had yet to text him back the last month.
He hoped she was well.
It was unusual, but she was co-running the second largest FBI hub in the world.
What did he expect? Nightly check ins?
Instead of letting it bother him, he replied to the message from his friend. Curiously, he inquired about what was going on back at FBI West. He knew his friend missed him and was bored out of his mind. If it wasn’t for Jaxon, he’d feel the same. When you played in death all day long for the FBI, it was hard to extract yourself from it.
You needed an outlet.
Tony never realized how much he missed being a Fed, and it wasn’t all about the work. It was about the camaraderie too. He didn't believe he could ever let it go.
When the dig was over, he was gladly heading home with the woman who would be his wife. Tony couldn’t wait for Chris to meet her. It was akin to bringing her home to meet the family. Maybe, if he was lucky, Elizabeth would have time for a dinner out with them to celebrate.
Or, he would go to her.
Since family was something he didn't have, the two people he loved most mattered.
The end of the tunnel was ahead for Tony, and before long, they would be out of there.
Thankfully.
While he knew Jaxon loved her work and was thriving in the dirt, she’d mentioned getting away with him. When she brought it up, his heart thudded in his chest. Little did she know, that was exactly what he planned.
Yeah, they would be taking a long trip.
As in a honeymoon.
Right after they tied the knot!
He hoped that he could give her the sun, moon, and stars, because she deserved them and so much more.
Pulling up the data which was coming in on his tablet, he noticed they had nearly thirty bodies logged.
This was one hell of a burial site.
Someone had been a very busy serial killer. Once all the bones were pulled from the ground, the FBI would be stepping in to work the case. Since this grave was in Kentucky, a state that Gabe Rothschild and Ethan Blackhawk shared jurisdiction, one of the teams would be headed there after he was done. Tony hoped the bodies would stay with him, and then maybe Jaxon could work on finding their identities.
Yeah, out of FBI West—her new home.
Maybe if she saw how great his side of the country was, she’d want to stay there. It would give her purpose, and give him time to keep her close.
Then again, it wasn’t like he was going to give her an option. She was letting him lead, and that path was heading straight back to his side of the USA.
When he heard a shout of his name, he stood. Immediately, the tone made his heart kick
in his chest. The woman he loved sounded worried.
“Tony! Hurry!” came Jaxon’s voice.
It caused fear to pump through his body. Rushing from the tent, he threw the baseball cap on, and made it across the land to the hole. Inside sat his woman, and she didn't look right.
Something was definitely off.
“Are you okay?” he asked, staring first at the woman he loved, and then the other doctors beside her.
Jaxon shook her head.
Tony noticed they all looked…off.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
When she pointed at a hand breaking through the surface of the dirt, the look of horror said it all.
“I thought we were recovering bodies that were here for over thirty years,” Jaxon Armstrong said, trying not to let the fear fill her at what she’d just found. “No one told me they’d be fleshy, Doctor Magnus.”
Tony was more than confused.
That was exactly what they were unearthing.
There was no way the bodies could have skin and meat on them. He followed her motion toward what had her so freaked out.
It took a second for his brain to work through the confusion.
Tony stared at the decaying hand and realization dawned.
Well shit!
Yeah, all the other remains were decades old. This one hand wasn’t. To his knowledge, there was nothing in the ground to preserve a set of remains this well.
To him, they looked fresh.
Jumping down in the hole, he moved closer to the body. Yet, he restrained himself from touching it. Leaning down, he sniffed the flesh, much to the horror of the anthro team behind him.
Apparently, they didn't roll like the FBI, using every one of their senses to deduce an answer. They should. It came in handy quite often.
“This is very wrong,” he stated. “This body is relatively new.”
Jaxon wanted to be sick.
When she’d met Tony on their last case, this was the part that made her want to run and hide. Fleshy victims freaked her out.
She was better with bones.
Plain.
Simple.
Bones.
Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) Page 2
