by Kris Norris
Fallon cringed at the sound of his voice and wished she had the strength to wipe the smile off his face, but her hands were woven through his hair and she couldn’t bear the thought of releasing him long enough to make a stand. Instead she arched into him, grinding her clit against his teeth.
“Yes. Now!”
She thought Gil chuckled at her demands, but he didn’t pull back. Instead, he pulled her ass closer to the edge and opened her legs even wider as he slung the closest one across his shoulder. Then he slipped two fingers inside her channel and began pumping her weeping flesh to the rhythm of his tongue. Heat plumed in her stomach and punched through her body, spreading like a fire out of control. She had one last moment of clarity before everything exploded and she was left gasping for breath as a symphony of coloured lights danced across her vision. Gil was humming softly against her flesh, pausing periodically to lap at the juice she knew was dripping from her sex, his fingers still lodged inside her. The soft sound of music played in the distance, but she was too tired to figure it out. She relaxed back, content to just feel Gil connected to her.
“Damn it.”
Gil’s voice caught her by surprise and she managed to push herself onto her elbows just as he slipped his fingers free and grabbed his pants off the chair. He wiped the traces of her juice off his mouth as he dug through his jeans, a small scowl etched on his face. She frowned and went to speak when he pulled out his phone and flipped open the lid.
“As I recall, Wade, I said I’d call you when I needed a lift.”
“What’s the matter? Did I interrupt your interrogation of Fallon?” Wade laughed. “I sure hope you weren’t giving her too hard a time.”
Gil stood up, yanking on his pants. It seemed a harder task than usual and somehow the clothes didn’t feel right. “Not half as hard as I’m going to give you, partner.” He paused as he punched his fists into his shirt. “What’s so important it couldn’t wait another hour?”
Wade sighed and Gil felt the hairs prickle on the back of his neck. “I just got a call from the Medical Examiner. Seems there’s nothing new he can tell us about our guy. This victim’s the same as all the rest, except…” Wade paused for a moment as if gathering his strength. “Except our vic was a couple months pregnant.”
“Fuck!”
“Yeah. Anyway, the good doctor wants us over there to pick up the forensics so he can release the body. Says he won’t give the stuff to anybody other than you.”
Gil nodded and stuffed one hand in his pocket. “Fine. How soon can you be here?”
Wade chuckled into the phone. “I’m standing on Fallon’s doorstep as we speak. I tried knocking, but…”
He let his voice trail off into another chuckle and Gil had to still the urge to run to the door and slap off the smile he knew graced the other man’s face. “Not funny. I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Sure thing, partner.”
Gil sighed and closed his cell, slipping it back in his pants. His shirt was still open and he hated the thought of buttoning it up and heading outside. He’d hoped to spend a few more hours with Fallon before the real world intruded on his fantasy. He turned back to the bed, but she was already gone. “Fallon?”
She walked out of the closet, dressed in tights and a cycling jersey. The clothes clung to her hips and breasts and he took and involuntary step forward before he seized back control. Damn, she was a tempting sight. “Going somewhere?”
She merely shrugged as she sat down on the chair and pulled on some socks and her cycling shoes. “It’s Sunday. I always go for long rides on my days off. Since Jane has banned me from the office for a week, I might as well make the most of it.”
Gil frowned at the casual tone to her voice, as if his presence were an interruption to her schedule. “What about the investigation? I’ve got another body in the morgue and this time the woman was a few months pregnant!”
She didn’t turn to look at him, but he noticed a tremble wash over her. Either she was nervous, or irritated. “I’m sorry about the woman, Gil, really I am. But I’ve told you everything I can. Until he calls again, I don’t see how I can help you any further.”
“You can explain what the hell these visions are you say you’re having.” Gil cringed at the judgmental tone to his voice, but he was too damn tired to care. It was as if she’d forgotten they’d just spent the better part of the past twenty-four hours with his cock inside her. And now he had Wade waiting outside for him like some kind of chaperone. “And why you never mentioned them before,” he added for good measure.
Fallon’s back stiffened. She pulled the last lace tight and then stood up and turned to face him. “I can’t explain something I don’t understand, and I never mentioned them because I know how you feel about psychics.”
Her voice was too calm and he hated the fact she knew him better than he did himself. “Oh, so now you’re a psychic?” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “Can you read my palm as well?”
Fallon’s lower lip trembled and, for a moment, he thought she might cry. But then a different emotion washed across her expression. “See!” she yelled. “That’s the exact reason I never told you about this. You won’t consider anything you can’t see, touch or smell. It’s as if the entire world is broken up into ‘what Gil believes in,’ and ‘what he doesn’t.’ You don’t consider anything out of the ordinary, and this is so far outside your comfort zone, you can’t even imagine what it must be like.”
“I can imagine there must be a logical explanation for all this, other than the idea you see what happens to these women.”
Fallon huffed and stormed to the door, not bothering to look back at him over her shoulder. He growled and followed. They were far from finished. “Come on, Fallon. We were together two years and not once did you claim you saw anything crazy like this.”
“It’s not crazy, and neither am I. I don’t just see things. It’s only happened twice before and they were both very personal incidents.”
“Like what?”
“Like when my sister was abducted and killed when I was twelve.” She paused as if considering what to tell him. “And the day Charlie died.”
The air hissed out through his teeth and he felt the room dip once before it straightened. “What?” he demanded. She’d never mentioned anything about having a sister, let alone Charlie’s death before, and just the possibility that she’d seen…
Gil grabbed the edge of the small table in the foyer and steadied himself. A cold shiver washed over his body. He couldn’t afford to get distracted right now, despite the nagging feeling that there was more to Fallon’s claim than he wanted to admit. A memory that he’d blocked out. He needed answers, and mystic voodoo wasn’t the sort of evidence that was going to lock this psycho away.
He looked over at her. “Explain.”
Her skin paled and she glanced at the door as if she wanted to make a run for it. She’d obviously told him more than she’d intended and seemed to realise her mistake a moment too late. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Look. None of that matters right now. All you need to know is that I can’t control it. The visions just come.”
Gil matched her step and took another in hopes of blocking her in. She looked ready to bolt and he didn’t want to let her out of his sight until she’d given him more. “That’s not an explanation, Fallon. I need you to tell me what happens.”
Fallon threw up her hands and stomped her foot. “Haven’t you been listening to what I’ve been saying?” she bit out. “I don’t know how or why it happens. One moment I’m talking to the bastard on the phone, the next the room shifts and I’m inside the church. I never know how long I’m going to stay, just that it seems to vanish when he leaves.” She looked away and for the first time, Gil saw the fear she was trying to hide. “It’s nothing but a curse.”
A shiver shuddered through her body. She looked lost and scared and he didn’t know what to do to help her. He just couldn’t see how it all worked out. He sighed
and leaned back against the table, picturing the scene in his head. He didn’t have a clue about her sister or Charlie’s death, but maybe he could find a reasonable explanation for her present situation. “So the visions happen after you talk to him?” he asked, careful to keep his voice more neutral. He didn’t know why he was so upset. Where the hell had all his soothing tones and calm demeanour gone?
Fallon looked over at him and he was certain he saw something flicker in her eyes before she simply nodded.
“Okay. So he calls you in the middle of the night…usually waking you up…and tells you he’s just killed a woman.”
Fallon snorted and put her hands on her hips. “I know what you’re thinking, Gil, but I didn’t imagine all those details from the crime scene.”
“I never said you did. I just think you’re overlooking another possibility.”
Fallon smirked at him and shifted her hands lower on her hips. “And what’s that?”
Gil took another step towards her until he was close enough he could’ve touched her. “I think this creep calls you in the dead of night so he can catch you by surprise. Then I think he tells you—in vivid detail—everything he does to those women.” Gil stepped closer forcing Fallon back until she was trapped between him and the door. “I think he describes how he touches them, rapes them and mutilates them. I think he taunts you with his sick desires until your sanity is stretched so thin your body just shuts down.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “I think these visions you’re having are just images your mind creates when it tries to cope with the stress of having to listen to this monster’s ranting.” He forced a smile. “Having witnessed this guy’s handiwork first hand, I can only imagine what it must be like to have to talk to him. It’s only natural your mind…”
His next words were cut off by a loud knocking sound at Fallon’s back. Fallon jumped, banging into his chest as she spun around and yanked the door open. Wade stood on the porch, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Sorry to interrupt, but…” He tapped his watch and gave them both a sheepish smile.
“Damn it, Wade. I told you…”
“No!”
Fallon’s voice was loud and almost a full octave higher than usual. Gil felt the tension shift in his body, tightening his chest and making the blood pump loud in his head. She looked ready to fight and he had a bad feeling he knew exactly who her anger was going to be directed at. He took a step back, hoping his brief retreat would soothe the raw emotions swirling in her eyes.
“Fallon.”
“Don’t.” She raised her hand and shook her head, grabbing her keys off the table behind him. “I have nothing left to say. I can’t make you believe me. I can only tell you what happens.” She stalked forward, pushing Wade aside as she headed for her car. “I’m going riding. I’ll be gone for four or five hours. I have my cell. You know the number if you need to reach me.” She stopped and turned to face him. “I’ll call you if the bastard calls again. Lock up when you leave.” She moved to turn but then stopped and glanced back at him again. “While I appreciate the gesture, I won’t be needing a babysitter tonight.”
Gil cursed as Fallon stalked down the driveway, jumped in her SUV and peeled off, the front tire of her bike spinning in the wake of the car. I won’t need a babysitter tonight. Damn. Of all the things he’d wanted to do, pissing her off wasn’t one of them. But she’d been so calm and removed, he’d lost sight of his intentions, and simply reacted on instinct.
“So tell me,” said Wade, turning to smile at him. “Is Fallon angry again…or still?”
Gil scowled and grabbed his jacket and a set of keys off the table, not bothering to look at Wade as he brushed past the man and headed for his truck parked at the kerb. “Did you download those photos onto the laptop yet?”
“First thing this morning. And I made a set of prints for you as well.” Wade followed him to his truck and jumped in the other side. “Once we pick up the evidence from the morgue, we can see if there’s anything new, though I doubt it.” Wade sighed. “This guy’s good.”
Gil nodded, but his mind wasn’t on the investigation, or Wade. All he could think about was the sudden change in Fallon’s attitude. As soon as he’d asked her about the case, she’d shut him out, not that she’d been too forthcoming before. But something he’d said had obviously bothered her.
He sighed and revved the engine, pulling onto the quiet street. He’d have plenty of time to figure it all out while she was gone. But she was crazy if she believed they were anything close to finished.
Chapter Fifteen
Fallon rode along the trail, lost in thought. She’d already tumbled over the handlebars twice because she hadn’t been paying attention, but she still couldn’t seem to focus on her ride.
This time the woman was a few months pregnant!
Gil’s words were stuck in her head and she couldn’t get the image of The Priest raping the girl out of her mind. Had the monster known she was pregnant? The woman had obviously been too early in the pregnancy to be showing, but…
She stopped the bike and ran her fingers gently over her stomach. Pregnant. That word had sent a shiver straight to her soul and she’d been unable to deal with Gil after that. Every word he’d spoken had just seemed a reverberation of that word, and she’d barely been able to breathe past the lump in her throat. She’d allowed Gil to come inside her, again. More than once! Even though she’d known she was in the middle of her cycle and that it was the perfect time for her to get pregnant. Yet, somehow, all that knowledge had vanished as soon as he’d touched her and she’d taken everything he’d offered her.
That had been the real reason she’d been so angry this morning. Hell, she’d never expected Gil to believe her outright, not without a bit more proof, but she’d lashed out at everything he’d had to say because she couldn’t stop thinking about her own mistakes. The kind that stayed with you for a lifetime.
“Damn.”
Fallon sighed and grabbed her CamelBak, soothing her dry throat with a sluice of water. The liquid swirled along her tongue, rekindling images of Gil in the shower, his body cover in droplets. How he’d groaned at her touch and climaxed so hard she could still feel the indents of his fingers in her scalp. She’d never tasted a man as delicious as him, or as dangerous. She knew he’d return, despite her candid declaration, and she was going to have to deal with that. Her only question was whether she’d be strong enough to turn him away.
“Assuming he wants me,” she reminded herself. Besides, the more times she played with fire, the more likely she was going to get burned. And if she asked him to wear a condom, she’d have to tell him she wasn’t on the pill any more. And that was a conversation she definitely wasn’t up to having just yet.
Fallon glanced at her watch and cringed. Jane had called her cell twice to see if she was going to come over to the barbeque, and she’d finally had to agree just to get the woman off the phone. Right now anything was better than sitting at home, wondering if she was going to be a mother. She could only hope all the stress in her life would mess up her periods and she’d escape with little more than a few weeks of worry. But even as she thought the words, an image of a small baby, wrapped in blue, hovered at the edges of her mind, as if daring her to deny what was already happening inside her.
“Come on, Fallon. Suck it up and get going,” she scowled, hoping the rough tone in her voice would motivate her. There was no use agonising over what she couldn’t change. She’d know soon enough, and then she’d make her choice. She nodded and kicked the pedal forward, launching herself into the trees.
* * * *
Gil sat in his truck, listening to what sounded like the same song waver across the radio. He’d arrived at her house twenty minutes ago, but Fallon still hadn’t returned from her ride yet. He huffed as the music changed, the new melody strangely similar to the one before. He hated waiting around outside her house like some college frat boy who was so desperate to get laid he’d follow women around waitin
g until they were vulnerable before descending on them. But right now, his options were extremely limited. He’d gone to all her usual places, only to find the lots empty. Apparently she’d found a new place to ride, and he didn’t have time to scour the countryside looking for her. So he’d executed the only alternative left. He’d driven to her house and parked by the kerb just down the street.
He could’ve waited inside. Though he’d followed her wishes and locked her door behind him, he’d also snagged the spare set of keys she’d left hanging on the hook by the door. But somehow it didn’t feel right going inside without her. It was her house now, and he felt a strange desire to be invited in.
“You’re losing it, Gil ole boy,” he muttered, wondering if this was the first inkling of approaching insanity. He sighed and considered investigating the thought further, when a flash of movement caught his attention. He glanced up the street just as Fallon’s Jeep came into view, merging out from beside a parked truck. She didn’t seem to notice his truck as she turned into her driveway and pulled to a halt, the front tire on her bike still spinning as it’d been when she’d left. She jumped out and turned to survey her bike. She seemed to be considering whether to take it off the rack or not before her shoulders slumped and she headed inside. Even a fair distance away he saw a rip in her tights down by her ankle and the mud splattered across her face spoke volumes.
She’d pushed herself. Hard.
Gil sighed and opened his door, scanning the streets as he made his way to her door. He still had this uneasy feeling that their serial killer wasn’t going to stay satisfied with merely talking to Fallon, and he didn’t want to risk her life because he was too caught up in his own thoughts to do his job.
He paused at the door long enough to try the handle. It swung open without a sound and he barely had the good sense to crush the curse on his tongue before stepping inside. Didn’t the woman have any sense? Leaving her door unlocked was a careless mistake she couldn’t afford to make. One he’d make sure she didn’t do again.
