A Shot in the Dark (Dark #1)

by J. G. Sumner

  “I tend to see the selfish, controlling, rude, train wreck she is most of the time. For me, her personality seems to mask any superficial beauty she may have.”

  Laney felt a bit awkward. “I take it you two don’t get along.”

  “It depends on the day and her mood.”

  “Does she always just walk right in?”

  “Yes, she lives here.”

  “Really? You live with your sister, whom you can’t stand?”

  “Well, she’s fallen on some hard times. I let her move in here to help her out. It works out well most of the time because she is here when I’m not and vice versa. And she takes care of Duke when I’m working long shifts.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

  “As long as we avoid each other, it’s good. Plus, she loves Duke and takes really good care of him.”

  “What happened that you don’t get along very well?”

  “It’s a long story. I know I said that we would do the whole tour now, but would you mind if we went to dinner now and finished the tour later?”

  “Yes, that works. I’m starving anyway.” Laney grabbed her keys. “How about I drive tonight?”

  “Sure, that would be nice.”

  “Wait, what’s going on? I’m not getting any push back. What has come over you?”

  “How about that lovely woman who just entered my house?”

  ***

  Laney pulled up in front of the Union in Encinitas and was immediately able to find a parking spot. Luck was on her side, since this restaurant was the happening place most days of the week, trying to find a parking space in front was next to impossible.

  She and Josh got out of her BMW, clicked the alarm, and stepped back to look at the building. It was unique, with big gray warehouse doors that rolled up when the restaurant was open.

  Josh put his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the restaurant’s entry. “Have you ever been here before?”

  “No. It’s cute.”

  “They have some amazing food. I love to come down here and have a beer when I’m trying to get time away from my sister.”

  “I can see why. This place looks like it’s a lot of fun.” She was struck by the casual bar-like ambiance but it had more upscale feel. They were immediately seated by a window overlooking Highway 101, allowing for a terrific opportunity to people watch.

  The waitress approached them. “My name is Whitney. I’m going to be your server tonight. Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

  “I’m going to have a Stone Pale Ale. What would you like?” Josh waited for Laney’s answer.

  “I’ll have the same.”

  “Two Stones. I’ll be back shortly to take your order.” The waitress turned and headed toward the bar.

  “You do realize you just let me order my own drink.”

  He smiled. “I learned my lesson the last time I tried to order for you. And besides, this place has great beers on tap and their food is really good. You’ll be safe with whatever you decide.”

  Laney perused the menu. “I think I’m going to get the fig flatbread. It sounds interesting.”

  “I’ve never tried it. My favorite is the pesto chicken flatbread. How about I get that and we can share?”

  “Sounds good.” Laney closed the menu. “I spoke with Detective Neal today. He came by and picked up the letters. I filed a report, and he gave me his card in case there are any more.”

  “That’s good. What did he think about it?”

  “He thought it was a good idea not to be alone for a few days.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “I’m staying with Peyton for the next few days. She has a big German shepherd that should scare away any intruder.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re going to stay with me.”

  “I appreciate the offer, and I do enjoy spending time with you. But…I think we might be moving a little too fast. I would feel more comfortable staying with Peyton. Plus, it’s closer to my house and easier for me to grab clothes.”

  “I enjoy spending every second of my day with you. I want to be with you. You need a safe place to stay, and I happen to have one. I can’t think of a better way to get to know one another.”

  “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll stay with you on my days off from work. That way, I don’t have to worry about getting to work on time and getting my things. It would just be easier.”

  “You’re standing firm on this, aren’t you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Fine. I have no alternative but to give into your demands or be forced into a life of solitude.”

  “Okay, Mr. Dramatic.”

  “That’s ‘Doctor Dramatic’ to you.”

  Laney shook her head, unable to stop from laughing.

  They finished dinner and headed back to his house. Laney grabbed her overnight bag out of the car, walked up the pathway, and went inside the house. It was pitch black inside.

  “Where’s your sister?”

  “Who knows? She could be out somewhere or locked up in the cave she calls her room.”

  “Geez, there is no love lost between the two of you.”

  Josh turned to Laney, picked her up, and carried her up the stairs. “All the love I have is right here in this small little package called Laney.” He smiled at her as he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and entered his bedroom. He laid her down on his California king bed and pressed his lips against hers.

  Laney quickly fell under Josh’s spell. It was easy for her to get carried away in the moment. But she had her lingerie and wanted to wear it for him.

  “Josh, wait.”

  “What is it? Am I hurting you?”

  “No, I just need to go into the bathroom.”

  “Okay. Sorry.” He let her up. Laney grabbed her bag and took it into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and quickly began changing out of her clothes. Laney didn’t think she could keep Josh waiting long. And frankly, she wasn’t interested in waiting herself. Seeing her in lingerie would drive Josh wild. She look forward to seeing that hunger in his eyes.

  “Laney, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be out in a second.”

  “Well, don’t take too long. A man has needs, and I’ve been waiting all day to have you in my arms.”

  Just as he finished speaking, Laney walked out of the bathroom in her new purple teddy. Josh’s jaw dropped. He sat up in bed as she walked over and straddled him.

  “Do you like?” Laney lifted the hair off her shoulders to give him better viewing pleasure.

  “How could I not like that? You look incredible.” Josh leaned in and kissed her neck and shoulders then slowly worked his way down to her breasts. She pulled his head up so his lips met her mouth and she pressed her lips against his. She could feel his erection growing, and she their tongues collided. Laney undressed Josh—starting with his shirt, making it down to his pants, kissing him, and teasing him along the way.

  Time seemed to stop as they took turns teasing and pleasuring each other. Josh took her to the edge more times than she could count but never let Laney achieve climax. She was about to lose her mind. Josh rolled her onto her back and took control. Laney came alive beneath him as he massaged all of her hot spots. Her nerve endings fired constantly, sending warmth and tingling throughout. Within minutes, he had her climaxing so violently, Laney’s entire body shook. Without stopping, he turned her over on her stomach and took her from behind. He thrust deep into her, slowly at first and then faster. Within minutes, she was climaxing again. Like a machine he hammered away, bringing her to orgasm again and again before releasing inside of her. Sweaty, weak, and spent, Laney collapsed, unable to physically take anymore. She closed her eyes and tried to still her breathing.

  Laney’s heart had slowed and she was able to catch her breath. “Oh my God. What was that? It was amazing. What came over you? You were like an
animal.”

  Josh inhaled deeply before answering. “I was as patient as I could be for as long as I could. I couldn’t control it anymore. I wanted to be inside of you. I wanted to claim every part of you.”

  “I guess so. Remind me to mess with you again.” She laid her head on his chest as she snuggled next to him and quickly fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

  Chapter 19

  Josh

  “Josh! Josh! What the hell is this, Josh? What the fuck is going on?” Josh and Laney woke up to a very angry Jillian yelling.

  “I had better go see what she wants.” He pulled the covers back and got out of bed. Laney rolled over to look at the clock on the nightstand. It read 5:30.

  “Holy crap. I’m going to be late for work.” She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Laney turned on the shower and brushed her teeth as it warmed up. She got in and out in record time. Laney dressed, and brushed her hair into a ponytail to save time. Just as she began applying her makeup, Josh walked into the room.

  “What did your sister want?”

  His face was pale. “She found another note.”

  “What?”

  “She was coming home from wherever and she found another note on the porch.” He paused. “This time, it was written in blood.” Josh held the note in his hands.

  “Let me see it.”

  “I don’t think…”

  “I want to see it!”

  Josh handed the note to her. Laney took a deep breath and unfolded it.

  Roses are red, violets are blue

  Staying with him will only cause harm to you.

  She dropped the note. “What the hell? Who is doing this?” Tears escaped her eyes. “Someone followed me to your house. They know where you live too. This is all my fault.”

  Josh put his arms around Laney to try and calm her, “It’s going to be okay. I’ll call Detective Neal before I go into work and let him know we got another letter.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t go to work today. I should just call in sick.”

  “No. You have to go. That’s going to be the safest place for you.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I should just leave town for a few days. I can go stay with my parents. I don’t want to put you in any more jeopardy.”

  “Don’t be silly. This is still going to be here when you get back. We need to figure this out now. Hopefully the blood on the letter will provide enough DNA to find the person who is doing this.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Trust me. You can’t stay at Peyton’s tonight. You don’t want to put her in danger.”

  “Maybe this lunatic will stop if he thinks I’ve left you and I’m staying with Peyton.”

  “Do you really want to take that chance? It’s not fair to her.”

  “It’s not fair to you. It’s not fair to your sister.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll come up with something. Just let me talk to the detective and I’ll talk to you about it later.”

  “Fine. I’ll go to work, but I want to know right away what he says.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Josh kissed the top of Laney’s head and left her to continue putting her makeup on. Although this time, she was shaking and was almost unable to get her eyeliner on straight. When Laney was done, she put everything in her overnight bag. Josh met her at the bottom of the stairs with a toasted bagel with cream cheese and coffee in a travel mug.

  “You can’t go to work hungry or without your coffee.”

  “Thank you. That’s very sweet.” She kissed him on the cheek.

  “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.” Josh leaned over and kissed her on the nose.

  Laney nodded but not too convincingly as she left through the door.

  “I love you.” She heard the words come from him. Laney stopped but didn’t look back. She wanted them to mean more than they did at that moment. But she couldn’t shake the fear. Did he really mean it or was he just saying it because he was concerned for her safety?

  Laney continued to her car. She hadn’t even noticed that Josh was following her until he closed the car door after she got in. She gazed up at him and smiled as she strapped on her seatbelt, started the car, and drove away.

  ***

  Despite waking up late and the debacle with the note, Laney was only five minutes late. She tried to shake off the events of the morning as she walked into the staff lounge. But Dinah picked up her tension almost immediately.

  “Hey, honey. How are you doing?”

  Laney mustered up the best smile she could. “I’m doing fine. How are you?”

  “Well, you know me. I’m alive and back for another day. Things can’t be too bad.”

  “That’s good. I am glad to hear that.” Laney turned toward her locker and dialed in the combination.

  “Are you sure you’re all right? You don’t look so good.”

  “Just some family issues I’m dealing with.”

  “If you want to talk about it, I have lots of experience with family issues.”

  “Maybe later. I have a lot to process in my head first.” The only way to get Dinah off her back would to give her some hope of spilling her guts later.

  “Okay, honey, whenever you’re ready.”

  As per her routine, Laney grabbed her stethoscope, a couple of pens, some other supplies she would need for the day, and headed to the trauma room. She received the report from the nurse who was ending her shift and began to inspect the room, ensuring all the necessary supplies and equipment were in place.

  When she was satisfied the room was ready for the next disaster, she went to offer her services to other nurses.

  Laney started a couple of IVs, inserted a urinary catheter, and helped pull a patient up in bed. When no one else seemed to need anything else, Laney decided to take a trip upstairs to inquire about Skyler’s condition.

  When she arrived at Skyler’s room, he appeared to be sleeping and Rebecca was nowhere in sight. Peyton was there writing down vital signs on a clipboard.

  Laney quietly walked over to Peyton, careful to not wake Skyler. “I didn’t know you were working today,” she whispered.

  “I told you yesterday when we were at the gym. Don’t you remember?”

  She thought about it for a moment and couldn’t remember that conversation. “I’ve had some things on my mind. Sorry.”

  “What happened? Is your stalker back?”

  “Looks like it.” Laney gave Peyton a rundown of the events during the past twelve hours. She had to hold back the tears as she told what seemed like a story from someone else’s life. It felt good for her to talk to someone other than Josh about it.

  “You’re staying at my place tonight, right?”

  “Josh and I agreed it would be better to stay at his house. There’s no sense in putting you in any danger.”

  “I’m your best friend. There’s no other place in the world that I’d want you to be than with me. Besides, Jack can be a ferocious beast. He’ll scare anyone who comes our way.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’m just going to stay with Josh tonight. We’re going to take it day by day and see what happens with the stalker. He’s talking to the detective this morning and, hopefully, they can find out who’s doing this.”

  “Okay, but just know my door is always open.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

  Skyler stirred.

  “How’s he doing?” Laney inquired.

  “Actually, he’s doing quite well. They extubated him yesterday and he has been breathing on his own since. He had a CT scan last night to see if he had any spinal injury and the results showed he was clear. He has feeling in both legs, but he isn’t moving them yet. I’m not sure what that’s all about. Also, Dr. Stone is taking him to the OR today to fix his broken arm.”

  “Oh, I’m surprised Josh didn’t mention that. Is he talking yet?”

  “He whispers a bit. But he was pretty tired, and his throat was very sore last n
ight. So there hasn’t been a lot of talking.”

  “Any idea how his mom is doing?”

  “She went home and slept in her own bed last night for the first time since he’s been here.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yeah, from my understanding, Skyler kind of nudged her to go home. I think he was the only one who could have gotten her to do that.”

  “You’re probably right.” They both laughed.

  Skyler opened his eyes and looked in Laney and Peyton’s direction.

  Laney walked up to him. “My name is Laney. I was the nurse taking care of you when you came into the hospital. I just came by to check on you and see how you’re doing.”

  Skyler smiled at her and whispered, “Thank you for saving my life.”

  “I’m just happy to see your eyes open.”

  Skyler tried to clear his throat. Laney grabbed the pitcher of fresh water and poured some into a glass for him.

  Skyler took a couple of sips. “Thank you, that helps.”

  “Is your throat still sore?”

  “Yeah, but not as bad as yesterday.”

  “That’s good. It should keep getting better throughout the day.”

  “You’re awake, and you’re talking. My boy is back!”

  Skyler and Laney turned to find Rebecca entering the room, looking refreshed.

  “And if it isn’t my two favorite nurses! Skyler, you don’t know how lucky you are to have had these two ladies tending to your every need. How are you two this morning?”

  “Great! I’m so happy to see Skyler progressing,” Laney replied.

  “I feel like the luckiest woman alive. My baby is awake, I slept in my own bed for the first time in almost a week, and hopefully we will be bringing this handsome boy home soon. What more can a mother ask for?”

  “Geez, Mom.”

  They all laughed. Rebecca reached into her tote bag and pulled some items out.

  “I brought you some things I thought you’d like. Here’s your iPod, your stuffed snow dog, some boxers so you don’t have to show these ladies your bottom, and u some of your favorite motorcycle magazines. I’m hoping you will enjoy just reading about them instead of riding them from here on out.”