* * * *
Karin was sitting in the dressing cubby on the other side of Melodie, listening to the conversation between the two girls. She had delivered the car to the Steinmans, gotten her money, including a generous tip, picked up a 1990 black Ford from “Rent a Wreck” for cheap, and made her way to Fort Lauderdale. She was staying in an old motel Federal Highway in Pompano. It sure was nothing like the Black Dahlia Hotel. I should be staying in that fancy hotel with Logan, not you, Scar Face.
She had been staking out the hotel entrance in the hopes of seeing Melodie leave. She had gotten lucky that morning. She’d been reluctant to make a foray onto the hotel property in case they were on the lookout for her. She had noticed the police presence around Melodie’s gallery had certainly increased after her visit. She’d been lucky to get in, find what she needed and then get out again.
She followed the two girls to the mall and pulled into a vacant space right next to the Ferrari. She hadn’t decided what she was going to do yet, other than follow them around the mall, eavesdrop, and possibly pick up some useful information—and maybe grab Melodie again if she got a chance. She knew she looked totally different without the Goth makeup and clothing. They never even noticed her.
* * * *
Melodie and Kaylin slipped into a booth at the Blue Marlin Grill. “I’m actually hungry. All of this upset has had an effect on my appetite—not that I’ve lost an ounce, especially in my butt.”
“How are you enjoying The Black Dahlia, with construction still ongoing and all?”
“It’s weird having a whole hotel to ourselves, but I can see it’s going to be outrageous when it’s all done.”
“It had better be done and soon. Don’t worry about being all by yourselves. In two weeks, the place will be jumping with the crowd coming in for our wedding, and a club from Savannah is bringing in about fifty people. We’re going to open the dungeon with my collaring ceremony instead of bachelor and bachelorette parties. We thought that would be exciting.”
“I think that will be great. I sense that you are a tad nervous, Kay, which is only to be expected.”
“I am. Jack’s family is very wealthy, and mine is just middle-class. All of them, including his favorite cousin, who is a Domme, are coming down from New York. And she has it in for me.”
“Barbara Brown? I’ve met her. She seems nice enough in her Domme way. Of course, she always ignores me at the club, and that’s the only place I’ve had any exposure to her. I adore her sub, Ross. He’s a hedge fund manager and always gives me stock tips.”
“Well, Jack and I had a fight, and he went up to New York for that bachelor auction she put on at Le Club Eastside last year.”
“That’s where Logan met that nut job, Karin Sanders, who has been stalking him. That auction has caused problems for both of us.”
“Jack and I weren’t talking at the time, and I’m sure he poured his anger and frustration out to Barbara, and now she hates me. She and Jack are extremely close and always have been. I don’t know. I just want everything to be perfect.”
“That’s only natural. I’m sure it will all go like clockwork. How many brides get to have their wedding in their own hotel? Relax and enjoy the journey.”
“You’re right. Now if I could just do it!”
“I have to start thinking about what I want to do for a wedding. Logan says he doesn’t want a long engagement, and for me to start figuring out what I want to do. I’ve always dreamed of a wedding in Central Park with a horse-drawn carriage. Wouldn’t that be great?”
* * * *
Nut job? Scar face thought she was a nut job? I’ll show her a nut job! Karin was seated at a table on the other side of the row of booths with a high mahogany divider between the tables. She was eating a salad with a glass of water. This place was kind of pricy, and she was trying to keep expenses down.
What was that? Logan and the bitch are engaged? That can’t be. He was hers. She should be planning her wedding to Logan. She closed her eyes for a moment and saw red.
* * * *
Kaylin smiled. “Central Park would be fabulous—especially if you do it in the spring.”
“That would probably be good timing. I’m having another corrective surgery on my face after the first of the year. Hopefully, this will be the last one. I hope so. I hate to set my expectations up too high and then be disappointed.”
“I’m a girl, Melodie, so I’m not going to say it’s nothing, but the scar is not as bad as you probably think it is.”
“That’s what Logan says. But it’s on my face, not someone else’s. He says I’m beautiful no matter what. And that’s a wonderful thing.”
“It certainly is. He’s something else. I really like him.”
“My best friend, Pansy, is crazy about him, too. I think he had her won over when he started to crack through my shell, and she could see me opening up to people again. At that point she wouldn’t have cared if he was a vampire, never mind into BDSM.”
“Yeah. Best friends are like that. I don’t know what I’d do without my posse. Chloe, Gabriella and Nicollette are the best. You’ll meet them and their Dom fiancés. It’s amazing, but every one of us has gotten hooked up with a Dom. How weird is that?”
“Pretty weird, I have to say.” Melodie laughed and Kaylin smiled. Melodie was a lovely girl when she relaxed and opened up. Logan was a lucky man, and a smart one to overlook the scar. Some men wouldn’t.
They finished eating, paid the bill and got up. “What do you want to do next? There are more clearance racks, girlfriend.”
“Lead on. I’m game now that I’ve been fortified with food and the caffeine from that iced tea.”
* * * *
Later that afternoon, Melodie and Kaylin were walking back to the parking lot. Their arms were loaded down with bags full of new clothes, shoes, and handbags. Their clearance rack scouring had been extremely successful.
“I’m exhausted, Kaylin. You have managed to wear this New Yorker out.”
Kaylin beeped the locks on the Ferrari and popped the trunk. “Then I’m doing my job.” She stopped to adjust her shoe. She had dropped their several bags into the trunk.
Just then, Melodie felt a sharp point in her back again and she was shoved toward the old car in the next parking spot. “In the car, bitch.”
“Kay, help!”
“Shut up, bitch. Get in the car if you don’t want another scar.” Karin still had her arm around Melodie’s throat and the knife to her back.
Melodie could see Kaylin scrambling up and reaching into her handbag. She pulled out a handgun, but Karin was using her body as a shield. Kaylin did not have a clear shot. There were also other shoppers in the close confines of the low-ceilinged, concrete-walled garage. Melodie was frozen with fear. A knife was her darkest nightmare. She would have rather faced a gun.
Karin pushed her into the back seat of the car and hit her on the back of the head with the heavy handle of the knife. She was stunned. Karin jumped into the car and peeled out of the parking spot without looking, and tore toward the exit of the parking garage.
* * * *
Kaylin took several shots at the tires of the car, but missed as Karin turned the corner out of the garage. She pulled her cell phone out of her handbag and jumped into the Ferrari to give chase. She dialed first Del and then Chloe, told them what had happened, and gave them the license plate of the Ford. Then she dialed the security office at the hotel.
“Ernesto, that Karin person grabbed Melodie in the parking lot outside Macy’s. I’m trying to follow, but I don’t see her. She’s in an old Ford that blends into the traffic.”
“I’ve got her. I can see you aren’t in the same vehicle any longer. She’s headed west on Sunrise. Now she’s making the curve onto Federal going north.”
“I’m right behind her. Please let Jack know what’s going on. I’ve already called my partner, Del Lord, and Chloe Carlton at BSO to get out an APB.” Why couldn’t she have taken out those rear tires? S
he was going to put in some more time at the firing range after the dust from the wedding settled.
Kaylin tore out of the parking lot behind the mall and through the red light onto Sunrise Boulevard without regard for the traffic. She still couldn’t see the Ford. She would have to rely on Ernesto to be her eyes in the heavy Saturday afternoon traffic. Her gun was lying on the seat beside her.
Shit! How had this happened? She’d had her eyes out for Karin Sanders all day, and still she managed to get the drop on them. Jack was going to be furious with her because she hadn’t valet parked, but really, that might not have made a difference. The woman was determined, that was for sure. Right now, she had to watch traffic, watch for the Ford, and try to catch up with Melodie and Karin. Was that the car up at the next stop light? She wasn’t sure. Melodie must be so scared.
She was catching up to the car she thought might be Karin. She pulled alongside and took her eyes off the road for a moment. Shit. It wasn’t them. She hit the gas and moved ahead again, scanning the traffic for the black Ford. She thought she had spotted another possibility and sped up again, moving in and out of traffic like a race driver. She had to say, this car was a dream to drive. That looked like them up ahead. She was pretty sure. She didn’t take her eyes off the other car for a minute.
She had her phone on speaker and heard Ernesto say, “You’ve almost got them. The car is turning into a parking lot on the east side of the highway.”
“Thanks, Ernesto. I see them. Pulling into the Swaying Palms Motel now. Let everyone know. Send backup.”
Karin was dragging a half-conscious Melodie out of the back seat of the Ford when Kaylin tore into the lot, tires squealing, effectively blocking in Karin’s car. She jumped out with her gun drawn. “BSO. Let her go. If you don’t want to end up with a hole where you don’t want one, let her go now. I won’t tell you again.”
Karin apparently saw the futility of resisting further. She dropped her hold on Melodie, who immediately fell to the ground, scraping her knees and hands on the rough asphalt. “Melodie. Back away now.” Melodie obeyed, although Kaylin could see she was still not fully with the program.
When Melodie was out of reach, Kaylin kept her gun trained on Karin. “Hands on the car door, legs spread. Do you have any weapons?”
“Just the knife on the front seat of the car.” Kaylin was reaching for a zip-tie handcuff when two BSO cruisers arrived on the scene. Kaylin backed up and let the uniforms cuff Karin. In another minute, Del Lord pulled up in his dark-green Jeep. “Jesus, Kaylin, can’t you even go shopping at the mall without starting WWIII?”
“Apparently not, wise guy.” She lowered her gun and ran to Melodie. She squatted down beside her. “Are you okay, honey? Did she hurt you? Any cuts?”
“No. I’m okay. I pretended to be unconscious, and she left me alone in the back seat—ranting and raving the whole way. She must have been listening in on our conversation all day because she had a lot of information. I think what tipped her over was hearing that Logan and I are engaged. I think that must have been the final straw.”
“I was watching for her all day, but without the Goth getup, I didn’t notice her. Thank God you’re all right.” She helped Melodie stand.
Karin was struggling against the uniformed officers as they tried to restrain and cuff her. “Let me go, you assholes.” It was clearly going to take two of them to hold her. She looked over at Melodie standing beside the Ferrari. “This isn’t over, bitch! Logan is mine. He’s been mine since last year. You have no right to interfere in our relationship.”
Just then, Jack arrived in his SUV with Logan riding shotgun. They both piled out of the car. Logan immediately ran to Melodie and took her into his arms.
Karin was screaming in fury. When she saw Logan she wailed. “Logan. Logan, baby. Don’t let them do this to me. We belong together. You can’t want Scar Face.”
Kaylin could see that Logan was shaking with worry for Melodie and now with anger at Karin’s cruel words. Good thing Jack had been there to drive.
“Karin, shut up. I have nothing else to say to you.”
Jack rushed over to Kaylin and pulled her into his arms. “Thank God you’re okay. What happened?”
She gave him the short version, failing to actually mention that she had not valet-parked the Ferrari. He looked at her with one dark brow raised. She hated when he did that. He could read her like a book, and she had no chance of keeping anything from him. “And all this happened at valet parking?”
“Well, no, actually I parked behind Macy’s where I always park.”
“And do you always disobey direct orders that are given to insure your safety?”
“Ummm, no. I usually do exactly as you say, Master.”
“Now that is a downright fib. I think we are going to discuss this further in the dungeon tonight, subbie. We’ve had this conversation before. You are to be careful with what belongs to me—and you belong to me, Kaylin.”
Kaylin started to blush. She hoped none of the guys had heard that.
* * * *
Logan couldn’t hold Melodie close enough. “Oh, baby. That was the longest drive of my life. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a little bump on the back of my head where she hit me with the butt of the knife. I don’t think the skin is broken. I’m okay, Logan. Really.”
“Let me see.” He gently parted her hair and felt her scalp. “Okay. I don’t see any blood. I never want to see blood on you again. Jack will drive us back to the hotel, and then I’m never letting you out of my sight for the rest of our lives.”
“The rest of our lives? That’s a long time.”
“Never. And don’t be a smart ass or you’ll be sharing Kaylin’s spanking. Jack is hot. I think I was just treated to the longest string of expletives I’ve ever heard. And he never took a breath.”
“She saved me, Logan. She was fantastic.”
“She was also disobedient. Remember that for future reference.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. Just what I like to hear.”
She mumbled under her breath, “Right.”
“What was that, subbie?”
“I asked, ‘Did you catch any fish?’”
“Sure you did.” He pulled her tighter and kissed her hard. God, he loved this woman.
* * * *
Melodie collapsed on the bed in their suite. She was exhausted. The fear she’d experienced when she felt Karin’s knife at her back again was mind-numbing. Everything in the background had started to blur around the edges, just like in her painting. She had been all but incapacitated. She had to get over this fear of knives. Maybe Logan would help her work on that.
“Baby, I’m going to order dinner in the suite. What do you want?”
“I don’t know. Surprise me. I can’t make any decisions right now. I am wiped.”
Logan’s cell phone rang and he answered. He listened for a moment and then said, “I’ll bring her in to BSO to make a statement tomorrow, unless you want to take it here.” He listened again. “So she’s been taken to the lockdown ward of Broward General and will get a psychiatric evaluation prior to most likely being committed.”
He glanced at Melodie who was listening raptly. “Yes, I understand. She is totally delusional, although I’m no expert. Thanks, Del. We appreciate everything you guys did for us today. I’m glad it’s over.”
He disconnected the phone call. “Babe, Karin is in the psyche ward at Broward General.” He lay down on the bed beside her and pulled her snugly into his arms. He kissed the back of her head.
“Can’t psyche patients get out?” He could feel her still trembling.
“If she’s deemed competent to stand trial, then she would be convicted and go to prison. She may be over the edge now, but she wasn’t when she committed her crimes of assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and attempted murder. She’s not getting out, Melodie, not for a very long time.”
She gave a huge sigh of relief. T
hen the tears she’d held back began to roll gently down her cheeks. “Oh, Logan. I don’t believe it’s finally over.”
* * * *
Karin was lying on a hospital bed. She knew she was in the psych ward and that the door with the six-inch reinforced glass window was locked. She had tried to leave before the meds they had shot into her arm had kicked in. She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t. She was in love with Logan Hawk, the most beautiful man on the planet. That wasn’t crazy. That was her destiny. She drifted off to sleep.
Epilogue
Cherry Hill in Central Park, New York City, New York, Saturday mid-afternoon, June 18, 2016
The horse-drawn carriage, bedecked in pink-and-white roses, approached the circular plaza at the top of the gentle slope known as Cherry Hill, overlooking the lake in Central Park. Melodie took a moment to think back over the highlights of the months since Christmas.
She had completed the painting of Logan in Florida, but had yet to show it to him. She’d been very pleased with the results. He had been patient, although she knew he was dying for the unveiling. It, along with the abstract from the gallery window, was his wedding present, and she would be giving them to him tonight.
Jack and Kaylin’s wedding on the front veranda of The Black Dahlia Hotel had been spectacular, as was their collaring ceremony at the grand opening of the new dungeon. Melodie and Logan had a wonderful time aboard the Golden Dolphin for the cruise to Bermuda. They were finally totally relaxed, and happy to know that Karin Sanders had been committed and hopefully would get the help she so desperately needed. Logan had finally agreed to spend some time in the dungeon with her, working on her pathological fear of knives, and they had just about conquered that final barrier.
Dark Place’s six-city tour had been a stunning success, and their second album was climbing the Billboard charts and was already a million-seller. The guys were here as the ushers and Billie was Logan’s best man. They had promised to be good and not pull any of their famous practical jokes. She’d told them they would get no cake if they didn’t behave. They all looked handsome in tuxedos with fresh haircuts that they had complained about bitterly.
Melodie's Song [The Black Dahlia Hotel 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 13
