by Jen Talty
She had hoped being with Jared would release her silly schoolgirl crush and allow the woman she knew existed to surface. That maybe she could move past the fantasy to live her life and fall in love with a man. A real man. Someone who’d be her equal, not someone who put her on a pedestal, or someone she feared would push her down into the depths of insecurity.
But now she’d had a taste of what it could be like with Jared, and she wanted more. In her heart, she knew there was more between them than a silly crush. But he would never give her anything more than a brotherly kiss on the temple, or a meaningless blending of two bodies to ease old wounds. He wasn’t capable of anything more, and he’d made that perfectly clear. And she’d accepted it. She had to.
‘Faking it’ took on a whole new meaning.
She pulled out her eyelash curler and primed her lashes to make them appear longer. Her daily routine was the only way to keep her emotions in check. No way could she ever allow him to know how much she loved him. That would only make it harder for him to leave. Something she knew he had to do if he was ever going to move beyond his own past. With a steady hand, she applied her mascara, telling herself that she’d get through watching him walk out of her life.
She puckered her lips and brushed on some lip-gloss, then headed down the hallway toward the stairs. She sniffed, but didn’t smell anything. Not even coffee. She shrugged, reminding herself that this house was at least eight times the size of her place. Lingering smells didn’t carry themselves that far. But she couldn’t ignore the prickly feeling that something wasn’t right. When she reached the bottom step, she knew she should be smelling something by now.
Instead, she heard voices.
* * * *
“Whoever this sick bastard is, he’s messed with the wrong man,” Jared said, slamming his fist on the table. “I want to put the pressure on that guy from Troy, and I want a court order to open Tom’s record.”
When Jared had opened the kitchen door and saw the newspaper stained with tacky blood, anger surged through every muscle in his body. But when he walked into Ryan’s house, just to make sure everything was okay, his heart sank. No way would he ever let anyone hurt her again. He’d failed her when her mother died. And he failed her last night. Making love to her had been a mistake. He didn’t love her, not the way a man should love a woman, and she deserved a man who could give her the world.
“This really doesn’t fit with Rudy Martin’s MO,” Sergeant Harmon said.
“If it’s Martin, he’s not pulling the strings, just getting paid to deliver the message.” Jared glanced out the kitchen window at the carriage house. The CSI unit was still inside, and he knew he’d have go and get Ryan soon.
“That makes more sense than some pencil pushing geek who might have done something stupid like steal his parents’ car and get busted,” Harmon said.
“Find a way to make the court order happen, okay?” Jared glanced at Frank, who was rubbing his jaw. “What’s on your mind, kid?” Frank might be green and a little rigid, but he was a damn good cop, and Jared trusted him with his life.
“Sergeant Bower from Troy spoke with Rudy and said the guy’s definitely weird. But he’s a Jesus freak now. Born again, and doesn’t put any chemicals in his system, lives in some kind of compound with a bunch of other religious nuts.”
“Just because someone lives like a monk or believes in God, doesn’t mean he’s not capable of hurting another person.”
“Jared?” Ryan’s soft voice filled the room. “Frank? What’s going on? Why are all those cars here?”
“Sit down, Ryan.” Jared wasn’t sure he’d be able to explain what had happened without scaring the crap out of her. Then again, she should be scared. Hell, he was scared.
“I’ll meet you outside,” Harmon said, nodding to Ryan.
“You’re frightening me.” She gripped the chair, but didn’t sit.
He held his hand out to her. “Come here,” he whispered, taking a single step toward her. “I promise I’ll catch whoever is doing this.” He’d sworn to himself this morning that he’d keep his distance, but under the circumstances, she needed him.
“Doing what?” Her eyes were wide with fear.
Taking her trembling body into his arms, he held her steady, trying to absorb her fear as she did his pain. “My newspaper was covered in blood this morning.”
“Huh?” She pushed herself from his clutches, bumping into a chair. “Blood?”
“Someone ransacked the carriage house. Whoever it was took a knife to your bed and ripped it to shreds.” Jared swallowed the bile rising in his throat. “They doused it with blood.”
“Oh, my God,” she muttered, covering her mouth and stumbling backward. “Why?”
“I don’t know, babe. But we need to sit down and think about who might want to hurt you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Could it be you they’re after?”
That thought had certainly crossed his mind. He’d made a few enemies over the years. There were criminals out there who wished him dead. But he also knew this particular criminal had focused on Ryan. “They left you a note.”
“A note? What kind of note?” She fumbled about the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets until she found the coffee. It slipped from her trembling fingers and the grounds spilled out onto the counter.
He raked a hand across the back of his neck, letting her continue on her mission. She needed to keep her body moving. He knew the drill better than anyone. “A threat.” With her back to him, he approached her, gently running his hands up and down her shaking arms. “A threat, made in blood, on your walls.”
Her body jerked, then she whipped around. Her eyes were full of anger. Well, that was better than fear. He hated seeing her afraid.
“We’re going to have to go over there, and you’ll need to make a statement.”
“A statement? About what?”
“Who might want to do this to you. Other than George. You have to consider other possibilities. I need you to consider other possibilities.”
She jumped when Frank tapped on the door, then poked his head in. “I think you need to get over there.”
“Give me five,” Jared said, not hiding his impatience. He needed a few more minutes to help Ryan with what she’d be facing when she walked into the place she’d been calling home for years.
“Jared,” Frank said, waving him over.
“What?”
“They found another note.” Frank’s eyes darted to Ryan, then back to Jared.
“Where?”
“By the kitchen sink,” Frank said softly.
“Please, just tell me what it said.” Ryan wiped the tears from her face. “I need to know.”
Frank removed his trooper hat, fiddled with the rim, and looked at Jared. “Something about how he saw you last night, what you were doing, and how he’d get you for betraying him like that. Not the exact words, but close enough.”
“Shit.” Jared cursed under his breath, knowing the family room blinds had never been drawn. If anyone had been sneaking around, they would’ve been able to see in. “We’ll be over in a few minutes.” He grabbed Ryan by the hand and yanked her toward the stairs. Thank goodness she didn’t fight him, because he would’ve thrown her over his shoulder and carried her away.
Once safely in his bedroom, he grabbed a shirt and tossed it over his head. “I was in the carriage house this morning. You need to be prepared.” His own words sounded harsh and resentful. “It’s pretty ugly.”
Blackness smudged down her face while soft sobs echoed from her lips. “I can’t imagine even George doing something like this.”
“That’s because you think everyone has a good side. You even defended that bastard.”
“I did not.” She sat down on the bed and stared at him. “But he didn’t have an ea--”
“Easy life. Dirt poor, no job, and abusive parents. Like I said, you think everyone has a good side.” He glared at her. “Who else besides Tom have you turned down lately? Or
might have a grudge against you? Girls that might be jealous, guys that look at you funny.”
“Eddy might hold a grudge.” She winced.
“The dipshit you dated last summer?” He remembered Eddy, and the guy was a total moron. Okay, not a moron, but a nerd. “Why would he hold a grudge?”
Bolting from the bed, she began to pace. “God, this is so embarrassing.”
Embarrassing? She had no reason to be embarrassed. Shocked, afraid, angry, livid, and a whole list of other emotions he could think of, but embarrassed? Circling his arm around her middle, he lifted her chin. “Why would Eddy hold a grudge? Of all the morons you’ve gone out with, he was actually a nice guy.”
She swallowed. “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.”
He arched a brow.
“When we, well…oh God, I called out someone else’s name instead of his, okay?”
“Whose name?” he heard himself ask. A pang of jealousy filtered through his body, followed by rage. Not just because she’d been with other men, but if it hadn’t been his name, he’d be pissed. Something he had no right to be, considering their affair had already ended. He had no claims to her, and he didn’t want any. He tightened his grip around her and stared into her eyes.
“Yours,” she said so quietly he could barely hear her.
But he did. And he couldn’t tell if he was flattered, horrified, or thrilled. “You’ll have to tell the detectives about Eddy.” His hands betrayed his better judgment and cupped her face. “They don’t have to know all the details, but enough to question him about where he might have been last night.” He had told himself this morning it would be best to just pretend last night had never happened. He told himself they could go back to being friends.
He reminded himself of that when he kissed her nose, then tucked her head into his chest. The erratic pounding of his heart echoed in his ears. A sudden rush of desperation clamped down on his emotions. Regardless of the cost, he’d do anything to make sure she was protected against any harm.
A thought he tried to keep at the forefront of his mind when he tilted her head and dropped his lips to hers. He let his body take over and slammed his tongue into her mouth on a search and destroy mission. Lost in the softness of her mouth, he forgot about the CSI unit and the two detectives waiting for them, until she had the presence of mind to pull away.
Stunned, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I have no idea where that came from.”
“It’s okay. This whole thing’s got us both on edge.” She wrapped her arms around her chest. “I feel violated. Someone may have been watching us.”
The idea that someone had seen them infuriated Jared. He’d always been a private man and kept his affairs discreet. His life was no one’s business. “We’d better get over there.” He strapped his weapon belt on and took her by the elbow. “I’ll catch this guy, I promise.”
And he meant it.
* * * *
Ryan’s stomach gurgled and pitched toward her throat as Jared walked her toward the carriage house. Two sheriff’s cars, a state trooper car, an unmarked car, and a sheriff’s van were parked in the driveway and on the street, lights flashing for the world to see. Some of her neighbors had come out to watch.
Mr. Thompson scurried across the road. “If I can do anything? Help out in any way?”
“Just keep your eye out and lock your doors,” Jared said with a polite smile. His hand firmly planted on the small of her back. “Are you ready?”
A breeze kicked up off the lake and swished her hair across her face. She brushed it away and adjusted her long bangs as if looking her best would help the situation. The smell of rotten meat filled her nostrils when a police officer pushed back the screen door. Swallowing the horrible vomit taste in her mouth, she nodded.
Jared kept his hand on her spine. Had he removed it, her knees would have buckled. Her kitchen floor had droplets of blood scattered about the black and white linoleum. She had to sidestep them to the sink where a folded piece of paper with the number six sat on the counter top like it would at a wedding reception.
“Don’t touch anything, ma’am,” the cop said, the same cop who opened the door for them.
Ryan glanced at Jared, then back to the note. It read: My sweet Ryan, not so sweet. I saw you betraying me, you whore. I will get you for what you and your cop friend have been doing. Don’t you worry, you will pay.
“George accused Mom of cheating on him.” Memories of her stepfather ranting and raving in a drunken state flashed before her eyes. She blinked them away.
“Isn’t this George character in prison?” said a man in plain clothes. She looked toward the voice and recognized the man, but couldn’t place him or remember his name.
“Hey, Nick.” Jared thrust his hand forward. “Ryan, you remember Detective Jenkins from the rat incident?”
A vision of the fanged little bugger hanging in her desk drawer popped into her head. “Yes.” She rubbed her shaking hands on her slacks.
“I’m sorry to have to put you through this, but after you look around, I need to question you both.”
“Question?” Ryan leaned closer to Jared.
“Standard procedure. He just needs to find out where we were last night and rule us out before he goes forward with this investigation.”
“Why would I do this to my own house?” The anger in her voice caught her off guard. Last night was supposed to be special. Something shared only between Jared and her, not on display for the whole world to judge.
“He’s not implying anything. But he has to go by the book.”
“The book sucks.” She shivered, crossing her arms across her chest as they made their way to her bedroom, following the trail of blood. Every piece of furniture in her home had been turned upside down and stabbed with some sharp object.
Clicking noises sounded in her bedroom and flashes of light danced across the hallway, hitting the wall.
“Take a deep breath,” Jared whispered in her ear.
She swallowed, then peered around the corner. Her heart pulsed, before it stopped for a brief moment. She took in a deep calming breath as her pulse began to flutter in inconsistent beats. Both of her hands instinctively clamped down over her gaping mouth, muffling her scream.
Blood was smeared across what remained of her bed. The mattress had been pulled to the side, half sitting on the floor with the insides exposed by each tear. Four men, all with gloves and masks on, stopped what they were doing and stared at her, then went back to taking samples and pictures.
“Where did the blood…” she gagged, “blood come from?” Jared’s bicep didn’t even flinch when she grabbed it for support.
“We don’t think it’s human,” someone said.
“Little Jimmy Henderson said his dog didn’t come home last night.” Jared looped his arms around her, but it didn’t stop her body from trembling. “But we don’t know anything right now.”
She turned her head, not wanting to look at the horrifying scene anymore. A bright redness on her wall caught her attention. “What is...” She blinked a few times to gain focus and realized she was looking at words. The letters were dripping like the title in the book Helter Skelter. “Oh, God.” She stared at the words “Die Bitch.” Her stomach lurched into her throat. “I’m going to be sick.”
A thud followed by a few curses fell faint in her ears as she pushed aside everyone and anything that stood in her path. The bathroom seemed so far away. Not bothering to shut the door, she dropped to her knees and gagged. Then gagged again. But the only thing that came up was a foul taste.
Her entire body broke out in a cold sweat. Shaking her hands out, she stood up, panic overriding her good judgment. Her pulse hurt as it pounded loudly in her head. She paced in the tiny bathroom, unaware of her surroundings. Unable to cope. “Damn it!” She swept her hand across the countertop, knocking everything to the floor. “I won’t be afraid!”
“You have to be afraid.” Jared’s voice rang out str
ong and confident. He yanked her by the shoulders and heaved her to his chest with steady arms. “This guy, whoever he is, has snapped. We need to believe he’ll stop at nothing—”
“To kill me?” She pounded on Jared’s chest. “Why me? What the hell did I ever do?” She’d spent her life making sure she treated people better than she’d been treated as a child. After her father had died, her mother slowly began to rot in a bottle of whiskey. Her brother up and married the first woman who could guarantee his freedom from the hell of poverty, only to get a good dose of hell in another form.
Then her stepfather entered the picture, turning her already turbulent world upside down. He belittled her and her mother. He used his strength and power to keep them down. She swore when that man had been put behind bars that she’d never let another soul dictate her life.
She’d make sure everyone in her world knew they were loved and cared for. Every chance she had, she found a way to praise the people around her. Things as simple as helping the elderly across the street, or bringing a neighbor you barely knew dinner when they’d broken their leg, were the rules she lived by. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
That rule just bit her in the ass. She felt violated, and now distrusted the world. Everyone around her was suspect, even Jared, according to the cops. Although she could certainly vouch for his whereabouts last night.
“If not you, it would be some other unsuspecting victim.”
She glared at him, shoving from his embrace. “It’s got to be George. He’s the only one who makes sense. These are things he used to say.”
Jared rubbed his unshaven jaw. “George is in jail, and he doesn’t have a lot of money.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Most criminals of this nature need a payoff of some kind. Either a personal one, like a vendetta, or money. If George was behind this, either someone owed him big or George gave him money. Money he doesn’t have.”
