by E A Price
His lips twitched ever so slightly. “Doctor Roark Maitland, but you can call me Rory. I’m the medical examiner.”
“Right, sorry.”
“You’re Gunner’s newest girl, right?”
“Oh, ah…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. You’ve nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re just going where countless other women in this building have gone before.”
Rory smirked, and Erin decided she hated him. Perhaps he thought he was paying her back for not remembering his name.
“What are you doing down here?”
“Well, I…”
He didn’t bother to wait for an answer. “I heard Isis Martin was in hospital.”
“Yes.”
Rory gave her a scornful look. “Another of Gunner’s girls.”
“You make it sound like he has a harem of women,” she grumbled folding her arms over her chest.
“They just flock to him,” he said with a small trace of bitterness.
Well, Erin couldn’t honestly blame them – she didn’t exactly play hard to get. He was watching her closely, and Erin realized he was trying to upset her. Not in the bitchy, spiteful way Isis did – that Erin could handle and almost excuse because she now realized that Isis actually did have a heart. No, this was just malevolence for the sake of being malevolent, and it kind of scared her.
She decided to ignore him and tried to act professionally. “I actually just came down to see if I could get some kind of vision from James Silver’s body.”
It was quick, but she could have sworn that she saw a look of abject hatred flutter through his face. She almost thought that she’d imagined it, but she was getting a very bad vibe from this guy.
“Yes, I heard that you were psychic, I didn’t believe it though,” he said, almost casually.
“It’s hit and miss,” she admitted hedging.
“So how can I help you?” he asked condescendingly.
“I’d like to see James Silver’s body,” she declared, ignoring the jitters in her stomach.
“Oh, I’m sorry, the body has already been released to the family,” he told her smugly.
Crud. “But, on whose authority?”
“Mine,” he hissed.
“Shouldn’t you have checked with the Director or Gunner?”
“That bear is not my boss!” snapped Rory as he absently rubbed his neck.
“But…”
“I’ve told you that the body isn’t here so you should go.”
Rory stomped to the door and held it open for her. She bit her lip. Well, if the body really isn’t there, there was no point in hanging around. She sighed and was about to leave when a flicker caught her eye.
A ghost materialized next to Rory. The specter ignored her and instead stared at Rory, for all the good it did. Erin almost gasped as she recognized him as James Silver. Their victim’s ghost was hanging around the morgue and he did he seem to be focusing on the medical examiner.
Rory tapped his foot impatiently. “I don’t have all day.”
It was this moment that James noticed that Erin was staring straight at him. “You can see me?”
Erin parted her lips and inclined her head ever so slightly to say yes.
James looked between her and the increasingly short-tempered Rory. “You need to leave.”
Oh, she desperately wanted to ask why, she desperately wanted to ask him some questions, but for some reason, she felt afraid of doing it in front of Rory.
Slowly as his lips curled upwards, Rory closed the door. “What’s wrong Erin? Have you seen something you shouldn’t have?”
Oh, crap.
She didn’t need James’ ghost to tell her. She already knew. “You’re the one who’s been kidnapping shifters and taking their organs.”
Rory cocked his head on one side. “Yes,” he replied simply.
Erin edged backward slightly. Alone in a morgue with a murderer was a very bad place to be. “But why?”
He locked the door. The snick of the lock echoed sickeningly throughout the room. “Money, of course. Why else?”
“But I don’t understand…”
“There’s nothing to understand. The idea came to me when I was working on a dead body about a year ago. All of the guy’s organs were intact, and he would have been a perfect donor, except for the fact that he was a murder victim, and therefore none of his organs could be touched. It seemed like such a waste. So then I started thinking about how much people would be willing to pay to get organs they needed. I looked into what the donor market was like – and for shifters it was pretty much non-existent. It was kind of sad.”
He looked at her as if he truly wanted her to believe that he had feelings. Please! He was a monster!
“At first, I was trying to match people up with dead bodies, but the timing was never right. I could never find the right donor and get their organ quickly enough. So, it became clear that I had to use live donors.”
“So you just killed whoever you felt like?” murmured Erin.
“Well, it’s not like any of them were exactly setting the world on fire. They were no great loss. I mean, James Silver was a womanizing hippo shifter – who gives a fuck about him? And as for Isis, wouldn’t you have felt better with that whore cat out of the way?”
“No!” she exclaimed.
He snorted in disbelief. “Right, sure. It was a surprisingly easy endeavor. All I needed was an empty hospital wing – I had the old mental institution that was closed for giving its patients lobotomies renovated. Then I just needed to muscle to grab the victims, and my old friend Melvin was willing to do anything for me, given how much help I’d provided in escaping the little matter of going to jail for killing his wife.”
“That guy tortured and killed his ex-wife, you should have let him go to jail.”
“She had it coming,” he said nastily.
She suspected he felt that way about most women…
“How did you get rid of the bodies?”
Yes, keep him talking.
“Easy, I just got that Cinderella company to pick them up when they collected the rest of SEA’s trash. The camera in the loading bay is broken, and they never look too closely at what they’re collecting, so it was perfect. It was a shame that Silver’s body wasn’t disposed of, but no matter, now.”
“How did you choose your victims?”
Someone – Gunner at least – was bound to notice she was missing soon.
“I had to degrade myself to do that – don’t think I haven’t suffered in this whole thing! I was going to take everyone from the SEA roster, but I thought that would be too obvious. So I had to volunteer at a free clinic every Saturday to find the correct matches, plus Melvin found a couple through his clinic. Now, have you any more questions?”
“I, ummm…”
Oh hell, think of something!
“No? Well, thank you for listening; you know it’s actually been quite beneficial to admit this to you. It’s been like a weight off my chest.”
“Oh, my pleasure, I’ll just let myself out…”
Rory took a step closer to her. “I don’t think so.”
Unbeknown to him, James Silver’s ghost took that moment to throw himself in front of Erin, trying to protect. “Stay back from her,” he commanded.
Sadly, only Erin could hear him.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but that’s not going to help,” she whispered frantically.
“What?” snapped Rory.
She inched her way around one of the tables, putting it firmly between the two of them.
“Whatever drove you to do this…”
Rory hooted with laughter. “I wouldn’t bother.”
“What?”
“Trying to figure me out. There is no sad, pathetic childhood story behind what I do. I wasn’t abused, I wasn’t unwanted or unloved, and I wasn’t a nerd who harbored unrequited love for the head cheerleader who wouldn’t give me the time of day. I had a normal, healthy li
fe. I’m a normal person. I just did this for the money, which I will now be taking with me when I retire to a nice Caribbean island with no extradition to the US.”
“Normal people don’t kidnap others and harvest their organs,” Erin scoffed.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to goad him, but Rory seemed unperturbed.
He shrugged. “Because they’re not smart enough and don’t have the requisite skills to do it. Ordinary, idiotic criminals rob stores and pick the pockets of old women. No, no one else could have pulled this off. You think your idiot bear boyfriend could have done all this?”
“He wouldn’t want to,” she cried indignantly.
Rory snickered. “Oh, I’m just sorry that you’re not going to live long enough to have your heart broken by that idiot. He’d have gotten tired of you and thrown you over as soon as something more interesting came along.”
He sobered a little and actually smiled a little sadly. “I’m sorry I have to do this to you; I’d prefer it if Gunner were here instead. You seem so nice, but I can’t change that now.”
Rory made a lunge for her, and she shrieked, running away as quickly as she could. She was extremely thankful that he wasn’t exactly graceful, or fast. Because she was neither of those things either.
She ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her, pleased when she heard a thump and a scream. Yep, she got him. She ran through a series of interconnecting offices. Oh, why couldn’t she remember the way back to the elevators? The basement was like a maze, and her navigation skills were questionable at best.
She needed a phone or an exit. Her eyes darted round but she couldn’t see anything. No, but she did hear Rory’s feet pounding after her.
Erin ducked into a room and swiftly closed the door. She backed up slowly, praying he just went past.
“Hi.”
She slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her scream. James Silver’s ghost had chosen that moment to reappear.
“Don’t do that!” she whispered furiously.
The ghost shrugged. “You need to get out of here; he’s a bad man.”
“Yes, I had noticed!”
Why had she come down here without her gun or her phone? It was like she was determined to get herself into trouble!
James disappeared for a few seconds before reappearing again. “He’s gone back to the morgue, go now.”
“Thanks,” she breathed, yanking the door open.
She got a jolt as James appeared in front of her again and pointed in the direction she should go. She nodded and pelted that way.
“Erin!”
A familiar roar echoed throughout the basement, making everything shake.
Gunner! Yes, he was here - he was coming for her!
Erin stopped and tried to listen for his voice. Suddenly the door to her left burst open, and a manic looking Rory flew at her. He knocked her to the ground, and they grappled with one another as he tried to pin her down.
Crap he was strong! He was soon restraining her, and he wrapped his hands around her neck.
“I’m going to fucking kill you, you bitch!” he snarled.
She gasped and scratched at his hands. “And when I’m done maybe I’ll kill that fucking polar bear, too!”
That was it! No one threatened her polar bear. She grabbed one of his fingers and sharply tugged it, bending it back at an abnormal angle. He yelped and loosened his grasp. She took that moment to hit him where it hurts. Yep, she punched him in the crotch.
Rory went limp; his face went green, and she pushed him off her body. He made a desultory grab for her, and she sucker punched him in the face. He tumbled to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
“Erin!”
They were quickly surrounded by other SEA agents. Gunner swept her up into his arms and gave a swift kick to Rory.
“Ugh, you’re crushing me!” she gasped, although she wasn’t all that unhappy about it.
He relaxed his grip a little, but there was no way that he was about to put her down. He nuzzled her neck. “Sorry, babe.”
She curled her body around his; one eye watched as other agents led Rory away. She smiled as James Silver gave her a thumbs up and disappeared. Poor guy, but at least he would have justice now.
“How did you know to find me?”
Gunner sighed. “I was already worried when I realized you weren’t with Jessie, and when you weren’t answering your phone,” he told her with a fair amount of disapproval. “Then when Jessie found out that Melvin Hague went to med school with Rory… and knowing your propensity for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I just had a really bad feeling.”
“Thanks heavens for your bad feelings!”
He chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know, you seemed to be handling him just fine.”
“Yeah?”
He pulled back to look at her. “Yeah, you continue to amaze me. I love you, you know that, right?”
Erin’s eyes became wet with tears. “I strongly suspected. Did you know that I love you?”
“Well, you’re only human.”
She rolled her eyes. “Idiot.”
“Your idiot.”
“Yes, mine.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Three weeks later
Erin kicked off her shoes and stretched her arms over her head. She smiled as Gunner kissed the back of her neck.
“I like your hair up like this,” he whispered into her skin, “easier access.”
She spun and startled him by crashing her mouth against his. Although he didn’t stay inactive for long; soon enough, his hands were snaking their way around her body and heaving her up his own.
It had been three weeks since ‘the incident that we will not talk about again.’ After it had happened, Erin had been pumped up and just about ready to take on anything. Gunner, on the other hand, had been almost a nervous wreck. He claimed that the incident had taken ten years off his life and tensed every time it was mentioned. Melodramatic bear.
Rory was being charged with eight counts of kidnapping and murder. The money he had amassed from the transplants was being given to the families of the victims. Doctor Philip Ross, aka Doctor Melvin Hague, had been sent back to New York to stand trial for his wife’s murder. Depending on how that went, after he had served whatever sentence he was given there, he would then be expected to stand trial for numerous counts of accessory to kidnap, murder and organ trafficking. It was a fair bet that he wouldn’t see the outside of a prison cell for the rest of his life.
The blonde woman who had lured more than a few of their victims to their deaths was actually a call girl. She had no idea what was going on, and had thought it was just a series of elaborate pranks for a new hidden camera TV show. She was very disappointed when she realized she wouldn’t actually be on TV.
To the annoyance of the SEA, Tom ‘the hammer’ Murphy was not being charged with anything. Neither Rory nor Doctor Ross or Hague – whatever, would admit to operating on Murphy – they were far too terrified of the hippo shifter. So, short of repossessing his heart, they had no evidence to arrest Murphy. And no judge would allow them to do that, they knew because they’d asked. Murphy would have to wait for another day.
Erin had virtually moved into Gunner’s apartment, in that whenever she made noises about needing to go home to her place he found some way to distract her. And boy was he distracting.
Instead, they’d settled into a routine that now actually involved the beginnings of a weekly tradition of having a family dinner at Erin’s parents’ house. It was awkward; her parents were too afraid to say much, they focused more on their disgust about how much food Gunner actually ate. Her family was used to dainty portions. Gunner had once cleared out an all you can eat buffet. But, she knew he suffered the meals for her, and it made her love him even more.
They’d just come home from one such dinner. Although they disapproved of him, her parents were a little less frosty after Gunner terrified the cable repair guy into paying them a visit. The guy’s
first offer was a visit within the next six to eight weeks. After one conversation with Gunner, he said he’d be round on Sunday. See, having your very own polar bear came in very handy.
“You tired?” he rumbled.
“Nuh-uh.”
“You wanna watch TV?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“What do you wanna do?”
Erin smiled prettily and fluttered her eyelashes.
“Erin Margaret Jameson, you are insatiable,” he crooned in mock admonishment as he carried her to the bedroom.
“What can I say? I was seduced by this polar bear, and now I’m a nymphomaniac.”
“Wow, he really does sound like a keeper.”
“I agree.” She nibbled on his earlobe.
His big body shuddered. “Erin, there’s something I need to say.”
He placed her on the bed, and she watched him wonderingly as he paced up and down the room.
“Is something wrong?”
Gunner shook his head and knelt on the floor in front of her. “No, not since I met you. I love you Erin, more than anything, and I want you to be mine forever. I want you to mate with me, and I want you to bond with me. I want us to move in together. I want you to come up to Alaska to meet my family. I want to marry you, and I want you to have my cubs. I want you to be with me, forever.”
He was almost panting by the end. His speech had become increasingly loud and frenzied, and not at all like the logical arguments he had prepared and had wanted to put forward. But, in the heat of the moment, logic had no place in his heart.
Erin blinked at him and gulped a few times. “Wow, you don’t want much, do you?”
He looked away, shamefaced. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t…”
“Yes.”
Gunner looked at her sharply. “Yes?”
“Yes to all of the above.”
“You’re saying yes,” he said slowly as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
“I want everything you want. I love you Gunner.”
“You… you mean that?” he breathed incredulously.
“Yes, yes, yes!” she cried in exasperation. “Do I have to shout it from the rooftops?!”
