Kiss of Souls

by Morgan Kelley

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Delta Falls

  Police Department

  Oh, it was bad.

  The commissioner was NOT happy. It started with the FBI rolling into his office, and it culminated with his detective spouting off on camera.

  Both men knew he was going to blow.

  They could see it on his face when they sat down. After being forced to have the press conference, there was no way he was going to be filled with sunshine and cheer.

  “Sir,” Detective Woods began, but he was cut off before he could say anything else.

  “Shut it.”

  The man did.

  “I don’t know what the hell to even say to you two detectives. You had one directive to handle for me. It was to pin this mess on the Christensen man and close it. Now we have the FBI here, two more bodies that we could have hidden somehow but now can’t, and a growing clusterfuck on the horizon.”

  The men said nothing.

  “I’m pulling you both,” he stated.

  “What?” Detective Woods stated. “Why are you pulling me? At least I didn’t go spouting off in front of the media. I don’t deserve to be yanked from this case!”

  His partner glared at him.

  “You didn’t nail this down. You’re the lead detective, and this falls on you—not him. You know that!”

  “The evidence…”

  “I don’t give a shit about that! I gave you an order, and I’m going to pass this off to someone who can handle it. Now I have to deal with the FBI too. I am NOT happy, gentlemen. Go back to your desks and gather your notes. Tomorrow, you’re off this case. I’m sure something new will come in to occupy your time.”

  They didn’t move.

  “I said go! Dismissed.”

  As they headed out, Detective Bender punched the wall, leaving a hole.

  Arsen was not happy.

  This was one hot mess.

  There was no doubt that this was going on his record. He was now between a rock and a hard place.

  And he was going to do the right thing.

  Pulling a folder out of his desk, he grabbed a paper and began filling it out.

  “What are you doing?” Jamie asked.

  Arsen glanced up.

  “I’m taking a vacation,” he stated. “I need a break from the job for a little while. I want to sit back, forget this mess, and regroup for the next case,” he offered, lying his ass off.

  “You know what? That may just be a really good idea,” Jamie stated. “I might take some time off too. It’s fishing season, and I could use a boat, a pole, and some brews.”

  “I say do it.”

  Why not?

  “Good idea, partner. We’re done.”

  Oh, Arsen was far from done.

  Tomorrow, he was going to show up at the Littlemoons’ office, and hope they’d let him help—on his own time, of course.

  That way, he could investigate anything he damn well wanted.

  He wasn’t going to close a case with bogus details.

  It wasn’t happening.

  Arsen had a job to do.

  And dammit, he was going to get it done too.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Hotel

  When Elizabeth got Callen there, she helped him onto the bed. Then she tumbled down against him just to relax for a few minutes.

  Today was…

  Interesting.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Want to talk about it?” he asked, pretty sure he already knew what was going through her head.

  “I was thinking about Ethan.”

  Yep, he was right.

  How did he know?

  He was thinking the same thing.

  “And?”

  “Can he really change?” she asked. “Do you think we have a chance at saving our relationship, Cal, or is it over? I need you to help me think through this. I’m lost in the pain.”

  He got it.

  So, he’d do exactly what she asked him to do.

  He’d help.

  “He’s trying, Elizabeth. It’s not going to be about him when this is all said and done. It’s going to be about you. Can you genuinely forgive him for what he’s said, what he’s done, and what you’ve seen on TV about the other woman?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What will it take?”

  She laughed. “Divine intervention and for him to actually show up. I need him to forget he’s the Director of the FBI, and remember that he’s our husband.”

  He kissed her on the head.

  Yeah, that was the part he was worried about. This was Ethan, the king of work. The odds of that happening were slim to none.

  “What else is bothering you? I know my woman, and you’re all stirred up.”

  “The dead.”

  “What about them?”

  She stared at him. “This is like a page from a book of malarkey, and we both know it. All this mumbo jumbo ghost and demon crap.”

  “Only?” he asked, hearing the hesitation in her voice. She was thinking about it, and that meant she was trying to rationalize it.

  “Only, it’s clearly not fake. What we’ve seen…where do I put that?” she asked. “What box do ghosts go into when I try and compartmentalize them?”

  He smiled. “Angel, you can’t control freak everything, and you know it. Maybe there’s meant to be things we don’t understand.”

  “Maybe.”

  Still, he could see her struggling.

  “Why don’t you put it in the box where you don’t have to explain it to anyone—including yourself? This one time, just go with it.”

  “Yeah, that sounds exactly like me.”

  It made him laugh. “Totally.”

  “Know what I want right now, Callen James?” she asked.

  Oh, he only wished she was thinking about what he was thinking about. It had been a while since they’d had sex. Every time they’d try, Elizabeth simply couldn’t bring herself to do it. She’d burst into tears, thinking about Ethan.

  It was getting difficult to ignore that he had cravings and needs. Callen was holding on for dear life.

  “What do you want?” he asked, hoping she’d give him the okay to have his way with her.

  “Chinese and someone to scratch an itch I have.”

  His eyes lit up. “An itch, huh?”

  “Yeah, this cast is killing me.”

  Well, damn.

  That was a one-way train to Disappointment-ville. Callen swallowed it, simply because he loved his wife, and he got it. This had to be on her time, not his.

  “How about you order the Chinese, and I’ll wait here with the pencil to scratch your wrist?”

  She smiled. “I love you, Callen. I really love you with every ounce in me.”

  She knew his body was reacting to her words. Each time she cuddled against him, there was that telltale ripple of his muscles.

  He still wanted her.

  A lot.

  Elizabeth wanted to go there, but there was one last piece of her soul missing, and she couldn’t muster it.

  Not yet.

  “I will never love anyone like I love you, Elizabeth. You’re my girl. Don’t forget it.”

  “I needed to hear that,” she admitted.

  He kissed her softly on the lips.

  “I know, angel. I know.”

  When she hopped out of bed, he picked up his phone and texted his brother.

  It was time for more intervention.

  He had to do something.

  The people he loved were one hot mess.

  ‘You need to fix this soon. Her heart is a mess.’

  When he reached for the aspirin, his cell went off.

  ‘I know. Mine is too.’

  And that said it all. They were all falling apart from this, and it didn’t look like it was going to get better.

  Only worse.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

&nb
sp; Rock Bottom

  Sports Bar

  When they got there, the news was on, and everyone was watching the daily coverage. As soon as Tori was seen, the people in the place were focused on her.

  There were chants of ‘Littlemoon’ and ‘toss him in jail’. Clearly, the town was divided on Beau and his situation.

  When they took a seat at the bar, she wasn’t smiling. Julian knew this was the way she worked, or she was listening to her dead.

  It was a toss-up.

  Julian raised his hand and ordered them both a beer. Then he looked at her breasts.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Can you drink and feed a child? Shouldn’t I know that?” he asked.

  Tori shrugged. “It’s not advisable, but what’s one little drunk baby anyway? Let’s start her off right.”

  He stared at her in absolute horror.

  Then he got it.

  “You’re busting my ass, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “We have milk in the freezer. I won’t flake out like my mother.”

  Uh oh.

  Someone was in a bad mood if she was bringing up Shelby. That was an indicator that he should let it go.

  “Okay,” he said, taking the beer and dropping cash on the bar for the bartender. “Let’s just do our job,” he stated, trying to keep his wife calm.

  “Do you want change?” the man asked as he grabbed the bill on the bar top.

  “That depends. We have some questions.”

  “Like?” the dark-haired man asked.

  “Are you Leon Brewer?” Julian inquired.

  “Yeah, who wants to know?”

  Tori pointed at the television.

  “Don’t be an asshole and play ignorant. You damn well know who the hell we are and why we’re in this shithole dive you call a business.”

  Julian cringed.

  His wife was definitely in a mood. She was getting ready to chew someone’s face off. He almost felt bad for Leon Brewer.

  Almost.

  “The police already talked to me, so you can finish your beer and head on out.”

  She started laughing.

  Yeah, he wasn’t going to get that lucky.

  She could play the game.

  “Oh, they beat us here to question you about the two newest deaths?” she asked.

  He looked worried.

  Tori kept going with it as she pointed at the TV overhead. “I’m sure you’ve heard that Fredrick Raymond and Xavier Lake have been found dead.”

  He didn’t flinch.

  Tori was up for a challenge.

  “A birdy tells me that you’re the person who was dishing dirt to Shelby Christensen so she could blackmail half the people in this town.”

  The man didn’t say a word.

  “Okay, I’ll just ask everyone in here,” Tori stated. “How I’m going to phrase it is that I think you killed my dear, sweet, mommy.”

  A flicker of fear crossed his face.

  “I didn’t know her well.”

  She knew that was total BS. If he was sleeping with her, he knew plenty about her.

  “I can’t believe you killed my mommy to get all the money,” she said, raising her voice so a few people looked their way.

  It had to be clear to Leon that Tori wasn’t screwing around with this.

  It got the reaction she wanted.

  “Oh please! You didn’t like her. You had her in that dump motel, and she had to fend for herself.”

  Tori smiled ferally.

  “So, let me get this straight. You told the police you barely knew her but had sex.”

  “It was a onetime thing. I was drunk.”

  She wasn’t buying what he was selling.

  Not.

  At.

  All.

  She glanced over at the man beside her at the bar and held out her hand. “Are you a regular?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I’m Tori Littlemoon, and he’s suspected in killing my mom.”

  The tears came.

  And they were fake.

  “He murdered her, and I need help. He keeps lying and trying to stop us from finding the truth. He killed my baby’s grandmother.”

  That’s what made him crack. The man handed her a napkin.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t cry,” he said, patting her on the arm before giving Leon one hell of a dirty look.

  “Billy! She’s faking it,” Leon warned. “She used to be a cop or something. You can’t trust her!”

  The man glared at him. “Didn’t your momma ever tell you not to be mean to women?”

  Then he focused on Tori.

  “What can Billy Blackman help you with, little lady? Just ask. I don’t like seeing women cry—especially mothers.”

  “Did you ever see him with my mom?” she sniffled.

  Julian was astounded by the range of acting on this one. For a few seconds, he actually thought she was mourning, but that couldn’t be possible.

  Jesus!

  His wife was pulling out all the stops on this one.

  “Julian, do you have a picture of my mother? Maybe the one where she was cuddling our baby?”

  Well, he knew that never existed, but he went along with what she was doing. Who was he to stop this train wreck?

  “I don’t, but I have this one, honey.”

  Julian showed the man a picture of Shelby on his phone. “Here she is. The best mother-in-law a man could have,” he offered, practically choking on the words.

  He studied it.

  Then he stared up at Leon.

  “Yeah, she’s been in here,” he stated. “In fact, isn’t that the woman you took home every night for a week?” Billy asked.

  Tori faced the man and grinned ferally.

  Oh, he alluded that it was a one night thing to the cops, but here it was more than that.

  Boom.

  She had him.

  It was time to finish up the act.

  “You were having sex with my mom too?” she asked, pretending that was a huge surprise.

  There were more tears.

  Sobs.

  And finally, the man was the center of attention as a good chunk of patrons stared at him.

  “Come on!”

  She didn’t let up. “You killed my mother, didn’t you? Oh my God!”

  “Shhhh, okay, you win. Yes, I slept with your mother more than once, and we were more than acquaintances.”

  The tears were gone.

  Tori shut them off.

  “I’m willing to bet you were very familiar with her motel room too.”

  “Prove it,” he demanded.

  She glanced over at the man beside her. “Do you come in here a lot?”

  Billy Blackman nodded. “Every night for a beer before I head home. On weekends, I stay until closing.”

  “Did you see Attorney Fredrick Raymond in here?” she asked. “We found him dead today.”

  He shrugged. “I can’t say I did. I don’t think this is his kinda place. From what the news said, he was some rich guy. We aren’t rich here. This is a working man’s place.”

  “See?” Leon stated. “Just because I banged your mother a few times at her motel room, doesn’t mean I was helping her blackmail people.”

  She grinned.

  “Jules, did you hear that?” she asked. “I never said Shelby was blackmailing people. I simply stated that he was getting in her panties. What a coincidence. That’s what the police think happened, and I don’t think they’d tell him that.”

  The man pointed at the door.

  “Get out of my bar!”

  “After you tell me why you were helping her blackmail people,” Tori stated.

  The people who didn’t like the Littlemoons were beginning to get restless.

  Julian knew they could come back later, and maybe with the detective or Elizabeth. Tori was stirring the shit pot a little too much for his liking. There had to be fifteen big men in there, and they couldn’t fight their way out of
there.

  For now, they at least knew they were on the right path. That was the important part.

  “We should go,” he muttered, tugging on her arm.

  “I’m not…”

  He cut her off. “Tori, the odds are NOT in our favor,” he stated.

  She finally got it.

  “We’ll be back.”

  “I’ll call the cops,” Leon shouted. “I’ll have you arrested if you try!”

  Yeah, Julian couldn’t let that happen. Tori was NOT returning to that place. He pushed her out the door.

  Outside, Tori stared at the bar.

  “It’s centered around this place,” she said.

  “How do you know?” he asked.

  Tori touched her head. “Let’s just call it my instincts are kicking in. This place, or should I say Leon Brewer, has something to do with this. I’d bet our business on it.”

  Julian helped her into their ride.

  He didn’t say anything, but he was thinking one thing.

  They already were betting the business on it, and so much more.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Beau and Nyx’s

  Townhouse

  He was avoiding her.

  Nyx couldn’t blame him. She’d broken his trust, and now she had to either work to get it back, or walk away.

  She was sick of fighting.

  She was tired.

  This was too much to carry and by herself, so she went into their bedroom to find him.

  They had to have a come to Jesus talk, and soon. Their relationship was on the verge of ending.

  Once in the room, she noticed something odd. Beau was laying out his uniform.

  She was confused.

  Nyx had never seen it before. He didn’t like to go back there, and he didn’t like to talk about his past. This was huge, and she didn’t think in a good way.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m prepping my uniform for court. Since they want to convict a soldier with PTSD, I’m going to make it easy for them. I’m wearing my full-dress uniform.”