Night Shift (Nightshade Book 2)

by Carey Decevito

  Seconds felt more like hours as we stared each other down.

  When he pounced, I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. I fired two quick successive shots. The thump of a body hitting the floor had me looking to see what the damage was.

  Where one of the bullets only entered his shoulder, the other one had hit Trevor in the gut. The fact he was now spitting up blood told me that I’d done some serious damage, even though I’d only intended to stop him.

  “You’re done with your reign of terror, Trevor,” I spat, my blood boiling that he’d forced my hand to shoot at him, but mostly because he’d had a choice to leave me alone, yet he’d chosen to make my life a living hell again. “You should have left me alone after you were sent to jail.”

  “Baby,” he pleaded, “I need help. Call the ambulance,” he coughed, a spatter of blood spraying out of his mouth as he did so. “I think I’m dying.”

  “It’s more than what you deserve,” I croaked, the reality of what I’d done hitting me all at once. “You should be locked away, and they should throw away the key for the way you’ve treated me.”

  “Emmie, please!” More coughing followed by wheezing. The pool of blood on the floor was growing quickly as the crimson fluid leaked out of his stomach, then followed gravity.

  “Where was your mercy all of these years?” I cried, anger, bitterness, and despair ruling my emotions. “Why should I show you some when I never got the same in return?”

  The man’s lips moved, but no words came out. Crouching down beside him, all too aware that his life was slipping away, I showed him who I was to the core. Pressing my hands down on the wound in his stomach, I tried to slow the bleeding as I waited for the police to arrive, but it was no use. Blood oozed between my fingers, despite my efforts.

  The scariest part of it all was over, but the part that would leave me with nightmares had come and gone within a mere minute: the look in Trevor’s eyes and the last of his rasping breaths as they left his body would forever scar me.

  Chapter 44

  Shane

  I pulled up just as Devolin was arriving with the baby.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, once she’d sized up the panicked look on my face.

  “Stay here,” I ordered. “Sykes is in there right now.”

  Her eyes rounded with understanding.

  Just as sirens could be made out in the distance, I pulled my personal firearm out from its holster on my belt and made my way to the front door.

  I was met with the sight of broken pottery and some blood on the entryway floor; but no one was in sight. The shuffling on the floor upstairs told me that they were probably up there, but my police training kicked in, dictating that I do the rounds of the main floor first to make sure that Sykes wasn’t laying in wait for me.

  All cleared, I made my way to the stairs.

  What met me at the top had me breathing lighter, but the sight of Emberlyn undone tore at my heart.

  “Sweetheart,” I said, going down on a single knee to take Trevor’s pulse.

  “He’s gone,” she confirmed what I’d just discovered for myself. “I killed him.”

  Tucking my gun in its holster, I pulled her bloodied hands from the lifeless body she’d clearly tried to save and held them tightly in mine.

  “Look at me,” I said gently. She didn’t. “I said, look at me, Emberlyn.” My tone was harder this time. Commanding. When she did, I laid it on her. “You’re not a killer. You defended yourself and our daughter the way you should have. You shot him in spots he was most likely to survive, like you were trained. Despite all the hell he’s put you through over the years, you still tried to help him, sweetheart.”

  “I tried too late,” she sobbed, collapsing into my chest. “I was so angry…so scared.”

  “I know, Em,” I whispered against her hair, one of my hands cupping the back of her head, pressing her close to me. “But you couldn’t have known that this would happen.”

  She shook her head, no.

  “Police!”

  “Upstairs,” I shouted back. “Perp is dead. Put your guns away, there’s a child here.”

  A series of footsteps grew closer, and I peered up to find Will and Captain there, along with Greg and Emma, two other detectives I’ve worked with over the years.

  “Son of a bitch,” my soon-to-be-former-captain mumbled.

  “Medics!”

  “Upstairs. Scene is secure,” Will hollered down. “One dead body, and…”

  “Sweetheart, are you hurt?” I can’t believe I forgot to ask, although the welt swelling on her cheek told me she at least had that.

  “No. Just my face, but it’s nothing ice won’t cure,” she mumbled.

  “Just the dead body, guys,” Will told them.

  “Daddy?” we heard through the door to Lana Rose’s bedroom.

  “I’m here, baby girl,” I told her. “I want you to stay in your room for a little bit longer, okay?”

  “Is Mommy okay?”

  Will seemed shocked by the statement, but both he and Captain Dodge grinned down at me with approval in their eyes after digesting my daughter’s new moniker for Emberlyn.

  “She’s got a little bruise on her face, but she’ll be fine.”

  “Okay…” A small pause. “Daddy?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Hurry up. I’m freaking out in here.”

  Some smirked at me, while others laughed lightly at the dramatic fashion my daughter chose to notify us of her state of mind. I only shook my head, grabbed Emberlyn by the elbows, and helped her up to her feet.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up, Em.”

  Emberlyn

  For the next few hours, I was subjected to photos, my clothes were taken away for evidence, and I’d had to recount my personal history, specifically my involvement with Trevor, along with what had happened earlier when he had shown up.

  My ex’s body had been taken away in a body bag and gurney almost straight away. By the time Shane and I had exited my bedroom, after he’d helped clean me up since shock was setting in, everything looked as it should have with the exception of the pool of congealing blood on the floor and the few scattered evidence number tags.

  Lana Rose had been escorted downstairs by Will, who’d urged her to keep her eyes closed until he’d had her in the living room. I was glad to see that she seemed no worse for wear, worried more about me than what she’d been through.

  “When do we decorate for Christmas?” Lana Rose blurted out, once all had calmed down. Shane was upstairs cleaning up as Devolin, Carter, and now Dalton sat with us on my large sectional.

  The moment everyone had left earlier, Devolin rushed up to my snuggled-up form and dropped little Carter in my arms. I still had yet to let go of the sleeping baby and it had been an hour since.

  I looked over at Lana Rose, realizing that Christmas was only a few weeks away, and I had yet to do a stitch of decorating, a batch of baking, or any shopping for that matter.

  Bending my head, I deposited a kiss to the little girl’s crown as she cuddled into my side, playing gingerly with the baby’s tiny hands until he’d grabbed onto one of her fingers.

  “How about tomorrow?”

  “Can we make cookies?” Her eyes glimmered with excitement.

  “We can, and we can bring some to Grams too, when we go visit her,” I told her. “Maybe the smell of my gingerbreads will make her so hungry that she’ll finally wake up.”

  “Those are her favorites of yours,” Rosie announced.

  “Well then, we definitely need to make a few batches of them then, don’t we?” The girl’s head bobbed frantically in response, making all of the adults in the room, including myself, laugh.

  Chapter 45

  Lana Rose

  It’s Christmas morning!

  My eyes popped open and I hurried to look at the clock. Mommy and Daddy told me that I needed to stay in bed until at least seven before I could get up. I was allowed to peek inside my stocking, but I wasn�
��t to touch the gifts under the tree.

  There were a lot of them! All different shapes and sizes; wrapped up in pretty paper that Mommy and I picked out, all on our own. She even let me help her wrap some of them, even though I didn’t do as good of a job as she did with her gifts.

  7:05!

  That was my cue to get out of bed.

  Rushing to the bathroom, I took a pee, then washed my hands. I reached for my toothbrush and put some paste on it. I didn’t much like to brush my teeth, but it was Christmas, and I figured that it would be a good gift to my parents if I took care of business without them having to remind me to do so. A spit, then a rinse, and a smile in the mirror later, I was good to go.

  Tiptoeing downstairs, the tree we’d gone and cut, then decorated with a mix of each other’s decorations was lit and awaited me.

  And so was the most humungous, most beautiful stocking—ever!

  Giggling, I kneeled down on the rug and plunged my hand inside the larger than life sock and came out with my first trinket.

  But it’s wrapped.

  Santa never wrapped my stuffers up before.

  My mind went back to when Sarah told me last week that Santa didn’t exist. When I’d asked my parents, they’d told me that he only exists for those who believe in him.

  Hmm… Maybe he decided to tease me this year because I doubted him? Daddy didn’t like doubt. He said that if we’re strong people, we always know what to think, how to act, and what to believe in. It didn’t matter what others thought. That’s why I still believe in Santa.

  Unwrapping the first trinket revealed a pack of gum.

  “Oh, yay!” I cried out, then reached for the next little treasure, which was also wrapped.

  “Merry Christmas, lovely girl of mine,” Mommy whispered into my ear. I didn’t hear her come downstairs, but I was glad that everyone was finally up. That meant that we were that much closer to the surprise.

  Jumping up into my new mommy’s arms and squeezing her neck until she giggled, I asked, “Where’s Daddy?”

  “He went to get Grams.”

  Yesterday was the best day ever, but I bet today would be better. Grams’s doctor told us we could take her home. Because she has really bad headaches still, and gets woozy, the doctor said that she couldn’t be alone. That means she had to come stay with us.

  “Merry Christmas, everyone!” Grams called, and I let Mommy go to run and give Grams a hug. I missed hugging her.

  All the gifts but one was opened, and paper littered the floor. I was bouncing on my knees, staring Daddy down so he could give me the go-ahead to give Mommy her gift.

  “It’s time, baby girl,” he said.

  “Time for what?” Mommy asked.

  I rushed to my feet and ran to the tree to collect what Daddy and I had made. “Put your hand out,” I told her, handing the item into her palm as soon as she did.

  “What’s this?” She inspected it with that artistic eye of hers. With the twinkle in her gaze, I knew she liked what she saw.

  “Open it!” I hopped around. Why did adults have to take so long to open their gifts anyway?

  “It opens?” Twirling the nut around in her hand, she must have noticed the tiny hinge on it. “Ah!”

  Nestled inside the Christmas walnut Daddy and I decorated was the last piece that would make my dreams come true.

  “Emberlyn Roth,” Daddy said, his voice a little shaky. Daddy didn’t do shaky; it was weird. “I know–”

  “Yes!” she yelled out, then threw herself into my daddy, knocking them both down to the floor in fits of giggles as she kissed him silly, as Mommy likes to call it. Daddy does that a lot.

  “You didn’t let me finish,” he grumbled beneath her, but kissed her back. I rolled my eyes. Them and their kisses. Even though I thought it was gross, I still felt happy when I saw them like that.

  “Because I don’t need those words, Shane,” she explained. “I want to be your wife. I want to take care of our Lana Rose together, and–”

  “And I want to have more babies…with you,” Daddy whispered, “watch them grow up into great human beings because their mother is the best person in the world to teach them everything.”

  “Shane,” she cooed.

  Oh no! Mushy kisses were worse than silly kisses. “Guys!” I whined, Grams laughing in the background.

  “Come here, baby girl,” Daddy said, and I listened.

  When I got close enough, he pulled me down into their heap.

  “Are you ready to be a princess for a day?” Mommy asked me.

  I nodded. “I’m ready for you to be my real mommy.”

  Chapter 46

  Emberlyn

  I admired the twinkling of the ring on my left hand before taking one last glimpse in the mirror.

  Wearing the red silk nightie I’d splurged on just last week, my hair hanging loose in blonde waves, I headed for the bathroom door.

  Shane was sitting on the edge of the bed, sporting some goofy Christmas candy cane boxers, as he stowed away something in his bedside table as I exited.

  His eyes rounded, his throat bobbed as he swallowed, and his underwear seemed to be pitching a candy cane of its own.

  “Come here,” he husked. I went. His hands reached for my hips, skimming the garment I wore. “You’re beautiful, Em.”

  “Thank you.” I cupped his cheek in my palm, the heat of his hands through the material warmed my blood; especially when his hands made a stop to squeeze and hold my ass.

  “Tell me it’s finally time, Em,” he groaned, leaning his head into my stomach. “I need to make you mine again. It’s been too long.”

  “Please, Shane,” I practically begged. “I missed this part of us so much.”

  Flipping me as if I weighed nothing, I landed on my back atop the mattress, Shane’s body covering mine.

  “I missed this too, sweetheart, but I have to warn you…” His hands roamed as he slowly lifted my nightie, revealing the barely-there matching thong.

  “What’s that,” I panted.

  “I’m not feeling gentle right now.”

  I moaned. “Good.” I didn’t want gentle. I wanted Shane. Raw. Hot. Unfiltered.

  “But first…”

  Next thing I knew, I was flipped onto my stomach, Shane was sitting on the backs of my knees as he delivered a swift swat to my ass.

  “Shane!” I squealed in shock more than in pain. Sure there was a bit of discomfort, but the moment his hand rubbed over where he’d hit, the warmth from the smack triggered something dark…erotic…and fuck was I drenched.

  “Stay still, Em, I’m thinking I like my handprint on that delicious ass of yours.”

  I groaned, my face planting into the sheets.

  He delivered a slightly harder hit. A moan escaped my lips this time.

  “I think someone likes this a little too much,” Shane said, his hand rubbing my butt as I arched it into his touch. He graced me with another swat, this one closer to my pussy lips before he forced his hands between my legs. “You’re so wet for me, sweetheart.”

  “More,” I pleaded. I swear, all he had to do was deliver a few more and I would explode. This was altogether a new thing for me.

  Grabbing onto my thong, he pulled it roughly, snapping the elastic and tore them away from my body. “Spread your legs for me, Em. Make some room.” Shane shuffled around to give me room to do so, my legs on the outside of his thighs as he kneeled between them.

  He slapped me twice; one to each cheek in quick succession.

  “I swear I’m going to come,” I announced on a mewl.

  His laugh was sultry, and next thing I knew, his mouth was on me, his hands spreading the sensitized skin of my ass cheeks as he licked, sucked and massaged that…

  “Oh God, Shane, yes!” There was no penetration, only rubbing, but that move, in such a forbidden place, had me catapulted into bliss.

  Before I’d recovered, Shane backed away, lifted my hips and plunged himself deep, taking my breath away.
r />   “Fuck, yeah,” he grunted between thrusts. “I really love my handprint on your ass, sweetheart. Feel that.” He pulled out and pistoned back in. “Feel me, Em.”

  “I do!” I cried out, another surge overcoming me.

  His hips kept their rhythm, strong and steady. “I want to feel you everywhere.”

  “Yes!”

  “Your mouth…your pussy…fuck, I never thought I’d say this, but I want your ass, Em.” As he said it, his thumb came to play with that tiny rosette, and I felt myself get even closer to the edge. “Fuck, she likes that.”

  “Mm-hmmphf,” I managed.

  The moment his thumb breached that tight ring, I exploded on a loud keening wail into the mattress.

  “That’s right, Em…milk my cock.” He hissed. “So fucking good. So close.”

  Spent, I could only let him use me like I wanted him to. It took him a few more thrusts and then he buried himself to the hilt, grinding into me as he spilled himself on a roared bite into my shoulder.

  Shane

  “Mine,” I growled, showering Emberlyn’s back with a slew of sloppy kisses as I made love to her skin from the back of her neck down to her tailbone.

  Her body shook with her pleasure. “Yours,” she moaned.

  “I want you again,” I confessed, helping her roll onto her back, then removing the rest of her nightie. “I want you in every way I could possibly ever have you.”

  Her arms stretched up, then fell to grasp onto the slats of her headboard, while her legs lifted to wrap around my hips. “Show me,” she said, her eyes bored into mine.

  Hovering over her, I bent down low and snagged her mouth with mine and proceeded to do as she’d asked.

  “Thank you,” I whispered up to the ceiling, Emberlyn cuddled into my side as one of her hands played with mine.

  She lifted her head to look at me, depositing a sweet kiss to my pec. “What are you thanking me for now?”

  “For being you…making my daughter happy…giving me everything I need.” I eyed her glistening eyes. “Thank you for bringing me back to the land of the living…for showing me that happiness exists, even after a loss so horrific. Thank you for loving me.”