Fourth Fight

by Mary Abshire

Andrew clenched his jaw as he stared at Don floating in the deep end of the pool.

  “Hey.” Emily put her palm on the side of Andrew’s face and brought his attention back to her. “Forget about him. We can still have a good day together.”

  He took her hand and kept it pressed to his cheek. “Any time I’m with you is a good day.” He kissed her palm.

  “Oh, how sweet. Now why don’t you two cool off by getting in the pool?” Don said.

  Emily’s heavy sigh matched how Andrew’s mood. “He won’t shut up until we get in,” she said.

  “Even then I doubt he will,” Andrew said.

  Frowning, she nodded. “I’m getting hot anyway. Why don’t we get in for a bit and then head back to clean up and get ready?” She removed her sunglasses and set them in the bag.

  “Sure,” Andrew said before she led the way to the ladder.

  “Oh, come on,” Don said. “Just jump in.”

  Emily ignored Don and backed down the steps. Don started swimming toward them from the deep end. Andrew didn’t want him to get too close to Emily, especially since she only had two small pieces of clothing covering her, so he jumped in. Water splashed around him, but he didn’t go under.

  “Doesn’t it feel good?” Don asked.

  The cool temperature gave Andrew’s heated skin instant relief.

  “It’s a little chilly,” Emily said, half way in the pool.

  Don laughed and swung his arm across the water, shooting it at her. She stiffened when the wave hit her, but finished descending the steps.

  “You’re an ass, Don,” she said.

  “Pussy,” Don said.

  “Hey!” Andrew barked. He fought the overwhelming sensation to punch the man in his face. “Enough.”

  Don laughed again as he pushed off to float on his back. “I bet if you swam a few laps you wouldn’t think the water was cold.”

  Andrew walked next to Emily as she slowly waded into the deeper end. She changed her direction suddenly and headed for him.

  “Turn around,” she said.

  He twisted in the almost five feet of water until his backside faced her. She gripped his shoulders and then brought her legs around him.

  “You don’t mind giving a girl a ride, do you?” she asked softly near his ear.

  “I never mind giving you a ride.” He enjoyed it every chance he got.

  “I knew I saw someone swimming in the pool,” Annie said as she approached. “Is the water warm?”

  She’d dressed in a frilly red and white polka-dot bikini with a wide summer hat on her head. She carried a towel over one arm. Although she had decent curves for a young woman, Andrew had zero attraction to her. In fact, he looked away to avoid laughing at her attire.

  “Wow,” Emily said as he ventured closer to the six-foot area.

  “It feels great. Jump in,” Don said, holding onto the edge of the pool.

  “There’s no way I’m jumping in unless that water is eighty degrees.” She set her hat and towel on a lounge chair a few down from Emily’s.

  “Don’t be a pussy. Jump in,” Don said.

  She put her hands on her hips and approached Don. “Since I have a pussy I can be one any time I choose.”

  Don pushed away from the wall and splashed water at her.

  Annie jumped back with a slight scream. “You little prick.”

  “Not true. It’s much bigger than you think,” Don said.

  “Ick. Trust me, I don’t think,” Annie said.

  Andrew turned and waded away from the deep end, bouncing slightly in the water.

  “Where’s Sherri?” Don asked as Annie walked around the pool to the three-foot marker.

  “She’s coming.” Annie sat and put her legs in the water. “It’s cool, but feels good.”

  Andrew stayed at the opposite side from where Annie sat. Emily slid from him since they were in almost four feet deep water. She dragged her hand down his back and then around to his chest as she moved in front of him. Her touch brought a smile to his face and a surge of excitement to his groin. Before her hand slipped away, he caught it and then pulled her close. Her lips curled. She threw her arms around his neck and he lifted her onto his hips while she hopped up at the same time. She weighed lighter in the water and landed gently on him. Smiling, he backed her to the wall.

  “No fucking in the pool,” Annie blurted out. “I’m the only one who gets to do that.”

  His lips flat-lined within seconds. He couldn’t wait for his chance to kill her.

  “Maybe it’s time for us to leave,” Emily said.

  He kissed her lips. “I think we can have more fun on our own and in private.”

  “Definitely.” She moved her legs down from him. “Besides, I wouldn’t want you getting too worked up here. Goldilocks might notice.”

  A laugh escaped him. “Good thinking.” He sank into the water until it reached his neck, then tucked his semi hard erection. “Go ahead. I’ll just be a minute.”

  Emily made her way to the ladder while Andrew waded around in the pool. Don began swimming laps and passed him. With slow steps, Andrew headed toward the stepladder on Annie’s side.

  “Do you like swimming?” Annie asked as he drew nearer.

  “It’s okay,” he said.

  “Have you ever had sex in a pool?” Annie asked.

  Taken back by such a bold question, he didn’t respond. She had some nerve asking him personal questions.

  “I hear it can be a lot of fun. You look like the type of man who has done it in a pool before,” Annie said.

  Emily paused several feet behind her, fists clenched. He imagined steam coming out of her ears. Don hadn’t noticed anything since he was swimming a lap.

  “No offense, Annie, but I’m not discussing my sex life with you.” Andrew began climbing the steps.

  “Oh, come on. You’re married. I’m sure you have sex all the time,” Annie said. “Maybe you can share some tips to help me out.”

  Water spattered on the ground as he reached the surface. “I’m not the right person to ask. Talk to Don.”

  Emily headed for their chairs at the same moment he did. She yanked her towel up and buried her face in it.

  “Patience,” he said, grabbing his linen. “Right?”

  She lowered the cloth and faced him. “Patience sucks.”

  He couldn’t agree more. Every time he looked at Annie, he wanted to kill her. The demon continued to test his strength like no other ever had. If he couldn’t destroy her soon, one of them might do something to hurt his chances at completing his task.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Emily rolled over to her other side, away from Andrew. Although they were sleeping naked in bed with the covers bunched below their feet, she was on the brink of perspiring. The main heat source contributing to her elevated temperature was Andrew. She loved the man, but sometimes his body heat was too much for her to handle.

  Of course, he stirred the second she moved away from him. The bed shook and in little time he pressed his length along hers, resting his arm on top of her to keep her close. She took in a deep breath. The feel of him touching her body soothed her, but she doubted she could last long lying next to him in her heated state.

  Her thoughts began to wonder about the fans Annie partied with after her shows. Matt had yet to send her any list containing the venues she’d performed at. Emily started to suspect he wouldn’t pull through for her. Since they’d spoken about the matter, he’d acted normal. The others hadn’t questioned her or treated her differently either, so she believed he’d kept their conversation to himself. Still, she couldn’t be certain he could be trusted. Andrew seemed to think Matt could be, but she remained on the fence.

  Curiosity gnawed on her like a starved dog ravaging a bone. She longed to know what had happened to the ladies from prior get-togethers. Emily had checked online yesterday for the girls she’d picked out in Vancouver. So far, nothing had popped up. Using a bogus name she’d created weeks ago on Facebook, she’d
checked each of the gal’s pages. None of ladies had posted an entry after the Vancouver show. Sometimes people waited days or longer to make a comment, so she couldn’t assume something had happened to the women. If she knew the locations of the other venues, she could search for unusual events or missing women from the area around the same time as Annie’s shows.

  The concert in San Diego was coming up. They were leaving in the afternoon to drive to the city since it was only a few hours away. Emily grew concerned for the next group of women she had to pick out. What would be their fate? One thing she knew for certain, she had to follow them. She planned to send Andrew a text after she took the girls to meet Annie, then another right before she had to lead them to the van. He could get the Jeep and meet her and then they could follow the vehicle at a distance. Maybe Annie held legitimate parties full of fun and laughs, but something inside Emily led her to believe otherwise. She hoped she was wrong. She wanted to be, because if she was right and the girls were being harmed, then that meant Christopher and Annie had been getting away with it for many years.

  Emily’s backside warmed quickly, thanks to her human blanket. With her thoughts swarming and temperature rising, she doubted she could sleep anymore. She opened her eyes to a dim room. A trace amount of light filtered through the curtains. The sun had come up, but she had no idea of the time. It had to be early given the low light coming from the shades. She had a long day in front of her if she left the cozy bed, but her mind wouldn’t shut down and she was getting hotter by the minute. She couldn’t stay lying down any longer.

  As careful as she could, she lifted Andrew’s arm and crawled away from him. He inhaled loudly before he rolled onto his back, lifting that same arm above his head. She stood on the side of the mattress and stared at him. He truly was sculpted to perfection. Every muscle and every curve left her in awe and warmed her insides. And his above-average-size gift of manhood aroused tingles of longing within her. She loved marveling at the man. She adored the man. Before she allowed her hormones to take over, she gathered a shirt from one of the drawers and then headed to the kitchen.

  Her laptop sat on the table where she’d left it the night before. She pushed a chair back and then took a seat. She doubted Matt would’ve sent her a message since she’d seen him last evening, but she still wanted to check. While she waited for the laptop to power up, she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. By the time she returned, the log-in screen had appeared. After she typed in her credentials, she opened the Internet browser.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  She jerked her head up. Rubbing one of his eyes, Andrew walked into the room wearing a pair of red boxer shorts.

  “No. Sorry.” She logged into one of her email accounts, the one she’d given Matt. While the screen changed, she took a drink of water.

  Andrew sat in the chair next to her. Yawning, he ran his hand through his hair. “It’s early.”

  She looked at the top line of her inbox and found a message from Matt. Her pulse jumped. She glimpsed at the time on the screen while she slid her finger over the pad, moving the cursor. “It’s almost six.” She clicked on Matt’s email.

  “Would you like me to start some coffee and fix breakfast?”

  Emily scanned over Matt’s message. It contained the dates and locations of places she’d performed at in the last three years. He’d said if she wanted to go back further he’d have to talk to Christopher.

  “Em?” Andrew asked.

  She opened another browser window. After going to the Google home page, she typed in the search box women missing Charlotte, NC July 2013. “Uh … hang on.”

  He left his chair and moved behind her. The search results showed links to several articles about missing women. She clicked on the first one and the photo showed a woman with brown wavy hair and glasses. Two kids were in the picture with her. The article didn’t say much other than her car had been found at an abandoned property. Emily doubted this woman had any connection to Annie, so she went back to the first page. After she clicked on another hyperlink, an article about a twenty-three year old appeared. The picture showed a smiling young lady with blonde locks. Emily scanned the lines. The gal had last been seen going to Annabelle’s show. The venue confirmed her ticket had been scanned, but couldn’t confirm or deny if she’d showed up.

  “Interesting,” Andrew said.

  “Yeah.”

  Emily returned to the search page. She scanned two more articles. One of the gals had last been seen at work, but her coworkers had said she had a ticket to see Annabelle. Again, the venue verified the ticket had been logged at the entrance. Coincidence?

  “Check another,” Andrew said.

  Emily flipped to Matt’s message. After she acquired another date and location, she started another search. Again, various links to articles appeared. The first one revealed a picture of a cheerful twenty-two year old. Her last whereabouts were at a gas station. She’d been on her way to see Annabelle perform, according to her roommate. The venue didn’t keep an electronic or paper trail of attendees.

  “Wow,” Andrew said before he walked around the table. Facing her, he said, “If you keep going through—”

  “Stop right there.” She rose from her seat. In case the apartment had been bugged, she didn’t want him to say anything that might cause problems. “Let’s head into town and grab a bite to eat.”

  Brows scrunched, he looked at her curiously for a brief moment and then the tension went away. “I’ll get dressed.” He was gone in a flash.

  Emily closed the laptop. The battery had enough life left she could use it at a hot spot. She wanted to do more searches to see if there was a pattern.

  Laptop in hand, she hurried to the bedroom. Andrew had a pair of shorts on. He donned a shirt as she passed him. After she set the computer on the desk, she headed for the dresser.

  “It won’t take me long,” she said, snatching underwear from a drawer. “But I do need to comb my hair.”

  Andrew picked up his shoes from the closet. “Want me to grab your purse?”

  “Yeah, and my computer too, if you don’t mind. The case is near the desk.”

  “Got it.”

  She wanted to kiss him for being so helpful, but she had to dress and get ready to go. She’d thank him later.

  She rushed to put on her clothes, a basic V-neck shirt and jean shorts. At the same time, Andrew collected their phones from the nightstands and her computer case on the desk.

  An ill feeling stirred within her as she went to the bathroom. What if something bad had happened to the girls she’d picked out in Vancouver? What happened to all the other ladies who’d gone missing after one of Annie’s shows? If they hadn’t shown up yet, odds predicted they’d met their death. But how? Questions filled her mind as Emily combed her hair. She had to find out more. She wanted answers.

  Andrew stood in the living room, holding her purse in one hand, key in the other with the strap to her computer bag on his shoulder. She grabbed her purse and key from him before walking out the door.

  Within minutes, they were in her Jeep. They passed Matt and Don’s vehicle parked under the carport. Sherri’s SUV sat in the driveway facing the house. Given the early hour and their late nights, she suspected they were still sleeping.

  “Do you think those women went to a party with Annie after the show?” Andrew asked.

  She stared at the road leading to the main gate. “I’m not sure.”

  “What does your gut tell you?”

  She veered her eyes to him. “I think they did.”

  “But there’s no evidence.”

  “No, and we won’t find any. I need to spot check more and look at their Facebook pages. But if I continue to find young women missing within a month after one of her shows…”

  “It’s too much of a coincidence.”

  And one that shouldn’t be ignored, she thought. “If there are others, I’d guess law enforcement hasn’t picked up the similarity since there are so many dif
ferent locations.”

  “I saw some cities were listed more than once on the list Matt sent.”

  “But she didn’t play in the same city in a single year. The timing might be too far apart for the cops to notice.”

  Andrew shook his head and blew out a large puff of air. “If you’re right…”

  She hoped she’d made wrong assumptions. She wanted the four girls she’d picked out in Vancouver to be safe as well as any other that had gone to one of Annie’s secret parties. If her gut had hit the head on the nail, then these demons were the worst they’d encountered. And that instilled a touch of fear within her.

  “We really need to follow the ones I choose after the show tomorrow,” Emily said.

  “We have a plan in place. Let’s stick to it.”

  “I will. Just so you know, this makes me a bit nervous. A few missing girls is one thing. Dozens is something scary and sick.”

  “What do you think happened to them?”

  “I have no idea, which frightens me.” Too many horrors surfaced in her mind, so she tried not to think about the possibilities. “Hell, we don’t even know if Annie shows up at these parties. She said she did, but she could’ve been lying.”

  Andrew lowered his gaze to his wrapped arm. He ran his fingers over the bandage. Emily had put on a fresh set before they’d gone to the pool Monday.

  “Her name is the only one given to me, but others are involved,” he said.

  “She is your target. Not Christopher or anyone else.”

  “He’s a demon.”

  One glance at him was enough for her to read his mind. “Christopher and Annie are more dangerous than any other demon we’ve encountered. Plus, they have people helping them. We have to be very careful. I’m sure the powers that be would’ve put his name on your arm too if they wanted him destroyed.”

  Why heaven hadn’t inked Christopher’s name on Andrew was a good question. Emily could only guess they had a good explanation.

  He shifted his attention to the window. “It bothers me to walk away knowing what he is and has done.”

  “Yeah, me too. We should wait and see. Maybe you’ll be able to, but she’s your first priority.”