Sydney smiled at Alex and motioned her to come closer. She picked up a cold beer and a wine glass from the table and handed Alex the bottle as they met in front of the fire.
“Feeling better, Sergeant Chambers?” she asked. “A little more dry at least?” Sydney took a sip of her wine. She licked her lips and leaned up, kissing Alex. Alex responded with her lips, but made no move with her hands.
Sydney pulled away and said, quietly and seductively, “Make love to me, Alex. Now.”
Saying nothing in response, Alex took Sydney’s wine glass from her hand and placed both the glass and her bottle down on the coffee table. She straightened up and gently pulled Sydney to her until their bodies met.
Sydney leaned her head back, exposing her neck and Alex’s lips gently caressed the exposed skin. Sydney gasped and wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck, her fingers stroking still damp hair.
Alex slipped her hands under the silky camisole and Sydney took a ragged breath. Their bodies pressed closer, hips and groins pressing against one another. Alex trailed kisses up Sydney’s neck, across her jaw and found her lips again. They were hungry with desire. Lips parted and tongues reached for one another.
Alex’s fingers stroked Sydney’s lean, taught stomach then up the front of her camisole. Sydney groaned as the fingers brushed her breast, then quickly found her erect nipple, gently squeezing. Sydney’s breath caught and her lips broke away from the kiss as she gasped quietly.
“Oh God, Alex.”
Alex quickly stripped the camisole up over Sydney’s head as she raised her arms, willingly allowing it to go. Sydney then pulled at Alex’s t-shirt and Alex quickly acquiesced, pulling the t-shirt off.
“I need to feel your skin against mine,” Sydney said and pulled Alex’s mouth to hers again.
As they kissed, Alex lifted Sydney off her feet and carried her to the bed, lowering her to the sheets.
THE NEXT MORNING found them enjoying breakfast together. Sydney looked up to see Alex smiling fondly at her.
“What are you smiling about?” Sydney asked.
“I’m just liking the idea that we get to spend the whole day together.”
Sydney returned the smile then reached across the table to squeeze Alex’s hand, and again considered how grateful she was for Alex’s presence. Alex’s strength and confidence were reassuring, and Sydney found her emotional attachment was quickly matching her physical and sexual attraction to the woman sitting next to her.
They sat comfortably enjoying coffee together, looking out at the still damp morning. Sydney thought about how comfortable she found this very normal behavior, simply enjoying breakfast together. She wondered what it would be like to have this available to her every morning. That thought surprised her as she realized how early in the relationship it really was. She wondered if she was allowing her emotions to overrun her rational mind and move too quickly.
Alex broke the silence and interrupted her internal debate with a query. “I noticed the path through the trees out there.” She pointed with her fork to a footpath leading from the backyard through the tree line. “Where does that go?”
Sydney gave a smile. “It goes through the trees and into the canyon and around a little stream fed pond. It’s really quite nice, very peaceful. We could take a walk this afternoon if the weather stays clear.”
They passed the rest of the morning in comfortable companionship, spending most of the time in the den curled up together on the couch, reading the newspaper, occasionally watching TV and napping in each other’s arms. Late in the afternoon Sydney went out briefly on the back deck. She noted the sky was clear and the afternoon was cool but crisp and bright.
“Come on,” she said to Alex with enthusiasm as she came back into the house. “Go get some shoes on and a jacket and let’s take a walk.”
Alex put her shoes on, tucked her Glock into the rear of her waistband and ensured her sweatshirt was pulled down to conceal it. She then joined Sydney on the back deck. Alex noticed Sydney had a canvas tote bag over her shoulder.
“What’s that?” she asked, indicating the bag.
“It’s a surprise,” Sydney said with a smile. “You’ll see.”
“Well, let me carry it.” Sydney pulled away with a question in her eyes and an accusatory look. “Don’t worry, I won’t look inside,” Alex said, laughing.
Apparently satisfied with the guarantee, Sydney handed her the bag and together they walked across the yard to the entry of the pathway through the trees. Twenty minutes later they stepped from the path into a small clearing in the hillside containing a moderate pond, approximately fifty feet across.
“Wow.” Alex stopped at the edge of the trees and looked around the glen. “I wasn’t expecting this. It’s impressive. Who knows about it?”
Sydney shrugged. “Maybe no-one. I’ve never met anyone else out here. I come out here a lot in the summer to sit and read or nap. Come on.” Sydney took Alex by the hand and pulled her to the edge of the pond to a plush grassy area brightly illuminated by the afternoon sun. She relieved Alex of the bag and placed it on the ground, removing a blanket followed by several additional items. Alex smiled as a romantic picnic for two took form before her, including champagne, cheese, crackers and fruit.
Time passed as they fed themselves and each other and spoke about anything and everything that came to mind. After finishing the champagne and food, they reclined together on the blanket. Sydney lay on her back on the blanket looking up through the treetops, Alex beside her. Alex was lying on her side, leaning propped up on her elbow with her head in her hand.
Sydney glanced over to find Alex gazing at her. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
Alex smiled as she looked down at Sydney’s lips then back up into her eyes. “I’m thinking I can’t keep myself from doing this.”
Alex leaned down for a kiss, and as their lips met she shifted, bringing her body in full contact with Sydney’s. Alex continued to shift coming to rest on top of, and slightly between, Sydney’s legs, her crotch resting against Sydney’s hip. As the kiss became stronger, Sydney put her arms around Alex, one hand on the back of her head entwined in her hair. Alex caressed her breast and Sydney moaned with pleasure. In response, Alex tugged at the base of Sydney’s shirt.
Sydney grabbed Alex’s wrist and pulled away from the kiss, laughing.
“Sergeant Chambers, you’re about to start something we have absolutely no business finishing here,” she said breathlessly. Alex’s head dropped in submission, her forehead resting on Sydney’s chest. She slowly removed her hand from where it had been working up Sydney’s shirt as Sydney giggled again. “Maybe we should take this back to the house?”
“Definitely,” Alex said. “And as quickly as possible.”
They repacked the bag and folded up the blanket, then headed out of the clearing and back up the path. After they’d been walking for a few minutes Alex’s cell phone rang. Alex paused and looked at the screen. “It’s Chuck Severs from R.H.D.,” she said as she answered. Alex came to a sudden stop as she listened and Sydney knew immediately that something was terribly wrong.
ALEX STOPPED IMMEDIATLEY when she heard the seriousness in Chuck’s voice.
“Alex, there’s been another copycat murder,” Chuck said without preamble. “Happened probably thirty-six to forty-eight hours ago. Victim was just found this afternoon. I’m still at the scene.”
Alex looked up to see that Sydney had also paused when the phone rang, and was now looking back at her, a question in her eyes.“Where?” Alex already knew the news would not be good. The only reason Chuck would be at the scene was if this murder occurred in the city of Los Angeles.
“The victim was found in North Hollywood Division. As far as we can tell, the last place she was seen alive was at work.”
“Where did she work?” Alex asked.
“Alex, all the latest victims have been attorneys. This one was with the public defender’s office. She worked at the Central Courts Building.�
�� Alex looked at Sydney again, concern in her eyes.
“There’s something else you need to know,” Chuck said quietly. “And this is very close hold. Just today the medical examiner conducted a comparison of the autopsy reports and photographs from the first three copycat murders and the original twelve by Sinclair. The ligature marks on the neck are the same. It’s the same murder weapon.”
“Holy shit!” Alex understood the gravity of the situation. This definitely wasn’t just a copycat killer. This was, without a doubt, someone connected to Sinclair. Someone continuing the work he began. Someone who now appeared to have their sights set on Sydney and had been working their way closer.
Alex put her phone in her pocket and reached for Sydney’s hand and they began walking together up the path with Alex setting a hurried pace.
“Come on,” she said. “We need to get back to the house.”
“What’s happened?” Sydney asked.
“There’s been another murder. I’ll fill you in on the details when we get to the house.”
Sydney turned and looked at Alex with eyes filled with shock and fear. No longer looking at the ground in front of her, she tripped over a large tree root and lost her balance, falling to her hands and knees.
Alex leaned down and helped Sydney to her feet. “Are you okay?”
Sydney brushed off her hands and then the knees of her jeans. “Yeah, I wasn’t watching where I was—” Sydney’s eyes focused on something behind Alex. A look of terror in her eyes.
Alex pushed Sydney back and began to turn, reaching for the handgun tucked in the small of her back. She never made it. A fraction of a second later something slammed into the left side of her head. Then her world went dark.
Chapter Sixteen
SYDNEY WATCHED IN horror, powerless to do anything as the huge figure came out of the trees behind Alex, a snarl on his face, swinging a solid tree branch the size of a baseball bat. She tried to scream a warning but was without a voice as the scene unfolded in what appeared to be slow motion.
The huge man moved faster than his size should’ve allowed as he closed the distance before Alex could react. The branch connected with the side of Alex’s head and Sydney could do nothing as Alex fell to the ground, her face covered in blood.
“Alex!” Sydney tried to move to her, but the attacker stepped between them, grasping at Sydney. When she struggled in an effort to move past him to the fallen woman, he backhanded her across the side of the head. Sydney was thrown several feet across the clearing where her back struck a tree and she fell to the ground.
Sydney collapsed, dizzy and struggling for breath, her ears ringing and the side of her head throbbing. She saw through teary eyes as the man leaned over Alex’s still form, searching her clothing and removing Alex’s cell phone, tossing it aside into the brush. He pulled Alex’s sweatshirt up and rolled her over, then removed the handgun from her rear waistband. The man straightened up and turned back to Sydney, advancing on her with a leering smile.
Sydney tried to crawl backwards away from the approaching form as she looked frantically for an avenue of escape. She ran into something solid blocking her way and she found her back against another tree. She saw the man’s smile grow, apparently amused by her efforts. As he loomed over her, her fear increased as she became very aware of his size. He was at least six-two and stocky with a shaved head. She looked at his face and into his eyes and Sydney felt she was seeing into a soul that was completely without compassion or conscience. She knew immediately that any plea on her part would only prove fruitless. She looked again toward Alex, hoping to see movement, some sign of life, but she remained motionless. Her terror grew.
Sydney rolled to her knees and attempted to climb to her feet to run but the man grabbed at the front of her sweatshirt, fisting the material and holding her effortlessly. With Alex’s handgun still grasped in one hand, he pushed her to the ground on her back, lowering himself to his knees and straddling her hips. Sydney struggled against him, trying to pry her shirt from his grasp and he laughed out loud. The weight of his lower body trapped her upper legs and hips to the ground with no effort. He released his hold on her shirt and reached down toward her waist with his now free hand.
Sydney struggled more violently when she determined his intent. In desperation she flailed her fists at his arms and face, then finally scratched at his face and neck as she screamed for him to stop. The smile on his face dimmed momentarily, then before Sydney could raise her arms in defense he brought his fist forward against the side of her face. The blow sent her head backwards, striking the ground beneath her. She was once again stunned by the impact. His hands returned to her waist area.
“He said I could have you first,” the giant man kept repeating as he began to unsnap and unzip her jeans.
ALEX’S FIRST CONSCIOUS knowledge was an incredible pain in her head. After a moment she heard the sound of a struggle and recognized Sydney’s voice crying out in pain and resistance. Mustering her energy she rolled to her side and saw Sydney lying on the ground several yards away. A large man was crouched over her with a gun in one hand. He grabbed at the front of Sydney’s pants and then punched Sydney as she struggled against him. Anger filled her with the adrenaline she needed. She fought the dizziness as she climbed to her knees, grasping a nearby tree and struggling to her feet. Then she launched herself at the form stooped over Sydney.
Alex hit the man in a football style tackle, shoulders down, ramming his upper body from the side, knocking him clear of Sydney and throwing both of them to the ground a considerable distance away. The handgun flew from his hands, landing in the dirt roughly halfway between the two of them.
“Run, Syd! Just run!”
The man jumped to his feet far too quickly and Alex struggled up once again, fighting the ongoing dizziness, determined to stand between the attacker and Sydney. She glanced at Sydney and saw her hesitate. “Go!” Alex yelled again. Their eyes met, then Sydney turned and fled, running up the path in the direction of her house.
Alex saw the attacker’s eyes follow Sydney and knew she had to keep his mind on her. She moved laterally toward the handgun and his eyes moved back to follow her. He moved quickly, closing in on the weapon ahead of her. His fingers were just brushing the handgun’s frame when she finally met him, again bowling bodily into him. He fell to the ground on his back and Alex managed to position herself above him and quickly brought a knee into his ribcage, resulting in a satisfying grunt of pain. He was quick to recover while Alex’s energy was draining. The feelings of exhaustion, dizziness and nausea were almost overwhelming. She knew in her current physical state she would be unable to continue very long in a one-on-one, close quarters combat scenario. She simply hoped to fight long enough to give Sydney time to get herself to safety and call for help.
Alex and the man struggled for several moments, and Alex delivered several elbow strikes, driving his head back. Alex looked with satisfaction as the blood streamed down his face. Then he lashed out with a fist. The strike seemed to pass effortlessly through her defenses, striking her on the left side of the head where he had already done the initial damage with the wooden staff.
She reeled backwards and was unable to stay on her feet. She fell to the ground in agony, seeing stars, feeling nauseous, and fighting unconsciousness. She battled through it, knowing what was at stake, and forced herself to rise to her feet. She focused on him and then once again charged back at the man, who was now also on his feet. As she stormed forward she realized what she had missed while she was struggling in near blackness. The man had retrieved the handgun from the ground nearby and was now bringing it to bear on her.
For a fraction of a second she stared down the dark muzzle, then heard the sharp crack of the weapon firing. Alex felt a shocking pain to the left side of her torso. The momentum of her charge still carried her into the man, knocking him back and over a nearby fallen tree limb. She had a vague sense of the handgun falling to the ground nearby as she fell on top of him. Insti
nctively, her hand closed over a nearby rock. Alex was thrown off the attacker, his strength clearly overpowering her. But she stretched out, aiming for his face, and hitting him with the rock as she fell. She connected with a glancing blow to the side of his head, then she was once again on her back on the ground, dizzy and nearly out of breath. She looked to her right and saw her handgun lying nearby. She struggled to roll toward it, reaching out and taking a grip then bringing it up to aim. The attacker was no longer there. Alex heard crashing in the underbrush and observed him running deeper into the woods. She tried to bring the handgun up to take aim at his retreating back, but her eyesight wavered with dizziness and she was unable to maintain a sight picture on the fleeing figure. Within seconds he had disappeared out of sight.
Alex glanced down and pulled her left hand away from her side where she had been unconsciously grasping at her own torso. Her hand came away covered in blood and she realized she’d been shot. With that realization the pain set in, almost doubling her over. Again she fought through the pain, determined to follow Sydney to the house. She was scared to death the attacker might circle around in the woods and approach the residence before help arrived. Sydney was alone at the house. Alex had to get to her. Struggling to move, she slowly began the walk up the path, moving from tree to tree as she leaned on them for support.
SYDNEY RACED BACK up the path as fast as her legs would take her. She’d struggled momentarily with the internal battle. Part of her felt her place was to stay and help Alex. But with Alex’s second command to run she had. She was now set on making it to the house to get help for Alex. As she ran her mind registered the growing darkness as the sun continued to set. The terrain became more treacherous and she found it harder to see. She tripped and fell several times, but refused to slow. She was approaching her back yard when she heard the shot. She paused momentarily, terrified of what it might mean, and then continued up the path. It seemed far too long before she broke out of the trees and across the backyard. She quickly unlocked and entered the house, snatched the phone from the wall and dialed nine-one-one.
White Roses Calling Page 22
