Sinister Shadows

by Brittany Cournoyer

  Lucas didn’t move as he looked around the area. The grass was overgrown, and some vines were starting to take over the structure. The space behind the cabin was filled with trees, but a tiny sliver of water let Lucas know a river seemed to cut through the small forest. Maybe Pierce would drown him in it, then he wouldn’t have to worry about going through with his plan after all.

  “I said let’s go,” Pierce growled at him.

  Lucas took a deep breath and pushed open his door. When he put his feet on the ground, he put his arms over his head and stretched until he felt his back pop. When he was done, he could feel Pierce staring at him. He allowed his gaze to meet Pierce’s, and the hungry look in Pierce’s eyes had Lucas’s skin crawling.

  Lucas took an involuntary step back as Pierce took one forward, and his back bumped into the SUV. Goddammit. He was trapped.

  Pierce stepped even closer until their toes were touching, and a thin sheen of sweat beaded across Lucas’s body, slicking his skin. The predatory look in Pierce’s eyes intensified as he leaned over and ran his nose across Lucas’s neck, inhaling deeply.

  “Mmm,” he hummed, “I can smell your fear. What are you afraid of, my husband?”

  “N-nothing,” Lucas stammered.

  Pierce leaned even closer, pressing his body against Lucas’s. His breath was hot on Lucas’s cheek, and Lucas’s own hitched in his throat. “That’s strike two, Duncan. You don’t want to know what happens when I get to strike three.”

  “I’m s-sorry.”

  Pierce pressed his lips against Lucas’s throat, right above his erratically beating pulse. “That’s more like it. Let’s get inside.”

  Pierce stepped away, and Lucas’s knees threatened to buckle in relief. He didn’t want to step inside that cabin, because he wasn’t sure what’d happen to him once he did. When Pierce realized Lucas wasn’t following him, he turned around and cast a lethal look in Lucas’s direction, telling him he had no option but to follow Pierce inside.

  Taking a deep breath, Lucas set his shoulders and allowed one foot to be placed in front of the other until he was standing beside his captor. Pierce locked his arm around Lucas’s wrist and glared at him. Pulling on his wrist, Pierce forced Lucas to walk across the yard and up to the door. Pierce used his free hand to find the right key on the ring and inserted it in the lock, twisting it until the door sprang open.

  “Get inside.”

  Lucas squelched the urge to hesitate, since he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what would happen when he reached strike three. Instead, he gritted his teeth, and with bravado he didn’t really possess, he stepped over the threshold.

  The sound of the door shutting behind him ricocheted off the walls of the small area, but the lock twisting in place was even louder. As he felt Pierce’s penetrating gaze boring into his back, he wondered once again if he really would make it out of the cabin alive.

  Whether he was ready or not, it was time to put his plan into action.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It’d been years since Pierce had been in the small fishing shack at Boulder Lake. He was surprised he could even recall how to get there, but when he needed a place to take Duncan, he knew it was the perfect spot. Besides, maybe once Duncan got over whatever the hell was bothering him, he’d appreciate how romantic their tiny escape was.

  “Have a seat,” Pierce told his husband.

  It was more an order, since he was tired of seeing Duncan standing around with that look of fear on his face, but he tried to keep his voice gentle. Duncan was more skittish than a feral cat, and Pierce’s patience was gone. If Duncan jumped every time Pierce spoke, their honeymoon wasn’t going to go over well. This was supposed to be a trip for them to rekindle their romance and lie low until Maurice stopped asking questions, not for the entire relationship Pierce had worked so hard to build to fall apart.

  “I knew this would be the perfect spot for our celebration,” Pierce said after Duncan sat down on the only piece of furniture in the room—a bed.

  “Celebration?” Duncan asked in confusion.

  “Our honeymoon. I figured it would help our marriage if we took one. Since our funds are tight, this was the only thing I could think of.”

  “Do you own this place?” Duncan asked, rather than express his appreciation.

  Pierce gnashed his teeth together as he took a deep breath to calm his rapidly rising anger.

  “Does it matter?” he snapped. “We’re on our honeymoon.”

  Duncan glanced at Pierce with wild, apologetic eyes. “N-no. I was just curious to know what all properties we own together. What’s yours is mine, and vice versa, right?”

  “Yes, I—we—own this place. It’s mostly used for fishing and hunting, but since the setting is so peaceful and beautiful, I knew it would be perfect for us.”

  “It’s also very isolated.”

  “Your point?”

  Duncan shook his head. “N-nothing. But what about food? I don’t see a fridge, and I’m starving.”

  Pierce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger. “Why didn’t you say anything before? We could’ve stopped on the way here, or you could’ve had me grab you something at the gas station.”

  “I wasn’t hungry then.”

  “And you are now?” He couldn’t keep the annoyance from his tone.

  Duncan shrugged and looked sheepishly at Pierce. “Did you bring any food with you?”

  Pierce’s shoulders slumped. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Maybe we could order a pizza.”

  “No one will deliver out here. I’ll have to go to the grocery store.”

  “Could we…could we go together? Maybe do dinner first?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why? We’re on our honeymoon, right? What better way to spend it than to go to dinner together…like a date?”

  “A date?”

  “Yes. A date.”

  Pierce wasn’t buying what Duncan was trying to sell. “What game are you playing?”

  “No game, Pierce.”

  Duncan stood and walked over to Pierce. With a hand that shook only slightly, Duncan reached out and touched Pierce’s stomach. Slowly, he rubbed it up Pierce’s chest to wrap it around his neck.

  “I’ve been doing some thinking, and I realize how much you must really love me. Everything you did—from getting rid of Shaw to taking care of me after the accident—was done so we could be together. You looked at me and saw we were meant to be together, and you made it happen. No one has ever shown me that kind of love before, and I need to be more grateful.”

  “You do,” Pierce agreed.

  Duncan pulled gently on Pierce’s neck, and Pierce bent his head with no resistance. The first touch of Duncan’s lips against his was soft and undemanding, and Pierce groaned when he felt a tentative tongue gently brush against his lips. Pierce opened his mouth immediately and wasted no time licking his tongue inside Duncan’s mouth. The first taste of his husband was everything he’d hoped for, and he couldn’t hold back another moan as he wrapped his arms around Duncan’s back to pull him flush against him. But before Pierce could get too carried away, Duncan wrenched his mouth from Pierce’s and broke free from his grasp.

  “Take me to dinner, Pierce. Wine and dine me, and then when we get back, we can become husband and husband in every way possible.”

  Pierce’s pants were already fitting more snugly from the kiss they’d just shared, but hearing Duncan’s raspy words about finally going to bed together had them getting even tighter. The kiss had been initiated by Duncan, and it proved that he had finally come to terms with their marriage. Going to dinner together out in public wouldn’t be a bad idea, and knowing that they’d have their dessert when they returned home had Pierce ready to leave right that second. Besides, they were in an area mostly occupied by tourists, so no one would recognize either of them.

  “Okay, let’s go grab some groceries and then out to eat. I can’t wait to hav
e your body for my dessert afterward,” Pierce growled with a wicked smile.

  Duncan held out his hand, and Pierce laced their fingers together. Hand in hand, they left the small shack, and Pierce helped Duncan inside the car, as if they were truly going on a date—which they were. It was a first for them since Duncan had finally accepted their marriage, and now was the time for them to create new memories.

  “Where are we going?” Duncan asked once they were on the road.

  “There’s a small Italian restaurant not too far from here. They have a shrimp scampi that’s to die for,” Pierce said. He took one hand off the wheel to rub his stomach.

  “That sounds delicious.”

  “Then after we’re done, we can hit up the store to grab some paper products and food to put in a cooler.”

  “How long do you plan on us staying there?” Duncan asked.

  The tone of his voice told Pierce he was merely making conversation. “I don’t really have a timeframe in mind. A week, maybe two?”

  Duncan’s lips turned down at the corners, but Pierce recognized it as an expression Duncan made when he was thinking. “That sounds like the perfect amount of time. We can really get to know each other and work on making this marriage real.”

  “It is real,” Pierce insisted.

  “It was to you a lot longer than it was to me, but now I need to catch up. I’m thinking clearly now that I’m not falling asleep all the time. It helps you’re not drugging me anymore.”

  Pierce snapped his eyes toward Duncan before looking back at the road. “It was necessary. You needed to heal, and it was the only way to keep you at the house. But you got curious the second I started cutting back.”

  Duncan reached out a hand and placed it on Pierce’s thigh. “It’s okay. I understand, and because of your smart thinking, I didn’t injure myself any worse. Well, except for when you broke my crutch.”

  “I didn’t break it.”

  “Yes, you did, Pierce. But it’s okay. We’re starting from the beginning to make this a true marriage, right? So why not just come clean with me about everything.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Duncan. You might not like what you’ll hear.”

  Duncan started to slowly rub his hand up Pierce’s thigh. When his fingers brushed against the bulge in Pierce’s jeans, Pierce shivered and bit his lip to stifle a moan. “I won’t get mad. Please tell me, Pierce. Let’s restart this marriage with a clean slate.”

  Pierce shifted in his seat. “I might’ve loosened the bolt on your crutch. I wasn’t ready for you be up walking just yet. I wanted you to need me for a bit longer.”

  “What about the Parrishes. Did you kill them? For me?”

  “Duncan…” Pierce warned. “Were you in the attic?”

  “You know I was. How else did I know their names?” Duncan leaned closer and tightened his grip on Pierce’s thigh. “I had to go up before going down.”

  The innuendo in his words had Pierce nearly coming in his pants. “I don’t want to tell you about them.”

  Duncan brushed his fingers against Pierce’s cock again. “I told you, it’s okay, Pierce. I just hope their bodies still aren’t in the house. I never smelled anything, but that’d be too weird.”

  “Why would it be weird?” Pierce needed to hear Duncan’s answer.

  “Because that’s our home. No one else needs to be in there.”

  Those were the words Pierce needed to hear. “The Parrishes will be found...eventually. Their car is three states away with a fully packed trunk. Whoever opens it will find a lovely surprise for them when they do.”

  “How’d you do it?”

  The excitement in Duncan’s voice had Pierce willing to share his secrets. “Strangulation isn’t messy to clean up, but bullets are quicker when it comes to multiple people.”

  “Was the EpiPen you used to save me one of theirs?”

  Pierce nodded. “It was the only thing I was grateful to have of theirs. Moving their shit to the attic was difficult, but that EpiPen saved your life.”

  “Me too. Why that family and that house?”

  Pierce turned into the parking lot of the restaurant and was pleased to see it wasn’t busy. “Because the minute I saw that home, I knew it would be the perfect one for us to live in. And as I showed you before, I would do anything to keep you happy.”

  Duncan squeezed Pierce’s thigh again and looked Pierce in his eyes. “I’m glad you did, baby. And I’m glad you caught me.”

  “You mean that?” Pierce asked.

  Duncan nodded. “I do. Now, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

  “We don’t want you wasting away, do we? Let’s get inside so I can feed you.”

  “And then we can finish our dessert at home.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  They exited the car, and Pierce reached for Duncan’s hand. He was pleased when Duncan didn’t shy away. They entered the restaurant and were seated in a booth near the back of the restaurant, where they perused the menu before both deciding on the shrimp scampi. The evening was going perfectly, and Pierce had a happiness settle inside him that he hadn’t felt since the entire debacle started. The things that Pierce had worked so hard for were starting to fall into place, and he was finally getting the husband he’d been waiting for.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “This is delicious,” Lucas moaned appreciatively as he popped a juicy shrimp into his mouth.

  “I told you. It’s the best shrimp scampi I’ve ever had.”

  “I’m so glad you suggested it.”

  “This was a great idea,” Pierce murmured and took a sip of his wine. “We need to make weekly date nights a thing once we’re back home.”

  “I’d really like that,” Lucas agreed. “Pierce, I know the honeymoon is one reason we left, but what’s the other?”

  Pierce chewed thoroughly and took a sip from the glass of water the waitress placed in front of him. “Evidently, there has been talk about your alleged disappearance.”

  Lucas’s eyebrow arched, and he kept his face stoic. “Oh?”

  “Yes. A different client let me know. Maurice said something to the client who recommended him to me.”

  “I see. So, our trip is a way to hide out until the talk dies down?”

  “Precisely.” Pierce stretched out his hand across the table and laid it on top of Lucas’s. “And, it’ll give us some time to work on our marriage.”

  “I like that,” Lucas said with a wide smile.

  Using his free hand to pick up his fork, Lucas dug into the rest of his shrimp scampi. By the time he was finishing with the pile of pasta on his plate, his stomach was full, but not only from the food. What took up the leftover space was anticipation of what was going to happen when they got back to the cabin. The fiery look in Pierce’s eyes told Lucas what was meant to happen, and Lucas had to swallow down the nerves that began to rise in his throat.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Pierce murmured after laying some cash on the bill the waitress left.

  “I’m ready for dessert,” Lucas said huskily.

  Pierce’s lips parted slightly, and his eyes glazed over at Lucas’s words. “Me too.”

  The drive back to the cabin was tense and seemed to take longer than the drive to the restaurant. Duncan tried to cut into it by asking another question.

  “How long have you been a private investigator?”

  “Long enough to be the best in the business.” Pierce didn’t even try to mask the conceit.

  “How’d you get into being a P.I.?”

  Pierce shrugged and shifted in his seat as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “It wasn’t something I set out to do. A guy I used to date did it, and after seeing how he created his own hours and made good money doing it, I figured I’d give it a try. My previous job was going through a series of layoffs, and I knew my time was coming, so I guessed it’d be easy money.”

  “What happened to the guy you were dating?” Lucas asked.


  Pierce cast him a wicked grin. “He was the first person I investigated when I needed the practice. Let’s just say he didn’t appreciate it when he found out.”

  “Did you find anything incriminating?” Lucas asked.

  “Nope, but he spouted trust issues when he discovered what I was doing, and he told me he couldn’t be with someone who investigated him. That was years ago, and I have no idea what happened to him after we stopped seeing each other.”

  Pierce made the turn onto the dirt road, and finally, he stopped the SUV in front of the cabin. Lucas took in a ragged breath, and his palms dampened as anticipation rolled in his stomach.

  “Nervous?” Pierce asked softly.

  Lucas nodded. “A little.”

  Pierce shut off the vehicle and reached out to rest a hand on Lucas’s thigh. “I am too. But it’ll be okay. We’re meant to be together, and tonight, we’ll finally make this a marriage in every way possible.”

  Lucas licked his lips. “I’m ready.”

  They both pushed open their doors, and Pierce rounded the front of the SUV to take Lucas’s hand. He all but pulled Lucas up to the door, where he used his free hand to unlock the cabin. The sound of the door shutting behind them was loud, and Lucas startled a little at the noise.

  Pierce’s warm hands were on Lucas’s shoulders, and he slowly started to knead the tight muscles. “It’ll be okay, Tiger. I’m going to take good care of you.”

  Lucas shuddered at the words. “I-I know.”

  Pierce pressed his lips gently to the nape of Lucas’s neck. “Get on the bed,” he rasped.

  He dropped his hands and Lucas stepped over to the bed and sat down. Once seated, he raised his head to look up where Pierce loomed over him with a hungry look in his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this since the first time I saw you. I knew you were meant to be mine, and now you will be.”

  Pierce stepped closer and stopped in front of Lucas. Reaching out, he cupped Lucas’s cheek before bending down to press their lips together. He wasted no time in deepening the kiss, and he shifted his weight until Lucas was flat on his back with Pierce stretched on top of him. Lucas bent his knees so Pierce could rest between his thighs, and Pierce used the position to his advantage as he rutted against Lucas.