Meagan’s face paled. “Those poor families.”
Jesse patted her back. “He chose the wrong woman when he messed with your sister.”
“Damn, straight.” Meagan dipped her head once. “Thanks for saving her.”
Jesse squeezed her. “I’m just happy it all turned out.”
“Will he get the death penalty?” Cody asked.
“Robin made him a deal.”
Meagan jerked her head toward Jesse. “What kind of deal?”
“The FBI knew the women and their children were dead, but without their bodies, they couldn’t pin the murders on him. So, Robin told him Bridget would be testifying against him regarding her kidnapping and attempted murder. They had evidence he’d poisoned her with antifreeze.
“They’d identified the stolen jewelry and had witnesses who would state under oath he was the last person to see each victim alive. But, if he told them where the victims were buried, she would fix it so he got life without the possibility of parole, instead of the death penalty.”
Cody stared at his brother. “Did he bite?”
Jesse laughed. “Robin was very convincing.”
“You don’t have any witnesses, do you?” Cody asked.
“Nope.” Jesse grinned. “They now have all the bodies. He had a small shack, also in the Blue Ridge Mountains, very secluded. It was within driving distance to the home he shared with his wife and boys.
“His MO was to find a woman and daughter, poison the mother, then take the girl and keep her in the shack. Then he’d return home and live his life as if nothing had happened. Once the girl hit puberty, he would kill her and bury her on the property, then go out and find another.”
Meagan gasped. “God, he’s evil.”
Jesse patted her back. “At least now the families can bury their loved ones and have closure.”
Meagan’s body visibly shook.
Jesse leaned forward. “Are you okay, babe?”
Meagan looked up at him. “When I think of how close we came to losing Bridget, I just. . .I don’t know.”
Jesse put his arm around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his chest. “It’ll take time, but she’s safe. Before long, her family will move on, and reach their own kind of normal.”
“You’re right.” She latched onto her glass, but didn’t take a drink.
Later that evening, Cody lay with Jilly in his arms and her head rested on his shoulder. They’d just made love. He was happier than he’d ever been. The word complete came to mind. He’d thought he was broken.
One by one his friends had married and started families, but that reality seemed just out of his reach. Never before had he met a woman he could not live without, until now. Jilly challenged him, made him laugh, she was incredibly sexy and far better than he deserved.
He drew lazy eights on her arm.
He traveled. A lot. She lived in Big Bear. She’d already told him she’d had enough of death to last a lifetime, so for her to join the LAPD and move in with him was out of the question. He didn’t even know if she wanted kids. This supposition was giving him a headache.
His hand stopped. “You awake?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“I’ve been thinking.” Cody brushed her hair away from her face.
She chuckled. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Jesus, can’t you ever give me a break?”
She rubbed her hand across his chest. “Sorry, go on.”
“Well, you know my job. I’m gone a lot and there is a high rate of divorce in the bureau. I live in Venice Beach, and you live in Big Bear, a couple of hours away.”
She jerked up. “You supercilious son-of-a-bitch. Are you breaking up with me?” She scooted to the edge of the bed.
He snatched her wrist before she could get away. “No.”
She glared at him through slits for eyes. “This isn’t the ‘I’m a lone wolf’ speech?”
He couldn’t help himself, he laughed.
“Don’t you laugh at me,” she ground out.
“I’m not laughing at you. I swear.” He tried to pull her back, but she held fast.
“Actually, I thought when you realized what you were getting yourself into, you’d break things off with me.” He held his breath while waiting for her answer.
She blinked a couple of times before her facial muscles relaxed. “You ought to know that you can’t get rid of me that easily.”
He exhaled. “I don’t know how this is going to work.”
She smiled and snuggled up to him. “We’ll figure it out.”
“So you’ll consider it?”
She sat up and pinned him with a stare, her brows furrowed. “Consider what?”
“Marrying me.” Shit. She misunderstood. What did she think they were talking about?
She jumped off the bed, her hands flew to her hips.
“Cody Thomas, is that what you call a proposal?”
“I, uh, it’s not?”
“No, it’s not. If that’s the best you can do, then the answer’s no.” She stomped off toward the bathroom and slammed the door.
He was stunned.
What had he done wrong? Okay, he didn’t have a ring. He searched the room for something he could use and came up empty. He got an idea, pulled on his jeans and went to search the house. When he returned, the bathroom door was still closed. He heard water running in the sink, so he got down on one knee and waited.
When the door flew open, a robe covered her naked body. She stared down at him. He took her left hand in his. “Jillian Reid, you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Life without you would really suck.”
She giggled.
That encouraged him.
“Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of your life with me?” Cody slipped a cigar band on her finger.
She raised her hand and eyed the band, then glanced back at him. “I will.”
He jumped to his feet. She came into his arms and kissed him. When he pulled away, he asked, “Was it the fancy ring?”
“Nope.”
“The fact that I got down on one knee?”
“Nope.”
“Then why did you say yes?”
She smiled. “I didn’t want your life to suck.”
Jilly jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Then she laid a fat juicy kiss on him.
Yeah, I could get used to this.
Excerpt for LAST SCREAM, Book 3 of The Thomas Family series.
The cool night air blanketed the earth as a sliver of the sun’s rays crept above the horizon. Newly retired, Cleatis Johnson parked his truck in the dirt alongside the road next to the empty field. As he opened the door, Duke, his English Setter, bounded over his lap in his enthusiasm to get out.
“Hey!” Cleatis rubbed his belly where an errant paw had gained purchase. He pulled down the brim on his favorite B & B cap and got out of the vehicle. Duke barked at him to hurry.
“Jesus, calm down. Would ya?” It was opening day of dove season and the moment the dog saw the shotgun come out, he’d been all but quivering with excitement. Cleatis hoped to bag his limit of birds long before the heat got too fierce and crack open an icy cold beer to celebrate.
September in Texas was always warm, but they were having an especially brutal heat wave this week. He opened the back door of the extended cab and grabbed two bottles of water from the cooler, then slipped them in the outer stash pockets of his hunting vest.
He filled the pullout loop panels with shotgun shells, shoved beef jerky in one pocket and his keys in another before zipping them shut. Then he removed his 20-gauge shotgun from the case. Duke ran around in circles kicking up dust.
Cleatis chuckled as he squinted toward the rising sun. “Hold your horses, I’m hurrying.”
He locked the truck, then cracked the gun and loaded it. “Okay, let’s go, boy.” Duke ran ahead, ready to flush his first bevy of birds.
By the time Cleatis ha
d bagged eight birds, he felt as if he’d walked ten miles. At sixty-five, his body tired a lot quicker than it used to. He removed his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow before plopping it back on his head.
It was time to get out of this blistering heat and rest his weary bones. He’d gobble some of that tasty beef jerky and maybe pour a little water over his head to cool himself off. He noticed a copse of trees and headed straight for them.
He had to traverse down a steep little hill, but he made it without incident. Duke, who’d been dragging alongside, suddenly perked up and ran ahead, disappearing from view.
“Hey, wait for me!”
He spied a fallen log, but as he neared, a foul odor stopped him in his tracks. Duke began barking to his right, so Cleatis turned in that direction to see what the commotion was about. Just then, a loud crash sounded and the ground gave way beneath him. Halfway down his body jarred to a stop.
His entire being vibrated so hard the teeth rattled in his head. The shotgun, which had been cracked open and resting over his left forearm, snapped shut, keeping him from falling into the abyss. His legs kicked in mid-air, finding no purchase. His heart hammered in his chest as he tried to catch his breath.
Duke ran back and forth, barking. Once Cleatis gained control of his wits, he realized that he dangled through some rotted boards that had been camouflaged by a pile of leaves. More than likely they covered an old abandoned well.
The top half of his body, from the armpits up, was above ground. The only thing keeping him from falling further was the length of the shotgun, which he now held onto for dear life. He stilled his legs, concentrating on keeping his body from rocking and adding more weight to the distressed planks.
Duke stopped pacing and whined. The dog tested the wood in front of Cleatis.
“No, Duke. Stay.” He knew the dog wanted to help, but instead, he could cause them both to crash to their deaths. He racked his brain for a solution. He couldn’t send Duke home; they were too far away.
That’s when he remembered his new cell phone. His wife had insisted he buy one if he intended to go hunting alone. He had resisted at first, didn’t see much use in the damn things. He wasn’t a kid. Now he was glad he’d listened.
Carefully, he released his grip on the barrel of the gun and reached into his breast pocket, but it was empty.
“Well, shit on a shingle.” That’s when he remembered the phone was still on the charger in his truck. Fat lot of good that did him now. “Dammit.” The dog whined his response. “It’s okay, Duke, we’ll be fine. Mother will send someone to look for us when we don’t show up for supper.”
That was a hell of a long way off. He prayed Thelma got worried before that. Any one of his friends would know what road he usually parked along when bird hunting.
He had a powerful thirst.
Gently he reached his hand down for the remaining bottle of water. The pocket was empty. He panicked, but tamped it down. “You just forgot which pocket you put it in, numbskull.” He replaced his hand on the barrel, and then slowly eased his other hand from the grip to check the other side of the vest.
It too was empty.
“Well, shit fire.”
He’d forgotten to secure the flap. The force of the fall must have bounced it out. Now he was left in over a hundred-degree heat without a drop of water. His only saving grace was being sheltered by the branches overhead.
A warm breeze blew, ruffling the leaves on the trees. A horrendous stench hit him full force in the face. With all that had happened, he’d forgotten about it. No way to dismiss it now. He knew the smell of a dead carcass. This was larger than a bird or a rabbit, perhaps a coyote or even a deer. He scanned the area without luck. Nothing dead lay on the ground around him.
Cleatis lifted his eyes and searched further out.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” the words came out in a hush. That’s no dead animal.
Facing him, tucked into a clump of trees was the body of a woman with long blonde hair. Her flesh was naked as the day she was born. She was kneeling. Her hands were tied in front of her as if in prayer. A thick rope circled her neck.
A dried up carcass lay in the crook of her arms. God, he hoped it wasn’t a baby. A big gaping hole appeared between her breasts. Her innards were moving. Wait. That can’t be right. He stared at the spot without blinking. That’s when he realized they were maggots in a feeding frenzy.
“Arrgh!” He jerked back. A loud crack sounded and his body dropped another inch. He splayed his hands on the planks over the shotgun to steady himself. His heart thundered in his ears. Duke scampered over to the corpse and sniffed.
“No, Duke. Get away!” The dog ignored the command and licked the thing in her arms.
Cleatis cringed.
“Duke. Get over here.” The dog glanced at his master. “Come on.” He turned back toward the carcass and opened his mouth over the thing’s head.
“No, Duke. Get over here. Now.” The dog started to scamper toward Cleatis, and then gave one more look over his shoulder as if weighing his options.
“I said now!” To his relief, the dog loped the rest of the way and sat in front of Cleatis. His tongue lolled to the side as he panted.
“Good boy. Now lay down.” The dog did just that.
He clenched his eyes shut so he no longer had to stare at the horror. But it was too late. The image was forever seared into his brain. Shutting off his sight only made his other senses more acute. He breathed through his mouth to combat the stench of rotting flesh.
That’s when he noticed the sound of buzzing flies. The noise seemed to amplify with each passing second, bringing the image of the corpse to the forefront of his mind.
BUY NOW!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First I need to thank my Romance Writers of America online critique group, LeathaLadies for their invaluable help in the shaping of this manuscript.
I want to thank my wonderful editors, Alyssa Palmer and Aemelia Manier for making this manuscript shine and making me look good. All mistakes are my own.
A special thank you to Debbie Snow.
I want to thank Tara West for the fabulous cover. She has a great way of realizing my vision and making it into art. I think this one is our best yet!
I want to thank Paul Salvette from BB Books for doing a fantastic job formatting this book.
I want to thank my family for their patience while I locked myself in my writers cave to write this book.
Last, but not least, I’d like to thank my readers. I may be biased, but I do believe I have the best readers in the world. And to those of you who have taken the time to drop me a line, I thank you twice.
MORE BOOKS BY MORGAN HANNAH MACDONALD
THOMAS FAMILY SERIES
SANDMAN Book #1
BEWARE THE SANDMAN-HE’LL PUT YOU TO SLEEP . . . FOREVER
He collects women. Imprisons them. Plays with them. Tortures them. Then gathers souvenirs. His trophies are many.
DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE
The image of a pair of eyes staring back from a darkened abyss haunts Meagan McInnis. She’s become the victim of a vicious stalker playing psychological games. Her dog barks, but when she looks out, no one’s there. Time and time again, the phone startles her awake, but only dead air answers her plea.
Until the night she stumbles upon a grisly display in her garden.
THE CALLER IS SILENT NO MORE
Homicide Detective, J.J. Thomas, is working his most horrific case to date. The monster he’s hunting ranks up there with Ed Gein. He wouldn’t be surprised to find furniture made out of human skin in the psycho’s living room.
THEY CALL HIM THE SANDMAN
Thomas is called to a crime scene. The original plan is for him to pass off the investigation immediately to focus on The Sandman. That is until he learns the cases are linked. Better yet, the witness is the key to discovering The Sandman’s true identity.
SWEET DREAMS
With his department grossly understaf
fed, only he and his partner, Shadowhawk, are able to guard Meagan. At the same time they must delve deep into her past to uncover why this twisted killer is obsessed with her before she becomes his next prize.
NIGHTSCREAM Book #2
NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM
A psychotic killer terrorizing a small mountain town sets his sights on those hunting him.
Special Agent Cody Thomas, from the FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit in Los Angeles, decides to take a week off in the small mountain town of Big Bear. Do a little fishing, a little hiking.
HE’S WATCHING
Deputy Jilly Reid left the Central Homicide Unit of San Bernardino and moved up the mountain to her hometown to get away from death and the devastating things people do to one another. Handing out parking tickets all day is just fine with her.
No sooner does Cody hit the town when he runs into Jilly, a girl he knew in high school. But there’s no time to reminisce, she’s in a hurry. An incoherent call came into dispatch. A fisherman down in Hunters Cove is carrying on about finding dead women. A lot of them.
HE’S WAITING
Cody joins Jilly on the call. What they find doesn’t belong in the sleepy little town. An underwater graveyard. A deranged killer used the lake as a dump site. Seven mutilated bodies. Chained by their feet to cinder blocks. Fish food. Completely unrecognizable. The only assumption is they’re women because of their long flowing tresses waving back and forth in the current. Their distorted faces set in a silent scream for all eternity.
HE’S PISSED
The victims had obviously been in the water for some time, so naturally Cody and Jilly think the killer is long gone. Until he begins taunting them. He’s out there watching their every move and letting them know he could take them out whenever he wants. Then women begin disappearing at an alarming rate.
YOU’RE DEAD
Now they must stop this sadistic killer or die trying.
LAST SCREAM Book #3
EACH SCREAM COULD BE YOUR LAST
NightScream Page 21
