The Strand Brothers Series: Complete Set

by Lora Ann

  “I know, right? Oh here…shhh, listen closely.”

  Mother fuck, Reynolds confession was loud and clear. He had been behind the disappearances of those prostitutes. I fucking knew it! No wonder we hadn’t found any bodies. It was all right there. I shot one of the agents a pointed look. “I do believe you have a suspect to arrest.”

  “Yes, sir.” He reached forward and pulled out the flash drive before turning to his partner and agreeing to start the search for Senator Caleb Reynolds. Seemed an APB was already issued. Hot damn, this was finally happening. With the evidence we had from James and Lillian, plus this, we had the bastard dead to rights.

  Once the FBI had left Shannon’s room, I mustered up the courage to handle the next step. She halted that with, “Come here. Quick!” She urged, “Before someone else enters the room.” She’d plugged in another flash drive and up popped a video stream with a confession that literally knocked me on my ass. I had always known that SOB was responsible for my brother’s stint in jail, but could never prove it. After nearly twenty years, there it was. What my gut knew from the moment that accident—no, murder—had happened. My knuckles were white with fury I could do nothing about. Shannon frantically yelled, “ALEX! Say something. You’re scaring the hell outta me.”

  From the chair I was sprawled out on, I hissed, “Give me a fucking minute.”

  Her brow quirked, but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Assimilating this information took a little longer than I thought it would.

  “Can I do anything to help?” she cautiously inquired.

  “Copy.” I cleared my throat. “May I have one?”

  “Of course,” she smiled, handing me another drive.

  A knock sounded on the door before Sofie entered. Grateful for her presence, I half-smiled as I greeted, “Hey, So.”

  Concern filled her gaze. “Hi,” she responded apprehensively.

  Shannon filled in the gaps since I was still in shock.

  Sofie knelt beside me. “Do you want me to call Nik?”

  “He needs to see it for himself,” I asserted.

  “I agree,” Sofie nodded.

  Shannon chimed in, “It’ll be difficult for him.”

  Um…ya think?! Hell, I was struggling to process. What would it do to my brother who lived with the pain and grief? He still had the scars both mentally and emotionally. Would he have a setback? Could this trigger something? Bring on his PTSD more severely? And then there was Aimee. Good God, what would this do to their marriage? Sofie must’ve sensed my inner turmoil, for she hugged me to her and declared, “We’ll see him through this. That’s what family does.”

  “You’re right about that,” I confirmed. “Always there for each other no matter what.”

  Shannon had grown very quiet, looking anywhere except at me and Sofie. She knew without me saying a word. Damn, women were impressive with that female intuition. Too bad we couldn't make it in pill form. I, for one, would appreciate having it from time to time.

  Sofie stood and approached Shannon. “Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me. I’m just glad Nik will have closure,” Shannon affirmed.

  “I am too.” Even though there was still worry pinging around in my head.

  Sofie turned to me. “I’ll meet you outside.”

  I nodded, appreciating her giving me a little privacy to say goodbye.

  After the door closed, I leaned forward in the chair with my hand on my knee. “Shannon, I—”

  “Don’t,” she interrupted. “Alex, I already know you’re madly in love with Sofia. Yes, I even realize she’s always held your heart. Please,” she implored, “don’t make this any harder than it is. Okay?”

  “Deal.” I held out my hand to her. She slipped hers in mine and shook. “Listen, for a while I’m going to lie low,” I affirmed. “I think that would best.”

  “Can’t disagree with you on that point,” she admitted. “Take care of yourself, cowboy.”

  “You too, red.” I released her hand and made my exit.

  While it went better than I expected, it was still hard. God, I prayed, please let her find happiness and love soon. On cue, the love of my life came around the corner. She stopped mid-step. “What are you looking at?” Her hands went to her hair, smoothing it in a nervous, girly fashion.

  I prowled forward, “You,” and stood toe to toe, “Always you,” before capturing her mouth for a deep kiss. When we pulled back for air, I vowed, “Only you.”

  “I’m yours,” she declared.

  I grabbed her ass and hauled her against me. “And I am yours.” I silenced her with another kiss that was highly inappropriate for public viewing.

  This time she broke away, and I saw the heat in her eyes. Fuck yeah! Her hand laced with mine as she said, “Let’s see how our girl is doing.”

  Adjusting my painful erection, which brought her eyes down to my cock, I professed, “You’re going to take care of this sooner rather than later.”

  She grinned, “You can count on that.”

  Oh, hell yes. I couldn’t help but admire the sway of her hips as she began to walk towards Ari’s room. Over her shoulder she called, “You coming?”

  “Fuuuck,” I groaned. “Watching your ass move like that, I just might.”

  She added a little extra swing. “Hurry up. We don’t have all day. I have needs, you know?”

  “Saucy wench,” I growled and grabbed her from behind, coiling my arm around her waist. When my hand traveled down the waistband of her pants, she squealed, “Alex. Stop that.”

  Her hand was firmly holding mine in place, preventing its decent into paradise. I whispered in her ear, “This is mine anytime I want it.”

  Her breathing accelerated as she leaned back. “Yes.”

  Every intention to find a dark, quiet place raced through me when a nurse approached. Swiftly bringing my hand out of Sofie’s pants before she saw, I inquired, “Is everything okay with our daughter?”

  The smile gave it away, but she confirmed, “Oh yes, Mr. Strand. She’s awake and asking for you.”

  Sofie bounced like a little girl and tugged me forward. “Let’s go see her!”

  I fell more in love with her at that moment. Yes, she’d been denied the opportunity to raise Ari, but she was making up for lost time. I couldn’t wait to give her another chance. To give her a child we could raise together the way it was meant to be. We couldn’t say our vows fast enough. I began to rethink our wedding plans as we entered the room to a high-pitched teenage squeal of delight. Blessed…I was truly blessed.

  Ari was filled with energy and excitement, like she’d had no reaction to those pain meds whatsoever. I glanced down at Sofie. “You think they’d release her now?”

  “Worth finding out,” she replied. “I’ll go find the doctor while you two chat.”

  How she had figured out I wanted a little alone time with our daughter, I’d never know. But I was thankful. A plan had formed in my head, and I needed Ari’s help to pull it off. Once Sofie had left, I sat beside the bed and clasped Ari’s hand. She grinned as her head tilted to one side. “Dad, before we leave, why don’t you see if they can remove that godawful sling?”

  I chuckled, “I can take it off anytime. Are you referring to seeing if the actual wound is healed enough?”

  She bobbed her head. “Yup.”

  “Why would I need to do that?”

  “You can’t get married with that hideous thing on. Think of the pictures!” she gasped in horror.

  My head fell back as a full belly laugh erupted. Hell that felt good! I met her gaze and queried, “When did you figure out I wanted to talk to you about a covert wedding?”

  Her giggle was like bells, and I sat there awe-struck for a moment. She timidly replied, “I didn’t exactly knooow, but I hoped.”

  I glanced towards the door, knowing our time was limited, and told Ari explicitly my plans. She was nodding and crying out, “Yes,” followed by a fist bump when Sofie returned with a doctor and nu
rse.

  Sofie eyed me aware something was up. I moved to her side while Ari was examined. She whispered, “Just what are you two scheming?”

  My hand went to my chest in wounded like fashion, causing her to chortle. The melodic sound reminded me so much of our daughter’s. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

  “Alex, where you’re concerned that has never even been a blip on my radar.”

  I tugged her tightly against me and kissed the top of her head. Ari was free to go. While Sofie stayed to help her dress, I followed the doc out and asked if he’d be willing to check my shoulder. Funny thing, I actually saw Ari’s point on this. I had already planned to ditch the sling for the wedding. But if everything was healed, or at least good enough for a smaller bandage, then I was all for it. Of course Sofie had been helping me change the dressing. But I confess, it was unattractive. The odds were in favor of a nasty scar. A decision to cover it with a tattoo was welcomed. Nik and Even had some impressive ink. Excitement to find the perfect one for myself and Sofie filled me. She’d always wanted one and had been too scared to go through with it. Together we’d conquer that fear. Shit…together we’d take on the fucking world. With her by my side, I could do anything.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Viviane

  The driver who took Keeley to the airport had just called, letting me know she had boarded the flight. Sooner she was back in Italy the better. I had entered the makeshift hospital room ready to try an experiment. I acknowledged Caleb was driven by pain. Well, that and his deep-seated need to kill—an addiction one didn’t necessarily overcome. Yet there was something else behind all of it: obsession with Rachel and Marissa. Rachel had been the one that drove him to punish and murder the posers while Marissa had made him crave pain during sexual interludes. Something I had no recollection of him being inclined towards until she had entered the picture. Curiosity about what actually happened to Marissa continued to haunt me. For all intents and purposes, he had been relatively happy with her. Then again Aimee had had that affect also, until the switch flipped.

  Knowing how much Caleb loathed my choice in music, I made sure Nightwish’s “Bye Bye Beautiful,” was playing close by. It was a fitting song in more ways than one. Anything to make him uncomfortable was worth toying with as I monitored his reactions. He’d become my sick case study in the midst of administering revenge. More than once, I questioned my sanity. Just like the time before, my choice in music made him agitated. Nevertheless, pleasure sensors on his body came alive as I stimulated them.

  Caleb growled, “You’re going to pay for this. I’m going to be strong enough to break free soon, and then I’m going to make you fucking scream.”

  “I considered that,” admitting as I pulled a syringe full of Dilaudid out of my pocket. After injecting it into his IV, I gave an explanation. “This particular pain med won’t make you drowsy. You staying wide awake is a necessity.”

  “What is going through that menacing brain of yours?” he inquired with absolute interest.

  Ah, I had sparked his curiosity. “Would be understandable for you to wonder the purpose behind all of this,” I conceded. “So you know, I had contemplated evisceration as you watched.”

  My eyes were instantly drawn to his erection, standing tall and proud. He grinned and shifted. “If I had known how diabolical you were, Viv, I’d have fucked you senseless while Joe watched.”

  The mention of my husband’s name brought on dueling emotions: grief and the need for vengeance. I glared at him. “Why the hell do you think you’re in this position?” My hand swept over his body.

  “Retribution,” he breathed with arousal in his voice.

  What the ever-loving fuck was wrong with him?! As I studied him closer, realization that he was no longer capable of human emotions became crystal clear. Yeah, time to see if I could rattle his cage. I clarified, “More monstrous ideas began to play through my mind on how to pay you back. In the end, I decided that was a little too much like you for my comfort.”

  Son of a bitch actually laughed at that as his hips arched upwards, pre-cum wetting the sheet over him. My anger got the best of me as I thumped his dick, hard. Idiot girl, I chastised myself as he moaned in complete ecstasy. His “again” gave me what I needed to get back to the task at hand. After I turned on the movie projector, I expounded, “I figured you could watch the objects of your obsession, knowing full well you’re the reason you can’t have them.” His eyes widened as his penis went flaccid.

  In a chair next to him I studied his reactions, documenting with pen and paper as well as a video recorder. As soon as the research was complete, a copy was for me and the other for authorities. The show opened with music selected from his early college years. Usher was singing “You Make Me Wanna…” as Rachel walked across her high school campus. I commented, “She was a beautiful, petite girl. Good choice, Caleb.” I observed his labored breathing, especially when tall, broad-shouldered, Nordic god Nik Strand wrapped himself around the delicate Rachel on screen. They were a gorgeous couple. Of course, Nik didn’t have his muscles then. Still, he was a handsome young man. As we continued to watch the little movie, Caleb could be seen stalking from the shadows. I glanced over at him and saw tears sliding down onto the pillow. A part of me started to feel remorse for what I was doing. NO, I barked at myself mentally, he deserves no compassion!

  I continued this little trip down memory lane with Caleb for a solid hour and then switched the video clips to Marissa, showing him her life before he entered it. He threatened, “So help me, Viviane, when I get free,” yanking the restraints hard, “I’m going to fuck you so violently you’ll beg to die. And then, I’ll flay you. Your screams will be heard for days as they reverberate off these walls and carry outside.”

  Caleb would do exactly what he had said. I knew what he was capable of. Had seen him in action more times than I wanted until Joe had convinced me my presence wasn’t needed for those “sessions.” Did he really think I was that stupid? I recognized the time frame we were working with. All planned way ahead to the precise dosage and second.

  The call came in that the feds were closing in on the senator’s location. Saving the best for last, I pulled out another syringe. This one was filled with succinylcholine. Once more, I hit play and administered the drug via IV. Caleb watched as the screen filled with accident footage. His heart rate accelerated, just like I suspected it would. Then, the paralyzing drug I had recently injected began to work its magic.

  His eyes were as big as saucers as I leaned in and queried, “Can you feel the difference, Caleb? The tightening of your organs, your lungs constricting as your body completely paralyzes.” Grabbing his chin I hissed, “Do you see that right there—Rachel’s lifeless body being pulled from the wreckage? You caused that. All because you wouldn’t let her go so she could be happy.” I tsked as he attempted to speak. “Feel your heart growing heavy? Yeah, in another minute if I don’t hook you up to a ventilator, you’re dead,” I whispered. “Your mind knows what’s happening. You’re screaming inside, yet unable to vocalize. Physically, you’re pain free.” I bent down and kissed his mouth as he fought hard to breathe. Slowly I moved my lips to his ear and murmured, “Burn. In hell. Motherfucker.”

  I continued to watch as all systems—a.k.a. Caleb Reynolds—shut down forever. “All for you, Joe,” I declared while looking upwards, “I love you.” After tidying the area and leaving everything necessary for the FBI, I eased down into a special cell below the house. I had been in full disguise while on camera: surgical mask and special cap to hide my hair, along with scrubs and a jacket to hide my body contours. Even wore colored contacts to hide my natural dark brown eyes. Yes, the feds had face recognition equipment. Hopefully I would test it greatly. However, I acknowledged that no expense would be spared. In theory, I was now on borrowed time.

  The tunnel seemed endless as I crawled to safety. Looking up towards the house, I saw the line of black vehicles and an ambulance. A giggle erupted; for I
had made damn sure Caleb was beyond resuscitation. As the house was in Joe’s name and traceable to me, eventually, I had to escape quickly. Everything planned to perfect precision; I uncovered the unremarkable sedan parked several blocks away and drove from the area as if nothing had ever happened.

  My drive to L.A. went without delay and gave me plenty of time to plot out Keeley’s demise. After she had shown her propensity for compassion, I noted this was the course that needed taking. While recuperating from plastic surgery, I could work out the details. Come on, I had just killed a U.S. Senator. Some former heroin addict turned prostitute wasn’t going to be much of a deterrent. A little voice in my head prompted, how are you any different than Caleb? I was simply alleviating loose ends, so I could live my life out peacefully. There was no high involved. Not an unstable mind playing tricks on me. Just had to be done was all. Caleb’s evil laugh was so audible I had to pull over to the side of the road. Horrified, I got out of the car and searched it thoroughly. Nothing…zilch…nada…so what the hell was that? Catching my reflection off the glass, I saw the dark, inky cloud around me. Fuck me. I had sold my soul to the devil himself and he had come to collect his dues.

  *****

  Keeley

  The small commuter jet I had boarded was plusher than expected. Huh…I guess Viv had bought me a ticket on a private plane? A flight attendant seated me facing towards the cockpit. She was older, yet friendly enough. “Miss Kincaid, may I bring you a beverage?”

  “White wine, please,” I replied.

  She smiled as I watched her enter the galley and pour me a chardonnay. After setting it down, she informed, “We should begin our taxi out in approximately five minutes.”

  “Thank you.”

  She nodded and disappeared for a moment towards the back.

  I finished my wine in time for takeoff and noticed it hit me hard. I shouldn’t have had a drink. But after what I’d just been through, I deserved one. Relapse wasn’t an option, so no concerns there, still, for it to have such a strong effect on me was odd. By the time the seat belt light turned off, I was nearly unconscious. Again the flight attendant addressed, “Miss Kincaid, let me escort you back to the bedroom.”