Skin Deep

by Daniels, A. J.

  “Should we give Mike a head’s up?” Jay asks turning over the ignition.

  “Nah, he was being called in at the same time.”

  …

  The building is a shit show when Mike, Jay, and Parker finally walk through the revolving glass doors.

  “Davis! Miller! Collins!” Inspector Porter yells from the bank of elevators, “My office!”

  “Shit, what’d you do, man?” Jay and he look accusingly at Mike. The three of them almost never get called into Porter’s office and if they do it usually has something to do with a stupid stunt Mike pulled. Sometimes the guy still thinks he’s five.

  Mike lifts his arms and shrugs. “I didn’t do anything this time.”

  “This time,” Jay huffs.

  If they thought downstairs was a shit show, then what they see when they step off the elevator on the top floor must be a cluster fuck or would it be a goat fuck? He never knows which one is which and he has no time to debate the difference with the guys now because the inspector looks down right pissed when the three of them enter his office. His posture is rigid while he sits behind his mahogany desk and he’s constantly running a hand through his neatly cropped, dark hair.

  “Have a seat, boys.” Porter doesn’t look up from the open file on his desk until all three of them have taken a seat in the chairs across from him, and even then, he lets them squirm for a few more seconds before clearing his throat, and bores his brown eyes into each of theirs. “All three of you and your teams are up for assignment. You all will be going in on this one.”

  He almost laughs out loud when Mike lets out an audible sigh of relief next to him, knowing he wasn’t the cause of them getting called into Porter’s office.

  Porter slaps down three identical folders and signals for them to each to grab one. “This is your priority. I’ll reassign any open cases you three still have. I want all hands on deck for this one.”

  “Jennifer White,” Jay reads.

  “Murdered?” Parker looks at Porter for confirmation.

  “Her body was just found in a Provincial Park nearby. Her parents are highly respected lawyers in Ontario. In fact, her dad’s running for Prime Minister this election.”

  “What does our team have to do with the case? We don’t work murders,” Mike states.

  “The MO is the same as several cases dating back to 2000 and ranging from Ontario, to Alberta, to here in BC. Except they keep getting more sophisticated. More organized.”

  “You think we’re looking at a serial killer,” Jay clarifies.

  “Was there a murder weapon?” Parker asks, glancing back through the information in the report.

  “Cause of death is strangulation.”

  “Why isn’t homicide looking into this?” Mike asks what they’re all wondering.

  “It’s officially become a cross-jurisdictional case. She was dumped here, but they believe she was killed in Alberta. Her parents are insisting they want the best of the best on this case. The top dogs tend to agree since this could have a potential blowback on the RCMP if we don’t solve this in a reasonable time frame. They want every available team on this.”

  “There’s not a lot of evidence here.” Jay holds up his file.

  “No, there’s not. I need you guys to do what you do best. Find this guy and take him out.”

  Parker, Jay, and Mike exchange a look of understanding before turning to Porter and nodding their acceptance of the case.

  “Your team will be reassigned to Homicide for this case. They’ve already been told that the three of you will be running the show from now on. I’ll leave it to the three of you to delegate your teams but I want reports every few hours.”

  All three of them nod.

  “Good, now get to work.” Porter dismisses them with a tip of his chin towards the door.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “How did that make you feel, Danielle?”

  Ashley hates when they fucking ask her that stupid question. She stares at the shrink sitting across from her in her big, leather chair.

  She crosses her arms and grumbles, “Fine.”

  “Just fine?”

  “Yes.”

  Dr. Stevenson says nothing while she stares at her, her pen hovering above the annoying, yellow legal pad, waiting for her to elaborate more, but she doesn’t. Why should she waste the breath? There’s no way she’ll spill her thoughts to a shrink anyway.

  If she hadn’t promised Kat almost a year ago she’d at least give counselling a chance, then she wouldn’t have to be in this stupid office, sitting on this stupid, floral couch, talking to this shrink.

  Finally, she must realize she’s not going to elaborate because Dr. Stevenson sighs and puts the legal pad and pen back on her desk before turning back.

  “Danielle, if you were fine then you wouldn’t be here, would you?”

  “I’m only here because I promised my best friend I’d give you a shot.”

  “Why did you promise her that?”

  Because Kat has been bugging her for close to a year to talk to someone professional. Because the nightmares have come back with a vengeance.

  But she doesn’t say any of that. She just shrugs, refusing to react to Dr. Stevenson and her questions. Her eyes are glued to the clock above the shrink’s head, and as soon as the hour strikes, she’s up and has her hand on the door handle ready to get out of here.

  “See you next week,” Dr. Stevenson calls out before the door swings closed behind Ashley.

  Un-fucking-likely.

  …

  “Dinner’s ready!” Kat calls from the kitchen as Ashley walks through the front door of their condo. It’s been a little over eleven months since they moved into their new place across the country.

  “I’m not hungry.” That’s a lie.

  She can’t force herself to eat right now. She’s too agitated. After leaving Dr. Stevenson’s office she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. When she turned around she could’ve sworn she saw Adam following her. She’d picked up her pace and ducked into a nearby coffee shop but when she glanced back he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  Maybe she was hallucinating, or maybe he’d been able to track her down despite all the effort she, Kat, and Alice had gone through to change their names and appearance.

  “I brought lasagna home from the restaurant,” Alice chimes in from the couch as she flips through Cosmopolitan magazine.

  “Nah, I’m good. I stopped for a salad after my appointment.”

  “I put a plate in the fridge for you for later,” Kat adds when she joins them on the couch with a plate piled high with lasagna and Caesar salad.

  “Thanks.”

  “So how’d it go at Dr. Stevenson’s?”

  Ashley shrugs “Okay, I guess.” Except I think I saw Adam when I left.

  “We should go out tonight. It’s ladies’ night at Gotcha’s, and I’m ready to get my drink on,” Alice says, closing the magazine and turning to face her and Kat.

  Ashley wants to hug her right now for changing the subject away from her appointment.

  “You’re always ready to get your drink on, Alice.” Kat laughs, then glances at Ashley and suddenly she looks uncertain as to whether she should accept Alice’s invite or decline and offer to stay home with her.

  But Ashley knows what she’s doing. Kat still thinks she can’t be around alcohol without feeling the temptation to drink until she blacks out. Usually she would be making excuses to stay home, but right now she needs to get out of her own head for several hours.

  She could use a little temptation tonight, whether it’s a whiskey on the rocks or something tall, dark, and handsome. She would happily welcome either option.

  “Let’s do it!” She exclaims patting their knees before jumping up to go raid her closet.

  “Oh, I messaged Mike, the friend I was telling you about, the guy who helped us find this place. He’s with the RCMP and said he’s willing to talk to you about your situation,” Alice calls from the living
room.

  Ashley is utterly confused. She wasn’t aware Alice’s friend was part of the RCMP.

  She pokes her head out of her bedroom, “You didn’t need to do that, Alice. I mean, we moved across the country, changed our names, and our appearance.” She counts off on her fingers then shrugs. “What more is there to do?”

  “Mike could offer some advice on things we’ve never thought of and . . .” Alice quickly sends a message from her phone before lifting her head to Ashley, “he already said he’ll meet us at the club with a couple of guys from his team.”

  She groans and rolls her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

  “But you love me,” Alice sing songs, walking to her bedroom.

  “Unfortunately,” She mutters under her breath.

  “I heard that!” Alice yells from her room.

  “You were supposed to!” She yells back grinning.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  GOTCHA’S IS PACKED WALL to wall with bodies. Ladies night at the club is always a gong show but it’s even more crazy tonight.

  “Hell yes!” Mike exclaims next to Parker as his eyes roam over all of the scantily clad women dancing around them. “Dude, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  “Amen, brother,” Jay agrees while they push their way across the dance floor and over to the bar.

  As they’re waiting for the four-people deep line at the bar to die down so they can order their drinks, Parker’s gaze lands on, and travels up, a pair of gorgeous, long legs up to a finely shaped ass encased in a short, black dress that has molded itself perfectly to luscious curves. Long, black hair flows over one shoulder, and soulful, green eyes stare back at him. Holy shit. He feels like he just got punched in the gut; all the air in his lungs suddenly leaves him.

  It doesn’t last long though because Mike is slapping Parker on the shoulder.

  “Dude, let’s just go to the booth and get one of the girls to bring over our drinks. This line is nuts.”

  Before Parker turns to follow Mike and Jay to their usual booth he glances back over his shoulder to get another look at the beauty, but she’s no longer there.

  …

  It will be a miracle if Ashley manages not to break an ankle in these stiletto heels by the end of the night, especially with how packed the club is.

  “Finally! What took you so long?” Alice yells over the loud thump of the base as she slips back into the booth, placing three tequila shots in the middle of the table.

  “Line at the bar was crazy.” She rolls her eyes. “Next time you can get your own drink,” she yells back.

  Alice and Kat go back to finishing their conversation while she tries to subtly scan the crowd in an effort to locate the guy from the bar.

  He was sexy with those bluer than the Pacific eyes, five o’clock shadow, and square jaw. She feels giddy with the possibility she may have found the distraction she’s looking for tonight.

  “Ash! Ash! Ashley!” Kat yells above the music trying to get her attention.

  “What?”

  “We asked you if you wanted to come dance with us. But it looks like you’re a little distracted.” Alice grins. Apparently she wasn’t as subtle as she thought.

  “I was trying to find this really hot guy I saw at the bar, but this crowd is nuts.” She leans back against the back of the booth giving up her search. There’s no way she’s going to find him again tonight.

  Alice shrugs. “Bummer, but I’m going to get another shot and then get my ass on the dance floor. You ladies coming?”

  “I thought you were texting Mike to see where he’s at,” Kat says.

  “I did. He said they’re here. I told him where to find us but I’m not going looking for them in this crowd,” Alice replies before sliding out of the booth and pushing her way through to the bar while Ashley and Kat follow behind.

  They’re waiting for the now five-people deep line at the bar to die down so they can order their drinks when Alice’s phone lights up. Her head snaps up and looks from side to side before waving at someone in one of the private booths.

  “Over there,” Alice turns back to her and Kat and points over her shoulder towards the upstairs booth before turning on her heels and making her way through the crowd.

  Ashley starts to feel extremely claustrophobic with all the bodies crammed into the club and very little breathing room.

  Shouldn’t there be a person limit to this place?

  “Ladies.”

  She hears an extremely sexy voice call out when she peeks around Alice’s shoulder.

  “Mike, Nicole and Danielle. Ladies, Mike and—”

  “Jay.” Mike’s equally sexy friend extends his hand for Kat and Ashley to shake. His dark brown hair is cropped short on the side but a bit longer on the top, just enough to grab onto and tug. When his eyes find Ashley’s they’re an intense emerald color. His black, short-sleeve shirt pulls across the expanse of his chest, showing off an impressive set of pecs There’s a tattoo peeking out from under his T-shirt sleeve but it’s too dark to make out the design.

  Despite their good looks, Jay and Mike still don’t compare to the guy she saw at the bar.

  “Jay, this is Jessica.” Mike tips his head in their direction.

  “Thought there was going to be three of you,” Alice says, sitting down in the booth next to Mike, while Kat slides in next to Jay.

  “Parker’s here somewhere.” Mike runs a hand through his short, black hair before letting it settle on the booth behind Alice.

  “I’m going to dance. You coming?” Ashley looks to Alice then to Kat, but both women shake their heads. She turns and saunters over to the dance floor.

  She’s in her element on the dance floor as her body moves to the sensual beat of the music. The DJ is on fire tonight.

  Strong hands land on her hips and draw her closer to the very masculine body standing in front of her.

  When she opens her eyes she’s staring into the sexy blue ones of the man from the bar. The corner of his mouth pulls up in a playful grin as one of his eyebrows rises in challenge.

  Will she tell him to get lost or will she pull him closer? But this was the exact distraction she was looking for tonight.

  She hooks her arm over his shoulder and moves her body closer to his, never missing a beat of the music.

  The two of them dance for the next few songs, their bodies in almost constant contact.

  He groans. “You’ll be the death of me, woman.”

  She smiles leaning in closer to him. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  She takes his hand and leads him off the dance floor in the direction of the women’s bathroom. Once they’re inside, Ashley shuts and locks the door.

  She never did get the man’s name but that night was definitely one for the memory banks.

  Neither did Parker get the name of the woman who blew his mind in the women’s bathroom of the night club.

  …

  His last prey was unplanned but that was okay. It’s been fucking forever since he was able to feel the rush of watching the life leave someone’s eyes.

  His first victim’s weren’t green though. They were a horrible, bright blue.

  Green eyes. Those were his weakness. A memory of a certain blonde haired, green eyed woman invades his head. Her eyes widened in fear . . . of him.

  That was the look that flamed his need to hunt. To kill. And when his mark fights back, a grin spreads across his face, he’s never been so turned on his life.

  His first victim never did turn him on, but he needed her to help get him the partner position at the law firm. One year. One fucking year he’d been married to the bitch.

  It was finally over though; he’d officially been named partner at the firm last month. He’s had no real use for her, and then her fucking parents had invited them to their vacation house in British Columbia, forcing him to have to play the devoted son-in-law.

  That’s when he saw her again. She wasn’t a blonde anymore, instead her hair was as dar
k as night, but he’d recognize those eyes anywhere. He’d finally found her.

  This time he wasn’t going to let her get away. Ever.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  HE SITS IN A darkened corner of the pub watching her. She’s oblivious to his eyes following her every move. The bitch thought she could just leave him in the middle of the night. She thought moving across the country would save her from him.

  But he’d found her. He’ll always find her. Now that that nosy wife of his is out of the picture for good, he can finally claim what was always his.

  His blood boils with rage when one of the other male patrons sits down next to his possession. Ashley is his, and that guy will pay for touching what is his, but for now he’ll bid his time with someone else to help take the edge off.

  Movement out of the corner of his eyes catches his attention. When he turns to investigate, a brunette with eyes so hazel they have flecks of gold in them, smiles at him.

  She looks eerily similar to Ashley but for her eyes. His mouth curves up on one side as he tips his glass in greeting.

  Looks like he just found his next adrenaline rush. She looks like she’ll be a fun conquest. He likes when they put up a fight. It makes it that much more thrilling.

  …

  She’s sitting in a bar in town an hour outside of her own, contemplating drinking the whiskey sitting in front of her. She didn’t have the strength today to not order it.

  Today was fucking hard. She thought she’d seen Adam standing outside the bookstore she regularly visits

  First the shrink’s office, now the bookstore. Maybe she was losing it.

  She felt like a weight was pushing down on her insides. She couldn’t breathe, and her legs failed to move when he’d stopped inches away from her.

  But it wasn’t him.

  Shivers rake down her spine when a couple from the back of the pub pass behind her.

  Her throat burns, and she’s struggling to breathe. She can’t let that asshole get to her like this. She’s worked hard to get to where she is and she’s not about to let some doppelganger set her back. She can’t. She won’t let it.