Darkness Follows

by J. L. Drake

  A man offered me a hand as I stepped out of the taxi door, and then escorted me to the bar where I spotted Seth in a black suit jacket and dress pants. Jesus, he was a beautiful creature. Even the way he sat at the bar and nursed his beer made me want to reach out and see if he was real.

  He must have sensed my stare, because he slowly turned and looked at me. His face became unreadable as he slowly took in my outfit. He pushed off his chair and strolled toward me like I was meant only for him.

  His eyes grew hungry when he leaned in and kissed the side of my jaw. His other hand ran along my bare back. “Jesus, baby, you look amazing.”

  I turned inward and kissed right under his ear. My lips brushed over his freshly shaven skin, and his aftershave made my knees tremble. “So do you.” I was breathless.

  “I ordered you a dirty martini.” He grinned. He knew I loved my martinis. “Are you hungry?”

  I nodded…but not for food.

  Seth pulled out my chair for me and offered a hand as I took my seat. His fingers ran down my shoulder to my elbow before he moved to his seat. I placed my napkin on my lap and looked around. The room was beautiful. It was dark, quiet, and every seat had its own level of privacy. But the best part was how one side of the restaurant looked over a wall and was completely open. A dance floor was off to the left, and there were fire pits and seating on the right.

  A waiter appeared with a pitcher of water. “Good evening.” He filled our glasses and placed a fresh lemon round on top. I smiled at how much Pete would be interested in this guy. “My, that’s a pretty bracelet.” The waiter held up my wrist to get a better look. I glanced over at Seth, and he gave me a look, but he couldn’t keep back his grin. “Can I get you something to start?”

  “What sounds good to you, baby?” Seth asked casually.

  “The jumbo shrimp, please.”

  Once the waiter left, Seth watched me as he sipped his beer. I matched his stare and decided to take the opportunity to see what he’d share.

  “Have you spoken to Nicholas?”

  His eyes dropped to his frosty mug as he set it down. “Yes, I have.”

  “Are you still upset with him for sending Riley?”

  He sighed with a shake of his head. “I was, but I understand why he did. Riley is a good cop, and he does his job well.”

  “I think so. I’m thankful Nicholas did what he did. I know you two have a bit of history, but he’s still your brother, and I don’t think he would ever want to hurt you on purpose.”

  “He is, and my problem doesn’t lie with my brother.”

  “It lies with your father, you mean.” I should have known better than to push.

  “Emily, I really don’t want to speak about someone who—”

  “I’m sorry,” I interrupted. “Sometimes it’s just nice to hear a little bit about you.”

  Seth closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, you’re right. I know a lot about you, so it’s only fair. What would you like to know?” I bit down on my bottom lip and looked at him. I could barely contain the laughter and excitement. “Be kind,” he warned.

  I winked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  We waited for the waiter to place the shrimp in front of us, and then we ordered our meal. I dipped the tip of the shrimp in the sauce and nibbled on the end while I thought. Seth’s eyes grew dark as he waited for me to speak, and he shifted and tugged on the collar of his shirt.

  “Were you ever close with your father?”

  “Not that I can remember.”

  “Okay,” I whispered and thought of my own father. “Is he good to Martha?”

  Seth looked over at the black water. The waves occasionally caught little rays of moonlight. “My father isn’t good to anyone, Emily. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”

  I nodded. I could see his past weighed heavily on him. I was just so thirsty to know more. “Can I ask one more question?”

  His eyes flinched, but he gave me a slight nod.

  I leaned forward, rested one elbow on the table, and ran my free hand along my neck. I gave him a serious look before I asked my question. “So how long did you wear the Batman pajamas?”

  He leaned his head back and let out a loud, unexpected laugh. Everything in my body swelled at the sound. I would pay good money to hear that laugh every single damn day. He reached over and grabbed my hand, brought it to his mouth, and gave it a long kiss.

  “People like you make people like me realize what we’re missing in life.” I pulled my hand away as I felt a “but” coming. Thankfully, the waiter came to serve our main course. We ate and made small talk. I made sure to steer off the topic of us whenever I thought it was coming.

  After dinner, we retired to the patio where a band played a range of music. Coldplay’s “Fix You” started to play as Seth took my hand and led me to the dance floor. He pressed his body close to mine as he moved us to the music. I rested my head on his chest and thought how perfect this moment was. The way his arms locked around me made me feel safe from the world. His lips brushed over my hair.

  “I missed holding you, Emily.”

  Suddenly everything hit me—Seth, my friend, my only love, someone I poured out my heart to, someone I gave myself to, only to have him crush my dreams by not wanting me. He pulled away from me, but let no one else near me. The yo-yo effect, the painful tug of war with all my emotions. I couldn’t do this again; I wasn’t strong enough.

  I pulled back to look up at him.

  “What’s wrong?” His eyes searched mine.

  I looked over at the beach, now free of people. “Can we go for a walk?”

  “Of course.” He threaded his fingers through mine and helped me down the sandy stairs. I removed my heels, hooked them on my fingers, and we walked together in silence.

  It was a cool evening, and the breeze off the ocean helped cleared my head. I loved this time of year when the days were still warm, but the nights dropped in temperature.

  Seth waited until we had walked a bit before he spoke. “What’s on your mind, baby?”

  I paused in the sand and dropped my head so my hair would act as a curtain.

  “Honestly, I’m nervous. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved, but you’re also the only man who has crushed my heart more times than I can count. That doesn’t exactly make me feel very confident or hopeful about a future with you.”

  He nodded while he thought, and his eyes squinted as he looked over the water. “I broke the promise I made you in Temecula, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah.” I sighed and tried to swallow around the lump in my throat as my eyes started to water. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I started to walk again.

  “Emily,” he whispered after me, his voice full of emotion. I tilted my head back and squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears. Oh, please, don’t cry right now. I shook off the emotion and began to turn when his hands locked around my waist. He spun me around and pushed me up against the cliff wall. Large, jagged rocks blocked our view from the restaurant, which was good, because I could see Seth was determined to work this out.

  “I brought you here to tell you I was sorry for being so scared of us.” He was inches from my face, his eyes full of confidence. “I know I left scars, but I love you, Emily. I love you so much that when you’re not around, I physically hurt. I need you to be mine, I need you to forgive me. I need you to see I’m lost without you.” He closed his eyes as he bit down on his bottom lip. This was a rare moment into Seth that I had never seen. “If there is no you, then there’s no me. I can’t be me without you.” He shook his head, then slowly raised his face to show me how raw he was at that moment. “Please tell me you love me like I love you?”

  The last few months flashed in front of me. So many times I’d wished this moment would happen. But his scars ran deep. I didn’t want to break up, but I needed him to see I wasn’t doing this again.

  “Seth, things are so—” He suddenly grabbed my head and slammed his li
ps to mine. He forced my mouth open and kissed me with so much force I forgot how to stand. One hand slid under my dress and slipped between my legs.

  “Jesus,” he panted into my neck as his fingers rolled about. He made my skin break out in a thin layer of sweat that cooled me with the ocean breeze.

  Seth leaned down and ran his tongue from my collarbone to my jaw. My entire body went weak. He lifted me off the ground and urged me to wrap my legs around his waist. I dropped my shoes, reached around his neck, and threw myself into it, matching his passion. Who was I kidding? He was made for me, and I knew it. I just needed to know he did too. He freed himself from his pants and let them drop to his ankles as he slid my panties to the side and slowly used my weight to slip inside me.

  “Ah…” I sucked in a deep breath at the force. Then everything went quiet as he slowly moved in and out. I could feel every inch of him, every groove, and every spot he hit was intense.

  “You feel that?” He panted as he shot me upward. “See how you fit me, how perfect we are together?” He picked up the pace, as my legs squeezed him tighter. “Oh my God,” he groaned into my neck. His chest vibrated against mine, and I nearly lost it. The ocean pounded the shore with as much force as Seth possessed me. He consumed every part of me.

  “Seth, I’m so close,” I cried into his shoulder. He sucked my earlobe into his hot mouth. That was it, I lost it. I screamed and held on as my orgasm ripped through me. I didn’t care at this moment if the entire restaurant heard us. Nothing was better than this, right here, right now. He followed soon after, his forehead pressed into mine as we both sank down from our high.

  “I know I’m not good at this, but if you give me another chance I will prove how much I love you.” I started to answer him, but he slammed into me again, which immediately silenced me.

  I barely remembered him spreading out his jacket for us to lie on. We stared up at the stars, our hands entwined.

  ***

  “Morning, Garrett, how are you today?” I felt very peppy this morning. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sipped it as I attempted to hide my ridiculous smile.

  “Oh, I’m good, and I see you are too.” He shoveled a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth. I shook my head and decided to ask one final question before I tucked away this little box forever.

  “Did we ever find out who Julia was to Lasko?”

  “Yup, she was his sister.” My jaw dropped. So he was telling the truth! “Yeah, pretty messed up. His own sister took his virginity at seven, and it continued until he killed her himself. No wonder the guy was a mess of personalities. ”

  “So Jamie wasn’t real?”

  “We spoke to a psychologist in Palm Springs who worked with Lasko for a bit. Jamie Wayne was an employee there. Lasko was obsessed with Jamie and took on part of his personality. Who knows why? Maybe he wanted to be like him, experience empathy. After all, he was robbed of ever feeling anything but pain and lust in his own life.”

  “Wow,” I whispered as I turned to look out the window and remembered Matthews. His death couldn’t be ruled a homicide, but we knew better. We knew the truth. His death weighed heavily on me. I just wished I had more answers. Did Matthews work for Lasko and have a change of heart? I shook my head at that last thought. Maybe the way he should be remembered was as someone who did choose good over evil in the end. I hoped wherever he was, he was finally at peace.

  With a glance at the clock, I noticed I needed to hurry if I wanted to make it to Martha’s Thanksgiving dinner with the amount of errands I had ahead of me. I was rather excited to see them again, and beyond touched that they invited me.

  “You good, baby?” Seth asked as he wrapped his arms around my stomach.

  “Yeah.” I looked over my shoulder. “Yeah, you know what, I think I am.”

  ***

  Later That Night

  The Voice/Mastermind

  I sat on the wooden steps of our cabin and nursed a bottle of Jack. The moon shone brightly, casting shadows through the trees. I wiped my cheeks dry with the sleeve of my blue work shirt. Things were different now. Some things were going to have to happen. Justice had to be served, and it was up to me to do it. This was never in our plan.

  I thought about the last time I’d spoken to him. Jimmy had sounded so excited that his second chance at love was about to happen. Then they got in his way again.

  My hand was flipped up, and it landed on a hard head. “I know, Adler,” I whispered and rubbed the dog’s ear. “I miss him too.”

  I looked up at the sky and made a silent promise to my brother that all would be right again soon.

  My phone pinged, and I cursed at the text.

  Seth: Where are you, Avery? Drinks at the Triangle in fifteen.

  The End

  COMING OCTOBER 2015

  Darkness Falls

  Chapter One

  October

  Seth

  Boom! Boom! Rice flew in all directions as I ducked to get a better view of the shooter. My shirt was drenched in wine from when the fucker decided to try to remove my head. My ears still rang from how close the bullet came. My vest was sticky against my skin, but it was the least of my worries.

  The sales clerk’s wife had a death wish if she didn’t shut the hell up.

  “Hard left, Connors,” Garrett hissed over the radio.

  Shit! I scrambled to my feet and made the turn before he saw me. I spotted Garrett off to my left, and he pointed to our backup, who had just arrived.

  “Hey,” the woman screamed from behind the counter, “you have a gun! Do something!” I put my

  finger to my mouth, but she was too far gone to care.

  “Oh, officers,” the shooter yelled. I saw his reflection in the fridge door, which only meant…

  Boom! Boom! His shotgun blasted inches from my head.

  “Fuck!” I dove one row down and tumbled into a display of Gatorade. Two more shots were fired. That was it; he should be out. I heard his shotgun fall to the floor, then the cock of a handgun. Shit!

  We got a call there was a robbery at a convenience store. Little did we know the shooter was hyped up on Flakka. He was fifty, with the strength of a twenty-year-old. Two shots to his shoulder, and he was moving like the fucking Hulk. I’d encountered his brother before, although his choice was a machete. I would prefer that right now.

  “Stay down, Connors,” Campbell rang through the radio. “I have a clear shot.”

  “Ten-four,” I mumbled. I didn’t want to draw attention to my location.

  A bullet broke through the glass door, just missing the shooter.

  “You,” bang, “want,” bang, “a piece,” bang, “of me?” The shooter stopped right by my side. Now or never. I jumped up, wrapped my arms around his waist, and hauled him through the market with a driving force. We slammed into the wall and fell to the ground, our fists fighting for flesh to hit. Garrett head locked the shooter and pulled him off me. He gave me just enough time to get to my feet and reach for my gun.

  “Oh, look at the piggy now,” he spat at me. I waited until he stepped a little closer, then twisted my body and swiped my leg along the floor and under his feet so he fell backward. It gave me a moment to grab my gun, but I was too late. The sound echoed around inside my skull right before the pain registered. It wasn’t a deep ache, just a wicked burn. Three pops, and the shooter went down.

  Garrett appeared above me. He ripped open my shirt and checked me out.

  “Knee,” I hissed as the pain sunk in, “fucking knee.”

  Just as quickly as it started, it ended. That was when my brain could separate the fact I was moments away from being blown to shit, to going back to station and having a hot shower, then going home to my girlfriend. It was how I operated. It was how I survived.

  ***

  Emily

  “Why kill someone? Is it to get your fifteen minutes of fame? Revenge? Love? Or maybe it’s a mental illness? An obsession with the opposite sex? There are so many possibilities why someon
e would take someone else’s life, it’s terrifying. For the average person, the thought can cross our minds daily, but actually following through with the act is something else. Most have a conscience—the inner sense of wrong and right. But imagine for a moment not having one, not having any form of empathy. You murder someone over a bowl of Frosted Flakes and show up dressed for Mom’s Sunday dinner. Well, Tony Lace did.” Professor Dean turned to the screen, clicked a button, and showed a mug shot of the man. “Tony was hunted by the police for eleven years, until at the ripe old age of forty-five, he got sloppy and killed his boss in the middle of the office in the middle of the day. Just snapped and lost it.” Small gasps could be heard from a few people.

  “When they interviewed him later, he felt nothing for his crimes. He killed twenty-three women over eleven years, without even so much as a glossy eye. So,” he sat up on his desk in his normal casual manner while we all clung to his next words, “the point of all of this is don’t piss people off. You never know if the person sitting next to you might actually be plotting your murder.” He winked as he clicked the screen off. The class erupted in some nervous laughter, everyone secretly eyeing one another.

  “Drink?” Scott asked as he snapped his laptop shut. “Or maybe a light sedative, ’cause, wow.” He laughed as he packed up his bag. We both decided to take this class again. There was something about Professor Dean that made you think outside the box, then want to run the hell back in. His class was fascinating, and every year he had new material to teach. He was excited to see we returned for a second year. We sat in the middle where the rest of the repeaters generally gravitated.

  “Yes, to the first,” I answered, pulling out my phone and giving Seth a quick call. It went directly to voicemail, which was unusual, considering he never turned it off. I shrugged it off and followed Scott to The Goose.