She nodded slowly. “Guess this takes some getting used to.”
“I don’t think you’ll have any problems with it, Tor,” he teased.
“But I’m not like this.”
“Like what?” Guy asked, trapping her where she was. “Don’t run away. Explain what you’re thinking so I can understand why you’re getting upset.”
Tori took a calming breath and forced herself to remain in the position that was becoming awkward now that the excitement was fading. “I know people like to do all sorts of things, anytime, anywhere. But I’ve always been more traditional. You know, in bed, at night, no bright lights. I’m not aggressive when it comes to sex. What’s wrong with me?”
“Not a goddamn thing! Consider this. In the past, you stuck to no-frills sex because your body needed the physical contact but your subconscious knew you weren’t with the right man. You chose partners who felt safe for the moment but not safe enough for you to share your true self with.”
“Yeah, okay, right,” she agreed sarcastically.
“Hold on. I’m not suggesting you sat down and decided to do that. I think it was another of your instinctive defense mechanisms. Those same instincts now sense that you’re safe with me in all ways. You don’t have to hold back with me. You don’t have to stick with a set pattern where everything follows a predetermined plan from start to finish. Your subconscious recognizes that you can explore your sexuality because I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Tori laughed harshly. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just so far out there now that I’ve lost my mind and have no idea what I’m doing anymore.”
“Maybe. I disagree but who knows? Personally, I’ve enjoyed every bit of it and hope you continue to test your boundaries.”
“What if I go too far?”
“I doubt that you will but I’ll make a deal with you.” He waited for her to nod. “If you ever suggest something that makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell you instead of going along with it for your sake.”
“Okay. What’s my part?”
“I want you to stop second-guessing yourself and follow your body’s desires. Let’s go one step further and make this a two-way deal since I know I’m safe with you too. Do we have a deal?”
“Yes. God, this is so unreal.”
“What?”
“Making deals about sex, sitting on the kitchen floor, naked, wrapped around a guy who just had me screaming like a brazen hussy, with his cock still inside me.”
“Ah. I see. So tell me, how do you usually make your sex deals?”
Tori laughed. “Don’t know. This is the first one I made.”
“Then it shouldn’t feel unreal. Perhaps this is how you’ll make all your sex deals.”
“Oh, just shut up already before you get even more ridiculous.”
“Okay, but only if you’ll do something for me.”
“What?”
“Squeeze my cock with your pussy muscles.”
“What?” Tori gasped, her cheeks bright pink.
“You heard me,” Guy lowered his tone. “Squeeze me tight like you never want to let go.” He held her gaze until he felt her flesh ripple around him. “More,” he groaned. “Fuck, yeah, don’t stop.” Guy shifted his embrace so his mouth could reach her breast. The more he sucked her, the more energetic Tori’s contractions grew. “Christ, that feels so good,” he declared, biting her nipple for emphasis.
“Guuuy,” Tori moaned, arching into his hungry mouth. “Can I make you come like this?”
“Oh yeah.” He was flexing inside her.
“Let me do that to you.” She suddenly craved the taste of his flesh. “Come on, stop it. It’s my turn.” She pushed his mouth from her breast.
With Guy watching her, Tori lowered her head and caught his nipple in her teeth. She raked him gently at first, soothing with her tongue after each bite. Every one got progressively harder but Guy only seemed to want more. Tori began to alternate sides, wanting to stimulate both equally. She could feel his heart pounding as his chest heaved with growing arousal. When she felt his body tense, Tori gave his cock several quick squeezes, clamping him firmly with the last. Very slowly, she released the pressure only to tighten sharply again.
“Ah Christ, Tori!” Guy cried as his cock pulsed inside her, flooding her with his heat.
Tori waited until Guy’s breathing returned to normal before she tapped his shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, but I think I created a monster.”
“Hey! I only did what you told me to do. Not my fault if you can’t handle it,” she giggled when he groaned. “Time to get cleaned up. I’m hungry.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Nice hit, Kimmie,” Russ praised the girl when her bat made contact with the ball. When Sam turned back toward her, he gave Stan a single nod.
“Sorry but I think I need a little time-out,” Stan announced. “Sam, I’d sure appreciate it if you could show me to the bathroom.”
“Of course,” Sam complied, flipping the ball back to Russ. “Toss a few until I get back.”
“You got it.” Russ smiled pleasantly. “Keep your hands together,” he reminded Kimmie while the men approached the house. “That’s it. Watch the ball.” Russ pitched the ball so she could hit it easily. She giggled happily when her swing sent it back to Russ who encouraged her loudly for Sam’s benefit.
Inside, Stan flushed the toilet as expected but knocked some things from the shelf above it. He yelped deliberately and called out to the old man, asking for help. As soon as Sam crossed the threshold, Stan flipped the cord over his head and quickly yanked it around his neck, cutting off his startled cry. He pulled the struggling man in front of the mirror so he could watch his face as he strangled the life from him. Stan’s grin was manic as Sam’s terrified eyes bulged. He wanted to shout with glee but remembered Russ’ warning to keep it quiet so he settled for a demented laugh.
“See what happens, old man? Didn’t your momma teach you not to open the door to strangers? Shoulda listened to her ‘cause she was right. Now don’t you worry none ‘bout that little girl. Russ and me are gonna take real good care of her ‘til her momma comes. Yep, we sure will and then we’re gonna take care of the momma too. Bunch of stupid fools. Making this so easy for us. That’s all righty this time. Gotta save our strength for our angel. Gonna need it so we can do her right. Oh yeah. Gotta be raring to go ‘cause she’s not gonna be happy if she gotta wait for us to rest up.” Stan kept the cord tight around Sam’s neck even after the old man’s body was dangling limply from it. He gave it an extra-hard tug before he twisted it viciously, making doubly sure the man was truly dead before he returned to the party in the yard.
“Sam said I should go on and bring ‘em out to play in the sunshine,” Stan explained why he was carrying the box of kittens as he pushed the door closed with his hip. “He’ll be along in a minute.”
“Let’s take a little break,” Russ suggested when Kimmie looked torn between continuing their play and going to the kittens.
A minute later, the three were settled on the steps, each holding a squirming ball of fluff. “Don’t fuss,” Kimmie told the mother cat who growled in protest. “We’re just petting them. They’re right here,” she stated as Sam had many times in the past. “She’s always like this until she sees we’re not hurting her babies.”
“Perfectly natural,” Russ agreed. “All mommas watch over their babies. We’ll put them down now so she can stop worrying.” He nodded to Stan to return his kitten to the box.
The men spent some time sitting quietly with the girl as she chattered to the cats. When she bent forward to pet the mother, Stan grabbed her arms as Russ shoved a rag into her mouth. In a flash, Stan had her wrists secured to the railing with the cord he used to strangle the old man. Russ forced more of the rag into her mouth until he was satisfied that she wouldn’t be able to spit it out. Then he scooped up the kitten she had dropped and held it in front of her.
“Come on, Stan. Time for some b
atting practice. Let’s show Kimmie how it’s really done.” He tossed the kitten in the air a few times, folding it back into a ball after each catch. “Ready?” he asked as Stan took a few practice swings.
“Hell yeah.” Stan took the stance he had shown Kimmie and circled the bat in the air next to his shoulder. “Toss me a good one. Right over the plate.”
“You watching, girl? Pay attention now. Don’t want to miss this one,” Russ chuckled as he pitched the kitten toward Stan.
Stan swung the bat. He caught the kitten squarely with the end of it. It was a perfect hit that sent the kitten sailing over the fence.
“Lookie, Russ! A home run! Did you see that one, Kimmie? I sure got me a good piece of that little rat,” he bragged, dancing in front of the petrified child. “Toss me another one, Russ. Let’s see if I can go two for two.”
Russ bent down to grab another kitten without noticing the mother cat. Before he could pick it up, he had four sets of claws embedded in his hand while her teeth sank into his flesh.
“Fucking twat.” Russ shook the cat from him. “I’ll show you what happens when you fuck with me,” he said as he kicked the cat so hard she flew almost to the porch. “Son of a bitch, I should stomp on your head, you stupid cunt.”
“Damn, Russ, she had you but good. Musta hurt too but don’t yell like that. You said we gotta keep it down.”
Russ continued to grumble but lowered his voice. He glared at the cat until it was obvious that she wasn’t moving. “Hurt like a motherfucker,” he growled, flexing his fingers inside the glove he wore thinking how much worse it would have been without it. “Damn thing. Spoiled the fun too. No more messing around, Stan. Get that girl over here. It’s my turn now. Then you can have a go again.”
Kimmie fought for all she was worth but couldn’t escape Stan’s grip. She was sobbing hysterically, panicked by what the men had done since Sam had gone into the house. When Stan dropped her at Russ’ feet she tried to curl into a tight ball but was yanked to her knees over and over again until she stayed where Stan put her.
“Stay right there, Kimmie,” Russ crooned. “Don’t move a muscle or I might hit you. Don’t be scared. I’m just going to swing real close so you can see how I do it, okay? I’m not going to hit you as long as you hold real still.” He smiled wickedly when Stan’s laughter followed his words. “You be a good girl now,” Russ urged, positioning himself in front of her. “See how I’m holding the bat. Look how I have my hands. Look how I’m standing. This is how you should do it. Watch close now and I’ll show you how to swing too.”
Kimmie never even blinked as Russ put all his weight into the swing he aimed at her face.
A short time later Russ ordered him to stop. “We need to see to the house before Momma gets here. I don’t want to waste any time once we take care of her.”
Very methodically, Russ and Stan wiped down everything. They were thorough, cleaning things they knew they hadn’t touched to be certain there weren’t any of their fingerprints anywhere in the house. They scoured both external doors and the back porch where they had sat with Kimmie. When Russ was satisfied that they hadn’t missed anything, he and Stan stood inside the front door to wait for their third victim. She arrived at five past six. After Stan went to hide in the kitchen, Russ answered her knock with a smile.
“Hi. You must be Kimmie’s mom. I’m Russ. Sam asked me to get the door so he could help Kimmie finish up her homework,” he stated in a muted tone as he guided her into the living room. “I said I’d chat with you a few minutes so they have enough time. We had such a good time playing ball with Kimmie today that I’m afraid we lost track of the time and she got a late start. She was worried you’d arrive before she was done and on top of what she was afraid her teacher would tell you the poor thing was almost in tears.”
“Oh my,” the woman gasped. “I should go right in and tell her she has no reason to be upset.”
“Please stay here with me. Make it look like she was done before you got here. Sam tried to assure her that everything would be fine but she wouldn’t hear of it. Mind if I ask how your conference went? She’s such a sweetie that I can’t imagine anyone having a harsh word to say about her but she was just beside herself.”
“I don’t understand why she gets so worked up like this. Kimmie’s teacher gave me a glowing report just like I kept telling her she would. I wish I knew how to build her confidence. How did she do with the bat?”
“Just fine. She was hitting them all over the yard by the time we called it quits.”
“Oh good. Maybe that will help her some.”
They heard a noise in the hall. “I’ll go check. I thought I heard something too,” a voice called from the direction of the kitchen.
“That’ll be Stan. He’s to come get us when Kimmie has her books all packed up.”
Before she could turn toward the doorway, Stan was behind her with the cord. Once again, his eerie laughter filled the house while he pulled it tighter and tighter.
“Isn’t it nice to know that your daughter will be remembered fondly?” Russ asked just before she blacked out.
He stood and watched until Stan finished with her. The two of them deposited her lifeless body on the porch. They left her where she would be hidden by the low wall surrounding it but easily seen by anyone who stepped onto it.
“That should do it,” Russ concluded happily. “Lock up, Stan. Don’t want any riffraff getting in where they don’t belong,” he chuckled at his own joke as he and Stan strolled away from the house.
Chapter Seventeen
The waiting was making Tori jumpier by the minute. Ever since she woke up screaming after witnessing the three horrific deaths, she had been ready to snap. Guy tried everything he could think of but Tori was inconsolable. She broke down so many times while she related the scene to Todd that it had taken almost two hours for her to get through it.
When Todd’s phone finally chirped, Tori let out a small shriek and grabbed one of Guy’s hands with both of hers. Her knuckles were white by the time the brief conversation ended.
“The mailman found the mom,” he stated flatly, naming a town only forty-five minutes away. “I have to go but I’ll check in later. Don’t forget what I told you. Even though someone will be nearby I don’t want either of you to take any chances. That goes for both of you.”
“I want to come.” Tori spoke up, startling them.
“No,” Todd refused instantly.
“I have to,” she argued.
“Tori.” Guy reached for her but missed as she moved to stand between Todd and the door.
“I need to go there. Just to see the house. I won’t try to go inside. I’ll stay out of the way.”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Tori,” Todd advised.
“Please, Todd. Let me go with you.”
“You can’t. Why do you even want to?”
She was crying again but persisted anyway. “I have to. I have to stand there and see the house. I have to see it so I know how real my dreams are.”
“Tori,” Todd tried to interrupt her.
“I have to find the kitten. The one they hit over the fence. He’s still alive. I know he is. I have to go so he doesn’t die too.”
“I’ll find him for you. I promise. As soon as I get there.”
“I have to,” she insisted. “I have to find him. I have to save him. I have to.” She was on the verge of hysteria. “I didn’t even try to help any of the others but I might be able to help him. I can’t stay here and let him die like the rest of them. Please, Todd. Don’t make me let them kill him too.”
Todd sighed, clearly unhappy and met Guy’s eyes. She could see that Guy agreed it was not something they should let her do. Tori continued to plead as the men considered it. When Guy shrugged helplessly, the final decision was Todd’s. Clearly everything in him wanted to prevent her from getting that close but he pulled out his phone anyway. After a short call, he studied Tori’s face, frowning while he looked at her.
“I know. I really do but I still want to. I’m sorry and I understand you don’t want me there because you’re trying to protect me and keep this from being even worse but it doesn’t matter. I have to go get him. Please, Todd. Please. I’ll do whatever you say, just please let me go get him.”
“Fine. I’ll take you even though I still believe it’s the wrong thing to do. I think you’re going to make yourself hurt even more than you already do but I know you’ll beat yourself up anyway if I refuse. You can ride with me. Lita’s meeting us there to bring you back home. Guy, I want you to hold on to Tori at all times. Tori, if you resist what I say even the slightest bit I’ll have Guy toss you over his shoulder and stuff you in Lita’s car immediately and nothing you say will convince me to let you back out of it.”
“I’ll listen,” Tori repeated, accepting her coat from Guy. “I can see how much both of you want to protect me from this. I’m sorry I can’t let you this time. I know you don’t think I can handle this but I can. It really will help me. Please trust me.”
“We do,” Guy assured her after meeting Todd’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “You know how we men are. Trusting you isn’t going to stop us from trying to shield you from all the bad things in the world.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Tori didn’t resist when Guy unfastened her seat belt and pulled her onto his lap. If she was truthful, she would admit how much she needed to feel his strong arms holding her to his solid chest. The steady beat of Guy’s heart combined with his even breathing soothed her to the point where she lost some of the tension that had filled her all morning. By the time Todd switched off the engine, she was barely shaking.
Todd asked them to wait in the car until he spoke to various agents already on the scene. When he returned, Ned was with him.
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