Betrayed

by Shelly Knox

  Tazz hopped on the bed next to her after blocking the air from the wall unit. Her fur was cold. Tazz placed her head on Piper’s leg, and she automatically began to pet Tazz’s fur. She couldn’t speculate yet. She had to stay strong. The shower shut off and startled her. How long have I been sitting here? She got up and mixed a bowl of dry and wet dog food together. The wet food was a treat Tazz always got at the end of a good training day. She wanted Tazzie to know she would still get the treats when they did it for real, too. Heck, if she were at home, she would have bought her a steak.

  Thankfully, as usual, Tazz wolfed down the food and then quietly barked to let Piper know she wanted to go outside.

  A few minutes later, the two were walking the beautiful hotel grounds, and Piper tried to get lost in the rose and lavender aromas that enveloped her as she strolled through the gardens with Tazzie. A floral fragrance drew Piper around a bend in the path and to a beautiful magnolia tree with branches almost to the ground. The area enticed Tazz to trot behind the tree and do her business.

  “Got to go tinky poo poo?” Her beautiful Sheltie barked once and squatted. Piper enjoyed the heavy flowery scent that encircled her while she waited. Her Sheltie dug her back feet into the ground as she imitated the act to cover her business with leaves or dirt. However, on the short turf where she stood, she couldn’t even get a blade of grass to loosen. After collecting Tazz’s poo and placing it in a doggie receptacle, she reluctantly headed back to the hotel.

  Thirty minutes later, she made it to the hotel room. Thankfully, Jaxson was on the phone with the task force. It sounded like some kind of conference call. She had no problem giving him the privacy he needed. She gathered her clothes and toiletry bag from the backpack. She slipped into the bathroom and began to close the door, but a pressure from the other side stopped her. Just then, she spotted Tazz’s paw slip between the small opening between the doorframe and the wooden door.

  “You want inside?” Tazzie’s quiet whine gave Piper her answer.

  The water in the shower heated up fast. A nice cascade of hot water pounded on her sore muscles and the steam encased her in a swirl of nice heated moisture that opened her sinuses and allowed her to not only breathe better but eased her headache as well. She’d had it all day but didn’t want to complain to anyone. If she made the smallest complaint, people treated her like a broken porcelain doll.

  When she finished, she dried off as best as she could in the steamy sauna her extra-hot shower had caused. She had to open the door to let the clouds of moisture escape to the bedroom.

  Jaxson called out, “Is that a fire or did you just turn that faucet to hot steam?”

  Piper’s anxiety relaxed as he broke the ice. “I just like the hottest bath my body can stand. Sorry about all the humidity.”

  “No problem, just teasing. I ordered Mexican food to be delivered. They should be here any minute. I hope that’s okay. I ordered a family-style meal of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, refried beans, and rice. Sound good?”

  “It sounds great! I’m famished!” His half-clad body made her look at him twice. All he had on were his gym shorts. The waist rested well below his belly button and her line of sight followed the narrow row of hair to below the waistband.

  Piper sat on the edge of the bed and then patted the mattress to invite Tazzie up. She needed to quit the ogling right now. She wouldn’t lead him on again. She played with her fingers, bending them back as far as she could and then twisting them to pop her knuckles. Finally, she glanced up. He watched her as if he were on a stakeout: His mouth set. His eyes unblinking. And his lips… God, she loved those lips.

  Maybe the time had arrived for them to discuss the past—why she sent him away and why he left. If she didn’t initiate a conversation, they might not even be able to maintain a friendship.

  “I don’t know if this is the right time, but I think we need to talk about ‘the incident’ and why I sent you away.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. Who should start?”

  “I will.” She couldn’t meet his gaze, so she continued to stare at her hands as she pulled and twisted her fingers. “Jax, when I told you to go, I didn’t expect you to really leave me.”

  “What? But—”

  “Please let me finish.” She paused a moment. Tazz crawled closer to her and then her little hero laid her head on Piper’s leg. Finally, she began again. “When I told you to leave, I expected you to wrap me in your arms and to tell me you would never leave me. And so, when you did, it hurt so bad I could barely breathe. I didn’t think I would ever be able to trust anyone again. It took a long time. In some ways, that broke me more than the kidnapping and torture. He may have broken my body, but you splintered my soul. Now that I think about it, without Keri letting me heal at her place, and her daily mantras, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. Maybe I was too hard on her.”

  Jaxson stuck his index finger into his mouth and pretended to gag. “Oh barf!”

  “What is your problem?”

  “Keri. I think she orchestrated the whole thing. Listen to what she told me.” He used a high-pitched voice to imitate Keri’s speech. “Piper doesn’t want you anymore. She blames you for Samuel getting to her.” He clenched his lips and his fists and then said in his normal tone, “Which wasn’t really a stretch for me to believe since I blamed myself. Keri told me that you believed I couldn’t protect you, and that was why you couldn’t be with me. But you didn’t want to tell me because you didn’t want to hurt me.”

  “Oh…my…God. Keri’s a bitch! How could she be so evil?” She shook her head and stared at him, seeing the truth in his face, in his eyes, the hurt on his lips.

  He cut in. “She may be a bitch, but she’s not evil.”

  “You haven’t heard what she told me. She convinced me to test your love. She cajoled me to ask you to leave. She kept at me and at me and at me. Finally, I gave in to her just to shut her up. I knew in my heart, or thought I did, that you would never leave. She told me if you stayed, it would prove we were meant to be together. But that if you left, then it wasn’t meant to be.”

  Jaxson stared at her with his mouth partly open, his eyes dull and not able to remove them from her gaze, until he finally said, “She is evil. I had no idea she was that despicable.”

  “I can’t believe I listened to her! I believed her. Even with all the crap she’s pulled lately, I believed her. Why would she act that way?”

  “We both listened to her, so don’t beat yourself up. I blamed myself for Samuel getting to you. And when I learned what he did to you, I didn’t think I could ever forgive myself. So, when Keri told me you didn’t want to be with me, it was easy to believe her. How could I not?”

  She moved to his bed and sat next to him, taking his hand in hers. “I need you to know I never blamed you. I’m to blame for agreeing to meet him without telling you—without you being there to back me up. He got the upper hand almost immediately. He knocked me out with chloroform at a traffic light. I was lucky you found me when you did.”

  “Will you ever let me read your journal?”

  She hesitated, but then said, “Yes. Someday. But not today.” She kissed the back of his hand, then reached to kiss his cheek. Jaxson interceded and took her mouth with his. When he finally let her go, she added, “I want you to make love to me.” She stood and slipped off her nightgown. Her perky breasts held the cigarette burn scars, as did her abdomen and upper arms. Knife scars, many of which had turned into keloid scars, hinted at more violent torture.

  “No. not yet. You’re not ready.” He reached to the floor and picked up her nightgown and handed it back to her.

  Chapter 28

  The next morning, Piper and Tazzie settled in Jaxson’s SUV while they waited for him to finish a conference call with the team. Last night had been strained between them after he refused her. He’d humiliated her. Was it payback for her rejecting his advances? No, he wasn’t like that.

  He believed he was protec
ting her. I’m sure he didn’t want another situation like last time. She wasn’t sure herself whether she was ready. But she wanted him. She wanted to try.

  Piper played tug with Tazz with a minimally stuffed small rabbit with long ears for dogs to grasp onto. In some ways, her time in Plano had slowed to a sloth’s pace . In other ways, it had zoomed past in the blink of an eye that fluttered open and closed in order to remove a piece of dirt scratching the cornea. In only two days, Piper’s life had transformed dramatically. If she was totally honest with herself, she had to admit it overwhelmed her when she recalled the changes all at once.

  First, Wyndon sent her on a disappearance assignment. And let’s face it, she knew, and he had to know, it would lead to a dead woman. Now there were two dead women, which meant it was probably a serial killer. This was the exact situation that brought on anxiety attacks, yet, she was handling it. Go figure.

  Second, she ran into Jaxson. Keri expected she would, but Piper had never believed Keri was right. She assumed he had stayed in Atlanta and took the new position with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But no, he was here. Could Keri have known all along he moved here? She had questions for that sister of hers the next time they met.

  Third, Keri had checked out of the hotel early in an attempt to bully her into doing what Keri wanted Piper to do. And then to learn she’d been doing this since Georgia—even now the adrenaline pumped with each accelerated heartbeat. It was bad enough what Keri did at the hotel, but to manipulate Jaxson and her so they would no longer be a couple was just evil—no matter the reason.

  A soft click and metal rubbing against metal caused Piper to start. Jaxson entered the car and she let out a long sigh. “It’s you.”

  “Yep, it’s me.” He seated himself in the driver’s seat. He adjusted the mirrors and the seat and tossed his keys in the center console.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “During the conference call, we were given a briefing on the ME’s report. It was Angela. We came here for her. We found Sarah’s body first. But it wasn’t enough to lead us to Angela and her child alive. Angela met the same fate as Sarah. Probably the same fate as many. There were no hesitation marks in either stab wound. That means he knew what he was doing—he’d probably killed several women. We may never know how many for sure.”

  Tazzie pawed at the seat and then stretched her seat belt as much as possible so her long nose could almost reach Piper. Piper didn’t say anything; she didn’t reach out to praise her or tell her that she was all right. The confirmation that this had turned into a serial killer case was more overwhelming than she assumed it would be. She’d believed she had her shit together.

  Piper didn’t react when he told Tazzie, “It’s all right, girl. I’ve got your mommy.” He lightly touched Piper’s arm. “You okay, sunshine?”

  Piper didn’t startle; she barely reacted at all. She calmly turned her head and said, “No. Yes. Just taking in the idea this man has killed pregnant women multiple times—did he take the babies with those murders as well? Why haven’t we heard about him?”

  “There could be lots of reasons.” Jaxson paused and then turned as much as he could being in the driver’s seat so that he could face Piper better. “Usually the husband or boyfriend is the prime suspect. Most of the bodies probably haven’t been found.”

  She finally reached behind her and petted the paw that had been stroking her the last couple of minutes. “For those who were found, though, I’m sure I would remember missing babies.”

  “That’s something most jurisdictions would keep under wraps—like we are. We’re not letting that tidbit out to the media.” His brows furrowed as he reminded her, “I instructed you not to print that bit of info.”

  She covered her face a second with both hands and her anxiety lessened a little as Jax stroked her back. After lowering her hands, she said, “I know, I know. And I haven’t. I didn’t think about other areas doing the same as your team. Is there another case like this in Texas?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. It depends on how close to the vest they want to hold that information. We’re quietly researching that now. We’re keeping it quiet so this doesn’t hit the news.”

  “Couldn’t that information help the case right now? How long will it take? I hope the public doesn’t have to wait long to be warned.” She had to turn away for a second. If they cautioned the public, maybe the killer wouldn’t find another target— As soon as the words flitted into her mind, she knew Jax would do the right thing. He always did. She turned back to him.

  “It will be handled through the chain of command to keep this as quiet as possible. Are you better now?”

  Her phone chimed the classic old phone ringtone. “Piper here.” She paused as she listened to the caller. “Yes, I’ll hold for Mr. Wyndon.” She covered her phone and said to Jaxson, “Can you give me a few minutes of quiet while I talk to my boss?”

  He nodded as a man’s voice pierced the phone’s speakers. “Ms. Morgan, how is the story coming? Any new information?”

  “Hi, Mr. Wyndon. The articles are going well. I learn new information every day.” Piper paused for a couple of minutes while Wyndon applauded her articles and how she pushed her way into the investigation.

  “Thank you. I’m glad you liked the way Tazzie and I insinuated ourselves into the case so we can obtain more details.” Piper shrugged at Jaxson and gave him a crooked smile.

  “Today, my dog and I are going back into the woods to see if we find anything else. I mean, I hope we don’t find another body. But you never know.”

  “Do you think your dog will find another body? That would be great for the paper.”

  After a brief silence, she said, “I don’t know. But I think it’s worth a try before the Rangers close that avenue altogether. They may not be willing for us to search later, and they’re okay with it now.”

  “I need a more explosive story for tomorrow’s paper. Do what you can.”

  One more pause and she closed out the call. “We’ll do our best. I’ll talk to you in a day or two.” She pushed the red dot on her iPhone to end the call. Then she let out a long sigh of disbelief.

  “So,” Jaxson began. “You and Tazzie insinuated yourselves into our investigation?”

  “No, silly. That’s just what he thinks.” She gave him the most alluring smile she could muster. In a mere second, his mouth covered hers and his idea of her misdeed was forgotten.

  Once they finally released each other, he said, “Do you understand what it means to me to be able to do that? To reach out and kiss you when I want to?”

  “Yes. But I want to take it slow. I know in my head that Keri broke us up—but my heart needs to catch up.” A horn honked behind them. She glanced in the side mirror. “There are several cars behind us. Maybe you can pull around the corner where we can discuss this case before we have to split up today?”

  “Sure.” He put the SUV in gear and pulled the vehicle to the side of the hotel and parked under a shade tree. “What did you want to discuss?”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of research and putting the clues and timetables together. I think you are right that this is a serial killer. But what is this person doing with the babies? That’s the piece of this that has bothered me. I could only think of one answer that made sense.”

  “What was that, sunshine?”

  “He’s selling them.”

  “An entrepreneurial serial killer? That would be a first. Serial killers don’t normally work that way, sunshine. They have a need that they must fill. Making a profit off their killings is usually reserved for hit men. What do you think the killer is doing with the babies?”

  “What if he became a hitman, but still feeds his desires. It could be anything from unscrupulous researchers using the stem cells to the serial killer selling the babies on the black market. I don’t want to speculate more than that—it’s depressing.”

  “Let’s see what the FBI profilers come up with.”

  “The FBI is
here?”

  “They’re on the way. Once Angela turned up with her baby missing, it was a no-brainer to call them in.”

  “So, what’s on your agenda today?”

  He glanced at his watch. “Oh, damn! I need to meet Jon. I’m going to be late. Where do you want me to drop you, sunshine?”

  Chapter 29

  Keri paced her living room, still trying to figure out how she could win her sister back. She didn’t understand why reading the journal was wrong. She needed to understand what Piper had experienced in order to guide her properly. The two of them had always been at opposite ends: like night and day, oil and water, heaven and hell—and everyone knew which one of the girls was hell.

  She’d played second fiddle to Piper her whole life. It wasn’t until Piper moved in with her, and she took care of her, that Keri had finally received her due in this family. She only wanted the admiration the family returned—she deserved it, even if she had made Piper do chores in the house. One could say that was part of her healing—keeping things real.

  Keri didn’t believe that. Everyone loved Piper. Keri searched web sites looking for some gift that would repair yesterday’s fight. She hit upon a site selling dog collectibles. She knew Piper’s sweet spot was for that dog—so maybe if she bought a sweet dog-themed gift, she would soften Piper up. She scanned through the pages and pages of Sheltie mugs, paintings, and figurines until she believed she would puke—it was all just a little too cutesy for her. She hit Next and the page filled with several Sheltie garden flags to choose from. A sable Sheltie head with holiday decorations, a blue merle, tri, and sable Sheltie standing in a circle of holly. Then she spotted a flag with the head of a sable Sheltie looking off in the distance with that spark in the eyes. The dark background made the Sheltie really pop. She read the description. Someone named John Silver did the painting or design.

  “Ooh, I like this one.” Keri assumed her sister would like the flag. She hit the Buy icon and then reflected on where she would ship it. She didn’t even know where the hotel Piper found to stay was. “Damn!” She finally resigned herself to sending it to Piper’s address. Maybe she wouldn’t be gone much longer.