Crossroads 3: Gut Instinct (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Leonard,” she yelled, and he followed, slapping his thighs against hers as he climaxed, coming inside of her. He kissed her and massaged her skin everywhere his lips and hands could touch.

  “Let me get something to clean you up, baby, and then we’ll get to bed.”

  She smiled at him, and he ran into the bathroom and came back out a minute later with a warm washcloth. When he was done cleaning them both up, he turned off the light and got under the covers with her, holding her in his arms against his chest.

  He kissed her shoulder. “I love you, baby. I hope that doesn’t scare you.”

  She turned so she could face him.

  “I love you too. It doesn’t scare me. It makes me feel amazing. You, Jay, and Caleb complete me. I love all three of you.” She kissed his lips, and he smiled then held her close until he fell asleep with the woman of his dreams and fantasies in his arms. Maybe one day she would be his precious wife.

  Chapter 6

  “So is she coming? Will she be here by Sunday afternoon?” Nathan asked Kenneth as Kenneth gathered his cameras and the things he would need to look as if he were taking professional pictures. He’d even had some made up so he could show them off to Sonya and further convince her that he was a good guy and they could be friends, but he wondered if he had time to court her more and to convince her to willingly come with him.

  “I think so, but I’m not certain. I have to be careful because there may be people around. If I can get her to walk deeper into the woods and by the lake, then I can get her into the boat and make my way to the other side where I plan on parking the car.”

  “I could come and wait too. I could help you.”

  He studied his brother. If Nathan just stood there and didn’t speak or rock back and forth when he was nervous or upset, then he appeared normal. Nathan wasn’t normal. Nathan couldn’t control his temper, his sense of reality had been, tampered with somehow, and when he got angry, excited, or impatient, he grew violent. He could kill someone if they just walked by the car while he waited, if Nathan thought they could be watching him or trying to stop him from getting his wife.

  “I think it would be better for you to remain here.”

  Nathan’s eyes widened, and he was about to argue, but Kenneth continued.

  “I want you to get things ready for your wife. You need to clean up the downstairs, change the sheets on the bed, and make sure all your tools, the things you’ll want to train her, are clean and ready. Remember what I said about patience this time. If you want Sonya to be yours forever, then you need to be patient and take your time with her. You’ll have forever, remember?”

  Nathan smiled and rubbed his hands on his jeans.

  “I’ll be patient, Kenneth. I’ve waited so long for her. I won’t make her scream right away. I have a plan.”

  Kenneth closed up the case with the cameras and things, and he smiled softly.

  “What’s your plan, Nathan?”

  “You’ll see. I’ll tell you when you bring her to me. I’ll go get things ready.” Nathan stood up and exited the room.

  Kenneth grabbed the things he would need, including the needle and the vial of drugs. It had paid to manipulate Cassandra, a nurse at the hospital in the city. They had been lovers. She was sweet but kind of distant and into kinky stuff, but Nathan would always interrupt them. She was scared of Nathan and his monstrous strength. He remembered the conversation.

  “But, Kenneth, he could walk in on us having sex. He could see me naked and tied down to the bed. What if he tries something?”

  “He won’t, Cassandra. I won’t let him touch what’s mine.” He traced the curves of her body. His brother took that moment to bang on the door. Cassandra jumped from the bed and got dressed. She yelled at Kenneth with clenched teeth.

  “I am not going to come over here anymore unless you can ensure me Nathan won’t barge in on us.”

  It was the perfect opportunity. He covered his hands with his face.

  “I’m sorry, Cassandra. You’re right. I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to be a good brother. I can’t put him in that hospital. If I could get my hands on some kind of drugs to keep him calm, sedated now and then, that would help. But I can’t. They won’t even prescribe Valium. Nothing.”

  He felt her hands on his shoulders, and then she hugged him.

  “Let me see what I can do, Kenneth. I may be able to get my hands on something, but only for you to use now and then, not all the time.”

  He uncovered his face and hugged her to him as Nathan continued to bang on the door.

  “Thank you, Cassandra. Thank you.”

  He had a case of the stuff left. Cassandra had pulled through big time. He would have kept her around a little longer, but Nathan got jealous and angry. He just wanted to be next to Cassandra, to touch her skin instead of admiring it from afar, but she shuddered and closed her eyes every time Nathan was near her or reached out to touch her. After several times, he had hoped she would get used to it, maybe accept Nathan, but she was resistant. He could tell she was afraid. So, that night, when she lay naked on all fours on the bed, her wrists bound together and tied to the top of the posts and Nathan burst through the doors, Kenneth had no choice. Her screams tore through his ears and enraged Nathan. Kenneth had to use the drugs on Cassandra.

  Kenneth tried to stop him from touching her, but one glance from Nathan over his shoulder and Kenneth knew he couldn’t stop him. So he walked out of the room and left him there with Cassandra. She had been his brother’s first kill.

  He took a deep breath and released it. He’d learned from that mistake. He also learned that he had to meet certain needs to get Nathan calm and relaxed. So when Kenneth traveled, he spotted women his brother might like and sent him pictures. His brother would choose, and Kenneth would bring them to him one at a time. It was always the same game. Kenneth worked his charms on the women, tossed around his money to gain their trust and then he would bring them home. He had his opportunity to get what he wanted from them too, but it was never enough, not knowing that ultimately they would belong to Nathan for his brother to do as he pleased. Still, it kept Nathan stable, and somewhat controlled.

  At first the women lasted days. Then it became weeks. Kenneth began to explain about having patience, having a wife, and that meant keeping one forever. He started to instill in Nathan a need for a permanent mate. They couldn’t keep killing women and keeping them in the lake under water. That was another thing. Nathan wanted to visit the lake at the spots where they sunk the bodies. It was where Kenneth explained to him about the need to stay out of the hospital, and out of jail, and ensure that no one would find out what they were doing. That was when he had the idea about a wife. A life partner and Nathan ate it up. From there on out, each new woman became a practicing tool. The latest lasted months. Nathan was ready. So was Kenneth, and Sonya was perfect for him.

  He hoped that Nathan got it, that he understood that Sonya, no matter what, was going to be his last woman. Kenneth was done finding him women and not having a life of his own. He wanted a woman too. He couldn’t have one for himself unless Nathan could keep his own woman alive.

  He placed the duffel bag over his shoulder and then put the cap on the syringe and placed it into his pocket. Hopefully Sonya came willingly and he wouldn’t have to use it on her. He swallowed hard as he headed out of his house and to the car. This had to work. He had planned so carefully and taken his time as well. Sonya was going to keep Nathan happy for a very long time. She had to or his only option would be to kill Nathan himself.

  * * * *

  The sound of phones vibrating simultaneously awoke them immediately.

  “Shit,” Jay Bird exclaimed as he reached over and grabbed the cell. Sonya rolled over and cuddled deeper into his pillow.

  “What the fuck?” Big Guns said, and Caleb got up off the bottom of the bed.

  “We have to go. Niko said twenty minutes,” Jay Bird said as he put his cell phone back down onto the nightstand, t
hen got up and stepped into his compression shorts.

  He turned to look at Sonya, who was blinking her eyes open. He leaned down and caressed the hair from her cheeks.

  “Hey, baby, sorry to wake you. We got a call and have to leave.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She sat up, the sheets falling from her gorgeous breasts, and he wished he could get back into bed with her.

  “Stay. You don’t have to get up. It’s four o’clock in the morning.”

  The bed dipped, and Big Guns was there, leaning over her. He kissed her shoulder and cupped her breast.

  “Stay as long as you like. We’ll lock up, and you go out the garage door. The code is 2468.” He gave her hip a squeeze and left the room.

  “You’ll remember that?” Jay Bird asked her. He didn’t want to leave her. So looked so sexy and sweet.

  “Of course. Be careful.”

  He leaned over to kiss her. He smiled down at her before he moved out of the way to go get ready to go. Caleb came over next.

  “Keep that pussy warm for me, baby.”

  “Caleb,” she reprimanded, and Jay Bird and Big Guns chuckled.

  “I always wanted to say that to my woman when I had a call to go on. I guess it sounded sexy in my head. Sorry, baby.” Caleb leaned down and kissed her. She grabbed his shirt and kept him close.

  “It did sound sexy, and I will keep it warm and ready for you. Be safe.”

  He smiled wide. “Love you.”

  She smiled. “Love you too.”

  A few minutes later, as they headed out with Sonya watching them, they all told her they loved her and kissed her goodbye. Jay Bird paused at the door, his heart heavy with emotion. He could get used to this, yet having to leave her was becoming so difficult to do.

  “I love having you here. I couldn’t imagine this house without you in it or that bed. Have a good run, and we’ll call later.”

  Jay Bird left the house with a heavy heart and a feeling of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach.

  Big Guns pulled the truck from the driveway and headed out the long road to the main street. It would take them less than ten minutes to get to the meet-up location with Big Guns, the speed deamon driving.

  “Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Caleb asked Jay Bird.

  “I don’t know. I’ve got this bad feeling in my gut.”

  “It’s because it’s the first time we’ve had to leave her for a call,” Caleb replied.

  “Yeah, and naked, looking sexier than damn hell and we have to go. That’s the same sick feeling I have right now,” Big Guns added.

  “I don’t know. It feels like something more, but maybe you’re right.”

  Caleb leaned forward from the back seat and placed his hand on Jay Bird’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Just focus on seeing her when we’re done with this job. Sonya will keep that pussy warm and ready just as I told her to.” They chuckled.

  “I can’t believe you said that to her,” Big Guns said.

  “I can’t believe she didn’t slug you,” Jay Bird added.

  “Me either, but I loved her response. She’s so sweet and understanding. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us. I hope we don’t screw it up.”

  “Well, if something gets screwed up, it most likely will be your fault,” Jay Bird teased, and Big Guns chuckled.

  “Fuck you,” Caleb said and laughed as he leaned back in the seat.

  Jay Bird felt the smile slip from his face after only a few seconds because then came the worry and the bad feeling in his gut again. Something was wrong, but what could it be? Was he being insecure? He’d never fallen in love before. It had happened so fast, so hard, and even with his buddies with him, it still was scary. Maybe he was feeling insecure about his capabilities of being a good boyfriend, a good husband to Sonya. Shit, it’s been a few weeks and I’m talking wife and husband? Goddamn I love her. Please let this feeling dissipate. Please keep Sonya safe so we can always be together. Keep us safe on this call and whatever it may bring us into. Please.

  * * * *

  Sonya took a shower and then made herself some breakfast. She walked around the guys’ house, admiring their military items and memorabilia décor. She loved it here and loved the back porch that looked out into the woods. She couldn’t even see the neighbors’ houses from here. It was somewhat secluded yet not too much.

  She cleaned her coffee cup and then went back upstairs to use the toothbrush she’d brought with her. She packed her things in her bag and then smiled wide. She loved it here and wondered if eventually the guys would ask her to move in. She would do it in a second. Then came the worrisome feeling, as though maybe this relationship was moving too fast. Maybe they should put on the brakes. She thought about Caleb’s comment and had to laugh. “Keep that pussy warm for me, baby.” What a character he was, but she also knew he was serious. He wanted her wet and ready at all times. He was demanding, stubborn, and she loved every inch of him. All three men were pretty demanding, especially in bed. Or maybe that was normal. She didn’t know and she didn’t care because nothing had ever felt so perfect, so right as being with them, loving them, and being held in their arms.

  She looked around to make sure she hadn’t left any messes or forgotten anything and then rechecked all the doors and windows before she headed out through the garage to her car. She punched in the code and watched the doors go down.

  She didn’t even head back to her place. Instead, she drove the car to the park and prepared for her run through the woods, her mind completely on her three sexy SWAT guys and the hope that they were safe and would call her to come back to their place so they could shower together. She smiled so wide her cheeks ached, and then she did her stretching exercises before beginning her run. She was a little behind schedule, but it was still early enough to have the trail mostly to herself. She shook the little bit of morning chill from her body and headed to her starting point.

  * * * *

  “Are you serious?” Detective Mitch McKay asked Tiegen over the phone.

  “Yes. It’s her. It’s Ann Hallow. She disappeared from Portland Place months ago. It was believed that she was involved with some rich guy and he whisked her off to Europe without a word to her parents, her friends, no one. I’ve got this real crappy picture of a guy she was seen with at a party a month earlier. I have some people in the bureau working on cleaning it up as best they can, but it isn’t promising. One of the other women, Cassandra White, worked for the general hospital in the city. She disappeared and the same type of gossip around her is that she met some rich guy and fell head over heels for him. The interesting thing is that she was under investigation for some missing cases of Propofol and Etomidate plus syringes. That stuff is generally used to sedate patients before surgery.”

  “Jesus, was any of that stuff found in the bodies during the toxicology tests?” Mitch asked as he fingered through the lab results and info he had on file.

  “What do you think?”

  “Shit. So this guy and this woman maybe hooked up together and killed these women and then he kills her?”

  “I’m thinking that, so far, every person we’ve interviewed who was in contact with the victims claims that the woman was seeing some rich guy. Then they disappear. I need to get a clearer picture of this man in the one crappy photograph.”

  “You know this whole investigation has been kept pretty quiet. That can’t last much longer. We need to identify this guy now.”

  “I’m working on it, Mitch, but the last victim disappeared at the end of the summer. The investigative team is putting together a timeline and figuring out a pattern by the intensity of the damage to the bodies and the time of death. Roughly speaking, this last victim appears to have made it for several weeks as opposed to the others, who lasted days or, at most, a week and appeared to have been killed by strangulation, blunt head trauma, and knife wounds.”

  “That can mean a number of things. They were all brunettes, and all had great bodies and were petite. Maybe that’s
his type, and this last one had more of the qualities he was searching for and that’s why he kept her longer.”

  “So could he possibly have another victim in his possession right now?” Tiegen asked.

  “If he does, then we really need to identify the guy in that photograph. Maybe we’ll get a break in the blood sample taken off the last victim from under her nails?” Mitch said.

  “Those test results should be in any time now. Let’s hope we can find this guy before he kills his next victim.”

  * * * *

  Sonya was jogging along the path she normally took and thinking about her men. She was imagining what all the holidays that were coming up would be like now that she had boyfriends. She chuckled and slowed down her pace. How strange to think in terms of multiple men yet also so normal. She immediately thought of buying gifts for all three men and how they had different personalities, and what they may like. She was thrilled to be able to shop for them to find something special this holiday season. As she made her way along the deeper part of the trail, she was surprised to still not see any other runners or even hikers this late on a Sunday. As she descended the small hill on the pathway closer to the lake side and the deepest part of the lake, she noticed something to her left.

  She immediately stopped, remembering meeting Kenneth at the bar Friday night and saying she might help him with his pictures. He was there, and he was actually taking pictures.

  She was hit with a mix of emotions. She hadn’t totally wanted to help him yet had felt badly that his girlfriend wasn’t available to help him. How long could it possible take to assist? She didn’t have anything to do until her boyfriends called her. She smiled as she thought about how easily she called them her boyfriends.