Beautiful Prey: The Storm Series (13 page)

“She is not to be allowed in the building ever again!”

Chapter 18

 
VICTORIA

 Victoria
pulled into the parking lot at her apartment building. It was Wednesday night,
and she needed to pick up some things for her short vacation with Jack. She was
really excited to be getting away with her sexy man.

It had been a rough week for Victoria. She was hunting a
killer that might as well have been a ghost. The killer left no survivors, and
there wasn’t one witness. The only thing they had was his DNA. With nothing to
compare it to, DNA meant nothing. Victoria had been doing street prostitution
and internet dates all week, with no results. It had become clear that the
killer was escalating. The killings had become more frequent and horribly
violent. According to the FBI profiler consulting on the case, the killer was
being driven by rage. Something had clearly pissed this guy off. They needed to
catch him before he moved on to a different city. Unfortunately, the department
didn’t show much concern after the first four murders. After all, they were
only prostitutes. When someone leaked the story to the press, it suddenly
became a priority. Now the entire police department and the community were
frustrated and desperately trying to stop a serial killer.

There was only so much that Victoria could do. She had been
prancing
her ass up and down the street and strutting
through the finest hotels in Chicago. They had detectives, evidence techs,
Feds, and
profilers
working day and night, so a few
days away from the madness wouldn’t make or break this case. Jack still hadn’t
told her where they were going, but he did tell her not to worry about packing.
Victoria decided to run into her apartment and grab her passport, along with a
few of her favorite toiletries. She hopped out of her car and walked through
the parking lot. She heard a noise behind her, so she turned to find the cause.
It was dark and she didn’t see anything, so she turned back and continued
toward her building. Victoria heard another noise and she was certain that she
saw movement in her peripheral vision. She slowed her steps and reached for her
weapon. She slowly turned with her nine millimeter by her side and walked
backwards to her apartment building. When she reached the entry door, she
unlocked it and walked in. After grabbing her mail, she headed up the stairs.
Having a killer loose had really put her on edge, and being stalked by her ex
didn’t make things easier.

When Victoria reached the top of the stairs, Mrs. O’Malley’s
door flew open. She looked at Victoria with an expression that almost looked
like concern and then, of course, she slammed her door. Victoria shook her head
and walked into her apartment, placing her mail and weapon on the coffee table.
She pulled her phone out of her purse. She needed to let Jack know that she was
at her apartment and would be a little late for dinner. Victoria dialed Jack’s
number and walked down the hall to her bedroom.

“Hey, pretty lady.” His deep voice heated her core.

She entered her bedroom and flipped the light switch. “Hey,
baby. I’m at the apartment. I needed to...” She trailed off. Victoria slowly
walked into her bedroom. She could hear Jack calling her name from her
cellular, but she was shocked beyond belief at the sight of her bedroom.
Someone had spray painted “MINE” at least a dozen times on her bedroom wall.
They had also painted “SOON” on her bed and left something that looked a lot
like semen on her comforter. She dropped the phone and took off running towards
the living room. She grabbed her weapon off of the coffee table. She needed to
search her apartment.

After searching the front rooms, she headed to the back of
her apartment. She searched the guest bath and the hall closet. Victoria
pointed her weapon down the hall and headed back to her bedroom. She needed to
search her bathroom and closet. She entered her bedroom and walked slowly to
the closet door. Victoria pressed her back against the wall next to her closet
and raised her weapon to the side of her face. She took a deep breath and
slowly turned the door knob. She kicked the door open with the back of her foot
and quickly turned and pointed her weapon inside the closet. After thoroughly
searching her closet, she searched her bathroom. Whoever had been inside her
apartment was long gone. Victoria dropped her weapon to her side and walked
over to pick up her cellular. Her call to Jack was disconnected, so she dialed
911. She had no intention of putting away her weapon, so she had to let them
know that she was an off duty cop. She didn’t want to get shot to death by
mistake.

Also, she knew that if she mentioned that she was a cop,
they’d arrive a lot sooner. This was not exactly a priority call because
whoever vandalized her apartment was no longer on the scene, so she wasn’t in
imminent danger. She called Steve and Deon because word traveled fast on the
department. She wanted them to know that she was okay. Victoria walked into the
living room making sure not to touch anything else. She didn’t want to
compromise any evidence. Victoria sat on her sofa and wondered who was stalking
her. She couldn’t believe that Dante would ever do anything so insane. He was
an asshole and a liar, not a lunatic. What could have happened to him to make
him do something so crazy? The door buzzer snatched Victoria from her thoughts.
She walked across the room and pressed the intercom.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s Jack.” His voice was full of panic. She pushed the
button to allow him entry and opened her apartment door. She peeked out of her
door and saw Jack taking the stairs three at a time. When Jack reached the top
of the stairs, he looked at the gun in Victoria’s hand and asked, “What
happened?”

She stepped out of the way to let him in and simply said,
“Bedroom.”

Jack walked past her and she locked the door.

She yelled down the hall. “Don’t touch anything!”

“What the fuck?!”
She heard
him yell from her bedroom. Victoria walked back over to the sofa and took a
seat. She had never felt so violated. Some psycho had not only been in her
home, but he had ejaculated in her bed. Whoever broke into her apartment was
fixated on her and she was afraid.

Jack walked into the living room and sat next to Victoria.
He put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. “Are you okay,
baby
?”

Victoria shook her head. “No.” She whispered without trying
to hide her distress. She didn’t have to be tough when she was with Jack.
“Someone broke into my home with no signs of forcible entry and busted a nut on
my bed. I am not okay.”

Jack kissed the top of Victoria’s head. “Victoria, this is
not your home. You have a penthouse with twenty-four hour security,” he said
while turning her to face him. “Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Did you call the police yet?”

Victoria nodded again and they sat in silence until they
heard the door buzzer. As soon as they arrived, techs dusted her apartment for prints
and processed the DNA left on her bed. Victoria answered endless questions and
ignored the unfriendly looks that the black detectives aimed at Jack. When they
were done, Victoria packed a few things and she and Jack exited her apartment.
The detectives were interviewing Mrs. O’Malley in her doorway. She obviously
had no plans of inviting them in her apartment. Jack and Victoria gave each
other a knowing look and laughed. They headed down the stairs and out the door.
Jack insisted on driving Victoria’s car so he handed Victoria the keys to an
Audi. This one was an R8
Spyder
. She had never seen
him driving it or in the garage, so she figured it was new.

Victoria hopped in the driver’s seat and the soft leather
melted around her body. It had that new car smell. She turned the ignition and
quickly searched for whatever button she needed to push to drop the top. She
found it and slowly backed out of the parking space. Victoria shifted into
first gear and eased off the clutch. The power of the vehicle’s acceleration
startled her briefly, but she quickly became accustomed and left Jack in her
dust. The power of the engine actually sent vibrations through the seat and
straight to her core, causing an unexpected arousal. She was in love, love,
love
with this sexy
piece of ingenuity. Jack nearly caught her. After all, her
Camaro
SS was no Hyundai. Victoria doubted that they would get pulled over for drag
racing since there wasn’t a squad car in Chicago that could catch either car.
Victoria beat Jack by a good distance. She entered the parking garage and
pulled into one of Jack’s designated spots. She hopped out and waited for Jack
to park. The fast car had quickly lifted her spirits.

“I almost had you,” Jack said as he was getting out of her
Camaro
.

Victoria crossed her arms and shook her head. “Jackson, my
dear, as much as I love my baby, you didn’t stand a chance. This beast of yours
has given me life, baby!” Victoria uncrossed her arms, snapped her fingers over
the hood of his
Spyder
three times, and put her hands
on her hips.

Jack laughed out loud. “I’m glad you like it, because it’s
yours. I bought it for you today. I know you like fast cars and, since you live
in a penthouse atop Storm Enterprises now...” He trailed off.

Victoria shook her head and walked toward the elevator. “I’m
not taking this car,” she said over her shoulder.

Jack followed Victoria to the elevator. “What do you mean
you’re not taking the car? It’s a gift.”

They entered the elevator and Victoria turned to face him.
“You can’t buy me a car, Jack.”

“Why not?”

“We’ve only known each other a few months, and I’ve already
moved in with you. You’ve bought me a wardrobe that could rival
Beyonce’s
. Don’t you think that’s enough?” Jack went to
speak but Victoria wasn’t finished. “Besides, I love my car. But if I wanted a
new one, I have what you call good credit. I can buy my own car.”

The elevator arrived at the penthouse, and they stepped off.

“Vic, I know you love your car. I didn’t ask you to get rid
of it. It’ll be out there whenever you wanna drive it. It’s in your name and I
can’t take it back.”

Victoria walked over to the bar and poured them both a
drink. She had a lot on her mind and had no intention of arguing with Jack’s
stubbornness. She took a sip of her Jack Daniels and held out a glass for him.
He walked over and took the glass.

She gave in with a smile. “Thanks for the car, Jack. It’s
beautiful.”

Jack eyed her suspiciously and took the drink. Victoria gave
Jack a peck on the lips and took her drink into the kitchen. She was going to
get dinner started. She needed something to occupy her mind. She washed her
hands and started washing the chicken that she pulled out of the freezer that
morning before she left for work. Jack entered the kitchen and washed his
hands. She handed him red and green peppers to chop.

“Jack?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Why don’t you have a housekeeper like most rich people?”

“Because I can clean up behind myself, and I happen to be a
decent cook. And truthfully I kept having sex with them. Needless to say, that
never turned out well. Why? Do you want to get a housekeeper?”

She looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Hell nah!” She
chuckled. “Jack?”

“Yes?”

Victoria hesitated for a few seconds before asking, “Have
you ever had a threesome?”

This time he stopped chopping and turned toward her. He was
clearly surprised by the question. “No, but it’s always been a fantasy. Women
have a tendency not to want to share me.” He shrugged his shoulders and winked
at her. “Why do you ask such questions, my little freak?”

Victoria placed the chicken in a pan and added seasoning.
“Jack, I’m living with you, you’re taking me on vacation, and buying me
wardrobes and cars. I think we should know more about each other.”

Jack dropped the peppers into a colander and started
chopping onions. “Well, since we’re having a question and answer session, have
you ever had a threesome?” Victoria walked over and grabbed the colander off of
the counter and planted a kiss on Jack’s cheek. “Hey, I wasn’t done with that.
I have to put the onions in there.” He snatched the colander from her hand.
“Now answer my question, young lady.”

Victoria went into the pantry in search of curry. When she
located it, she returned to the kitchen. “Yes, I’ve had a threesome before. It
was me and two other women.”

Jack completely stopped chopping and looked over at
Victoria.
“Two women?”

“Yes,” she responded.

“Victoria, are you bi-sexual?”

She confessed with a smile.
“Sometimes.”

“Damn, my cock just got hard.”

She laughed. “The word cock is hilarious to black people.
Did you know that?”

He laughed.
“Really?
I didn’t know
that. Why?”

She tilted her head to the side. “It’s just a funny sounding
word.
Cock
.”
She laughed again. “It’s just so...
white
.”

Jack laughed. “So from now on I’ll say- What? Dick?” He
turned around and grabbed his genitals. “Girl, come ova here ‘
cuz
you just got my
dick
hard,” Jack said in his best black accent.