Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) (13 page)

Alisha sighed heavily. She hadn’t considered that the creep would steal her underwear. The thought did not make her feel any better. She didn’t know how to think like a deranged pervert. Apparently that only left her more vulnerable. “I’m not sure.” She shrugged. “I haven’t checked yet.”

Mike knew the moment he saw the bed that the bastard took some of her underwear. He hadn’t broken into her house to leave without a trophy. He was probably jacking off somewhere right now with it. And that made Mike’s blood turn to fire. He wanted to get his hands on this guy and hurt him the way he was hurting Alisha. He knew some of his anger came from the guilt he still shouldered from his sister’s death. He’d failed that time. He wouldn’t fail this time.

Officer Nichols walked through her room and stood by the bedroom door. “Well, I’ll be honest with you, Ms. Woods. It will be difficult to get usable prints in here. The lingerie and bedding are obviously useless.” She pointed to the dresser that contained the lingerie. “The only items that could possibly have usable prints are the birth control package and the window. Would you allow us to take the birth control package to the station? We could have the package dusted for prints. If you’d like, we can pop out the pill packet before we bag it.”

“Yes,” Alisha shook her head. “Please do.”

Mike spoke up, “Do you want any of the other items that she’s collected? There are prints on some of them. There are notes and a box of candy.”

“That would be helpful,” Officer Nichols said. “We’ll also send someone to check the window for prints. We’ll finish the paperwork on this and get back to you.”

Officer Smith went back into the bathroom and popped out the circular pill package. He set the pills on the counter and then bagged the two halves of the pill container.

Alisha walked the officers to the front the door and thanked them. They nodded and reassured her that they’d contact her when they knew something. She shut the door behind them and turned the dead bolt. Leaning her back against the door, she looked up at Mike and said, “What do you think?” She wasn’t hopeful. So far the biggest positive in all of this was Mike. He’d certainly done more to help her in the short period of time that she’d known him than the police.

He looked at her and clenched his jaw. “I think you’re spending the night at my place.” He didn’t know what else to say. She’d turned almost numb, neither angry nor sad. She didn’t even joke to help her get through the last part of their time with the police. Her emotions had flat-lined.

He took her hand and led her to the sofa. She sat down and buried her face in her hands. He knelt in front of her, his hands on her arms as she cradled her face. He could tell she was trying to regulate her breathing. She took in long, slow breaths and exhaled slowly through her mouth. “I’m scared,” she muttered, looking into his eyes.

“I know.” He nodded. Her pain splintered his heart. “That’s why you’re coming home with me. I can keep you safe.” He didn’t know what else to say. Should he admit that he was scared too, or would that just shake her confidence even more?
Was this how his sister felt? Had Amy known her end was coming?

Mike leaned forward and kissed Alisha’s head, then wrapped his fingers around her wrists and tugged her hands away from her face. She looked into his eyes, and he knew she was his to love and protect. He wouldn’t fail her. He would never forgive himself if he let it happen again. “Come on, babe,” He pulled her to standing, her body flush with his. “We gotta pack.”

Mike pulled into the parking structure beside his building and eased the truck into his designated space. Alisha had been silent the entire drive over, and he was okay with that. He knew her mind was racing. His was too. There was so much to think about. Cole had sent Mike some background information on the four men who worked at Alisha’s school. Alisha may not think it was any of them, but as far as Mike was concerned, they were prime suspects. Mike would bet his life that she knew her stalker and probably interacted with him frequently.

He grabbed her bags and Forrest’s small pillow bed while she carried Forrest in his crate. He led her into the large, brick building. She noted the subtle hint of tobacco that wafted through the air. They reached the elevator and Mike punched in his floor number. She leaned against the walls, exhausted.

“Thanks for doing this. Letting me stay with you,” she said.
If he’d known how the situation would spiral out of control, would he have still offered to help with the shooting lessons?

Was she kidding?
There was no way he’d let her remain in her house alone until the pervert was found. “Happy to,” he replied and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

When the elevator doors opened he led her down a short hallway. Mike unlocked the front door and pushed it open.

Alisha stepped inside and couldn’t help but smile. “I love it,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him. It was spacious, and the design elements were masculine. The large, open area gave the impression of a large loft, but a hallway off to the side promised more privacy behind closed doors.

She set Forrest’s crate on the floor and knelt to open the door. He rushed out and started his own investigation of Mike’s place, his nails clicking against the floor.

Alisha stood and sighed. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I’m sure my brother would take him.” She looked up at Mike and scrunched her face together in concern. She hated that they were invading his space. “The girls would probably love having Forrest for a little while.”

“Not at all. I feel safer already.” He winked and melted her insides.

“Thanks.” She beamed up at him. He was too good to be true. Not only did he take her in, but he welcomed her little dog too.

She stepped further into the room. “The exposed brick walls are very cool,” she said, running her hand over the rough surface.

He gave the faintest of smiles, his mouth curving up on one side. “Thanks. They were just finishing this complex when I started looking for a place. This building used to be a tobacco factory. When they revitalized the area, they turned this place into condos.”

“
Nice
condos. I thought I smelled tobacco,” Alisha said. She’d made her way to the kitchen and ran her hand over the granite countertop.

Mike set her bags beside the sofa while she took in the space. The open-concept area combined the kitchen, dining room, and family room. “I love the floor.” She pointed to the dark wood. “Are these the original planks?”

“Yes, if you look carefully you can find divots in some of the wood. They’re well over one hundred years old.” For the first time since he’d met Alisha he was nervous. He wasn’t sure where to take her bags. Should he put her stuff in the guest room or in his room? He knew where he wanted to put her stuff, but he didn’t want to pressure her. She was already in a tough place, and she didn’t need him putting more stress on her.
Maybe she was babbling about the details of the condo because she was nervous too
. “Let’s put your stuff away,” Mike said. He bent over and grabbed her bags again. Then he led her out of the open space and into the hallway with several doors.

The first two doors they came to were on opposite sides of the hallway. Mike opened one door, “Here’s a powder room.” He leaned across the hall and opened the other door. “Here’s my office. I don’t do much work at home,” he said looking over his shoulder at her. “But it’s nice to keep all the paperwork of life behind closed doors.” He shrugged.

She chuckled and looked into his office, impressed by the neatness. A computer sat on an organized desk and a file cabinet stood in the corner. One stack of papers sat on the corner of the desk waiting to be processed. “I’m known for my little piles of stuff too.” She shook her head. “I have a feeling that if I locked my stuff behind a door that it would never be seen again.”

Her heart raced as they made their way towards the bedrooms.
Where would she sleep?
She didn’t want to confuse the emotions playing between them. She didn’t like that she was spending the night with him under these circumstances. It made her feel guilty, like he’d stepped into a mess that was bigger than he thought and now he had to take her in. She figured that was the kind of man he was. He wasn’t the type to bail or give up.

“These last two doors are the bedrooms.” Mike opened the door on the left. “Here’s the guest room.” He stepped in and placed her bags at the foot of the bed. Getting her situated in the guest room was the right thing to do. She could always move her stuff into his room later if she wanted.

“You can get settled in here.” He walked past the bed and said, “There’s an en suite bathroom through there.” He pushed open the door. “There are plenty of towels and things in the linen closet.”
Why am I so nervous?
He rapped his knuckles on another door inside the bedroom. “That’s the closet. There should be plenty of hangers. The dresser drawers are empty. Feel free to use the space.” He moved to the foot of the bed and waited for her reaction.

Alisha smiled as she took in the simple room. A queen-sized bed with a night stand on each side was centered in the room. A dresser was on the opposite wall across from the bed. It had the added perk of a television, although she didn’t imagine watching it in here alone.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” She smiled up at him. She almost didn’t want to ask because she didn’t want to appear too forward or snoopy. “Can I see your room?” She was curious. Where did a man like him sleep at night?

“Sure.” Mike smiled and took her curiosity as a good sign. At least she wasn’t acting indifferent to his room. He ushered her out of her bedroom and into his room.

The bedroom was exactly as she expected. Nothing was out of place, and the bed was made. He had good taste in furniture. The decorative accents were nice, but everything had a masculine edge to it.

Alisha eyed the king-sized bed. She wanted to sleep there, in his arms. She knew that one night she would, but she wasn’t sure if that night was tonight. When he put her in the guest room, she wasn’t sure how to take that.
Did he not want her in here with him, or was he leaving that decision up to her?

Mike watched her stare at the bed. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and fall into the bed with her. He slowed his breathing to control his body as he hoped her thoughts were as sexually charged as his. He seriously wanted her in his bed tonight.

Pacey parked his truck in the parking lot of the home improvement store. He popped a few Tic Tacs in his mouth and shoved the box into his pocket as he slammed the door of his truck. He had just enough time to get the supplies together, check on Alisha, and get back home to get everything set up.

He hated the rushed feeling barreling down on him. His original plan gave him more time to deal with his ‘problem’, but that dumb oaf threatened to destroy everything he’d built with her. If he needed to get rid of the man, he would. Love could never be stopped.

Pacey grabbed a cart and strolled down the aisles. As he passed other customers, he tried to guess what they were up to.
Were their plans as nefarious as his?

He smiled as he passed a lady with a baby in her cart. The baby shook her hands wildly and shrieked, kicking her legs in excitement. Pacey waved and chuckled to the little cutie. Maybe one day he would be a father. He promised he’d do better than his dad. The man would yell and scream whenever Pacey made mistakes or things didn’t go his father’s way.

Pacey grew up fearing his father rather than loving or respecting the man. Since adolescence he’d prayed the man would die. Spitefully, the bastard waited until Pacey was away at college to kick the bucket. Pacey had to force himself to cry at the funeral. Everyone looked at him and offered their condolences, but they hadn’t needed to. He was relieved that he would never hear another utterance from the bastard’s mouth. After putting his father in the ground, Pacey never reminisced on their relationship. Instead he forced the pathetic excuse for a father far from his thoughts.

Why was he thinking about the bastard now?
He needed to focus on his shopping list if he wanted to be with Alisha.

Pacey rounded the end-cap and turned down the aisle. He’d finally found them. The cable zip ties. A brief feeling of anxiety zipped through him. There were so many different colors, sizes, widths and lengths.
Who knew zip ties came in such a wide selection?
He really should have done his research on this. Pacey was usually a good planner.

He picked up a few of the packages and studied the zip ties. After comparing them, he finally decided to go with the container that held a variety of sizes. He wouldn’t need the heavy-duty cable ties for a female, but if he had to restrain the dumb oaf, he wanted to make sure he had what he needed.

He whistled a perky tune as he circled the endcap and headed down another aisle. Even though his plan was being moved forward because of the dumb oaf’s interference, he was confident that he could pull this off. He was a smart guy. He could figure things out, go with the flow. He was a problem solver. That was something mother had always praised him for – his ability to identify a problem and set the solution into motion. If he’d gone into the military he was sure that he could have been a SEAL or a Ranger. Of course, he’d have to work out a little more, beef himself up, but with his IQ, they’d be glad to have him.

Turning down another aisle, he came to the giant rolls of plastic sheeting. He studied them and looked around the desolate aisle. He let out a big sigh of frustration.
Did employees scatter when they saw someone who needed help? How much should he get? Did he buy all of it or just a portion? Did Dexter have these questions when he was just starting out?

Pacey wasn’t sure how much of the plastic sheeting he needed, but there was no way in hell he’d get that entire roll into his cart. He needed to rethink this. He popped a few Tic Tacs into his mouth and crunched down on them.

“Would you like some help?” a man in a red vest offered with a smile.

Pacey startled and looked at the man who seemed to appear from out of nowhere. His name tag said ‘Harry’. Gray hair circled the bottom half of his head while the top half was bald with a few moles scattered about. His bulbous nose was covered in tiny red veins. The man reminded Pacey of an ugly vulture that he frequently saw on cartoons as a kid. It was hard to imagine that the man had probably once been attractive. But it was a fact of life. Everything decays. And Pacey had already noticed his own hair thinning, but he hoped he wouldn’t be that ugly when he was an old geezer. He’d at least be smart enough to remove those hideous moles.

“Yes, Harry,” Pacey replied. He rocked back on his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “I have a project that may get messy. I want to protect my floors. Do I buy this sheeting in feet or by the roll?” Pacey slapped his hand on the large roll of sheeting.

“That depends. What’s your project?” the man asked, angling his head and looking into Pacey’s eyes as if he were reading a ‘Magic 8 Ball’.

Dismembering a body
. “Painting,” Pacey said. There was a great potential for blood spray. He’d need to cover everything.

“Okay, very well then. We also sell the plastic sheeting in smaller amounts that would be better for you. More manageable. Let me show you.” The man turned and motioned with his hand. He led Pacey farther down the aisle until he stopped and put his hand on a box. “This is what you want,” he declared.

“Fabulous,” Pacey looked at the various sizes of boxes on the shelves and said, “Thank you for your help.”

“Of course,” Harry replied. “Do you need anything else?”

Pacey studied the dimensions on the boxes and then realized that he needed to answer the man’s question. “Oh, I’m sorry. No,” Pacey shook his head, “I think I’m good.” He gave the man a smile that he hoped would shoo him away. He didn’t want to ask for too much help from one person. No need to get lazy and make a rookie mistake like that. Asking for plastic sheeting was one thing. Asking for plastic sheeting, lye, zip ties, and a body-sized cooler was another. Any moron may get suspicious at that list.

Pacey grabbed the largest roll of plastic sheeting that would fit in his cart. It stuck up awkwardly in the air. He still needed to get the oversized cooler. He’d serendipitously come upon the lye earlier. That had been the catalyst for concocting his plan.

Each year the school system sent all the teachers and staff to a learning conference. Pacey naturally chose one of the sessions that focused on enriching science for students. He’d always loved science, but he’d played on his phone through most of the seminar because he already knew everything the speaker was discussing. But he did enjoy the hands-on experiments that finished up the day. That was when Pacey hit the jackpot. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was when he noticed the container of lye sitting behind a table. He took it as a sign from God. No one was watching, so he simply picked it up and casually carried it to his truck. He was ecstatic that there was absolutely no record of him purchasing lye.

As Pacey continued to walk through the store, he decided to buy the plastic sheeting and zip ties here. He’d go to the other home supply store to get the cooler. No need to have him on video surveillance buying those items at one store, even if he was paying cash. So he happily walked his cart to the check-out and paid.

After loading the items into the bed of his truck, he drove to the other supply store and bought the cooler. That had gone easily enough. He’d spotted the coolers right away and didn’t need to ask anyone for help. He purchased it with cash and figured that he’d blended in with every other customer.

As he slid behind the wheel of his truck, he looked at the clock. He had just enough time to stop by Alisha’s. He couldn’t help but smile and feel excitement thrum though him. Everything was coming together.

Pacey parked a few streets down from her house, away from the street lights. No need to risk her recognizing his truck, especially if that dumb oaf was with her. As much as he wanted her right now, he wasn’t ready to declare himself. He didn’t want his desire and lack of patience to threaten his chances with her. She needed to know that she was his top priority and that there was no other woman for him.

Pacey walked down the sidewalk and tossed a single Tic Tac into his mouth. He rolled the tiny candy along the roof of his mouth with his tongue. He loved doing that as he thought of her. He knew it was weird, and doubted that he’d ever share that fetish with her. Maybe someday, when they were sharing their fantasies, he’d have the courage to tell her. He chuckled as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Sharing fantasies with Alisha would be amazing. All too easily he could imagine them entangled in bed sharing air, pleasure, and orgasms.

Pacey came to the sidewalk beside Alisha’s house and stopped cold. Everything was dark. No light shone through any of the windows. He darted down the sidewalk and snuck along the tree line behind Alisha’s house. The back of the house was dark as well. Panic filled him.
Where was she?
It was late, and she didn’t appear to be home.

He climbed the fence and sprinted up the backyard. He crept to the window in the family room and knocked lightly, listening for Forrest’s bark. Silence clawed at his ears and constricted his heart. Pacey knocked harder on the glass, knowing that Forrest would certainly hear his pounding. That furry, little beast should be yapping up a storm.

The world spun. Pacey fell onto his bottom as he swam in nausea. Alisha wasn’t home, and she wasn’t returning. She’d taken Forrest somewhere with her because she wasn’t coming back.
Where was she?

Pacey felt sick. His worst fear was that she was with that dumb oaf.
What if she was in his bed?
What if he was sticking it to her?
The dumb oaf would certainly try. What man wouldn’t try to get into her pants?

Pacey grabbed an empty flower pot from the potting bench and vomited into it. Anxiety forced his stomach to empty itself of anger and rage. Fear consumed him.
How would he ever find her? Would she show up at work tomorrow? Would that beast of a man follow her around?

He didn’t even know the man’s name, so there was no way to hunt him down. He had no clue where to even start. He’d have to try to get close to her tomorrow. It seemed every couple of hours their relationship was threatened. He would have to declare himself tomorrow. He couldn’t risk losing her. Tomorrow was the day.