Darkness Falls (Darkness Series Book 3) (2 page)

“You ever see Sherlock Holmes, the newest one?”

He rubbed his brow. “Jude Law, right? I get that a lot.” He studied me for second. “I used the English accent once to get a girl in bed.” He chuckled into his glass. “Not my finest moment, but the ladies sure love the British.”

I covered my mouth in fear I might spit my wine out. I wasn’t expecting him to say that. Once I regained my composure, I cleared my throat. “I guess we kind of do.”

He turned to study me better; he used this look on me sometimes. “Emily, I know something big happened to you last year. I don’t need to hear the details, but you should know I’m always here. I keep a spare key in the planter by the garage if you don’t want to be home, and I keep the guest room ready for company. This is not me hitting on you, just me being a concerned neighbor and friend. You have a big house, and more than half of it is surrounded by woods. I can imagine as a woman living by herself most of the time; it would get a little scary.”

It did. “Thanks, Travis, that really means a lot.” I headed back into the kitchen. I went to the sink and washed out my wine glass and dried it, putting it back where I found it, then turned to find him watching me. “What?”

He shook his head like he was debating telling me. “You want to me walk you back?”

“No, I’m all right. Thanks for the talk.”

“Anytime.”

I needed to stop wearing heels when I decided to visit Travis. The woods were taking a toll on them—and my ankles. I followed the glow of my house where it peeked through the thick branches. I really should have taken the road. A snap from a twig behind me stiffened my spine. I turned to try to see around me, but it was pretty dark. I squeezed my eyes shut at the sound of another snap. “Stop,” I whispered, forcing the images back.

“Emily?” His voice cut through my fear. “Speak so I can get to you.”

It took me a moment to find my voice. “I’m here…you’re close.” His huge body stepped in front of me. He reminded me of a panther sometimes, like he could just pounce from a treetop without even a sound. “You scared the hell out of me, Avery.”

“Sorry.” He looked above my head. “Just saw someone walking through the woods and thought I better see who the mystery guest was. Didn’t think it was the host returning from…Travis’s.”

I ran my hand over my eyes, hating that all the guys disliked him. They didn’t see he was only trying to be a friend. I moved around him, only to have his hand grip my upper arm, helping me through the heavy brush. Once we hit my lawn, he let go.

“You looking for the guys?” I asked, sitting down on the porch steps to remove the dirt from my shoes.

He took a seat next to me. “No, just didn’t want to go home, I guess.” He glanced at me. “I suppose you didn’t want to either?”

“I had other reasons for not staying home tonight.” I leaned back and stared at the clear sky. “Has the sergeant assigned you a new partner since the last one didn’t work out?” Poor Avery lost Matthews last year, then his last partner decided to transfer back to Arizona for some unknown reason.

“Yeah,” he dug his sneaker into the dirt, “actually, Riley.”

“Seriously?” I was thrilled to hear this. Riley was thinking of going back to San Francisco, but I guessed he’d changed his mind. “Are you all right with that?”

Avery shrugged. “Could be worse. They could have given me Davis.” He smirked at me, knowing my weak spot for the little charmer.

“As someone who spent a load of time with Riley, I’ll tell you he’s good people.”

Headlights blinded us momentarily, and I saw spots. A slam of the door and heavy footsteps made Avery mutter that I was in trouble.

Seth dropped his bag near my feet, and I noticed the bandage above his eye. I jumped to my feet, but he stepped back when I reached out to touch him. I saw he had a small limp too.

“What happened?” I pulled up his shorts and discovered a large white bandage wrapped around his knee. “What happened?” I asked again, but directed at Avery, since Seth was not speaking.

“Flakka battle.” Avery shrugged at Seth. “You know she won’t stop until you tell her.”

My hand flew to my stomach. “Flakka, as in the drug that makes you invincible?”

Avery nodded. “That be it.”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Seth asked, not listening to us.

I shook my head and tried to catch up with the two of them. Flakka? Holy shit! “I had to go deal with something.”

“Which was?”

“Are you hurt anywhere else? What happened to your knee?”

Avery gave a heavy sigh. “As much as I do enjoy watching the two most stubborn people butt heads, I can’t do it tonight. Seth got lured into an attack.” He pointed to Seth’s knee. “Bullet grazed his muscle, and he’s off for a week, but he’ll be fine.” Seth hissed something, but it didn’t stop him. “She was at Travis’s, don’t know why. I found her on her way back home and helped her through the woods.”

“Avery!” I yelped, wanting to kick his ass for mentioning I was in the woods. The one place Seth couldn’t handle, since that’s where I was taken from him. “Really?”

He stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m just speeding things up.”

“Avery, could you give us a moment?” Seth flicked his head toward the door where my keys were dangling from the lock.

“I think I’m going to go.” Avery turned toward his car. “I know how your bickering ends.”

Seth started up the stairs slowly. I wanted to help, but also wanted to play catch-up with what I just heard. Gunshot to the leg? Really? I sank back down and let my bottom hit the wooden step hard.

***

Seth

I tossed my bag on the couch as I headed for the kitchen, grabbed a beer and an ice pack, and headed out back to the patio. Swallowing two painkillers and chasing it with the beer, I decided if I was forced to take leave for five days, there was no harm in enjoying a little buzz. The thought made me nervous. I normally didn’t like to feel numb; I liked to keep myself very aware. But today had been rough, and there was a moment when I thought my knee might be screwed, and my career would have been fucked.

I shook my head to clear it. No use worrying about what could have been. Focus on the fact that my spitfire of a girlfriend was spending time with our neighbor. Travis Murray had a little secret that he was hiding. It surfaced a while ago when Garrett was digging into a case that led him to Texas, then back to our flirty friend next door. Travis had a court date in a few months. Why? We weren’t entirely sure, but I’d bet good money it wasn’t going to be pretty. That man had rubbed me the wrong way since the day I met him. I couldn’t mention it to Emily without getting into trouble, and it could possibly push her into his life more without meaning to.

A plate of chicken, roasted potatoes, and carrots was set in front of me, my beautiful girl looked down at me, and her big blue eyes fell on the bandage above my eyes. I could see the worry on her face, the look she got when she was trying to be brave, acting like she could handle the dangerous side that came with being an officer. Before she moved away, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of me between my legs.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, running her smooth finger along the edge of the bandage. I shook my pills at her, showing her the label. “I’ve never known you to take anything stronger than an Advil.” She read the bottle—oxycodone. “Guess it’s good you have the week off.”

“Physically, maybe, not mentally,” I mumbled, knowing this was going to be hard. “Why didn’t you text?”

She sighed and leaned against the table. “Let’s just say I arrived home to a full-out Halloween orgy.” My eyebrow rose. “Pete felt festive and included Travis’s nephews in the planning. I headed over there,” she pointed through the trees, “to apologize, and ended up staying for a drink. When I remembered to text you, I was there and my bag was here.” She rubbed her head. “It wasn’t anything but me getting distracted.” She looked over at me running my hand over the curve of her hip. “You need to relax a little, though, Seth.
He’s
gone, I’m safe, you protected me, but you don’t need to anymore.”

I shook my head, not sure I could describe the feeling I had. “Not going to happen, Em. It’s who I am with you. If I could stick another bodyguard on you, I would.”

“Why?”

I bit my tongue, not wanting to scare her, but something didn’t feel right. It hadn’t since a week after we celebrated at dinner, after I told her I loved her at the beach. Call it a sixth sense, but I started getting the feeling someone was watching me, maybe watching us. Something was off. I just wasn’t sure what it was yet.

She stepped forward and ran her hands through my hair while she tugged at the roots the way she knew I loved. “What is going on in that head of yours, Seth Connors?” Bending down, she kissed my lips. “What I wouldn’t do to see inside you.” She smiled, but it didn’t hit her eyes. There was worry there, and I wanted to kick myself for letting her see mine.

After dinner, I found Emily on the couch, laptop on her knees while she watched some horrible TV show. I stood behind her and pulled her silky blonde hair off to one side, then hooked my fingers around her tank straps and slid them down so they were out of my way. The moment my hands touched her warm skin, she leaned her head into my arms like she’d been waiting for my contact. I kneaded my thumbs gently into the base of her neck, creeping them up and down, squeezing into her tight muscles.

“Mmm,” she moaned, which made me strain against my zipper almost painfully. “That feels nice.”

I bent over and used the couch to support me, since my knee wasn’t in the best shape. Brushing my lips over her ear, I gave it a nip and got the response I loved—her chest heaved and her nipples hardened. They pushed through her lace bra and gave away her desire. Sliding one hand into her cleavage, I cupped her heavy breast and felt the fullness that came when she got excited. My fingers inched further, straining against the lace to find the little bud. Once I did, I gave it a slight twist.

She purred as I rounded the couch, and I saw her eyes were dark and wild.

“You’re a tease.” One side of her mouth raised.

“Maybe I just like to see if I can get that look to run across your face.”

“Mmm…” She went back to her work.

I fell in beside her and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in close. She handed me the remote and muttered something about how she should be studying. I gently rubbed my hand along her bare thigh, tucking her in closer. I kissed her head, flicked the channels to
Cops
, and settled in. God, I loved us.

***

Avery

I opened my cabinets, seeing the labels perfectly in place staring back at me. Everything had its spot, and was in order. The eggshells broke easily, and the yolks fell one on top of the other in the pan. I set the burner just so before I returned to cutting my peppers and cheese in precise squares. The coffee was brewed, and the whole-grain toast should be ready in forty seconds, which left me enough time to feed the dog who was staring at me through the patio window. I scooped the kibble into the dish and placed it in front of the hungry yellow-eyed beast.

After washing the smell off my hands, I served up my breakfast. My knife and fork were placed on my napkin precisely as I liked them, before I removed them to eat. I liked order, unlike my brother. I sat and enjoyed my food, allowing myself a little self-contemplation.

The only things Jims and I shared were blood and the love of fucking with certain people. That was pretty much it. He was messy, loud, impulsive, a drunk, and his sex drive was twisted in the worst way possible. Jims was a sloppy killer, and most times I had to step in and clean up his mess.

I, on the other hand, was clean, quiet, and thought things through. I drank, but never lost my composure, never touched a drug, and was sexually driven in the
best
way possible. When I killed, it was quick, clean, and left zero trace of me ever being there. That was why I’d never been caught—I used my head.

My cell phone alerted me it was time to take my vitamins. They rested on top of my Bible. My vision blurred as I became lost in memory.

“Again!” she shouted, nearly spitting on my face. That look had taken over, just like father used to have. “You know this, Alexander. Recite it correctly.”

I scrambled to remember. I could see it, but I was nervous to mess up again. “You shall love the Lord,” I swallowed past her fearful eyes, “your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

“And?” She inched the ruler closer to my face.

“Luke 10:27.” My voice cracked at the end. I questioned if it was Luke or Matthew. My hands broke out in a sweat while she leaned back and tucked that wooden ruler back in her pocket.

“Good.” She nodded and picked the Bible back up. “Now, where were we?”

I sagged into my seat, only to get a pointed look from her. My spine straightened and I sat as perfectly as I could. My hand tried to soothe my aching knuckles, but it was no use. I was sure she would beat them twice more before the end of the day.