Eye of the Storm (The Storm Series) (9 page)

“That poor woman, she didn’t deserve that.” His voice was muffled as his face was buried in her neck.

“No, she didn’t. None of them did. That’s why we’ve got to catch that bastard. Did you find anything?”

“Nothing, everything was cleaned out. There was nothing of his in there. What did you find?”

She pulled away from him and handed him the letter. She watched as with shaking fingers he opened it. Moving around to stand behind him she raised up on her toes to read over his shoulder.

My dearest Anthony,

Welcome to my home. Feel free to kick back and stay awhile.

I hope you enjoy my little gift. I must admit, I wasn’t planning on giving it to you so soon, however, situations change, and well, quite frankly I couldn’t stand the bitch any longer. Not up to my usual standards either, but what can I say, I let my emotions get ahold of me. Although it was quite a bit of fun to rip open her stomach and allow her guts to run through my fingers. It caused me a lot of glee to be able to see how far I could stretch them before using a fork to pin them to different parts of her body.

Since I know everything about you, I’d thought I’d give you a little something of me. Hear this, know this, I will never give up until everything you love has been taken from you. Until you are left in a puddle of grief on the side of the road wallowing in your own self-pity. Even then, that won’t be enough. I want you to suffer through a millennia of pain with no end in sight.

Good day, I’ll be watching,

Jeremy

P.S. I’ve called the police, they should be there any moment.

She could feel the heat radiating off of him and started to back away. He crumpled the paper in his hand and punched the wall with the other. Before he could scream in rage, she went up and covered his mouth. He looked at her with so much hatred in his eyes, it took everything she had not to run. “I know, but you’ve got to get ahold of yourself. We have to get out of here.”

They both froze as they heard sirens in the distance. He grabbed her hand and they ran out the door. He stopped briefly to call for the elevator. As soon as it opened, he pushed all the buttons. They ran towards the stairs and flew down them. From inside the stairwell, they couldn’t hear if the sirens were getting closer or not. They might not even be coming here but they couldn’t take the chance.

Bursting out into the afternoon sun, they looked up and down the alley. Not seeing anything, they walked towards the street to get lost in the crowd never turning around when they heard the cars screech to a halt in front of the building they just came out of.

~*~

Once the door was closed and they were safely in their hotel room Evie pulled the wig off of her head and dropped it on the floor. She crossed to a chair and sat heavily in it. Her hands were still shaking and she couldn’t get warm.

Looking up at him with huge eyes she could feel the tears start to build. Saying nothing he walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back. He walked back to the bathroom and turned the light on and the one by the bed off. When he took his shoes off, she still didn’t know what he was doing. He walked over and picked her up then carried her to the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Shhh… come on, lay down. We’ve both had a lot to deal with.”

Not having the energy to fight with him she let him tuck her in. She didn’t even protest when he climbed in behind her and pulled her close. Letting his heat seep into her, she closed her eyes and fell asleep feeling safe in his arms for the first time in hours.

Evie woke up slowly with a hard body behind her. Opening her eyes, she was torn between staying in his warm embrace or getting up and starting to dwell on what had happened yesterday. Deciding that she could just as easily stay in his arms as dwell on the murdered woman, she stayed where she was.

What must she have gone through? The pain she must have suffered at the hands of madman. She wondered if she had any family or friends that would miss her. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s first love, maybe even someone’s mother. To have all that taken away was just so sad.

Tears started falling down her cheeks. How could someone do that to another human being? She knew everything that happened to Lexi, both times, along with the other women. For someone to continue to do that, they must be seriously fucked up. Knowing he would keep killing until he was captured did nothing to help Evie calm down.

The arms that were around her squeezed and pulled her closer. She held her breath not sure if he was awake. Torn between knowing they had to get up and get out of here and wanting to spend all day close to him, she did nothing.

“How long do you think we can hide out here?” he mumbled in her ear.

“I’d give it a couple of days before having to do the right thing surfaces.”

“It’s so warm and comfortable lying here with you, I don’t ever want to leave.”

Evie shivered, at a loss for what to do or say. This was a first for her and she didn’t like the feeling one bit.

“Ahhh… finally I’ve found a way to keep you quiet. Maybe I should try something else.” With one arm holding her tight against him, he used his other hand to move the hair away from her neck. He nipped and licked the side of her neck as his free hand roamed down the length of her body.

“Yes, I think this is perfect. You taste so good.” He raised her arm and entwined it with his, breathing softly against the inside of her elbow. “My imagination runs wild as to what the rest of you tastes like.” His tongue licked her wrist.

She couldn’t stand it any longer. Moaning, she turned in his arms and moved her leg over his. With the heel of her foot, pulled him closer, so that his hardness was tight against her.

Pushing her shoulder back so she was arched, he dipped his head and bit her nipple through her clothes. Grinding against each other he pulled her shirt up roughly, forcing her bra out of the way. Without hesitation, he sucked on her nipple.

Letting out a cry of pleasure, she unbuttoned his pants. She had just reached her hand in and was about to wrap her hand around him, when a knock sounded on the door.

“Seriously?” She yelled turning on her back.

“Housekeeping.”

“Not now.” He bellowed pulling her back towards him.

“Check out is now. You must leave.”

“Shit. Fuck. Damn. Why does this keep happening to us?”

He rolled away from her adjusting himself as he stood up. “One of these days there won’t be an interruption.”

“Can’t be soon enough for me.”

Sending her a lopsided grin he said, “Me either, me either.”

~*~

Jeremy watched the video over and over from his hotel room in Boston. Seeing them in one of his homes was thrilling. He had edited the video so that it showed his favorite parts only. Watching them creep down the hall, the look of terror on her face wondering what they would find. Then finally the coup de grâce when they opened the door to the bedroom.

He froze the frame so that he could look at them. A laugh escaped his lips, he couldn’t keep it in. Gently stroking the screen, he knew this was an image he’d keep in his mind forever.

Cocking his head to the side, he took a closer look at the woman with Anthony. Evie Taylor, Lexi’s best friend, and it would appear Anthony’s new woman. Not his usual woman, not their typical women, but there was something about her. He could almost feel her fear through the screen. Wanting more, he began to make plans.

~*~

Anthony had mixed feelings about coming home. Torn between wishing his parents were still alive and being thankful they weren’t put through everything that had happened the past eight years.

Looking down at Evie who rested her head on his shoulder in the car, he wondered what they would have thought about her. Chuckling to himself he knew his mother would have gotten a kick out of her and his father would have loved to have a sparring partner with her.

They had plenty of time to drive from New York to Boston to catch their flight. He could tell by the way she kept playing with the strap on her bag she was nervous someone was going to stop them going through security, but when no one did he could see her visibly relax. Thinking she would fall asleep as soon as they were in the air because of all the stress he was surprised she stayed awake for the whole flight. Well, he assumed she did since every time he woke up because he was worried about her she was sitting there staring out the window. However, since he didn’t get much sleep the night before he was unable to keep his eyes open or even comfort her.

Pulling up in front of the home generations of Maldonos had owned, Anthony filled with a feeling that this was where he needed to be. He made sure Evie wouldn’t tip over when she was no longer propped up by him he got out of the car. Going around to her side while the driver got their suitcases, he reached in and grabbed her. She fit so perfectly in his arms and when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he just wanted to take her up to his bedroom and spend the day making love to her. He liked having her here with him. It was nice to have someone stand by his side when he’d been alone for so long.

Laying her down on the bed in the guest room, he smiled when she whimpered as his arms released her. He knew that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He wanted to get some work done but didn’t want to be too far away when she woke back up, so he got his files and sat down in the sitting area of her room. Anthony got to work planning what they would be doing while here.

~*~

Evie opened her eyes to the richest room she had ever seen. It was old world meets new. Classic antiques next to modern conveniences, yet somehow it worked. She sat up but stopped mid-stretch when she noticed Anthony watching her. “Hey.”

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

“Yes, is it really morning? Did I sleep for the past twenty-four hours?” Her body didn’t feel like it had been in bed that long.

“No, it’s just after noon. I’m glad you are awake, I didn’t want you to sleep too much, jet-lag and all that.”

“Thanks. So, why are you here?”

“I live here.”

“Ha-ha, no I mean here with me in this room.”

“Since you were asleep when we got here I was worried you wouldn’t know where you were when you woke up.”

“Thanks, but it couldn’t have been much fun for you.”

“On the contrary, watching you sleep was an enlightening experience.”

Not sure how to take his words she decided not to comment and change the subject. “What are all those files for?”

“Just going over the information on Jeremy again and coming up with a plan. I feel like I should have this memorized by now.”

“Would you like to fill me in on the plan?”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about dressing up and acting. Sorry to disappoint.”

Sticking her tongue out, she got out of bed and walked over to her suitcases. “I need to get cleaned up. What are the plans for the rest of the day?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine, why?”

“Because I’d like to go out to Sutton’s country manor today. It’s only a couple of hours drive but it would give us a head start.”

Evie had never been to London before and was hoping for a little bit of sight-seeing, but it appeared that she was going to have to settle for seeing it from the car. “I’m fine. Can I have about a half hour or so? And maybe some coffee?”

“Sure, I’ll see to that. The kitchen is two levels down.”

“Thanks, I’ll be there.”

At the door he turned back around. “Do you want me to wash your back?”

Shivering at the thought she shook her head. “Not if you want to get out to the Sutton’s in the next day or so.”

“Right, well then, I’d better go.”

Standing there with a shirt clutched to her chest, she wondered how she’d had the strength to turn him down.

~*~

The trip out to the Sutton’s went too quick for Evie. She was awed and amazed at how different everything looked. She loved the architecture, loved the look of the buildings which were hundreds of years old. You could almost feel the history radiating off of them.

“
This
is their
country
home?” She leaned forward to get a look at a home which was bigger than anything she’d ever seen. “I’m going to get lost in there.”

“I guess this isn’t the time to tell you that this is the smallest of the homes they own.”

“Nope, I don’t want to hear about it. What am I going to say to them? We couldn’t have anything in common.”

“You have more than you know. Just relax and be yourself.”

“What if I curse in front of them? Shit, I just know I will. See?”

Laughing, he reached over and grabbed her hand. “You’ll be fine.”

As they pulled up, the front the door opened and an older couple came out to meet them.

Evie turned to Anthony. “You know I am completely out of my element. You are going to have to help me not make a complete fool out of myself. Please.”

He stopped the car and turned to her, framing her face with his hands. “Breathe, la mia belezza. Everything will be fine. I’ll be right here with you.” He gave her a light kiss before opening the door and getting out.

Evie got out of the car more slowly after Anthony had opened it for her and followed him to where he was giving the lady a big hug. With his arm still around her he turned around to introduce them. “Evie, this is Eugene and Louise Sutton. Gene and Lou, this is Evie Taylor.”

“Nice to meet you both. Thank you so much for allowing us to come out here.”

Lou waved her off. “It’s no problem, love, we miss having younger company. Besides we haven’t seen this scamp in a long time.” She slapped his arm. “Way too long.”

Grinning he said, “Not my fault. But I’m here now, even though we can’t stay too long.”

“I’ll take what I can get. Now why don’t we get you two settled? Dinner is almost ready. Come, come.” Lou turned and walked back into the house. Evie started to follow but stopped when Anthony and Gene didn’t immediately follow.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right there. I just need a moment.”