Lost Bird (24 page)

“This conversation is
not
over.”

“Um, yeah, actually, it is. I love you, Mom, but this is a case of where you need to butt out.” He hit end, then immediately silenced his phone in case she called back.

As he stood there staring at his phone, she didn’t.

He walked over and set it on the kitchen counter.

Oscar stared at him. “Dude. That was…
Duuude
. I’ve
never
seen you stand up to your mom like that before.”

He pulled Sachi into his arms. “Yeah, well, I’ve had it with her bullshit.”

“What did she say about me?” Sachi softly asked.

“I don’t think she really processed that part. She was too outraged about us moving in with Aunt Tammy.” He kissed her. “I’m sure once that filters through and she’s had some time to think about it that she’ll be just as outraged.”

Oscar laughed. “You think she’ll call my mom and dad?”

“Who knows? And who cares.” He tucked Sachi’s hair behind her ears. “All I want to do right now is go back to bed and snuggle before we get up and go in search of breakfast.”

* * * *

Sachi stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There were still condiments and stuff in there, but it looked like Mandaline and her guys had moved the bulk of the food to their house. “Yeah, I would have offered to make eggs or something, but the cupboard is bare. Sorry.”

John scooped her up into his arms. “Then how about we work up more of an appetite before we go in search of food?”

Sachi laughed as he carried her into the bedroom and playfully dumped her onto the bed, Oscar and John climbing in on either side to join her. “What did you have in mind?” Sachi asked. “You guys will have to go easy on me this morning. Let me build up my tolerance.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Both of them immediately sported worried looks as their auras reflected their concerns.

“We didn’t hurt you last night, did we?” John asked.

“A lot of words come to mind about what we did, but
hurt
is definitely
not
one of those words.” She smiled. “Think of it more as I need some sports conditioning. I think we burned off more calories in a couple of hours than I do in a whole month’s worth of shooting.”

“Then how about we take it easy this morning?” Oscar asked with a sexy grin. Before she could respond to that, he dove between her legs, his talented fingers and tongue quickly robbing her of the ability to speak.

John stroked her cheek as he smiled down at her. “When he’s done, I want my turn, too,” he said. “I love seeing that helpless look on your face.”

Her hand brushed against his cock, which had grown stiff and was rubbing against her. He let out a soft moan as she tugged on it, urging him to change positions. “Oh, I see what you’re up to.” He grinned as he sat up and moved to kneel next to her.

She eagerly swallowed him, her eyes blissfully sinking closed as his moan spoke to her soul. He caressed the back of her head, stroking her hair before gently gathering it up in one hand, holding her there.

Something else her soul craved, letting go with full trust in them.

Oscar soon coaxed the first orgasm out of her, but she hadn’t gotten John off yet. “Oh, baby,” he gasped. “That feels so good when you moan around my cock!”

Apparently Oscar was going to help her do it again, because he didn’t relent until he pulled a second orgasm out of her moments later.

That triggered John’s explosion. His balls tightened in her hand, his cock going even harder before she tasted the first spurts of cum flowing from him.

She let out another moan, a pleased one, matching John’s groan of pleasure. Sucking, licking, she didn’t want to release him until he finally started laughing and used her hair to actually pull her off his cock.

“I’m done, baby. No more, please. Uncle.”

Oscar had also stopped, his playful grin lighting more fires inside her. “Switch places,” Oscar said.

Before she could react, they had, Oscar’s stiff cock now down her throat while John busied himself between her legs.

She didn’t think it’d be possible for John to get her off again…and she soon found out how wrong she was. She was moaning her way through her third orgasm of the morning a few minutes later when Oscar couldn’t hold back any longer. After she swallowed his cum, he braced himself against the headboard to catch his breath.

“Dammit, it’s like you’re humming all over my cock when you do that,” he gasped. “I can’t hold back when you do that.”

She giggled, nuzzling her face against his thigh. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want you thinking I can’t last more than a few minutes.”

“I don’t think that. You lasted pretty long when you were fucking me for the second time last night. Didn’t hear me complaining, did you?”

In fact, he’d fucked her so long and well that he’d managed to find and hit the sweet spot and trigger an orgasm in her without any assist from fingers. “Okay. Just saying.”

The shower wasn’t big enough for the three of them, but even though she didn’t have clean clothes she didn’t want to go home smelling like sex, much less go out to breakfast that way. The men opted to take individual showers after she did, and forty-five minutes later, they were heading out to eat with Oscar driving and Sachi riding shotgun.

“Your dad won’t be upset you didn’t come home last night, will he?” John asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I told him I’d be at the store late. Really late. He’ll probably think I just stayed over since I told him Mandaline and her guys were going to be at the house.”

“How do you think your dad’s going to take this?” Oscar asked.

“I don’t know. Hopefully better than John’s mother.” She smiled at him over the seat.

John laughed. “He couldn’t take it much worse.”

“Maybe I should let Ellis hold my skeet guns for me again until after we tell my dad,” she joked.

But apparently the men thought she was serious. “You really think so?” Oscar asked.

“No. I’m joking. Guys, if this is going to work, you need to remember my snarkage filter is frequently nonexistent.”

“One of your many charms?” John teased.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that.” She turned back to the front again. “More a survival mechanism, but charm sounds better.” She had a thought. “Maybe we could have dinner with Dad tonight.”

“Isn’t tonight the do-over for the investigation?” Oscar asked.

She winced. “D’oh. Sorry, yeah, it is. I guess we’ll have to figure something out.”

“I don’t want you stressing out over your dad,” John said. “If you need to wait to tell him, we understand.”

“Again, don’t give me the out.” She tempered her comment with a smile. “I’m a big girl. I can do this. I’ll be twenty-eight here soon. I’m better off right now in life, more stable than a lot of people older than me. I have a house that’s paid off, a car that’s paid off, and two jobs that pay my bills. I have money in the bank.” She grinned. “Saaaay, you dudes aren’t gold-diggers after me for my money, are you?”

Both their auras flashed with worry just long enough she thought she might have to apologize for the joke when they started laughing.

“I guess being with you means I need to loosen up some, huh?” John asked.

“Uh, yeah.” She squirmed in her seat, those same pleasant aches reminding her how they’d spent the night. “You wouldn’t be the only one loosened up,” she snarked. “Just not in the same way I am.”

Sachi knew it’d be even harder to focus on the investigation now that she’d slept with Oscar and John. But she also knew how important it was to try to get to the bottom of things. To come up with a definitive answer that would either put John’s mind at ease that his aunt wasn’t senile, or answer the questions once and for all.

She wished she’d had equipment in the bathroom with her that night when she’d seen the aura and heard the voice, but oh well.

No use whining about that now.

Maybe they’d get lucky again. Just in case, she would have Brad hook up an IR camera in the bathroom, as well as a digital voice recorder. They’d use the bathroom down the hall that the men were now sharing.

They once again assembled a team at Tammy’s house an hour before sunset Sunday evening. This time, with Ellis and Mandaline there to lend assistance, as well as Brad, Anna, and Mina. The entire time, Sachi tried to quell her nerves.

And her libido.

It would be too tempting to drag one or both of her men off somewhere in the darkened house and get it on with them.

Down, girl. Detective work now, dirty time later.

It wasn’t dark yet. While Brad handled the equipment wrangling, Sachi grabbed Oscar and John. “Come with.”

“Oooh.” John grinned.

“Not
that
. Work.”

“Damn,” Oscar muttered.

She led them across the backyard and through the fence. Well, she crossed through the fence, and Oscar and John stood there, staring at her through it.

“What?” she asked when she realized they weren’t right behind her.

“You want us to go in
there
?” John asked.

“Um, yeah,” Sachi said. “You’re a plumber. Aren’t you used to going under houses and shit?”

Oscar snorted and John backhanded his shoulder. “Hey,” Oscar protested, “she said ‘and shit’ and it was funny. Because it’s true. Because, you know, you’re a plumber and stuff.”

John glared at him.

Sachi wanted to laugh but, more importantly, she wanted to walk a little ways into the woods, and not alone. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the ground in front of her. “Move. Your. Asses.
Right
now.”

The men glanced at each other and scrambled to comply.

She turned before they could spot her pleased smirk.

With the deepening shadows, she switched on the small LED flashlight she’d brought with her and played it through the trees and brush. Palmettos, pine trees, oak trees, vines and weeds—it was a smorgasbord of vegetation.

Except…

She picked her way over to a section of pine needles covering the ground that almost looked like a path. As she studied it, the more she was convinced that’s just what it was.

“What?” John asked.

“Follow me.” She ducked under a branch and tried to stay with the path. If they looked back, they couldn’t see the house or yard any longer.

A shriek split the air. She whirled around to see Oscar doing wild ninja karate moves in midair. As he gathered himself, he scrubbed his hands over his face.

“Sorry. Spider web.”

John laughed, long and hard. He looked like he was about to say something to pick on Oscar when Sachi decided to nip that shit right in the bud. She tapped him on his shoulder and pointed down at his jeans. “Looks like a tick on you.”

“Oh my god, where?” He started doing a jig in place, swatting at his legs as Sachi shook her head and turned back to the suspected trail.

“Oh, sorry,” she drawled. “My bad.”

Oscar laughed.

They will keep me on my toes.

And she didn’t mind a bit.

“Very funny,” John muttered from behind her.

The trail didn’t end as much as it petered out. The thick layer of pine needles and leaves covering what exposed ground there was concealed any tracks there might have been. When she looked back, she could see places where they’d scuffed the pine needles.

Especially the two places where Oscar and John had done their impromptu insect interpretive dances.

“Can we please head back before we become the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary on missing persons who vanish without a trace a few feet short of civilization?” John asked.

A shiver ran up her spine. Julie had died in a house in the middle of a state park. Minutes from armed rangers and the freaking Interstate, for chrissake.

She switched off the light, allowing the shadows to sink in around them.

She felt like they were being watched.

“Okay,” she said. “Beat feet, buddies. Back to the house.”

“You first,” Oscar said, looking around nervously. “I want you in front of me in case there’s something behind us.”

“Ditto,” John said, dropping his voice. “You feel it? Creepy. I don’t want you bringing up the rear.”

She switched the light on again and retraced their steps, relieved when they stepped into the backyard a few minutes later.

She walked over to the garden shed, which bore a padlock. Fingering it, she looked at John. “Do you have a key?”

“No. Just Aunt Tammy.” The old wooden building had seen better days, but looked sturdy. Homemade, with a window facing the overgrown acreage on one side that allowed daylight in, it sat about halfway between the house and the rear fence line.

Sachi found Tammy in the kitchen. “You said stuff was moved in the garden shed. What stuff, exactly?”