Property Of (24 page)

“Dallas this is serious,” I complained.

Still laughing.

“I’m not sure this will work.”

His whole body shook with it.

“Stop laughing,” I shouted with indignation.

“Can’t,” he choked out on a gasp of air.

“Why not?” I snapped.

“Cause you’re still bein’ cute.”

***

With everything that had happened that week, the girls and I had agreed to postpone working on the book for a few days. We decided to get together on Thursday, but with Dallas in my life, I’d almost forgotten that I was supposed to meet the girls after work until Angela had sent me a text. Dallas had stayed the night, leaving early to head home and change clothes before work. I’d gotten up with him, said goodbye, and was now on the back deck drinking coffee as I watched Snape and Simi twitch their tails as they stalked a bird across the yard. There was a cool breeze as the sun slid higher in the sky and the sound of birds serenading boisterously.

Sipping coffee while a tranquil smile pulled lazily across my mouth, memories of the night of passion I’d shared with Dallas flitted across my mind. I’d started the night thinking he had used me for sex and then lied about why he was leaving. But after he’d come over, mad that I hadn’t kept in touch with him, worried that something had happened to me, I knew then I’d made a mistake. He was a cop and they worked long hours, just because he didn’t go to the crime scene didn’t mean he didn’t have work to do, so I let it go. Thinking about his strong arms holding me close as we laid in bed talking about anything and everything, I smiled again. He was easy to talk to for such an overbearing and arrogant man, one who was fast becoming entrenched in my heart.

Opening my computer as I watched Snape stalk his prey, I logged onto both my POF and SSD accounts to delete them. Per Dallas’ orders. Out of curiosity, I decided to scan through my messages on both accounts. I found nothing of interest on POF and deleted the account, then scanned through the messages on SSD. I was about to search for the delete account function, when a message from a man who called himself MasterX caught my eye. The subject line was the same as a message I’d ignored on POF so out of curiosity, I clicked on the message titled “Gotcha.” The message mysteriously read, “Now you see me, now you don’t,” but nothing else. Confused by the message, I chalked it up to spam, and was starting to close it when my screen started jumping and numbers and words ran across the screen at hyper-speed. Panicked because my whole life was on that computer, I watched painfully as the screen flashed bright white and then went black as if my computer turned off.

“No, no, no,” I shouted as I punched the power button and watched it turn on.

It took more than twenty heart-pounding minutes before the home screen pulled up because the computer installed updates for some reason. And when it did, I could tell from my missing icons that my computer was different. Searching for my book files, it only took me a few short heart-breaking moments to see that they were gone. It was as if my computer had been factory reset.

It wasn’t so much that my books were missing since I stored them on external hard drives. Not to mention my editor received a copy every time I finished a day of editing. It was that all my notes for “Property Of” were gone, along with my schedule. I searched my history and it was wiped clean as well, not a single app or software I’d installed still remained. I didn’t have a clue how this happened either, it’s not as if I’d downloaded a virus attached to some illegal software or pirated book. I only used my computer for correspondence, writing, and Facebook.

Frustrated and beyond angry, I turned off my computer while speculating how this could have happened. I wasn’t computer savvy in the least and decided my best course of action would be to take it to the Geek Squad and have them run a full diagnostic check-up.

***

Everyone met at Gypsy’s after work except for Kasey for obvious reasons. Dallas had informed her that as of right now the only link they had to Toni and Melissa’s murders was Om-Oklahoma. Until she could decide whether or not to move the business she was staying closed, handing over her books, and wait for the court order for her to hand over her client list.

Considering everything that had taken place in the last week, none of us were really in the mood to discuss the book. Instead, we caught Kristina up on porno bingo and they all wanted to know how things were progressing with Dallas. I’d regaled his sexual prowess while admitting I’d overreacted to his leaving so quickly. They’d nodded in agreement, swooned when it was appropriate, and sighed when I started receiving text messages asking where I was. When I told him I was at Gypsy’s his response had been quick.

“
I’ll be there in 10
.”

Ha, a man of few words.

He made it in five.

With my back to the door, I was listening to Angela talk about Melissa’s funeral, when I felt a hand hit my neck. I looked up and melted a little as I saw two honey-colored eyes coming closer. Both his hands captured my face as his thumbs made a gentle sweep of my cheeks before he touched his lips gently to mine.

“Hey,” he whispered against my lips.

“Hey yourself,” I whispered back.

Three sets of lungs sighed for added effect as butterflies danced in my stomach.

“Be right back,” he breathed in my ear before trailing his fingers across my neck. I turned and watched him as he made his way to order coffee and appreciated the back view as much as the front.

“That man could singe your panties off with just one look,” Kristina stated.

“That is true,” I chuckled, “they haven’t stayed on long all three times we’ve been alone.”

“Hussy,” Angela gasped.

“Whore,” Janeane agreed.

Peeling my eyes from Dallas’ backside, I looked at my three friends and responded, “It’s about damn time don’t you think?”

“Way past,” they replied in unison.

We were giggling about Janeane’s plans to play hooky from work the next day for a much-needed day of relaxation, when Dallas walked up. Smiling at our coffee clutch, he pulled up a chair and sat down, draping his arm across the back of my chair. He said, “Ladies,” as they smiled back, then pulled me into his side as he sipped his coffee.

“You’re very direct and to the point, even in your text messages . . . A man a few words,” I teased.

Dallas grinned as he raised his coffee to his mouth, but paused before taking a sip, saying, “Nic baby. . . I don’t wanna blow up your phone with texts, I just wanna blow your mind,” and then winked before taking a sip.

“Um, consider it blown,” I mumbled to myself as I watched his lips form around the side of the lid and remembered what that mouth had done to me the night before. My eyes must have unfocused during my daydream because Dallas leaned in and asked, “Jesus, what are you thinkin’ about now?” Blinking to focus my eyes, I blushed instantly then watched a knowing grin tug across his mouth.

“Nothing,” I stuttered.

“Liar,” he mouthed.

I needed to get my head out of the gutter before I made a fool of myself, I blurted out, “Since you’re here now, I can tell you all at the same time. Mother called me today and she’s throwing an impromptu barbecue on Saturday at noon. She wants all of you to come.”

“Speaking of your mother,” Dallas broke in with a grin, “Bill told me you met June yesterday.”

“I did. Is she always so forward?”

“Always,” he smiled brightly before moving his hand to my neck and lightly caressing the nape. I shivered as whisper-soft touches caused me to lean further into his side and shiver. The gentle rumble of his chuckle told me he felt the shiver and knew the effect he had on me.

So much for playing it cool when I’m around him.
Pfft, if I played it any cooler he’d know I was a besotted mess.
It hadn’t taken him a week to get under my skin, and at the rate he was burrowing under, I’d be hopelessly in love with him by the end of two.

“I’ll be done with work in a couple of hours. If you can hold off eatin’ until then, I’ll take you to dinner,” Dallas asked.

“Ok, I’d love that,” I answered as he ran fingers through my hair, leaning closer by the second. Oblivious to my friends watching, or even caring, Dallas seemed fixated on my mouth. He was leaning in for a kiss that I didn’t mind giving in public when his phone rang stopping his descent. Sighing, he pulled out his phone from his back pocket and scowled at the number.

“Give me a second,” he stated briskly as he stood from his chair and walked away. His brows furrowed and his eyes glittered dangerously as he spoke on the phone. I watched with interest when he rolled his eyes to the ceiling, then his free hand wrapped around his neck, annoyance written all over him as he bent his head and looked at his boots. He gritted out, “I’m done and you know it, so don’t call again,” to whomever was on the other end. Anger flared across his face and his jaw ticked in agitation as the caller responded, so Dallas hung up without another word. As he made his way back to our table, his phone chimed with a text. He looked down, read the message, then bit out, “Jesus,” right before he shoved it into his back pocket.

“Problems?” I asked when he stopped by my chair.

Dallas looked down, but not at me, and I could see he was lost in thought. He seemed to stare right through me for a moment, then his eyes cleared and he focused on my face right before he shook his head no, muttering; “Duty calls. Walk me to my bike?”

“Sure,” I answered, wondering what had him preoccupied, but I knew better than to pry. It had to be work related, so I knew he wouldn’t answer.

Reaching down, he took my hand and pulled me from the chair. Hooking his arm around my shoulders, he walked us outside. At his bike, he shoved his coffee into one of two drink holders that hung from his handlebars and I giggled at the sight. It hadn’t occurred to me until just then how he got his coffee back to the station when he needed two hands to drive. Dallas leaned against his Harley, pulling me in between his legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled as he scanned my face, his own serious as he searched for something. Finally, his face gentled for a moment as he took me in.

“It’s been a long time since I had somethin’ sweet in my life,” Dallas replied pulling me closer to his body.

“I’d like to think I’m more like chocolate covered peanuts.” Smiling, Dallas cocked a brow for an explanation.

“I’m salty and sweet.”

A slow grin pulled across those sexy lips, before he leaned in, nipped my lip, chuckling, “Considering the positions I’ve had you in I’d say you’re more like chocolate covered pretzels.”

Before I could admonish him, yet again, for being crass, he boxed in my face with his hands and kissed me until my legs were like noodles. Ripping his mouth away, I staggered back while he climbed on his bike. When he started the engine, he winked at me with a devilish grin, and told me, “Later, babe,” before he gunned the engine and drove away.

As I rounded the building, a spark from a lighter caught my attention. I glanced briefly in the direction of the man who was lightening a smoke. His head was covered with a baseball cap and his eyes covered with sunglasses. He was tall, well-built, and looked up at me when I passed, so grinned a slight hello, then forgot all about him as I walked back into Gypsy’s.

It would be much later when I realized I should have taken a closer look at that man, read the warning signs for what they were. He hadn’t smiled when I grinned at him, but had a setline across his mouth. It wasn’t indifference, I’d read in his face, but barely held back hostility I would realize later. That’s the funny thing about hindsight, when you looked back on events—it’s never around when you need it.

Fifteen

The moment he stepped into the bedroom while she took off her clothes, she’d stiffened—she knew he was there. His heart didn’t pound as he stared back at her. The thought of the kill didn’t excite his blood as it did in the beginning. It calmed him with the certain knowledge that the drug he craved would soon be at his disposal. She shook her head and backed up as she took in his mask-covered face and the knife he held. She tried to dart to the left to escape him, but his knife slashed across her back halting her escape. There was no escape from Dark Prince when he hunted you, only pain, only death.

She screamed, “Why?” when he lifted his knife again. Dark Prince cocked his head, his lips pulling in a sarcastic grin, before he uttered, “Because I‘m your master. Because you disobeyed me.”

Muted prisms of color danced across the wall as he sheathed his knife. The effects from a crystal star and the warm glow of a streetlight held his eye. Glancing down at her face, which was contorted in terror, he let the power he held over life and death roll over him. This one had been easier to kill than the others had; she’d been too terrified to fight. It was unfortunate that his adversary would soon know to be on alert. However, the thought of the fear he’d inflict, to know they’d live in constant terror waiting for his arrival, heightened his exhilaration for the game. His game, the one they brought to him by offering him the woman of his dreams, only to snatch her away. He was their master, and by right, only he could end their association as he saw fit. He chose death.

***

I decided to hang at Gypsy’s with the girls until Dallas got off work. Janeane had scurried off not long after he left going on about a hot date with a movie and a bowl of popcorn. Kristina had left next to run home and change before meeting her husband for dinner and finally Angela had to run to pick up food at the store for dinner. Alone and wondering if I should just head home and wait there for Dallas, I was stopped from leaving when Bo called.

“Hello?”

“I hear we’re having a family barbecue to welcome Dallas to the family,” Bo laughed.

“I suppose you and Finn are coming so you can challenge him to a duel.”

“I wouldn’t be doing my job as your big brother if I didn’t try and send him running for the hills,” Bo explained.