Property Of (28 page)

Dammit, I should have kept my phone on and answered my messages and none of this would have happened.

I’m sure the twins were in an uproar by now as well. I loved my family, but they all perceived me as being unable to take care of myself, which meant they overreacted about every little upset in my life.

“I told her the truth as I knew it.”

“I bet that went over well,” I grumbled as I checked my messages.

“Actually, she offered to beat the shit out of Brynne for me, since a man can’t lay a hand on a woman,” he chuckled.

I paused and looked back at him, my eyes wide at the thought of my tiny mother raising a fist toward anyone.

“You’re joking.”

“God’s truth,” he smiled.

Shaking my head, I typed out a message stating all was well and that she should stand down the Royse men. I figured other texts were in order so I responded to Bo and Finn’s messages. They’d been blunt, as always, they wanted to know if they needed to teach Dallas a lesson, which made me laugh. It’s truly scary they hadn’t realized yet that Dallas would always be the one doing the ass kicking and not them.

Just as I was about to toss the phone on the bed, it rang. Expecting it to be my mother, I was surprised when instead it was Janeane’s mother, Mrs. Dee. Puzzled that she was calling since I hadn’t talked to her since she’d moved to Arizona, I swiped answer and put the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Nicola? It’s Mrs. Dee, dear. Have you heard from Janeane? I’ve been trying to reach her since Thursday night, but she isn’t returning my calls. I thought maybe she’d gone out of town with you, or one of the girls, and was hoping she was with you.”

Don’t ask me how I knew, but I did, the instant that she said Thursday night, it all clicked into place with the force of a speeding train. Melissa was killed after meeting us at Gypsy’s, Toni was killed after meeting us at Gypsy’s, and now Janeane hadn’t been heard from since we’d seen her at Gypsy’s and when I checked my messages everyone had texted me about my location but Janeane.

“I need to call you back, Mrs. Dee,” I mumbled before I ended the call, her soft voice asking, “Please have her call me,” as I blindly swiped the phone off.

“Babe?” Dallas asked, concern etched in his voice as I began to shake.

“Janeane hasn’t . . . Oh, God, Dallas,” I wailed as I turned my eyes to him for help.

“Nicola, talk to me,” Dallas insisted as he threw on his jeans and made his way over to me. He crouched down in front of me, took my lowered face in his hands, and prompted me to look at him. “Talk to me,” he ordered again.

Like a child who thought if she covered her eyes then no one else could see her, I didn’t want to say the words out loud because I knew if I did, they would become true.

“Nicola,” Dallas barked out while giving me a tiny shake.

I looked up and grabbed his arms, willing myself to speak. “Janeane hasn’t . . . Janeane hasn’t been heard from since Thursday night,” I cried out finally.

Dallas hissed, “Fuck,” standing immediately, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I need her address, babe.”

“Dallas, they all died after meeting us at the coffee shop, didn’t they?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Don’t go there, she could be out of town,” he replied as he dialed 911.

“She wasn’t going out of town she told us she was watching movies and paying bills this weekend.”

Dallas didn’t answer me because he was barking orders into the phone. I repeated Janeane’s address twice as he asked for officer assistance. After that, he called Bill instructing him to wait until he got to the station. I rushed around and put on my clothes while Dallas finished his call and put on the rest of his clothes. When my bags were packed, he took my hand, led me to the elevator and down to my car.

“I want you to go straight to your parents’ house and don’t leave until I get there to take you home.”

“Dallas what if—”He kissed me hard, interrupting my thoughts, and said, “Promise me, you’ll go straight to your parents.”

I nodded I would, but my eyes filled with tears because the grim look on his face told me he was expecting the worst. Seeing my tears, he grabbed my neck, pulling me to him swift and hard, pressing a kiss to my forehead for a long moment.

Then, without another word, he turned and headed for his bike but waited for me to get inside my car and leave before he drove away.

He didn’t say he would find her, he didn’t say I’ll call you when I know she’s ok, he wanted me tucked away safe from harm because he knew what he would find. It was then I let all the fear I had for my friend out and began to cry uncontrollably as images of Janeane whirled in my head like a movie. Janeane in high school, college, our road trip to Stillwater, porno bingo just this past week, all mixed with the images I still had of Toni’s ravaged body. When Janeane’s beautiful face blended with Toni, my stomach recoiled. Pulling over, I threw open the car door and emptied my stomach onto the street.

***

“Fuck me,” Bill bit out, as he and Dallas stood frozen in place, staring at the mutilated body of Janeane Dee. Dallas didn’t hear his partner. Blood was pounding in his head, drowning out all the noise while his heart pushed it to his brain in panic. He’d spoken to this woman not two days ago and had laughed with her the night he’d picked Nicola up at the bar. She was kind, she was funny, she was gorgeous, and she was now very dead. Normally, he approached a murder scene with the practiced indifference required to work in homicide. But those skills left him the moment he found one of Nicola’s closest friends gutted on her bed.

“You’re gonna have to recuse yourself from the case,” Bill muttered. “The connection is no longer the yoga studio, but Nicola or one of her friends, and that puts you smack dab in the middle.”

Dallas closed his eyes and tried to block out a vision of Nicola laying on her bed, her tiny body opened from sternum to pelvis, her insides spilling out onto that floral quilt she used to cover her bed.

“You think I’m gonna trust anyone else to work this case when it involves the woman I . . .” Dallas stopped himself before he said the words that had been rambling around in his head since he’d made love to her this morning.

Jesus, when did that happen?

He thought about her green eyes, her cupid smile, and the way she laughed when she was lying in his arms. The way she bit her lip when she was nervous, the way she whimpered his name when he had his hands on her, and he knew without out a doubt it had happened the moment she’d spilled coffee on him and smiled.

“You can’t be objective when it involves someone you care about and you know it. Do you think if some fucker was after my June I wouldn’t be stark raving mad?” Bill asked.

As if he had a sixth sense, FBI Special Agent in charge Dane Parker walked into the bedroom. He took in the scene with the calm detachedness of a Fed and turned to Dallas.

“That’s three in a week. This makes it my jurisdiction, Vaughn.”

“You aren’t takin’ this case from me,” Dallas growled. “No way am I takin’ a chance on an agency that is overworked and prioritizes their cases based on the number of kills. Not when it involves women being slaughtered and especially when it involves Nicola.”

Parker knew Vaughn was hanging on by a thread because he’d seen it before. So, he waded in cautiously.

“You know that I’m better equipped to find this guy. You also know that you can’t be objective and remain on the case.”

“What do you expect me to do, just stand back and wait for you prioritize this guy over The Harvest Killer and The Shallow Grave Killer? No fuckin’ way,” Dallas seethed.

“I expect you to use your head and protect Nicola, while I find this sonofabitch.”

Vaughn took a step toward Parker but Bill stopped him with his arm across Dallas’ chest.

“Easy, now, partner. We can play nice with the Feds if it catches this fucker.” Dallas shot his eyes to Bill and leveled the man with a stare that would have intimidated most men. “You know we’re right,” Bill went on unfazed.

Dallas’ natural instinct was to tell them both to go fuck themselves, but he knew if he pushed, he’d be sent home and locked out of the investigation completely. He couldn’t lose what little control he had over the situation.

“I’ll only step back if you stay on the case,” he growled at his partner. Bill looked to Parker and the agent nodded once before exiting the room. “You find this bastard or I will,” Dallas bit out as Lieutenant Cross entered the room.

“You keep your nose out of this. Do you hear me Vaughn?” Cross fumed, levelling his finger at Dallas. There weren’t many men brave enough to put a finger in Dallas’ face. Lieutenant Cross was one of them. “You work the Warner case, while the Feds handle The Shallow Grave Killer and whoever the fuck this motherfucker is, are we clear?”

Beating back the need to rail at someone, Dallas reined in his temper long enough to grit out, “Clear,” before he pushed past his lieutenant, leaving Janeane in Reed’s care.

Having stopped at the station in order to ride with Bill to the scene, Dallas searched for a patrolman who could give him a lift to Nicola’s parents’ home. Catching sight of an officer directing traffic, he was about to head toward him when a hand landed hard on his shoulder.

“You need a ride?” Parker asked as Dallas turned around. He didn’t hesitate, “Yeah. Are you offering?”

“I’m offering. I wanted to pick your brain one last time before you’re officially off the case.”

“Then lead the way,” Dallas answered, following Parker to his SUV.

***

One of the great things about a close family is that they rally around you without hesitation. A family can be those who share your blood or friends you’ve made along the way. There is no prerequisite for being in a family, only that you love them unconditionally. Such was the case with my parents, my brothers, and my friends. The girls had been in our lives for fifteen years, and as often does, they became daughters to my parents. So when I came rushing into my parents’ house, my mother immediately took charge and called the twins, my father, Angela, Kasey, and Kristina. It took less than an hour for my parents’ home to be filled with my family. We paced, we texted Janeane, praying she would call one of us, but mostly we held on to each.

My father stood guard at the front door as if he could keep the world at bay by sheer force of his will. The twins were huddled together talking, their attention straying from time to time to look at me. I could see in their eyes that they were angry, maybe even terrified that with Janeane’s disappearance, and Toni and Melissa’s murders, I could be next.

We were as close as siblings could be. When you added in the fact that we were triplets, I knew if the positions were reversed and one of them was in danger, I’d be terrified too. We were an extension of each other, not whole without the other, and if this madman had his way, he’d rip their world apart. Knowing that, and knowing how they must be feeling, I moved to Bo and Finn and wrapped my arms around them both.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to you,” Bo vowed against my head.

“Janeane is probably out with some guy and refusing to answer her phone,” Finn added.

I nodded against Bo’s chest, but whispered, “I love you both. Please don’t ever forget that.”

“Shut it,” Finn growled. “You’re a pain in our asses and you will be until we’re old and gray.”

“Whoever this sonofabitch is he won’t get near you, do you hear me? We’ll drag you off where he can’t find you. Maybe go to Oslo and visit Gran while Dallas finds this guy, then we can come home,” Bo insisted.

“Ok,” I answered not sure of anything other than trying to breathe. I looked around the room and watched Angela with her husband Kevin. The worry on both their faces also mirrored those of Kristina and her husband Jake. Turning my eyes to Kasey, who sat alone, staring out the window, lost in some memory, no doubt, that involved Janeane, I mumbled, “Who will look out for Kasey?”

Finn stiffened when I said that and hissed, “Fuck,” as if it had just occurred to him that it wasn’t just me who was in danger, but all the girls as well. “We’ll take her with us,” he answered without hesitation.

“To Oslo?”

“Why not, she’s closed down until this mess is sorted out.”

“Finn, she has the boys. She can’t just pick up and leave. Besides, it would take weeks to get passports for all three of them.”

“Then you go with Mom, Dad, and Bo to Oslo and I’ll take Kasey and the boys to the mountains. We can lay low in Durango if need be,” Finn stated with a shrug.

“You’d do that for me?”

“No, but I’d do it for her,” he grinned before he winked.

“Thank you,” I exclaimed with a hug.

“I’d do anything for you, brat, and you know it. But this is all speculation and I’m certain that Dallas is gonna walk through that door, followed by Janeane, and we’ll all want to kill her for putting us through this.”

“God, I hope you’re right,” I replied, feeling a smidge better that he sounded so sure.

Mom came bustling in right then carrying a tray of mugs filled with coffee and cookies. Not one to sit still, she’d always handled times of stress by cleaning or cooking. She was handing coffee to Angela’s husband when a black SUV pulled up in front of the house. Everyone froze as the doors opened and Dallas climbed out, followed by agent Parker. My heart started pounding as they walked up the path, my eyes focused on Dallas’ face. I couldn’t read his expression, but the scowl on Parker’s face caused my eyes to fill with tears.

Dad opened the door before Dallas could knock and stopped him in the foyer. The three men spoke in whispered tones, but when my father closed his eyes slowly, I knew that Janeane was gone.

“NO!” Kristina shouted her face ashen when Dallas walked into the room.

“Tell us,” Angela cried out as she stood from the couch only to sit back down as if her legs couldn’t hold her.

Dallas didn’t say anything as he stared back at me, the muscles in his jaw working overtime as he tried to control his anger. Then all hell broke loose when my mother dropped the mug she’d been holding and whirled around looking for me. She started crying, Kasey started wailing, and I just stood there feeling numb.