Sagittarius (Zodiac Killers Book 13), page 4
“Are you not capable?” she asked.
“I have once. I was young and so angry I cried. It was the worst. Rose Marie came in and promised me that things would change, and they did.” That was when she ran his mother off from his life for good, and he never saw her again. “For the better too, I must say. I thought Rose Marie could grant my every wish.”
“She loves you like her own child, doesn’t she? Have you ever wanted a brother or sister?”
“I had brothers,” he said with a nod of certainty. “Eleven of them.”
“Your Zodiacs?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, knowing she had always been an observant one. She probably knew way more than she should. “If you’d like, I’ll give you as many children as you want.” Better an army anyway. He reached out and stroked her pale hair as she bit into her cookie.
“Thank you,” she said between chews. “And if we ever have a little girl, I’d like to name her Mia.”
“Whatever you like, kitten.” For a spoiled, selfish brat, Lila surprised him at times.
“There’s just one more thing,” she said to Bay’s surprise. “Could we go ahead and open her shop? I found her designs. They’re really good, and I’m sure we could pull them off. She’d like that, I think, and well, maybe it’s time I do something for myself. I have always wanted to own my own business. We could leave the name, of course, to pay homage.”
Bay nodded. His little kitten had finally decided it was time to grow up. “If it makes you happy, then yes.” The happier she was, the healthier his child would be. “But you have to agree to leave everything that dreadful color pink.” Though Bay smiled, the color was non-negotiable.
Lila wiped her wet cheeks and laughed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She looked up and met his eyes. “You’re good to me, Bay. I know you think I take it for granted, but I really don’t. I love you, and I’m glad you’re here for me now. I couldn’t get through this with Mom alone. She’s already driving me crazy by acting out.” She paused a moment like she had lost her words. But finally, she looked him dead in the eyes. “I just don’t ever want to be sent away again.” In her stare was the real plea. She didn’t want to share him. Perhaps she had known about her mother, too, all along? Bay would never know for sure unless she told him, and she probably would never muster the courage, just like with Mia.
The woman was a lot smarter and stronger than he’d ever given her credit for. Perhaps she was a lot more like Mia than he’d ever known. “No worries, and I know I’m not the best at saying it, but I love you, too.” He felt like she’d earned the words, and strangely enough, he really meant them. The smile on her face made him happy.
They stood in silence, Lila finishing her cookie while Bay put his ear to her tummy. It wouldn’t be long now until his little one entered the world, and by then, he needed everything to be in order.
Chapter 6
Darek
Waking up with Lizzy beside him never got old, and he moved the covers back a little to get a better view of her perfect breasts. She looked like a goddess, sprawled out with nothing but the sheet draped over her like a toga. Her hair was even piled up over her head, and he reached up to touch it, knowing how silky it would feel.
She stirred, making a little moan that sounded more like a purr. His cock, which was hard and ready, twitched like it needed more of what it had the night before. Darek needed it for sure. He moved his hand to her flat tummy where he drew little circles. This was the woman he wanted to give his babies to. The woman he wanted to build a life with once all the horror in their lives was behind them.
It would pass, wouldn’t it? He would come out on the other side unscathed? Only if he played his cards right. So far, he’d been lucky, but that was before a certain piece of cheap silverware ended up at the murder scene. The pit of his stomach burned, and he rolled over onto his back. Was he getting an ulcer? That would just be his luck.
“You’re awake,” said Lizzy, rolling over to snuggle closer. Despite his pain, his cock stayed hard for her. “I thought I’d be up way before you.”
“Nah,” he said, stroking her hip as she turned and put her leg over him. “I just woke up.” He wanted to show her how awake he was, but she moved closer first and snaked her hand down to stroke him. “You read my mind.”
She gave him a pointed look. “Just as long as you don’t make me late for work.”
“I’m pretty sure no one would miss us at this point. We could even take that day off you mentioned.” They’d been back to the drawing board so many times that it was damned near comical at this point.
“I was talking about you needing the time, not me. Reed would notice, especially if we took time off together.”
“One day, it won’t matter, will it? Or are we going to hide forever?” He still wanted her to move in and be his wife. “I wonder what kind of future we have. Don’t you?”
“Of course, silly.”
“I’m not being silly, Lizzy. I want this every day. I want you to move in.” He knew he sounded like a broken record, but something told him with her, he couldn’t say it enough. Each and every time the case seemed like it was going to fall apart, he needed to know that they’d survive.
“And I’ve said that we’ll talk about when we solve the case and after you get your job with the Bureau. There’s a lot to do still, Darek.”
“Until then, let’s pretend.” He moved to kiss her and pulled her up onto his chest. Her legs fell astride his hips, and their tongues collided in an eager dance.
Lizzy moved away and smiled down at him, and she pinched his nipples playfully.
“Ow, fuck!” he said. “You know I hate that.” He gave a soft laugh, covering them as she giggled. He liked it when they played. It wasn’t too often, not like it had been with Raven, but that only made it even better. “Don’t be mean.”
She poked out her bottom lip. “That’s the last thing I want to do to you. Let me make it up to you.” She slid down his body and settled between his legs. After gripping him tightly and giving him a wicked look, she swirled her tongue around his head and then licked down his shaft.
“That’s a lot better, baby.” He looked down and caught a glimpse of what she was doing, which nearly pushed him over the edge before things could get started. Not wanting to ruin anything, he closed his eyes and laid back, relishing in the pleasure she gave him.
Soon, she moved up and straddled him. “We might just be late after all.”
As he entered her, he smiled, knowing he’d gladly stay there with her for the rest of the day, and forever if she wanted.
Lizzy moved up and down, slowly riding him from base to tip. At times, she bounced so hard on his cock that he could barely keep focus because his eyes rolled back in his head. She was amazing, and it was moments like that when she didn’t seem so pure, but like a pro.
She leaned forward to kiss him and thrust her tongue deep. His own tangled with it as he cupped her bottom and moved them to the foot of the bed so he could find his feet. Hefting her up, she stayed on him as he turned them around, and he settled between her legs, where he pumped his hips wildly, thrusting deeper and deeper.
“Harder,” she moaned out, wrapping her leg around his waist as her heels dug into his ass cheeks, pushing him closer to her as if that was the amount of pressure she wanted. Darek obliged, grinding into her, and soon, he pushed her over the edge of ecstasy.
He grabbed her ankles and spread her wider, angling her hips upward to hit the right spot. Lizzy writhed with wild abandon beneath him, her moans seeming more like a chorus than from one single entity. He thrust hard and fast until his own release overwhelmed him.
Before he could pull away, Lizzy locked her feet behind him, holding him inside of her as he filled her up. The looks on both their faces were so intense that Darek couldn’t help but capture her mouth. His heart was so full for her. And for the first time in a long time, he felt like they were going to be okay.
He couldn’t wait to really start his life with her, and though marriage was a long way off because of their positions, he knew it was a step he wanted to take with her when the time was right. She would, without a doubt, be worth the wait.
“I love you,” he said as they stilled.
Lizzy brushed his hair back and met his eyes. “I love you too.”
He closed his eyes and laid his head next to hers, nestling in the crook of her neck as his cock was still nestled deep inside her. He didn’t want the moment to end. Before she could make him get up and get ready for work, he decided that he needed another round. He rocked his hips a little, and then, being on the edge of the bed, he lifted her up as he stood.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, holding on for dear life.
“Shower. I figure it’s a positive move toward getting ready for work, while keeping my sanity as to not to let this end.”
She giggled and then kissed his lips as he walked them into the bathroom and moved to turn on the water. As it warmed up, he stepped in and put her on the back wall where he pumped his hips. The steam billowed around them, licking their already warm flesh, and as they grew damp, she found another release. Darek was so turned on by her ecstasy that he thrust harder.
After a while, she found her feet and then stepped away, turning her back to him. “We have to hurry,” she said, putting her hands on the shower tile while she angled her ass upward invitingly. “Take me from behind.”
Darek cupped her round ass and rubbed his cock up and down her center. His head slipped inside of her, and he pushed harder, letting himself settle deep before he rocked his hips. His pace steadily quickened, and he fucked her so hard that by the time he was done, her cheek was against the tile, and her moans had turned to pitchy squeals of pleasure.
He pulled away and spun her around, capturing her mouth. She took his hands and brought them over their heads.
With a sigh, he pulled away and met her eyes. “Sorry, I got a little carried away,” he said.
“It was amazing,” she said. “But you know what I’m going to say.”
“That we’re late, and we need to get going?”
“Yes,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “We have so much to do, Darek. I want to get Bay into the office.”
He frowned. “Could we at least dry off before you mention him?”
“I’m sorry, Darek. I just think we shouldn’t waste the day. There’s a lot to be done, and I’m going to start with getting Bay to come down to answer a few questions. Not only that, but he’ll want to see the final report.”
Darek knew that once that happened, Bay would know about Mia’s pregnancy. “Not a good idea. I already told you that he needed time to deal with Mia. In the meantime, we could focus on finding the person helping Max. There’s still a killer out there, and I’m not going to sit around worrying over Bay when we need to find out who that is.”
“And don’t you want to know if Bay has any ideas?” she asked. “I know I’d like to find out more about this pedophile ring he was involved in. Maybe then, we could go in the right direction for once.”
Darek knew that wasn’t going to happen where the ring was concerned because he and Bay had made the whole thing up. He hadn’t had another chance to talk to Bay about their further plans, and that was what he really needed to figure out. Where they were going next with it. Things had been happening so fast that Darek hadn’t even had a chance to regroup.
“Well, if you want him to be of sound mind to give us anything, it’s best not to torture him with Mia’s pregnancy.”
“I have to show him the report, Darek. And it’s not like I can take that out.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Are you serious right now?” She reached over to turn off the water and then stepped out of the shower. “Are you asking me to tamper with evidence?”
“No, of course not.” He knew she took her job way too seriously to do something like that, but it wasn’t really evidence he wanted her to fix. “I just think it wouldn’t hurt to leave that out of the report you show to him. It can be in the file. And I’ll show him that later.”
“Why are you trying so hard to protect him from the truth? I mean, people deal with death all the time, and it’s not exactly healthy to have him mourn one loss and then pop up with new information after his healing has already begun. Better to get it all out at once, don’t you think?”
Darek shook his head. “He’s my friend.”
“Then you shouldn’t want to drag this out any longer than you have to.” She wrapped a towel around her and then piled her hair up in another one. “I’m getting ready.”
She walked out of the room, and Darek felt like everything had gone to shit in seconds. What would it change if Bay found out? Darek hoped nothing but had a feeling it would drive the man over the edge, and that scared Darek to death.
“Fine,” he said, walking to the sink as he called to her in the next room. “I’ll just take my meds, and we can head out as soon as I’m dressed.” He knew it wouldn’t take her long to get ready, and while he could appreciate her low-maintenance beauty, he wished they had more time before going in.
He opened the drawer where his meds were kept and took out the bottle he had opened every day since getting it refilled just weeks earlier. Only now, it was empty. “Lizzy?”
“Yeah,” she called from the bedroom.
“Did you move my medicine?”
She walked into the bathroom. “Oh, you found it,” she said, nodding to the bottle in his hands.
“No, this is the old bottle.”
Lizzy took it from his hand. “Darek, this is the same bottle you’ve taken out of the drawer every day for weeks.”
“It’s empty though, Lizzy, and I distinctly remember popping pills and having plenty left. I just got this refilled.”
She frowned. “Did you? Because it looks empty to me. Maybe you took them all already? How many doses was it?”
“A six-month supply.” Darek couldn’t help but panic. Someone was trying to fuck him by fucking with his meds, and the only person other than Lizzy who knew about his meds was Raven.
He closed his eyes and tried not to think about what it would all mean if she was the killer. Not only had he been duped by someone he loved and trusted, but she had orchestrated it all right under his nose with Max’s help. It did make a lot of sense, though.
She knew all the other Zodiacs, or most of them anyway. The ones she couldn’t handle, Max could have. Hell, she’d had plenty of time to do her worst before he’d ever met her. What a fucking fool he’d been.
Part of him just couldn’t believe it, though. He decided denial was a lot healthier for the moment. “I don’t know who could have taken my pills.”
Lizzy stared at him with fear in her eyes. “Darek, honey. I’m worried about you. You’ve showed me that empty bottle every day I’ve been here for the past few weeks. It’s always empty. You haven’t gotten it filled, and I’m afraid you’ve been off your meds too long.”
“That’s impossible. I take them every morning.”
“You talk about taking them, but you’re empty.” She took the bottle from his hand. “It’s the same one. The label is ripped, and it’s sticking out.” She showed him the tear in the label.
Darek tried to remember the day before, but he’d been so used to taking the pills, it was like second nature. Had he really forgotten? “I don’t think that’s right, Lizzy. I’ve made a conscious decision to take my pills every single day.” Hadn’t he? His condition made him black out, but only if he hadn’t been taking the pills for months. It had never gotten this bad from one or two missed doses.
Lizzy put her hand on his shoulder. “Darek, I’m going to take this and get it filled for you myself, okay? And I’ll help you remember. You must have just forgotten to call in your refills or pick them up. The prescription is still good.”
He nodded slowly, still not understanding what had happened. “I swear. Sometimes, I feel like I’m losing my mind.” He pulled her closer. “This is why I need you here with me. Every day.”
She gave him an apologetic look. “Okay, Darek. I’ll try. I can’t promise I’ll move in, but I’ll try to be here every morning for you, whether I wake up here or not. Just until the case is over. When it’s done, I’ll talk to Reed. We’ll be together. I just need you to get better and stay with me up here.” She tapped his head with her finger. “Just a little while longer.”
He fell against her, resting his head on her shoulder. “I don’t know why this has happened.” He knew that if he didn’t get things under control, they’d get bad again, and he simply couldn’t have that. Not when he needed his mind to be sharp to see him through the rest of this case.
At least now, he didn’t have to worry about Raven. She hadn’t come in and stolen his meds. Or had she? He could still close his eyes and see the bottle half full. He could almost remember taking his pills the day before. And he truly didn’t remember the conversations about getting it filled. Maybe one or two back a month before.
“Baby, are you okay?” Lizzy reached up and stroked his face. “Maybe you should go and talk to your doctor. I’ll take you there today if that’s what you want. I’m really worried.”
He held her face and stared into her eyes. “I’m fine, really. I don’t want to make you worry, baby. And I don’t think I need to go. I’ll let you get my refill, and you can help me get things straightened out.”
She gave a nod. “Then we should get to work.” She turned and headed back into the other room, and all he could think about was how much she would worry about him if she knew the truth.
Chapter 7
Darek
Darek was pouring over Max’s death report when his phone rang. He glanced down and saw that Bay was calling. He really didn’t want to take the call in front of Lizzy, but she gave him little choice.
“Don’t be long,” she said. “We have to go see Reed with this.”
