Aquarius Read online

  “No.” He would think less of himself, but never her. Before he could get another word out, she sat up and took his cock into her soft hands, giving it a pump. Then, she leaned forward, looked him right in the eyes, and took him into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the tip before she turned her head and kissed him down his shaft.

  She gave him a smile and took him into her mouth, tight-lipping the rim below his head to give it a nice hard suck, and when she relaxed her hold, she took him so far into her mouth that he nearly came down her throat.

  She continued to work him, and he managed to hold off, but soon, she laid back and curled her fingers toward him.

  Without a word, Logan positioned himself at her center, and then, instead of the hard taking which Lidia preferred, he pushed slowly into her, watching the passion in her eyes as he filled her up with his flesh. He pumped his hips, thrusting slowly and grinding until her orgasm had her clawing his back.

  Her pulsing, wet core milked him, and he couldn’t hold off any longer. He pulled his cock free and spilled his thick, hot streams onto her plump breasts, and it was then he noticed he’d fucked her without tasting them once.

  And he’d liked it.

  “That was amazing,” she said as he collapsed beside her. “I like you, Logan.” She searched his eyes, as if waiting for him to tell her it was a one and done. “I just wanted you to know that’s the only reason I’ve been so forward. I’m not usually like that, but you’ve been really good to me through all of this.”

  He knew she didn’t have anyone else, and looking into her eyes, he knew he’d be a fool to let her get away. She not only made him feel wanted, but she made him feel normal. Unbroken.

  He had to tell Lidia about her and face whatever decision she wanted to make. It wasn’t fair to stay with her just because she was dying, and while he had no problem being there for her as a friend, he didn’t want to use her for an inheritance that he didn’t deserve.

  As it turned out, Hannah had to work a late shift, so when she left, Logan showered and prepared to go over and talk to Lidia, who was still expecting him. But he decided to call and tell her he would be there the next morning, that he was much too tired to make it.

  Instead of going over, he lay in bed thinking about how he’d sit her down and talk to her about everything. With their open relationship, perhaps she’d understand, and perhaps she’d enjoy the little bit of time she had with others who loved her, including her son.

  In the early morning hours, he walked out to his car, and when he got inside, he saw something underneath his windshield wiper. He cursed at first, thinking that it was some kind of coupon that someone from Gene’s place had mistakenly put on his car, but when he got out and took the card, he turned it over to see that it wasn’t any ordinary card. His Aquarius symbol was printed on it, and as his heart started to pound, he looked around and got into his car, wondering if whoever put it there was watching from the shadows.

  He looked in the donut shop’s window but didn’t see anyone, so he backed up and left for Lidia’s, knowing he’d have to call Darek and Bay to tell them what had happened.

  Still shaken from the card, he arrived at her house and looked around for anything unusual. The card had him rattled and second-guessing his next course of action. He didn’t want to put anyone in danger.

  He took out his keys, and after fighting with the lock, he opened the door. “Honey, I’m home.”

  The house was eerily still, and a sudden wave of panic swept over him. “Lidia? Honey?”

  When there was still no answer, he ran, taking the stairs two and three at a time on his way. He stopped short of barging into her bedroom, and when he pushed open the door, he saw her there, lying in bed in her red silk gown, her face turned toward the window.

  “Lidia, wake up, love.” He spoke softly and trembled as he made his way over to the bed.

  To his horror, the red silk wasn’t red silk at all, but her blood-stained body and bedding. The sight was overwhelming, and it registered in his brain like a series of photographs, as if his mind couldn’t handle all of it at once.

  He saw the look of shock in her wide, dead eyes, the crooked set of her open jaw, and the blood. So much blood. Hot bile rose in his throat as he turned and fled from the room.

  12

  Darek

  The knock on the door had Darek hurrying to put on his pants, and when he opened the door, still doing them up, Lizzy gave him a pointed look. “I thought you were going to be ready.”

  “I am ready. I just had to put on some pants.”

  “Do you often sit around without pants?” She pulled her lips in tight, as if trying not to laugh, and he knew the next five hours in the car with her were going to be fun.

  “At times, yes. In the privacy of my own home. Is that okay? I could take them off again if you want. It will make this trip more comfortable.”

  “For you maybe, but hey, if you’ll drive, I just might let you.” She yawned. “My cat woke me up three times running through the house. I’m not entirely sure why he does that, but I’m ready to kick his ass out.”

  “I don’t mind driving, but can we take your Rover?”

  “Yes.” She tossed him the keys. “Virginia, here we come!” She gave him a wide smile, but he couldn’t even pretend to be as excited as she was as he grabbed his wallet and keys and then locked his door.

  “That’s a nice place you got.” She turned and looked back at the unit his room was in. “Very retro.”

  “Is that what the hip kids are calling it?”

  She flashed him a big grin. “Just think, your divorce will be over soon, and you’ll get to move back home.”

  “It can’t happen soon enough.” He’d hoped it would be before she planned the trip, but when she got the okay from Sam, she got on the ball and had it all planned out to happen as soon as possible.

  When they got in the car, he got a phone call. “It’s Max.”

  “Tell that whiny ass he can’t come with us. He can spend one day away from you.” She rolled her eyes and put on her seatbelt as Darek answered the phone.

  “Hey, man. I’m on vacation, haven’t you heard? It’s a fine day, and sunny Virginia is calling my name.” Darek started the car and made his way to the main street by the motel, where he stopped to check traffic.

  “I’m sorry, but you need to get over here,” Max said. “There’s been a stabbing in the Highland Gates community. You and Lizzy are going to want to see this.”

  “Shit. Any name of the victim?”

  “Her name was Lidia Hobbs. She was found this morning by her boyfriend.”

  “What’s his name?” Darek asked.

  “Logan Miller.”

  Motherfucker. Darek got a sinking feeling in his gut. He’d been right that Logan would be the next target. “All right, we’ll be right there.”

  He hung up the phone and changed his path to head out in the direction of Highland Gates.

  Lizzy shook her head. “Seriously? We can’t even get out of the fucking city without another call?”

  She’d had her heart set on the trip so much that Darek almost felt sorry for her. “We can still go another time, and who knows? Maybe we’ll get down to this crime scene, and it will be completely unrelated.”

  He knew damn well that wasn’t going to happen, but he wanted to put her in a better mood. He thought of Logan and wondered what the guy was going to do when he arrived on scene. He hoped he’d play it cool and pretend they’d never met.

  When they arrived at the entrance, the heavy gates were open wide, and the residents were all on their lawns. Some had their arms folded, and others shook their heads, but no one was rushing over like he’d seen in other neighborhoods. There was no crowd gathering, and every person he passed looked as if they were furious that something had happened to disturb their picture-perfect community.

  Lizzy turned and met his eyes. “Looks like a nice, cozy neighborhood.”

  “Good thing. The neighbors l
ook cold enough.” He wondered if they even liked the victim.

  Darek stopped on the street in front of the house, and he and Lizzy walked up, looking a bit more casual than the others because they were dressed for their road trip.

  He leaned over and whispered as they walked up the driveway. “I’m glad I was wearing pants.”

  She giggled but then slapped his arm. “Knock it off. I can’t go in laughing.” She took a deep breath and put on a more solemn expression as Max came out to meet them.

  “I’ve been waiting for you before I let them move the body, but the boyfriend is flipping out in there.”

  Darek walked ahead of them and hurried inside. He found Logan on his knees against the top stair railing. “Please, just get her to the hospital.”

  Darek took a look into the room and then down at Logan. “I’m Detective Darek Blake. I’m going to need you to calm down and try to think clearly.” He’d said his name in case Logan got to his feet and addressed him like long lost pals.

  Instead, Logan knew better. He might have been flipping out inside, but he still had his survival instincts perfectly intact. “I’m sorry. She wouldn’t want anyone to see her like this.”

  Darek shook his head. “I know, but we have to do our job and try and find out who hurt her.”

  Max and Lizzy came up the stairs, and Darek followed Lizzy into the room as Max stayed with Logan.

  The older blonde was lying in her bed in a big red spot of blood. The poor woman had been grossly mutilated. Her cuts were so deep that some of the places looked like soup, and bile and other bodily fluids had been expelled through the wounds, causing the smell to be horrendous.

  “Holy shit,” Darek said, “Whoever did this made mincemeat out of her. Some of the wounds probably go all the way through.”

  One of the forensics officers was standing nearby. “Definitely. She’s such a thin woman, I don’t see how they couldn’t have. She’s probably nearly bisected. We’ll have to handle her with care when we move her.”

  This murder was so much worse than all the others Darek had seen. “So fucking brutal,” he said. “And an old woman. Who the fuck does this kind of thing?”

  A person who wanted revenge. That was who. He could see now how this fucker operated. He came after the people you loved most.

  Darek turned and glanced at Logan, who looked like someone had run him over with a truck. As he walked across the room to ask a few questions, a voice shouted from downstairs.

  “Where is my mother?”

  A few cops rushed toward the man who was obviously older than Logan by several years. Logan was about twenty-seven, while this guy looked like he was in his thirties. He pushed his way past them, but they grabbed him from behind.

  “Get off me! My mother lives here!” Darek knew the man had no idea what he was about to see, so he got in his path and nodded for the others to let him go.

  “Hey, let’s calm down, and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  “The neighbors called and said something happened to my mother.” He pushed past Darek enough to see into her room. His entire face drained of color, and his knees buckled.

  Darek caught his arm to keep him upright. He turned the trembling man away from the scene in the bedroom. “She was stabbed repeatedly,” Darek said gently. “Do you know anyone who would do this?”

  The man turned around and pointed across the room to where Lizzy and Max stood comforting Logan.

  “That motherfucking loser did this. He did it! Arrest him!” The victim’s son was distraught from seeing his mother, and Darek had seen it manifest into anger many times.

  Logan’s face paled, and he looked so sad that Darek really felt for him. “Sir,” Darek said. “That man reported finding your mother this way this morning.”

  “He stays the night. He’s her lover. And my mother’s lawyer called me yesterday to tell me she changed her will. He was worried this hack might have convinced her.”

  “Is that true?” Lizzy turned to Logan.

  Logan shrugged. “She was dying, and she said that she wanted to know I was taken care of. She’s all I’ve got, so why would I kill her? Besides, she didn’t have that long anyway. She was dying of cancer.”

  Roland lunged at him. “You fucking liar!”

  Darek held him back. Logan shook his head, and Darek could tell by the pain in his eyes that he wasn’t guilty.

  “It’s true, Roland. It came back; it had metastasized. I’m sure if you do an autopsy, you’ll see that. Or call her doctor.”

  Lizzy paled. “We will, sir. But in the meantime, I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you some questions.”

  “Ask me anything. I didn’t do this. I wasn’t here last night. She had a friend over. Millie. I’m sure she’s in the book. Maybe she knows something.”

  Lizzy nodded. “Where were you, sir? And is there anyone who can vouch for your whereabouts?”

  Logan thought of Hannah and knew that when he told them the name, it was going to raise some red flags, but he had no choice. She was his only alibi. “Hannah Halston was with me.”

  “Hannah Halston?” Lizzy repeated as she turned to look at Darek. Then, she beelined for the older woman. A team of men was untucking the sheets around her, preparing for her move.

  “Wait!” Lizzy pushed her way to the bed and looked closely at the woman’s injuries. Darek watched curiously, even though he knew what she would find. As Lizzy’s hand moved up to the woman’s robe-covered shoulder, Darek held his breath.

  Beneath the robe was a fresh brand, and he’d recognize the mark anywhere.

  “Aquarius.” She turned and met Darek’s eyes before walking over to talk to Logan as the forensics took pictures. “Does Aquarius mean anything to you?”

  “Is that what this is?” Logan reached into his pocket, pulled out a small card, and handed it to Lizzy. Darek recognized it as being like the ones Tad had, but he couldn’t share that with the others.

  Darek stepped up. “Where did you find that?”

  Logan struggled for a moment but then met Lizzy’s eyes. “It was on Lidia’s door this morning. I was going to bring it to Lidia, but I found her like this.” He started to cry.

  “Does this symbol mean anything to you?” Lizzy asked.

  “Detective, come and see this,” called one of the other officers.

  Darek walked back into the room and hurried around the bed. Just under the far corner of the bed, there was a long black rod with something on the end. The branding iron.

  “Bag it,” Lizzy said. She waited until it was done to take it out to show the others.

  “You bastard,” Roland snarled. “My mother pays for your fucking art, and this is how you repay her?” His voice was harsh and cold.

  Lizzy looked at the men. “Excuse me?”

  “This bastard is an artist. He makes all sorts of shit with metal. It’s what he does for a living.” Roland wasn’t going to back down, and Darek knew it.

  Logan seemed to know it, too. He looked over at Darek. “I think I want my lawyer now.”

  Lizzy shook her head. “I think that’s a smart call.” She turned and looked at Darek. “Looks like we’re not going to Virginia, after all.”

  13

  Logan

  It had been the most fucked-up day of his life, but he’d never been happier to see his home. Not even on the day Lidia told him she’d bought it. The police let him go but only because he’d been the one to call them. They warned him to get that lawyer and be prepared to come back when they called. But until then, he was going home to try and put the horrible visions out of his mind. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. In his home, his car, in his art, and even the old brown loafers she’d hated. And not just her, but that awful mask of death on her face.

  He pulled up at his house and found a man knocking on his door. Finn turned around and stepped out of the shadows.

  “Hey,” Logan said as he walked toward the door.

  “Damn, you look like hell, dude. I
s everything okay?” Finn took his keys and unlocked the door for his friend, who looked like he’d barely been able to drive himself home. “Are you wasted?”

  “Lidia’s dead. She was murdered, Finn. Someone gutted her. They brutally stabbed and gutted her. They nearly cut her in two.” He felt the fresh tears sting his face as Finn covered his mouth, his eyes widening with horror.

  “What? Are you fucking kidding me?” He opened the door and held it for Logan, who walked inside like he was the guest and not vice versa.

  Logan shook his head. “I wish. To make things worse, whoever killed her took my fucking brand from my house, and they burned it into her shoulder.” He led Finn to the back studio.

  Finn leaned against the table. “Holy shit. So, Tad was right, and someone’s coming for all of us?”

  Logan sat on his work stool. “Yeah. I walked out this morning and found a little card on my car. It had the symbol for Aquarius. I ignored it and went ahead to her house. I was going to break up with her because—well, it’s complicated, but when I got there, Lidia was dead. I’ve never seen anything so horrible.”

  Finn stared at the concrete floor like he was in a daze. “It’s karma. For what we did to that girl. She’s getting us all back.” He looked up and met Logan’s eyes. “You think Bay really has something to do with this like Hannah said? I mean, I know he’s a crazy bastard, but I just can’t see him doing this shit now. He’s successful. The whole Carpe Fortuna ideal worked for him.”

  Logan shook his head. “I don’t know. I think it’s someone else, but all I know is, I’m not going out like Tad. If whoever this is wants me dead, they’ll have to fucking kill me.”

  “I hear you, man. It makes me want to get back to California for sure.”

  “What the fuck are you waiting on, man?” Logan asked. “You should go.”

  “Look, about the project,” Finn said. “In light of all of this, I’m not sure we can continue. I don’t want you to have to worry about it.”