Shadow of Perception (35 page)

“Seriously? My eight-year-old stepdaughter could lift that thing out of here. You know what? I’m done with this. Get the hell out of here. I’m cancelling the appointment.”

As Roth turned to jump out of the van, Michael hit him over the head with the bat. Roth dropped to the floorboard. Unfortunately still conscious, Roth moaned and writhed between the seats. Michael took the syringe from his pocket and stabbed Roth in the neck. Once he sent every drop of the sedative into the man’s veins, he quickly restrained Roth with duct tape, then climbed over him and into the driver’s seat.

He glanced at Roth’s house and realized the man had left the back door open. Not wanting to draw alarm should his wife come home, or a neighbor stop by, Michael raced up to Roth’s back stoop, closed the door, then ran back to the van.

After he started the ignition, he drove out of the narrow driveway, then onto the quiet street. When he reached the intersection, he stopped at the red light before making a right turn, and heading toward the freeway on ramp. As he momentarily idled at the stoplight, a car approached from across the intersection, then stopped.
 

Anxiety tore through his stomach. Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he clenched his jaw. As he made the turn, he looked into his review mirror just as the light turned green and a black Trans Am sped through the intersection.

 
Chapter 19

Eden stroked Fabio’s soft hair, while Brutal snuggled on her lap. A sense of hopelessness, dread and foreboding ran through her mind and body. They’d been too late. The killer, once again, had been one step ahead of them.
 

Pocketing his cell phone, Hudson entered her living room, then sat on the couch next to her. As Brutal crawled from her lap into his, he said, “Stop beating yourself up, we don’t know for sure that the killer took Roth. Could be the guy is out with his family.”

“No. Roth’s gone.”

“Are your sister’s psychic powers rubbing off on you?”

Pinching his leg, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Try a gut feeling. Thank you very much.”

He sent her a tired smile, then used his thumb and forefinger to rub his eyes. “The killer said the next DVD would be on your doorstep Monday. It’s Saturday. I guess it’s possible he’d kidnapped Roth already, but that would mean he’s killing these guys back to back.” He dropped his hand, then began petting Brutal. “The guy’s got to be exhausted.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He’s driving at least two hours to Chicago to kidnap these doctors, driving another two to wherever he performs his surgeries, kills the victims, then turns around and drives back to Chicago to drop the DVD. Either he’s a machine or he’s running on caffeine and hate.”

Eden considered the killer’s state of physical and emotional exhaustion, and became optimistic. “If he’s tired, he might slip up.”

“Doubtful. Even if he does, this is his last kill. He could feed Roth’s body to the dogs or whatever, then disappear off the grid. Considering he’s willingly exposed himself to you with his DVDs, and has always been one step ahead of us, I’m guessing he has a solid plan of escape.”

She gave Fabio a final pat, then stood and began pacing. “We have to do something. I can’t stand just sitting around, waiting for something to happen.”

 
“We
are
doing something. We’ve left a message for Roth’s wife to call us, and Rachel is pulling up everything she can on Cosmetic Solutions and Med Spa.”

“I know,” she said, and hugged herself. “I’m just so damned frustrated. I can’t believe Bob blew you off.” Because she’d been blackballed by the Chicago police, she’d asked Hudson to call Detective Bob Mallory. Now that Tully had been kidnapped, and CORE had plenty of evidence of foul play against the other two victims, she’d been certain Bob would want to become involved with their investigation.
 

“He didn’t necessarily blow me off. He’s all over the Dread murders right now. Besides, he said he’d forward our info to the lead detective working the Tully kidnapping.”

“Who’s the detective?”

“Ron Vincent.”

“That guy will never call you back.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“He’s one of those guys who doesn’t like outside help.” She’d seen Vincent in action, when she’d been reporting a story about a woman who had been kidnapping, then selling kids to people looking to adopt. When the FBI had stepped in, Vincent had done everything in his power to thwart their efforts. In the end, while all of the kids had been recovered, the woman had disappeared without a trace. “Trust me. We’re on our own.”

Pacing again, she asked, “Did you give Rachel my suggestion?” She’d recommended they focus on Med Spa’s clientele. Considering the killer’s focus had been on the doctors from Med Spa, maybe one of the two women the killer had spoken of, or perhaps both, had had plastic surgery through the medical group.
 

“Yes. She’s working on it now. Although Med Spa has been closed for the past six or so years, they still have a website. She said it hasn’t been updated since the place closed, but she somehow hooked into the server Med Spa had used. All of Med Spa’s data is on this server, their financials, the list of their former clients. Anyway, she said it might take a while to…hell, I don’t know what she called it. According to Rachel, I’m technically challenged, so I’m not going to pretend I know how she’s working her magic.”

“Technically challenged,” she repeated with a chuckle, then shrugged. “I’m right there with you. I’m just happy that she’s able to work any magic at all. With the privacy laws, I was worried she wouldn’t be able to find any information on Med Spa’s clients.”

He grinned. “One would think, but apparently those laws don’t apply to Rachel. Anyway, she said she’d email the list once the download is finished. Could be one hour, could be five.”

Dropping her arms, she realized Hudson was right. They were doing all that they could for the time being. Still, she hated to sit and wait.
 

Yes, she could find something to do. Calling her realtor back would be one thing, responding to her agent, another. But doing those two things would only aggravate and frustrate her more. She didn’t want to think about leaving Hudson. With the way he sat on her couch, cuddling Brutal, all she wanted to think about was them. They did have time to kill. Maybe she should bring up the move to New York. Ask him how he felt about her leaving Chicago.

Or maybe she should take a shower. Although avoiding the inevitable wasn’t usually her style, with the way the day had been going, she didn’t want to make it any worse. She loved Hudson, and honestly wasn’t ready for any answers he might have for her. If she brought up the move and he told her to keep in touch, she’d be more than devastated. She’d be heartbroken.
 

After taking a chance and opening up her heart and soul to him, she didn’t think she was ready for the foreseeable rejection. He had a life and job here. While she’d been honest with him about her past, she hadn’t had the courage to tell him she loved him. He hadn’t said the words either. Even if he did love her, would that love be enough to sacrifice his career for her? The bigger question, did she love him enough to sacrifice hers?

She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. “Well, if we have to wait, I might as well do it clean. I’m going to take a shower.”

Setting Brutal on the couch, he stood, then moved toward her with a sexy swagger that had her heart rate climbing. He settled his big palms on her hips. “A shower sounds good,” he said, his voice thick, husky.

The sudden intensity in his gaze caused an instant ache between her thighs. She curled her fingers into his shirt, and brought him closer. “I don’t remember inviting you,” she teased, while conjuring the image of his slick, hard, naked body rubbing along hers.

Running a hand through her hair, he released her ponytail and massaged the back of her head. “I can wash your hair,” he suggested, and kissed her temple.

“Mmm. That might be nice,” she murmured, and loving the way he kneaded her scalp, she let her eyes close.

With his other hand, he squeezed her butt, then dipped his fingers between her thighs. “Very nice,” he whispered into her ear, before nipping her earlobe.
 

The little sting sent a shiver of anticipation through her body.
 

“Cold?” he asked as he placed soft kisses along her neck and jaw. When his mouth was a hair’s breadth away from hers, he curved his lips into a sexy grin. “I can think of a few ways to warm you up.”

She burst out laughing, and cupped his face. Still smiling she said, “Seriously cheesy. Do these lines of yours usually work with the ladies?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried them before.”

“Oh? So you’ve been saving them for me?”

He ran his hand over her breast, and gave her nipple a light squeeze. “That depends on whether or not it’s working.”

“Yeah, it’s working,” she said, her breath hitching as he manipulated her nipple with sensual finesse. With the exception of Hudson, every man she’d ever dated, or who had tried to date her, had been very polished metrosexuals. Successful businessmen who had spent equal amounts of time at the office as they had the gym and salon. While a couple of these men had been appealing, none of them could compare to Hudson. With his sense of humor and honest charm, he’d captivated her mind, heart and body from the start. And she loved his cheesy lines. She loved that he wasn’t afraid to use them, to be himself around her. She loved that he didn’t try to be anything more than Hudson Patterson, a trustworthy, honorable and incredibly sexy man.
 

When he began to move his hands under her sweatshirt, she pulled away. Gaze locked on his, she removed the sweatshirt, then dangled it from her fingertips. “I can use some help washing more than my hair.” She cupped her breast, then slid her palm down her stomach to between her legs. “I’m feeling
very
dirty,” she added, and tried to keep from grinning. She could bring on the Velveeta, too.
 

Another slow, sexy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His eyes heated and darkened to gunmetal gray as he swept his gaze from her black, lacy bra to the hand she rubbed along her sex. He took a step forward. “I like dirty,” he said, his voice oozing with raw sex.
 

“Oh?” She slid the yoga pants over her hips, then kicked them onto the hardwood floor. Wearing only the black bra and matching thong, she headed down the hall. When she reached the bedroom door, she turned. “Then maybe I should forget about the shower,” she said over her shoulder.

Before she took another step, he was behind her, palming her breast with one hand, while pressing her hip against his erection with the other. “I promised I’d wash your hair,” he murmured against her neck. “And I always keep my promises.”

Hudson released her breast and hip, then turned her to face him. “Take off your bra and panties.”

Eyes bright with excitement, she took a step back, and reached behind her. Her breasts thrusting forward, she slowly let the lace bra slip to the floor. Keeping her eyes on his, she turned, hooked her fingers around the thong. With an exaggerated sway of her hips, she bent and slid them down to her ankles, giving him a tantalizing view of her perfect ass.
 

Still fully clothed, he kept his eyes on her tempting backside and waited for her next move. He loved the way she teased him. Sex between them had never been a problem, and had always been hot and explosive, but never, like now, playful. While he loved hot and explosive, he
really
loved playful. He’d told her he’d never used his dumb lines on a woman, and had meant it. Never having been comfortable enough to let his guard down and simply be himself, he’d always gone the route of the badass lover. With Eden, he could be himself. He could play, laugh…love.

She finally turned. The hunger, the desire and the honest affection in her eyes had his heart jumping and his dick throbbing. And he knew. Knew without a doubt that he wanted to look into those eyes every day for the rest of his life. He wanted to experience every form of passion and pleasure with Eden. Not only physically, but emotionally.
 

Man, did other guys think like this? He didn’t know, and at this point, he didn’t care.
 

He was in love with Eden.
 

And she was completely naked.
   

She cocked her head and eyed him. “You’re a little overdressed, don’t you think?”

Sucking in a breath as she moved toward him, he nodded. He’d been ready to say…something. Something sexy, or fun, or whatever, but her nearness, her nakedness, and the wicked, mischievous gleam in her eyes had him tongue-tied.

“We should rectify that, don’t you think?” she asked as she slipped a finger through his belt buckle.
 

In record time, she had his belt undone, and his zipper down. She glided her hands inside his jeans, captured his boxer briefs, then tugged. His dick bobbed as his clothes puddled around his ankles. As he kicked them toward the bed, she pushed his shirt over his head, then tossed it to the floor.
 

 
Her gaze moved over his chest, then down his stomach, and settled on his erection. “
Much
better,” she murmured as she dropped to her knees.