The Killing Ground: A Foxx Files Thriller (16 page)

She shakes her head and screams into my hand. The answer is always the same. They never know I am coming for them. She won't know until it is too late.
This is all for you, my sweet wife.
I tell her time and time again. I wonder if somewhere in the night, she senses the chill of evil and shivers without knowing why. 

I pull her into the alley, my eyes and ears constantly on the alert. She is strong. She is fighting so bravely for the life I have not yet begun to take. I throw her roughly into a wall, and the blow to the head stuns her, and for a moment, she goes limp in my arms. This is all the opportunity I need to push her into the ground.

She is on her back now, her eyes wild with fear. She shakes her head from side-to-side, the unevenness of the concrete below cutting into her scalp. But she doesn’t feel it. The only thing she feels now is the urge to fight. She knees me in the bottom and I pitch forward, teetering just above her. It is in this moment when our eyes meet, that she recognizes the hunter and confusion alters her features.

I smile evilly and push back up on my haunches. It is then that she sees the glint of steel in my right hand and perhaps feels how hard I am against her distended belly. A low, guttural laugh escapes my lips, and she realizes I am no human. I am a madman. She starts to claw at my body, trying to reach my face, but I capture her hands against her body and send her a look of warning. She stills immediately, perhaps finding somewhere in the recesses of her mind, some ill advice not to fight your attacker. Tonight is the night she should have fought.

I rip her pants away exposing the white flesh beneath and my erection dances wildly. She is still quiet, fearing what will happen to her. One last bit of fight awakens somewhere inside and she starts to writhe beneath me. This sudden movement against me evokes memories long laid to rest, and the faintest sound of laughter teases at my subconscious from far off. Visions of her body underneath mine, her legs wrapped around me, pulling me closer as I drive into her, bringing her to climax.

A blow to my head wakes me from the dream. I am momentarily dazed and not sure what I am doing. But the voice, the voice is there to remind me and with renewed fury, I loosen my own pants and release my aching hardness. There is no slowness tonight. All my moves are done with angry deliberation now. I shove myself inside her roughly, and she screams into my hand. There is no one around to hear, no one to save her.

I pause briefly and look into her wide eyes. It is time. She has to pay for her sins. I run the knife across her neck and as the first drops of blood mingle with the night air, I release a primal howl and punish the woman beneath me. It is over too quickly, and although a sense of calm has taken over, I feel empty. There is just one more thing to do. One small thing to ease the ache that her leaving has left.

She must pay the ultimate price. What God has given, let no man take away. I laugh at this simple, misguided adage. For God didn’t give to me. No, he took away. He took everything, and now as my recompense, he has sent me to take her confession. To gather her sacrifice, her atonement for her sins.

I pull away from her and caress the mound beneath me. There is no movement, only hardness, and as I cut away the last of her gift, the anger subsides. I wait for the voice, but it doesn’t come. I am alone in this part. I pull the life from within her and wrap it carefully in a small blanket. One less life lived in sin. I’m saving you, can’t you see that?

He is too small to understand, though, and the corners of my mouth curve up slightly. It is done. I brush my hand over her eyes and close them mercifully. I wipe the knife on a cloth and pull my gloves off. I put them in an open dumpster and slip the small bundle under my coat. I leave the alley, altered in some fashion that I can’t quite put my finger on yet.

A small grain of doubt has started to take seed somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind. I cannot put my finger on it exactly. It is enough to make me wonder when I will be called upon for my atonement. This time when I shiver, it has nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the inevitability of my demise.

Chapter 17

Jordan rubbed her eyes and squinted against the morning sun peeking through her blinds. She felt a slight tingling in her arm and realized it was pinned against the bed. She smiled at the woman sleeping beside her. Amazing what a change two months brought on.

An arm was thrown haphazardly over her stomach, and a leg was draped over her thigh. The soft warmth felt wonderful against her body, and she tried not to move for fear of rousing her. She didn’t need to worry, though, as the hand splayed over her stomach crept up slowly and teased her nipple.

“Good morning, Sunshine.”

“Morning, babe.” Jordan smiled at the emerald-green eyes peeking out from behind masses of wild red hair.

Rebecca snuggled closer and rested her head in the crook of Jordan’s arm. “Have you been up long?”

Jordan shook her head. “Just a minute or so.”

Rebecca’s hand worked lazy circles around Jordan’s breast and within seconds, her nipple hardened to a painful peak. “You should have gotten me up earlier.”

“Why?” Jordan choked out, her body quickly becoming aroused. Rebecca could do that to her anytime she touched her. In the two months since they had gotten together, Jordan couldn’t count the number of times a look or brief touch would send them scrambling to find a secret place where they could show each other just how much they meant to one another.

It happened rather by accident the first time. Jordan had asked Rebecca to dinner to celebrate their capture of Richard Hudson. The news was hailing the CDD as heroes for catching a cold-blooded killer, and Rebecca herself had been spotlighted as the lead investigator.

Rebecca resisted at first, a last attempt to keep her relationship with Jordan on a professional level. But then Jordan had done the one thing that broke down her defenses. She kissed her. One kiss and all the desire that Rebecca had tried to keep buried came rushing to the surface. In one moment, she went from cold and reserved to hot and bothered. Jordan took care of rest. And the rest, as Jordan liked to say, was history.

“I was hoping we would have time to shower together this morning.” The sexy lilt of Rebecca’s voice coupled with the hand that was moving down Jordan’s stomach, and through the tight curls between her legs erased all possibility of rational thought.

Jordan stilled Rebecca’s hand. “You sure? Jury selec…”

Rebecca slid her finger into Jordan’s warm center, effectively shutting her up. “Believe me, I remember exactly what today is. But I would really like to forget about it for a minute before I have to face it.”

Jordan arched her hips and met Rebecca’s hand. “How could I say no to that face?” She caught Rebecca’s chin between her thumb and forefinger and brought her face to hers. Jordan captured Rebecca’s lips against hers and kissed her softly. “And since you ask so sweetly, I think we have time for both.”

Rebecca grinned lasciviously. She moved her hand and slid her body onto Jordan’s, settling her hips between Jordan’s legs. Her stomach moved against Jordan’s distended clit and Rebecca felt Jordan jump beneath her body. “A bit wound up are we? I think I need to take care of my baby.”

Rebecca pulled Jordan’s bottom lip into her mouth and sucked it softly, eliciting a small groan of approval. Her tongue delved inside, seeking Jordan’s and when she felt it against hers, she moaned. Kissing Jordan always made her hot. Her own arousal was quickly becoming hard to ignore. She pulled away and licked Jordan’s neck just below her jaw. She licked the small indention at the base of her neck, and Jordan jumped slightly.

Jordan was so sensitive there that Rebecca couldn’t help but tease her until a slight chuckle escaped from her lips. “Babe, you’re killing me.”

“Sorry.” Rebecca’s eyes twinkled, and Jordan could tell she was anything but sorry. Rebecca winked and moved lower, capturing Jordan’s nipple in her mouth. She teased it with her tongue and when it was taut, she caught it between her teeth.

Jordan arched off the bed. Rebecca knew her body, as well as she did her own now. Her nipples were very sensitive and so connected to her clit that she had gotten off just from Rebecca’s playful teasing. “You’re killing me.”

Rebecca didn’t respond with words, but the next place her mouth touched made Jordan jump off the bed. Her tongue brushed over Jordan’s aching clit and sent her body soaring. As worked up as she was, Rebecca knew it wouldn’t take long to bring Jordan to climax. She circled the tightened bud and then slid lower, delving into Jordan’s slick folds, relishing the sweet flavor of her arousal.

Jordan’s hips moved against Rebecca’s face and within moments, she felt the muscles around Rebecca’s tongue start to contract. She arched higher. “Oh fuck, yes. It feels so good.”

Rebecca smiled and pulled Jordan’s pulsating clit into her mouth. She felt it dance against her tongue, and she deftly stroked her until Jordan’s body started to convulse, the orgasm overtaking her.

Jordan gripped the sheets, her hips arching off the bed. She writhed underneath Rebecca’s mouth as wave after wave of her orgasm ebbed through her body. When the rolling pleasure finally returned her body to her, Jordan sank back into the bed, sated. She felt Rebecca’s tongue sliding through her slick folds, and her heart clenched at the thought of this woman drinking up every bit of her.

She grabbed Rebecca’s arm softly and pulled her up over her body. She smiled tenderly and kissed Rebecca, tasting herself on her lips. “As soon as I can move, how about that shower, you promised me?”

Rebecca returned her smile. “I’ll start the water.”

Somehow Jordan managed to rouse herself and joined Rebecca in the bathroom several moments later. She could see through the glass that Rebecca was starting without her. One hand was pulling at her nipple, and the other was working lazy circles around her clit. Jordan pulled the door open and pretended to frown. “Hey, that’s my job.”

Rebecca pulled Jordan into the shower and kissed her longingly. She backed up until she was against the wall and wrapped a leg around Jordan’s hip. She grabbed Jordan’s hand and slid it over her body and pushed her fingers into her throbbing core. “It’s time to go to work, darling.”

Jordan grinned mischievously and pulled her fingers out only to slide them in again. “What’s the matter, babe? You all worked up this morning? Need me to take care of you?”

Rebecca nodded. She could feel Jordan’s fingers poised against her warm center. She wrapped her arms around Jordan and pulled their bodies together. She bit her collarbone gently and whispered against her ear. “Please fuck me.”

The three words were all Jordan needed to break her bravado. She wrapped her free arm around Rebecca’s body and pulled her onto her fingers. A moan escaped from Rebecca’s mouth, and Jordan swallowed it with a passionate kiss. Normally, Jordan preferred to take her time, but as they had discovered rather soon after getting together, sometimes quick and hot was all they had time for.

Jordan’s fingers plunged inside Rebecca’s body, and her thumb stroked Rebecca’s clit deftly. She could feel Rebecca move with her, drawing her further inside her body. It was only a matter of minutes before Rebecca threw back her head. “Yes. Fuck, yes. I’m coming.”

Jordan smirked and increased the pace. That was the other thing that she had discovered rather quickly about Rebecca. She was quite loud in bed and as the screams of her orgasm filled the tiny bathroom, Jordan knew she had found the woman that she would do anything to keep.

A half an hour later, Rebecca watched Jordan rub gel through her wild hair. She ran her fingertip over her jaw line and smiled. “Have I mentioned how much I enjoy watching you get ready in the morning?”

Jordan cocked an eyebrow and smiled. “Only about a hundred times, but tell me again.”

Rebecca stepped closer, and her naked breasts brushed against Jordan’s arm. “I. Love. Watching. You. Get. Ready. In. The. Morning.” She punctuated each word with a quick kiss.

Jordan grabbed Rebecca and pulled her body flush against hers. “Keep that up and you will be watching me get ready again.”

Rebecca grinned mischievously and pulled away. She waggled her finger in Jordan’s face. “Uh-uh. Not today.”

Jordan watched her walk saucily out of the bathroom and into her closet, her naked bottom inviting a prolonged gaze. She forced her eyes back to the mirror and took a deep breath. “I think I should say I’m the lucky one when it comes to watching someone get ready.”

“What?” Rebecca’s muffled response got lost in the closet, and Jordan just shook her head. Rebecca seemed to do everything in the nude. She had told Jordan early on that she was in clothes, and uncomfortable ones at that, so much that when she was home, she didn’t want to be dressed. Jordan didn’t see a problem with that at all. Menial chores had unexpectedly taken on new life when she was with Rebecca, and food suddenly tasted better than it ever had before when prepared by a naked Rebecca.

“Hey, you want to ride in together?” They were going to the Federal Courthouse this morning for the jury selection in Richard Hudson’s trial. The judge moved the trial date up as quickly as possible. He was up for re-election, and a conviction in the Cradle Killer
case would certainly sew up the election.

When no reply came, Jordan stuck her head out of the bathroom. Rebecca was standing with her pants halfway on, her eyes fixed on the television.

“We have breaking news in the case against alleged murderer Richard Hudson. In a very unexpected turn of events, Mr. Hudson has been released from jail, and all charges have been dropped.”

“What the fuck?” Jordan grabbed the remote and turned the volume up.

“In light of the new developments in the Cradle Killer
case, Judge Thomas has dropped all the charges and released Richard Hudson. The CDD won’t comment on exactly what that new evidence is, but a source close to the CDD did confirm that Richard Hudson is no longer a suspect in the murders. Stay tuned to WXIN for further details as we will be following this developing story.”