Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 74315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
He captured my mouth, kissing me wetly before he ripped his mouth from mine. “I love you too, you crazy girl.”
“Hey!” I said indignantly.
He grinned unrepentantly, and dropped me to the bed before exiting it.
Walking to the bathroom backwards he said, “I’d suggest you get cleaned up. Come has a very distinctive smell. And I guarantee you that every one of the men we came with would be able to smell it on you.”
I grinned. “Maybe we’ll save that for some time when we’re not with your family.”
I followed him into the bathroom, and took a very long, very sexy shower with him.
One that had lots and lots of soaping involved.
Though, I was squeaky clean afterward.
Especially my breasts.
***
“Why are your parents staying at a hotel when they live here?” I asked curiously.
Miller smiled. “So they can be near us. The last time we were down here, we all stayed in a hotel, and mom and dad stayed at their place outside of the city. We didn’t see them anywhere near as much as we would’ve liked.”
I nodded as we walked hand in hand down the hall. We came up short, though, when none other than Officer Tony DeRoy walked off the elevator that we were trying to enter.
“What are you doing here?” Miller asked suspiciously.
“I need your woman to look through some pictures for me. That alright with you?” Tony asked Miller.
Miller shook his head in exasperation. “You don’t have shit.”
Tony nodded. “This isn’t about her anymore. We have a suspect.”
“A suspect?” Miller said shortly. “Who?”
Miller led the way back to our room, opening it widely to allow Tony and me in, before closing it firmly behind him.
Tony laid out his pictures, and both Miller and I walked up to the table warily.
There was only one person in each of the photos. The one where I could actually see the woman’s face since the other one only showed a person with their hood pulled up high over their head.
The blonde woman had a hideous amount of makeup and too-tight jeans that made her look awful. The sky-high high heels weren’t any better. Not to mention she was startlingly familiar, although I couldn’t tell you who she was.
“I don’t remember seeing her in the bathroom, but there’s something about her that seems so familiar. Maybe if I could see her hair, and a better picture of her, I could tell you. But right now, she just looks like she needs to find a mirror.”
Tony and Miller both snorted.
“Alright, well this is officially our suspect. This is who we believe did it. She’s the one that went in just after you did. Faris followed right after her. Like literally thirty seconds after her. This woman spent almost as long in there as you did, and came back out wearing a pair of black yoga pants, black shoes, and a gray hoodie,” Tony sighed. “She had a large backpack with her, big enough to hold her clothes and belongings, too.”
“If you’ve had her all along, why’d you immediately think it was Mercy?” Miller asked warily.
Tony shrugged. “Timing and motive, mostly.”
“Well, whatever the reason, just know I don’t appreciate it, and the next time you talk to her, we’ll have a lawyer present,” Miller growled.
“Noted,” Tony said, offering his hand. “Safe flight home, man.”
Miller took it. “You watch your six at work. Keep us informed, please.”
Tony nodded, and we watched him leave.
I had a feeling, though, that it wasn’t anywhere near being over.
At least we could go home later this afternoon with the rest of them, though.
***
We arrived home eight hours later, tired, exhausted, and wary.
The police allowed me to go home since they couldn’t pin the murder on me, but they had told me to ‘stay in contact’ in case they had any questions.
I’d, of course, agreed. Miller had been pissed. In fact, he was so pissed, that he’d hired a lawyer, at James’ recommendation, while we were on the return flight home. Some man that was supposedly a very good lawyer, and could advise us on what we should do next.
The return flight hadn’t been anywhere near as fun as the way there had been.
They’d figured out that if they gave Trance a sleeping pill the moment he started for the airport, he’d be asleep the entire flight home. Which he was.
The rest had slept, trying to recuperate from their crazy week in Vegas.
Miller and I had both pretended to be asleep. Both of us too lost in our own worlds to worry about trying to talk about things that had no consequence.
As we walked up the walk to my house, a sudden impending feeling of doom hit me the moment I saw the man waiting for us on the porch.
“Can I help you?” I asked the man.
He was in his forties with glasses and graying hair. He was fairly bland in appearance, but his eyes were a nearly translucent shade of brown.
He smiled at me sadly. “Yes, sorry. I was just waiting to see if anybody arrived this time.”
“This time?” Miller asked.
The man nodded. “Yes, this time. I’ve been trying to reach the owner of this residence for about four days now. Are you the owner?” He asked, pinning his eyes on me.
I swallowed, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Mercy Shepherd?” He clarified.
I nodded again. “That’s me.”
He nodded, and walked down the steps towards us, a brown manila envelope in his hands about a half inch thick. “You’ve been served. Twice.”
Chapter 19
I’m tired of getting fucked in ways that don’t end in an orgasm. Let’s just say I’m not taking it up the ass anymore.
-Miller’s secret thoughts
Mercy
“What the ever-loving fuck is this? Some sort of vile convention of sick, fucked up people that paired up and started taking out all their problems on us?” I yelled loudly, arms waving frantically.
Miller wrapped his arm around my waist, hand going to rest just underneath my shirt, against my belly. “Linda wants something, and she’s trying to prove it by doing this.”
“How’d she even know I was pregnant?” I hissed. “And who did she fuck to get them to call in the bank loan on my house…and my business?”