Chapter Eleven

 

 

Declyn was waiting on the bed for her when she came out the bathroom. She was wearing a nightgown that stopped mid thigh. He looked so relaxed making her feel even more nervous. It was one thing for him to spend the night with her but now she was in his home, his domain.

“We’re just going to sleep.”

Damn, didn’t he want her?

And you accuse us of driving you crazy.

You’re not ready to sleep with him, but he should want to sleep with you.

If he’s a gentleman, then you wonder what’s wrong with him.

You don’t get to have it both ways.

Ignoring the voices in her head, she went and sat on the bed beside him.

“It’s been a long day. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired.”

She smiled at him feeling a little better. “Is it hard to have me in your bed but not touch me?”

“Yes. I want to make love to you, but more than that I want you to trust me as well as desire me.”

“It hasn’t been long, but I have to admit the more time I spend with you, the more I want to touch you.” She got up and went to the corner and opened a suitcase pulling out the canvas she placed in there when she came back.

She opened the canvas and laid it out flat on the bed.

“That’s my mom. She gave this to me about three weeks before she disappeared. They said she died. I buried somebody but in the end, I never felt like the person in the casket was my mom. It sounds crazy, or at least it does to me.

“She told me he was her mate and although she didn’t want to leave me everything would be fine. I would find my mate on Earth.”

Her mother was standing in what looked like the city of the future, she was holding hands with a male who wasn’t human.

“How was I supposed to take this seriously? There are vehicles flying and look at the man. His skin shines like it’s made out of pearls and his eyes are black. Then I look at my mom, she looks so happy and in love. Then she was gone, this is all I have of her. That’s why I hid it. I knew if it was found that someone would jump to the wrong conclusion.” She looked down at the canvas and smiled. “You can see where I get my artistic ability from.”

“I think you should frame it and hang it up.”

“You do?”

“I do.” He ran his hand over it and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, for a moment I had a feeling that I forgot something.” He gave himself a shake then let it go. “Pick a room, you could make this picture the focal point.”

“Someone is trying to keep me again.” She gave him a lopsided grin.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure.” She got up and put that canvas back up so that it would be safe. This time she didn’t think before climbing into the bed with him. “I could get used to this.”

She snuggled down in his arms and went to sleep.

 

She swung at the alarm clock trying to hit the snooze button, but it kept ringing.

“It can’t be morning yet.” She opened one eye to see Declyn handing her the phone. It stopped ringing and then started again. Her face turned up to look at him with a frown before she answered it.

“Hello.”

“Ms. Morris?”

“Speaking.”

“Sorry to bother you so late at night. This is Detective Baker.”

She looked at Declyn who was now frowning.

“Detective Baker I’m going to place you on speaker.”

“That’s fine.”

“How can I help you?”

“I need you to come down to your apartment building.”

“Detective, I’m giving up the lease tomorrow…later today when I can call the management office.”

“I understand that, but I need you to come down now. There are some questions that need to be answered, I believe that this will be the best place to talk.”

“Can’t it wait until the morning?”

“No.”

Declyn nodded his head yes.

“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Ms. Morris, I’ll be waiting for you.” She hung up the phone and tried to wake up.

“It’s almost two a.m. in the morning what could he want?”

“We’ll find out.” He climbed out the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee.

She shook her head he looked damn good in his jeans and tee. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee and ran the comb through her hair. When you need four more hours before you looked good. She looked in the mirror and laughed at herself.

“Fire I believe something happened after we left the apartment and whatever it is can’t be good.”

She shivered he was right, but she wanted it to be over.

“Why do you say that?”

“The detective was working a day shift. Why would he be at your apartment in the middle of the night unless he was called in? He wouldn’t have been called in for what we reported earlier. He seems fairly competent so he would have checked that out hours ago which means something new has happened.”

Her stomach dropped. He was right, whatever it was she wasn’t going to like it.”

“Are you driving?” Her hands were shaking too much to want to drive.

“Yes, but let’s take your car.”

She turned to look at him.

“They have the make and model of your car as well as the license plate. I don’t want to add a new car to their investigation. This way when we take my car no one will be on the lookout for us.”

“I really like the way you think.” She handed him the keys before she got in the passenger seat.

“I’ve been doing this a long time. I always start out with the question what’s the best way to keep everyone alive.”

She gave him a weak smile but refused to feel sorry for him. He wouldn’t like it. He took care of everyone, but who took care of him?

It’s thoughts like that, that will get us in trouble.

We can’t stay. There’s maniac after us.

How do you know he’s a maniac?

Because we’re as American as apple pie. If he can’t see that it makes him a maniac.

She had to agree with the voices she was as American as apple pie. All she wanted was to make her dreams come true. The nice house with the picket fence. A husband with a cat and a dog and two point five children. She shivered the thought of half a child freaked her out.

“You parked out front.”

“They’re expecting us, and I want to make sure they know we have nothing to hide.”

They got out the car and walked to the entrance where an officer was standing. He was tall and didn’t seem to be too interested in what was going on around him.

“Can I help you?”

“Detective Baker called and asked me to come down. He is waiting for me in my apartment.”

“You can come, but he will have to wait here.”

“No.” The officer turned around to look at him. This time he realized just how tall the male in front of him was as well as how wide.

“Detective Baker didn’t mention anything about you bringing someone with you.”

“Then call him. She’s going nowhere without me.” Declyn wrapped an arm around her as they stared at the officer.

“Johnson, come watch Ms. Morris and her friend.” He walked away pulling out a phone while Johnson came over to watch them. He noted how Declyn was holding her close and backed up a few steps.

“I wouldn’t want my girlfriend to come to a scene of a crime alone, either.”

“Thanks, Johnson. Both of you can come up.” He led them into the building and towards the elevator.

“We will be taking the steps.”

The officer glared at Declyn before he led them to the stairwell. He mumbled about them under his breath before he started panting and needing to save his breath for the stairs. He escorted them to the door and then made his way to the elevator.

“Ms. Morris, Mr. Lupe sorry to bring you out so late at night. One of your neighbors reported a disturbance in your apartment. When it was checked out, I was called in. What you're about to see is not nice, but I needed to get your opinion on what took place.”

“What took place?”

He opened the door wide and invited them in. Fire stopped after crossing the threshold. On the wall written in big red letters were the words, you’re next.

“I don’t understand.” Her hand was covering her mouth as she looked at the detective.

Declyn moved her so that he could enter the apartment. He eyed the wall then looked around the apartment until he saw what was lying on the floor.

He closed the door behind him and pulled her into his arms.

“Declyn?”

“Look at the floor.”

She swept the floor with her eyes until she stopped at the body that was lying there.

“Oh, my…” Her hand went over her mouth as she tried to keep her stomach from coming up through her throat.

She turned and buried her face in his chest trying to keep her composure.

“What happened here?”

“We’re still working on that. I was hoping that Ms. Morris may be able to help us.”

“How? I wasn’t here?” She was crying and shivering as she thought about the person dead on her floor. Who could have done this? Who would have wanted to? “Is that what the wall means? Are they planning on killing me next?”

“Ms. Morris, did you know the victim?”

“What do you mean did I know her?”

“I know this isn’t what you expected but could you take a look at her?”

Declyn moved her closer.

“It’s a female. Whoever did this wanted me to know they don’t care about my gender they will kill me.” Her voice was low. Her body was numb, and her words were barely clearing her lips.

She took a quick look and turned her head. “I don’t know her.”

“Are you sure?”

Why wouldn’t he stop? Of course, she was sure. How could she know someone who was dead? This is unreal, her breathing was coming faster as beads of sweat dripped down her face. She began to shiver.

“Safire, you can do this.” His eyes looked at her giving her confidence. She straightened her shoulders. He thought she was Alpha, no reason to disappoint him so soon.

She licked her lips before she turned around to look one more time. The woman was homeless, she could tell by the way she was dressed. It was hard to look at her face because she had been beaten to make her harder to identify. She was shaking her head no when she caught the corner of a necklace.

“Could I see that necklace?” Whose voice was that because it didn’t sound like hers?

One of the officers with gloves on gently uncovered it. She bent over crying before she started screaming no. Declyn picked her up and held her close.

“If you have any other questions you can ask them in the hall.” He carried her out of the apartment. The detective followed them out.

He ran his hand up and down her back until she was done crying. She lifted her face to him. Her eyes were red, and sadness lingered over her.

“I can’t believe she’s dead. Who would do this to her? She’s was such a beautiful person. There was so much pain in her life, but she never hurt anyone. I want to leave.”

“I know Alpia, but first you have to tell the detective what you know.”

She nodded her head. “You can put me down.”

Ignoring the detective, she looked at Declyn. “Do you remember when I told you I use to be a street vendor trying to sell my paintings?”

“I remember.”

“That’s when I met Cathy. She came up to me and told me she admired my gift. She worked as a secretary in a building close to where I would have my stand. We started talking, and she came around more and more until we formed a friendship. She had a husband and a two-year-old that she adored. I even went to their house for dinner. She used to try and drum up business for me. Several of my painting are in the building she used to work in.

“When her baby, Leo, got sick they thought he had a cold. It got worse I still remember her telling me how she sat in the E.R with him waiting to be called back. They were going to send him home but she refused, and they hospitalized him. The medicine they gave him didn’t work, and soon they were looking for something besides a virus to explain his condition. It turned out it was a virus that attacked his heart and several other muscles. He was dying, and there was nothing she could do.

“I went to the funeral. I’ve never felt as helpless as I did on that day. She went downhill. It was like she didn’t want to live anymore. She and her husband got a divorce, she quit her job and soon she was homeless. I think it was the only thing that gave her peace. She worked with families that lived on the street, helped them get back on their feet, but she didn’t want to leave the streets. I brought her food, gave her money. I spent time with her every week. The only person who knew about her was Deja.”

She stopped her eyes narrowing. “That means if someone knew about our connection they would have to be watching me.”

She advanced on the detective. “It was Ron it had to be. Why haven’t you arrested him?”

“Calm down Ms. Morris we’re looking for him.”

“You call me, get me out of bed so I could see my friend's dead body and you tell me to calm down.” She was shouting not caring who was asleep.

“Why am I here? Did you think I did this to my friend? Are you accusing me of being a murderer?”

“I have to look at each potential suspect, and this is your apartment.”

“I bet if I were rich and white I’d be downtown in some fancy room with people flocking over me saying it would be alright. What next detective?”

“Don’t leave town. I’ll call you if we need more details or another statement.”

She looked at him about to speak when she turned to look at Declyn. “Can we go now?”

He nodded and led her to the steps.