The Surgeon’s Secrets: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance by Michelle Love, Celeste Fall (58)

They’d gone back to her house and were sitting on the porch. Sarah couldn’t believe how much had happened in such a few short days. She’d spent a blissful weekend with Isaac, making love…. fucking like animals, she grinned to herself, but now it was time to get back to reality. He needed to know about her.

She snagged two beers from the fridge and they settled in the comfortable chairs out back, watching Wilson playing with his ball in the yard. The Labrador and Isaac were already fast friends.

Isaac hadn’t pressed her after the incident at the coffee house when she’d asked him to wait until they were alone to explain. She loved him for that.

 

Now, she turned to him. She was constantly amazed that every time she looked at him, she saw something new and glorious about his handsome face. Even after such a short time, she felt he belonged in her life – and she in his.

 

“Dan was my husband. He went missing two years ago. It was a Friday, a normal workday. I was at the coffee house, Dan was at his work. Nothing was wrong, we hadn’t argued and he showed no signs of depression. All that had happened was that, two days before, I asked him, calmly, if he was having an affair. He denied it and I let it go. I got a call from the school saying he hadn’t shown up for work. I went home – and he was gone. Just gone. He’d taken the dog so I thought he’d just gone for a walk but it was odd that he hadn’t called anyone. I never saw him again. I found Wilson tied up near an abandoned lighthouse at the edge of our property, Dan’s wallet, phone and keys lined up neatly along the cliff.”

“He jumped?”

Sarah shrugged. “More like, I think he wanted to give the impression he had.”

Isaac studied her. “You sound angry more than sad.”

Sarah hesitated. “I was upset for a while but the more I thought about it…Dan wasn’t the type to kill himself. I think he wanted out and couldn’t face telling me.”

“You are pissed.”

She nodded. “We were happy when we first got married but things changed. He changed. Became…. I don’t know. It wasn’t as if we argued or he was abusive just, controlling. He got upset easily.” She sighed. “I don’t know, he might be dead for all I know.”

She studied Isaac’s expression but he looked interested with no trace of the sympathy she dreaded. “That’s rough.”

She nodded. “Anyways, I divorced him in absentia. They couldn’t find a body and we hired detectives to find him. Nothing. I’d gone from upset to pissed to - and I’m ashamed to admit this - relief.”

 

“What did he teach?”

She was startled. “Music. He taught music. When he was young he used to win prizes, all the time, for piano.”

Isaac looked behind him. “Do you have a piano here?”

She nodded. “In the drawing room.”

“Do you play?”

She nodded. “But not since.”

“I understand.”

A somber mood had fallen and Sarah felt uncomfortable. “I would have told you, I promise. I just thought it might be too soon and I didn’t want to presume, and I didn’t want to burst the bubble I’ve been in since we met.”

Isaac reached out and pulled her onto his lap. “I get it. This is all new. But, Sarah, listen. I’m in this. I want “us”. I’ve never felt this connection with anyone before. If you’ll let me, I want to give you everything he never could. You deserve all the love in the world.”

Her eyes filled at his words and she pressed her lips to his. “I’m in this too,” she whispered against his mouth and felt his mouth curve up in a smile.

“Good.” He stood, lifting her with him and carried her into the house. “Guess what we’re going to do now?”

 

Upstairs, he laid her gently on the bed and began to unbutton the front of her dress, pushing the soft cotton aside to expose her bare skin, pressing his lips down on the velvety silkiness. He popped the front clasp of her bra and let her full breasts into his hands, plumping them, taking each nipple into his mouth, his tongue teasing, his teeth grazing them until he felt them harden. He kissed down the line of her stomach, circled the deep hollow of her navel with his tongue, feeling her belly quiver and contract under his touch.

 

His fingers slid under the sides of her panties and he slowly pulled them down, kissing the soft mound above her sex then, as his mouth found her clit, his tongue lashing around it, he felt Sarah’s body tense and her breath quicken. God, she tasted like heaven as he plunged his tongue deep inside her, listening to her moan of pleasure. His cock lay hard against his stomach and soon he was clambering up her body, needing to be inside her. Her legs clamped around his waist, his cock, rigid under the sheer weight and length of it, nudged at her opening then slide all the way in, right to the root. His hips rotated, thrusting as deep as he could into her, his mouth covering hers, his tongue massaging hers. Sarah moaned, a shuddering velvety sound and Isaac smiled down at her.

 

“I love fucking you, beautiful Sarah….”

In reply, she tilted her hips up, taking him in deeper, her fingers twisting in his dark curls, her cunt hungrily squeezing and contracting around his cock. Their eyes locked as Isaac began to thrust harder, faster, ramming mercilessly into her, urged on by her cries and moans.

 

He came explosively, his entire body jerking with the force of the semen being pumped from him, shooting deep inside her. His mind was a delirious whirl, consumed by her, the silky skin, and the heady scent of her, her beauty. He murmured her name over and over as she came, his fingers rubbing her clit as his still hard cock plunged in and out of her. She shuddered and cried out as she came and he gathered her to him as they caught their breath.

“Sarah…beautiful, beautiful Sarah…”

There were tears in her eyes and he brushed them away. “What is it, love? Is everything all right?”

She nodded, smiling through her tears. “Everything’s perfect, Isaac, it’s just….I never knew it could be like this, I never knew I could be this happy…”

Isaac brushed his lips over hers. “I know, baby, I know. I’m falling for you, Sarah Bailey, falling so, so hard…”

 

He sat in his car, watching Sarah through the big windows at the front of the coffee shop. She looked happy, her dark hair messy, her cheeks flushed as she flitted around, chatting to the customers. Her smile made his stomach twist with desire. The pretty white blouse she wore rode up every time she reached for something from the coffee shop’s shelves, he noticed. He imagined the delicate cotton soaking through with her blood, her dusky skin cleaving under his blade.

 

She’d been fucking that rich asshole for weeks now and looked so happy, so radiant it made his prick harden and twitch. He wanted her in his bed, fucking her into submission, before finally ending it the only way that it could end…

By killing her.

 

“Hey, geek.”

Sarah, mired in accounts and bored out of her mind, looked up and saw Finn coming into the coffee house, obviously ducking out of work to come see her and she was grateful for the interruption. She shoved her glasses up her nose and studied him. His police uniform was crumpled as if he’d been sleeping in it.

“Hey, weirdo.” She automatically poured a large Americano for him, sliding across the counter. He grinned his thanks and took a huge slug.

“How’s the boyfriend? Gotta say, I like him.”

Sarah beamed at him. “I’m glad.”

“A definite upgrade.”

Sarah peered over the top of her glasses at him and tried to look disapproving. “Finn…”

Finn shrugged unrepentantly. “Truth, sorry. He’s treating you well, yes?”

She nodded, feeling uncomfortable. Since Dan’s disappearance, Finn had often alluded to the fact he’d never really liked her husband and had never thought him worthy of her. Something came back to her; Isaac asking why and Finn had never hooked up. She pushed the thought away. That wasn’t why Finn had disliked Dan… was it?

She found that she couldn’t look him in the eye then.

“Yes, he is. Actually, we’re going to his place in the city for a few nights.”

“Nice.”

“Yep.”

“Hey, you know how much this guy’s worth?”

She frowned at him. “None of my business – or yours either, Finn Jewell.”

He grinned. “Hey, the info’s right there on the internet. Besides, as a cop and your friend, I had to check him out. Don’t worry…” He added hurriedly as she opened her mouth to complain, “Squeaky clean. Guy’s worth seven-hundred billion, though.”

“Finn! I don’t want to know that.” Sarah clamped her hands over her ears. She really didn’t need to know that; it was bad enough that she couldn’t hope to be on equal financial terms with Isaac, let alone knowing exactly what the difference was.

Finn chuckled. “Relax, I’m kidding. More like half of that.”

Sarah reached over and picked up a muffin, lobbing it at her friend. “Shut. Up.”

Finn caught the cake and took a big bite of it. “Thanks. Seriously, though, bubba, I am happy for you.”

She hugged him. “If only you could be as happy.”

 

Finn rolled his eyes. “That is entirely of my making, Bubs. And mine to sort out.”

Sarah chewed on her lip, wondering whether to tell him about the letters. Caroline was the only one who hated her enough to send them, the only person she knew was spiteful enough. She and Caroline had loathed each other since childhood; Caroline had been a bully even then and when the headstrong Sarah had failed to bow down to her playground majesty, Caroline had made her a target.

But she didn’t want to give Finn more stress. She smiled at him. “One day, I know you’ll be happy. I just know it.”

Finn finished his coffee and gave her a high-five. “From your lips to God’s ears, sweetheart. Better go, poorly performed policing to be done.”

Sarah watched Finn cross the street to the police station. Caroline was walking towards him, still haranguing him but he ignored her. Caroline stopped in the middle of the street and looked over to the coffee house. She scowled as she caught Sarah’s eye. “Bitch,” she mouthed. Sarah, wearing a wide grin, cheerfully gave her the middle finger, laughing as Caroline flounced back to her house.

 

Isaac looked up as his brother and business partner Saul knocked at his office door. Saul, at forty-two, was Isaac’s elder by three years but stood half a foot smaller than Isaac’s six-five. Since their parents had died, Isaac and Saul had built the business up into a global endeavor thanks to Isaac’s genius and Saul’s solid and shark-like business nous.

Along the way, Saul had managed to find himself a wife and now he was the father of two children. His wife, Maika, was a Professor of Chemistry at the local University and Saul had been taking a back seat in the Quinn business for the last few years.

He’d been delighted when Isaac told him about Sarah. “Damn, at last! I was beginning to think we’d have to refurbish our basement for you in your old age.”

Isaac grinned. “Very funny. Listen, she’s coming to stay with me in the city for a week, think you and Maika could be free for dinner?”

“Sure thing. Let me know when.”

 

After his brother had gone, Isaac attempted to answer a few overdue emails but in truth, his mind was across the water, on the island, wrapped around the image of the beautiful brunette whose bed he’d left this morning. He could call her… then changed his mind. You’re supposed to play it cool, man. But he couldn’t be bothered with childish games. At thirty-nine, he’d thought himself a bachelor for life and he’d been okay with that. The day he’d walked into that coffeehouse had changed all of that.

 

Isaac got up and walked to the window that looked out over the city and Elliott Bay. He couldn’t get the story Sarah had told him about her absent ex-husband out of his head. Why the hell would anyone want to get away from her? He agreed with Sarah – even though he hadn’t known Dan, there was something hinky about the way Dan Bailey had gone missing. Why take the dog with him unless he wanted someone to find him and his carefully laid out possessions? It was all too staged.

 

Be honest, he told himself, you want to be sure he won’t come back for her. He admired Sarah for divorcing Dan, for not being a victim. There was more she hadn’t told him yet, he was sure but that was up to her, he wouldn’t push it. Wouldn’t hurt to check out Daniel Bailey, though, would it?

Isaac reached for his phone and made a call. “Jake? Yeah, it’s Isaac. Listen… can you do a background check on someone for me?”

 

 

Molly took over for Sarah in the afternoon and Sarah went home, eager to do her laundry and get packing for her week in the city. She could barely wait to see Isaac; he was coming to pick her up over her protestations that she could drive herself.

“I’m trying to show off,” he’d told her with a grin, “I have my own chopper.”

Sarah had giggled at him. “A big one?”

“A huge one just for you.”

That had stopped the protestation as suddenly, her mouth was busy kissing him, giggling over their silliness.

 

Now, she gathered clothes from all over the house, where they’d been discarded as Isaac had taken them off her. She loaded the washer then cleaned the house quickly. She remembered when Dan was here, the house had always looked pristine; Dan had hated clutter. Over the last two years, the house had become more homely, books everywhere, records and cds shoved into piles on the living room floor. More relaxed, more me, Sarah thought now.

 

She walked back into the hallway and saw an envelope on the wooden floor. It hadn’t been there when she came home. She picked it up and opened the front door, walking out onto the porch and looking to see if anyone was around. All she could hear was the breeze through the trees and the distant yell of schoolchildren from the private school that bordered their land.

She glanced at the envelope and her stomach knotted. Another one. Steeling herself, she ripped it open.

 

You will make a beautiful corpse…someday soon.

 

Fury tore through her. “Fuck you, creep,” she yelled out into the woods around the house. Only the breeze answered her.

Angry now, she slammed the front door. Wilson came trotting up to her, sensing her distress, and stuck his nose in her hand. Sarah took a couple of deep breaths and tried to smile at the dog.

“It’s okay, buddy.” She looked at her watch. It was another couple of hours before Isaac was due and she was antsy now.

 

After a storm the previous evening, the air was fresher but still warm and after she hung the clothes out, she changed into her swimsuit, throwing her jeans and tee over it and headed out the back door. Much to the Wilson’s disgust, she tied him up in the barn, using what she called the party leash – the rope tied to his collar that allowed him to roam within the barn and a short way out into the yard. He began barking and whining, his usual song of self-pity and psychological manipulation whenever he was sent to the barn. Luckily, his singing carried to the beach rather than the school, sheltered as it was by the house and woods that surrounded it. Giving him a last pat on the head, Sarah made her way to the little sandy path that led to their tiny beach.

At the water’s edge she stripped down to her suit, ran lightly along the little wooden jetty and dived into the cold water.

“The feel of the water streaming past her limbs was glorious. Cold as it was, it made her skin feel fresh and clean, and the weightlessness relaxed the taut muscles of her shoulders and neck. Sarah dived and swam beneath the surface for a few moments then, as she surfaced, pushed her hands over her face to clear her eyes, smooth back her hair.

 

A surge of angry adrenaline made her strike out again, swimming until she was exhausted. Stopping to catch her breath, something caught her eye. Her head whipped round and her eyes raked the tree line. The skin on her neck prickled. Nothing. Nothing… wait. Movement. Someone was there.

Someone was watching her.

 

At four o’clock, Isaac couldn’t wait any longer. Saying goodbye to his brother, he headed to the helipad on the roof of the building and got in. The piloting lessons he and Saul had taken had proved their worth over and over – none more so than now, Isaac thought, a little smugly. In a quarter hour, he’d be with her. He thought about calling her but decided to surprise her.

 

She got out of the water, pulling herself up onto the jetty, never taking her eyes of the woods where she’d seen the movement. She raked the trees with her eyes, searching, seeking anything, any figure. Nothing.  She let out a deep breath.  Paranoia? 

She tugged on her jeans over her wet swimsuit, ignoring the way her t-shirt clung to her damp skin and set of for home.

She hadn’t gone ten yards before she heard it.  An inhuman scream of absolute pain, a scream that faded into a long mournful wolf-like howl.

Wilson.

 

Finn got home to find Caroline absent.  He relaxed then, taking his time in the shower then grabbing a bottle of Jack and flicking on the t.v. It crossed his mind that Caroline was with another man. God, I hope so.  Finn smirked to himself.  Dude, you are so messed up.

But he truly didn’t care.

 

Her breath came in ragged, panicked gasps.

Sarah ran through the trees that separated the beach from the house, the thinner limbs whipping her as she scrambled her way through, away from whoever was watching her. As the woods thinned, she stumbled into the yard. Still no sound. Wilson should be going crazy by now. She yanked the barn door open, calling Wilson’s name. To her horror, she heard a pitiful whimper, followed by a hacking, vomiting retching. She cast around desperately and saw a hind leg sticking out from one of the stalls in the barn. She dashed over to where Wilson lay and cried out in despair. The dog lay on his side, a fit sending spasms through his body, blood, drool and vomit hanging from his slack jaw.

 

Wilson groaned in agony as Sarah scooped him up into her arms and ran for the truck.

 

Isaac landed the chopper expertly on Sarah’s land and got out. He frowned. Her truck was missing and the front door to the house was wide open. He walked to the house and inside.

“Sarah?”

He walked from room to room only to find them empty. Returning to the hallway, he saw a balled up piece of paper and picked it up, smoothing it out.

His breath froze in his lungs.

 

You will make a beautiful corpse…

 

Isaac cursed to himself. Going back outside, he called her name, searched through the woods and down at the beach. Finally, he got back into the chopper, remonstrating with himself for not driving, and headed into town.

 

Dead-eyed and exhausted, Sarah sat in the coffee house wrapped in a blanket while Molly and Finn cast worried glances at each other. A quarter hour before, she’d walked into the Varsity, tears pouring down her face.

Molly had rushed to her side as she sobbed. “Sarah, what’s wrong? I thought you had plans with Isaac tonight…”

Sarah interrupted her. “I was swimming. In the cove, I was swimming and I saw someone watching me. And then there was this scream and…”

“Someone was watching you?” Molly was incredulous. “What the hell?”

“It was Wilson, he was screaming and… god…”

Molly shook her head, not understanding.

 

“There was no… I ran, Molly, I ran… the trees, whoever it was had gone but Wilson…” Sarah started to cry. Finn came in and stopped, his face a picture of confusion. Molly waved him closer, as she tried to comfort her friend.

“What’s wrong, what’s happened?” Finn put a hand on Sarah’s back and as she turned to him, he wrapped his arms around her, his eyes full of concern. Sarah sobbed out something but he just shook his head.

“Sarah, I don’t understand, just tell me, honey.”

“Wilson…he was lying down in the barn and having fits, there was blood and vomit…”

“Oh my God,” Finn pressed his fist to his forehead, realizing what she was about to say.

“He wouldn’t stop, the spasms, so I picked him up and I just ran for the truck. The vet said… I had to say…” Sarah was sobbing now,”…goodbye, but I couldn’t… he was in so much pain, Finn.”

He pulled her into his arms and she sobbed against his chest. He held her while she cried herself out, rocking her gently.

 

“He was poisoned. The vet said there was no doubt. Someone poisoned my dog. Why would anyone do that?”

There was a commotion outside and the three of them looked up to see a helicopter land in the middle of the street. Sarah’s eyes widened. “God… Isaac… what he must have thought.”

Molly patted her shoulder. “I’ll go get him, fill him in.” She went out into the street and Sarah could see her talking to Isaac. Finn’s arms were still locked around her and as Isaac come in, she saw his eyes flicker with something as he took in the scene. Finn released her and walked to Isaac and she heard them talk in low tones. Isaac’s shoulders slumped and he came over.

 

“I’m so sorry, Sarah.” He pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips against her forehead. Sarah sank into his embrace, feeling her energy drain out of her. After a moment, Isaac held her at arm’s length and stared down at her. “We need to talk.”

 

Dumbly she nodded and sat down at the nearest table. Isaac turned to Molly and Finn, who were discreetly giving them space, and waved them over. “I think we all need to talk about this – and, Chief?” He nodded at Finn. “We might need you in a professional capacity.”

 

All four settled at the table. Isaac took Sarah’s hands. “Darling…. I was at your house, as you know. Sarah, I found the note.”

He pulled it from the table and smoothed it out so Finn and Molly could read it. Finn cursed viciously and got up, his hand in his hair. Molly covered her mouth with horror. Isaac rubbed his thumb gently on the back of Sarah’s hand.

“There have been more, right? Am I right?”

Sarah nodded, resigned. “Yes.”

“How many?”

There was a long silence. “Twenty seven.”

Molly gasped and Finn pounded his fist down on the table. “Jesus. H. Christ, Sarah, are you crazy? How did you not tell us?”

Sarah looked at Isaac, who was blank-faced. “It’s just a crank. A sicko trying to scare me.”

Finn cursed again and Isaac shook his head slowly.

“No, sweetheart. This is a death threat. I assume the others were along a similar vein?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“For how long?”

She lowered her eyes. “Six months.”

“And now someone killed your dog.” Finn was almost wild with anger. She looked at him.

“Calm down, Finn. Do you want to know why I didn’t tell you? Because I thought the letters were a sick prank – and we all know the only person spiteful enough to do that is…”

“…Caroline.” Finn gritted his teeth. “Well, we’ll soon find out.” He stalked out of the coffee house. Sarah sighed and put her head down on the table.

 

Isaac stroked a finger down her face. “Look, why don’t we get your things and go back to my place? We can’t do anything tonight. You need to rest.”

She smiled at him gratefully and Molly got up. “Look, I have my car, let me drive you back home to get your stuff. Isaac, why don’t you stay here and talk to Finn?” She locked eyes with him and he nodded. He kissed Sarah, brushing his lips over hers.

 

“Come back soon.”

“I will.”

Molly and Sarah left and Isaac waited in the coffee shop for Finn to return. He didn’t have to wait long. The police officer came back with a disgusted look on his face.

“She’s denying everything, of course. And I don’t think she’d go as far as poisoning Wilson. She hasn’t the brains to think of that.”

Isaac studied the younger man. “Can I ask you something?”

Finn tried to smile. ““Is it why am I married to such a bitch”? Because I haven’t got an answer for that, buddy, I really don’t.”

Isaac nodded then sighed. “Listen, I take these threats seriously. Sarah’s a beautiful woman and any freak could have fixated on her. I just want her safe.”

Finn nodded. “Preaching to the choir, Isaac. These last two years have been pretty…strange.”

“You didn’t think much of Daniel Bailey, did you?”

Finn looked uncomfortable and Isaac held his hand up. “Strictly between you and me.”

 

Finn sighed. “I thought he was too in love with himself. He could be very charming, even genuinely friendly and I do believe he loved Sarah but conditionally. He hated anyone else looking at her and if she talked to any other man for too long, he would sulk. Like a two-year-old. I think he was dreadfully insecure at the same time as being totally narcissistic. It was all about him.”

Isaac nodded, taking his words in. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Are you in love with Sarah?”

Finn gave a genuine laugh then and he leaned forward, clapping Isaac’s shoulder. “You been talking to my wife? No, Isaac, me and Sarah are family, sure, but nothing more, I promise you.”

“Okay, just needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”

“Fair enough. Look, let’s work together here – get what you can out of Sarah about the other letters and ask if anything else has happened that we should know about. I’ll investigate here, go to the house and make sure that it’s secure.”

Isaac offered his hand to Finn. “Deal. Sorry for asking… you know.”

“I do. Look, man, take care of her. She could do with someone to look after her – although, don’t tell her I said that, she’ll kill me.”

Finn grinned and Isaac laughed. “Our secret, I promise.”

 

He opened the door to his apartment and stood aside to let her in. She’d changed into a pale blue sundress, brushed out her hair and was now looking brighter than earlier. She smiled at him.

 

“I’m almost afraid to look. Will there be gold taps and animal print bed sheets?”

Isaac pretended to look affronted. “But of course – and carpet on the ceiling.”

“Fancy.”

He was glad she seemed more like herself. “Come on in then, your palace awaits.”

He was more nervous than he would admit. He wanted her to like his place, to approve of his taste. In the short time they had known each other, she had become more, much more to him than just someone with whom he enjoyed amazing chemistry and had incredible mind-blowing sex. She had become his friend, his confidant, his buddy. It was a new sensation for him to let someone get this close.

Sarah walked into the living room. “Huh. I kind of expected a minimalist nightmare but this is kinda like my place.”

 

Isaac grinned. It was like her place, a place of enjoyment, of comfort, bookshelves stuffed to full, an admittedly top range music system, huge, over-stuffed couches. Sarah turned to smile at him, nodding to the huge flat screen.

“Boys with their toys, of course.”

“Of course. Look, why don’t we order a pizza and stay in tonight?”

She sighed. “That sounds heavenly. Have you got a big tub?”

 

Isaac grinned. “Oh yes, enough room for two. Plenty room for splashing too.”

Sarah grinned. “You know what?” She caught the spaghetti strap of her dress between her fingers and pulled it slowly down her shoulder, followed by the other.

Isaac grinned. “Wait…” He sat down in one of the couches and got comfortable. Sarah laughed as he gestured grandly. “Continue.”

She stood in front of him, stripping slowly, enjoying his obvious admiration. “You like what you see?”

 

“God, yes. Unclasp your bra, beautiful, let me see those spectacular tits.”

Sarah grinned at him. “If I’d have known you like the dirty talk…” She eased her dress down, letting it fall to the floor and unhooked her bra, freeing her full breasts. Isaac sighed happily.

“Christ, have you any idea how beautiful you are?”

Sarah smiled, a scarlet blush coloring her cheeks. “As long as you think so.” Naked except for her panties, she straddled him, bending her head to kiss him. Isaac spanned her waist with his big hands, cupped her breasts in his hands. He grinned up at her.

“I am going to fuck you senseless tonight, Miss Bailey.”

“Damn straight.”

 

He took a nipple into his mouth as she unzipped his pants, reaching and freeing his cock from his underwear. She stroked the length of it, her hands moving gently at first then as it swelled and hardened under her touch, she began to pull gently, urging it to thicken until it stood ramrod straight. She pulled open his shirt, revealing the smooth chest and hard pecs. In one swift movement, Isaac flipped her onto the floor and she smiled up at him as he tore the rest of his clothes off, and tugged down her panties. He kissed her mouth and moved down her body; kissing the hollow of her throat, the valley between her breasts as his fingers caressed her clit then slid inside her, pressing hard, making her wet and slick. Sarah ground her hips against his hand as she pressed her lips against his skin.

 

“Tell me what you want to do, Isaac,” she whispered in his ear as his long fingers spread her labia gently and the crest of hic cock nudged tantalizingly at the entrance of her sex. Isaac groaned.

“I want to fill your sweet little cunt with my cock, make you scream, make you never want to leave my bed.” With one hard thrust, he sank deep inside her and she moaned so beautifully he nearly came right away. They moved together, mouths hungry, hands gripping each other’s, fingers digging into skin fiercely, bruising and clawing. They fucked hard and long, driving each other into a pitch of screaming frenzy. Isaac gave a long moan as he came, his cock spasming as he shot into her, burying his seed deep inside of her. Sarah tightened her legs around him, her arms twined around his neck, whispering his name over and over.

 

Breathless, he gazed into her deep brown eyes. “Sarah… my Sarah…”

She smiled up at him, her eyes soft. “I love it when you say my name like that…”

Isaac traced her bottom lip with the tip of his finger. “I love you, Sarah Bailey.”

She grinned delightedly. “And I love you, Isaac Quinn and just so you know, I never want to leave your bed.”

“Glad to hear it.” He pulled her in the crook of his arm, his leg hitching over hers, curled around her. “Let’s not move from here for a while.”

“Deal.”

 

For a few minutes, they lay in silence, listening to their breathing, skin-on-skin. Sarah tilted her head up to him. “Thank you. For making this day better. You make everything better.”

Isaac was touched. “That’s nice to hear. Sarah, I only want you to be happy and safe. Whoever is doing this to you, we have to find out who it is. For now, can I ask you to stay with me while Finn checks it out?”

Sarah sighed but nodded. “I hate to be run out of my own home.”

“I know. And you’re probably right, it’s probably a spiteful, jealous person looking for cheap thrills but just to be safe, okay?”

Sarah nodded but stayed silent. He studied her expression. “You really think its Finn’s wife?”

Sarah rubbed a hand over her eyes. “I don’t know. We have never gotten along, not since we were kids.”

“Still, why would she do something so spiteful?”

“Because that’s who Caroline is. Can we talk about something else now?”

He kissed her forehead. “You got it, beautiful.”

 

Later, in his bed, with Sarah asleep in his arms, Isaac lay awake, his mind whirling. It wasn’t the notes or the poisoning of Sarah’s dog that had him worried. It was what his private detective had found out. Or rather, what he hadn’t.

 

“I’ve found marriage records, five years ago to Sarah Hannah Li but before that nothing. Literally nothing. No employment records, no medical records, no birth certificate – at least nothing legal. Nothing. Guy’s a ghost.”

Isaac had been unsettled by the detective’s incredulous tone. It was, he told him, possible to disappear into the vastness of the US, but usually there was always some trace, some footprint. Whoever he was or had been, Daniel Bailey was not who he told his wife he was.

 

Sarah stirred in his arms. He smiled as she muttered something inaudible and snuggled deeper into his arms. He had no regrets, no doubts about telling her loved her. It was more than true; he’d known for weeks, hell, had known almost from the beginning. He loved her easy manner, her wicked sense of humor, her intelligence and warmth. He loved the way she would shove her glasses up her nose when she was reading, or she would laugh at the stupidest jokes – the sillier the better. He loved that she loved her food and didn’t pick at a garden salad like so many of his vapid ex-girlfriends. He loved the fact her butt jiggled when she washed her hair in the shower and that she didn’t care.

Sarah opened her eyes as if aware of his scrutiny and smiled sleepily at him. “Hey, you.”

In reply, he moved his body over hers, his erection already growing and she hitched her legs around his waist.

“I like sleepy sex,” she said and he chuckled, sliding into her gently and moving slowly. Her mouth sought his and their tongues met and caressed as they made love, tenderly, taking their time and savoring the connection. She was still slick from his come, a thought that made him feel good. He wanted her to carry part of him always.

After they’d come, he spent a long time just touching her, stroking his hand over the curves of her, the full breasts with their dark red nipples, her belly which curved out slightly and was soft rather than hard muscles like his own. Her skin was like silk to him.

 

Sarah stroked her finger down his face. “Isaac?”

“Promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll never stop touching me like that.”

Isaac smiled, his sculpted features softening. “I promise you unconditionally.”

He gathered her to him and they made love long into the night.

 

Molly rolled over onto her stomach and looked at the clock. Ten past four in the morning. She groaned softly and dropped her face into the pillow. Looking up, she saw that her husband Mike was deeply asleep, occasional snores rumbling through his chest. Molly smiled and kissed him gently, contemplating waking him. Deciding to let him sleep, she pushed the blanket away and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She regretted the action as the fierce cold of the early morning hit her. She pulled her robe around her and padded into the little kitchen. Dumping a spoonful of hot chocolate into a mug, she waited for the kettle to boil. Outside the window, she could see rain running in rivers down Main Street. When the kettle whistled she poured the hot water into the cup and took her drink into the living room. Her tabby cat Pigeon opened one eye and contemplated her as she perched next to him on the window seat. She scratched the top of his head, smiling at the meow he mouthed silently. His eye closed and he was immediately asleep again.

 

Molly could feel a headache buzzing around her skull and pressed her hot forehead against the cool window. The first ferry to the city left at four and already she saw the odd commuter head blearily down to the harbor. A light went on across the street at Finn’s place. She watched as her brother walked to his car, got in and drove past the Varsity, heading for the west coast road. She frowned. Weird. Was he working? Molly rubbed her head, trying to ignore the idea that popped into her head. He was going to Sarah’s house. But why in the middle of the night? Molly quelled the sudden panic and then remembered Sarah was in the city with Isaac. The cool window had eased her headache a little and she shivered, chilled now. As she was about to step away from the window when a movement opposite caught her eye. Outside the Varsity, a figure stood staring into the darkness of the empty coffee house. Molly watched, frowning, as the man – she was sure it was a man from his outline – stayed there for a while then as he turned away, the streetlight illuminated his face briefly and Molly gasped.

 

His face was a mask of anger, of hatred, of purest vitriol and Molly recoiled from the window at the sight of his twisted, contorted face. But it wasn’t the waves of evil that came from the man that shocked her to the core. It was because she knew the face. Knew the man.

 

It was Daniel Bailey.

 

Sarah sighed as the hot bath water soothed her aching limbs. The tub was three times the size of her own tub at home – come to think of it, the entire apartment was bigger than her home. Home, she thought guiltily. She had to admit she hadn’t missed being there at all these last few days. Molly had assured her that they were coping, that the coffee house was running fine but still, Sarah knew that in a day or two, her bubble would burst and she’d have to go back.

 

“You don’t have to,” Isaac said later when they were at dinner. “You can have anything you want, stay here and live with me. Start over if you want.”

Sarah smiled. “You are sweet but no. As much as I love you, I don’t want to be a kept woman.”

Isaac shrugged, grinning good-naturedly. “I knew you’d say that but the offer is there. I would like to talk about where we go from here. I know it’s fast.”

Sarah considered. “It is a little fast but neither of us is a teenager, we know the risk and rewards of a relationship. We can talk about it, certainly.”

“Moving in together?”

She nodded. “Talking about is the first step. But not tonight, tonight I just want to have fun. There’s a wonderful cover band who play up at the Paramount on Thursday nights, I wondered if you would…”

“Count me in.” Isaac was smiling but she could see there was something else bothering him.

 

“What is it, my love? What’s bugging you?”

Isaac shifted in his chair, not meeting her eyes. “I’ve done something and I need to tell you about it.”

Her chest clenched up immediately…he cheated on me….he wants to end it…but she forced herself to keep her face blank. “Oh?”

Isaac took a deep breath in. “Before that day, the day Wilson died and I found one of the letters, what you had been telling me about Dan had been bothering me. His disappearance. So I ask a private detective to look into it. I know I should have told you, it’s just what he found, I couldn’t get my head around.”

Sarah felt the tension ease. “That’s fine, Isaac. I’d be as curious as you if the tables were turned but I told you, we couldn’t find anything.”

He nodded. “Same here. Nothing. That’s just it. As far as Daniel Bailey goes, he didn’t exist before your marriage.”

Icy cold shock hit her. “What are you talking about?”

“There was no Daniel Bailey born when he said he was, where he said he was. Did you ever meet any of his family?”

Sarah shook her head. “His parents were dead, no siblings.”

“No cousins, no aunts and uncles?”

She shook her head slowly. “It was one of the things we had in common, no family.” Her voice was gruff, uncertain. “This is crazy, why would he say…. why would he?” Her eyes filled with tears and she slumped in her chair. “What does it matter now, anyway? He’s gone.”

 

Isaac let her think about what he said while they ate. After their entrees had been cleared, she looked at him and he was sad to see the hurt in her eyes.

“Why am I surprised?” She said, then sat up. “Isaac… there’s a lot about me, a lot about my marriage that I haven’t, well, we haven’t had a lot of time to get to know each other so perhaps it’s not surprising that I haven’t told you.”

He took her hand. “Tell me.”

 

Sarah rolled her shoulders trying to ease some of the tension. “I met Dan at college – he was teaching a music program. We met in the cafeteria – he started to talk to me one day and we became friends. One night, when he was walking me home from the cinema, he kissed me and that was that. We got married after I graduated and then came back here to open the coffee house and for Dan to teach at the school. Our life together wasn’t… there were times when we spent a great deal of time apart and to be honest, it seemed to suit us both. The friendship we had kind of just went. Suddenly, I was his wife and therefore his property. He even resented me spending time with George and the twins, trying to isolate me from them.  That’s how he started to behave for a while until I reached my limit. He was controlling to the point of ridiculousness but he’d always turn it around saying I was oversensitive until I was convinced I was.”

 

She saw the muscle in Isaac’s face clench in anger and tried to smile. “I asked him to go to counseling and he agreed and everything seemed to change for the better. Then I found out he was watching me at work. All the time. He’d put security cameras in the coffee house and had actually made a note of every time I spoke to a man – especially Finn – and quizzed me on what was said, and how long they were talking to me. As far as I know that’s as far as it went but I’d had enough. I told him I wanted to spend some time apart. He begged me to stay with him.  After a couple of months, I became convinced that he was having an affair. So I asked him, straight out.  No reproach, no shouting.  I just said to tell me if he wanted out. He said no, the only way he would leave me is if I wanted out. Then two days later, he disappeared.”

 

Isaac cursed softly under his breath. “I’m sorry, Sarah, what a fucking manipulative…”

“Quite. After I’d got over the shock of him going missing, thinking he was dead, thinking he had killed himself and it was my fault… that’s when I got angry. I’m still angry.”

“Good. Stay that way.”

“He’s alive somewhere, doing the same thing to someone else. Probably under a different name.” She smiled then. “What a tool. I seriously am happy he’s gone.  “

Isaac burst out laughing at the expression on her face. “No more walking on eggshells.”

“Nope. And thank god for you, showing me what a real, healthy relationship should be.”

He toasted to that with his champagne but as they drank, a ribbon of unease curled in his stomach. Was Dan somewhere else?

Or was he here and still watching her?

 

“It wasn’t Dan.”

Molly scowled at her brother. He was so sure and so annoyingly smug about it. “You don’t know, you weren’t there.”

“Mols, you’re projecting. Dan is gone, and to be honest, good riddance. It’s just because Wilson died and because of the letters that you’re imagining boogeymen. And anyway, Dan never showed any violent tendencies. Yeah, he was a douche but he genuinely loved Sarah, he would never have hurt her or killed her dog.”

 

Mols shivered. “You didn’t see his face.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Whoever it was, it’s nothing to worry about.”

Molly got up then and made herself busy washing the breakfast stuff. Her children and Mike had left together just because Finn came to waste some time with her, rather than Caroline, before he went to work. Molly couldn’t help feeling that Finn was being too blasé about what she thought she saw. She knew Daniel Bailey’s face. It was him.

“Okay think about this,” she turned to her brother who was sneaking some cold toast from one of the kids” discarded plates. “What if he came back and was going to see her but saw her with Isaac? Maybe it pissed him off.”

 

“Sarah hasn’t been with Isaac for six months. Also, Wilson was Dan’s dog too.”

Molly muttered to herself and Finn grinned. He stood and put his around his sister’s shoulders. “Look, let’s not make trouble where there is none. Wilson could have eaten something left for a raccoon or something.”

“And the letters?”

Finn shrugged. “Sarah’s convinced they are just sent out of spite. I don’t know, I want to believe that, I even want to know it’s Caroline. Nothing we can do about it until…well.”

“Someone hurts Sarah?”

Finn looked uncomfortable.

“Not going to let that happen. Anyway, better get to work.”

As he opened the door to leave, Molly called him. She fixed him with a stare. “Finn… she’s our family, our sister.”

 

He nodded. “I know.”

After he’d gone, Molly finished clearing the kitchen and went to get ready for work. Her cell phone beeped. A text from Sarah.

 

Hey gorgeous, see you at work this afternoon. Missed you xxx

 

Molly smiled. Finn was right. Sarah was happy at last and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

 

“I don’t think I’m going to let you out of this bed.” Isaac covered Sarah’s naked body with his, using his weight to pin her down, feeling her pillowy breasts against his solid chest, her soft belly against his. Sarah grinned up at him as he wound his fingers through hers.

“You can keep me prisoner whenever you like but my business may suffer.”

He nibbled her earlobe. “Maybe I’ll quit my job, come work with you.”

Sarah chuckled, enjoying his kisses. “I guess at this point you can do just about anything.”

Isaac grinned wickedly. “Damn right. Now, beautiful Sarah, you gonna wrap those amazing legs around me or am I gonna have to do it for you? Because my cock needs to be inside you right now.”

 

Sarah sighed happily as she curled her legs around his waist and then moaned as Isaac plunged his rock-hard cock into her. It was the morning that she was going home but Sarah didn’t want to think about that, laying here in Isaac’s massive bed, being thoroughly and expertly fucked by him. This gorgeous, funny, alpha man who owned her body so completely. Isaac smiled down at her as he thrust.

“You’re so beautiful, baby, I can never get enough of looking at you, especially like this.”

She lifted her mouth to his, caught his lower lip between her teeth for a playful nip, then ground her lips against his, exploring his mouth with her tongue. “Isaac Quinn… I love you so much.”

“I love you, schmushy face, and then there’s this…” He thrust hard and she gasped with pleasure as her senses exploded. She tightened her pelvic muscles, gripping his cock, making herself as tight as she could for him, eager to make sure she gave him as much pleasure as he did her. From his groan and the way his eyes closed, she could tell she did.

 

“What do you like, Isaac… tell me… I’ll do anything for you, with you… tell me…” She whispered this in his ear, felt his teeth biting down on her neck as he moaned with pleasure.

“You. I want to fuck you forever, in every way. Sarah, I want to take you against a wall, fuck you in a rainstorm, feel your sweet mouth milking me dry… god, Sarah. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to you if you let me…”

 

His words made her pulse quicken until it was a furious rush of blood through her veins and she clung to him, riding him hard. “Do it, do whatever you want…”

Isaac came then immediately turned her on her stomach. “I’m going to fuck you in your perfect ass, Sarah, but you want me to stop, you say so straight away and we’ll stop…”

 

She nodded, unable to speak in her excitement. Once she consented, she heard him reaching for something – the sound made her realize that he was applying lube to his firm cock. She shuddered and gave a low moan as he also teased her asshole by slowly rubbing it with a lubricated finger. As he pushed slowly into her, his fingers caressing her clit as he did, she gave a long, shuddering moan. She’d never done this before, not with Dan, not with anyone and the pleasure was so intense she felt her head swim, her limbs liquefy. She came again and again, heard Isaac telling her over and over how much he loved her.

Afterward in the shower, they were messing around, soaping each other up and laughing.

 

“My legs are still wobbling,” she told him, “That was incredible.”

Isaac grinned. “We can do so much more if you like… anything.”

Sarah pressed her breasts against him. “God, yes, please…”

Isaac smiled, smoothing her hair with his big hands. “Sarah…I’d like you to meet my brother, his family. You’d like them.”

“I’d love to… you know more about me than I do about you at this point. Time to redress the balance.”

“Good. I’ll set up dinner plans – not too scary, huh?”

“Not at all.” She was distracted. His erection was hard against her belly and she stroked it gently as she smiled up at him. “You know what?”

“What?” He was obviously enjoying her touch, smiling, relaxed, turned on.

“I never enjoyed sex before you. I didn’t hate it, but it was always a chore, always so “let’s just get this over with”. I never knew what the fuss was about.”

Isaac bent his head to kiss her. “That’s because we fit together. We belong together.”

“You betcha. Now, put this incredible cock back inside me…”

 

As they flew back to the island, Isaac took her hand in his. “I have a few meetings today but I can be back over here by about ten tonight. If you’re not sick of me.”

“Hah, would never happen. God, it’s beautiful out here today.”

The Washington day had broken bright and warm and the sun sparkled off the waters of the Sound as they flew out over the bay. Sarah squeezed Isaac’s hand.

“Hey, listen, I was thinking of having a cookout at the weekend. You, me, Molly and Mike, Finn and some friends. You could invite your brother and his family, your friends. Might be less stressful for everyone to meet like that.”

Isaac nodded. “Sounds perfect, although you mean I have to share you for a whole day?”

 

She grinned. “Just for an afternoon and early evening. Afterward, I’ll fuck your brains out in every room of the house if you’d like.”

Isaac chuckled at her dirty talk. “I’ll hold you to that. And keep talking like that, sexy girl, and I’ll land this bird right here.”

Sarah peered out of the window. “We’d sink.”

“But what a way to go.”

 

In a few more minutes, they were over the island and soon Isaac was landing the helicopter gently on her land. Sarah leaned over to kiss him. “Hey, Cap’n, do you have to go straight away?”

Isaac slid his hands onto her cheeks. “I’m the boss, I can play hooky for as long as you need me.”

Sarah grinned, her mouth curving up in a smile against his. “Good, because I think I need to be fucked again.”

Isaac laughed, unbuckling his seat belt. “I’ve turned you into sex maniac.”

“Yes, you have.”

 

Isaac got out of the chopper and walked around to her door, pulling her up into his arms as she laughed, pressing her lips to his throat. Easily, he carried her up onto the porch and let her down as she searched her purse for her key. His lips were on her shoulder as she unlocked the door, his hands pulling up her skirt. She turned in his arms and cupped his thickening cock through his pants. “God, you’re big….”

He smiled, his eyes sleepily turned on. “For you, always.” He slipped his fingers into her panties and stroked her. She shivered with desire and sighed. Isaac grinned. “I’m just gonna fuck you right here against this door.” He slid two fingers into her and she gasped as his thumb stroked back and forth against her clit. “Tell me what you want to do, beautiful….”

She kissed him ferociously, grinding her hips against his hand. “I want to suck that big cock until you come in my mouth, handsome.”

 

With a growl, he ripped her panties from her as she freed his cock, already so engorged that it strained against her hand. He lifted her and impaled her onto it, her soft, wet cunt stretching to envelop him. “Fuck me hard, Isaac.”

He did, ramming his hips against hers, grinding his lips onto hers. They moved together hungrily; feral, clawing at each other until their movements made the door open and they tumbled, still fucking, onto the hallway floor.

Sarah knew something was wrong the moment that the door opened. A cold draft blew through the house from the kitchen at the far end of the hallway.

“Sarah? Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know.”

She disengaged from him, pulling her dress down and walked towards the kitchen, Isaac behind her. She saw at once that the back door was open. She let out a shaky breath. It had been busted open with something, she guessed a tire iron, a crowbar. Then she saw it. Reflected in the window. It made no sense. Something painted on the wall behind her. She turned and put her hands over her mouth in horror. Isaac looked at her face and turned with her.

 

WHORE

 

Red paint, dripping. Sarah gasped, humiliated, shaking.

“Oh my God.” Isaac was shocked. He put his arms around her and coaxed her onto a chair. She couldn’t say anything. Isaac crouched beside her.

“I’ll call Finn. Get him over here.” He stood to go to the phone but she grabbed his hand.

“No.” She whispered. “No. I don’t want him here, I don’t want him to see this.”

“But I really think – “

“No.” Her voice was stronger, determined. “Please, Isaac. I couldn’t bear it. Please.”

He looked uncertain then nodded. “Okay, but on condition that you let me deal with this. Go into the other room. I’ll fix you a drink and then I’ll clean this up. You have cleaning products here somewhere?”

 

She nodded and pointed to the cupboard under the sink. He put his arm around her and steered her into the living room. She let him tuck her into an armchair. She put her head into her hands. A few moments later, she heard him come back into the room.

“Here.”

Isaac was offering her a glass. She took it and sipped it, wrinkling her nose. Scotch. Isaac smoothed a hand down her hair.

“It’ll help. Sit here and relax. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

She wanted to protest, to ask him to stay with her but she couldn’t speak. Hurt, shock, humiliation, anger flowed through her. Whore. Whoever it was that was tormenting her had just upped their game. She hadn’t realized it was that easy to get into her house, to get to her. Was she in actual danger? From whom, though? She shook her head and stood, the irritation outweighing the shock now. She went into the kitchen to see Isaac, stripped to the waist, his expensive shirt and jacket hung over a chair, a bucket of soapy water at his feet. He looked up as she came in.

 

“You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry about freaking out. Listen… let’s take a couple of photos, just to have a record.”

Isaac stopped, his fist clenched around a sponge. “You sure you don’t want me to call Finn? There might be fingerprints.”

She hesitated then her shoulders slumped. “Okay.”

 

Finn sighed. He recognized the writing immediately and cursed out loud. “Fucking, fucking woman…”

Sarah, by now calm, and with Isaac’s arms around her, watched him. “Dude… I’m kind of relieved if it is Crap-o-line…. sorry, I mean, Caroline.”

Finn grinned and she heard Isaac’s soft chuckle. Finn looked at Sarah. “You wanna press charges?”

She shook her head. “I cannot be bothered with all that – just make her pay for the door if you can.”

“I’ll pay for it.”

 

Sarah frowned at her old friend. “You will not.” She knew Caroline’s family were rich – not that it had done Finn any good – he was too proud to take her money. “Caroline can pay – unless she wants her mom and dad to know about this.”

Finn scrubbed his hands through his short blonde curls. Isaac cleared his throat.

“Any idea why she’s doing this?

 

Finn shook his head. “I really don’t but I’ll talk to her about it. Look, guys, I’m sorry, if it is her, my relationship with her isn’t helping.”

“Not your fault, buddy.”

Sarah smiled gratefully at Isaac as he clapped her friend on the shoulder. Finn nodded and bade them farewell. Sarah sighed and leaned against Isaac.

“Well, look. I’ll clean this up and get to the coffee house. You should go, this nonsense shouldn’t interfere with your day.”

Isaac put his arms around her. “Forget it, I’m staying.”

“Iss’, really. I’m just going to go on as if nothing’s happened.”

Isaac looked unconvinced. “But I’m coming back this evening. I don’t want you alone here.”

 

“She returns!” Molly threw herself dramatically across the counter as Sarah entered the coffee house, and feigned a faint. “God bless us everyone, we are saved!”

Sarah, laughing, hugged her friend. “You are a lunatic.”

“And you – let’s see you properly – “Molly held her friend at arm’s length and studied her then nodded satisfactorily, “have been screwed good and properly. I can tell.”

Sarah rolled her eyes while going scarlet but she joined in with her friend’s high spirits. It felt good to fool around. “You are correct, Ms. Jewell. I have been fucked good and properly, right into next Wednesday. In fact, I need to sit down so you’ll have to do all the work.”

Molly shrugged. “What else is new? I’m just kidding.” She hugged her friend. “Good to have you back.”

“Glad you think so… don’t think everyone will be.”

Quickly she filled Molly in on the vandalism to her house. Molly listened with growing annoyance.

“That bitch,” she hissed when Sarah had finished.

“Yep. Just when you think that she couldn’t get any lower.”

Molly chewed this over while Sarah put on her apron and began to work. “Hey, Sar, you absolutely sure it was her?”

Sarah shrugged. “Finn recognized her handwriting. Besides, I don’t think I’ve pissed anyone else off.”

“Okay.”

“Why?”

“No reason.”

 

Sarah nodded then went out into the kitchen. Molly mulled over what she’d been told – and what she herself was keeping secret. Finn had finally convinced her that she hadn’t seen Dan Bailey that night but the thought had kept nagging away at her. Then there were the letters that had come to the Varsity while Sarah was away. Molly had them in her apron pocket for three days – she didn’t want to give them to her friend, not after everything.

“Oh hey…” Sarah stuck her head out of the kitchen, “I’m having a cookout at my place on Saturday – Isaac’s brother and his family are invited. Wanna come? Bring Mike and the kids, it’ll be a family thing.”

Molly smiled. “Now that sounds like fun. Want some help setting up?”

Sarah grinned. “Oh hell yes.”

 

“Are you two actually here to help or are you just too much in awe of my twinkle lights?” Sarah grinned down at them from the loft. Finn and Molly were gazing at the hundreds and hundreds of tiny white lights she’d strung up around the barn next to her house.

“It looks like Tinkerbell threw up in here.” Finn ducked as she hefted a piece of wood at him. He grinned and started up the ladder to join her. Sarah grabbed the top of the ladder and pretend to push it over.

“Give it up, woman.” He hoisted himself onto the loft beside her. “Hi.” She smiled at him and handed him a staple gun.

An hour later, they went into the house and Sarah fixed sandwiches and lemonade for their lunch. The kitchen smelt of freshly baked bread and cookies, food for the party on every available surface. Finn looked around in astonishment.

“When do you have time to, I don’t know, sleep?”

“It’s not much, George’s bringing most of the food.” She passed him and Molly a plate of cookies then sat down heavily. “I am pretty beat, though. Hey, do you to mind if I skip out for ten minutes? I need to go to the drugstore, get some aspirin.”

“Headache?”

“Yep and I have a full evening’s…. how can put this…”

Finn demolished his sandwich in two bites. “Heavy fucking?”

Molly spat a mouthful of coffee out as Sarah laughed. “Yeah, so I have to be on top form.”

“When’s your boo arriving?”

“An hour or so. His brother and his family are following him here. Some of his friends are coming too. Look, I’ll be quick at the store.”

“Go on, go,” Molly shooed her away.

The grocery store on the far side of the island was almost empty. Despite having been to the drugstore for aspirin and swallowing two with some water, her head throbbed with the beginnings of another migraine, her vision blurred, and she was nauseous. Sarah grabbed a cart and headed towards the bakery aisle. She stopped, closed her eyes, trying to ride out the wave of dizziness. She swallowed, the bitter taste of bile in the back of her throat. It took her a moment to realize someone was talking to her. Todd, the trainee baker, greeted her.

“Hey Sarah, we don’t see you over here often. Hey… you okay? “

She smiled weakly at the young man, his clear features clouded with concern. His carefully gelled hair stuck up in a Mohawk. He had been one of Dan’s favorite students.

“I’m fine, Todd. Keeping up with your piano practice I hope?”

Todd grinned, sheepish. “Ah, I got a guitar now. Me and Zane started a band. Maybe we could play at the coffee house sometime?”

Sarah nodded. “Sure thing. Come see me, okay?”

She waved goodbye at him and steered the cart around the rest of the store, still trying to shake the nausea.

She turned into the breakfast cereal aisle and almost collided with Caroline. She let out a groan before she could stop herself.

 

Caroline grinned. “Hey, slut. Fucked any helpless billionaires lately?”

Sarah wondered if she could batter Caroline senseless with a roll of frozen cookie dough and get away with it. “Drop dead, dumbass.”

Caroline’s eyes brightened and she smiled, a strange grimace, almost triumphant.

“Oh you first, Sarah. You first.”

Sarah pushed past her, irritation making her skin itch. She shoved the cart too hard against the checkout, smiled an apology at the girl behind it as she jumped. A couple of lanes over, she could see Caroline talking to two women. They were glancing over and laughing. Sarah gritted her teeth.

Then she saw it.

 

The shock was icy cold, constricting. Sarah couldn’t look away. She breathed in short gasps. The front page of the Bugler. A child, covered in blood, being carried out of a trailer by a cop. Blinded, shell-shocked in the glare of flashlights. Tears. Her tears. Sarah felt her knees give way and she clutched the side of the checkout for support. More photos – the body of a woman with her throat cut. And another picture of Sarah, grown, from the other day. Looking tired and worn down. She couldn’t breathe.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Somewhere in the turmoil in her mind, it registered that the question was one she had been asked too much lately. She couldn’t stop looking at the photo of her mother, her eyes staring and mouth screaming silently. Sarah pushed herself away from the checkout, abandoning her cart and staggered out of the door. Behind her, she heard the catcalls and hysterical laughter of Caroline and her friends.

She made it to the door of the store before she threw up.

 

At Sarah’s house, George’s face made Molly rock back as the elderly man jumped out his car, waving a newspaper.

“Hey, hey what’s up?” Molly went to greet him. He was out of breath, and she guided him into a chair. He caught his breath but without a word, handed her the newspaper. Molly took it. Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Oh my God…” A whisper. She met George’s gaze.

“Where’s Sarah?”

A squeal of tires answered them. They looked up as she saw Sarah’s truck appear from the wrong direction, weaving wildly along the road to her house.

“What the hell?” Molly dashed for the door to see the truck slam into the streetlight at the end of the road. The impact crumpled the truck’s hood, the metal screeching against the concrete.

“Sarah!” George and Molly sprinted over to her truck, seeing out the corner of her eye, Finn, bursting out of the barn at the sound of the crash, followed behind. Molly, her breath coming in short panicked breaths, wrenched open the cab door to see Sarah slumped over the steering wheel. Finn flew around and opened the passenger side and slid in next to his friend.

 

“Oh God…sweetheart?” Molly touched her friend’s shoulder, felt her shift. She sighed with relief as Sarah sat up, obviously dazed, but unharmed.

“You maybe shouldn’t move, sweetheart.” Finn’s brown eyes were serious as he pressed two fingers to her neck, feeling her pulse. He shared a concerned look with Molly. Sarah shook her head slowly, her face set, angry.

“Have you seen the paper?” Her voice was flat, dead. She didn’t look at them, staring straight ahead.

George and Molly exchanged a look. Finn cleared his throat.

“Sarah, maybe you should come and lie down.”

“No.” She looked at George, more focused now. “Did you see it?”

“Yes,” George answered her at last. Molly had gone back to the house and now returned with the paper, handing it to Finn.

“These are crime scene photos,” Finn hissed, “what the hell?”

“How did they get hold of them?” George”s voice shook with anger, with pity for Sarah. He touched her arm but she shook it off.

“I know exactly who gave them to the paper,” she said, suddenly glancing in her rearview mirror. They all turned to where she was looking, and before they could stop her, she was out and sprinting.

 

Caroline Jewell – infuriatingly invited to the party because Finn would be there - drove up to the house and got out of the car. She turned just as Sarah launched herself onto her, crying out in surprise as the two women tumbled to the ground. She tried to grab Sarah’s hands as the smaller woman whaled on her, cussing and shouting.

“You fucking, fucking bitch! I know it was you, you piece of human shit.”

George and Finn hauled Sarah off, arms hooked under her shoulders. Caroline got up, grinning maniacally despite the blood pouring from her nose. Sarah struggled against her captors” grasp.

“Sarah!” George’s sharp voice finally broke through the madness and Sarah calmed herself, never taking her eyes off Caroline.

“George, I know she’s the one who gave them all that…” she trailed off as Caroline laughed again.

“Prove it, psycho,” she wiped her nose with her hand. “Ain’t nothing people didn’t already know anyways.”

Finn nodded to George, who locked his arms around Sarah, as Finn stepped over to Caroline. He picked her bag up, shoving it at her.

“Is it true?”

Caroline sneered at him, brushing the dirt from her pants. “I couldn’t say. Nothing to do with me where they get their stories from. Like I said, everyone knows she’s trash. As far as I’m concerned, The Bugler’s just saying it runs in the family.”

“That’s enough,” said Finn and Caroline quelled under his hard stare. “Those photos were police property. If I find out they were stolen...”

Caroline gave up her simpering. “Like I said, prove it.”

“What the hell is going on?”

 

They all started and turned. Isaac was standing behind George, Sarah, and Finn. A man, who had to be Isaac’s brother and a tall, elegant Asian woman stood by his side, looking wide-eyed and concerned. In the car behind them, two children stared out at them. Sarah started to tremble. Isaac raised his arms towards Sarah and she went straight into them. He held her close and looked up at Finn.

“What’s going on?”

Caroline smiled nastily. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m…”

“I don’t give a shit who you are. I asked what was going on.” His voice was like ice and Caroline balked. She scowled.

 

“I’ll tell you. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah Bailey, got all chopped up by her mo-ho-mmy,” she sang out of tune and cackled. Sarah lost her temper again and they all reached for her. Caroline turned towards her home. “Lock that bitch up. Oh actually,” she swung around again and spoke directly to Finn, “I’d like to press charges. Assault charges.”

Molly gave a squeak of disgusted alarm but Finn winked at her. “For what?” he said calmly, looking at Caroline. Caroline waved at Sarah.

“She attacked me, of course. Christ, how did I pick someone this stupid for my husband?”

Finn looked at her steadily. “Attack you? I didn’t see anything of the sort.” He turned to the others. “You?”

Various shakes of the head and murmurs greeted his question.

Finn stared his wife down. “Go home, Caroline, no-one wants you here.”

Caroline huffed in irritation, getting back into the car. George sighed and turned to Sarah, still locked in Isaac’s arms.

“You okay, bubs?”

She nodded, a strange expression in her eyes. “I’m fine, pops.” She extricated herself from Isaac’s embrace. “Thanks, baby. “ George saw Isaac smile down at her.

“Anytime. Now, you going to tell me what’s going on?”

 

Sarah looked out at the people on her lawn, in her barn. She could see Saul, Isaac’s brother chatting with Finn, his kids, Christopher and Rosie, running around with Molly’s kids, Becky and Mike Jr.. Molly and Maika were chatting and laughing at the food table, George playing host.

“They’re basically doing my job for me,” she fretted but Isaac drew her into his arms.

“They’re okay, baby. Now, do you want to tell me what happened?”

 

She looked at him, a sad smile on her face. “I come from a very different background to you, Isaac. There was no family estate, no happy family. I grew up in a trailer park just south of the city. My mother was a prostitute. She was an illegal immigrant from Shanghai. Barely spoke English, didn’t bother to learn. I spoke Mandarin until I was five. Never knew who my father was, could have been any one of her clients.”

“What happened to your mother?”

 

Sarah sighed. “When I was six, I came home from school and found her happy. Believe me, it was unusual. She barely even noticed me anymore. But this one day, she seemed almost giddy. She had made dinner – just sandwiches and juice. We ate together. I started to feel odd. She was watching me, smiling all the time. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Just before I feel asleep, I felt her take my arms. There was a stinging pain I didn’t recognize and then nothing. When I woke up, she was lying next to me. Dead. She had cut her wrists. And mine. What she hadn’t realized was that by giving me a sedative it had slowed down my pulse and the cuts on my arms weren’t deep enough. I crawled through all the blood and got help.”

Isaac didn’t say anything just kept watching her. She looked away, over the field to the school.

 

“George was the one who found me – he was the police chief at the time. Because of his age, his marital status, and his profession, they wouldn’t let him adopt me formally. So I went to live in the children’s home. No one wanted to adopt a damaged mixed-race kid. Not with that history. The children’s home was okay, food and lodgings. But lonely – George came most days and would take me out when he could.” Sarah was matter-of-fact.

“Then when I was thirteen, a family moved next door.” She grinned at Isaac. “You can guess who.”

“Molly and Finn?”

She nodded. “It was the family I never had. They were funny and loud and argumentative. But the love, Isaac, man, I never knew what it was until the Jewell family came into my life. They taught me to trust again. Everyone except myself. It all caught up with me when I went to college, I went through some pretty tough times.”

 

Isaac blew out a long breath, his arms tightening around her, his lips against her hair. “Jesus, Sarah. I’m so sorry. What a messed up start to life. It does explain one thing, though…”

“How I ended up trusting Dan? Because he said all the right things?”

Isaac looked down to see her smiling at him and he grinned good-naturedly. “Yep.”

Her face clouded over. “It doesn’t change things between us, I mean?”

He looked surprised then upset. “God, no, why would it?”

She smiled but pulled away from him a little. “We can’t be naive. You’re a pretty high-profile guy. When it gets out, the press will eat it up. The billionaire and his psycho crazy girlfriend.”

Isaac frowned. “You are not crazy, or a psycho or anything I could ever, ever be ashamed of. I love you. I’m in love with you, Sarah, the for-better-or-for-worse kind of love, the –til-death-do-us-part love.”

Sarah froze. “What?”

There was a pause. “You heard me.”

“Are you asking…?”

Isaac sighed. “No. Not yet. Not like this. But I will ask you that someday. Someday that’s happy and without all this stress. Some day when you’ll believe it’s out of love and not out of sympathy.”

She smiled daily. “You know me so well already.”

Isaac reached for her. “We’re meant to be together, I know that.”

She tilted her head up to kiss him. “I know that too and later, I’m going to show you how much.”

He grinned. “You bet your cute little butt you will. Now, before my trousers become something “tent-like”, let’s go meet my family.”

 

 

Molly sidled up to Isaac as he sat back, relaxed in the porch swing. The party had died down, the sun was beginning to set. His brother and his family had left ten minutes previously, hugging their new friends. Saul had taken Isaac aside. “Sarah’s lovely, bro. I’m so happy for you.”

 

Isaac was grateful to his brother for not holding the earlier drama against Sarah, but he knew he’d have to explain it to him Monday morning at the office. He smiled at Molly now as she slunk into the chair next to him. “So…”

She grinned. “I may have a huge girl crush on your sister-in-law.”

Isaac laughed. “Fair enough, but don’t tell Sarah you’re cheating on her.”

Molly mimed zipping her mouth then her smile faded. “She okay?”

She nodded towards Sarah – who admitted was being corralled by Becky and Mike Jr, who were clambering all over her.

Isaac nodded. “I think so.”

“She tell you about her mom? Crazy, huh?”

Isaac nodded grimly. “I can’t even imagine.”

She studied him. “You get the picket fence?”

Isaac shrugged. “Not always but a lifetime better than what Sarah got. Our parents pretty much hated each other but they both loved us. I cannot imagine why a parent would do that to a child.”

 

“Not every parent loves their kids, but no, me either. How far she’s come is amazing to me.”

“How far who’s come?” A breathless Sarah staggered up to the porch, carrying a child under each arm. They collapsed in a giggling pile on the porch.

“Hillary Clinton,” said Molly smoothly. She got up and dragged her kids of Sarah. “Right you monsters, go wash your hands and find your dad. George?” She called over to the older man who was tidying the food table. “Can we give you a ride into town?”

George hesitated but Sarah waved him over. “Pops, leave that, I’ll clear up.”

 

An hour later, Sarah and Isaac were alone and lazing in her tub. Sarah lay back against his solid chest and closed her eyes as Isaac’s fingertips drifted lazily up and down her stomach.

“Did you have a good time today?” Isaac’s deep voice, low and sexy, rumbled through his chest, his lips at her ear. Sarah nodded slowly.

“Despite everything, yes. I really liked Saul and Maika and the kids are adorable.”

“They thought the same of you. We’ll get together with them again soon.”

“Good.”

They lay in silence for a long time before Sarah sat up and turned around in the bath, managing to straddle him. Isaac slid his hands around her waist and smiled at her.

 

“Hey, beautiful.”

She searched his eyes for a second. “Isaac, I want you to be honest with me. If everything that’s been going on with me is more than you signed up for, I’ll understand.”

He frowned. “Are you kidding me? Do you honestly think that little of me that I’d run at the slightest hint of baggage?”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t mean that. At all. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to deal with my shit.”

He kissed her fiercely. “I’m all in, Sarah, whatever comes our way.”

She relaxed. “Thank you.” She slid her hands down between his legs and cupped his cock but he grabbed her hands, made her look at him.

“Is anything scaring you? About the story, about the letters? Because you can tell me, no matter what it is.”

 

Sarah considered. “Actually, all I’m concerned with is how this affects you. Now that I know it was Caroline who sold the story, I’m convinced she’s the one sending the letters. Yeah, it’s upsetting but no, I’m not scared.

He released her hands and pulled her to him, his fingers sliding under her hair at the nape of her neck, as he kissed her slowly this time, deeply, savoring the feel of her. Sarah sighed into the kiss. Isaac nuzzled her neck, then with his lips to her ear, he whispered.

”Let’s get out of the tub, sweetheart, because you promised me a night of supreme fucking…”

Sarah moaned at the honey of his voice and in a flash they were tumbled from the tub, sloshing water everywhere, onto the wooden floor of the bathroom.

 

Isaac moved down her body, pushing her legs apart gently, and burying his face in her sex, his tongue lashing around her clit, along the soft peachy folds of her, feeling her labia swell and engorge. His teeth graze her clit before he bit down on it gently, grinning when he heard her sharp intake of breath, felt her fingers knot in his hair. He sucked, tasted, teased her until she was panting, begging him to fill her. His cock was straining painfully, so heavy it bobbed under its own weight as he climbed her body and scooped a hand under her buttocks as she wound her legs around him. His cock slid into her, filling her sweet cunt, and gratified, Isaac watched her eyes roll back with the pleasure he was giving her.

 

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard, baby…” Her cry of ecstasy spurred him on and he slammed into her over and over and over until they were both crying and laughing.

 

Sarah woke in the morning feeling so sick that she had to scramble to the bathroom to throw up. Afterward, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Looking in the mirror, she saw the dark circles etched around her eyes, her skin yellow and sickly and the deep crease of stress between her eyebrows. Her eyes, usually so expressive, were dead and flat.

 

“Hey, you. Are you okay?” Isaac, just in his boxers, stood at the door frowning then, when he saw her wan face, he stepped into the room and swept a hand onto her forehead. “Jesus, you’re burning up.”

He made her get back into bed despite her protestations and brought her tea and aspirin. Despite herself, Sarah fell asleep for half an hour. When she woke, she heard Isaac on the phone.

“No, surely someone else can deal with this? I need to be at home today. Saul, yes, yes, okay.” She heard him end the call. “God.”

“Is everything okay?” She tried to sit up but Isaac pushed her gently back down.

“You need to rest, beautiful. Look, I have to go into the city for a meeting, I tried to cancel it but Saul’s being a hard-ass.”

“It’s okay, go. I’ll be fine here. I’m not working today anyway.”

Isaac hesitated then nodded. “Okay, look, I’ll be a couple of hours tops. You need anything, you call me or Molly, promise?”

After he’d left, Sarah fell back asleep, her head pounding. She was so soundly asleep that she didn’t even hear the front door open and the creak of the stairs outside her bedroom.

 

He looked down at her, so still, so beautiful. Her skin looked damp, a flush of heat in her cheeks. Fever. He smiled. An easy reaction to manufacture if you knew the right drugs to hide in her vitamin supplements. Now, though, he needed to make sure she stayed unconscious. He flicked the plastic cover of the syringe he had in his pocket and eased the needle into the vein in her neck. She stirred at the quick pain but then settled. He waited five minutes before drawing back the covers. It all took less than a minute to snap the photos of her glorious body, so vulnerable. He smiled to himself. Let them know that they couldn’t stop him, that he would get to her whatever they did. He pulled the covers back over her body and left the bedroom. His next task would take a lot longer.

 

Sarah woke just after three, just as Isaac’s helicopter landed outside. She heard him taking the stairs two at a time and then he was there. She smiled at him. Isaac sat next to her.

“How are you feeling?”

She sat up in bed. “Much better, although pretty sweaty and gross.”

“Are you hungry?” Isaac started to take his tie off. “I’ll make you some eggs if you like?”

Suddenly she was starving. “God, yes, please. I’m just going to take a shower, change the bedsheets.”

He leaned over to kiss her. “See you downstairs.”

After a blissful shower, she pulled the bedsheets from the bed and gathered them into a ball to take downstairs. She heard something fall from the comforter and bent to see what it was. She frowned as she picked up the small plastic cap. A syringe cover? She scanned her memory. She didn’t think she’d ever used a syringe in her life.

“Yo, sexy, your meal awaits.”

She grinned at Isaac yelling up the stairs, then, shrugging, she threw the cap into the trash and went downstairs.

 

Finn had fallen into a routine of sleeping in his office at home, showering when Caroline was still asleep and then only emerging for meals and to change for work. Caroline didn’t object. They avoided each other; being together only led to rows. He could hear her watching a dumb soap in the living room.

He dressed for work and went into the kitchen. Caroline was making herself some lunch.

“Do you want some?” She indicated the sandwich fixings. He shook his head.

“No thanks.” He grabbed his keys.

“Finn?”

He turned. Caroline gave him a half-smile. “Have a good day.”

He blinked. This Caroline, he hadn’t seen for years. Conciliatory. Friendly.

“Thanks.” He returned her smile. “You too.”

She nodded and turned back to her sandwich.

 

Finn walked around the block to the station but changed his mind at the last moment and headed over to the coffee house, In the Varsity, Molly was on her own. She looked up, grinned, and waved him over.

““Sup sis?” He hugged her and immediately reached for the coffee pot. She rolled her eyes and pushed the plate of muffins towards him.

“An invitation. Mike and I would like to invite you and the Gorgon, I’m sorry, Caroline, to have drinks with us tonight. Nothing fancy, just at Hanks. I know Caroline does”t drink, perhaps they’ll have Virgin Mary’s – hey! She could finally, legitimately, have the blood of a virgin.”

Finn grinned. “You done?”

Molly pretended to think for a second then nodded. “I’m out. Well?”

Finn picked at a muffin. “Yeah, sure. As far as I know Caroline’s free, I’ll have to check. What’s the deal?”

“You mean apart from spending time with me, your wonderful sister? And the fact we finally have a babysitter we trust not to lead the kids down a path of devil worship and Taylor Swift fandom?”

Finn rolled his eyes at his sister. “You are certifiable, you know that?”

Molly grinned but then her expression sobered. “Look, I figure if we at least try to be pleasant to Caroline, she might lay off Sarah.”

Fin shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

Molly grimaced. “Mike’s idea. Do-gooder.” But she grinned. Finn got up, shaking his head in amusement.

“So you’ll come?” She called after him.

“Yeah, yeah what time?”

“Eight. See you there.”

 

Molly watched her brother cross the street to the police station. It has been the first time that she had seen him smile in quite a while. His face was drawn, his pallor pale, clammy. He looked so much older than a few months ago, she realized with a pang. Maybe tonight he’d relax, have some fun. A nub of guilt settled in her chest. She knew why Mike wanted this evening, this get-together – to make peace between them all. She’d happily gone along with it and now she questioned herself. Finn was her family and Caroline made him miserable. Still, if it helped… shrugging, Molly sighed and went back to work.

 

The evening sun faded and was about to drop below the horizon. After a light supper, they sat outside, talking, listening to the quiet evening, the faint lapping of water from the beach at the bottom of the garden. Sarah, her feet in Isaac’s lap as he rubbed them, studied him. At work, in his exquisite suits, he looked every inch the powerful billionaire businessman but here, sitting on her porch swing, in his artfully faded t-shirt and his long, long legs in blue jeans, he looked at home. She told him that and he smiled.

“I feel at home, babe. Anywhere with you would feel like home.”

She flushed with pleasure, stroked a finger down his cheek. “Maybe we should talk about where we go from here?” she suddenly got nervous but Isaac leaned over to kiss her.

“Sarah, would you be as kind as to move in with me?” He said in a formal English accent that made her giggle.

“Sir, I would be delighted,” she replied, waving her hand in a flourish.

“That’s the worse accent I’ve ever heard,” he teased. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“So, we’re doing this then?”

He pulled her onto his lap. “Hell yes, we are. I can’t wait any longer. We just have to work out the logistics but that can wait for later. Right now, I think we should celebrate.” And he swung her up into his arms and went inside.

 

He stood back from the tree line as Isaac carried Sarah into the house. He had watched them for the last few minutes, talking, being so easy and relaxed with each other. It made his rage threaten to burst out of him.

Now, he back-tracked through the wood to his car and drove back across the island. He had somewhere he needed to be.

 

The bar was crowded and noisy so Molly bent her head, her mouth next to Mike’s ear.

“I’m going kill her.  I’m going to kill her with extra death. I’m going to hang her entrails from a tree and dress her corpse up like a goat. With sprinkles.”

Mike snorted with laughter. “Inventive.” He couldn’t blame Molly, he was regretting extending the drinks invitation to Caroline Jewell. 

 

The evening had begun promising enough.  Finn and Molly were a tag-team, busting each other’s chops, making Mike laugh.  Soon enough, though, Caroline had tired of them hogging the spotlight and had butted in.  Mike felt Molly tense beside him immediately, watched Finn’s shoulders slump.  Caroline appeared oblivious, and worse, was fawning over both Finn and himself.  Mike was reminded of a faded small-town pageant queen, once glossy and used to male attention.  He wasn’t fooled by Caroline any more than Molly or Finn or anyone else was.  Caroline was telling about her plans to have a baby.

 

Mike caught Molly rolling her eyes at him and he grinned.  Finn shifted in his chair.

“I can see us having a whole bunch of kids,” Caroline was saying.

“Half human, half spawn of Beelzebub,” Molly muttered under her breath.  Mike grinned.  Finn was looking at Caroline, a strange expression on his face.

““A whole bunch”?”

Caroline smiled and patted his knee. “Of course.  I want at least four.”

Finn threw back his drink. “You never mentioned four.”  His voice was tired, defeated.  Caroline’s face fell the tiniest amount, but then a nasty smile started to form around her mouth.

“Well, I do.  I want us to be a family.  You know you could be more enthusiastic, I thought we were trying.”

Finn shrugged but this time Molly couldn’t hold back. She grinned wickedly.

“You’re always trying, Caroline.”

Caroline bristled, Finn smirked and Mike put a warning hand on Molly’s knee.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Caroline narrowed her eyes at Molly, “but I was born to be a mother.”

“One word, couple of syllables missing from the end of that,” Molly shot back with a syrupy smile. Mike couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped him then and even Finn chuckled. 

Caroline’s face set with spite and she turned back to Finn. “Anyways, my point is, you should be grateful that you’re with someone who can provide you with an heir. A legacy.”

Molly rolled her eyes then. “Yeah “cos anything getting half its DNA from you…”

“Molly.”  Finn’s warning was soft and low.  She grinned, shrugged. 

Caroline’s nose went in the air. “Any DNA from me is surely better than the fetid gene pool that spat out that half-bred bitch.”

“Shut the fuck up.”  Finn stood up suddenly, slamming his chair back. He looked down at his wife, oblivious to the alarmed looks of his sister and her husband. “You don’t say one more word about Sarah, you understand?”

 

Caroline laughed. “It’s not my fault you still get a hard-on for that skank.”

Mike started to stand as Finn stepped towards his wife. “You don’t get to talk about her like that. Ever. Do you understand me? She’s worth a million of you, Caroline. Don’t forget it.” His voice was rigid with anger, with contempt. Caroline made a disgusted noise, pushed her old chair back and stalked out. Finn struggled to get control of his temper.  Molly stood and tried to put her hand on his arm but he shook it off. After a moment, he reached into his pockets, pulled a couple of bills out and dropped them on the table.

 

“I’m sorry.”  He didn’t look at them again before walking out.  Mike blew out a long breath and drew Molly in for a hug.  He could feel her trembling.

“I’m sorry…I started that,” she muttered into his shoulder. He tightened his arms around her and stared out of the window, watching as Finn’s car disappeared from view.

‘Light the touch paper’, he thought, unease curling his stomach.  He looked down at Molly, kissed her gently. “Wanna get out of here?”

 

At the small hotel set at the corner of the island’s golf course, he threw down his keys and looked around. Everything he owned was in this room. He smiled, he liked his compact way of living. The apartment on the island was perfect. He’d already figured out he could see into the coffee house from the large picture window; even better, that there was a network of alleyways behind both buildings that would come in handy.

 

He grabbed his laptop and fired it up. Soon he had the camera feeds up. Her kitchen. Her living room. Her bathroom. Her bedroom. His anger snarled through him when he saw them, naked, kissing, touching, fucking. He watched as Sarah, on top of Isaac, rode his cock hard, throwing her head back as she came, watched Quinn’s hands on her tits, squeezing, saw him go down on her, watched as Sarah sucked his cock.

 

Whore

 

But it made him unbearably hard to watch them. Later, he watched them asleep in her bed, Quinn curled around her tiny, beautiful body, her dark hair clouded around that face. God, that face. It haunted him the way her dark lashes swept down onto her cheeks. His eyes moved all over her body, the full, ripe breasts, the softly curved belly, the legs that were longer than her height would suggest. Quinn’s big hand was splayed across her belly and it made the watcher want to throw up. How would Quinn feel when she was dead? When her blood stained her beautiful skin, when her eyes would close for the last time?

 

He lay on the bed and thought about what his next move would be. The rich asshole was definitely a problem but he knew how to deal with that. In that, he had assistance. He grinned to himself. Caroline. Her repugnant vanity and her absolute hatred of Sarah made her so malleable. With only the slightest show of affection on his part, she had bent to his will, given him her trust. Yes, she’d been invaluable over the past year but… his lip curled in distaste and he sat up. When they had broken into Sarah’s home, he had been furious when she had painted that obscene graffiti in the kitchen but later, thinking about it, it had been advantageous – they would know it was Caroline – but Caroline working alone, never suspecting that he was her puppet-master. They would be upset but not scared. Yet. He was free and clear for the moment.

 

He began to collect his possessions; his suitcase, his photography equipment. He loaded up his car and went back in for his final bag. Pausing, he unzipped and pulled out the heavy canvas roll and unfurled it. His knives. He pulled out the one he planned to use on Sarah – long and thin. He imagined it slicing into her tender flesh, visualize her terror, her pain as he murdered her. It made him hard just thinking about it and he went into the shower and began to jerk off. Maybe it was time he gave them a taster of what he had planned for her, and at the same time, fuck with Quinn’s head, and destroy Sarah’s peace of mind.

 

And he knew just want to do.

 

A week later, Sarah didn’t see Isaac when he came into the coffee house, her head was down, concentrating on the account books. He smiled to himself, picked a flower out of the arrangement on one of the tables. She was sitting facing away from him. He touched the flower to her neck, the lightest touch. She didn’t turn, just swatted at herself, distracted. He grinned and ran the bloom down her skin. She turned and smiled delightedly. She moved around the counter into his arms and he kissed her.

“Hey you, I wasn’t expecting to see you until later. You playing hooky again?”

“Yep. You’re a terrible influence.” He grinned and bopped her nose with the flower. Your corsage, ma’am.” He stuck the flower in her hair. She laughed.

“You want coffee?”

“Always.” He sat down and studied her as she grabbed the coffee pot. He’d been away on a business for the last two days and now he drank in the sight of her. “Is it possible you got more beautiful than ever since I last saw you?”

She made a face and made him laugh.

He reached over to take her hand. “I missed you,” he said, grinning at her, “this working thing is really inconvenient. What are you up to later?”

“I have to drop some paperwork off at George’s place. He still refuses to join the technology age and get a computer so I had to print some stuff off for him. After that, I’m free for whatever you want.” She grinned lasciviously and he smiled.

 

An hour later, Isaac nodded and turned the car around, heading out of town. He glanced over at her. “So what do you feel like doing after?”

“You.”

“Damn, you keep talking like that, we’re never going to get to George’s place. Hey, not to ruin the moment, but any new letters or anything weird?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Maybe Caroline’s finally got the message. Finn must have threatened her with arrest for stealing the crime scene photos to get her to stop. I think she’s done, the stupid idiot.”

Isaac sighed. “She has definitely lived up my first impression of her.” He looked over at her and smiled. “Remember that? Our first date at George’s restaurant?”

Her eyes were soft. “Of course, I do. God, was there ever a time when I didn’t know and love you?”

He pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “I know what you mean, sweetheart.”

They drove in silence and a few minutes later Isaac drew the car up to the sidewalk outside George’s house. Sarah started to open the door but Isaac stopped her.

 

“Are you mine forever?” He whispered.

“For all time.” She answered simply and when she looked up at him, he could see the love in her eyes. He smiled.

“Guess I better go make nice with my future father-in-law.”

She laughed slightly as she got out of the car. “One thing at a time, buddy. Besides,” she gave him a sly smile, “I need to be wooed first.”

He laughed out loud. “Wooed?”

“Hell yes.” She rummaged in her purse for the key and opened the door. As she was stepping into the house, Isaac’s phone buzzed.

“I’ll be right behind you, darling.”

 

The downstairs was in darkness, the drapes pulled. In the hallway, she thought she smelled cooking, or food and wondered if George had prepared something for them.

“Hey pops,” she called. No answer.

She went into the kitchen and stopped. The blinds were down and the room in absolute darkness but the smell of… something… was strong in here. She felt her gag reflex kick in. Jesus…Her heart began to thump unpleasantly. She felt her way over to the window, almost slipping in something wet on the floor. She pulled the blinds up, letting the sun stream into the room, and turned.

 

Everything in her world stopped. Everything in her world ended.

 

Her knees gave way, and every bone in her body went soft. A sound, a scream, a howl ripped its way from the center of her being. Her knees hit the floor, splashing still warm blood over her clothes, her face. She sat there, panting, all human thought gone. Unthinking she crawled through the blood to the front door and somehow managed to get it open. Still on all-fours, she managed to make it to the middle of the front lawn before collapsing. Isaac’s face was a mask of horror as he took in her blood-covered form. She curled into a fetal position, her mind shut down. Catatonic.

“Christ, Sarah…. what? What happened?” Isaac’s voice, frantic sounded hollow to her, an echo in an empty hall. She didn’t even feel it when Isaac lifted her into his arms and took her to the car.

 

Finn came out of the house, his face white, shocked. He pulled Isaac away from the ambulance as he argued with the paramedics. Sarah was refusing to be taken to the hospital and the paramedics were trying to persuade her otherwise.

“Isaac, let them look after her. You need to see this.”

 

He followed Finn into the house, the smell of the blood, of flesh starting to decompose hitting him. He balked at the entrance of the kitchen, and when he did take a step into the room, he clamped a hand over his nose. George was laid out on the kitchen table, his eyes open and staring, his face contorted in unimaginable agony. His torso was split from his throat down to his groin and his organs, his intestines spilled out over his body, his blood covered the floor, congealing, the stench of iron and death. There were stab marks all over his body, his face, and his head.

Isaac gagged. “Jesus.”

 

Finn nodded. “I know. But that’s not what I need you to see. The killer left a message for Sarah.” He nodded to the far wall. From his position, Isaac couldn’t see what he was indicating. He moved into the room a little more, wincing as his shoes squeaked in the blood, looked up at where Finn was pointing and his heart stopped.

 

Photographs of Sarah. Hundreds, maybe thousands, layer upon layer of them. In most of them, she wasn’t looking at the camera, some obviously taken from a distance, some from awkward angles. She was smiling in most, oblivious to the camera, or talking to someone else. Photos of Isaac and Sarah together. In one they were holding hands, laughing at one of their silly jokes, aprons on, lording it over the barbecue as if they were cordon bleu chefs. That one was at the house, her house. He tried to figure out the angle the picture was taken from. It wasn’t hard. The photographer must have been in the tree line. Photos where he could see members of his own family in the background.

 

Then he saw the photos in the center of the collage and his heart began to thump, a wave of nausea rising in his throat. Sarah. Dead. Murdered. Stabbed, shot, strangled. They were obviously photo-shopped images of her head on the bodies of murdered women but it didn’t lessen the horror of imagining her like that. It would have been clear what the threat was even without the most damning evidence.

 In George’s blood, smeared in dark gobs across the wall.

 

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