Reprisal Page 13

  The trip takes us about an hour and a half in traffic. We would decide to head out during the five o’clock hour, so it takes longer than it would have had I not fallen asleep. But I have to admit, I feel better since I had that nap.

  Finally he pulls up to a gorgeous brownstone on Arlington Place. Silently, I’m impressed.

  All of the homes are attached, but with private entrances and tall staircases to the front doors.

  Lots of trees and greenery, something you don’t see in Manhattan. Women walking down the sidewalks pushing strollers and walking their dogs. I hear children laughing and birds chirping.

  It’s then that I realize how much I hate the big city and how much I’ve missed this environment.

  We didn’t have brownstones in Lincoln Park, but we had yards and greenery. The only green in New York is Central Park and I rarely go down there.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Gabe says after what feels like about five minutes of just sitting in the car.

  “This is yours?”

  “Yeah, you like it?”

  “It’s beautiful. I had no idea......” and I drift off because I have no idea what I was going to say. I’m not sure what I expected, but this is lovely.

  “Well, let me show you the inside.” And he opens the door to get out, moving to come tug me out of the passenger seat. As I stand, I stretch my arms and legs and follow him to the door. I stand at the bottom of the stairs, looking up and I think I’m about to get a workout. There has to be ten steps to the door, and after the day I’ve had I’m not sure my legs will work. Before I step on the first one, Gabe hefts me up and throws me over his shoulder, fireman style. “GABE, PUT ME DOWN!” I scream, beating my fists against his back.

  “Nuh uh. You’ve been through enough today, I got this.” He says as he ascends the brick stairs to his front door. As he reaches the landing at the top, he lowers my body down, my breasts graze his chest as my feet finally touch the ground. His arms stay wrapped around my waist and he presses his lips softly against mine. “Welcome to my humble abode.” He whispers against my lips. I smile back up at him, and in his eyes I see......so many things. Trust, patience and lust. He looks at me as if I’m the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and I start to ask questions, but he turns to unlock the door. He steps inside, pressing his security code on the wall and motions for me to step in. In my mind, I expect to see a typical bachelor pad with posters and beer signs all over the walls, clothing all over the floor and trash everywhere.

  But as I step across the threshold, I see warmth and comfort. Black leather sectional sofa, contemporary furniture and a large screen TV mounted on the wall. The back wall of the living area is all windows, letting in the warm sunshine. I make my way inside and my feet immediately sink into thick, soft carpet. I stand and stare at the room around me and Gabe comes up behind me, wrapping his strong arms around me. I feel his lips against my ear, his heated breath tickling my neck. “You can go all the way inside, if you like.” He chuckles against my skin, causing chill bumps to spread over my body.

  As I step forward, he pulls my jacket off and hangs it on a coat tree by the door. He stands next to me as I take in my surroundings, then he breaks the silence. “Are you hungry? I can make some mean fajitas.” He says as he walks towards what I assume is the kitchen. I follow him quietly to his kitchen.

  As I step into the kitchen, I suck in a breath. All stainless steel appliances, black granite counter tops, a double sink and double oven. “Wow. This is a chef’s dream.” I whisper quietly.

  “I like to cook. Even went to culinary school before joining the academy. Decided that I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps and vowed to ‘protect and serve.’

  “A man of many talents, Detective Torres. I’m impressed.”

  “Well, you haven’t tasted my food yet, so you might change your mind.” He chuckles as he opens the refrigerator, pulling out peppers, onions, mushrooms, chicken and a large frying pan.

  He places the pan on the stove and starts chopping vegetables. Once he’s done, he tosses them in to the pan with the chicken, seasoning as he goes.

  “What can I do to help?” I ask, suddenly feeling a little out of place.

  “You can grab the sour cream, cheese and the container of guacamole out of the fridge.”

  I grab what I can find, but I can’t locate the guac. “Where’s the guac?”

  “In the large plastic container, top shelf towards the back.”

  As I grab the bowl, I realize that it’s homemade guacamole. “You made this?” I ask as I set the bowl on the table.

  “Yeah, my mom’s recipe. You seem surprised.” He smirks.

  “I guess I am. I’ve never met a man that can cook.”

  “Well, get used to it.” He smiles, his pearly white teeth sparkling in the sunlight. This man is amazingly gorgeous and I can’t take my eyes off of him. Rich, dark skin and those chocolate eyes.

  He turns back to the stove and stirs the now sizzling veggies and chicken. He grabs another plastic container full of fresh tortillas and hands them to me. “Did you make these too?” I ask almost sarcastically.

  He laughs, “Sadly, no. I can make them though, but these are store bought.” I look at him with surprise. “Hey, you can make homemade pasta, I can make homemade tortillas. But this case has kept me away from home, so I’ve not had time to make any.”

  His mention of the case totally brings me back to the here and now. I look up at him and I know he can see the fear in my eyes. I’m struggling to be strong and get through this, but it’s damn hard. Especially after hearing that another young girl has died. Then it dawns on me.

  Four

  There have been three girls so far and....... “I’m next aren’t I? The note and........” I drop off, turning to look out the window.

  “What Sydney?” He says as he turns the stove down and comes up behind me.

  “How many girls have there been, total?”

  “Three. The third washed up this morning.”

  I know, deep down inside that this guy is coming after me. My fingers absently brush against my hip where the number four is forever embedded in my skin. Silently I resolve to have that tattoo removed. Soon.

  “Tell me Sydney, what are you thinking?”

  I turn to him, fear and confusion filling my face. “I’m number four.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  I pull the elastic down, exposing the tattoo. “Number four Gabe. He’s making his way to ME! The note attached to the last girl....the fact that there have been three?”

  “I know, Syd. That’s why I brought you here. No one can bother you here, but you are not to leave this house without me.”

  “Great, nothing like being held prisoner again.” I mumble, trying to be funny. But apparently, Gabe doesn’t think it’s very funny.

  “Sydney, I’m trying to keep you safe. He can’t find you here.”

  “How do you know, Gabe? How do you know we weren’t followed?”

  “I just know. No one knows where you are.”

  I reach in to my purse to get my phone and as I pull it out, Gabe takes it from me.

  “Hey! You can’t cut me off from the world completely!”

  “Yes, I can. No one needs to know where you are just yet. Let the police do their job and catch this guy, Syd.”

  “You are the police!! Shouldn’t you be doing something?”

  “I am, Sydney. I’ve been put in charge of protecting YOU! And there’s no place I’d rather be.” He says as he wraps his arms around me. “No one - NO ONE, will get to you. That I can promise you.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Gabe.” I tell him again, as he likes to make promises.

  “I have no intentions of breaking that promise, Syd. You. Are. Safe. With. Me.” And his mouth rams down on mine, taking my breath away. His tongue licks in my mouth, taking what he wants, leaving me a heaving and panting mess. But he pulls back, brushing the hair out of my eyes.


  “Let’s eat.”

  Chapter 14

  Gabe

  We sit in silence as we eat and I’m enjoying watching her rolling her fajitas. Her lips wrap around the final product and I wish that was my cock her lips were wrapped around “Later.” I tell myself. But after a bit, Sydney breaks the silence.

  “I need to call Leslie. I was supposed to call her this morning and I can only imagine how freaked out she is right now.”

  “Chuck has already let her know what’s going on, to an extent. She doesn’t know everything, but she knows you’re with me and that you’re safe. Give it a day or so and you can call her, we just want to make sure no one knows where you are right now.”

  “What do you mean? You told me no one followed us, that I was safe here.”

  “You are, but the first twenty-four hours are critical. If someone knows you’re here, we’ll be made aware of it fairly quickly. These guys tend to make their move within a certain time frame thinking they’re catching their victim off guard. That won’t happen this time. The house is surrounded by off duty officers and a vacant home across the street has surveillance equipment installed. A camera is pointed right at the house constantly. No one will go unnoticed, please trust me.”

  “I’m trying, Gabe. But you must realize that I have trust issues. I trusted my father and we both know how that ended up.”

  “I’m not your father, Syd. I will never hurt you and I will never let anyone hurt you. You’re safe here, I will guarantee that.” I say, knowing there are no guarantees.

  I watch her face after that comment, and I know she’s not convinced. Hell, I’m not either for that matter. All I know is that I will do everything in my power to protect her. She’s been let down before and that has happened for the last time in her life. I cringe at my own thoughts, because I can’t be sure. Criminals like this have no regard for anyone else and will do whatever needed to get to the victim they want. If we can figure out who it is, then maybe we can nab him before he gets to Sydney.

  “What did Chuck say about my brother? Is he accounted for?”

  “Yes, he was working yesterday when the third victim washed up.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, really. Just to put a name with the victim.”

  “Lacey Bennett. She was eighteen.”

  “Did she look like me too?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh Gabe, don’t play stupid with me. Did she look like me? Dark hair, dark eyes....you know?”

  I shake my head, “No. This girl was blonde and blue eyed.” And I know the question is coming. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep the biggest secret of them all. Something we have not made Sydney aware of.

  “What Gabe? What aren’t you telling me?”

  I get up and gather our dishes, taking them to the kitchen. Before I can get there, Sydney grabs my arm and jerks me back, dishes go flying. “Shit, what the........!”

  “DON’T ‘WHAT THE HELL ME’ GABERIAL TORRES!” Sydney starts screaming. “YOU KNOW MORE THAN YOU’RE LETTING ON, CHUCK TOO! AND DAMN IT, YOU WILL TELL ME! GIVE ME THE FUCKING FILE YOU HAVE ON ME! IF YOU WON’T TELL ME, THEN I’LL PUT THE PUZZLE PIECES TOGETHER MYSELF! IF I’ SUPPOSED TO STAY SAFE, THEN I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I’M DEALING WITH!”

  I really don’t want her knowing all that I know. I wish that she could just trust me to keep her safe, but the details will come out soon enough. I pick the dishes up off of the floor while she stands there looking at me.

  “If I give you these files.......”

  “Gabe?”

  “I’ll give you the files, but please....prepare yourself for what you find out.”

  And I walk away to my office to get the files and photos. Chuck is going to kill me, but Sydney is right. She deserves to know the truth. I just pray she can survive the truth.

  I grab the files from my desk and contemplate removing some of the contents, so that she won’t see them. But then I know, I can’t lose her trust at this point. I want to keep her safe, now and always.

  “Fuck.” I say out loud.

  “What is it, Gabe?” Sydney asks from behind me.

  “Nothing, just thinking out loud.”

  She nods at me, but I can see by her reaction she doesn’t believe me. “Those the files?”

  “Yeah.” I say as I hand them to her. “Let’s go into the living room and spread them out over the coffee table, I can explain what it all is.”

  “No. Do you mind if I sit in here and go over them?” She asks as she sits down at my desk.

  “I suppose not.” I reply as I sit down in the chair across from her. She looks up at me and then back down at the folder, before lifting her eyes back to me.

  “Umm, can I review these.....alone?”

  I think, ‘no way in hell’ before nodding and leaving her alone. I know if I argue with her and try to bend the story any, she’ll back away and I can’t have that. She needs to know the truth, I know this. Though I don’t want her knowing. But right now, it’s not about me and I need to step back and let her do what she needs to do, hard as that might be.

  I quietly close the door behind me as I leave my office and head back to the kitchen. I’ll get the dishes done and out of the way. Maybe by that point she will be done reviewing the files and I can start trying to calm her down. Before I can get started, Chuck calls me with more details. I sit and listen to him intently, because I know Syd will want an update.

  “The blonde is no relation to other girls. Seems to be just a random girl, but the DNA extracted from her matches the others.” Chuck tells me. “Funny though, she doesn’t appear to have been raped, no damage to the tissues and no bruising, almost as if it was consensual. She definitely had sex with the guy, but she wasn’t raped. No skin found under her fingernails, no signs of trauma, with the exception of the snapped neck.”

  “Wait, he snapped her neck? What the hell, Chuck! Same DNA but different MO? This doesn’t make any sense. Either he knows we’re on to him and he’s changing his signature, or he really knew this girl.”

  “We think he knew her, and maybe ran out of victims to kill until he can get his hands on Sydney. We’re following up on that right now, but so far nothing else has come up. Is she all right?”

  “I don’t know, she’s in my office going over the files on her and the others. She wanted to be alone when she went over them. I expect she’ll come out of there pretty pissed off.”

  “Shit, I wish you had been with her while she went over them, to explain.”

  “I know, I tried. She’s a stubborn woman so I didn’t fight her. I’ll be ready for her when she’s done. Thank for the update.” I say as I press the end button.

  I get the dishes done and move to sit down on the sofa with a cold beer when she finally comes out of my office. I glance at my watch and realize she’s been in there over an hour. Her face is white as a ghost and her hands are shaking. “Syd, are you all right?” I stand up and move towards her.

  She glances at me, anger filling her eyes as a tear rolls down her cheek. She hold her hands up to me, keeping me at bay.

  “YOU KEPT ALL OF THIS FROM ME! HOW COULD YOU?” She yells as she throws the folder at me. “I trusted you to.....hell, to keep me informed! Why didn’t you tell me! I had a right to know that my father is in fact ALIVE!” And she storms off to the bathroom, slamming the door. The door lock clicking so loud that I think she might have broken it.

  “SYDNEY, PLEASE. LET ME EXPLAIN!” I yell through the door. “Please come out and I can go over additional details.”

  The door flies open and she stands there glaring at me, “You mean there’s more?”

  “No, just more complete information. Those files were obtained early in the investigation. I talked to Chuck while you were in my office.”

  “Gabe, those girls......those girls were my......shit, I can’t even say it.” She says as she turns away from me, almost embarrassed.

  �
�Your sisters, yes. Samantha and Sophia were your half-sisters. Syd, please come sit down and I can explain. I know more than the files show. Please.”

  She stalks into the living room, flopping down on the sofa. Her eyes are red and her face is puffy from crying. All I want to do is hold her in my arms and comfort her, but I know she’ll push me away right now. She’s hurt and angry and I hate that, so I refrain from touching her.

  She looks at me, waiting and wondering.

  “Syd, your father is dead. I read the coroner’s report. This asshole is not your father, but we do believe he is related to you somehow.”

  “Well duh, Gabe. My DNA matches both girls AND the killer. Fuck! Why is this happening?” She cries in to her hands. “If it isn’t my father, then who is it? You said my brother was working, are you sure it wasn’t him?”

  “Yes, he has an alibi for all three murders.”

  “The third one, is she a sister too?”

  I shake my head, “Apparently not, but the same DNA was extracted from her body. We believe she had consensual sex with the unsub, so we feel that he knew her. There was no noticeable trauma on her body except the tattoo and.......”

  “And what Gabe?”

  “Her neck was broken, but we don’t believe he raped her.”

  I sit quietly and watch the expression on Sydney’s face as she comes to the same realization Chuck and I came to earlier on the phone.

  “He’s changing his MO, Gabe. But if that’s the case, why the tattoo of the number three on her hip? He knows we’ve linked it together and he’s changing things up. But either way, he’s after me next, I have no doubt. He’s trying to throw us off course. But why kill an innocent girl? If he’s after me, why not just come after me?”

  “We aren’t completely sure there are no other sisters. Chuck is looking into that right now, but I think what you said at dinner holds some truth.” I tell her.

  She sits quietly, contemplating her next words. “He needed a third victim before moving on to me, victim number four. Well I have news for you Detective, I will not be a victim again.”