s [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

serial killer targeting young gay men? About a year ago?
 Yeah, I remember. Turned out to be a woman. Jeremy s
brain strained for the name.  March, wasn t it? As soon as
the words were out of his mouth, Jeremy rolled his eyes
closed.  Virginia March, wife of David March March
Construction. No wonder the poor bastard was so fucked-
up.  Wait a minute. Wasn t he involved with& 
39
Shayla Kersten
This time, Jeremy rolled his eyes to the heavens.  Shit. In a
town the size of Memphis, I managed to pick up& Shit!
David s ex-lover was Tony s current. Lovely. A fuckin soap
opera.
 I m just saying be careful. David had issues then. He s
bound to be a headcase after his wife was killed and labeled
a serial killer because of him. Tony shook his head.  And
now somebody s taking potshots at him.
 So are you leading the investigation? Jeremy had doubts
about Tony s impartiality.
 No. Not a homicide. Until someone comes up with proof
he s a target, this is labeled a drive-by. All yours. Tony held
out his hand.  Just be careful.
Jeremy shook hands with a firm grasp.  I will. His gaze
followed Tony through the automatic doors.
 Detective Lawson?
 Yep. Me. Jeremy twirled around to see a tall young man
dressed in scrubs. Why did they all seem so young these
days?
 Mr. March is fine. He ll have a pretty bad headache for a
while. We bagged the swabs from the injury but I don t think
there s anything useful. The doctor flipped a page on his
clipboard then back again.  Does he have someone to take
him home? I have some aftercare instructions and he should
probably have someone stay with him for at least twenty-four
hours.
 I ll take them. The instructions. Jeremy didn t know why the
words were forming but they just blurted out.  I m taking him
home.
40
Hidden Hands
Chapter Four
Keys jangling, David s hand shook as he unlocked his door.
The tiny apartment was a total wreck. He hadn t felt like
cleaning and his paranoia kept him from hiring another
cleaning woman.
Then again, someone had taken a shot at him. Another one.
Except he couldn t prove the first. He had been positive he d
heard the pop of gunfire and the thud of it hitting something.
But he hadn t stuck around to find where the bullet landed. All
because of the notes.
 You should get some rest. It ll help with the headache.
Jeremy s footsteps followed him into the apartment.
 Place is a mess. David s head hurt too much to give a
damn if Jeremy saw the pathetic state of his apartment. Or
about Jeremy.
How the hell did he manage to pick up a fucking cop? The
universe had a strange sense of humor.
 Don t worry about it. I ve seen worse. Kitchen?
David pointed toward the tiny excuse for a kitchen as he
turned toward the couch. His bed was piled high with dirty
clothes after an aborted attempt to clean a week ago. A little
wince of embarrassment teased through the pain. The
kitchen wasn t exactly in great shape either. Beer bottles and
pizza boxes along with a sink full of dirty coffee cups would
greet Jeremy.
What the fuck& the man s had his dick up my ass. How
embarrassing can a dirty house be?
The thought renewed the memory. David s body shivered in
spite of his headache. Sinking onto the couch, he blocked
the need with another memory. The notes. 41
Shayla Kersten
The first few just read fag. Next came fudge packer,
sodomite, abomination, pedophile&
That one hurt. David would never hurt a child.
The words weren t anything he hadn t been called before.
Just not since his father died.
His pounding head reminded him of the last note two weeks
ago. Die! Then the first shot and now this one. This time, he
had to tell the cops Jeremy what he knew.
 Damn.
 What s wrong? Jeremy walked around the couch with a
glass of water in his hand.
 Hurt. Tired. Guess you have questions. David just wanted to
close his eyes and forget everything his life, his fucked-up
marriage and crazy ex-wife, his father, Ryan& and Jeremy.
His heart raced a little, pounding blood through his skull and
his dick. Forgetting Jeremy would be hard.
David took the water and pills Jeremy offered. Tossing the
meds back, he gulped a large swallow of water.
Jeremy reached for the glass as David looked for a spot to
set it.  Why don t you go to bed, sleep for a little while? My
questions can wait. His fingers lingered on David s when he
took the glass.
Relief swept through him at the reprieve. David didn t want to
open his life to examination just yet.  I ll crash here. After
toeing off his shoes, David twisted around until his body
stretched out on the too-short couch, feet propped on the
armrest.
 Wouldn t you be more comfortable in bed?
David shook his head as his eyes closed.  Mess in there too.
I m good here. Sleep tugged the edges of his
consciousness toward black. Gentle fingers combed his
scalp.
 Good& 
* * * * *
42
Hidden Hands
The clatter of dishes and the smell of coffee woke David. The
dream of a warm body, tender caresses left his cock almost
hard, but pounding blood infused pain through his head.
Grabbing the back of the couch, David pulled up until he
could see over the couch. The kitchen door revealed only
light and noise. He d have to get up to confirm his
suspicions.
 Fuck. Pain ripped through his skull the higher he sat.
Jeremy had to be the culprit, so why bother moving?
Because the sounds were suspiciously that of someone
cleaning and the noise was threatening to rip his scalp off.
Clawing his way upright, he then twisted around until his feet
found the floor.
 What are you doing? Jeremy asked from behind him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]