Cold Hearts (18 page)

When the droplets hit his heated body, he jerked again and moaned.

That was when she bent down and took him in her mouth. The high of being in control of his pleasure was heady. Finally his eyelids fluttered shut and his heartbeat was so fast he was sure she could see it pulsing at the base of his throat. And then she took him up and over so fast he lost his mind. By the time he came down enough to talk, she was sitting cross-legged beside him.

“Still feel like laughing?” she asked.

“All the way to the grave,” he drawled, and pulled her into his arms.

* * *

Mack was feeling the same blood rush as before, only this time there was no grass beneath him or the bubbling sound of water over rocks, and she was the one in charge.

When he began to feel tiny muscles beginning to contract around him, he knew she was on the verge. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her down hard. The jolt shattered his concentration as he closed his eyes and let go.

Every muscle in Lissa’s body was coiled and on the verge of a climax when Mack grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down. After that every conscious thought went flying as the climax rolled through her.

Reality hit only moments before she would have fallen on him. She reached out just in time, bracing herself above him with a hand on either side of his shoulders. Face-to-face, beaded in sweat and trembling, she leaned down and brushed a kiss across his lips.

He fisted his hand in her hair and pulled her back, kissing her again, harder and longer.

“I owe you some serious loving,” he whispered when he finally let her go.

“I have every confidence you’ll pay up,” she said.

Fourteen

I
t was nearing noon, and Lissa had spent most of the morning writing lesson plans for her substitute teacher and emailing them to the school. She hit Send on the last set of plans, and then shoved the chair back from the kitchen table where she’d been working and got up.

She could hear the deep rumble of Mack’s voice in the back of the house. He’d been on the phone most of the morning, dealing with work back in Summerton and reassuring his staff that his injuries weren’t life threatening. Even though they had reconnected, between a killer and a stalker, their lives were still a mess.

She’d made a grocery list earlier, and started on her way to the bedroom to get her jacket and purse. The clothes she was wearing were comfortable for the fall weather—jeans and a sweater—but she could tell from the way the leaves were blowing out in the front yard that she would need the jacket.

She stopped off in the bathroom to check her makeup, or lack thereof, added a little lipstick and called it good.

Mack walked out of his dad’s office as she left the bathroom. The lanky boy he’d been had grown into an imposing figure of a man. It made her a little weak in the knees as he came toward her.

“Going somewhere?” he asked, noticing the lipstick.

“Supermarket. Do you feel like riding along, or would you rather stay here?” she asked.

In the back of his mind he knew Cain Embry would be on her tail regardless of where she went, but he still didn’t like the thought of letting her out of his sight.

“I’ll ride with you,” he said.

She eyed the zip-front hoodie he had on and then zipped it up a little higher. “It’s cold outside,” she said.

“Thank you, baby,” he said, and he kissed the mole above her lips. “For good luck,” he added.

She laughed. “You don’t have any need for good luck. You just wanted to kiss me.”

“Guilty,” he said as he followed her out the door.

* * *

Louis had been up since before daylight, wrestling with his conscience. He’d had an argument with Reece in the night that had lasted through the wee hours of the morning, and he was scared. Reece had slipped over the edge of reason. He was so fixated on getting even with Melissa Sherman that he seemed oblivious to anything Louis had to say.

Louis knew what it meant to aid and abet in a crime. Mama had told him all about it the last time this had happened. She’d told him that if someone knows about a crime that’s going to be committed and does nothing to try to stop it, then they were considered just as guilty as the one who did the deed. The fact that he actually knew Melissa Sherman made it worse. She was a nice woman and a good teacher, and she was always kind to him. He didn’t want anything to happen to her, and Reece wanted her dead.

He knew what he had to do and knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Reece was still awake. He hadn’t gone to sleep in the daytime like usual, and Louis knew in his gut something bad was going to happen, maybe today. In a panic, he sent a text to Pinky. He needed her to understand instead of second-guess why it happened.

* * *

Pinky Parsons had slept in, skipped breakfast and was having a pizza for brunch. The delivery boy had just left, and she was halfway through her first slice when her phone signaled a text. She wiped her fingers and then reached for the phone. When she noticed it was a text from Louis she frowned. Louis was never the one who ever initiated contact. And then she read the text and began to shake.

“Damn it all to hell,” she mumbled as she quickly called Louis’s number. He answered on the first ring, as if he’d known she would call.

“Mama?”

“Yes, Louis, it’s me! What do you mean, Reece wants that woman dead?”

“It’s what he said. We argued most of the night. I didn’t sleep and now he won’t. He’s going to do something bad to her, and I have to stop him.”

Pinky’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean, you have to stop him? You
can’t
stop him. He’s—”

“I’m the
only
one who can, Mama, and you know it. I just wanted you to know now instead of trying to figure out what went on later. I know you don’t love me, but I know you tried. There’s a will in the lockbox in the closet. All of Reece’s money will go to you.”

Pinky was starting to panic. “Louis, stop! You’re talking like—”

“Like Reece and I are going to die? Well, we are, Mama. Both of us.”

The disconnect in Pinky’s ear was as final as Louis’s last sentence.

“Oh, no, no, no,” she began mumbling as she called 911.

“911. What is your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.

“My son is crazy and threatening to kill someone.”

* * *

Louis looked around to make sure Reece was nowhere in sight, and then got his handgun out of the closet and slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket.

“What are you doing?” Reece shouted.

Louis was so startled by Reece’s sudden appearance that he almost stumbled. “Getting a pair of shoes,” he said as he grabbed a pair of tennis shoes. He sat down on the side of the bed and began putting them on.

“I need the truck keys,” Reece said.

“Why?” Louis asked.

“I just need them, that’s why.”

“Well, I was already planning to use the truck. We’re out of groceries, and I’m going to the supermarket.”

“You can buy food anytime. I need it
now
.”

Louis tied his last shoe and then stood up. “To do what? Hurt Miss Sherman? No! I won’t let you!”

Reece slammed a fist against the wall and screamed, “This isn’t how things work. You don’t tell me how to live my life, and I don’t tell you how to live yours.”

Louis was scared—as scared as he’d ever been in his life—but he stood his ground.

“You’re the one who’s breaking rules. You sleep in the day and I use the truck, then you use it when I sleep at night.”

“But I need it today!” Reece said, starting to whine. “Just this once, Louie. Come on. It’s important.”

“You just want to hurt Melissa Sherman.”

Reece began shaking. “I don’t want to, but I have to. She cheated on me. She’s shacked up with another man, and I need to make her understand she can’t do that.”

Louis’s eyebrows knit. “You’re crazy, Reece. I feel real sad that you’ve turned into this bad person, but I’m not going to let you hurt her or anyone else again.”

Reece was shocked. Louis always gave in. This was the first time he’d ever stood his ground and argued back. He needed to go at him another way.

“Fine. We’ll go together. You shop for groceries, and I’ll bring you home and use the truck afterward.”

Louis shrugged. He couldn’t forcibly restrain Reece because his brother was too strong, which only reinforced what he believed he had to do. “So let’s go. We need a lot of stuff. I haven’t shopped in over a week.”

Louis’s steps were slow and plodding as he walked out of the house. He paused in the yard and turned around, giving the place one last look. He’d liked his job here in Mystic, and he liked this house. It had been a good place to live—until Reece had messed everything up.

Reece waited impatiently, but he didn’t argue. He’d pushed Louis enough for now.

* * *

After receiving the call from the 911 dispatcher, Avery Jones, Trey headed to the Parsonses’ residence, with Earl following behind him. The information Pinky Parsons had given Avery was a little sketchy, but when murder was involved, waiting for details could mean the difference between life and death.

They arrived on the scene within minutes of the call, only to find the house empty and the truck gone. Trey ran back to his cruiser to get the rest of the information on the woman who’d called.

Trey got the number and quickly called.

A woman answered. “Hello?”

“This is Police Chief Trey Jakes. Am I speaking to Pinky Parsons?”

Pinky started to shake. “Yes, sir.”

“Did you make a phone call to 911 regarding your son Reece Parsons?”

“Yes, I did. Did you find him? Did you stop him?”

“There was no one at the residence. Would you happen to know where he is?”

Pinky started to moan. “Oh, my God, oh, my God.”

“Ms. Parsons, I need you to think. Where might he be?”

She choked on a sob. “I heard him talking about a woman. I think he was trying to date her or something, but it was more like stalking her.”

Trey stifled a gasp as the hairs rose on the back of his head. He had a sick feeling he was about to find out the identity of Melissa Sherman’s stalker.

“Do you know the woman’s name?”

“No. Only that she’s a teacher here in town.”

Shit.
“I want to verify that your son Reece Parsons is the person in question. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you have no idea where he might be?”

“None, unless he’s gone to find that woman.”

“What is he driving?” Trey asked.

“A black pickup truck. I don’t know the tag number. It’s an older model GM with a silver toolbox against the cab and a big dent in the bumper. That’s all I know,” Pinky said.

“Thank you. I’ll be in touch,” Trey said, and disconnected.

Pinky was sick to her stomach. She’d told them all she could, though none of that would help them understand why Reece was made the way he was. She didn’t know how to explain what she didn’t even understand. Heartsick and terrified of the outcome, she threw herself onto the bed and began to sob.

* * *

Trey disconnected as soon as he had all the information Pinky knew.

“We have a problem,” he muttered, as he ran the name Louis Parsons and the make and model of the truck through the DMV to get a tag number. As soon as it came back, he had Dispatch relay the info to all deputies on duty and hoped to God someone spotted the vehicle before it was too late. Then he picked up his cell phone. He needed to give Melissa Sherman a heads-up.

* * *

Melissa pulled up in front of the supermarket, parked and grabbed her list.

“I won’t be long, honey. Will you be okay for a bit?”

“I’m fine,” Mack said. “I have some calls to make anyway. Take your time.”

She blew him a kiss and jumped out of the SUV.

She was all the way across the parking lot before Mack noticed she’d left her phone. He started to get out and catch up with her, but by the time he looked up she was already inside. Knowing Cain would be somewhere close by, he let it go.

* * *

Louis’s head was spinning as he drove to the supermarket. He had to find the right moment and the right place to end the chaos without giving Reece the upper hand. This shopping trip would give him time, which he desperately needed. If he pulled the gun out right now and tried to end it, there was nothing to keep Reece from taking it away. He needed Reece to be preoccupied. Maybe Reece would get bored when he went in to buy groceries. Just a few seconds without Reece looking over his shoulder was all the time Louis needed.

He parked near the side entrance and got out, ignoring Reece’s presence. His legs were shaking and he felt sick to his stomach, but he had to stay calm or Reece would know something was wrong. Reece was smart like that. Louis knew he was less of a man than his brother, but he wasn’t mean, and he wasn’t crazy. Today he had to be the hero. Maybe for once Mama would be proud.

He grabbed a shopping cart and began pushing it through the store, up and down aisles, picking up the things they normally used. It was all going to be wasted when they were dead, but that didn’t matter.

Two boxes of cereal. Always sugarcoated.

A bag of apples.

A six-pack of Coke for Reece and one of Dr. Pepper for him.

Two pounds of hamburger meat. He could make that tomorrow when...

He paused, then put back the meat because he’d gotten carried away. No tomorrows.

He thought about cheese. He always bought cheese. Reece would wonder why he’d skipped the cheese. He wheeled the cart around and headed toward the back of the store to the dairy department, and the moment he rounded the corner in front of the milk case and saw Melissa Sherman he wanted to cry. He’d tried so hard to save her, and instead he’d delivered Reece into her lap.

“Well, look who’s here,” Reece drawled.

“No, Reece, you can’t—”

“Shut the fuck up, Louis. Go away. Now!”

Reece grabbed the grocery cart and aimed it toward the woman, knowing full well she wouldn’t be afraid. She wouldn’t run. In her eyes he was Louis, the man who swept the floors where she worked. He was in like Flynn, and she would never see it coming.

He kept moving closer, closer. The blood rush was so strong he felt invincible.

Hot damn, she sees me. She’s smiling. I knew it, I knew it. She thinks I’m Louis. Son of a bitch, this is going to be a piece of cake.