Midnight Lies: The Wildefire Series (37 page)

“Yeah, we turned her over. She’s got one on her back,
below her right shoulder blade, and a couple on her buttocks.”

“So this guy gives them the rough sex they like and then kills them. Any evidence
of semen?”

“No.” He sighed and added, “I didn’t mention this to Savannah, but if you’ll notice
the smell …”

He waited until she took a deep breath. Her eyes widened with knowledge of just how
thorough the killer had been.

“Yeah … he used bleach to clean her up, inside and out. We found a turkey baster in
the kitchen, filled with bleach.”

Samantha’s stomach lurched. Holy hell, that was cold. “Hope she was dead before that
happened.”

“Me too,” Zach agreed grimly.

“Any idea on time of death?”

“We’re approximating between noon and 6:00
P.M
. Hopefully the coroner can pinpoint it closer.”

Samantha sighed, beyond exhausted. She’d been through every room in the house and
had taken at least two hundred photos.

“Come on and I’ll take you home,” Zach said. “The coroner is waiting for my call to
come pick up the body.”

Too tired to argue, she walked outside with Zach and took in a deep breath of fresh
air. No matter how many murder scenes she saw, she would never get used to them. This
one might not have been the most graphic or gruesome, but it had definitely been the
most disturbing.

She glanced over at Zach, who seemed to be taking his own deep breaths. “We haven’t
talked about Quinn. Aren’t you going to ask me if I think he did it?”

“Do you?”

“No, I’m sure he didn’t.”

“You weren’t too sure once before.”

“And that was a mistake. Someone is trying to make it look that way.”

“Then if you’re right, we need to figure out who it is before he kills again.”

“Any ideas on how you’re going to do that?”

Quinn’s voice behind her had her whirling around. “What are you doing here?”

Instead of looking at her, his gaze was focused on Zach.

“Dammit, Braddock,” Zach snapped, “you shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m not staying.”

“Then why are you here?”

“For Sam.”

Hearing Quinn’s words in that deliciously growly tone he got on occasion sent a jolt
of warm electricity through her bloodstream. When he held out his hand, she couldn’t
have stopped herself from joining her hand with his if she had wanted to … which she
didn’t.

She felt Zach’s questioning look and gave him a smile. “I’ll be home later. Tell Savvy
not to worry.”

Zach nodded and got into his car. The minute he drove away, Quinn pulled Samantha
to his car.

“Where are we going?”

“Home … to bed.”

She grinned at him. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

Laughter rumbled in Quinn’s chest. A few hours ago, he hadn’t believed he’d ever laugh
again. But now, here with Sam, he had the insane feeling that everything would work
out. He had no good reason to think that. The last few months his life had been closing
in on the edge of hell. And now that hell had come even closer. But being with Sam
blurred all of that.

They were almost home before she asked the question he had been anticipating. “What
made you change your mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t.” The one word held a mountain of emotion.

Quinn pulled into the drive. “Let’s get inside, then we’ll talk.”

They got out at the same time. Meeting her in front of the car, he took her hand and
pulled her up the steps, unlocked the door, and then pulled her inside. The instant
the door closed behind them, she went into his arms.

The depth of his feelings for this woman was unlike anything he’d ever felt before.
He had thought they were strong when they were in Atlanta, before Charlene’s murder.
Those were mild compared to what he was experiencing now.

“I’m so sorry this is happening to you, Quinn. But we’ll figure it out.”

She humbled him with her quick forgiveness. Without his asking for it … even with
no explanation of why he’d been such a prick to her before.

“You know I don’t deserve you.”

She pulled away, apparently surprised at his confession. “Why would you say that?”

“Because I’m a dickhead.”

Green eyes lighting up with teasing laughter, she cupped him in her hand. “If you’ll
remember our interlude from earlier, you’ll know that I’m particularly fond of that
part of your anatomy.”

Laughing at her wicked sense of humor, he said, “Why don’t we take a shower and then
we’ll talk.”

“Separate or together?”

“I’ve heard Midnight’s water supply is low.”

“Then I guess we’d better shower together to conserve.”

As they walked up the stairs together, Quinn wondered if it was possible to have these
feelings last. He had little to no experience with couples staying together for more
than a couple of years. He immediately discounted
his own parents’ marriage. From his perspective, love had nothing to do with why they
had stayed together for almost forty years.

Quinn opened the door to the bathroom and waited for Sam’s reaction. He wasn’t disappointed.

“Oh, Quinn, when was this done?”

“A week or so ago.”

Letting go of his hand, she walked around the oversized bathroom, touching the gleaming
fixtures. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I found some photos in a magazine and asked the contractor to copy it.”

“Where did you get the claw-footed tub?”

He shrugged. “Found it online.”

Her glowing smile of approval made the hours he’d spent perusing magazines and online
sites worth it. “I’ll look forward to a good, long soak in it soon,” she said.

He turned the shower on and began to unbutton his shirt. Sam’s soft hands stopped
him and she slowly unbuttoned the shirt for him.

Steam from the shower filled the entire room. Everything felt as if it was in slow
motion. Quinn slipped Sam’s shirt over her head, leaned down, and licked the moisture
gathering at her neck. Hands caressed slick, moist skin, lips kissed, and tongues
glided over each other as they lost themselves in a silent declaration of devotion.
He had made love to Sam many times, but none had ever seemed more important or poignant.
She had given him everything—her trust, faith, and loyalty. He wanted to show her
how much he cared for her, appreciated her … cherished her.

When at last they were nude, Quinn nudged her into the shower, and with all the tenderness
he knew how to give, he gently washed her body, lingering over soft mounds and delicious
curves. And then, when neither of them could stand it anymore, he pressed her back
against
the wall of the shower, fitted his erection into her hot, welcoming sex, and thrust
deep.

With a soft cry of surrender, Sam wrapped herself around him. Buried deep within her
heat, Quinn stilled. Everything within him told him to piston back and forth, to take
the explosive pleasure Sam’s sweet body offered. But he waited and watched.

Glittering green eyes, dark with passion and love, gazed up at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Not a damn thing.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“You.”

“What do you …” She broke off, gasping as he shifted, stroking hard … pressing deep.

“Come for me, Sam.”

Their gazes locked, he watched her eyes widen, felt the pulse of her coming climax
as if tiny aftershocks were developing into a massive reaction. And then it happened.
With a soft, sexy cry, she came. And at that moment, Quinn gave himself permission
to let go, pounding again and again until pleasure drove everything from his mind.
Only in this woman’s arms had he ever found this kind of peace.

Burrowed against his chest, so relaxed she could barely move, she whispered, “Hard
to believe I could feel so wonderful after all that’s happened.”

“I’m sorry for how I acted before.”

One of the many things she loved about this man was his ability to apologize. She
had known some men who would barely make a token apology and assume all was forgiven.
And granted, Quinn had hurt her on several occasions, but he was man enough to admit
his mistakes.

“You were pushing me away from you. Why?” she asked.

“I would think that would be obvious. Some twisted freak is killing women I’m associated
with. You think I want to put you at risk?”

Even though that thought had crossed her mind, his rejection had stung. “So what made
you change your mind?”

He hesitated and she knew he was considering not telling her. Shifting in his arms,
she looked up at him. “Quinn?”

“Your sister came to see me.”

Breath whooshed from her. She didn’t need to ask which one. “What did Bri say?”

“Hmm, besides the insults? She reminded me that whether I want you involved or not,
you were going to be.”

A little let down, she said, “And that’s it?”

“Should there be another reason?”

Shrugging, she turned her head away. “I guess not.”

Quinn made a sudden abrupt move and Samantha found herself on her back looking up
at him. Though they had closed the blinds to shut out the daylight and the room was
dim, she had no problem seeing the fierce gleam in his eyes.

His voice gravel rough, he said fiercely, “Do you want me to say that staying away
from you for more than a minute is painful for me? That the thought of not having
you in my life tears at my soul? That just seeing your face creates a peace inside
me I’ve never felt before? That having you in my arms is like coming home?”

Tears filled her eyes. Quinn had stripped himself bare, exposed his deepest thoughts
and feelings—ones she had never expected. Whether he used the words or not, he had
just told her he loved her. That was all she had ever wanted to hear from him.

Cupping his face in her hands, she brought him down to her mouth and whispered softly,
“I love you, Quinn Braddock. With all of my body, heart, soul, and strength, I love
you.”

She heard a groan, wasn’t sure if it came from her or him and didn’t care. His mouth
moved tenderly, softly over hers, and Samantha pushed aside everything but the glory
of the moment as she gave her heart and her body to the love of her life.

Quinn crumpled the newspaper in his hands and threw it into the fireplace, where flames
greedily consumed the salacious lies. In the days since Lindsay Milan’s murder,
Midnight Tales
had printed outlandish innuendos mixed with facts to make the story sound as scandalous
as possible. They hadn’t let the grim reality that a woman had been brutally murdered
get in their way of what they apparently believed to be an exciting event for Midnight.

“Guess you don’t think a lot of our local newspaper.”

He turned to see Savannah standing at the doorway of the Wilde house’s living room
with a tray of drinks. Taking the tray from her, he set it on the oversized oval coffee
table behind him. “ ‘Newspaper’ isn’t a name I would call that rag. Where the hell
did they come up with that crap?”

She dropped into a chair close to the fire. “It’s mostly just a gossip page now. I
think it started going downhill right after our parents were killed, and never recovered.”

“Who never recovered?”

Quinn turned to see Sam standing at the door. Though she looked incredible in her
red sweater and tan skirt, he saw the shadows under her eyes and the tension at her
mouth.

“Our illustrious newspaper is at it again.”

“Two scandalous stories in one year. First our parents’ murderers are finally caught
and now this. The Wildes are keeping them in business.”

Quinn noticed Sam’s inclusion of him in the Wilde family wasn’t lost on Savannah.
What surprised him was her nod of agreement. It’d been years since he had been a part
of a family, and even then, it had only felt like happenstance and not because he
belonged.

The clomp of heavy-footed men alerted him that the meeting was about to begin. Zach
came into the room, gave a soft kiss to his wife, a smile to Sam, and then a grim
nod to him. Sam and Savannah might have accepted him into the family, but it was evident
Zach wasn’t quite as willing to bring him into the fold just yet. Which was understandable
considering the man was the chief of police and was investigating a murder Quinn was
directly tied to.

Brody James came in after Zach, winked at both Sam and Savannah, then gave him the
same kind of look as his friend had. Another person not one hundred percent on board
with his innocence.

Zach poured himself a cup of coffee and then looked around the room, meeting everyone’s
gaze. “Since the Wildefire Agency is working this case, too, I figured it’d be a good
idea to pool resources and see if we can come up with some likely suspects.”

The police chief’s eyes zeroed in on Quinn. “And I sure as hell wouldn’t normally
include a possible suspect in the investigation. But since Samantha is going to include
you anyway, I don’t have much choice. Your innocence hasn’t been proven yet, so don’t
assume you’re here because you’re no longer a suspect.”

Quinn jerked his head in acknowledgment.

Zach pulled a notepad from his pocket. “Here’s what we know. Lindsay had thirteen
stab wounds. Cause of
death was asphyxiation caused by choking. The stab wounds were in nonvital parts of
her body, so it would have taken her some time to bleed out. It’s hard to say if she
was raped or just engaged in rough sex prior to her death. Either way, there was no
semen.”

“So he used protection?” Savannah asked.

Quinn noticed Zach briefly shifted his eyes to Sam before answering. “Hard to say.
He used bleach to wipe away any evidence.”

Quinn frowned, not liking where the scenario was taking them. “So he’s angry enough
to stab a woman thirteen times but is calm enough to clean up the evidence after it’s
over.”

Zach shook his head, his expression even grimmer. “I don’t think he was in a rage.”

“What do you mean, Zach?” Sam said. “That kind of overkill usually indicates anger.”