Safe From the Dark (11 page)

Oh
God, right there.

His
tongue did something to her clit that had her crying out, arching her pussy
into his mouth. Colin chuckled,
infuriating man
, and did it again, this
time sliding two long fingers into her sheath in a move so carnal she
whimpered.

“That’s
right, baby,” he crooned against the pad of her pussy, “Give me everything. Mmm…tight
and wet.”

He
expertly finger-fucked her until she was writhing for him, unable to hold back
the little sounds that were shocking to her ears, but that he seemed to enjoy
as he nibbled gently on her engorged clit. He pulled his digits out, only to
replace them with his tongue. A hot, mind-blowing lash of his tongue at her
core made good on his promise, and then he closed his mouth over her, using the
pad of one slick forefinger to rub diabolical circles into her hungry clit
while he sucked and thrust with delicate precision.

Evie
didn’t want to think about
how
he got to be so good with his mouth, but
all that practice paid off because one second she was straining against him,
sure she couldn’t stand it one moment longer, and the next, all that lovely
tension burst and she was melting over him like oozing honey, a sharp cry of
surprise pulled from her throat.

You
never came like
that
for Jack
, she noted.

Evie
was too replete to let the realization do more than drift through her
consciousness, and besides, Colin was still between her thighs, gently lapping
as her tremors subsided.

“Next
time, I’m going to feel this sweet pussy come apart around my cock.”

The
jolt of pleasure at the rough words had her hips jerking involuntarily. He
chuckled softly and placed a gentle kiss at the very top of her cleft, and then
rested his cheek against her abdomen while her racing heart finally started to
calm. The rasp of stubble from his jaw on her tender flesh sent a new wave of
shivers through her body.

Evie
leaned back against the porch swing and hesitantly stroked Colin’s cheek as he
propped his chin on her belly, his hazel eyes nearly glowing with heat and
arousal and male satisfaction at her response to him.

“Do
you want to come in?” she whispered, knowing that despite their intensely
erotic interlude out here on the porch, the invitation represented a much
bigger step, and the beginnings of trust. She squashed the nerves and worries
about the future and focused on what she wanted in the moment – Colin’s big
naked body moving against her, driving her to peak again and again with his
hands and mouth and cock. She licked her lips, waiting for his answer.

It
never came, because at that moment, the porch light
exploded
above them in
a shower of sparks and glass.

“Down!”

Evie
reacted without thinking, tackling Colin to the ground and dragging him under
the relative cover of the swing. She yanked up her jeans and hastily buttoned
her shirt.

“Are
you hurt?” she demanded, running her hands over him, checking for wounds.

“I’m
fine. Is someone shooting at us?” He sounded shocked.

CRACK!

Another
shot rang out, and splinters of wood rained down on their heads. Evie scrambled
up, fumbling for her weapon on the railing, but Colin yanked her back down.

“What
the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’ve
already been shot twice this year, I’m not going to let it happen again! Do
something useful and call for help!”

Ignoring
his grasping hands, she pushed to her hands and knees as the gunfire continued,
destroying one of Gram’s planters, followed by one of the front windows.

CRACK!
CRACK!

The
shooter had made a mistake in taking out the light, and Evie took advantage of
the darkness to find her weapon, getting it out and up in a matter of seconds
to return fire. For a minute they traded shots, but it was like shooting into a
black hole – the night was dark as pitch, and the dense trees around her
property offered too much cover. They were pinned down, and the best Evie could
do was hold the shooter off until help arrived or the bastard ran out of ammo. She
could hear Colin whispering urgently into his cell phone, but her senses were
focused on the woods – every snap of a twig, every rustle of branches.

Suddenly,
the gunfire ceased, and Evie strained to hear the slightest sound from her
position by the railing.

“He’s
making a run for it,” she muttered, and started to slither down the stairs, but
Colin grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back.

“Are
you out of your mind? You’re not chasing down some lunatic with a gun in the
dark.”

“He’s
getting away!” Evie protested, though she knew he was right. Her first instinct
was to go after their assailant while the getting was good, almost immediately
followed by the inner cop slapping her upside the head.

Protect
the civilian, protect yourself. A few weeks off the beat and you’ve forgotten
everything, Asher.

“He
could be waiting behind a tree for you to stumble out, guns blazing. Just stay
put. Zeke will be here in two minutes.”

“Fine.
I know.” She was tense, keeping her eyes peeled and her gun trained on the
darkness, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of a criminal who more than likely
was no longer there.

Colin
kept his arms around her, as though to reassure himself that she wasn’t going
to bolt off the porch and get herself killed, and she had to admit that the
strength of his body behind hers was reassuring.

The
flash of headlights coming up the hill send a flood of relief running through
Evie, and she relaxed minutely as Zeke pulled his truck into the driveway. Zeke
clambered out of the truck, his freckled face stark white and scared in the
glow of the two powerful flashlights. A quick sweep of the trees proved what
Evie already suspected – the shooter was long gone.

“Anybody
hurt?” he called.

Cautiously,
Evie untangled herself from Colin’s grip and edged out to meet him.

“We’re
okay.”

More
lights, and Tony’s SUV jerked up the last stretch of hill, screeching to a
halt. He stepped out, clearly pissed, as Colin moved to examine a bullet hole
in the side of his truck.

“Dammit,”
he muttered.

“Zeke,
take Colin and make sure the house is secure. Asher, you’re with me.” Tony’s
voice was clipped and angry.

Evie
couldn’t bear to look at Colin, but nodded, taking one of Zeke’s flashlights
and hurrying after Tony into the trees. A few minutes of searching led to a
pile of 9mm shell casings and a few muddy boot prints, too smudged to be of any
use.

Tony
insisted on a careful grid search of the whole area, and Evie was impressed by
the small town sheriff’s efficiency and attention to detail. She made a mental
note to do some digging into Sheriff Arnetto – the man was as layered as an
onion, and played everything close to the vest.

They
were finishing the sweep of the grounds when Tony finally turned to her.

“The
fire, the dead animal, the attack on Colin, and now this.”

His
eyes were steady on hers as the truth hit home. Evie sucked in a breath and
leaned against Tony’s truck, working it out.

“So,
Deirdre’s not the target. At least not directly. He’s after Colin.”

“But
he didn’t kill him when he had the chance. He just knocked him out,” noted
Tony, “because he’s sending a message. Remember the blood? Sin. It’s a stalker.”

 Evie
forced an incredulous laugh, not wanting to believe it, but her stomach sank.

“Don’t
fuck the mayor, or else?”

“Colin’s
a great guy, but he hasn’t exactly been living like a monk since he moved back
to town. Hell hath no fury, right?”

Colin
stepped out on the porch, followed by Zeke.

“The
house is secure,” squeaked the young deputy, importantly.

“Colin,
I’m going to need a list of every woman you’ve hooked up with since you came
back to Bright’s Ferry. And the ones in Boston, too.” Tony’s voice was
matter-of-fact, as though it were an everyday request.

Colin
sputtered for a moment, and then, “What the hell, Tony?”

Evie
spoke up, keeping her voice as professional as she could manage, ticking off
her fingers as she ran down the list.

“Deirdre’s
car got keyed the other day, probably while she was with you. The next day, her
house burns to the ground. Instead of staying away from Deirdre, which is what
the attacker seems to want, everyone in town sees the happy couple at the
restaurant tonight – ”

Evie
paused to clear her throat, glad that Colin couldn’t see her expression in the
glare of the flashlights.

“Later,
Deirdre spends the night at your house. Enraged, the attacker leaves a dead
animal and a message, and then knocks you out when you nearly catch her in the
act.”

She
stopped, the rest of the list stuck, but Tony smoothly picked up the narrative.

“The
attacker sticks around to make sure you’re not seriously injured, and then
follows you back here. Whatever she saw sends her flying into a rage, and here
we are.”

Evie’s
face heated as Tony deliberately kept his voice bland and nonjudgmental. If the
attacker was really watching, they would have gotten an eyeful.

For
a hot second, the memory of Colin’s tongue expertly flicking her clit while his
fingers slid inside her with slow, deliberate thrusts, intruded, and Evie felt
dizzy. She quickly shook it off – not the time or the place, not that her pussy
seemed to care. Her clit throbbed like a toothache.

It
must be the adrenaline
,
she thought. She hoped.

Colin
leaned down to swipe a piece of white fabric from the porch, which he casually
slipped into his pocket.
Her panties.
Evie stifled a groan.

“Colin,”
said Tony, deadly serious, “You’ve got a stalker.”

“That’s
ridiculous,” Colin retorted, “completely – wait.”

“What?”
asked Evie as Colin froze.

“There
have been letters. To the office. Really twisted stuff.”

“And
you didn’t report them? Shit, Daniels.” Tony was pissed.

Colin
paced the driveway, running his fingers through his hair, agitated.

“Look,
hate mail is part of the job. Few times a year we get someone railing about
anarchy and all that nonsense. The only reason I remember these is that they
really rattled Candace. I figured they were just from some nutjob trying to let
off a little steam.”

“We
need to see those letters.”

Colin
nodded, sitting down on the front steps, trying to process everything.

“Uh,
Sheriff?” Zeke’s voice was hesitant in the darkness.

“Yeah,
Zeke?”

“Well,
the stalker doesn’t necessarily have to be one of Mr. Daniels’…uh…girlfriends. It
could just be someone that wants to make us think that. Or someone jealous.”

“That’s
a good point,” said Evie, “Anyone who dislikes Colin, doesn’t think he’s fit to
be mayor, anyone holding a grudge…”

Colin
was shaking his head.

“I
can’t believe this. So, what happens now?”

“Unfortunately,
Evie seems to have caught the stalker’s attention. We don’t want to antagonize
him or her by seeing you two together, but at the same time, I don’t have the
manpower to have someone keep a separate eye on you, Deirdre, and Evie, too.”

“I
can take care of myself,” Evie insisted.

“That’s
not a good idea,” growled Colin, “and besides, I was nowhere near Deirdre when
that maniac set her house on fire.”

“True
enough.”

Tony
kicked at the gravel, considering their options.

“For
tonight, Asher, go bunk down at the Daniels’ house. Zeke, you take the night
watch and I’ll see if I can’t drum up some volunteers from the Fire Department
to join you. Tomorrow, we’ll go through those letters and try to figure out who
this lunatic is before someone really gets hurt. Until he or she is caught, no
one goes anywhere alone.”

Spending
the night on Colin’s couch while he and Deirdre slept upstairs sounded like
punishment to Evie, but she nodded. At least this way she could keep him safe.

The
drive back to Colin’s house was short, and as Evie followed his truck, she could
see Zeke’s headlights in the rearview mirror. She yawned, drained from the
emotional highs and lows of the evening along with the stress of two near-death
experiences in two days’ time.

An
hour ago, Evie had been completely focused on the idea of stripping Colin out
of his clothes and satisfying the lust that had plagued her from the moment
she’d seen him, half-naked in his doorway. Now, all she wanted was a good
night’s sleep without any surprises, gunshots, or blood. Sexual satisfaction
was all well and good, but her shoulder and side were stiff, throbbing dully,
reminding her that she needed to take something, that she really wasn’t yet up
to speed.