Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon (books recommended by bts .TXT) 📕

“Fuck!” Mason pounded a fist into the workstation. The commotion of the room paused for a second or two while nearby technophiles stopped to stare.

“Does that mean what I think?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, Lacey. Unless your computer has left your house before this trip downtown, someone’s been inside.”

She had to sit before she fell. She pulled out a chair then collapsed into it, ignoring the concerned stare the three men exchanged. “It’s been on that same desk since I got it two years ago.”

Jeremy attempted to relieve her. “If the guys hadn’t called this in I might have thought it was one of them trying to protect you in their Neanderthal way. Could Rob have done this to keep you from talking to this jerk ever again?”

“I-I guess it’s possible.” Her mind spun. “But it doesn’t seem like something he’d do. He was a straightforward kind of guy. After this happened, we promised never to keep secrets from each other. I think he trusted me more than this.”

“I agree.” Tyler had always been a good judge of character. “It doesn’t feel like the way Rob would approach a problem.”

“Then someone else had access. Could you assemble a list of who’s been over to visit?” Jeremy thought aloud.

“Jesus Christ. There must have been two hundred people who showed up to the going away party after the funeral.” Mason paced back and forth behind her chair as he realized the magnitude of possibilities. “Even you were there, JRad.”

“Can you pinpoint the time of infection?” Tyler asked.

“I can try. I just haven’t gotten that far yet. I need more time.”

“One thing doesn’t make sense to me.” Lacey interrupted before Mason could hammer Jeremy for more information. “All those calls and messages…the voice was a woman. And not one I know. Believe me, even if Jackson tried to disguise his voice I would remember. I hear it enough in my nightmares.”

Tyler’s grip tightened until she winced and shrugged off his hand.

“I can check the call logs from the jail. That should be easy enough to verify. But I doubt it was him. I already started a run on the calls into the landline but since they came in before the call tracker, it’s taking longer to trace through the phone company. Paperwork and all that nonsense…”

“Thanks, Jeremy.” Ty heaved a sigh. “I’m not sure there’s much else we can do at this point.”

“You three should head out until we know more. I’m going to fill in Lieutenant Graves. Even though he’s the lead detective on the case, I’m guessing he’ll bring you guys in to question this asshole up at the correctional facility tomorrow but it’ll take time to bust through the red tape. There’s no use in hanging around.” Jeremy stared pointedly at Mason.

“I got you. People expect us to be here. You were our last stop. After this, I think we’ll head back to our apartment. Call us as soon as you know anything else.”

“Of course.” Jeremy trailed a finger over Lacey’s cheekbone, which sported one of the darker bruises she hadn’t had time to cover with makeup before their dash to the station. “Stay out of trouble, huh?”

“I’ll try.” She leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”

Lacey zoned on the ride home. Sitting between the two guys on the bench seat of Mason’s truck reminded her of their happy summer days even though the cloudy grey weather did not. She snuggled into Ty’s good side and tried to ignore the tension in his thighs. Both men were strung tight, checking the rear and side view mirrors every few seconds to guarantee no one tailed them.

When they pulled up in front of her house, the guys exited the cab with their guns drawn. Before they’d let her go in to pack an overnight bag, they checked every inch of the exterior then the interior. She’d never felt unsafe in her own home before. When she shivered, Mason patted her on the ass.

“Go ahead, doll. Grab a few changes of clothes. Enough for two or three days, I’d say.”

Tyler said, “I have my duffle already, I’m going to raid the pantry. You should be able to borrow some of Rob’s clothes.”

“I thought we were going to your apartment?”

“No, little one. It’s the first place someone who knows you would look after here. Mason just said that back at the station in case anyone was listening.”

“You guys think someone we know did this? And Rob? Was it another cop that killed him?” She tried to swallow the hysteria threatening to bubble up.

“We just don’t know right now, Lacey. Anything’s possible. We’re not going to risk your safety.” Mason laid things on the line.

“It’s not as bad as it seems, little one. We’re probably going to have to take a ride up to Rocky Forge tomorrow or the next day anyway. Just think of this as a head start. There’s a sweet mountain resort about a hundred miles from the penitentiary. I’ve always wanted to check it out. We’ll make a vacation of it.” Tyler stepped over his luggage to surround her in his embrace then he whispered, “I’m going to call right now and see if they have a cabin with a Jacuzzi.”

She recognized his ploy to distract her but, sadly, that didn’t make it any less effective. Fantasies of Tyler and Mason’s hard, wet bodies next to her in refreshing, bubbly water flooded her mind. “Mmm.”

Ty laughed then tossed her a wink. “No need to pack your bikini, though.”

On that note, she dashed up the stairs as fast as she could without reinstating her dizziness. She collected essential items, like the naughty nightwear her friends had given her for her twenty-first birthday. She tried to cling onto arousal to ward off the fear, violation and guilt also swirling inside her. At least her headache had vanished. She checked the bedside clock when she realized she’d lost all sense of time.