Kristin sat up suddenly. Her chest was heaving as if she had just run a marathon. It took her a minute to take in her surroundings. She was in bed at Amber's house. She was safe. She could feel Matt next to her soothing her. He was stroking her back, talking soothingly, trying to calm her.
She could feel her heart racing but she lay back down on Matt's chest. She needed him to comfort her.
"He found me," she said.
"He can't get to you," Matt responded. "You are safe here."
He rolled slightly to where Kristin was lying on the bed and he was looking down at her. He stroked her face and just looked at the achingly beautiful woman in his arms.
Bending down, he kissed her, slowly at first then with increasing passion as his tongue slipped inside her mouth to mate with hers. He plunged his tongue in than slowly withdrew. He continued his slow lovemaking with his tongue and moaned when Kristin responded.
Running her hands over his bare torso, Kristin knew what Matt was trying to do. And it was working. She could feel the emotions swirling in her body, lust warring with terror. Lust was beginning to win as the terror was quickly subsiding. Kristin continued to stroke and feel as Matt continued his tortured exploration of her mouth. She was not sure how much longer she would be able to take this. If he didn't touch her soon, other than her face, she might scream again. Not in fear this time.
As if reading her mind, Matt began a slow exploration of her body. He unbuttoned her pajama top and slid it off her shoulders. Kristin sighed when she felt his chest hairs come in contact with her bare breasts. But she wanted more, needed more. She move slightly, letting him feel her breasts move against his chest and was rewarded by his quick intake of breath.
Abandoning her mouth, Matt moved lower. He touched, fondled, and kneaded her breasts with his hands as he kissed his way down her neck to her chest. Finally, he took one pink mound into his mouth and lovingly stroked with his tongue.
Kristin's toes curled and she moaned as Matt gave her just what she needed. Her own hands began to explore more than his torso as she slipped them lower. Finding his arousal, she stroked him until he jerked and pulled away.
"Not so fast, Sweetheart," he murmured in her ear. He kissed her again passionately. As their tongues dueled, he slipped his hands down past her breasts until he found the heat he was craving.
Kristin jerked and bucked as he slipped his fingers inside her. "You are so wet, Baby. So ready for me," he said.
Kristin simply nodded. She was unable to say anything at this point. Matt straddled her body and slipped his arousal into her smooth, hot folds. Kristin moaned. Scraping his back with her fingernails, Kristin arched to take Matt deeper insider her. She could feel the emotions, sensations, and electricity swirling in the pit of her stomach.
Matt pulled out of her slightly, hovered for a second, and then drove back into her. Kristin sucked in her breath and groaned. They moved together as if they had been born for this moment. Matt could feel the tension building. He wanted Kristin to experience the same ecstasy he was. He wanted them to reach their climax together. He slid his hand between them and stroked the very core of her womanhood. He drove into her one last time and lost all coherent thought.
Kristin felt like she was shattering. She had climbed and climbed as Matt continued to thrust into her but when she felt his hand stroking her she felt as if she had reached a peak and was about to fall over the edge. His one last thrust pushed her over. Her body felt as if it were soaring and coming apart at the same time. Tears streamed down her face. She had never felt anything so beautiful.
She had had lovers in the past, but her sex life had been more clinical than what she had just experienced. Oh, she knew all the scientific names and expressions for what had just happened and the science behind the feelings and maybe that's why she had never actually felt this before. But with Matt it was different. He made her feel like a woman. He made her feel cherished and loved.
Matt rolled over smiling until he saw Kristin's tears. "Did I hurt you," he asked quietly.
"No, Matt, you didn't hurt me. That was beautiful," Kristin answered smiling back at him. "Thank you for that."
"No problem," he responded a little smugly.
Kristin slapped his belly playfully and lay down on his shoulder. "I have never experienced sex like that before," she said shyly. She felt awkward talking about it, but she was not quite ready to go back to sleep after her nightmare.
"That wasn't sex, Baby," Matt replied. "That was lovemaking. And I hope we do a lot of that in the future." He leaned over and kissed her forehead as he gathered her closer to his side.
"I would like that, Matt" Kristin whispered.
"Do you want to talk about your nightmare," he asked quietly.
"Yes, but not now. Can we discuss it in the morning? I need to think about what I saw before I can put it into words."
"Sure, Honey. Let's try to get some sleep," Matt answered. He rolled Kristin over slightly then pulled her against him so her butt was cradled against his groin. He stroked her long, dark hair until he felt she had fallen back to sleep, then he joined her.
♥ Chapter 10 ♥
The following morning Matt waited patiently for Kristin to wake. He had already been up for an hour. He had called his office and had Dale gather all of the files on the other victims and bring them to the house. Amber had breakfast laid out for the men as they poured over the files on her dining room table. This was not the first time pictures of this nature had been spread on the table. The brothers often brought their work here to be able to think outside the office and gain her opinion on something.
Right now, Matt was sitting in a chair in Kristin's room. He jumped up and walked over to the bed when he heard her stir.
"Good morning," he said as he greeted her with a kiss.
"Good morning," Kristin answered with a smile.
"In all of the excitement yesterday with your parents I forgot to honor my promise to you."
"What promise," she asked curiously.
"You asked to see the files on the other girls and I forgot to bring them with me when I brought your parents."
"Oh, I understand. It was kind of crazy and I'm sure my parents don't need to see that."
"We'll, they're here now," Matt said.
"My parents," Kristin almost shouted.
"No, Honey, the files. I'm sorry, I should have clarified."
"You went to your office and got all the files?"
"No, I called Dale and he brought them over. He and Derek are in the dining room, eating breakfast and looking them over again. Amber is with them. Want to join them," he asked.
"Yes, will you help me dress," Kristin asked. Matt swallowed hard. He wasn't sure if he would be able to keep his hands off of her if he saw her naked right then, but she did need help and he didn't want it to be awkward between them.
"I would love to, thought you would never ask," he said as he looked suggestively at her.
Kristin laughed. She had been afraid of the awkwardness as well, but Matt bantered with her as if they had been lovers for weeks instead of just the night.
When he was finished helping her change into fresh clothes, Matt wheeled her into the dining room. When they entered, Kristin spotted the agent that had brought the files to Derek's house. Dale stood to his feet as Matt introduced the two.
"It's nice to meet you, Dale. Thank you for coming," Kristin responded politely.
"You're welcome, Ma'am," Dale said. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."
Kristin nodded. Amber brought her some breakfast and a cup of coffee and they all sat back at the table to continue their discussion.
"Matt," Kristin said. "I analyzed what I saw last night and I think the killer is left handed."
Derek's eyebrows lifted. One of the coroner's had also come to that conclusion. There was nothing concrete as of yet since all of the coroners had not ag
reed with this observation but the one that pointed it out had compelling evidence.
"What makes you say that," Matt questioned.
"In my dream," Kristin answered, "I could see the knife coming at me. I saw a flash of a gold band and realized the person holding the knife was left handed. I'm not sure if that's just part of the nightmare or part of my memory of what actually happened, but I felt you should know. Also, I think he is blond headed."
"So just to recap, we could possibly be looking for a blond surgeon who may have been or is still married," Matt questioned.
Both Kristin and Amber nodded.
Dale made a note in his ever, present notebook. "Did you recall anything else in your dream, Ma'am," he asked.
"No," Kristin said. "It seemed dark. I was running. I could hear him coming behind me and I felt like I just couldn't get away from him. I fell, and I was trying to crawl away, but I was crawling through blood that felt like quicksand." Kristin looked at her hands as she said this.
"I could hear him laughing at me. I felt pain in my feet as he cut them. More laughing, mocking me. Then I saw the knife and the ring. His face wasn't clear, but I saw a flash of blond. I'm not sure if that was the light or if that was real. The knife was pointed at my heart. That's when I started to scream."
Matt held Kristin's hand as she talked. He could feel the tension and the fear building through the recital. He rubbed her back, kissed her cheek and assured her she was safe.
Amber smiled as she looked at Derek. Her brother-in-law was definitely smitten. She hoped she would be gaining a sister soon.
Kristin finished her breakfast in silence after the recitation of her dream. The men laid out the files and discussed the patterns, the similarities, and the differences.
"He worked on this one twice," Dale said pointing to the victim found before Kristin. "Why is that?"
"She must have given him what he needed. He couldn't end it because she was responding the right way somehow," Matt answered.
The veil shifted a little. "She screamed," Kristin said. "She must have had just the right pitch he needed. That is why he was so furious with me. I wouldn't scream."
"That's his motive," asked Dale. "To hear them scream?"
"It makes sense," Matt replied. "He monitors them while they're chained up. Amber, imagine you are twenty years old and you wake up alone, chained to a wall. What is your response?"
"I would start screaming my head off hoping someone would hear me."
"And how long do you think you would do that?"
"Probably for about three of four days until my throat gave out and I wasn't able to make another sound."
"So, he sits in that room, watching them. Letting the terror build, knowing there is no one that can hear them, but the girls don't know that," Matt said.
"And he gets off on their screams," Derek responded.
"And when they can no longer scream, they settle down, probably look around, and try to pull their shackles out of the wall. He probable waits until they have their voice back. He would have to give them some kind of nourishment or they would not last as long as he keeps them," Matt said.
"By the time their voice recovers, they have gotten used to their surroundings and have realized no one is coming to help them. So they are no longer trying to scream to get someone's attention," Amber supplied.
"Correct," Derek interjected. "So it's been almost a week at this point. If it's the screaming that gives him pleasure, he has had to wait a couple of days for them to get their voice back. And by now, the girls have learned that screaming until they lose their voice is doing them no good."
"So, bring on the torture. He appears in their cell and starts cutting them. Listening to them scream until they are hoarse. Then he has to let them recover again. That explains the slight healing period between the cuts he's making." Matt pointed to the cuts on one of the pictures of the girls.
Dale jumped in at this point, "And when he is no longer turned on by the sound of the girl's voice, he ends it and dumps the body."
"Well, we have learned more in this one session than we have in weeks about this killer," Matt replied.
"What do you think he will do now that you have found his torture chamber," Kristin asked. "He has nowhere to go to carry out his sadistic ritual. Do you think he will be controlled enough to stop until he finds another place?"
"That's a possibility, or he could make a mistake if he can't control the urge," Derek answered.
Kristin shuddered. She could not take them finding one more dead girl.
Just as she completed that thought, all three men's cell phones started ringing.
"We're needed at the office, Ladies," Matt said as he kissed Kristin. "I'll be back this evening."
Dale gathered up all of the files, Derek kissed his wife, and the three men walked out the door.
Kristin and Amber just looked at each other. Amber knew from experience that the call was not a good one. She hoped Kristin would not know that as well.
"I'm going back to my room to think about what we just discovered," Kristin said.
Amber nodded and watched her wheel herself into the bedroom. She worked on cleaning up the kitchen. Restless, Amber began cleaning the house from top to bottom. She wasn't sure why she felt the urge to clean so thoroughly since the house was already clean, but she began the deep cleaning you usually do in the springtime.
It helped take her mind off of the photographs of the sliced up girls scattered on her dining room table. She turned the radio on and sang along as she mopped, dusted, and scoured.
In her room, Kristin had decided she needed to recover a little more quickly than she was. Without telling anyone what she was doing she decided she would be walking by the end of the day. She stood and realized her feet did not hurt her as bad as they had the day before. The bath had helped.
She took a step and almost fell face first. Standing was one thing but walking was another. When she lifted one foot to move forward all her weight had shifted to the other foot. Her sliced up feet were not ready to handle that just yet.
Kristin sat back down heavily. She would take it slow for now, but she had a new resolve. She needed to get back to her life. She wanted to know more about herself. She needed to know. After last night, she realized it would be unfair to Matt to fall in love with him if she did not even remember her own family.
She had no idea what her life was like, if she was dating someone. She knew in her mind she was being irrational but she couldn't help it. She wanted this to be settled before she tried to see if there was something between them. She didn't know if she had been heartbroken before but she didn't want to see what it felt like now.
Again Kristin tried to stand. She stood for a few seconds registering the feel in her feet. She knew better than to overdo it. She didn't want to give herself any setbacks. She slowly walked forward a couple of steps. She clinched her teeth and turned around. She walked back to the chair and sat again. Kristin smiled.
~
Matt, Derek, and Dale stood looking at the two bodies just discovered one county over in Decatur, Georgia, in DeKalb County. They had been mutilated almost beyond recognition. The only reason they had been called to the scene was the discovery of a heart carved on the right ankle of both victims.
"Thanks for calling us, Sheriff Parker," Matt said shaking hands.
"It's I who should be thanking you," the Sheriff said looking back at the bodies. "My men are not equipped to handle something like this. Shocked as we were to find the two girls, it was a relief to see the symbol that put in your jurisdiction."
Matt nodded, appreciating the older man's honesty. "Our coroner will be here soon to transport the bodies back to Atlanta. I'll have my team scour the site for evidence. You're welcome to pull your men back if you prefer."
"Sure thing, Agent Stevenson," the Sheriff answered. "Let's go fella's, back to the house. We can discuss the s
ituation there." The Sheriff gathered his men and told Matt he would see them back at the station.
The three men had ridden together to the scene. Dale's car was still parked at Derek's house. "When the crime scene unit arrives, I'll leave them in your hands Dale. Derek and I will talk with the deputies and gather as much information as we can there. Can you catch a ride back with the team," Matt asked.
"Sure thing, Boss. I'll meet you back at the office," Dale replied. "Here are the boys now."
Matt watched as the rest of his team rolled up in a big SUV. They gathered their equipment as Dale started giving instructions. Matt and Derek headed to the Sheriff's office.
"How long do you think we can keep this from the girls," Matt asked.
"Not long if Amber turns on the news. I'm sure the reporters were close behind our team. That scene will be crawling with them before they are able to complete the investigation," Derek answered Matt with a sigh.
"They do not need to see this," Matt said heavily.
"I would agree, but I'm not sure how we can stop that."
"I should have seen this coming. He lashed out in a rage. With any luck, he screwed up this time," Matt said angrily.
"We couldn't have predicted this. There is always a possibility of more bodies until the bastard is arrested and rotting in prison," Derek replied calmly. On the inside he was just as angry as his brother but one of them would have to keep their wits about them.
Neither said another word during the rest of the drive to the station. There were too many thoughts and emotions swirling in their heads. When they pulled up to the Sheriff's office, Sheriff Parker was standing outside smoking.
"I was afraid this day would come," he greeted the agents. "I thought I was ready, but apparently, I was wrong."
"Nothing can prepare you for a sight like you and your boys just found," Matt responded.
"This is different, isn't it? He didn't treat the others this way," the Sheriff asked.
"No, he is angry," Derek answered. "We found his hiding place and raided it. He is probably trying to show us we can't stop him. This is the first time he has taken two."
"The girls' purses were found with them. We have an id on both of them. They're from Clayton County. Just a couple of towns over," Sheriff Parker stated.