Deadly Obsession (6 page)

“Let’s just stay with the bookstore. Do you remember what you did?”

“The usual.
Talk to people, sign books. It’s not rocket science.”

Gage smiled at the hint of impatience in her voice. “Do you remember leaving the bookstore?”

“I must have left…” she began, but then stopped. She didn’t remember leaving the store. In fact, she didn’t remember much after that.

Brown eyes reflected in the mirror.

Brooklyn
gasped as a sharp pain pieced her head, flashing an image so bright her eyes stung.

“You okay?”

She forced her eyes open, still wincing from the shock. “I just got a pain in my head. It’s gone now.” She focused on his face. “I don’t remember leaving the store. Did I?”

“Tell me what happened just before you wanted to leave.”

“I’m not sure. I remember listening to some woman go on and on about her sister, and I felt like I needed to escape. When she left, I went to the washroom.”

“The ladies room?” asked Gage.

“I tried there, but there was a sign...a yellow sign, with black letters.” She waved her hand in the air, as if it were still in front of her. “It said, ‘Out of Service.’ So I used the men’s room. It was empty.” She smiled at Gage. “It smelt funny. I just wanted to splash some water on my face.”

“Then what happened?”

Did you think you could escape me, Sarah...did you really think I wouldn’t find you?

The pain seared through her head again, the voice ringing in her ears. She grabbed her head this time, moaning as a bright light blinded her.

“Brook?”

“It’s back…the pain in my head.” She tried to pant through the worst of it. “I don’t remember anything else.”

Gage touched her head, gently stroking her hair. “It’s okay. We’ll stop for now.”

Brooklyn
took several more breaths, gradually relaxing as the pain dissipated, then vanished. She looked up at Gage. His face had paled, and he’d clenched his jaw tight.

“Sorry. I wish I could tell you more.”

“It’ll come to you…when you’re ready.” He slid back in the chair. “Maybe you should rest now?” he suggested. “You look drained.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” His face paled further. “Is it bad?”

“Brook…”

“I need to know. Did I hurt myself?”

“No.”

She searched his face, catching the guilt and pain that flashed in his eyes. “Did someone else hurt me?”

“Don’t.”

“What did they do?” Her breath hitched. “Oh God, did someone rape me?”

Gage shook his head and opened his mouth, but then stopped. He looked into her eyes, and for the first time since she’d met him, she saw fear.

“No!”

“You weren’t raped, Brook. Some bastard stuck a knife in your back and ran out the back door.”

Brooklyn
turned towards the voice. “Sam.” She hadn’t heard him come in.

Sam walked over to the bed.
“Nice of you to finally wake up.
How do you feel?”

“I was feeling better until Gage gave me a heart attack.” She looked over at him. He still looked scared and the fear she’d felt returned.

“Don’t be too hard on him. It wasn’t easy going over the crime scene. You lost a lot of blood.”

“You guys went to the bookstore?
But why?
Isn’t that police business?”

Sam snorted, sitting down on the edge of her bed. “Do you really think either of us would leave it at that?”

“I suppose not.” She glanced back at Gage. He’d managed to pull himself together and had plastered a phony smile on his face. “There’s stuff you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?”

“Unfortunately, you know about as much as we do,” continued Sam. “Emma was the only one who saw anything, and we haven’t been able to get more than two words out of her before she falls apart.” He edged closed. “Does what I told you help with the mind block?”

Arms crushing her…a voice whispering in her ear…promises…

She closed her eyes, trying to stop the assault.
Images.
Feelings.
Sounds.
Nothing concrete, but too much to ignore. The memory was in there, hiding.

“Don’t push it,” soothed Gage. “You’ll remember when you’re ready. We can wait.”

Brooklyn
nodded, easing back on the bed. She’d only just awakened, and yet she felt as if she hadn’t slept in weeks. She smiled as he pulled the covers around her shoulder, his fingers lightly touching her skin. “Maybe we can try again later?”

“Rest now.
I’ll go grab some coffee and camp out on the couch some more.”

“Gage.”
She intended to tell him he didn’t have to stay, but the thought of him leaving her there alone sent a shiver down her spine.

This is only the beginning, Sarah…

“Thanks,” she whispered.

Gage brushed his thumb across her cheek and headed for the door, motioning Sam to follow. Gage closed it behind him, pulling his partner off to the side. “Did you hear what she said about the restroom?”

“I didn’t see any, ‘out of service’, signs. And nothing in the police report mentions it either.” Sam pouted. “Could she have imagined it? Maybe from another
signing,
and another store?”

“I don’t know. But it’d explain why she went in there.”

“You’ve got that look. What’s up?”

“Why would someone put out a sign and then take it away? It doesn’t make sense unless—”

“Unless they were targeting Brooklyn,” finished Sam. He swore, hitting his fist against the wall. “
I’m not liking
the sound of this. Do you think she’s in trouble?”

Gage sighed and leaned against the wall. He was far too tired to think clearly. All he knew is that Brooklyn’s account of the incident had made his skin crawl. “I don’t want her left here alone, not until we have a better idea if she’s still at risk.”

“Do you want me to call the office? I’m sure Henderson will send out a team if you think it’s necessary, jurisdiction or not. He’s always had a soft spot for Brook.”

Gage smiled, but shook his head. “Let’s hold off a bit until we get some more information. I’ll stay for now. We’ll just make sure there’s someone else here when we go see Emma tomorrow. She said we could drop by the house.”

“Whatever you think is best. Just try to get some sleep. You still look like shit.”

“You know, you can stop bruising my ego any time now. I’ll grab some coffee, while you stay with her.” He headed for the vending machine at the end of the hallway. “Let’s just hope whoever hurt her isn’t planning on a repeat performance.”

“Hey, Gage?” called Sam as Gage stopped and turned back to face him. “Why did you hesitate when she asked about being raped? I don’t suppose you know something you’re not telling me?”

Gage clenched his jaw, trying to shake the unsettling feeling away. What if that’s why the bastard had stayed so long? What if he’d assaulted her while she was bleeding to death on the floor?
“Nothing.
It was just a feeling.” He waved his concern away. “I’ll talk with the doctor later, just to ease my conscience. Now stop stalling me, Sam, and let me get that coffee.”

Chapter Four

“Knees.”

Gage shifted on the couch, tossing against the cushions. The dream was playing in his head again, and he moaned at the images flashing in the darkness.

Brooklyn
looked up at him, her brow furrowed in concern.
“Gage?
Is everything okay?”

“Knees.”
He pushed her onto the bed, not waiting for her to comply. Tonight he’d take her anally, before his bastard brother had the chance. Tonight he’d prove who really owned her. Tonight she was his.

Brooklyn
rolled onto the bed, tucking her knees under her hips as he encircled her body with his arms. He grabbed the lacy band of her thong, ripping it off her body, separating the fabric in his need to strip her. She moaned at the sound of material tearing, tensing her body beneath his. “What are you doing?”

She was nervous, her voice wavering slightly out of pitch. But she was also aroused. Her breath came in fast pants and her breast swelled in his hand as he reached around and cupped one side. He palmed it, squeezing her nipple between his fingers until she cried out. It was rock hard and he wished he could take it in his mouth, rasp it against his teeth. He squeezed again, harder.

“Oh, God!”

She tried to push up onto her hands, but he pressed his other hand across her shoulder blades, trapping her on the bed. “Don’t move.”

He could hear the anger in his voice, a deep resonance that had her tensing further. She resisted for only a moment, before allowing him to push her breasts against the mattress, leaving her hips up in the air, her buttocks completely exposed to him. He moved back, caressing each pearly cheek with his hands, kneading the muscles with his fingers.

“You’ve got such a pretty ass.” He brushed one finger down the crease, skimming over her anus. She shuddered.
“So pretty and round.
I love touching you like this.” He caressed her again, probing just the tip of his finger inside.

“Baby, are you sure you’re okay?”

He growled, slapping one cheek with the palm of his hand. Not hard, but enough to flush her skin, make her jerk in response. He raised his hand and repeated his action on the other side, feeling her push against the bed. He reached down, slipping his fingers between her legs, drawing them through her narrow crease. She was wet, her arousal drenching his fingers, coating the sides of her thighs.

“You like that, darling?” He made another pass, dipping two fingers inside her. She arched off the bed, her head thrown back before he pushed her back down, locking his arm across her back. “I said, don’t move.”

He raised his hand again, spanking her harder, his fingers still lodged inside her vagina. She cried out, clenching her body around his hand, milking his fingers as she did his cock. She moaned as he pressed further inside her, raking the sensitive tissue until his palm pressed against her flesh.

“Don’t tease me like this. It’s been almost a week since you’ve made love to me.” She tried to push back against him, but he held her firm. “Please, darling. I need you.”

He pulled his lips back, exposing his teeth as he wondered if she’d slept with his bastard of a brother yet. He could see them, her pale skin shimmering in the moonlight, his brother’s hips pumping her until she screamed.

And he knew she’d scream.

“What’s the matter? Haven’t I been man enough for you, lately?”

Brooklyn
stilled beneath him, her breath catching in her chest. “What’s wrong with you? You know you’re more than enough for me.”

He
laughed,
the sound rattling in his chest as he caressed her ass again.
“Really?”
He smacked her one more time, even harder. “Why don’t I show you just how much of a man I can be?”

He heard her start to protest when he drew his fingers back and quickly thrust them inside her again. She gasped, straining against his fingers as he leaned over her back, lowering his weight onto her. He rasped his teeth across her shoulder, scraping the skin at the base of her neck.

She cried out, and tilted her head to grant him better access. He licked at the light mark, increasing his thrusts, setting up a rhythm he knew would drive her into a climax. Her vagina tightened, contracting around him as he stroked her channel, rubbing his fingers across her G-spot. She tried to get up, desperate to increase the penetration, only to collapse back down beneath his weight.

“Yes. Oh baby…please…right there.”

Her words were disjointed and slurred, mixed with a series of short gasps. She was close. Gage reached his other hand around her thighs, slipping it down her crease as he rasped it against her clit. The tiny bud hardened at his touch as he caressed her with small, firm circles. She cried out, pushing her flesh harder against his fingers.

He leaned over her back again. “Scream for me,” he whispered, biting on the muscle of her neck as her orgasm rocked through her.

“Gage!”

Her voice echoed off the walls, mingling with the steamy heat from their bodies. She convulsed beneath him, sobbing against the fire he knew was ripping her apart. He could feel her pulsing around his fingers as he continued to rub the inside, prolonging the sensations until she sagged onto the bed. He growled, slowly removing his hand. She whimpered at the motion, clenching one last time as he finally slid free of her body. He looked at his fingers. They were coated with her release.

Perfect.

He moved them to the cleft of her ass, rubbing them across the puckered opening, spreading the moisture around the hole. Then he poked his finger inside her, slowly parting the tender muscles until it was completely buried. The moan that escaped her lips was deep and raw, a primal plea of pleasure. His cock pulsed at the sound, easing more fluid from the tip.