CTTK – Prologue

Prologue

7 February 2005

Monday

New York

She was tied to a table, the metal unbearably cold against her back. The gag in her mouth muffled her cries and screams for help.

The skin on her wrists had been rubbed raw from her failed attempts at pulling the knot out of the ropes that had her trapped in the damned basement. It smelled like cologne and musty mold, an oddly unappealing combination, a smell that was an assault on the woman’s olfactory nerve. There was a twinge of something iron, but the scent thankfully wasn’t quite as obvious or strong as the former, much more offensive pair of scents.

She heard a door open. She turned her head to look at the man as he walked through the open doorway. Her wide, panic-filled brown eyes met his much less panicked forest green ones. He smiled softly, reaching back to shut the door. “Good morning, Christine,” he said. His voice was deep and smooth. His face was clean-shaven, his jawline harsh in the bright lighting of the room. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here, how I know your name.” He crossed the room to stand beside the table.

Christine’s dark eyes followed him. He stared at her for a moment, allowing his gaze to drag over her naked figure.

“I’ve been watching you, Christine, following you.” He smiled, something much warmer and kinder than the darkness of his words. “Kind of like your eyes are following me. Except… my following is much more advanced, more… on your tail. Before last night, I had been inside your house nineteen times. Let me tell you, Christine, you’ve done a lovely job of decorating the place. It feels very homey. I’ve seen you shower thrice. You have a lovely singing voice, by the way, not to mention how beautiful you are when water is cascading over your naked body,” he said, brushing a finger over her cheek.

“Mm!” The sound was loud, despite the gag. Even the man seemed almost surprised by the sheer volume and strength of the raw sound.

“I’m sorry, Christine. I guess you don’t know this, but I can’t really understand you. See, that’s what the gag is for. Now, I’d take the gag off, but we both know you’re not exactly trustworthy enough for that.” He tapped his index finger to the end of her nose. “Not to mention that I have discovered you are quite the screamer. Jesus, woman. What was his name last night?” he asked. He snapped his fingers before pointing at Christine, a disgustingly charming grin on his face. “John. I distinctly remember you screaming John over and over again last night. I mean… before I murdered him in your bed, of course. That was pretty fun, wasn’t it?”

“Mm,” she mumbled weakly. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she squeezed them shut.

He watched one drip onto the table. “I’ve followed you to the bar seven times.” Her eyes shot open. “You loosen up on the dance floor when you’re drunk…” He slowly traced his gloved fingers over the long blade of one of his knives, all laid out neatly on a small, metal tray beside the table.

Christine’s eyes widened. “Mm!” she screamed behind the gag. She struggled to free herself from her bindings, but it was still no use.

“See, right there. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Quite a screamer,” he said. He shook his head. “Where was I? The bar. Right.” He sighed softly, shaking his head. “Such a carefree beauty, Christine. So carefree, in fact, that you never noticed me lurking around, following you.” Again, he shook his head. Hands locked behind his back, he bent down, leveling himself with her. “It’s dangerous to be carefree in this world, Christine,” he murmured, his lips soft against the shell of her ear. She whimpered. He straightened himself back out and picked up a knife.

Christine let out a muffled scream, thrashing against the ropes.

“There are lunatics out there that will take advantage of someone as carefree as you, Christine.” He buried the blade in her lower abdomen; she screamed, writhing in pain. “It’s a shame that some… monster would want to hurt someone like you.”

He flicked his wrist, slowly dragging the sharp knife up Christine’s torso. Behind the gag, she gasped as he pulled the blade from her flesh, a deep squelching sound echoing through the room.

The long blade pierced her right side, just beneath her rib cage. Christine let out a pitifully muffled scream as white-hot pain ripped through her body, coursing through her veins.

“People are so crude in this world. You just can’t trust anyone. You never know who may be a killer, Christine. Everyone’s dangerous. There’s just no way around that, you see,” he said. He set the bloodied knife back in its place, switching it out for a much shorter, less intimidating blade. He wrapped his free hand around her chin, turning her head so she was no longer facing him.

The tip of the silver blade cut deep into the skin just beneath her left eye. She screamed, struggling against him. He held her head still as he carved his way down her cheek and into her lower jaw.

He set the knife back in its place on the metal tray and turned Christine’s head so she had no choice but to look him in the eye. “The beautiful ones are always the easiest targets, Christine. It’s a proven fact,” he said. “It’s all scientific. You really can’t even blame me. It’s you, sweetheart, not me.” He shrugged half-heartedly. “Should’ve asked for your momma’s poor genes instead of the blessed ones you got from your daddy.”

He picked up a tool that looked like a much sharper version of a loop tool meant for clay. He examined it for a moment, the metal glinting threateningly in the light. “This’ll only hurt a bit, Christine.” A hand pressed firmly against her bloody stomach, he dug the tool so deep into her hip that she swore it touched bone. She arched her back off the table as much as the ropes and the hand on her stomach would allow, but it did nothing to combat the fiery pain that ripped through her body.

When the pain finally became too much for Christine’s fragile body to handle, she welcomed the darkness with open arms.

By the time he was done with Christine, she was barely recognizable. He pushed the knife cart over to the sink. He washed his hands of her blood first, humming a soft, gentle tune he didn’t recognize. He had it memorized, but he didn’t know why, didn’t know where he had heard it before.

He went about cleaning the knives and other tools that had been used, including the grapefruit spoon he had used to take out her eyes, all the while humming the happy tune he didn’t actually know.

With the knives washed and set neatly on a towel so they could dry, he cleaned out the sink, wiping away watered down blood and chunks of dug out flesh. Still humming, he shut off the water. He could hear the soft buzzing of the overhead lights, the dripping of Christine’s blood as it fell from the table and onto the concrete floor.

He looked back at Christine, smiling softly. Not because she was dead. He didn’t care about that. No, he had finally figured out why he knew the song.

Christine had been singing it in the shower two nights before he took her and cut into her soft, pale, unmarred skin.

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Chapter One

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AITL – Chapter Five

Tuesday: May 24, 2022

Around eight in the morning, after making a pot of coffee and drinking two cups, Aurora took both dogs for a mile-long run. After they got home, she showered and changed into something other than her running clothes.

The moving van didn’t come around until about noon, and they had only been there for five or six minutes when Luke came over to offer his help. Aurora, with a gracious smile, accepted. Luke, Aurora, and the two moving guys carried her upright piano into the bedroom just off the living room and pushed it firmly against the wall. She planned to use it as a little office, a study.

Most of the moving van was filled with boxes. Aurora hadn’t taken much of the furniture from her old house, just small accessories like clothes and necklaces, the plates and eating utensils. She didn’t want the furniture in the first place. It would’ve reminded her of home, and the whole point of moving was to get as far away from the place as she could.

After everything was inside, Aurora thanked the moving guys and Luke. The two movers got back in their truck and headed down the drive, while Luke crossed his arms over his chest and leaned one shoulder against the doorjamb, neatly crossing one ankle over the other.

Aurora raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Luke smiled, nodding slightly. “Your résumé. They thought it was impressive, and you’ve pulled an interview, whenever you’re ready for it.”

“Wow. Really?” she asked, genuine surprise masking her face.

Again, he nodded. “Yes, really.”

“Uh, does tomorrow morning work?” she asked.

Luke nodded once, a friendly smile still present on his face. “How about tomorrow morning at ten?”

“Sounds wonderful. I’ll be there,” Aurora said.

He pushed himself away from the doorjamb. “Awesome. Good luck, Aurora. If you need help unpacking, just let me know.”

“Thanks.”

She watched him leave, her heart pounding. An interview. The idea was terrifying, nerve-wracking. Still, she couldn’t help the little smile that crossed her face. Maybe moving out here had been the right call. Maybe life was finally looking up for Aurora Cole.

***

Aurora added more salt to the pot of spaghetti sitting on the stove. She heard something upstairs, something that sounded like a door shutting. She looked up at the ceiling, but she sure as hell wasn’t planning on going upstairs. Slamming doors and giggling were enough to start chipping away at her resolve. Maybe she had been too quick to assume that ghosts didn’t exist. So after supper and a shower, she plugged a nightlight into one of the wall outlets in the living room and slept on the couch. There was no way in hell she was going upstairs tonight. If there were such a thing as ghosts, she wasn’t going to purposely go and seek one out, especially not in her own house. She’d have to be crazy to do a thing like that. Aurora was a coward running from her problems, not a lunatic.

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Chapter Four

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AITL – Chapter Four

Monday: May 23, 2022

Aurora’s alarm went off at six o’clock that morning. Lifting Cooper’s head off her chest, she sat up in bed. She pulled her feet out from under Dexter’s chest and climbed off the bed. It felt far too dark in her room. She pulled open the curtains to let in some natural light, wrapping them around the silver hooks drilled into the wall on either side of the window. Her brow furrowed.

Was someone standing outside?

She closed her eyes and rubbed at them. When she looked out the window again, nothing was there. She sighed, deciding to chalk that up to having just woken up. How many stupid, unbelievable ghost or alien sightings came from someone who had just woken up? Too many, that was for sure.

You simply couldn’t trust those ‘just woken up’ thoughts and sights. A tired, barely awake mind exaggerated far too much to be trusted on much of anything, strange men in her yard included.

She headed downstairs, both dogs close behind her. She refilled their food and water dishes before letting them outside. She turned on the coffee pot and leaned back against the counter. She realized she didn’t have any pots or pans in the house, and she wouldn’t have any until tomorrow. The neighbors had brought her several desserts and foods for lunch and supper, but nothing for breakfast.

She had nothing to eat. She sighed and unplugged her phone from its charger. She typed up a text for Luke, thumb hovering over the send button. She didn’t want to be a burden, but… there was nothing for breakfast in the house, unless she wanted cookies or lasagna to start her day. Letting out a breath, she sent the text.

Aurora: Are you up?

Luke: Sure am. Whatcha need?

Aurora smiled softly before sending another message to the sheriff just down the road.

Aurora: Wanna come over for breakfast?

Aurora: You have to bring a pan though.

Luke: Lol how about I just bring breakfast?

Luke: Or you can come over here and I’ll make something?

Aurora: Really?

Luke: Of course. Told you to text if you needed anything, remember?

Aurora: Right. I’ll be over in a few.

Aurora: Thank you for this!

Luke: Don’t mention it

Aurora set her phone on the counter and turned off the coffee pot. She let the dogs inside and went upstairs to change out of her pajamas. Breakfast with a man she barely knew couldn’t be too bad. Maybe it would boost her real confidence instead of helping her learn to show her false confidence… if that was ever possible.

***

Luke Davidson’s house was much nicer than Aurora had ever imagined it could possibly be. It was well decorated, and the curtains were pulled back to fill the rooms with natural light.

“I didn’t do any of the decorating, if that’s what you’re thinking about,” Luke said, looking at her over his shoulder. “My mom did it,” he added.

Aurora laughed softly. “Well, either way, it’s lovely.”

He chuckled. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to tell my mom that. She’ll love you forever for the compliment.” She snorted. He smiled before clearing his throat. “So, when’s the moving van coming in?”

“Tomorrow,” Aurora said almost immediately.

“What a tragedy. No more impromptu breakfast dates.”

Aurora smiled. “Hey now, we can still have breakfast, if you ever wanna text me in the morning and ask me to make food.”

“Deal. Say, how’re you liking the neighborhood so far? Everything going okay?”

“I haven’t been out much so far, but it’s nice,” she said, nodding. “It’s a good place to run through with the dogs, too.”

“Definitely. Lots of trees and happy little birds.” Luke crossed the room, setting two plates down on the table. “Come. Sit,” he said as he pulled out a chair.

Aurora sat down. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He sat down across from her and took a drink of his coffee.

Aurora was the first to take a bite of the food the sheriff had made. “Oh, my God, Luke. This is amazing.”

He smiled. “Thanks. My dad was half Italian and learned to cook from his mother. Dad made a homemade meal every night, and I just kinda picked up a thing or two over the years,” he said. He took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before saying, “I noticed you applied for the dispatch job.”

“Yeah, yeah, I did. Fingers crossed for an interview,” she said. “It’d be one of the first things to go right in a long time,” she muttered.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Aurora.”

She felt herself smile. His words felt reassuring, and she hadn’t had any sense of reassurance in a long time. It felt good, to say the least. “Thank you.”

***

“Thank you for breakfast, Luke. I really appreciate it,” Aurora said.

He smiled brightly, nodding once. “You’re welcome, Aurora. You can come over anytime you need something fresh or homemade. My door and kitchen are… always open if you need something,” he said.

“That’s incredible. You’re incredible. Thank you.” Luke nodded. She left Luke’s house and walked back to her own. The strangest thing, she figured, was that the front door was locked. It was locked, even though she knew she didn’t lock it before she left. She shook her head and headed for the garage door, but the doorknob held fast. She closed her eyes, let out a breath, and made her way to the large garage door. She bent down and opened it, ducking under the door before lowering it back to the ground. She squeezed through the space between her car and the wall and headed for the small set of stairs that led up to the door.

The door that connected the house to the garage wasn’t locked. She stepped into the house and headed for the front door. She unlocked it, a frown on her face. Hands on her hips, Aurora stared at the door for a moment. She didn’t remember locking the door, and she certainly didn’t remember locking the garage door. With a sigh, she headed up the stairs to go to her bedroom, deciding that she must have locked it. There was no other explanation for it. She assumed she had only been too tired to remember turning the lock that morning.

It was no big deal.

She headed upstairs and changed into her workout clothes. Like the previous morning, she took both dogs for a run. She figured all three of them could use a break from the house, forgotten locked doors or not.

***

Aurora’s eyes rested on her plain, boring reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink. She couldn’t believe Luke was being nice to her. It obviously wasn’t because she was pretty. It wasn’t because she had large breasts or showed ample amounts of cleavage to everyone that happened to be around her at any given time.

Maybe he had a thing for pink hair or ear piercings. Maybe tattoos. She didn’t know. She hadn’t hung out around men enough to know what the hell went on in their heads, and she certainly hadn’t hung around Luke enough to have a clue what went on in his.

The bathroom door slammed shut.

Aurora’s gaze shifted to the door that had been open only seconds before. She rinsed off her toothbrush and dropped it back into the holder on the counter. She leaned down and rinsed out her mouth, doing her best to keep the door in her line of sight. She dried off her face and slowly walked to the door. Grasping the doorknob with a shaky hand, she yanked the door open.

Nothing.

Standing in the doorway, she realized that one of the doors in the dining room was open. She sighed in relief. The wind had blown the door shut. There was always a logical explanation for everything that could happen to a person. Shaking her head, she turned off the bathroom light, closed the door in the dining room, and headed upstairs for bed.

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Chapter Three

Chapter Five

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AITL – Chapter Three

Sunday: May 22, 2022

After waking up and taking a shower, Aurora skipped breakfast and coffee to head to the sheriff’s department instead. She was nervous for the trip, even though it was just to fill out a bit of paperwork—although even she had to admit that nervous was quite the understatement when it came right down to it—and the bathroom door… thing the day before didn’t do much to help. The fifteen-minute drive had helped to calm her, however. She was thankful for that. By the time she walked into the sheriff’s department building in Oskaloosa, she felt confident about herself, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

And damn, did that feel good.

At least, she was pretty sure it was confidence, and even pretty sure felt pretty good when compared to her usual feelings. She wasn’t one hundred percent certain what confidence actually felt like. Had anyone ever truly been confident? Or did they all just fake it until they made it? Or was it just Aurora that completely lacked the trait?

She wasn’t sure, but she knew it was one of those things she hated not knowing.

The open dispatch position she was applying for would be a shift from midnight to eight in the morning. She didn’t mind pulling late nights and early mornings. So she filled out the application and handed in her résumé without any hesitation. She smiled at the receptionist as he told her she’d receive a call within a week, a call that would inform her whether or not she had an interview to eventually set up.

Aurora pulled out of the sheriff’s department’s parking lot and headed to the grocery store. She may have had pre-made meals from the neighbors, but she wanted something different than that. Something ‘different’, like frozen pizza and pop. When it came to Aurora Cole, the essentials were simple, things like coffee, creamer, sugar, frozen food, pop, and cheese sticks. For Aurora, the essentials were meals—or at least snacks—a person could eat all alone without feeling alone. She needed a new start, and she’d left home to find it, but that didn’t mean she truly wanted to be alone. That was why certain meals and snacks were important.

Like pizza.

A nice bagger boy walked her out to her car and helped her put the groceries in the back of her Blazer. He referred to her as ma’am, something that was a casual reminder that Aurora wasn’t exactly the youngest looking twenty-something-year-old on the block. She was okay with that, though. Sometimes, looking a little bit older than most girls her age made people think she had her shit together. That was always a plus.

Sitting in the driver’s seat of her Blazer, she met her own gaze in the flip down mirror in front of her seat. She sighed. She wouldn’t call herself ugly, precisely, but she was certainly far too plain to be considered anything near gorgeous. For as long as she could remember, she had been reminded of that on a relatively daily basis, sometimes from herself, sometimes from her classmates, and sometimes from her family.

She smacked the back of the mirror with the palm of her hand, slamming it back against the roof of the car. She wasn’t going to bring herself down. She had her false confidence now, and she was going to hold onto it for as long as she could before she single-handedly destroyed it all over again.

***

At home, Aurora put the groceries away and changed into her workout clothes: gray shorts, a sports bra, and a pink tank top, all made with the kind of material that was supposed to help wick away sweat. She slid her phone into the running armband she had secured around her upper arm. She pushed in her earphones and turned up her music. She snapped a leash onto Dexter’s harness, quickly followed by Cooper’s harness.

After a mile-long run, she was happy to be back in the house. She took off the dogs’ harnesses and went into the bathroom. She checked the bathtub for any potential gigglers. Nothing. She opened the basement door and checked there, too, just in case. Nothing. She closed the door, locked it. Finally feeling safe in her own bathroom, she shut the bathroom door and twisted the lock.

She undressed and took a long shower. She couldn’t help but close her eyes at the marvelous water pressure in the farmhouse. It was much better than it had been back home. Not to mention that she didn’t have a five-minute time limit anymore.

For the first time since she moved out of her parent’s house at the age of seventeen, she took a thirty-minute shower. And, God, did it feel good to rebel against old house rules.

***

Aurora sat down on the couch and set her plate on her lap. Cooper jumped up on her left side, Dexter on her right. She grabbed the television remote and turned it on. Immediately, she was greeted with a movie about a ghost of some kind.

She had never changed the channel so quickly in her life.

Aurora Cole didn’t believe in ghosts. She didn’t even believe in an afterlife. But that didn’t change the fact that the giggling from yesterday had still spooked her something terrible.

After watching a Roseanne marathon, Aurora finally gave up on staying awake around ten that night. Both dogs followed her to the bedroom upstairs, something she couldn’t help but be thankful for. She was even more thankful that they both slept on the bed with her, Cooper stretched out beside her and Dexter guarding the end of the bed, facing the door.

Aurora Cole didn’t believe in ghosts, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of the dark.

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Chapter Two

Chapter Four

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AITL – Chapter Two

Saturday: May 21, 2022

The first thing Aurora found out when she awoke that morning was that the moving truck wouldn’t be coming in until sometime Tuesday. It had been a relatively short phone call, and it was a fact that didn’t even bother her all that much. She had no problem with waiting. She could make do with what she already had with her for a few days without too many issues arising. Not to mention that the neighbors had given her enough food to feed a family of five for at least two weeks.

That being said, she settled for one of the oatmeal raisin cookies the elderly lady around the corner had brought for her.

In the kitchen, Aurora unpacked the plates and cups, setting them out on the counter. She began putting them away in their respective cupboards, deciding it was best to get that out of the way as soon as she could. If she didn’t do it now, she’d keep putting it off, day after day after day, and by then, she’d simply be willing to live in a house from an episode of Hoarders.

The bathroom door slammed shut.

Aurora froze, hands still on the small stack of plates she had put in the cupboard. She turned her head, looking back at the door over her left shoulder. She stared at it for several seconds, dropping a hand to rest on the shelf below the plates. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she turned back to the cabinet. A window in the bathroom must’ve been open. A sudden gust of wind must’ve shut the door.

The bathroom door opened, but she ignored it, like any sane person would.

The bathroom door slammed shut and opened again.

One hand still shoved in the cupboard, Aurora looked back over her left shoulder again. Gaze locked on the open door, she reached down and grabbed another stack of plates. Lifting them, she turned back to the cupboard and put them in their place. She grabbed a small stack of three or four plates. Just before she put them away, the door slammed shut again.

She froze, the plates in her hand just barely touching the others in the cupboard. She turned her head to look at the door, gently pushing the plates onto the top of the stack. A hand resting on the cupboard shelf, she turned fully around as the sound of giggling reached her ears. The bathroom door opening and closing was something she could explain away.

Children giggling in a house where no children lived was not.

She pushed herself away from the cupboard and the kitchen counter, unblinking as she kept her gaze on the door.

The door swung open. Just before she reached it, it slammed closed again.

She stood in front of the door, heart pounding wildly in her chest. She wrapped a hand around the doorknob, swallowed roughly, and threw open the door.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

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Chapter One

Chapter Three

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AITL – Chapter One

Friday: May 20, 2022

Aurora Cole wasn’t the kind of girl that typically accepted change. Whenever she could, she tended to avoid it at all costs. Life was easier that way, and who really liked change anyway? Who liked uprooting their entire life, packing up all their memories, and moving halfway across the country?

Not Aurora, that was for sure.

But, when it came right down to it, the woman needed a change. She needed a way to escape. Some would call it running away from her problems, but she’d prefer to not allow everyone to believe she was a coward. Truth be told, she kind of was a coward when it came right down to it. What kind of adult left behind everything they once knew just to run away from a problem?

Aurora Cole, apparently.

She pulled into the long driveway of her new home, a beautiful farmhouse on a big plot of land at 704 South Street, Whiteburn, Iowa. She couldn’t help but think about how incredibly low the asking price of this gorgeous house was, not that she was complaining. The low price was the only reason she had been able to move in the first place.

Aurora put the car into park. One hand on the steering wheel, she lifted her gaze to the rearview mirror. One of her huskies lay peacefully in the backseat, and the other sat beside her in the passenger seat, head cocked to the side, staring at his owner questioningly. Aurora laughed softly and opened her car door, smiling as she breathed in the fresh country air. “This is it, boys,” she said quietly, nodding her unabashed approval for the location of her retreat from all her problems. “Home.” She popped the trunk before sliding out of her car. Dexter jumped over the center console and followed his owner out of the car. Aurora smiled as she pulled open the back door, allowing Cooper to jump outside as well. After shutting both doors, she walked back around to the trunk.

“Ma’am?”

Aurora turned around, forcing away her surprise to smile at the man standing just a few feet away. He was tall, with electric blue eyes that conveyed nothing but friendliness. His dirty blonde hair was pushed back behind his ears, but when he ran a hand through the middle part, it fell back to cover his forehead. “Can I help you?” Aurora asked.

Lifting a hand from where it rested on his hip, he smiled. “Sheriff Luke Davidson. I live down the road,” he said, jerking his other thumb over his shoulder.

Aurora shook his hand, her gaze drifting to the end of her long driveway. To her left, she could see the corner of Luke’s house. “Nice to meet you. I’m Aurora Cole.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.”

She laughed softly as she dropped her hand back to her side. No one had ever been happy to meet her, not like that. She wasn’t overly beautiful like the girls she grew up around and went to high school with. When it came to the Cole girls, her older sister had gotten all the looks. Aurora had been left with rather plain features. Straight brown hair that wouldn’t hold a curl no matter how much hair spray was used, thick eyebrows, thin lips, a just–bigger–than–average nose. The only thing she could say she truly liked about herself was her freckles. Otherwise, she had modified herself with meaningful tattoos, odd hair colors, waxed and tweezed eyebrows, and ear piercings. In a way, it almost made up for being nothing but a plain Jane, and she’d grown to accept it throughout the years.

She was who she was, and she didn’t need any added self-deprecation because of it.

“No disrespect is meant by this, but aren’t you… too young to be a sheriff?” she asked.

Luke chuckled. “Appreciate the compliment, Miss Cole. I’m thirty-two, and I assure you that I’ve got enough experience under my belt to keep the folks in this town safe. Small town, you know?”

“Oh, I know. Two hundred people,” Aurora said. She had done her research before choosing Whiteburn, after all. She had picked one of the smallest, in the middle of nowhere towns in Iowa on purpose. She crossed her arms over her chest, sighing softly. “That’s why I moved here. Countryside right in my own backyard.”

He nodded. “It’s a good town.” His gaze shifted to her dogs as they chased each other in circles around the biggest oak tree on the plot of land. “Real good people around here. I think you’ll just love it here. I won’t be the last neighbor to come visit you today. I wanted to be the first, introduce myself and give you a heads up, but everyone’s going to want to bring you food and housewarming gifts.”

“You folks do that here?” Aurora asked.

Luke let out a loud whistle, rocking back on his heels. “Sure do. We’re like a family here. Family welcomes family, no matter what.” He cleared his throat. “So, would you like any help carrying in those boxes?”

Aurora looked back at the boxes in the back of her Blazer. “I’d hate to bother you with that,” she said, lifting her gaze to his face once more.

He waved a hand. “It’s nothing. It’s my job to help and serve the people, Miss Cole. Right now, you’re the people.”

She felt herself smile again. When was the last time a smile had felt this good? She couldn’t remember, but she knew a smile felt amazing when it was genuine instead of only being used to hide something painful, as they so often were with her. “I’d appreciate that, Luke. Thank you.”

***

After all of the boxes had been carried inside, Aurora stood in the kitchen, hands on her hips. She wasn’t ready to be alone in the house, not yet. She wondered how she could get Luke to stay, even if it was only for a few more minutes.

“Would you like to stay for coffee?” she asked finally, bending down to open the box she remembered putting the coffee maker in.

Luke smiled. “I’d love that, thank you.”

“Great.” Aurora tilted her head toward him, offering a smile before she looked back down at the box. She unpacked her coffee maker and set it up on the counter. Filling the reservoir with water and adding a coffee filter with coffee grounds, she turned the machine on. Ten minutes later, they were both seated at the dining room table, a cup of hot coffee in front of them.

“I like your hair,” Luke said.

Subconsciously, Aurora’s hand moved to brush a tendril of hair away from her face. Recently, she had colored it a pink so dark that it appeared to fade into purple near the ends. The people back home had always mocked her hair, regardless of what color it was. Compliments were… new, to say the least. “Thank you,” she said softly, smiling at the blue-eyed sheriff.

“You’re welcome,” he said. He took a long sip of his coffee. Instinctively, he licked his lips as he set the mug back on the table. “So, Aurora, why is it that you decided to move to such a little town? Even I have to admit there just isn’t much to do all the way out here in the good ol’ middle of nowhere.”

She shrugged. “I felt like I needed a change in scenery, something fresh and completely different than what I was used to. I was in L.A., so something small seemed like the right choice for… different.”

“Well, I assure you that you can’t go wrong with Whiteburn.” He chuckled. “I’m sorry to inform you that your winters will be much colder, not to mention full of much more hell,” he said. “A couple years ago, it snowed in May.”

“I’ve heard that about Iowa, that the weather never really knows what the hell to do.”

“Yeah, Iowa sort of treats us the way the ugly stepsisters treat Cinderella.”

Aurora laughed. She couldn’t tell if that was genuine or not. Actually, she was still having a hard time distinguishing the fake smiles and laughs from the real ones. She had faked so many of them in her lifetime that they all felt real nowadays, even when they were so obviously far from. “How long have you lived here?”

“Oh, my whole life. Most people that live in Whiteburn were born and raised here, you know?” Luke asked. “Seems to be the case for a lot of small towns likes this. Fresh blood doesn’t come around often,” a smile came to his face, “for lack of a better phrase.”

She nodded. “That’s not surprising.” She traced a finger over the rim of her coffee mug. “Have you always liked it here?”

“Oh, yeah. Always have, always will. Countryside, fresh air, lovely people, happy birds,” he said. With the windows open, the chirping birds outside were clear as day, and even Aurora had to admit she loved how blissfully peaceful they sounded. “What more would I want?”

“I don’t know. Seems like a wonderful town so far,” she said.

“It is,” he agreed. “So, are you looking for a job? Or do you already have one set up around here?”

“Looking.”

“Well, we have an opening for a dispatcher at the station in Oskaloosa, if you’re interested.”

“That’d be great, Luke,” Aurora said.

He smiled. “Just come by the station tomorrow or anytime, really, and ask for an application. The station’s full of great people, too. Bigger neighborhood, but a great environment with even better diversity.”

“Thank you. I–I’ll do that.”

***

“Well, thank you for coffee,” Luke said, leaning against the door jamb.

Aurora smiled. “You’re welcome. Thanks for helping me move boxes.”

He smiled brightly. “You’re welcome, Aurora.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a business card. “If you ever need anything, just give me a call. I’m not far, you know? Besides, like I said, family helps family here.”

She took the card. An embossed version of Luke’s golden, star-shaped police badge sat on the left side of the card, his name and ‘Sheriff’ written beside it before listing the address of the station and Luke’s personal contact information. She lifted her eyes back to his face. “Thank you. This… this is appreciated, Luke.”

“My pleasure, Aurora.”

***

Luke had been right. By nine that evening, Aurora had been visited by what she assumed was at least a fourth of the town. Everyone had been extraordinarily friendly, giving her their names, numbers, and addresses in case she ever needed anything. Whiteburn was the kind of town where people borrowed eggs and milk from their neighbors at six in the morning, and the neighbors complied without any issue.

On the drive into the small town that morning, she had been particularly nervous about living on a nice plot of land in a big house all by herself. She had been worried that she would be like a reject in the town of close friends and family. But she didn’t fear that anymore. Now she knew that Whiteburn was the perfect town for her, and she was certain this had been the right call.

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Chapter Two

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S. Carved – Chapter Fourteen

NOT EDITED

Chapter Fourteen

Dallas sat in his car, drumming the fingers of his left hand against the steering wheel. With music quietly playing through his speakers, he kept most of his attention focused on Spencer Fabray. The pedophile had left his house twenty minutes before, and Dallas had been following from a distance ever since.

Unfortunate that he isn’t doing anything interesting, Ed said.

“I know.”

Can we screw the rules just this once and kill him in the pet store?

“No.”

Ed groaned. God, you never let me have any fun, Tex. When I was in charge of it all, I killed whoever I wanted WHENever I wanted.

Dallas sighed, dropping his elbow to the window. “When you were in charge of it all, you got caught and sent to the electric chair.”

That seems unfair.

“Life isn’t fair. I imagine the afterlife isn’t, either,” Dallas said. He tilted his head to the side, resting his temple on his fist. “Your previous methods in life got you caught. They got you found guilty and sentenced to the chair. I’m not going to let you do the same thing to me. You were a killer through and through. I’m not. I have more left to do here than kill people.”

Mm. Like solving little homicides?

“Yes, among other things.”

I still don’t understand how you don’t see the stupidity of your homicide cop angle of life.

“Consider the idea that I don’t care if you see it as stupid or not. I made sure I didn’t join the department that covers the area we display the bodies in for a reason. My brain does comprehend the danger that could lead to.”

Are you sure it does? Because when you became a cop and put your prints in the system, you could’ve fooled me.

“That’s why we don’t leave my prints behind, genius.”

Ed chuckled. That’s technically a fair point. An irritating one, but a fair one.

“Irritating because if you had thought of it, you wouldn’t have gotten caught?”

Hey, listen here, you little shit.

Dallas laughed. “Is this where you give me the speech about DNA and fingerprints and forensics? How they were oh so different ‘back in your day’?”

Yes! Because they were!

“Of course they were, dumbass. But you’re still the one who left every single ounce of evidence behind that you possibly could. Even without the knowledge they could catch me with my DNA, I’d like to think I’d have the self-control not to spit at a damn crime scene.”

Fair. I wasn’t a self-control type of man.

“I’ve been dealing with you my whole life. Believe me, I’m aware.”

Ed laughed in that deeper, darker register of his that always shook Dallas to his very soul. Or whatever the hell was left of it. If you would stop trying to fight the fact that you and I are one in the same, you wouldn’t see me as some out-of-control murderer. You would see me as your partner in crime, you partner in FUN and excitement. Wouldn’t you like to enjoy this life all the time, Tex? No more hating yourself for just… being you?

“I don’t hate myself for being me. I hate the part of me that I allow you to control.”

Ed snorted. Oh, Tex. Whatever helps you sleep at night, dear.

Dallas rolled his eyes. He lifted his head as Spencer walked out of the pet store, a small bag in his hand. “Did you see anything about a pet when you looked him up?”

No, but I know he has family. If he had a pet before prison, they probably took care of it for him and gave it back when he walked free.

“Probably,” Dallas agreed, his voice quiet.

Ed groaned. Jesus Christ, does that mean you’re not going to kill this guy because he has a fucking pet?

“Oh, we’re gonna kill him. No one touches a kid and gets away with it.”

A dark chuckle echoed in Dallas’s head. Good.

Once Spencer drove out of the parking lot, Dallas started his car and followed him out, making sure to keep enough distance so Spencer wouldn’t know he was being followed.

Though his ‘errands’ that day were far closer to being Ed’s errands than his, he didn’t mind. Spencer Fabray was a danger to society, a danger to the children of the country. Dallas had absolutely no problem with stalking Spencer. He had no problem with the knowledge that, after he was certain it was safe, he’d kill Spencer and display him from The Hanging Tree.

It wasn’t often that Dallas felt no disgust at the idea of killing another man, but Dallas knew of non-murderers who believed people like Spencer should be killed and hung in the streets. Who was he to deny them that?

***

Dallas followed Spencer to the mall and parked four spots away and one row over. With a sigh, he pulled the key from the ignition. “All right, Ed. It’s your turn.”

Finally.

Dallas rolled his eyes. “Only follow Spencer. Keep your eyes off anyone who isn’t proven to be a criminal.”

Yeah, yeah, I’ll follow the rules. Let me at him before I can’t find him.

Drawing in a breath, Dallas closed his eyes. “Good luck.”

Ed opened his eyes, tilting his head to the side until his neck popped. He slid out of the car, closing the door behind him. As he headed toward the store, he locked the doors and pocketed the key fob.

Inside the mall, he found Spencer rather easily. The man had headed straight toward the other end of the mall, toward the food court. It didn’t take long to catch up to him. Spencer wasn’t nearly as sneaky as he most likely believed himself to be. When he walked past the man, Ed made sure Spencer bumped into him, a good excuse to touch his skin without drawing attention to his fingers brushing the back of the man’s hand. Ed didn’t care if the man’s feelings were hurt at being touched by a man, but he sure as hell didn’t want to get into a fight.

Not while Dallas’s shoulder injury made for a weak ass right hook.

“Oh, God, sorry, man,” Spencer said. “Didn’t even see you there.”

Ed flashed that Dallas half-smile. He knew he didn’t pull it off with nearly as much charm as the man himself, but that was fine. Even half of Dallas’s usual charm was enough to skate by on. The man had done a marvelous job disguising the serial killer living in his head.

Slashing a hand through the air, Ed shook his head. “No worries. I’m a little clumsy myself these days.”

Spencer nodded toward the sling. “I can tell.”

Ed chuckled. “Yeah. Most can. Take it easy.”

“You too, man.”

Ed turned away from Spencer and walked past the food court, the smile falling from his face as soon as he no longer needed it for the charming facade. He had only learned the benefit of charm during his time with Dallas. When he had still been alive, he had never charmed any of his victims to their doom. He had simply taken them. But to follow Dallas’s rules, charm was, on occasion, a necessity.

As promised, Ed would unfortunately continue to follow the rules.

Ed tucked his good hand into the pocket of his jacket to avoid touching anyone else and headed into the clothing store at the end of the mall. He had no plans to buy anything, but it would be far less suspicious than simply turning around and walking straight back the way he had come.

Spencer owned a turtle. For Ed, that was unbelievably unimportant, but dear old Dallas tended to want to know every last detail about a person. That was Ed’s job. Of course, Dallas assumed Ed gathered that information by stalking their criminal of choice for days or weeks, but that assumption was entirely incorrect. Over the years, Ed had simply worked to hone the psychic abilities Dallas hadn’t used, the very same that Ed had purposely blocked him out of. So long as Dallas didn’t know what he really was, Ed could stay.

He planned to make his stay last for as long as it possibly could, ideally until the day Dallas died.

Tex? You listening in?

Ed waited a moment before shaking his head. It didn’t surprise him that Dallas didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure what Dallas did when Ed took over, but it wasn’t often that he responded. Ed figured it was one more way for Dallas to pretend he wasn’t also a serial killer.

That was all right. Ed was perfectly comfortable killing time for a few good hours while he let Dallas’s psychic shit do all the hard work.

***

Dallas opened his eyes, turning his head to look around. Driver’s side of the car. Parking lot. “Where’d you leave me?”

Relax. You’re a ten-minute drive from home.

After a moment, Dallas nodded. Fortunately, Ed was right. The street sign about half a block up confirmed that much. He started the car and shifted into drive. “What’d you find out?”

Nothing particularly interesting, as if THAT’S a surprise. He owns a turtle named Betsy, stole it from one of his victims.

Dallas’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he drove out of the parking lot. “Do you know which victim?”

Yes. I jotted her name and current address down in your little notebook. It’s tucked into your visor.

“Thank you.”

Mmhmm. He’s got his eyes on a high schooler who works the register in one of the clothing stores in the mall. Likes her dark skin and long legs.

Dallas cleared his throat, right hand balling into a fist. “I thought he only liked white girls.”

White girls got him caught. He’d like to change it up this time.

“We’re going to fucking hang him before he can.”

Ed chuckled. We sure as hell are. When?

“Did you find out anything that would indicate the best time for it?”

No, but I know he’s planning on nabbing her Tuesday night on her way home from work.

“Tuesday,” Dallas echoed. “We can’t do it today, not with Bo at the house.”

Xavier will go back to his ‘week time’ schedule Monday night. Gaming and lights out by ten. I assume your new best friend will line up with Xavier’s schedule quite well.

“Why’s that? Because you think they’re both freaks?”

Oh, please. If you don’t easily fit into society, it’s usually because you’re a monster or a freak. I was a monster. They’re freaks. Get over yourself. And YES, of course because they’re freaks, dumbass. You saw the way Bo flocked to Xavier at the house. He didn’t ask you for permission to continue the tour with Xavier. He didn’t look like you needed to save him. He just WENT with it. To Bo, your brother is the NORMAL of people like him. If Xavier goes to bed at ten, I have a feeling your little babysitter will do the same thing without second thought or hesitation.

“He… might,” Dallas agreed, his voice quiet. “We’ll plan for Monday night, then. Worst case scenario, we grab the bastard on Tuesday.”

We should wait until he grabs her.

“No.”

It’d be more fun. You could even get a taste of your savior complex.

“I don’t have a savior complex. I have a morality complex that prevents you from murdering innocent people.”

If that’s what you’d like to call it. Dallas scoffed, biting his tongue on any further responses. Ed would always be an insufferable bastard, but Dallas still had the choice to respond or not. That was almost a sense of control, and when it came to Ed, Dallas needed all the self-control he could manage.

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Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fifteen

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Books & Badges – Chapter Forty-One

NOT EDITED

Theodore sat down beside Gina on her couch, eyes landing on Vera. She and Boyd had taken immediate interest in a dance game for the Xbox 360 the very moment they stepped foot in Gina’s living room.

Gina elbowed him in the side. “How’re you doing today, Theo?”

“Not terrible. Though sleeping on a couch doesn’t serve me too well, I like being at Russell’s.”

“He’s… a grown adult without a bed?”

Theodore nodded toward Vera. “He sacrificed the bed for Vera to sleep in. And he apparently sleeps on the couch most nights anyway. Comes home late, grabs a snack, and falls asleep on the couch.”

“Because of work?”

“I think so, mostly. He puts in a lot of hours, and he’s exhausted when he gets home. Since he doesn’t want to wake himself up with a shower and doesn’t want to go to bed without one, he settles for the couch.”

“You gotta tell your man that his back can’t handle that forever.”

“Oh, he already knows. He’s had back problems from when he was still in school.” Gina smiled rather than responding. “What?”

“Nothing. But you didn’t object to me calling him ‘your man’. I like to think that’s progress. At the very least, a step in the right direction.”

Theodore couldn’t help but smile. “It did feel nice not to feel obligated to disagree with it.”

“That’s great. It should feel nice. You should get to feel nice and safe and comfortable.”

“Comfortable,” Theodore echoed. He chuckled. “I let him sleep in my bed. I’ve hugged him and cuddled with him. I’ve spent the night at his house, he’s spent the night at mine. He’s given me rides, we’ve officially had all three meals of the day together. He’s shared some of his bad experiences, I’ve shared mine.” He shook his head. “Is it comfort if, despite all of that, I can’t kiss him?”

“Yes. You don’t have to kiss someone to prove you’re comfortable with them. You don’t have to have sex with someone to prove you love them. Same concept, different extremes.”

“Yeah, I guess that… makes sense.” Theodore cleared his throat. “I feel… bad that I can’t get over the odd feeling the very idea of kissing him gives me.”

“Well, what’s the feeling like?”

“It feels like I’m violating some contract with Shane.”

“You’re divorced. I know it’s not that easy to process that, but you have legal proof that you’re divorced. You have proof that you’re not tied to any man, Shane included.”

“I wish it was that easy to process, though.”

“I know, Theo.” She patted his knee. “What about feeling bad about it? Why is that?”

“I don’t know. I guess… it makes me feel like there’s a part of me that still feels like it belongs to Shane, a part of me that still feels as though it should be controlled by Shane. It makes me feel like I love him, care about him. A-and I hate that.”

“That’s pretty common, feeling like you love them. People like Shane manage to charm us with their ‘good’ side, the side with the dazzling smile and wonderful sense of humor. It’s what they’re good at. There’s nothing wrong with you for still loving that side. It’s hard to let go of the good parts. You’re not bad for that.”

“Thank you.” Theodore leaned his cane against the end table and clasped his hands between his thighs. “Another reason it makes me feel bad, though? I feel like I’m robbing Rusell of the relationship he wants.”

“And what kind of relationship do you think he wants?” Gina asked.

“I don’t know. One where he can be even remotely intimate with his partner?”

“Intimacy doesn’t have to be sexual, Theo.”

“It… doesn’t?”

“No. You already said you guys have been sleeping in the same bed. Or couch. If you’re touching at all when you’re falling asleep or waking up? That closeness is intimacy. Holding hands, touching his cheek, rubbing his back–even briefly–while you’re watching TV, sitting close enough that your arm touches his… Those all count.”

Theodore dropped his head to her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Theo.” She touched a hand to the side of his head. “I know it’s hard, but if Russell didn’t want an actual relationship with you, he’d be gone already. If he just wanted sex, he’d be gone already. That man is nothing like Shane, and I have it on pretty good authority that he’ll wait for a kiss from you, no matter how long it takes.”

Theodore smiled. “I like the sound of that. Him… caring about me enough to be willing to wait until I’m ready.”

“You already know it’s true, deep down. You told me he wouldn’t even sleep in bed with you the first time you offered because you seemed hesitant and unsure about it. That man cares about you being comfortable in the pace of your relationship more than anything else.”

“Yeah… He’s a pretty good guy, huh?”

Gina smiled. “He is, and you deserve every damn bit of that niceness he’s willing to offer.”

“You think so?”

“Theo, I know so.”

Theodore shook his head, though a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. “Thank you, Gina.”

“No problem, Theo.”

***

While Gina and Boyd shopped for new shoes, Theodore and Vera simply walked around the mall, hand in hand. Though his hip was a little tender from spending another night on the couch, his shoulder felt great. Russell had done a damn good job on the follow through of his promise of ‘fixing’ it.

“Daddy?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I gonna have more playdates with Boyd?”

“If you want to, yeah, definitely.”

“Awesome. Boyd’s cool, and I like his name.”

“He has a pretty nice one, huh?”

Vera nodded. “He says that you helped Aunt Gina pick it out when he was born.”

“That’s right, I did. She had chosen a list of names she liked, and I helped her narrow them down.” Theodore squeezed her hand. “Aunt Gina did the same to help me name you.”

“Really?”

“Mmhmm. In the beginning, before Shane… came into the picture, Gina and I wanted to do just about everything together for the two of you.”

“Why did he keep you guys apart?” Vera asked.

“People like Shane want to make sure you’re dependent on them, that you only have them. Making sure I didn’t have family or a best friend to tell my problems to was part of that.”

“Dependent?”

“Sorry. Umm… it means you need someone, like, for everything. You’re dependent on me because I pay for the roof over your head, the bed you sleep in, the clothes you wear, the food you eat. That sort of thing.”

“So… like how Russell’s dependant on us for supper tonight?”

Theodore chuckled. “Yeah, sorta like that.”

“So it’s not always a bad thing? Like it was with Father?”

“Right. Sometimes it can be good or healthy. Right now, I’m dependent on Grandma and Grandpa to pick you up from school, to babysit you while I’m at work. I’m dependent on Gina for rides to and from work. It’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes, it just means having good parents, good family, good friends.”

“Is Russell a good friend?”

“Very much so. And a good boyfriend to me.”

Vera smiled. “Yeah.” She tugged on his hand, pointing to one of the shops in the mall. “Will you ever let me do that?”

Theodore looked over at the window, where a little boy was getting his ears pierced. “Yes, but not with a piercing gun. It’s safer and more sanitary at a tattoo shop.”

“When?”

“How about… for your birthday?”

“Which one?”

“Number six.”

“But that’s next year.”

Theodore chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s also the next one you have.”

“In February.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine. Besides, come February, we’ll already know everything about it. Which shop we’re going to, what color of jewelry you want, what our other plans are for your birthday… We’ll have the whole thing planned out by then.”

“That… is pretty cool. I like knowing plans.”

“Me, too, baby.” Theodore smiled down at her. “Next year, we can do whatever you want. We can have a party, you can have a sleepover. We’ll finally be able to do whatever you want.”

“Awesome,” Vera whispered. “Daddy?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you’ll still be dating Russell when it’s my birthday?”

“I don’t know, but I hope so.”

“Me, too. He makes you happy.”

“Oh, does he now?”

Vera nodded. “Duh. You smile and laugh more now that he’s around, even when it’s just you and me.”

“That’s probably true. I feel safer now than I did before. Not the way I did before Shane came along, but… I feel safer.”

“Me, too. You always kept me safe and made me feel safe, but Russell has a whole badge that shows he fights bad guys.”

Theodore chuckled softly. “Yeah, that he does.”

“What do you think it’s like to fight bad guys?”

“Stressful, even more so if you’re one of the good guys like Russell is. I also hear those bad guy fighters work long hours.”

Vera nodded. “Have you been to where Russell works?”

“The police station? Yeah, a couple times. Not always to see Russell, though.”

“Is it nice?”

“It’s nowhere near as cool as the bookstore.”

Vera laughed. “Yeah. I like the bookstore.”

“Me, too. Heck, I just like books.”

A smile crossed the girl’s face. “Me, too. Or three.”

Theodore chuckled. “For you? Either works.”

“Awesome.” Vera swung her father’s hand back and forth, eyes wandering over the shops they passed. “Are we gonna go in any of ‘em?”

Theodore pointed ahead of them with their joined hands. “There’s a little bookstore up here I thought we’d visit. You can pick out a book or two if you’d like.”

“I’d like that.”

He chuckled. “I thought you might.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “After this, we’ll go see how Gina and Boyd are coming along. Sound like a plan?”

Vera nodded. “Sounds good to me, Daddy.”

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Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-Two

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Books & Badges – Chapter Forty

NOT EDITED

Just before midnight, Theodore fell asleep on the couch, his head on Russell’s chest. Russell paused Nurse Jackie and set the remote on the end table. He shut off the lamp and wrapped an arm around Theodore. He wasn’t sure how sleep would go for him that night, but he hoped he could manage more than an hour or so. If he ever wanted to find the bastard that had killed Vincent–not to mention Lauren–he would need sleep. He needed even just one day of being well-rested and hangover headache free.

Tomorrow was a Saturday, but that wouldn’t stop him from working. He hoped Saturday would be that well-rested day he needed to gain some traction on the case. As he closed his eyes, he crossed his fingers for a good Saturday.

***

Unsurprisingly, when Russell’s alarm went off, Theodore was already awake and off the couch. Russell pressed the button on the side of his watch, silencing the alarm. Before he could even sit up and open the drawer of the end table, Theodore walked into the room, a water bottle in his hand.

Russell smiled faintly, grabbing the bottle from him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Theodore sat down beside him, hands wrapped around his cane. “Working today?”

Russell tossed the orange prescription bottle back into the drawer as he swallowed the pill. “From home, yeah. Just little things here and there, I guess. But overall, nothing I can’t do from here. Why?”

“I was thinking Vera and I could stay for a while. I mean… if you wanted.”

“I’d love that.”

Theodore smiled. Hesitantly, he patted Russell’s thigh before drawing his hand back to himself. “Umm… I scheduled a playdate for Vera today at noon with Gina’s son. Do you mind if I give her your address so she can come pick us up?”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Russell cleared his throat, pulling a leg to his chest. He rested his chin on his knee for a moment before turning to face Theodore, cheek falling to his knee instead. “Can I ask you something?”

“Umm…”

“About Vera.”

“Sure.”

“If Shane’s the only person you ever slept with, is Vera the result of a surrogate?”

“Yeah. Umm…” Theodore cleared his throat. “Gina’s son is Vera’s twin. Uh… Gina and I both wanted kids, we were both single, and we both worked to accumulate the funds for IVF. After two tries and an extra nine months, Vera and Boyd were born.”

“So you have a son, too?”

“Well… technically. For the purpose of logistics, I’m his uncle, just like Gina is Vera’s aunt.” Theodore met his gaze. “Does that bother you?”

“God, no. I was just curious. I’ve been curious about it the whole time.” Russell reached out and squeezed his arm. “So Vera and Boyd don’t know this, either?”

“No. Initially, we had planned on telling them once they were old enough to understand the concept of it, but Shane kept me from hanging out with Gina, and that kept Vera away from Boyd. We still want to tell them, but we’d like to wait until they’re not strangers anymore.” A pause. “They go to school together, but they aren’t best friends or anything. We just want it to be a bit of knowledge that doesn’t harm them in any way.”

Russell rubbed a hand down Theodore’s arm. “You’ll do great. And the kids, I bet they’ll take it great. I don’t know about Boyd, but Vera’s smart, and she loves the heck outta you. She’ll understand why that information had to wait, and it won’t harm her. She’s got you for a daddy, Theo. She’s got the best support system she could ask for, Theo. It’ll be okay.”

Theodore smiled, leaning into Russell briefly. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“You wanna help me make breakfast? Won’t be too long before Vera gets up.”

“I would love to.”

“Awesome,” Theodore whispered. In his usual hesitant way, he laid a hand on Russell’s back. Russell loved the warmth of Theodore’s hand between his shoulders, even though it didn’t happen often. Theodore still had plenty of issues when it came to physical touch, and Russell expected it to be that way for quite some time. But it didn’t change how much he loved his touch in the meantime.

“Do you need a moment? Or are you good?”

“I’m good. Good as I can be.” Rusell offered a smile. “Thanks for checkin’.”

Theodore nodded, patting Russell on the back before he rose to his feet. One hand on his cane, he stuck out his free hand. Russell slapped his hand into Theodore’s, happily accepting the help to his feet. “Thank you for massaging my shoulder last night, Russ. I can finally walk without it hurting every time I move the cane.”

“My pleasure. I hated seeing you in even more pain than usual,” Russell said. “Have you ever considered massaging your hip, too? It’s called massage therapy for a reason, you know.”

“Yeah, my mom suggested that, too. Attending physical therapy in the beginning was hard enough. People…”

“Make you nervous,” Russell finished for him.

Theodore nodded. “Even women make me nervous. My physical therapist was a woman, and I was still…”

“That’s okay. After you’ve been subjected to the darker parts of humanity, it’s hard to trust anyone. It’s hard not to be nervous around others. They don’t have to remind you of your abuser. They just have to be capable of reminding you of that darkness. Anyone’s capable of that.”

“Thank you for being the first person to explain that in a way that doesn’t make me feel crazy.”

Russell smiled. “I hated when I was in your shoes, when people would talk down to me or pity me, when people would try to explain what I was feeling with these long, deepy analogies and metaphors. I don’t wanna be that person. I wanna be the person I wished I had when I was in your shoes.”

“I think you’re doing a great job of it. I mean, if the person you wished you had was simply… incredible,” Theodore said.

Russell laid his hands on Theodore’s cheeks and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “It was, and thank you.” Theodore only nodded. “If you ever want to, I can try massaging your hip. I’m more versed in shoulders and backs, but I’m sure a couple chats with my sister and a few trips through Google would help me get the gist of it.”

Theodore chuckled. “Tempting. I’ll consider it, thank you.” He cocked his head to the side. “Chats with your sister?”

“Yeah, she used to be a massage therapist. I still have issues pop up from that, uh, car accident sometimes, so she walks me through some of the massages I can do myself. I’ve also picked up a thing or two for other people’s shoulders and backs.”

“Now, that, I was aware of.”

Russell smiled. “Enough about me, huh? Come on. Let’s go make some breakfast. Most important meal of the day, right?”

“Right.” Theodore grabbed his hand. “Let’s go make some breakfast then.”

***

Russell sat in his little home office, one of the only rooms he had appropriately ‘decorated’ in his house. It was where he kept his family photos, his high school diploma, his college degree. He had never had an office in any of the places he had stayed when his family had bounced around from place to place. He figured that gave him a sense of security when it came to making the room appear less cold and a bit more homey.

He’d been alone in the house for nearly half an hour. As planned, Gina had picked up Theodore and Vera for their playdate around noon. Since Theodore and Vera’s usual Friday chat had been replaced by time at Russell’s, they planned on spending most of the day together. Russell took no issue with that, despite Theodore’s vocal fears that he would despise the very idea of it.

Russell let out a breath, flipping open his in-progress case file for Vince’s murder. The day before, during his conversation with Marilyn Briggs, he had discovered some details about the missing car that concerned him, to put it gently. For instance, Marilyn had a security camera outside the house, pointed at the driveway. She had given that footage to the police, and as far as she knew, nothing important had come from it.

Or, at least, the detectives had never followed up with her on the security footage, either.

He had requested access to the file for the missing car, but he’d yet to gain permission for it. It was a robbery case rather than homicide. It needed to run through a separate approval system before being handed off to him, as though a homicide officer glancing at the damn thing would jeopardize the case no one had remotely tried to make progress in since it began.

Outside of the chain of command protocol, Marilyn had promised to find the original file of the security footage and send a copy to him. Though he was still waiting for that, he felt reasonably confident in the fact that she would send it. There was no chain of command or approval system. There was only a woman who still wanted her damn car back.

Russell looked down as his phone dinged with a text message from Theodore.

Theo: Do you want us to join you for supper tonight? By which I mean, would you like us to bring supper so you’ll eat food tonight?

A little smile tugged at one corner of Russell’s mouth. It’d been so damn long since he’d been in a meaningful relationship, but even the simplest texts from Theodore made him feel that the wait had been worth it.

Russell: I’ll be fine if you wanna spend the evening with Vera and/or Gina

Theo: Are you sure?

Russell: Yeah I’ll manage. Have fun with your BFF, Theo. You deserve that.

Theo: Okay

Theo: We’ll bring you something after. Do you like Chinese food?

Russell: I do.

Theo: Perfect. My place or yours?

Russell: Which do you prefer?

Theo: I don’t know.

Theo: I like that your house isn’t filled with… Shane, but your house is also very, uh

Russell: Empty as hell?

Theo: A bit.

Russell: We could sit in my office. That’s not empty.

Theo: A grand idea.

Theo: You have an office?

Russell: Yeah down the hall from my room. There’s also a whole master bedroom/closet/bathroom on the other side of the kitchen. Empty except the laundry room though

Theo: Okay, definitely your place, because I need to see this secret section of your house.

Russell cleared his throat, shifting in his chair. He tended to avoid the master bedroom section of the house, but it wouldn’t kill him to show Theodore around just this once.

Russell: Sounds like a plan to me, Theo. I’ll see you then.

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Chapter Thirty-Nine

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