Melody: A Novel Part 10

"Ugh." Steven crossed his arms. "A little too much information, man."

"Really." Brianna gathered her things.

"Kemp, do me a favor and answer my phone for me, okay? If it's my girlfriend, put her on hold."

"And if it's your wife?" Steven grinned.

"If it's my wife, hang up." Cunningham left the room. They laughed.

"He's some piece of work, isn't he?" Steven yawned. Brianna stood. She scooted her chair underneath the desk. She turned off the tiny lamp.

"Good night, Steven." She slipped her purse on her shoulder.

"I was gonna stay here and work a little longer. I thought you might..."

"No, I've had as much of this case as I can take today." She grabbed her Thermos. "I just want to go home and go to bed."

He looked at his watch. "It's only seven, Bree."

"Good night, Steven."

"Bree?" She turned around. "We'll get him, baby. Don't worry too much about it, all right?"

She smiled. "See you tomorrow." She left.

"s.h.i.+t." Steven clasped his hands. A tall black detective walked up.

"Kemp, you still hitting that?" He laughed.

"f.u.c.k off, Simpson."

Simpson sat in Brianna's chair. "Just saying, that's some piece of a.s.s you probably don't want to just let go. I thought you said this break up was temporary."

"What business is it of yours?"

Simpson laughed. "It's not, but boy, do I love rubbing it in." He walked off.

Steven faked a laugh. "f.u.c.kin' cops." He left his desk.

Brianna wished she never had to leave home again. If the nights in Albany seemed long to the general public these days, they appeared more daunting for Brianna. She'd never been at such a standstill with an investigation before. She'd dealt with rapists for years. She knew how to study their patterns. The key had always been to get them where they'd strike next.

The problem with the Predator had been that no one had a clue about his motives. By this time, Brianna usually had a list of motives for a roaming rapist. The motives were what allowed the cops to be a step ahead. She couldn't figure out the Albany Predator if her life depended on it. She couldn't tell if his actions were racially motivated, or if he hated or fantasized about black women.

The victims hadn't been much help. Most of them chose to clam up. The ones who hadn't tended to forget the most important factor of their encounters with him. Steven seemed so sure they'd catch him. She wished she had his confidence. She walked around her cozy, two-story home. She lived in a beautiful neighborhood. The people loved having a cop within their grasp. They thought it ensured safety.

Brianna knew better. In fact, most crime-ridden neighborhoods had cops at their disposal. The general public had no idea how determined a criminal could be. Killers were dangerous. Kidnappers were relentless. Yet rapists stirred up awareness in a community that could not be denied. They were the lowest of the low. They were the uptime of anything sinful and horrid, and the Albany Predator seemed the worst yet.

Brianna finished a cup of cinnamon tea. She thought about the Predator's recent rapes. She'd never felt so desperate. Maybe Captain Jersey's way would be the answer. Brianna didn't like the idea of arresting victims, but if it kept others safe, she'd open up to it. She heard Davis purring in the distance. She headed upstairs to bed. It hadn't even reached nine o'clock. She hadn't been to bed before ten in years.

She headed for her closet and laid out her clothes for the next day. Davis slithered into the room. The tan-and-white feline found his favorite spot in the corner. He licked his paws and buried his head into the thick carpet. Brianna rushed to pet him. Davis purred, letting her know he enjoyed the attention. He rolled over on his back as she caressed his furry belly. He licked his tongue out in avid appreciation.

She grinned. "You like that, huh?" He purred. She figured he deserved a snack before heading to bed. They went downstairs. Davis took off toward the dark den before Brianna reached the kitchen. She opened a can of cat food and poured it into Davis's little red dish. "Davis, come here!" She made a high-pitched sucking sound through her teeth. "Come on, I'm tired. Momma's gotta go to bed, okay?"

She heard clicking in the den. She imagined Davis pulling on the snaps of the curtains like he always did. She peeked inside. The soft carpet felt like heaven against her naked feet. Davis wasn't there. She felt a chill. Something wasn't right. She wasn't like those stupid women on television who went searching their house without means of protection.

She was a cop, d.a.m.n it. She knew how to handle herself. She knew what to do. She thought of her gun in her bedroom first thing. She was rus.h.i.+ng toward the stairs when she heard a low growl. "Davis?" She turned from the stairs and propped against the wall. She heard a crash in the kitchen. Dishes tumbled in the sink. She ran to the living room and grabbed her pepper spray from the little desk in the corner.

She turned off the hallway light. Someone had it in mind to surprise her, but she'd do the honors first. She waited in the darkness.

"Meow." It came from the den. Brianna stood inches away. She took measured steps. She heard the low meow again. It didn't sound anything like Davis. In fact, it sounded almost...like a human.

She tried to ignore her pounding heart. She put her faith in that top-notch police training that she'd grown so fond of. She held the pepper spray behind her back. If only she could get to her gun; she had no time now. She entered the den. She swore she could taste the body heat. That's how close she'd come. Or more importantly, how close the intruder may have been.

She held her chest. "I've got a gun here," she lied. "I'm a police officer! I want you to show yourself right now, or I will fire!" She exhaled. "Do you hear me? I know you're in here. Do the smart thing and come out right now! I don't want to hurt you, but if I have to, I will." She stood back. The intruder could have been closer than she thought. "Did you hear me? I want you to step out slowly with your hands up. I will fire!"

She flicked on the lights. She scanned the room. She saw her computer, phone, television and fax machine all in place. She checked to see if someone hid behind the couch. She heard footsteps in the other room. She ran into the hallway. She ran to the stairs. d.a.m.n it, she needed that gun. She stared upstairs at her bedroom. A bead of sweat fell down the bridge of her nose.

"Ahhh!" she screamed.

Someone whipped her around so fast she nearly tumbled over. Her arms were locked behind her back. She felt the softness of leather gloves against her skin. A strong man in black clothes and black boots held her close. He rubbed his face against her ear.

Brianna felt the fabric of a soft knit cap. "Drop the pepper spray, now," he ordered calmly. He held her arms tightly against him. One arm squeezed her waist. "I said...drop it."

She exhaled and followed the order. "Okay, just take it easy." He jerked her hair until her head rested on his shoulder. "Take it easy, all right."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I'll 'take' it easy; don't worry about that, baby." He ran his hands down her flimsy T-s.h.i.+rt. She always wore a T-s.h.i.+rt and panties to bed. This had been one night she wished she hadn't.

"You're him aren't you?" She breathed. "The Albany Predator."

"What do you think?" He rubbed her nipple with his free hand. "Now, I don't want you to move, honey. I don't want you to move, or think. I don't want you to do anything. You understand me?"

"Yes." She shut her eyes.

He cackled lightly. "You know me? Huh, you know me?" He rubbed her soft brown neck. "Well, I know you, too, Brianna. I know all about you. You think just because you're a cop it makes a difference? It doesn't. In fact, this makes it more worthwhile. Know why?" He jerked her hair. "Because you're a challenge. And I'm no amateur."

"I...I know you're not." She kept her voice leveled despite her fright. "We can talk, you know? We can just talk."

"I didn't come here to talk. How does it feel to be so close to something you've wanted for so long? You've been hunting me..." He ran his finger across her belly b.u.t.ton. "I've been hunting you. Oh G.o.d, do you know how good this feels?" He leaned against her. "Answer me."

"I..." A tear ran down her face. She refused to be his victim. She wondered if she truly had a choice.

"I want you." He caressed her neck. "And I'm gonna have you. Do you understand that? As long as you understand that, this can be painless and smooth." He slipped his hand down the front of her panties. She struggled. "Shh, be still, okay. We don't have to do this the hard way, do we, Brianna? I just wanna see it, okay? I just want to see your t.w.a.t, okay?"

She s.h.i.+vered. "Look, you don't want to do this, okay? You are not going to get away with this. You're f.u.c.king with a cop and that's not a good idea, believe me."

He turned her around. He stared her in the eyes. "Get on your knees and don't move." She got on her knees. She looked at him with begging eyes. He moved his finger in a circle across her plump lips. He moaned. "You're gonna use that mouth, okay?" She nearly vomited at the thought. "I've never done a cop, so I'm going to enjoy this most of all." He unb.u.t.toned his black jeans. Brianna eyed the protrusion from his white jockey shorts. "Ask me what I want you to...to do." He rubbed his crotch.

"No." Brianna tried to look away. He forced her eyes on him again.

"Do it, Brianna." He rubbed her neck. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will, if I have to. Ask me what I want you to do."

"No." She shut her eyes. He pulled her hair, snapping her neck back. She howled in pain. "What...what do you want...me to do?" Her voice shook.

He smiled through the cap. "Good girl. I want you to suck my d.i.c.k, okay? I want you to suck it until I come. You understand me?" He let her hair go. "And if you don't, I'll kill you." She tried to shake the fright. It seemed impossible. He frightened her beyond belief. She could only imagine how the other women felt. He pushed his underwear into his jeans. "See the head? Do you see it?"

"Please just..."

He moved closer to her. "I won't f.u.c.k you if you don't want me to," he whispered. "I'm making you a special offer. I just want you to suck my d.i.c.k. If you don't, I'm gonna stick it in your p.u.s.s.y. So, which do you want?" He chuckled. "You were gonna spray that pepper spray at me, huh? Well, I'm gonna spray something in your lovely black mouth." He pulled out a knife.

"I won't be your victim." She shook. "And I won't let you hurt anyone else. You can f.u.c.k me if you want to, but believe me you won't leave here alive. I promise you that, limp d.i.c.k." She gasped at her own words.

"What did you say to me?" He stepped back. "Who do you think you're talking to, huh?" He held her neck. "Who the f.u.c.k do you think you're talking to, b.i.t.c.h?"

She grinned. "Call me what you want, but you aren't gonna live for long, if I have anything to say about it."

He knelt beside her. He rubbed his crotch. "You know, I like you." He ran his hands down her face. "You got guts. I knew you would. Tell me something. You ever f.u.c.ked a white guy before?" He circled his thumb around her nipple. It hardened beyond her control. "Answer the question, Brianna."

"You've obviously been watching me. So you probably know things about me. Probably been asking around." He nodded. "You should know who I've f.u.c.ked, shouldn't you? White guys or not."

"But I want to hear it from these lips." He cradled her plump mouth in between his fingers. "You have no idea how hard this makes me. It's your partner, Steven, right? You used to have some heated love affair." He grinned.

"May I ask how you got that information?" She stared at him.

He pulled her from the floor. He played with her hair. He held her in his arms. "It's going to be a real treat having you. Why don't you try some of those self-defense moves on me, huh? Or am I still one step ahead?"

She struggled in his arms. "Tell me about the women you raped. I want to know why you did it. How you got into their homes, everything."

He kissed her neck. "Why you want to know that? What difference does it make now? I think tonight I'll do things different." He ran his tongue down her neck. She struggled. "I'm not leaving you as my next victim." He tore off her T-s.h.i.+rt. Her luscious b.r.e.a.s.t.s stood in midair. He gazed at the black nipples. "I can see why Detective Kemp's so taken with you." Brianna gaped. "Know why I love that sweet black p.u.s.s.y of yours? All that soft curly hair...the smell."

"Let...go." She struggled.

He sucked her left breast. She tried her best to hold it together. She needed another plan of action. She couldn't come up with anything. If only she could get to her gun upstairs. He continued to suck her nipples. His knit mask moved softly against her s.h.i.+vering skin.

"Tell me you want me to f.u.c.k you." He gripped her b.u.t.tocks.

"No." She shut her eyes. "You're gonna have to take it! I'm not giving into your sickness!"

"Fine." He dragged her to the small table in the hallway. He tied her hands behind her back with a black scarf, binding her to the table.

"I won't let you. You're gonna have to kill me first." She glared. "Why just black women, huh?" She stared at him. He fondled her b.r.e.a.s.t.s again.

"I guess chocolate's always been my favorite flavor. You're going to be surprised, Brianna. As you can see, I'm kind of big. So I might tear you a bit. But it'll be worth it."

He pulled his pants down to the ankles.

Brianna maneuvered her body against the table. He positioned his long legs around her. He pulled her on top of him. The table scooted against her from the force.

She stared into his eyes. For some reason she couldn't stop looking at them. She wondered if he had hungered for the others like he had her. Brianna figured she'd been the biggest challenge for him. The possibility of raping a cop obviously turned him on beyond belief. She knew he enjoyed playing this game with her. Mind f.u.c.king his victims probably got him off faster than the physical act.

"A or B?" he whispered. She grimaced. "A, means we do things nicely. B, means not so nicely." He grunted, scooting her toward his crotch. She jiggled to block his entrance. "It's not going to work." He sweated through the cap. "I know what you're trying to do. I'm f.u.c.king you tonight, so you might as well relax. You might as well."

Brianna waited until he got into the perfect position. She thrust her knee into his crotch.

"Ahhh s.h.i.+t!" He threw her off. She bounced against the table. She used the bounded table for leverage. She reached up and kicked him in the face. He flipped backward. She hurriedly rubbed her wrists together to free her hands from the scarf. The predator scrambled around on the floor. He cradled his bleeding face. He headed for the front door.

"No!" Brianna grabbed his leg. "You're not leaving, you son of a b.i.t.c.h!"

"Let go!" He smacked her. She fell backward. Blood slithered from her forehead. She batted furiously to keep the blood out of her eyes. She refused to let him leave, no matter how hard it would be to keep him there. He limped out the front door.

"No! You son of a b.i.t.c.h..." She held her sides. Weakness prevented her from going any farther. She heard a car alarm from down the street. A few dogs barked. The stuffy night air invaded her home. She struggled to catch her breath. She scooted onto her porch on her hands and knees. "No," she gasped. "No!" She didn't see anyone.

"Meow." Davis scampered up behind her. He rested at her feet.

"d.a.m.n...it." Brianna rested on the porch in agony.

Officers scrambled throughout Brianna's home an hour later. She didn't like being the "victim," but tonight she had been. She held her favorite blue blanket across her shoulders to s.h.i.+eld her torn clothing. She didn't antic.i.p.ate having to hand her clothes over to her peers. She knew the drill. h.e.l.l, she lived the drill. Being a cop ran through her blood. She couldn't escape it.

She moved onto the front porch and she slipped through a line of pa.s.sing officers.

Steven ran up the driveway. Captain Jersey's car pulled in behind the four cop cars parked on the street. Brianna took a deep breath. Yep, she hated being the victim.

Steven asked a uniformed cop some questions about the situation. He joined Brianna on the porch. He stared at her. She turned away. So, the "treatment" had started already? She could never stand the thought of a man protecting her. Steven's usual handsome face seemed torn with worry that had been all her fault. She knew it. Situations like these made it difficult to be his lover.

They b.u.t.ted heads about this d.a.m.n job continuously. Brianna had always been stubborn. She knew that. She never wanted a man to protect her and Steven knew that. Brianna sighed. Knowing what had caused past mistakes hadn't made them easier to deal with for either of them.

Steven held his waist. He looked at the pavement as if he wasn't sure of what to say. Brianna moved her curly hair from her face. The night wind ruined the neat look she tried to preserve. She rocked on her heels. She'd rushed to put on socks before the police got there.

"So..." She chuckled. "h.e.l.l of a night, huh?" She held the blanket tightly. "h.e.l.l of a night."

"My G.o.d, Bree." Steven looked at her. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" She watched Captain Jersey converse with a group of cops on the lawn. "I was just almost raped. It's no big deal."

"Bree." He turned her toward him. "Let's not do this."

"Do what?"

"Play this game. It's cute at other times, but it isn't now. You don't know how I felt when they told me what had happened." She looked away. "I nearly crashed my d.a.m.n car. All I could think about was that monster in your house with his...his hands all over you and..."

"Don't, Steven." She shoved her mouth into the blanket. "This is just part of the job, right? We're cops. We're supposed to handle anything that comes our way." She looked at the bright moon. Funny how a night so beautiful could end up being one of the worst she'd ever experienced.

"We're supposed to handle even attempted rape?" he whispered. She didn't answer. "Did you give your statement, yet?"

"About eighteen times. They've been crowding around me like I'm a newborn baby. Look. Five cop cars for this, Steven? You see the fuss they're making?"

"They're worried about you, Brianna. How do you expect them to act? You better be glad every f.u.c.kin' cop in the city isn't here." Steven looked at Captain Jersey.

"Only because I'm one of them, right? Have we gone through this much trouble for the other victims? Is it supposed to be comforting to realize all this is being done because I'm a cop, and we all know that cops look after their own."