That motherfucker.

I stripped off my pullover and underwear and got into the shower. The heat of the water soothed my aching muscles but did nothing to calm the images flowing through my mind like a theatrical trailer. I let out a sigh and leaned my head back into the water to wet my hair. Then I squeezed some shampoo into my palm, rubbed my hands together, and began to wash my hair.

“Want some help with that?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Talon stood in the bathroom, his image a blur through the glass shower door awash with rivulets of water.

“You startled me,” I said.

“I’m sorry.”

I smiled. A little Talon therapy might help me right now. “What are you waiting for? You offered to help.”

His feet were bare, but he was still wearing his jeans and shirt. He stripped them off quickly and came into the shower with me.

“Have you been up all night?” I asked.

He nodded, taking over my hair washing. His strong hands were heaven on my scalp, kneading away the tension in knots.

“That feels good,” I said. “Did you find out anything? About Larry?”

“A little. I managed to confirm that the bastard is my half uncle. Son of a bitch.”

“Well, just because he’s your half uncle doesn’t mean anything really,” I said.

“Shh. The last thing I want to think about is that asshole Wade when I’ve got a naked, beautiful, and wet woman sliding against me.”

I let out a soft moan. I couldn’t agree more. He continued to massage my scalp, his able hands relaxing me, taking me away from the place I was stuck in. Yes, in a few minutes I’d be leaving for Grand Junction to talk to the cops about my mother’s possible attempted murder. But right now, Talon was my world.

“Lean back, baby, and let me rinse you.”

I did, and his strong hands pulled the lather through to my ends. I imagined it twirling in soapy bubbles down the drain. My eyes closed, I inhaled the comforting steam, the sweet scent of the coconut shampoo. I sighed again and then jumped as his lips clamped onto one of my nipples.

I opened my eyes. He was leaning down, sucking my hard nub. I smoothed his tousled hair, now half-wet. “Let’s switch places, baby,” I said. “You can nibble on me while I wash your hair.”

He groaned his agreement as we moved so the shower was pelting him, and his head was right at the level where I could shampoo him.

“Are you sure you’re comfy?” I asked.

He nodded against my breast. I shampooed his beautiful hair and then urged him upward so he could rinse it off, though I whimpered at the loss of his mouth on my nipple. We soaked each other and rubbed together to wash our bodies, and then he picked me up in his arms and set me down upon his beautiful hard cock.

Our bodies slid together, wet and soapy. I leaned down and took his lips with mine. We devoured each other, kissing hungrily, softly moaning, as he lifted my ass slightly and then set me down upon his cock once again.

It didn’t take long for my orgasm to build. Such sweet release, and oh, how I needed sweet release at that moment. We spiraled out of control, he and I together, as my orgasm pushed him over the edge.

He broke the kiss with a loud smack, panting in my ear. “Yes, baby, I’m coming. I’m coming with you, baby.”

Sated, I slid down his body. We rinsed each other off, and then I turned off the water.

I handed him a towel, and as he stood drying his hair and then his body, I said, “That was wonderful, Talon. You have no idea how much I needed that.”

“Baby, I always need you,” he said.

“I always need you too. It’s just that I got a phone call from my dad this morning.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, blue eyes. Is your mother okay?”

“She’s fine. Don’t worry about that. It’s just…”

“What?”

“It’s about my mother’s boyfriend, Nico Kostas.”

Talon visibly tensed before me, the striations in his muscles stark. “Yeah? What about him?”

“It seems that my mother had taken out an insurance policy on her life right before the accident. A million-dollar policy, and Nico was the beneficiary.”

He stood stock still, his eyes glazing over.

“Talon?”

“I’m telling you, blue eyes, that man is bad news. I mean it.”

“I’m beginning to believe that as well. And Talon? I’m so sorry about the tattoo thing. I just really liked a particular image, but trust me, I’m not getting a phoenix on my body ever. It will always remind me of the man who may have tried to kill my mother.”

“I’ll see that bastard in hell.” Talon threaded his fingers through his wet hair.

He was outraged. I could see it in his demeanor, his eyes, the way he was holding himself. He was ready to strike. But why? He hadn’t even met my mother, and he knew she and I were not close.

“Well, we don’t know for sure yet.”

He hung his towel on the rack. “I do, blue eyes. I know for sure.”

Chapter Twenty

Talon

I was nervous as hell driving Jade into Grand Junction to see her dad and talk to the cops. I was going to meet her father. The man who raised her. The man she loved more than anyone. Well, next to me, I hoped.

Believe it or not, that was bothering me more than dealing with this Nico character. If he was who I thought he was, I had no doubt he had tampered with the passenger airbag and tried to kill Jade’s mother for the money. If he was who I thought he was… Well, there was no limit to what he would do for his own amusement, let alone financial gain.

He was already guilty in my eyes—not only of abducting and raping me and killing Luke Walker and those other children, but also of attempting to kill Jade’s mother. All I needed to do was prove it. Of course, that was way easier said than done.

What made people so evil?

It was the first time I’d asked myself that question. I had really never before thought of those three men as human. Instead, they were the embodiment of evil. Now I might’ve identified two of them. They were men. Just men. Men I could pummel into next week, kill with my bare hands.

Simply men.

How did men turn into evil demons?

Jade was quiet during the ride, and I didn’t engage her. She knew by now that I didn’t have the gift of gab, and I was just as happy to be left to my own thoughts during the drive. Thanks to Jade’s strong coffee, I was awake. Awake and alone with my thoughts.