A Witness's Submission [Sexy Men of Mystery 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

Sexy Men of Mystery 3

A Witness’s Submission

After witnessing his father’s murder, Victor Bronte runs for his life. He hides out in a pub where he meets Mark Murphy, a charming,
handsome guy who’s had his share of bad luck. They quickly hit it off, making Victor forget the killer’s after him.

Mark Murphy’s been wallowing in self-pity ever since his cheating ex broke his heart. When he meets Victor, the sexy hunk who offers
him a supporting ear and a drive home, he quickly forgets his woes and becomes smitten. As their love blossoms, they promise to take
things slow. Not an easy feat when the urge to tear each other’s clothes off and make passionate love dominates their every thought.

But that’s the least of their problems because the killer’s still out there, and now he has a new target. In order to protect Mark, Victor
has to give the killer what he wants. But he has to figure out what it is first. To do that he has to go back to the very place his father was
murdered. Time is ticking, and so is the killer’s patience and desire for blood.

Genre:

Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

Length:

27,284 words

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Chapter 1

Victor Bronte’s life changed from the mundane to utter hell in an instant. And it all happened

before his very eyes. He had yet to accept it, that his father was murdered, his throat slit. Now the
very murderer who killed him was after Victor, too. Such a nightmare, he never imagined. Nor could
he accept it, even though he witnessed it just hours ago.

He glanced at his watch as he made his way past the city limits into Chicago. Maybe he’d be

safer here in the city if he found a place to hide before the killer caught up to him.

As he pushed his tired body forward, he closed his eyes for an instant, hoping to erase

everything. But unfortunately bloody and gory memories welcomed him. He shook his head. His heart
raged with sorrow and fear, and it was unbearable. All he wanted to do was collapse onto the ground
and cry a river of tears. But that wasn’t an option. Time ticked and the hour of reckoning approached,
he feared.

Although he hadn’t seen the killer’s face, he had seen his red, evil eyes. Victor didn’t know who

he was, where he was, but he sensed him. He sensed him in his mind, and on his skin.

Goose bumps of unease spread throughout his body, and no matter how he tried to rub the

gooseflesh away, it always returned. Victor couldn’t explain this sixth sense that came upon him, but
he knew in his mind, body, and soul that it was all real. It was as if the killer’s spirit tried to possess
him, tried to probe his mind and brain to find answers. Answers to what? He had no idea.

His father’s vacant, dead eyes in his study kept wafting into Victor’s mind’s eye every minute

that passed. But he couldn’t let those thoughts take over. He needed to focus on his escape, find refuge
before the killer found him. He had been on the run for hours, getting as far away from his home, his
town, as possible, hitchhiking along the way, until he’d entered the outskirts of Chicago.

His legs ached, his lungs as well, and he hungered for food, thirsted for water, and lusted for

revenge. For revenge, he needed to wait and figure things out. That would take time, as would
expelling his terror.

But all he could do now was take baby steps. Deal with what he could control. And that was

food and drink. He could get that now, in any one of the cafes or restaurants in the street up ahead.
Being in a public place also brought him refuge. Whoever his pursuer and killer was, he wouldn’t
attempt to approach him in public.

He entered the first place that came into view, a pub named The Irish Stew. The dim lighting and

crowd had his pounding heartbeat calming. He’d be safe here, at least for a while, until he came up
with a plan.

As he made his way farther into the pub, his eyes instinctively took in his surroundings. The

place was packed with people sitting at booths and at the bar in the front of the establishment. The
crowd was a cheery lot, it seemed. He breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, this was exactly what he needed
right now.

Starting from the right side of the room, he noted that the oak tables and dark green leather-

bound booths easily complemented the Irish theme. Victor guessed one of the reasons for the pub’s
popularity was probably the smiling waiters and waitresses, as well as the handsome barman, many
good-looking people grinning and interacting with the customers. He liked that and it helped him calm
down.

All the booths were full, but he spotted an empty stool at the bar. He meandered over while his

nose inhaled all the tempting smells. His stomach churned with hunger. He sat at the stool and his
limbs throbbed with the blood surging quickly through his veins and arteries, thanks to the long and
arduous panic run he endured.

He knew he’d be sore for days, but at least he was still alive. That he’d be forever thankful for.

A minute after he sat, the handsome dark-haired bartender turned his attention and his sparkling white
smile to him.

“Howdy, what can I get you?” the bartender asked in a slight Irish accent.
Victor gazed at the burger and fries the man sitting beside him ate. “That looks good. Can I have

that, too, the burger medium rare? Plus three big glasses of water?” When the bartender’s brow lifted
and his eyes took on a surprised expression, he added, “And a gin and tonic, too.” He wiped his face
on a napkin he took off the edge of the bar.

Taking a glass, the barman drawled, “Been out jogging, have ya?”
Victor laughed. “It shows that much?”
The barman nodded. “Yeah, it does. I haven’t seen the likes of you in here before.”
“No, this is my first time. I’m not from around here.” He extended his hand in salutation. “I’m

Victor, by the way.”

The barman shook his proffered hand and placed a tall glass of ice cold water before him. “I’m

Shawn. Nice to meet you, Victor, and welcome to my pub.”

“Hi.” He took the glass, gulping the water quickly. The cold liquid doused the inferno his throat

had become from his panting race, and it moistened the dry sandpaper tongue that stuck to his palette
just moments ago. Once he finished the water, he placed the tall glass on the bar before him and
stared at Shawn. “This is your pub?”

He nodded, looking around the place. “Yup, bought it a couple of months ago.”
“It’s nice. The place is full. Looks like you made a great business move here.”
Shawn grinned. “You think so? Thanks.”
“Hey, Shawn, how about a third beer?” Another customer called him over.
Shawn glanced at him, then returned his attention to Victor, handing him his gin and tonic and his

second glass of cold water. “I’ll be right back. Your burger will be ready in a few minutes. Why
don’t you go to the restroom and refresh yourself. Splashing some cold water on your face will revive
ya.”

“That’s exactly what I need.” His eyes darted around. “Where’s the men’s room?”
Shawn pointed to the right as he made his way to the other customer. “You head down that

corridor and when you get to the end, the men’s room is to your right.”

“Thanks.” Victor grinned and stood up. His stiff knees made him groan when he stretched them

and moved. He felt like an old man riddled with disabling rheumatoid arthritis.

He strode over in the direction Shawn instructed until he reached the toilet door. When he

entered the small bathroom, he sauntered over to the sink. He opened the faucet and gazed at his
reflection in the mirror. Boy, he looked like hell, thanks to the intense fluorescent lighting in here.
Why did bathrooms always have fluorescent lighting? All his flaws shone through thanks to that, like
the dark circles under his eyes and the bump on his nose. He had broken his nose in a bicycle accident
in his early twenties, but never got it set. People told him it made him look ruggedly handsome, though
as he observed his distorted nose in the bright lights, he begged to differ.

But he couldn’t care less. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was alive and well. He

Chapter 2

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. If only that were true, Mark Murphy thought

as his skin crawled. The mammoth, hairy, and unbelievably disgusting spider that crawled up the
wine bottle in The Irish Stew’s cellar hardly could compare with the cute and sweet version of the
arachnid in the popular nursery rhyme.

No, this mutant of nature looked like it would sprout extra heads and limbs if Mark even

attempted to kill it. Besides, wasn’t there a saying that killing a spider was bad luck? Well, if there
wasn’t one, there should be, because there was no way in hell he was going to kill this monster here
and now.

Yet, he needed to take out this last bottle from the wall wine rack, so he could fix it. The moment

he saw the mutant spider crawl off the bottle, he took a deep breath and acted quickly. Never breaking
focus on the spider as it made its way to the edge of the rack and then onto the brick wall, he gripped
the bottle by the side and lifted it off. Now that the rack lay bare, he hammered nails into the frame to
give it extra support, and so that it wouldn’t wobble or become lopsided. Once done, he placed the
wine bottles back on the wall rack and started to make his way up the stairs. Shawn had promised him
dinner and free drinks for the work he did here tonight and now he planned on cashing in on that
promise, since his stomach rumbled on empty.

As he placed his foot on the second-to-last step at the top of the staircase, he felt it waver. He

bent down and saw that it was missing a second nail. Making a mental note to head to the hardware
store first thing tomorrow morning to get the proper nails to fix the step before it came loose
completely and someone could get hurt, he exited the cellar and headed to the bar. When he got there,
he saw two vacant stools.

He was about to sit on one when Shawn placed a burger platter in front of it. “That one’s taken.

The guy is in the john.” He pointed to the stool next to it. “You can sit there.”

Once Mark sat, Shawn asked, “So did you fix it?”
Mark nodded. “Uh-huh. But there’s a step that needs mending. I don’t have the nails to fix it

now, but I’ll get them tomorrow and fix it then. In the meantime, be careful on that second step going
down, Shawn.”

Just as he said that, a handsome, tall and muscular, brown-haired man walked up beside him and

sat at the bar. He grinned a hello and Mark nodded, smiling.

Shawn looked at Mark, then at the tall, dark stranger. “Victor, I’d like you to meet my brother,

Mark.”

Mark glanced at Shawn first, after that at Victor, as he extended his hand. “Oh, you’re a friend of

Shawn’s?”

Victor shook his head as he reciprocated his greeting. “No, I just met your brother. It’s nice to

meet you, too.”

“Yeah, the pleasure is mine,” Mark said, and he meant it. Victor’s piercing green eyes had his

heart’s pitter-patter increasing. Man, he was damn handsome.

He turned to Shawn to ask for a beer and something to eat when he caught his brother’s escaping

smirk. Oh, his brother knew him too well. He cleared his throat to try to avoid grinning back and
having Victor wonder what the inside joke between the siblings was. “Can I have a Guinness and a
club? Hold the mayo, will ya?”

Chapter 3

Victor gazed at Mark and Shawn. If looks could kill…
Whoever walked in was definitely on their not-well-liked list. He turned to see who they peered

at. Two good-looking guys had entered the pub and headed to a recently empty booth near the front
window. They turned to look at Mark and Shawn, one of them nodding a hello.

Shawn moved to the edge of the bar and opened the closure. Before he could come out, Mark

asked, “Where are you going?”

Shawn frowned. “To tell Erik and his lover they aren’t welcome here and then kick them out!”
Mark placed his hand over his. “No, please don’t. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
Shawn shook his head. “After what he did to you, how he cheated on you and hurt you, I can’t

stand to see his face. This is my pub and if I don’t want him in here, so be it.”

Mark’s eyes pleaded. “Please, I’ve never asked anything of you before this. Just let them be.”
Shawn huffed and stared long and hard at his brother, then at Erik’s booth. Sighing, he reclosed

the closure and went back to drying glasses. He pointed a glass at Mark and squinted. “You owe me.”

Mark laughed. “Aren’t the repairs I’m doing around here enough?”
Shawn half-laughed. “No, dear baby brother, but fixing my kitchen table at home will make us

square.”

Victor regarded Mark. “What is it you do, Mark?”
“I’m a carpenter. And what about you?”
“I work for my father. I’m his office assistant,” Victor lied somewhat. He did work for his

father, but not as an assistant, more like a researcher. His father had been a private investigator and
Victor helped him with judicial, civil, historical, and whatever type of research that he needed done.
His heart wrenched as the image of his father’s mutilated dead body floated to his mind.

“Cool.” Mark grinned.
Shawn leaned in and from the corner of his mouth, he said, while looking in Erik’s direction,

“Don’t look now, but the enemy is coming to the bar. Are you sure I can’t kick him out?”

“Damn!” Mark cursed as he spun his glass in his hands and gave his brother an annoyed look.
When Erik reached the bar, he smiled. “Hello, Shawn, Mark.”
Mark didn’t speak, only nodded.
Shawn, on the other hand, was quite verbal. He sneered. “I see you and your new lover haven’t

yet broken up.”

Erik chuckled forcibly. “No, we haven’t. Actually, things have never been better. We heard your

pub was the new popular place to be, so we decided to check it out.” His eyes appraised the area
around them. “It’s definitely popular, but you should think of renovating the place. The forest-green
leather booths are cliché.”

Shawn clenched his teeth. “I like them.”
Erik turned his attention to Victor and grinned. Victor didn’t know if he should grin or not. So he

just stared at Erik. Then Erik asked, not breaking eye contact with Victor, “And who are you?”

Before Victor could respond, Shawn said, “His name is Victor, and he’s Mark’s new

boyfriend.”

Mark almost gagged on the whiskey he was drinking. He began to cough uncontrollably. Victor

patted his back in reflex. “You okay?”

Mark nodded, looking at him, and as it subsided, he breathed clearly again. Victor was in shock,

too, and when Erik said, “So you’re Mark’s new boyfriend?” Victor only nodded, staring wide-eyed.

Erik gave him the once-over, twice! His brow lifted, his nostrils flared, and his eyes scrutinized

condescendingly. Victor felt like a piece of meat, one that had been left out to dry for far too long.
Now he understood why Shawn wanted to kick this scum out of the pub. Mark could do so much
better…like him!

He cleared his voice and stood up. He walked behind Mark and placed his hands on his

shoulders while he glared at Erik. “Yes, I am. Mark is fantastic. Too bad you’re too blind to see that.
But your loss is my gain.”

Mark turned to look at Victor, who grinned and winked at him. Mark smiled back, though his

shifty eyes showed his discomfort.

Erik glanced from Victor to Mark, then huffed and without another word left the bar. Victor took

a long purging breath and sat back down on the barstool. He gulped a mouthful of gin. “Your ex is a
scumbag.”

Shawn chuckled loudly. “That he is. Victor, you did great! Seeing the jealous worm squirm is

priceless! Don’t you think so, Mark?”

Mark laughed and placed his hand on Victor’s shoulder. “Yes, it was. Thank you for doing that,

Victor. It’s much appreciated.”

Victor nodded. “It’s my pleasure. It felt good to put him in his place. And you are a great catch.

He’s dumb for not seeing that.” He could feel his cheeks heating. He hoped he wasn’t freaking Mark
out. They had only just met and had barely spoken before Victor proclaimed him a great catch. Yet he
did want to show his interest, too. He was extremely attracted to Mark. His dark brown eyes and his
brown-black wavy hair that fell over his forehead made him look a little like Eric Bana, only much
better looking. And when he smiled, wow, he was the handsomest man he ever saw.

Shawn directed their attention. “Look, those people are leaving. Why don’t you go sit there and

I’ll have Janet bring your platters over there to you. That way, you can play your parts better. Erik
hasn’t stopped staring at you two since he sat down.”

Mark glanced behind his shoulder to where his brother gestured. He turned to Victor, grinning.

“That sounds like a great idea. Care to join me?”

Victor smiled back, picked up his gin and tonic and the last glass of water he hadn’t touched,

and followed Mark to the booth. Once they sat down, Mark sighed. “My brother is playing
matchmaker, you know.”

Victor glanced at Shawn, who grinned at him. “He is?”
“Yeah, I know that look in his eyes. He likes you.”
Victor laughed. “He’s a nice guy. Really funny. And so are you.”
“I’m funny? No, my big brother is the comedian in the family.”
“No, I meant you are a nice guy.”
Mark squinted. “Thanks for saying that. But you don’t know me, or my brother. We just met. We

could be axe murderers for all you know.”

An eerie chill crawled up Victor’s spine, because for a short moment the peril he was trapped in

and the killer who chased him crept back into his mind. Coughing, he cast the image and thought out
and smirked. “The same for me.” Mark may not be an axe murderer, but Victor wasn’t exactly who he
appeared to be, either.

“True. So how about we get to know one another some more, that way I’ll know for sure you

aren’t a psychopath and vice versa?”

Victor nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

“Shall I begin or you?”

“You first.”
“Well, I’m thirty-four years old, a Taurus. I was born and raised in Tinley Park. But after

college, I decided to move to New York and made my living as a graphic designer working for a
high-profile advertizing company. But after a few years doing the same boring job day in and day out
for a boss who didn’t appreciate my work, I decided to quit and move back to Tinley Park, to help my
dad with his work. Since my mom died, he needed me and I wanted to be there for him.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that about your mom. My condolences.”
“Thanks. She died about four months ago, but I still miss her.” He felt his throat tightening as

emotions tried to break loose, but fighting them off, he gulped some water and continued. “My dad
took it harder than I did.”

“I can imagine.” Mark put his hand on Victor’s in comfort. Victor wondered if Mark caught his

emotional struggle a second ago. Mark smiled slightly. “How about relationship-wise? Single?
Married? You have any kids?” Mark’s brow lifted.

“Nope. Was in a serious relationship for several years, but it ended ugly.”
“Ugly? Like you and your girlfriend were always arguing, ugly?”
“No, it was a boyfriend.” Mark’s eyes lit up with Victor’s remark. “And more like he was

controlling and degrading. He knew how to push my buttons to make me feel like shit. Like I was the
problem, not him. I think he was the second reason why I decided to leave New York.” He sighed,
remembering some of the bad times. “I hacked his mental abuse for so long because I loved him. But
then I had enough and broke things off. It took me a while to find myself again after that experience,
you know.”

Mark shook his head. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.” He glanced over his shoulder at

his ex.

Victor nodded. “Yeah, I guess you would know.”
Mark’s brows furrowed. “I’m really sorry, Victor. There are bastards in this world that leave

scars on us we will never forget.” He smiled. “But there are also a lot of great people and you
shouldn’t give up. You’ll find a nice guy soon.”

Victor said in a sultry voice, “Like you?”
Mark’s cheeks blushed. “Um, yeah.”
Victor cleared his voice, trying to ease the sexual tension in the air, mostly on his part. “What

about you? You’re a carpenter. What else can you tell me about yourself?”

“Well, I’m thirty-three and Shawn is forty-eight. My family came from Ireland when I was about

five and Shawn was twenty.”

“Ah, that explains it.”
Mark frowned. “Explains what?”
“Why you don’t have an Irish accent, but Shawn does.”
Mark laughed. “Oh, yeah. Even though Shawn has lived here for so long, he never lost the

accent. Nor have our parents for that matter.”

“It’s a cool accent, I find. Love it.”

Mark laughed. “You should tell Shawn that. Inflate my big brother’s ego some more.”
“Oh, Shawn has a big ego?”
Mark laughed even harder. “Nah, my brother is a sweet man. Helped take care of me growing

up. My mom and dad worked two jobs to be able to provide for us. So it was my brother’s
responsibility to take care of me. And I didn’t make his job easy for him. I got into a whole lot of
trouble when I was young.”

“Is that why he’s so protective of you and trying to fix us up?”
“Exactly.” Mark smirked.
It felt like eyes other than Mark’s were upon him. Victor lifted his gaze away from Mark to catch

Erik staring at them with a scrutinizing stare. Ignoring the blatantly rude behavior, Victor returned his
attention back to Mark. “How long were you and Erik together for, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Mark shook his head. “No, not at all. We were together for five years. I thought we had the

perfect relationship, but I obviously fooled myself.” He leaned out and glanced over at Erik’s booth.
“He had been having an affair, not the first one might I add, for several years. And I was too blind to
see it. When I caught him in bed with that guy, my whole world came crumbling down. And what’s
worse is Erik couldn’t care in the least how much he hurt me and betrayed me like he did. If I hadn’t
accidently caught him, who knows how long that affair and others would have gone on behind my
back. I feel like a complete idiot for being fooled like that.” He swallowed the last of his second shot
of Jack Daniels and motioned for Janet, their waitress, to bring him another.

“It can happen to any of us.” Victor glanced at Mark’s untouched club sandwich platter. “Maybe

you should eat a bit of your meal before you drink another shot.”

Mark pushed the platter away. “No, I’m not hungry.”
The sadness in Mark’s eyes pulled on Victor’s heart. Here sat a great, handsome guy who,

thanks to his lowlife ex-boyfriend’s abuse, couldn’t see how special he really was. It was like
looking at himself just a year ago. He had been exactly where Mark was now. It had taken him a long
time to get over the pain and betrayal on his own. He didn’t want Mark to go through what he did
alone.

Then, as if fate were helping him, the slow song “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” began to play

on the jukebox. A guy had selected it right before asking his girlfriend to dance. As more couples got
up to dance, Victor asked, “Why don’t we dance? Tick Erik off some more?”

Mark glanced over at Erik sneering, then turned and smiled at Victor. “Sure, why not?”
The moment they began to dance, Mark leaned in. “Don’t look now, but my brother has the

biggest and widest grin in the world.”

Victor didn’t need to look, his imagination made him laugh. Glancing at Erik, he added, “Well,

Erik has the biggest frown in the world.” Then Erik stood up and coaxed his lover to stand, as well.
His lover didn’t seem like he was in the mood to dance, but that didn’t bother Erik in the least, who
was colored green with envy. Victor leaned in and whispered in Mark’s ear, pretending to be
seductive. “And guess who came up to dance?”

Mark’s brow lifted and he glanced at Erik. Bringing his attention to Victor, he rolled his eyes.

“Pathetic.”

Victor grinned. “Uh-huh. Just ignore him.”
Mark nodded as he followed Victor’s lead and gazed into his eyes. Victor stared back at him.

Holding Mark this closely had his heart racing. He could feel Mark’s muscular shoulder and neck.

His manly scented cologne had him leaning in closer, sniffing it and him.

They danced for a few more minutes while Victor continued to lose himself in Mark’s beautiful

brown eyes. The way Mark reciprocated his fixed gaze, he wondered if he, too, felt like they were
alone on the dance floor. No one else existed at that moment, not the other couples and certainly not
Erik and his lover.

When the overwhelming urge to kiss Mark on the lips overcame Victor, he hesitated. “I’d like to

kiss you.” Then realizing what he had just blurted, he added, “I–it’ll make Erik fall off the deep end.”

Mark didn’t speak. He just stared at Victor’s eyes, then brought his attention to his lips and

nodded. Victor tilted his head to the right and slowly leaned in until his lips touched Mark’s full, hot
ones. In that moment, it felt like a bolt of energy soared through him, a magical, intense energy that
took his breath away, and brought him and Mark closer not only in a physical way, but a spiritual one.

* * * *

Could this be real? Could this gorgeous man be standing here now, dancing with Mark, kissing

him? It all happened so quickly. Was it maybe the booze he had drunk on an empty stomach that
affected him so, or was it really their kiss that sent him over the edge?

He swooned in Victor’s arms. And when Victor held him closer, pushing his lips harder and

more urgently onto his, Mark wrapped his arms around Victor’s neck and kissed back fervently.
Victor’s lips moved apart and his tongue gently licked the crevice his lips formed, making him open
them to him. Victor’s tongue caressed his lips and mouth, then began to twirl in a sensual motion
around Mark’s.

Mark moaned in pleasure. Faraway, he heard the song had ended and footsteps as the couples

broke apart and made their way back to the booths or the bar. Yet as much as he knew the crowd
probably stared at them now, he didn’t care. He was in the moment, the amazing, sensual moment that
Victor accompanied him into.

Victor was the one to finally break the kiss and stare at him, saying in a deep, sexy voice, “That

was amazing.”

Mark’s cheeks heated. It was getting hot in here! “Thanks. You’re a fantastic kisser, too.” Mark

glanced around and whispered, “Everyone is looking. I think we should go back and sit.”

Victor followed his lead, nodding. “Yeah, I think so, too.”
After they sat, Mark took a deep breath to try to calm his raging heartbeat. Victor gulped his

water and sighed. “Well, it worked.”

Mark shook his head. “What worked?”
“The dance, the kiss. Erik is jealous and fuming. Look for yourself.”
Mark didn’t turn. “No, I don’t care what he thinks or how he acts. He’s a loser and I wasted

enough time on him. It’s time I actually enjoy life and stop wallowing in pity. And I want to start
enjoying it with you.” He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands. He stared into Victor’s
dreamy eyes. “Tell me more about you.”

Mark couldn’t believe he was so straightforward. He usually was shy and passive, but after the

kiss he and Victor shared and the sparks of excitement that flew with the kiss, all his inhibitions
vanished. Somehow, he felt like he could be completely himself with Victor. And that was a
refreshing change.

Chapter 4

Time seemed to breeze by like the gentle wind on a tropical beach. Before Victor realized it,

closing time had arrived. Shawn walked up to their booth and tossed the towel he had finished drying
glasses with on the table. “I hate to throw my favorite brother out, but—”

Mark interrupted as he got up. “Umm, I’m your only brother.”
“Doesn’t change anything. You’re still my favorite. I could have had an arse for a brother, you

know.” He winked at Mark.

Shawn gave Victor a sideways grin as they followed him to the door. “You were in good

company.”

Mark’s cheeks reddened and Victor felt his own cheeks heat up. “Yeah, that’s true.”
When Shawn closed and locked the door behind him, Mark asked, “Where did you park? I only

see Shawn’s and my car in the parking lot.”

Suddenly, the reason that brought Victor to the pub in the first place washed over him again, as

did the chill of terror. He had been so immersed in his time with Mark that he forgot his dire situation.
The skin on his back broke out in goose bumps. The killer was still looking for him.

Thinking quickly on his feet, he kicked the sidewalk. “I got a lift in with a friend.” It actually

was a stranger and his wife who gave him a ride to the outskirts of Chicago.

Mark served Victor a side grin. “I can give you a lift back home if you like.”
Victor heeded his dad’s last words to him before he left that morning. “ If anything ever

happens to me, I want you to get out of here. Leave Tinley Park and never come back. No one can
be trusted here.”

He didn’t understand his father’s cryptic warning, and when he asked him to explain, he said that

he couldn’t because it would endanger him. What had his father uncovered on one of his cases?

Before he could reply to Mark’s question, Shawn interrupted. “Oh, no you’re not. You aren’t in

any condition to drive, dear brother. You’re leaving your car here and I’m taking you home. Victor, I
can give you a lift home after that if you’d like.”

Hope sparked in Victor. Hope for the present and his future. “Ah, why don’t I drive Mark home

and then call my friend to come pick me up from there? By the time you drive Mark home, give me a
lift to Tinley Park, and get back home, it’ll take forever.”

Shawn nodded.
Mark peered at him. “You don’t mind?”
Mind? Hell no. Spending more time with Mark was a godsend in more ways than one. “No, it’ll

be my pleasure.”

Shawn patted Victor on the shoulder. “That’s very kind of you, Victor. Drinks and dinner are on

me whenever you come to The Irish Stew from now on as a thank you for this favor.”

Victor’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. “Wow, thanks!”
Shawn waved and winked as he got into his car. “No, thank you. You’re exactly what Mark

needed.”

Once Victor got into the driver’s seat of Mark’s Ford Focus, Mark looked at him. “You know

Shawn was playing matchmaker again with that comment and the free meals and drinks.”

Victor chuckled. “He thinks I’m good for you.” Mark grinned, and although it was dark, Victor

swore his cheeks reddened. Sighing, he put the car in drive and stared out the windshield. “Where

to?”

Mark pointed. “Go down this road, then take a left at the end of the second cross section and I’ll

tell you where to go from there.”

It took them about ten minutes to arrive at Mark’s apartment building. Victor had the uneasy and

paranoid sensation that the killer followed them now somehow, someway. Even though it sounded
ridiculous or impossible, he couldn’t shake the feeling. Could he have some sort of GPS tracker on
him? He had left his cell phone at home when he ran away frantically after witnessing the killer and
his father’s dead, bloody body, so it couldn’t be.

When Victor put the car in park, Mark asked, “Why don’t you come up for some coffee? You can

call your friend to come get you from up there.”

Victor got out of the car at the same time Mark did. “Thanks. I forgot my cell at home, so that

would be great.”

Mark’s apartment was on the third and top floor of the building. They took the stairs since there

appeared to be no elevator. The moment they arrived at Mark’s door and they stepped through the
threshold, a wave of calmness washed over Victor, as if this were a haven of safety.

Mark seemed bashful. “I didn’t expect any guests, so it’s a little messy.”
A little messy in Mark’s bachelor pad obviously meant newspapers and magazines scattered on

the coffee table and a couple of dirty dishes in the sink.

Victor couldn’t help but laugh. “You call this messy? What do you call clean? The floor and

counters sparkling?”

Mark headed to the kitchen, which was at the end of the long rectangular room, while he pointed

for Victor to have a seat on the sofa. “I’m a clean freak. Drove my brother and dad crazy growing up.
Though my mom is like me and I used to love helping her with the cleaning around the house. She’d
get home after working a double shift so tired, exhausted. And when she’d see that I had cleaned the
whole house for her, she’d light up and smile. I loved helping her like that, you know.” He gazed at
Victor.

“My mom was a clean freak, too. But I didn’t take after her. I’m more like my dad, in-between a

clean freak and a slob,” he joked, but his heart hurt remembering.

“What did your mom die of, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Tears brimmed in his eyes and he turned his face away for a few seconds, so Mark couldn’t see

his eyes. Once composed, he looked at him again. “No, not at all. She caught some sort of bacteria or
virus that the doctors didn’t diagnose until it was too late. She died of blood poisoning because of
that.”

Even though Mark was farther away, Victor could see genuine compassion spilled from his eyes

and face. “I’m so sorry, Victor.”

“Thanks.” Victor took a deep breath and tried his best to tame his emotions. After all that

happened today, no wonder he was so rattled. He huffed. “Umm, where’s the phone, so I can call my
friend?” He tried to change the conversation before he spilled even more truths to Mark, like that his
father had been murdered less than twenty-four hours ago and he was still in shock, and that some
crazy psychopathic killer with red eyes now hunted him down.

Mark pointed to the side table next to the dark brick-red, suede couch. “The phone’s there. You

can call your friend while you wait for the coffee to brew.”

“Thanks.” Victor picked up the handheld cordless phone and dialed a false number. It was the

number of his local supermarket. That was the only number he had memorized that wasn’t his own or
a friend’s. He didn’t dare call anyone he cared for to endanger their lives, as well. Not until he found
out who murdered his father.

He let it ring several times until he heard the recorded message come on. He hung up the phone.

“There’s no answer. I guess Charles forgot to charge his cell.”

Mark gazed at the clock on the wall. “Well, it’s three thirty in the morning. He’s probably asleep

and didn’t expect you’d be calling at this hour.”

“You’re right. As soon as I finish the coffee, I’ll let you get to sleep and I’ll head out. I’ll call

him after dawn.”

Mark half-laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to let you wander the streets waiting for

the sun to rise. This is Chicago, not Tinley Park. You wouldn’t last ten minutes out there.”

Victor couldn’t help but think, you don’t know how right you are. He had an eerie sense that the

killer had followed him here and waited for him to come out alone to kill him. The possibility, no
matter how preposterous, refused to disappear from his psyche.

You can sleep on the couch until morning. I’ll make you breakfast and I’ll drive you home after

that.”

“Thanks. You’re really a great guy, Mark.” Victor breathed a sigh of relief. At least he bought

himself more time.

Mark came to sit next him on the sofa, carrying a tray with two cups of coffee, cream, and sugar.

Victor took the proffered cup and began to drink the coffee black. He nodded. “Umm, that’s good.”

“Thanks. I’m a coffee-aholic. I even blend and grind my own coffee beans. This blend is a dark

roast of a Columbian and Arabica mix. It has less caffeine than light roast. I figured the lower caffeine
dose will help us both.” He grinned.

Victor half-laughed. “Boy, you really know your coffee. I’m lucky if I can boil water, let alone

make coffee.” He stared at the cup before taking another sip. “This is even better than the coffee at
Paul’s Café. And he has the state-of-the-art coffee and espresso machines imported from Italy, too.
Dad…” He paused, losing his breath.

Mark stared at him with a look of worry in his eyes. “Your dad, what?”
Victor puffed out stale air he expelled from his lungs. Once he was sure his voice wouldn’t

crack, he continued, “My dad needed his Paul’s latte fix every morning, eight a.m. sharp. Before he
could even start working. So I’d head over to the café to get him his double-size cup for him.”

Mark gave him a side glance as he squinted and observed his eyes. “You all right, Victor? Is

something bothering you?”

Victor diverted his gaze to the cup he held in his hands and shook his head. “No.” Then he

gulped the rest of the cup and handed it over to Mark, asking, “May I have another cup?”

Mark nodded, frowning to himself. “Sure thing.”
While he got up to get a second serving, Victor combed his fingers through his hair and tried to

bring his emotions under control. When Mark made his way back to the couch, Victor panicked and
quickly blurted what came to mind, hoping it would stop Mark from probing any further.

“So, Mark, tell me what your hobbies are?”
Mark handed him the cup and stared into his eyes for a few seconds before his serious

expression turned to a tiny grin. “I swim and play racquetball. And you?”

Victor beamed. “What a coincidence. So do I. I also do cross country skiing in winter, and I

love to hike.”

“Cool. What do you do to relax?”
“I love listening to music and reading.”
Mark laughed. “Boy, the more I get to know about you, the more I see we are so much alike.”
Victor put his cup on the coffee table after taking two more sips and then leaned back and

purposely put his arm on the back of the couch, inches closer to Mark’s shoulders and neck.

In a soothing voice, he asked, “What books do you read?”
Mark squinted, grinning, and sighed. “I don’t think I should tell you.”
That piqued Victor’s curiosity. “Why don’t you want me to know?”
“Because you’ll make fun of me, like Shawn and my friends do.”
Victor lifted his hand up in a Scout’s honor. “I promise I won’t.”
Mark shrugged. “Well, I don’t care if you do. I like to read them and what people think doesn’t

matter.”

“So true.”
He waited a few seconds and when Mark didn’t respond, he coaxed, “So what do you read?”
Mark gestured with his chin, looking at the bookcase at the right corner of the room. “See for

yourself.”

Victor’s brow lifted and he smiled as he got up. “All righty.”
He scanned the bookcase and cleared his throat to stop from laughing, but couldn’t help a

chuckle from escaping. “You read historical romance and comic books.”

Mark huffed. “See, I knew you’d laugh.”
Victor came to sit beside him and tapped Mark’s knee, then squeezed it. “I’m not laughing at

you, but with you.”

Mark stared at Victor’s hand on his knee that he refused to remove. “What does that mean?”
“One of my favorite writers, believe it or not, is Jane Austen. And although I don’t read comic

books per se, I do love superhero movies.”

Mark’s jaw fell open. Then he squinted and crossed his arms. “No way. You’re making fun of

me. That’s what this is.”

Victor lifted his hands in midair. “I swear I’m not. Just ask me questions and see if I’m lying.”
“All right. Which character in one of Jane Austen’s novels is your favorite and why?”
Victor jumped at the question. “That’s easy. The-never-smiling and always-saying-the-wrong-

thing Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Now he is a scrumptious hero.” Victor waggled his left
eyebrow in a flirt and gave Mark a hungry stare.

Mark’s cheeks blushed and Victor wanted to kiss him, but withheld his desires when Mark

nodded. “All right, and your favorite superhero?”

“Ah, another easy answer. The Hulk.”
“Why?”
“Well, for one thing, he’s a brainiac. He’s also quiet and reserved. And he’s got a secret that

he’s keeping from the world, an inner demon that keeps fighting to get out.”

Mark sighed with a faraway sad look. “Don’t we all have inner demons haunting us at one time

or another in life? We can’t help but sympathize with him.”

Yeah, we do. Victor’s heart and mind weighed on him once more. Then he took a deep breath

and smiled, trying to lighten the tension and sadness in the air he just stirred. “And he can kick some

bad ass when he has to. His unlimited strength and regenerative abilities are so cool. He is the
ultimate superhero.”

He pointed a finger at Mark. “You know, you look like him.”
Mark snorted, wide-eyed. “What’s that supposed to mean. I have a bad temper?”
Victor laughed. “Of course not. I meant you look like the actor.”
“Which one? There’s been three in movies.”
“The first movie. Eric Bana.”
Mark blushed and turned his eyes to the floor. “No way. That guy is gorgeous.”
Victor put his hand under his chin and gently pushed it so Mark could look at him. “Hello, have

you looked in the mirror lately, dude?”

Mark leaned in closer and gazed into his eyes. Victor’s heart skipped several beats as the

attraction they had for one another was so powerful, almost electric. Mark whispered, “What about
you?”

“What about me?” Victor leaned in, too. His low, husky voice couldn’t help but add to his

seductive lure.

“You are the handsomest man I ever met.” Mark stared at his lips for a moment then returned his

gaze to Victor’s eyes.

Having Mark sit this close to him on the couch was getting him hot and excited. His heart felt

like it would break free for how quickly it pounded in his chest. His cock wasn’t that far behind in its
excitement, either. Trying to tame his sexual urges, he rested his arm on the top of the couch’s
backrest and tilted his head to the right to be closer to him. “Ditto. You are Adonis in the flesh.” He
paused, then continued. “This is going to sound really weird, and I can’t express myself really well,
but the moment I saw you in the pub today, I lost myself. I was having the worst day of my life and
then when I met you, that all changed.”

“How so?” Mark asked.
“My heart started to beat fast and my palms became clammy. I was drawn to you the second I

saw your handsome face at the bar.”

“I thought I was the only one who felt that connection to you.”
Victor shook his head. “And then when we started to dance and kissed, wow, fireworks went off

in my body and mind. After that we started talking and I saw what a really amazing guy you are.”

“Me too, Victor. What you’re describing is exactly what I felt and feel now. The more I get to

know you, the more I like what I see and the more I’m attracted to you. On a physical and sexual
level. It’s stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before for anyone.” Mark lifted his arm and placed it
around his neck, drawing Victor closer to him. “Why don’t we re-enact that magical kiss on the dance
floor right now?”

Victor nodded and opened his lips, welcoming Mark’s kiss. Victor wrapped his arms around

him  and  pulled  him  closer  to  him.  Mark  licked  his  lips  before  sucking  and  nipping  his  lower  lip,
which  sent  chills  of  pleasure  surging  through  Victor’s  body,  pushing  him  closer  to  the  brink.  He
panted  as  his  body  demanded  more  stimulation.  He  raked  his  fingers  up  and  down  Mark’s  back,
slipped  his  tongue  into  Mark’s  mouth  to  taste  the  sweetness  of  coffee  mixed  with  sugar  and  cream.
Mmm, Mark tasted good.

Mark’s arms began to move away from Victor’s neck and traveled to his chest. He rubbed it

over the T-shirt, massaging each pec. His fingers then traced and caressed his muscular abdomen and

slowly he tugged at the shirt tucked into his pants, lifting it to give his hand free passage to Victor’s
skin.

Victor moaned and his cock hardened until the tightness in his briefs and pants became

uncomfortable. He slid his hand down to his jeans, unbuttoning them to ease the pressure on his hard
cock and tight balls.

Mark broke their kiss to stare at his unbuttoned pants. He returned his gaze briefly to Victor’s

eyes. “You’re hard and excited.”

Victor moaned, with sultry eyes staring at Mark’s mouth, imagining his hot, full lips around his

cock. He whispered, “I wouldn’t mind some relief right about now.”

Mark rubbed his cock through his jeans as he looked Victor in the eyes. Victor groaned in

pleasure and leaned back while Mark pushed open his jeans and then pulled Victor’s briefs down,
too. Victor’s cock sprang up, throbbing for attention. Pre-cum leaked and hovered over the tip. Mark
gave him one last sensual, hungry look, bowed, and wrapped his scorching hot lips over Victor’s
cock.

Victor held his breath in anticipation. Mark wrapped his hands around the bottom of his shaft

and  began  to  stroke  it  up  and  down  while  his  heavenly  mouth  enveloped  the  tip.  He  sucked  it  and
licked  it,  teasing  Victor  to  the  edge  of  madness.  Victor  combed  his  fingers  through  Mark’s  hair,
staring  at  his  mouth  work  its  magic.  Each  time  he  pushed  Victor’s  cock  deeper  into  his  throat,
Victor’s cock thrust forward, and it moved back when he slipped his lips up to the tip.

Mark began to fondle his balls while still giving him the blow job of his life. Victor’s heartbeat

quickened and intensified until he heard its thumping in his ears. Gooseflesh formed under his
exposed skin and he moaned in ecstasy. And right before he was about to come, he groaned, “Let’s
fuck instead.”

As much as he wanted to come in Mark’s mouth right now, he wanted to sink his cock into

Mark’s ass and come in him more. Mark withdrew his swollen, sexy lips from him and without saying
a word, stood.

He started to undress, gazing at Victor’s clothed body. Victor understood what he must do next

and began to strip naked, too. They observed the other as they shed and discarded each piece of
clothing. Victor saw Mark’s tanned, muscular chest and big biceps bulge at him. When his massive
cock made its introduction, Victor bit his lip in satisfaction. “Mercy,” he whispered in a husky and
hungry voice.

Mark personified sexy to the highest degree imaginable. He was God’s perfection. Mark

observed Victor’s naked body, too. His admiring eyes sent shivers of pleasure through him.

Mark took a deep breath. “I need to get a few things. Open the sofa bed and I’ll be back in a few

seconds.”

Victor did as he asked, his excitement only mounting as he envisioned fucking Mark, sinking his

cock into his asshole slow and steady. The sofa bed easily opened and the scent of fresh sea breeze
from the cleaned and ironed bed sheets greeted his nose. He closed his eyes and inhaled the pleasing
scent once he lay on the bed, waiting.

When Mark came back, he had lubricant, a blindfold, and handcuffs. With a naughty tone, he

stared at Victor through seductive eyes. “I was thinking maybe we could experiment with these.”

Victor’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened with surprise.

Chapter 5

What was he thinking? Mark let his emotions, desires, and the alcohol he consumed earlier lead

him to outrageousness. The look of utter shock and appall on Victor’s face told him that he just ruined
everything. Too much, way too soon!

He wouldn’t be surprised if Victor got dressed and hightailed it out of there right this instant,

never giving him a second glance and never to come back.

“It’s a joke, right?” Victor’s forced smile tried to lighten the tension Mark just pumped into the

air.

Did Mark dare tell him that no it wasn’t, that he enjoyed being handcuffed and blindfolded, and

made love to by a dom? No freakin’ way! He began to laugh and tossed everything he held onto the
coffee table Victor placed to the side of the living room.

“Yeah, I saw them when I was getting the lubricant and thought I’d play a practical joke.” He

paused. “They were a funny gift I got at a stag party I attended a while back.”

He held his breath, waiting for Victor’s reaction. Did he believe him?
Victor laughed. “That was funny.” He picked up the handcuffs and observed them, then returned

them to the table and lay back, giving Mark a wide smile.

Mark lay on the bed, his emotions running over him like a runaway train, and sobering him in

their wake. As much as he wanted to make love to Victor right here, right now, as his submissive or
just as his lover, he realized it was way too soon. He needed to heal before he jumped into another
relationship. They could make this a one-night stand and never look back, but after he had spent this
evening talking and joking with Victor, he saw that Victor was a great guy. They had a lot in common
and Victor could be the “one.” He could very well be Mark’s soul mate, the man who he had been
waiting for all his life, who completed him and loved him unconditionally.

He couldn’t risk ruining what could be by rushing everything and having sex tonight when he

wasn’t yet emotionally ready. They needed to take things slow, and he needed to move past the hurt in
his last relationship. Only then could they begin to build a lasting and perfect relationship.

He took a profound breath and decided to speak the truth. “Um, Victor, I know this will sound

crazy, and you might think I’m playing another game now, but I think we shouldn’t do this.”

Victor frowned. “Is it something I said or did?”
Mark leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. “No, not at all. Believe me when I say that it’s taking

all  my  willpower  to  say  no  to  this,  now.  But  it’s  too  soon.  I  want  to  take  things  slow.  Not  jump  in
with  both  feet  without  looking  and  screw  up  what  we  started  here  tonight.  I  feel  we  have  a
connection,  a  great  one,  and  mind-blowing  sexual  chemistry  between  us.”  He  took  another  deep,
courage-inducing breath before continuing. “I want us to take it slow. Let me get through this recent
breakup that devastated me. And let’s build a strong relationship the right way.”

“Like in courtship?” Victor asked.
“Yeah, well not like in the historical sense. But a modern version where we are open with our

feelings, our fears, all our emotions and thoughts, respecting each other while we let these feelings
between us blossom and build into something more amazing.” Mark leaned in closer and stared
deeply into his eyes. “So what do you say?” he asked in a whisper.

Victor stared at his lips and licked his own. Mark’s still-hard cock twitched, imagining the sex

they could be having right at this moment and what Victor could be doing with his full, sultry lips

right about now.

Victor nodded and dipped in to give him a long, sensual kiss. He broke it within seconds and

cupped his face and grinned. After a few moments, he replied, “I think you are perfectly right. I think
this relationship we started has enormous potential and I want us to take it slow and build it right.”

Mark let out the hot breath he had been holding, waiting for Victor’s response. “Thank God.” He

grinned widely.

He checked the clock on the wall in the kitchen, which could be viewed from his position.

“Holy cow, it’s four thirty already!”

Victor followed his line of view. “Jeez, where does the time go?”
Mark turned to his side and slid out of the bed. He pulled on his underwear. “I’ll let you sleep

now. And I’ll make you a special breakfast when we wake up. I make the best eggs Benedict.” He
winked.

Victor’s brow lifted. “Mmm, my favorite breakfast!”
Mark dipped in and gave him one last sweet good-night kiss. “Another thing we have in

common. Something tells me the more we get to know each other, the more things we’ll find that we
have in common.”

“I totally agree.” Victor beamed.
Mark sighed and picked up the clothes he had thrown to the hardwood floor earlier. As he stood

and headed for his bedroom, he added, “Sleep tight.”

Victor waved goodnight.
Mark shut the door behind him and flung himself onto his bed, his arms wide open as if he were

diving off a plane. Giddiness empowered him. Although he was horny as hell and it would take a very
long time before his aroused state would settle, he couldn’t be happier. Because right in the next room
lay the man who could change his world forever. Deep in his heart and soul, he wished that Victor
Bronte was his guardian angel who came to save him from despair and loneliness and would carry
him to a world filled with hope, happiness, and ultimate love.

Would his wish ever come true?

Chapter 6

The towering man had his face at his father’s neck. Victor screamed, “Leave him alone!”
Bloodred, monstrous eyes turned to stare him down. The black silhouette of a man then

seemed to float into the air and head toward him. His hooded face exposing only his haunting,
unsettling demon eyes. Long, bony fingers reached out to him.

Victor turned and began to run, but the creature followed, gaining speed and making the

distance between them shorter and shorter by the minute.

Suddenly, a voice inside his head spoke in a deep and threatening echo. “You can’t hide from

me, Victor. I will find you wherever you go. I’m coming for you. I see you. Beware…” Then his
clawlike hand grabbed him by his T-shirt and pulled him toward him.

Victor sprang up, screaming, thrashing, fighting the monster that had him in his grasp. He

hollered, “No, you won’t win! You murdered my father. It’s me who’s coming after you!”

He thrashed from his right to his left, using all his power, energy, and anger to break free of

the monster and attack him instead. Once he freed his hand, he fisted it and punched the
supernatural killer in the face as hard as he possibly could.

When a loud “Oww!” followed, Victor opened his eyes to see Mark sitting on the sofa bed

beside him, holding his face, cursing to himself. He was obviously in a lot of pain.

He glared at Victor with shock, fear, and hatred in his open eyes and he shouted a muffled,

“What the fuck is wrong with you!”

Chapter 7

It was like the Fourth of July! Stars exploded in Mark’s head right before the shock subsided and

the pain set in.

Victor just punched him smack in the eye! Moaning, he tried to stop the throbbing.
“I’m so, so sorry, Mark.” Guilt plagued Victor’s face as he jumped off the bed and ran to the

kitchen to get a hand towel. He tossed ice cubes in it and came back a few seconds later, placing the
towel on Mark’s right eye. “Please, put this on it to stop the swelling.”

Mark did what he asked and stared at him with his good eye. “What was all that?”
Victor sighed. “A nightmare, I guess.”
“Was it a nightmare? Because the look in your eyes now that you’re awake tells me differently.”

He paused. “You have the fear of God in you.”

Victor turned his gaze away. “It’s probably my imagination.”
Mark placed his hand gently on Victor’s. He was obviously hurting and Mark wanted to help

him like Victor had helped him the night before. “You can talk to me, you know. I’m a real good
listener.”

“I can’t,” Victor stated with fear in his eyes.
“Victor, I can see how much this is bothering you and how scared you are now. Even last night, I

saw how emotional you were and how you tried to hide it from me.” He remained motionless. “In
your dream you were shouting at someone that they wouldn’t win. That they murdered your father and
that now you’d be coming after them.”

Tears began to film Victor’s eyes and he turned completely away. He waited to compose

himself, before replying, “It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.”

Mark gently pushed his shoulder, so he would turn and look at him. Cupping his face, he peered

long and hard at Victor. “Something is bothering you. It manifested itself in your dream. Please tell
me what it is. Maybe I can help you, even if it’s just by listening.”

Victor shook his head. “If I tell you, I’d put your life in danger.”
Mark eyes widened. “Then it’s true. Your father was killed?”
Victor leaned into Mark and let the sorrow break free. He cried silently, only a few tears

escaping his eyes. But Mark’s strong, wide shoulder and his kind and gentle strokes on his arm
seemed to be enough to help him find courage inside to speak. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he sat
up and peered into Mark’s eyes.

“My father was a private investigator. My mom was his research and office assistant until she

died four months ago. After that, I took over helping him. He was working on several cases, which I
assisted him on. But there was one that he worked on alone for months. When I asked him if I could
help, he refused. He’d get nervous whenever he had the file open on his laptop and I’d walk into the
room. I’d see him rushing to change the screen before I could see anything he was investigating on that
case.”

He took a deep breath and continued, “A few weeks back, he started acting weird. He was

nervous, scared. I asked him what it was, but he said he couldn’t tell me. Not yet. And on the morning
of the day he was murdered, he warned me. He had said if anything ever happened to him, that I
shouldn’t trust anyone, even the police. That I should just get out of Tinley Town, go far, far away,
and never come back.”

Mark frowned. “Why would he say that?”
Victor shrugged. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me more. And now I’ll never know because

he’s gone forever.” He sighed and blinked, trying to dry the tears that threatened to escape.

Victor continued to tell him the graphic details of his father’s murder and when he was done,

Mark rubbed his back and hugged him. “I’m so sorry for what you went through. And you had no one
to talk to, just keeping it all inside you.” He kissed his cheek sweetly and hugged him tighter. “I’m
here now for you and I will help you through this.”

Victor didn’t speak. He closed his eyes and hugged Mark back for a few minutes. Breaking free,

he added, “This may sound crazy, but I have this uncontrollable feeling in the back of my mind that the
killer is following me. He can see me. He knows who I am.”

Mark furrowed his brow. “You feel like he can see you now?”
Victor shook his head. “No, not now. This sounds so crazy!”
Mark tilted his head and shrugged. “It could be you’re paranoid. And I don’t blame you after

what you’ve been through, what you saw. Or maybe you’re right. Maybe the killer has been following
you ever since you ran out of your house door yesterday. Either way, you need to call the police. They
need to investigate your father’s murder.”

Victor moved to stand, pure terror resonating from his eyes, his body. “I know, but whatever my

dad was investigating was big, real big. He didn’t trust the police on it. And he said I shouldn’t,
either!”

“Calm down. I’m not the enemy here, Victor. I’m your ally, your friend who wants to help you in

any way I can.”

Victor sat back down, his eyes cast to the floor. “I’m sorry for over-reacting, but my nerves are

rattled.”

“I know.” Mark sighed, then after some thought added, “You still need to report your dad’s

murder to the police. You can’t let his body rot, abandoned in the house. You also need to bury him.”

With the word “bury,” Victor’s eyes seemed to water. He blinked. “I know that. That’s why I

plan on going back there today. Report the murder. But before that, I need to get my dad’s laptop and
all his files on this mysterious case he didn’t want me knowing anything about.”

Mark’s heart began to beat faster. “No, you can’t. Your dad said it’s too dangerous. He said you

should get out of Tinley Park and never go back.”

Victor gazed at him. He cupped his cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips. “You’re an

amazing, sweet, kind guy, Mark. I can see in your eyes you’re worried.” He sighed. “But you have to
understand that I’ll never be able to live with myself if I don’t solve this case. I need to know what
my father was investigating and more importantly, I need to know who murdered him. I want justice
served, my father’s murder avenged.”

“Even if it kills you?” Mark said, his voice cracking with stress.
He kissed him long and hard for a few minutes. Coming up for a breath, he replied, “I promise

you I’ll be careful.”

Mark pushed his hands away from his face. “You bet you will. I’m going to make sure of that,

because I’m coming with you.”

Victor stood up again. “No, you’re not!”
“Yes, I am! What do you think, I’m going to let you go back there alone? To witness your

father’s body again? Be a sitting duck for whoever killed him? No way! No how! I’m coming as your

bodyguard and your supporting friend.”

Victor opened his mouth to argue, but huffed. “Very well. I know I won’t be able to change your

mind, and you’re right, seeing my dad like that once more will be devastating.”

Mark sprung off the sofa bed, and headed for his room. Speaking over his shoulder, he said, “I’ll

get dressed and start breakfast. We’ll need all the energy we can get before we start this trip. Why
don’t you go take a relaxing shower in the meantime?”

Victor nodded. “Yeah, I need one.”
Mark shut his bedroom door behind him and banged his head on the wooden door, trying to

come to peace with what Victor told him and the fact that very soon they’d embark on a dangerous
journey, one they might not ever come back from. He groaned and walked over to his closet to
retrieve what was in the black metal casing.

Taking his Glock 17 handgun out, he stared at it for several minutes. He had only taken a couple

of shooting practice lessons a few years back. And his aim was lousy. He hoped he wouldn’t need to
fire it today, but if he did, then he prayed he wouldn’t miss his target like he did on each and every
target practice shot before.

Chapter 8

A wave of panic engulfed Victor. He had closed his eyes and begun to drift off to sleep when he

saw the killer’s bloodred eyes staring back at him. He jumped in his car seat.

“You okay?” Worried, Mark glanced at Victor before returning his attention to the road.
Victor nodded. “I saw him again.”
“Saw who, your dad?” Mark’s brows furrowed.
“No, the killer. I fell asleep for a second and he was there waiting for me.” He shivered. “It’s

like he was right beside me, watching me, watching us.”

“What, like in a supernatural way?” Mark snorted.
“I know, I know. It’s crazy. But I can’t help but feel like it is.” He stared at him and leaned his

head back on the headrest. “What if we’re walking into a trap? What if this is my sixth sense telling
me danger lurks back at my home?”

Mark glanced at him with wide, wondering eyes, before focusing on driving. “So what do you

want to do? Go back to my place and call the police there? Have them find your dad’s body?”

Victor shook his head. “No, I have this funny feeling that if the killer can actually see me, then he

can see you, too. He’ll come for you and me there. Something tells me we’re not safe anywhere,
anymore.”

Mark said slowly, “Wow! Dr. Gloom, thanks for making chills crawl up my spine.”
“It’s far-fetched. But I can feel it’s true.”
Mark smiled and tapped his knee. “Look, you haven’t slept much. Your body and mind have

been through hell. This anxiety and paranoid feeling you have is all in your head. It’s impossible for
him to see you and me.”

Victor shook his head. “You think so?”
Mark nodded. “Yup. Look, let’s just take this one step at a time. Let’s get to your house and find

the laptop and whatever else your dad had on this case and then we’ll call the police, okay?”

Victor grinned. “You’re right.” He pointed ahead. “We’re almost there. Park at the end of this

street on your right. We’ll walk it from here.”

Mark followed his instructions. “I get you. You don’t want to park in the driveway just in case

the killer is there or neighbors see someone coming.”

“Uh-huh.”
They parked at the end of the street. Mark slipped his loaded gun in the back of his pants behind

the blazer he wore, and they headed the rest of the way on foot. As they turned the corner, Victor said,
“There, the second house is mine.” The street was deserted. Perfect. No one would see him and Mark
make their way to the house.

As he got closer, he noticed the door was closed, so were all the windows and garage door. It

looked like it always did. But Victor knew that it may look just like before, but it would never feel
exactly like before. A gray, dark cloud of doom hovered over it. After today, he never ever wanted to
step foot inside his house again.

* * * *

The paranoia that besotted Victor was contagious. Mark now felt it, as well. An eerie chill

crawled up his spine, and he shivered as they approached the door. Did he fear that the killer would
lurch out at him the second they opened the door? Or was it that he knew that a dead man exposed for
a day lay in there? His rotting flesh’s scent infested the air Mark would breathe.

Victor placed his hand on the doorknob and stared at Mark inquisitively, most likely asking if

Mark was ready for what could spring out at them when he opened the door.

Mark wasn’t ready. He’d never be ready, but he did nod yes.
Victor tried to twist the knob. Mark could see Victor’s fingers sliding around the unmoving

knob’s circumference. “It’s locked,” he whispered.

Mark murmured back, “So what do we do now?”
Victor’s gaze shifted as he stared at the porch. Then his eyes widened. “I remember I left the

window open in my room. I can easily climb in. I already did it before when I forgot my keys last
month and my dad wasn’t home.”

Mark gestured with his hand. “Well, then let’s go.”
They walked as quietly as possible around the house to the back, where Victor’s room lay. The

window was open, exactly like he said. Victor snapped off the screen and pushed the sliding window
completely to the left. He lifted his legs over the base of the frame and then slipped his other leg in.
Mark followed his move, but heard a little tear in his pants. He felt around his ass to see where the
tear was, and sighed when it was just a tiny hole in his inner thigh. No one would notice it when they
left the house. If they left the house.

Mark’s wide eyes took inventory of the room. So this was where Victor slept? The teal walls

and gray and black duvet cover, bed skirt and shams gave the place a causal, laid-back feel. The
black lacquered furniture and oak floorboards just enhanced its mood. He liked it.

He shook his head in chastisement. Why was he thinking of décor at a time like this?
Victor tiptoed to the door and motioned with his finger over his mouth for them to be quiet as he

slowly opened the door. He pushed it slightly and stopped when it creaked. It seemed the door
wanted to warn them of something. Victor cringed while Mark’s heart jumped to his throat. If anyone
were in the house, this would alert them that they had unexpected company.

Mark slipped the gun out from his pants and aimed it in the air, waiting for anyone’s approach.

When they heard no other noise, Victor started to make his way out of the room, but Mark halted him.
He held the gun in the air and motioned for Victor to follow him instead.

Victor nodded and tailed him. Mark’s eardrums throbbed with the fearful beat of his heart. It

hurt to breathe with his heart beating this quickly, like it would explode in his chest.

He took two deep breaths and tried to calm the trembling hand that held his gun. The empty

hallway soothed Mark’s terror. Victor pointed to the left side of the corridor. Mark understood that he
meant that he last saw his father’s body in the room he pointed to. The door was shut. Victor slowly
opened it only a crack and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Mark couldn’t even begin to imagine
how Victor felt then, the courage he needed to muster to open that door once again, to see the man he
loved from birth, who nurtured him all his life, dead, vacant, forever gone. But Victor did do it a few
seconds afterward, and he glared into the room, eyes wide, mouth gaping.

Mark’s own eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened even more as he whispered, “What do

you see?”

Victor didn’t reply. Mark thought he didn’t hear him, but as he stepped into the room, he

whispered, “Nothing.”

Sure enough, when Mark peered inside, no decomposing carcass of a human lay on the floor in

there. The office was empty, apart from the leather fauteuil, desk, and cabinets. He took a profound
inhalation. He hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath for so long. Maybe his nose would
tell his eyes differently, that the rotting body was in fact in here, hiding somewhere. But that sense,
too, told him Victor’s father’s body was not in the room.

Victor walked to the closet door in the corner of the rectangular room, next to the tiny window.

He opened it slowly and peered inside. A second later, he closed it and mouthed, “Empty.”

Mark nodded and pointed his gun in the direction of the door, then at himself. Victor nodded,

obviously understanding that Mark would scout out the rest of the house. Victor began to follow him,
when Mark stopped him. Shaking his head, he whispered, “No, get what you need to get. I’ll be fine
with this.” He motioned to the Glock to mean it would protect him.

Victor nodded and began to search the desk drawers while Mark took step by hesitant step out

the door and proceeded with his search. Damn, he wished his pounding heart would stop throbbing in
his eardrums, so he could actually listen for any movement or sound up ahead. Even his muffled
footsteps sounded like squishy slippers, no matter how slowly or calculated his footing. If anyone
was still in here, they’d no doubt hear hell’s bells ringing with his approach.

Luckily, after five minutes, he realized that no one was in the house, other than Victor and

himself. When he returned to the study, he witnessed Victor on bended knee under the desk, cursing at
himself.

“No one’s here,” he said.
Startled, Victor banged his head on the desk drawer. “Ow!”
Mark flinched. “Sorry. I guess you didn’t hear me come in.”
Rubbing his head, Victor nodded. “No, I didn’t.” He huffed. “So, the coast is clear?”
“Yup, not a soul in sight, and none of the furniture in the other rooms has been disturbed, either.”
Victor grunted. “It’s almost as if nothing ever happened. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I

imagined it all and my dad is just fine.”

“No, you definitely saw what you saw. Whoever did it just covered his tracks, is all. Somehow,

he got rid of your dad’s body and cleaned up after himself.” Mark glanced at the disheveled papers on
the desk. “So did you find your dad’s laptop?”

Victor shook his head. “No, the killer probably took it.” He bent down and crawled under the

desk. “But my dad always made backups of his computer files, and he stored the external hard drive
behind the middle drawer.” He gestured with his hand, “Do you mind pulling out the drawer just a
little more? I can’t squeeze my hand into the space.”

Mark did as he was asked and Victor grunted, “There it is.” Mark heard a scraping and sliding

sound, then Victor crawled out with the slim hard drive in his hands. He flipped it over, gazing at
Mark. “I’ll find everything here.”

“Okay, so now we call the police?”
Victor turned to peer over his shoulder on the floor behind him where he had said his father’s

body lay. “What good would that do? There’s no body to report.” Mark noted tears brimmed in
Victor’s eyes, but he blinked them away.

“The body isn’t here, but the evidence may still be.”
Victor shook his head. “I doubt that. Whoever it was my father was investigating was a very

dangerous and cunning man. If my father told me to run and say nothing if ever something should

happen to him, he had good reason. He must have known who he was up against and how dangerous
and resourceful this person was. Who knows, maybe the guy’s got connection in the police force,
someone who will cover any clues the killer left behind. Or the killer may even be a policeman
himself.”

Mark nodded. What Victor said made sense. His father was a professional private investigator

and he wouldn’t warn his son if he didn’t believe Victor would be in danger if he contacted the
police.

Victor placed the hard drive in his back pants pocket and hurried out the room. Mark tailed him,

asking, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get the emergency kit we store in the kitchen.”
Mark scratched his head. “Why would you need an emergency kit at a time like this?”
Victor didn’t respond, his attention focused on the false floor tiling he slipped out of the

cupboard closet. He pulled out a brown wooden box. In it, there were four thick stacks of twenty and
hundred dollar bills bound with strong rubber bands.

“Oh, that’s what you mean by emergency kit,” Mark said as he stared at Victor stuffing the

money in his inside jacket pocket.

Victor handed two bound stacks to him. “Here, can you carry these?”
“Sure.” Mark stashed them in his jacket pockets, as well, feeling the weight of them as they

rested inside. “How much money is this?”

“It’s ten thousand dollars, Dad said.”
“That’s a lot of petty cash to have on hand.”
Victor glanced at him as he opened a second steel box he found in the wooden casing. He

withdrew a Colt .45 hand gun. “It’s not petty cash. Dad stored it a couple of months ago along with
this gun for an emergency just like this.”

“So he knew you’d need it.”
“Apparently so.” Victor sighed sadly, then shuddered. A look of panic possessed his eyes and

he bolted out the kitchen toward his bedroom. “Let’s go,” he stated sternly without gazing at Mark.

When Victor bent to slip back out his bedroom window, Mark asked, “Why not leave from the

front door? Whoever the killer was is gone now.”

Victor ducked back in and stared with a serious and disturbing expression at him. “He may not

be in this house. But he’s not gone. He’s watching. I can feel him.”

Chapter 9

Victor rubbed his hands together, trying to ward off the iciness that threatened to numb his

fingers. The cacophony of voices and conversations happening around his and Mark’s booth in the
diner didn’t seem to calm his nerves.

Mark’s eyes widened with his apparent concern. “You okay?”
Victor gazed at him and frowned. “I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry about what?”
“For bringing you into this mess. If I hadn’t offered to drive you home last night and spend the

night at your place, then you would have never gotten that black eye, nor would you have been
dragged into this. Now you’re in as much danger as I am.”

Mark placed his hand over Victor’s. His warm touch soothed the chill. “The black eye is a

minor inconvenience. Relax. Look around you.” Mark scoped out the restaurant with his hand, then
grinned. “We’re safe. The killer can’t get us here. And besides, who says we were even followed
from your place.”

Victor snorted and raised his voice. “Why don’t you believe me when I say I can feel him

watching? I’m not paranoid!”

“Shhh.” Mark motioned with his open hands in the air and then looked around to see if anyone

was watching from the neighboring tables and booths. But Victor saw no one was. “I never said
you’re paranoid. I believe you that your father was murdered, that the killer took his body away and
stole the laptop. And he is probably searching for you, too, since you saw his face.”

Victor corrected, “I couldn’t make out much with his hood pulled up. It covered most of his face.

All I saw were his red eyes.”

Mark shrugged. “I’m pretty sure that was your eyes playing tricks on you. There was blood all

around, so it makes sense his eyes would have seemed red.”

Victor wanted to argue, tell him what else he thought he saw, the killer lapping blood from his

father’s  slit  neck,  but  Mark  was  already  on  the  border  of  disbelief  now.  Adding  that  bizarre,
unbelievable, and gory tidbit would send him over the edge and out of here. Victor couldn’t have that.
What if the killer was out there now waiting? What if he came after Mark next, like he threatened to
do in his nightmare in the car? No, he needed Mark with him, to protect him. And as much as he didn’t
care  to  admit  it  to  himself,  he  needed  him  to  give  him  strength.  If  it  weren’t  for  Mark  and  his
supporting  shoulder  all  this  time,  Victor  doubted  he  would  have  made  it  this  far  without  breaking
down.  In  a  matter  of  less  than  a  day,  Mark  had  become  Victor’s  anchor,  his  voice  of  reason,  his
friend, and so much more.

Victor couldn’t help but feel, as he stared at the handsome and sexy man before him, that

somehow they were lost souls and kindred spirits who had found their way to one another. Fate, no
matter how grim, had brought them together, and he didn’t want to lose him or ruin what was building
between them.

He tried to steer Mark off the conversation. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He grinned and tapped

the table top. “Thanks, Mark.”

“For what?” Mark smiled back.
“For everything. No one would have done what you did for me last night or today. No one.”
Mark grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I wanted to. You need me and I’m here for you, to help

you through this. We are going to solve your dad’s murder and see that justice is served.”

Victor didn’t speak. He just stared fixedly at Mark. Mark snorted and his gaze shifted. “Why are

you looking at me like that?”

Victor turned to observe the other booths. “Because you are amazing and I want to kiss you.”
Mark’s brow lifted and he spoke in a sexy tone. “Then kiss me.”
“Here and now?”
Mark shrugged. “Why not? We danced and kissed at the pub last night.”
Shyness kept poking at him. “Yeah, but it was dark in there and it was your brother’s pub, so

everyone knew you. This is the daytime and in a diner full of strangers.”

“And…?”
Victor peered at the people around them. Most of the diners were office workers who had come

in for a late lunch or early dinner service. Only a couple of kids were in the joint having a meal with
their mom. What did he have to be shy about? Nothing. He grinned. “You’re right.” He lifted and
leaned his upper body forward while Mark did the same and their lips collided in a clumsy kiss.

Mark mumbled, “Ouch,” and then laughed.
Victor didn’t get a chance to reply, “Sorry,” because Mark kissed him back, his hot, full lips

hugging his. His fingers combed through Victor’s hair. Goose bumps of excitement and pleasure
formed on Victor’s skin. He sighed and reciprocated Mark’s kiss with as much passion and emotion
as he received.

If the approaching waitress’s voice didn’t end their kiss, things would have gotten a whole lot

hotter.

“Excuse me. Excuse me. Hot stuff coming through.” She chuckled.
Victor’s eyes widened as she placed the burgers they ordered on the table. “Holy cow, that is a

big burger!”

She flipped the blue pot holders she had used to carry the hot plates over. “Yup, that’s how our

customers like them.”

Victor asked, “Umm…would you be able to tell us where we can find a motel here that has good

Wi-Fi service?”

She nodded. “Sure.” She pointed with her hand eastward. “If you head down this street, and then

onto Rockland Road, you’ll see Lakeshore Bluff Motel. The rooms are nice and so is their Internet. I
suggest you get one of their Jacuzzi rooms. Super romantic and relaxing.” She waggled her eyebrow.

“Thanks.” Victor grinned, biting into a thick, crispy fry.
Mark looked at Victor, his brow lifted and his eyes sparkled. “Yeah, sounds just like what we

need.”

Heat rushed to Victor’s cheeks. He took a gulp of his ice-cold Coke to try to tame his emotions

and cool off.

“Well, boys, enjoy your meals. If you need anything else, just holler. My name is Cathy.”
Mark nodded. “Thanks, Cathy, we will.” He stared at her departure, then turned to gaze at

Victor. “You want to get a motel room?”

“Yeah, I want to check out my dad’s data as well as do some searching online.” He patted the

laptop he’d just bought himself.

Mark nodded. “All right. Then what?”
Victor huffed. “I haven’t the faintest idea.” He picked up the gigantic burger, whose juices

Chapter 10

As they stepped into the lobby, a whiff of chlorine tickled Mark’s nose. He turned to see the

door to the indoor pool was open and hotel staff was busy clearing used towels and sweeping clean
the wet and slippery area beside the diving board.

There was a couple checking-in at the front desk and many other guests walked around, some

using the motel’s courtesy computers in the lounge area of the lobby.

“Seems quite busy.” Victor frowned, swinging the laptop case back and forth as they stood there

waiting for their turn at the desk.

Mark nodded. “Yup.”
Just then, the couple before them left the desk. He and Victor walked up and Victor smiled,

leaning against the counter. “Hello, we’d like a room with two double beds, please.”

The clerk reciprocated the smile until he glanced at Mark. Mark’s frown had him uneasy, it

seemed. Then he replied, “I’m sorry, sir, but all we have left are rooms with a king-size bed.”

“Oh.” Victor didn’t look at Mark. Instead he began to reply, “Well, then can we have tw—”
Mark placed his hand on Victor’s. “We’ll take one room. Do you have a room with a Jacuzzi

available?”

Victor turned and gave him a high-browed grin. The clerk observed them both and once he saw

Victor didn’t contest Mark’s words, he peered at his screen. “Why, yes, sir. We have one with a
Jacuzzi available.”

Victor took out his wallet. “Great, we’ll take it. How much is it?”
“A hundred and eighty a night. How many days will you be staying?”
Victor gazed at Mark. “Oh, well, we haven’t made up our minds yet. Can we reserve it just for

today and we’ll see tomorrow morning if we’d like to stay longer?”

“Of course, sir.” He peered at Victor taking out a wad of cash. “I’m sorry, sir, but we usually

ask for your credit card number first. Then you can pay cash when you check out. It’s the motel’s
check-in policy, sir.”

Victor grunted, then replied after a minute, “Well, here’s the thing. We don’t have a credit card.”
“Yeah, we abhor them,” Mark added, grinning.
Victor took out a fifty dollar bill and slid it over to the clerk and whispered, “Couldn’t you make

an exception this time? We’ll pay the full one-eighty upfront and this is for any inconvenience it may
cause you.”

The clerk coughed and scanned the room to make sure no one saw the bribe. He slipped it to the

edge of the counter and let it fall behind a file. He simpered. “Of course, sir. We can do that.”

He twirled around and took two electronic key cards from the side of the table and typed

something into the computer. He handed them to Victor. “You’re in room 108.” He pointed to the right
door in the lobby. “Just head outside through that door and the room is the second to your left. We
hope you enjoy your stay.” He left them with a final wide grin.

Mark laughed as he and Victor made their way to the side door. “That went well.”
Victor glanced at him and then returned his attention to walking. “Yeah, we don’t dare use our

credit cards. They could be traced if someone is looking for us. Let’s hope the rest of this day keeps
going this well.” When they got to the emerald green door to room 108, Victor swiped the card down
the electronic lock and it clicked open.

“So this is it?” Mark stepped in first, shaking his head. The place looked very nice. The best

he’d seen at that price range. The same hardwood floors and area rugs he saw in the lobby
accentuated the spacious room, too. The bed cover was a dark terra-cotta. He collapsed on it, testing
out the springs. It bounced a couple of times, but only slightly. “Nice, an orthopedic bed and, from
what I can tell, the top of the line.”

Victor placed the laptop box next to the keys on the bureau, rubbed his stiff shoulders and neck,

and observed the Jacuzzi in the left corner of the room. “Even that’s nice.” He gazed at Mark. “When
I asked for two rooms, I was—”

Mark waved his hand. “Relax. I know why you wanted to ask. It’s because of what I said last

night, or rather early this morning.”

Victor sighed. “Since you want to take it slow, I thought that’s what you would have preferred.”
Mark simpered. “Yeah, I do want to take it slow, but we also have this sexual attraction and a

powerful connection, too. And after what we’ve been through, well, that kind of pushed us to the next
level of our relationship on its own, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry, Mark, for bringing you into this.”
Mark bolted up to a sitting position, anger spicing his words. “Will you stop saying that! You

didn’t pull my leg or push me in any way. I want to help you. I want to be here with you and I’m not
leaving, no matter what.” He paused and after a minute gestured with his eyes and a sly sideways
grin. “That Jacuzzi looks mighty fine. And from the way you were rubbing your neck a few seconds
ago, your muscles must be tight. Why don’t we enjoy a warm, relaxing bath together and forget about
our situation for a little while? Let’s just focus on you and me.”

Victor smirked. “I’d like that very much.”
Mark stood up and walked over to him. He gazed deeply into his eyes and said in a seductive,

low tone, “Then allow me.” Without breaking his stare, he began to unbutton Victor’s shirt. He bent
forward and kissed him a second later. Victor opened his mouth, welcoming his tongue inside. His
hands cupped his face and he tilted his head.

By the time Mark had undone his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders and to the floor, Victor’s

fingers had snaked into Mark’s hair, combing with wanton movements. Victor’s tongue twirled
around Mark’s and the groan he let out told Mark just how much he wanted him right at that moment.

Mark placed his hands on Victor’s muscular pecs. He slid them downward, his fingers

contouring his six-pack abs. A chill sneaked up his spine and made the hairs on his back and arms
stand on end. His cock hardened with arousal. He undid the button on Victor’s tight jeans, then the
zipper, and he pushed his pants and briefs down. He felt Victor’s wet and excited cock briefly touch
his hand.

Releasing his hold on Victor’s pants and wrapping his hand around his thick shaft, he pulled him

closer to him, crushing his body against his, wanting him to feel how excited he was, as well.

Victor moaned and proceeded to undress Mark as he had just done to him. Mark allowed him

while he caressed and pumped Victor’s cock back and forth. Pre-cum seeped out and coated the head.
It took Victor half the time to undress Mark as it had taken Mark to do him.

Stark naked, they embraced each other, their tongues darting deeper and more urgently. Victor

tipped his head back, breaking their kiss, to whisper, “Let’s fuck now.”

Mark laughed deep. “Oh, yeah, that’s a better idea, because Charlie here can’t wait.” His gaze

fell on his cock.

“Well, Charlie isn’t the only one who can’t wait. Fernando is anxious and extremely excited,

too.” He mimicked Mark’s actions by glancing at his hard, erect cock in Mark’s grasp.

They both laughed while Mark moved his foot back, his hand still wrapped around Victor’s

shaft, tugging him along. Victor groaned and his cock hardened still, becoming more elongated and
thicker.

When they got to the bed, Victor took the lead and pushed up then down, Mark’s body following

him in sync. He turned to the side, releasing his embrace. “Turn around, Mark. I’m going to fuck you
from behind.”

Chills of ecstasy flowed like a current through Mark’s body. “Umm,” escaped his lips as he

turned and stuck his ass out for Victor.

Victor pushed his ass cheeks apart and began to rub his wet cock back and forth around Mark’s

asshole. He pumped his cock while he did this. Mark could feel the hot and generous pre-cum cool.
Ah, man, he couldn’t take anymore.

“Fuck me,” he murmured as he wrapped his hand around his own cock and began to masturbate.

Victor pushed in slowly, asking, “Am I hurting you?”

Mark moaned, “No, continue.”
Victor slipped out and slid in a little deeper. Mark closed his eyes, feeling Victor fill him.

“More,” he grunted while he pumped his cock back and forth.

Victor grabbed him by the hips and held him tight, groaning, “Mmm, you’re so tight. It feels

good.”

Once his cock sunk to its fullest depth, Mark needed to take a deep breath. He stopped his hand

movements for a second and waited until his body calmed. Otherwise he would have come then. And
he definitely didn’t want that. He wanted to reach euphoria simultaneously with Victor, hearing his
moans of peaking, both of them going over the edge as one.

When his urge to come diminished, he began to pump his cock again. And Victor, upon sensing

his actions, slipped out and thrust back into his ass. They moved like a well-oiled and well-timed
machine, complementing each other’s movements. Their pants and sighs of pleasure were nectar to
their ears, bodies, and hearts, inching them nearer and nearer to the ultimate high and bringing them as
close, physically and spiritually, as any two lovers could possibly be.

The moment Mark couldn’t hold his climax back any longer was the time Victor came inside

him. Mark’s cock erupted like Mount St. Helen, spewing his semen on his hand and side.

Victor lay on his back, catching his breath. “Wow! That was…freakin’ amazing.”
Mark turned over and kissed him quickly. “Better than I imagined. We are so good together.” He

stood up. “But now I need a bath big time.” The sweat on his body glistened under the motel room’s
fluorescent lighting. He went to the Jacuzzi and after reading the instructions on the side of it on how
to use it, he began to fill the tub with warm water. He twisted his neck and peered at Victor with a
seductive smile. “Why don’t you join me?”

Victor glanced at the laptop still packed in its storage box and sighed deeply. “I’d love to, but I

need to look at my father’s files first. It can’t wait.”

Worried, Mark asked, “Why, do you sense the killer is still following us? Is he near?”
Victor’s lip lifted in a slight sideways grin and he tilted his head back, rubbing his neck and

right shoulder. He took a sigh of relief. “No, actually. Ever since we came to Lake Bluff, it seems like
he just disappeared. I think we lost him, or we’re too far away for him to track us.”

Mark sauntered over to him and laid his hand on his shoulders. He could feel the tension in his

neck. He could also see the fatigue in his eyes. “Then the search can wait. You need to rest. The bath
and sleep will do you good.”

Victor frowned. “But I can’t.”
Mark continued to rub his shoulders. The tight knots under his fingers began to loosen. “Why

can’t you?” He huffed. “Look, you’ve been on the run since yesterday. You haven’t rested, other than
last night at my place. And how much sleep did you get then?”

“Barely any.” Victor shrugged.
“There you go. How much longer can you go on like this? You don’t sense him following us, so

the files’ search can wait until you take a bath and sleep a bit.”

Victor closed his eyes and moaned, “Umm, the massage feels good.”
Mark leaned in and whispered into his ear, “I’m a first class masseur, you know. Come into the

Jacuzzi and see just how good I am.”

Victor opened his eyes, winked, and grinned. “Oh, I bet you are.”
Mark dipped in to kiss him long and passionately on the lips. When he was done, Victor

chuckled. “With an offer like that, how can I refuse?”

Mark led him by the hand and, with longing eyes, they both slipped into the Jacuzzi together,

washing away the remnants of their lovemaking and the stress and horror of the past forty-eight hours.

Chapter 11

“Paradise at last,” Victor hummed. The bright sunlight beamed on Victor’s skin as he rested

his head on Mark’s lap. Mark combed his fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp. He
gazed down at Victor, his soft brown eyes and serene smile calming him.

In a soothing voice, Mark replied, “Just close your eyes and rest. I’ll take care of you.”
Victor took his suggestion, closing his eyes and absorbing Mark’s attention and TLC. The

grass under him turned into a soft cloud and soon his body became lighter and lighter, until he felt
like he floated on air. A soft westward breeze began to blow, caressing his skin and making goose
bumps of pleasure form under its path. Victor never felt as happy or as good as right now.

When the wind ended and Mark’s hand fell away, Victor crowed, “Please don’t stop.”
“All right,” came a shrill voice that made Victor’s eardrums vibrate. Then five sharp edges

began to comb over his head. Clumps of what felt like hair fell onto his face.

Victor opened his eyes to see Mark had disappeared and the killer with haunting red eyes

had taken his place, raking his claws through his hair, slicing chunks of hair and scalp in the
process. In a deep-throated chuckle, he said, “You can run, but you can’t hide. Your mother was
first, then your dad. Next it will be you and your lover. And anyone else who knows too much.”

Victor tried to spring up, but the killer pushed him back down on his lap. “No, no, no. You

can never escape me. I’ve got you.” He stared into the bloodred abyss of the killer’s eyes, not able
to move or turn away. The killer bent down and tilted Victor’s neck until he had enough room, then
he sank his fangs into his neck.

Victor thrashed, screaming in pain. He opened his eyes to find Mark groggily sitting up in bed,

rubbing his back. “Shh, it’s only a dream, Victor. No one can hurt you, because no one is here.”

Victor kicked at the encumbering bed sheet that clung to his damp skin until he broke free. He

slid to the edge of the bed and bent to pick up his underwear. Clumsily wiggling into them while
balancing himself on one leg, he glanced at Mark. “It may have been a dream, but the way I’m feeling
now, I can’t help but believe that it was an omen and a message.”

Mark followed his lead and began to get dressed. “An omen and a message about what?”
He looked over his shoulder at Mark as he opened the laptop’s box and unwrapped the

computer. “An omen that he’s coming and wants us both dead, and a message that I somehow know
his secret.”

Chapter 12

The killer’s word came back to haunt Victor. “Your mother was first, then your dad.”
He couldn’t shrug these words off, nor could he comprehend their meaning. His mother’s death

wasn’t a homicide. She died after she caught a rare bacterial infection that was misdiagnosed at the
hospital. By the time they figured out what she had and gave her the proper antibiotics, it was too late
and she died of blood poisoning. That’s what his father told him when he called him to tell him of her
death.

Could it be? He wondered. Could the killer actually be responsible for her death?
Who was this killer they were dealing with? Was he so cunning as to slowly kill his mother and

fool all the doctors into believing it was natural causes? How about his dad?

Did his dad believe she was murdered? Could that be the case he had been working on all this

time that he didn’t want Victor knowing about?

Victor stood and walked over to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, he stared outside at the

parking lot. He saw Mark walking toward their room carrying a paper bag and cardboard holding
tray. Mark opened the door a few seconds later and upon seeing Victor’s face, asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just taking a break and thinking.”
Mark stared at the open laptop. “So what did you find so far?”
Victor crossed his arms and came to stand near the table. He stared at the screen. “Nothing

much. I haven’t finished looking through the files. But of the case files I did look through, everything
seemed clear-cut and dry. Simple cases of husbands or wives trying to get evidence of their spouse’s
infidelity. Two missing persons’ cases where parents or siblings were searching for family they
hadn’t seen in years.”

“Sounds like your usual detective work to you?”
“Yeah, it’s all cases I helped my dad with.”
“Okay then.” Mark placed what he was carrying on the table. He handed Victor a coffee cup

from the cardboard tray. “It’s time you take a break and I search.” He gestured to the cup. “Black just
like you wanted it.” Then he pointed to the La-Z-Boy next to the bed. “Sit there, have the bagel, and
drink your coffee. And I’ll look at the rest of the unopened files. All right?”

Victor nodded, taking the proffered cup, and dug into the bag to get the warm, wrapped bagel.

“Sounds good to me.”

He sat back and sipped the perfectly brewed coffee. “Umm, this is good.”
Mark responded without looking up from the screen. “Courtesy of Cathy. She brewed a fresh

carafe just for us.”

Victor tilted his head to the side. “Nice lady. We should thank her.”
Not seeming to hear what Victor said, Mark mumbled, “Mmm.” Then he rubbed his chin.
Victor asked, “Did you find something?”
Mark swished his lips back and forth. “No, I was just wondering why in the folder of clients’

billings there’s a JPEG file?”

“What?” Victor frowned, getting up.
Mark pointed to the screen and raised his gaze to peer at him. “Look. See. It looks familiar to

me.”

Victor recognized the image, as well. “That’s the cover design I did for an advertising contest

way back when I was in college. I remember my dad and mom loved it so much that they decided to
make an enlargement of it.”

Mark snapped his figures. “That’s it. That’s where I saw it. The laminated copy of it is hanging

over the sofa in your living room, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Now why would your dad put that here? Was it a filing error on his part?”
“Hmm.” Victor thumbed his fingers.
Mark got up. “Here, sit down.”
Victor slumped into the chair and placed the cup of coffee on the edge of the table. He clicked

on the image several times. Each time the image opened in Windows Photo Viewer. “Hmm, I
wonder.”

“Wonder what?” Mark stared over his shoulder.
“My dad may not have been a neat freak at home, but when it came to work, he was super

organized. So something tells me it wasn’t misfiled. He put it here for a reason.”

“What could it be?”
“I don’t know, but…” He clicked on the Mozilla icon at the bottom of the screen. Then he

searched “Can you embed a file in a JPEG image?” in Google.

Mark’s hot breath on his shoulder had Victor distracted. He turned to him. “Sorry, Mark, but

you’re bothering me. Would you mind giving me some space?” He waved his hand in the air.

“No, not at all. Sorry about that.” Mark took his coffee and bagel and headed to the chair only a

few feet away. He sat on the edge of the seat and continued to stare at Victor while munching loudly
on his meal. Victor raised his eyebrow and shook his head. “That isn’t any better. I can’t
concentrate.”

Mark laughed. “Okay, Okay. I need to leave. I got it. I’ll go enjoy my breakfast at the park across

the street.”

Victor took a calming breath. “Thanks. I’ll call you when I’m done.”
He peered at Mark’s exit, then stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. Mumbling to

himself, “Let’s hope my hunch is right,” he clicked on the first site Google listed.

Chapter 13

Mark sat on the bench in the empty park and hoped Victor’s search would be fruitful. He

couldn’t even imagine what Victor had been going through. Seeing his world crumble bit by bit must
be unbearable. He wished he could do more. He wished he could find the bastard and make him pay
for all the terror and torment he put his lover through.

Lover. Mark couldn’t help but harp on the word. Last night, they became lovers. Even though

Mark wanted to wait until he was completely over his feelings for Erik and the hurt, he plunged into
this relationship headfirst and dragged Victor along with him.

Was it all a mistake? The sex wasn’t. Their lovemaking was the best he’d ever had. Victor was

amazing, knowing what to do and when to do it, to bring them both to their peaks of pleasure. It was
as if he could channel Mark’s needs and desires, fulfilling each and every one, making their night
together perfect.

As farfetched as it sounded, Mark had started to fall in love with Victor. Was it his

vulnerability, the pain and anguish he was going through, that drew Mark to him? Definitely, but there
was more. Much more. They connected on so many levels that Mark knew his growing feelings of
love were true. It was love at first sight for him. The moment he saw him at the pub, he knew that he
was someone special and maybe even the “one” for him. The one he needed and was waiting for his
entire life.

But was it the same for Victor? There was a chance that when all this was done, Victor would

find out that he didn’t love Mark and that they weren’t compatible together as lovers. And Mark’s
heart would be crushed once again.

But he was willing to take the risk. Some people went their entire lives searching for their

perfect mate and never finding them. Mark had a chance with Victor, a good one in his eyes and heart.
He’d risk everything, including a broken heart, for happiness and true love.

He gazed at the closed motel room door and sighed. He wondered if Victor’s search was

progressing.

Seconds later an unfamiliar voice from behind him whispered, “Looking for someone, Mark?”
He turned to look at who spoke to him, when a hand came on his head, stopping his movement,

then another wrapped around his arms and body, blocking his thrashing movements. The stranger’s
head bowed closer to him, and before Mark knew it, the man had sunk his teeth into his neck.

Excruciating pain came first. He could feel blood being sucked out of him, then came the

coldness and weakness, and finally the darkness.

Chapter 14

Victor crossed his fingers and hoped that it would work. Sure enough, the moment he clicked the

final sequence of commands the Google site instructed him to type in, he found it. His father had used
the JPEG image as a link to a hidden file, and with the proper set of commands Victor could find the
hidden subdirectory. It took him eight tries, but he finally figured out the right set of commands.

When he opened the file, he uncovered a dozen sub-files in it. The first file, the oldest, named

after his mother, Veronica, was a scanned article on the murder of a twenty-four year old. The young
man had been armed and supposedly shot the clerk at an all-night gas station dead. The police were
called in by an anonymous witness. When they got there, a gun fight broke out between the twenty-four
year old and the patrol car police. One policeman was killed, the other injured. But the injured
policeman continued firing and got the perp right in the head. The killer died instantly.

The next file was named “Policeman’s Death.” Before opening it, he stood and made his way to

the door. Now that he had cracked his father’s security and found the files, Mark should be with him,
reading and reviewing what was in there. Two heads were better than one. Mark could help him
piece together whatever clues his father left in the hard drive.

When he opened the door, the bright sunlight shined in his eyes. He squinted and shaded his eyes

to protect them, then he scanned the small park facing the motel. But to his dismay, no one was there.
He exited the room and, scratching his head, looked all around wondering where Mark had gone to.
Was he taking a walk around the motel? The entire area was empty. If Victor didn’t know any better,
it was as if the motel had turned into a ghost motel and the town’s people had vanished from the face
of the earth.

He didn’t know what to do. Deep in the pit of his stomach, he sensed things had turned for the

worse. When he spied the note on Mark’s windshield, he knew it without a doubt.

With trembling hands, he opened the note and read.

Got your friend.
Come to Chain O’Lakes State Park on Wilmot Road, Spring Grove, after the park closes at

ten this evening, with your father’s files and all the info you’ve got. Do as I say or your friend is
history and you’re next!

A lump the size of a tennis ball formed and lodged itself in Victor’s throat. Somehow, the killer

had tracked them down and kidnapped Mark. Now he wanted his father’s files as ransom. His heart
seemed to stop in shock and restart irregularly. What had he gotten Mark into?

What would happen to Mark once he did as the killer demanded? Would he let Mark go free?

Somehow he doubted that. He had a gut feeling that once the killer got whatever he was looking for,
he’d get rid of all evidence and witnesses to his crimes. That included Mark and himself.

Checking his watch, he realized he had twelve hours until he had to meet the killer. Twelve

hours to figure out who the hell the killer was and how he could save Mark.

Chapter 15

The vacant road ahead, that Victor had been driving on for the past half hour, had his mind

wandering  back  to  his  father’s  hard  drive.  A  nagging  thought  in  the  back  of  his  mind  said  he  had
missed  something.  He  had  reviewed  all  the  contents  from  the  hidden  folder  before  setting  out  this
evening. Yet Victor couldn’t fathom any of it. In the articles and notes he read, he found out that the
injured  policeman  who  had  shot  and  killed  the  twenty-four-year-old  perp  was  found  dead  a  month
later in his home. Supposedly an armed robbery gone bad, as whoever broke into his home must have
been caught by him. The perp shot the policeman twice in the head and neck with a 12 gauge shotgun
at  point-blank  range.  There  was  not  much  left  of  the  body  above  the  shoulders  for  forensics  to
analyze. The body had also been bled dry.

What did the deadly shootout at the gas station and the horrific armed robbery later on have to

do with the case his father had been working on? God only knew.

The rest of the files in the folder were just as cryptic. They were articles and sites on the

paranormal,  vampires  to  be  exact.  Books  on  vampires  were  also  included  in  the  list  of  files.  One
book  was  supposedly  written  by  a  veritable  bloodsucker  and  scholar  named  Schumear  Keitz.  The
title  of  the  book  was  The  Real  Paranormal  World  is  Out  There .  From  the  excerpts  and  notes  his
father  included  on  this  book,  there  existed  a  world  hidden  to  humans  where  vampires  and  vampire
slayers  really  existed.  Only,  they  weren’t  what  people  have  come  to  know  of  them  through  fiction.
Apparently,  vampires  and  slayers  aren’t  immortals  like  in  the  hundreds  of  movies  Victor  had  seen.
But they could live for hundreds of years. Supposedly, vampires had this generic gene hiccup in their
DNA, although they had red and white blood cells just like humans. They also had extra mutant blood
cells  that  removed  the  iron  atoms  in  their  red  blood  cells.  They  needed  to  ingest  great  amounts  of
blood, human or animal blood, to combat the condition. It was the mutated blood that slowed down
their  aging  process  and  made  them  live  longer  lives. And  the  same  thing  went  for  vampire  slayers.
Only slayers needed vampire blood, not human or animal blood, to survive.

The image of the killer lapping at the blood pouring out of his father’s slit throat resurfaced in

his mind’s eye. The killer was a vampire. That explained his red eyes. He had hoped his father’s files
could tell him more than that. That they would tell him who the killer was exactly. Then maybe he
could figure out why the killer wanted his father dead. But they didn’t.

About a quarter of a mile away, a church’s steeple caught his attention, bringing him out of his

dead end thoughts. Checking the car’s clock, he murmured, “I’ve got time to kill.” Time to kill.
Maybe that was a bad choice of words. A shudder crawled up his spine like the caress of brittle ice.
Most definitely the worst choice of words.

He turned the car onto the dirt road, heading for the church to try to shrug off the bad luck he just

brought upon himself. A prayer and candle lighting ought to erase that omen. While he was at it, he’d
say another prayer, or fifty. That couldn’t hurt, either. He needed all the blessed help he could get
when he’d meet the killer, the Devil’s spawn, later tonight.

He’d say an extra special prayer that Mark was all right and the evil vampire hadn’t yet sunk his

deadly fangs into him. Poor Mark. He wished they had met under better circumstances. Deep in his
heart, he felt they were indeed kindred spirits and that as time went by, they’d see just how perfect
they were for one another, that they did belong together.

He sighed and made an oath to himself. If they ever got out of this cursed situation and the

Chapter 16

Mark finally got his eyes open after the fifth attempt. Darkness greeted his vision. Where am I?
He started to lift his arm to sit up, but it felt like someone had tied a hundred pound weight to his

chest. His head ached and grogginess kept him in an obtuse state.

Unable to move or breathe deeply, he tried to whisk the veil of confusion from his mind. The

last thing he remembered was sitting on the park bench waiting for Victor to crack the file code. Then
someone spoke to him from behind, sank fangs into his neck, and everything went black.

“Sank fangs into my neck?” Did that actually happen? When he touched his neck, he felt the

soreness and crusted puncture wounds. Yes, he hadn’t imagined it. He was bitten.

He remembered Victor had told him the killer had red eyes. Demons and vampires in fictional

tales and movies had red eyes. Apart from these mythical beings, he had never heard of anyone being
born with red, gleaming eyes like Victor described. Nor had he ever heard of any reports of a human
biting another human. Could vampires actually exist in our world? This was beyond believable, yet
he couldn’t deny what had happened. All the facts pointed to it being a vampire who had attacked
him!

He thrashed around, trying to get up, but he had no strength to push himself up, though he did feel

something. He mustered what strength he had left to stretch his hand to touch it again. When he made
contact, he spread his open hand back and forth over it. It was a nylon material and from the sound
and feel of it, the material used for a tent. He was in a tent God knew where!

Not long after that, he heard footsteps approaching, then a zipper open and someone in a deep,

husky voice say, “You’re awake.”

Mark tried to focus on the man, but could only see a silhouette and black spots in his vision. He

took a loud and frightful breath. He recognized that chilling voice anywhere. “What have you done to
me?”

“Why, I’ve bled you.” Mark choked for breath as his heart raced. “I wouldn’t get too excited if I

were you. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

Huffing, Mark asked, “Why did you do this to me?”
“Because I need you weak but alive.”
“Why?”
“To use you as a bargaining tool, of course. Your lover is who I really want, and the files he

has. And you’ll bring him and them right to me.”

Mark heard the man kneel and his hand slip under his head. “Here, drink this. You’ll feel

better.”

Before Mark could refuse, the killer began to pour a thick salty metallic mixture down his throat.

Mark gagged and coughed and tried to spit it out, fearing what it was. Then the killer said, “Drink the
blood or you’ll die before your lover even gets here and ruin all my plans.”

Chapter 17

Ten o’clock sharp and no sign of the killer, or Mark. Victor paced the entry of the national

park while wiping his clammy hands on his pants.

The park had closed an hour ago and it took Victor some maneuvering to sneak in here without

any of the park’s night personnel seeing him. He hadn’t the faintest idea where the killer would be
coming from. He could be stalking him at this very moment and he’d be none the wiser.

Switching his knapsack from one shoulder to the next, he turned to walk farther south. That’s

when he saw a light flashing. He stopped in his tracks and squinted. The light continued to flash on
and off. Beaming his own flashlight on the ground before him, he made his way in its direction. That’s
when he saw two red glowing eyes form above the flashing white light. It finally dawned on him. It
was the monster.

When he got just a few feet away from him, the killer’s true form came into view. He was over

six feet five inches tall and had wide shoulders, a mass of muscle covered in an open hooded coat.
Victor spoke in a quivering voice, “Where’s Mark?”

The monster glanced over his shoulder. “He’s safe…for now. Did you bring your father’s

files?”

“I’ll tell you where they are, but first I want to see Mark.” Victor tried as best he could to show

he wasn’t intimidated. If he wanted his plan to work, then he needed to show this monster he was in
control.

“Very well, follow me.” He spun on his heel and walked away.
Victor followed him, first in silence, but as his anger rose, he couldn’t contain it anymore. He

wanted to take his gun out now and shoot him right in the head. Kill him like he killed his mother and
father. But he needed to find Mark first and make sure he was safe.

He decided instead to voice his anger and get answers to gnawing questions. “Why did you kill

my mother and father?”

“Your mother saw too much. Things no one is supposed to know in your world. And she called

the police to report it. She had to die for that. As for your father, well, the good detective that he was
began to probe where he shouldn’t have. He should have minded his own business and left it all
alone.”

“What did you do with his body?”
“Burned it to ashes and dust and then let the wind blow that away.” The killer’s fingers fluttered

like the wind as if his deplorable act was artistic and beautiful.

Anger rose and spewed out of Victor’s mouth. “You fuckin’ bastard!”
“I was doing my job. He had to disappear so no evidence could lead to me and my world.”
“Are you going to kill me and Mark, too?” Victor gulped his last words.
The monster shined his flashlight in Victor’s eyes. “That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“Many things of which I cannot say.”
“Why?”
The monster shrugged. “You’ll know in due time.”
As they continued to walk, Victor’s mind rolled over the killer’s words and a thought began to

emerge. “You said my mom saw too much. What did she see?”

“She saw one of us in action. She needed to be eliminated because of that.”
Victor stopped a second and whispered, “She was the anonymous caller at the gas station who

tipped off the police on the murder.”

The killer glanced over his shoulder. “I heard you, and yes, she was. She and that policeman

saw one of our kind for who we really are, so they had to be dealt with. My job is to clean up the
mess and kill all witnesses.”

Victor sneered. “I’m going to kill you.”
“You can try, but it won’t be easy.”
But you’re not immortal. And a bullet in your heart or head can kill you.
The killer laughed. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“You can read my mind. It wasn’t my imagination?” Victor shuddered, feeling violated.
“Yes, I can sometimes. For some bizarre reason, after I drank your father’s blood, I was able to

read your thoughts. And I know you can sense me, too. I’ve heard of only two cases like this
happening before, when a human’s and a vampire’s mind melded like ours have. No one ever found
out the reason why. But I think my feeding on both your father’s and mother’s blood has something to
do with it. To be sure, I need to bring you to someone who can tell me if it really is the reason for our
connection.”

“We’re not connected.” Victor sneered.
“The results beg to differ.” The killer halted in front of a tent and unzipped it. “Your friend is in

there. Have a look, see if he’s all right.”

Victor slumped and was about to enter, when an inner warning stopped him. “How do I know

this isn’t a trap?”

The killer laughed. “Use common sense. Why would I trap you if you haven’t yet given me what

I want?”

Victor followed his logic and silently crawled into the darkness. Moans greeted him.

* * * *

In and out of sleep Mark hovered, trying desperately to escape this limbo abyss. When he heard

a familiar voice say, “What have you done to him?” he was finally able to break free.

Rolling his eyes open, he sighed. “Victor, is that you?”
“Yes, Mark, it’s me.” A warm hand touched his arm, making him awaken fully. Victor then

repeated, “What did you do to him?”

The killer slipped in behind Victor. “He’s lost a lot of blood. He’s very weak. I’ve given him

blood to keep him alive, but he needs more very soon.”

Mark tried to sit up. Although he felt stronger than the first time he tried to sit, the feat was still

draining. Once up, he said, out of breath, “That’s all thanks to him. He’s the one who bit me and
sucked the blood out of me.”

Victor turned and jumped to punch the monster in the face. But the killer stopped his fist in a

clenched hand. “Don’t even try. You’re no match for me.” With apparent ease, the killer pushed
Victor to his knees. “I suggest you start cooperating and give me the files before your friend dies.”

“How do we know you won’t kill us once I give you the files?”
“You don’t.”

“Then I won’t give you the files,” Victor growled.
“And your friend will die because of you. As for you, I won’t kill you. But you will come with

me.”

Victor quickly moved his hand to his back. He gripped the gun sticking out of his jeans and

aimed it at the monster. “There’s no way I’m coming with you and there’s no way I’m going to let you
kill Mark. The only person who’s going to die tonight is you, now.”

The monster laughed. “Do you think me a fool? Do you think I’d let you in here with a gun if I

didn’t know that you wouldn’t pull the trigger?”

Victor cocked his gun. “Why won’t I pull the trigger now?”
“Because I have the antidote for your friend. Without it he’ll die just like your mother died.”
Victor lowered the gun and peered at Mark. “Give it to him now or I won’t give you the files.”
A deep, vibrating laugh slipped out of the killer’s mouth. “I wish you would open your eyes and

see that you really aren’t in any position to demand anything. You follow my rules or you both lose.”

Victor glanced at Mark with worry in his eyes. “Fine, I’ll give you the files…”
Mark croaked, “No, Victor, don’t.”
Victor continued. “But first I want to see the antidote.”
The monster tapped his outside coat pocket that had an IV bag peeking out. “It’s right here,

blood and antidote. So now where are the files?”

Mark shook his head. “No, Victor, don’t give it to him. He’ll kill us anyway.”
Victor’s eyes frowned. “It’s my fault you’re in this situation, Mark, and I won’t let anything else

happen to you.”

The killer grunted cynically, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, can we stop with the sappiness and

get on with this? I want the files and the gun.”

Victor handed the gun over and then put down his knapsack to retrieve the hard drive from it. He

held it up with one hand and opened his other hand palm up. “Fair exchange. The antidote for the
files.”

With a wide smile, the monster responded, “All right.” He pulled the big IV bag from his

pocket. “Here you go.”

They each took the proffered exchange. The killer tossed the hard drive to the floor and crushed

the plastic box over and over again until it became a pile of crushed, broken mess. Victor bent down
toward Mark. “Put your arm around my shoulder. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

The killer laughed just as Mark placed his arm around Victor’s neck and Victor lifted him up to

his feet. “You’re not going to the hospital. They can’t help you there. Just like they couldn’t help your
mother.”

Victor frowned, holding up his knapsack, which he had put the IV bag in. “You told me this had

the blood and antidote to cure him. You lied?”

“No, I didn’t lie. When I pointed to me, I was being truthful. The blood serum was in my pocket

and the antidote is in me. In my blood.”

“You? The antidote is in your blood?”
Mark groaned. “Don’t listen to him, Victor. Let’s just get out of here.”
The killer countered, “Yes, go by all means and Mark will die. Stay and come with me and I

will make him live.”

“I don’t trust you. You’ve played one trick after another on us. This will never end.”

The killer shrugged. “True, but you don’t have a choice, do you? Besides, I still need you.”
“Need me for what?” Victor cursed.
“I already told you. I want answers. I want to know for sure why I can read your mind and you

can sense me.”

“I don’t want to know. I just want to cure Mark and get out of here.”
This nightmare was never ending. It had become obvious to Mark that the killer was never going

to let them go free. He needed to change tactics in their favor. He gazed up at the killer while still
leaning on Victor for support. “If you let us go, then I’ll tell you where the other copy of the files is.”

Victor looked at him baffled. The killer frowned, looking at Victor, then at Mark. “There is no

other copy. You’re lying.”

Mark shook his head. “There is.”
The killer looked keenly at Victor for several minutes then shook his head. “No, I don’t sense it

in him. There’s no other copy.”

Mark glanced at Victor. “He doesn’t know about it. I made a copy of the hard drive last night

when Victor was sleeping and I sent it to my brother’s computer via FTP.”

The killer squinted and growled, “You’re lying.”
Mark raised his head and stared fixedly at him. “I’m not, and I left instructions for my brother to

send it to the police if he doesn’t hear from me in the next forty-eight hours.”

The killer took Mark’s arm and pulled him away from Victor’s grip. Victor screamed, “Leave

him alone. Don’t hurt him.”

The killer walked out of the tent and slung Mark over his shoulder like he was a sack of

potatoes. Mark grimaced as pain surged through his body and he almost lost consciousness when
waves of dizziness struck him. “We’re going to get those files now. Then I decide what I’ll do with
the both of you.”

Mark closed his eyes and let the killer carry him while Victor followed, protesting. Mark had to

come up with a plan before the blood rushed completely to his brain and made his head explode.

Chapter 18

Mark’s throbbing brain had calmed down in the car while Victor drove and the killer sat in the

backseat with Mark. The killer asked for a second time since they entered Victor’s car, “Where is
your brother’s computer?”

The dashboard’s clock read almost midnight. It was a weeknight, so The Irish Stew would close

soon. “At my brother’s pub in Chicago.” He tried to kill time.

“Then head for the pub,” the killer ordered Victor.
Victor nodded, looking at Mark through the rearview mirror. Mark winked and laid back.

Exhaustion plagued him as he took deep breaths. If someone were to see him now, they’d think he had
run a twenty-mile marathon instead of being carried from the tent to the car by their killer. The giant
assassin beside him sat hunched over, his knees extending far beyond where the seat in front began.
They had pushed the passenger seat completely to the front and inclined it forward as far as it could
go, but still the killer looked cramped. Mark wished he were stronger, then he’d fight him. But
unfortunately, all he had to work with was his groggy brain.

He moved his leg to the side when the killer wiggled for more room. That’s when he felt

something hard slide to the side of his foot. He pushed off his shoe inconspicuously and with his
sock-covered foot touched the hard item at the bottom of the car. He realized it was his gun. He had
placed the box under the driver’s seat yesterday after they left Victor’s home. It must have fallen out
of the box and slid to the back of the carpeted car floor.

He couldn’t pick it up now without the hawk-eyed monster noticing. He’d wait until they got to

the pub and pick it up while they all exited the car.

In the meantime, he needed to reserve whatever energy he had left.

* * * *

Victor’s stomach churned on empty ever since he saw Mark, frail and weak, lying in the tent.

His heart broke. He wanted to hold him, kiss him, take away the pain, suffering, and the horror he’d
experienced,  but  he  couldn’t.  When  they  parked  Mark’s  car  in  The  Irish  Stew’s  parking  lot  almost
two hours after their car ride  began,  he  looked  at  the  killer  through  the  rearview  mirror  and  asked,
“Please  let  me  give  him  more  blood.  Can’t  you  see  how  weak  he  is?  He’s  having  problems
breathing.”

The killer shook his head. “He won’t die…yet. First you show me the computer and the

transferred files, and then he gets the blood. Not before then.”

“Let me give him just a bit, please,” Victor begged.
The killer shook his head. “No, but you can carry him into the pub.” He motioned with Victor’s

gun he’d taken away.

Victor opened the back door and picked Mark up. Mark wrapped one arm around his neck and

whispered in his ear while he slipped something into his jacket pocket. “My gun.”

Victor looked at him but didn’t say a word. Mark pointed to the front door and said in a panting

voice, “I have a key, but I also have to punch in a code for the alarm.”

The killer motioned for Victor to carry Mark to the front door. After Mark opened the door, they

entered and Mark typed in a five-digit number. The alarm beeped a few times, then it stopped.

He gestured to the door at the end of the long, huge room and said to the killer, “The computer is

downstairs. You can get it yourself.”

The killer chuckled. “Do I look like a moron to you? No, you and Victor go first.”
Victor began to carry him there when Mark remembered the loose step he hadn’t yet fixed on the

staircase in the basement. If Victor carrying him would put his full weight on it, it would surely come
loose and they’d fall. He responded, “No, I feel stronger now. I’ll go down first. Victor, just hold my
hand, please?”

The killer motioned with the gun. “Go on.”
When the killer wasn’t looking, obviously too distracted by what trap could be waiting for him

at the bottom of the stairs, Mark whispered in Victor’s ear, “Put your weight to the left of the second
step going down.”

Victor nodded right before the killer turned to them and answered, “Both of you go first.”
Victor went down first, doing exactly as Mark instructed. When Victor was on the basement

floor, Mark began his descent, careful to avoid the danger zone step. Passing it, he waited on the forth
step down and began to pant. “Just one second, I need to catch my breath.”

In the meantime, the killer placed his foot on the second step and cursed, “Keep movin—”
The step slipped from its position just like Mark hoped it would with the killer’s massive

weight, and the killer lost his balance, falling forward. He tried to grab onto Mark to brace his fall.
But Mark had managed to move beyond his reach. The killer toppled down the stairs head first. By
the time he got to the end of the stairs, Victor had enough time to whip out Mark’s gun he had tucked
in his pocket.

He pointed it at his head and screamed, “Get the hell up.”
The killer laughed. “You fuckin’ punk. You forget I can now read your mind and know how you

think. I know you’re a sniveling coward and don’t have the guts to do it. I know you won’t kill me.”
He lunged for Victor’s gun, but didn’t make it. Victor pulled the trigger, shooting the monster right
between his eyes. The killer slumped to the ground, staring with his vacant, dead eyes at Victor.

Mark sat on the stairs trying to catch his breath. His raging heart felt like it would explode.

Victor ran up the stairs to him and held him. “You’re okay?”

He nodded and pointed upstairs. “Yeah, go on up and call the police. I’ll be fine.” Victor

sprinted up the stairs and Mark heard him call 911 for help.

Victor came back a few seconds later and held him, rocking back and forth, kissing his head.

“They’ll be here any minute. Just hang on, Mark. I love you. Everything will be all right.”

Mark nodded. “I love you, too.” Then he closed his eyes. He needed to rest them just for a

second. Before he knew it, he lost consciousness.

Chapter 19

“You call this food!” Shawn complained as he lifted the food tray, hitting the side of the plate

and making it ring.

That was enough for Mark to completely rise from unconsciousness. He moaned as he opened

his eyes. “Even when I’m trying to sleep, you can’t stop making a racket, Shawn.”

Shawn smiled at him, the widest grin Mark had ever seen. He turned and said, “Ma, Pa, look

who’s awake!”

Mark’s parents came over to the bed and hugged him. His mother’s eyes were puffy and red.

She’d been crying for hours, it seemed.

“How ye feeling, Mark?” she asked with her sweet Irish drawl.
Mark stretched and cringed. “Like my bones are made of saw dust.”
She tucked his covers around him like she used to do when he was very young and sick in bed.

“Well, the doctors say you’ll be good as new in a few days.”

He frowned, remembering what the killer had said, that his blood was the antidote. The killer

was dead, so how could he be cured? He looked around the room and asked, “Where’s Victor?”

Shawn replied, “He went home to shower and change. He’ll be back soon.”
And just as he finished saying that, the door opened. Everyone turned to see who came in. Victor

popped his brown-haired head in and grinned. “Hi there. How you’re feeling?”

“Better.” He grinned. Then he said, “Ma, Pa, Shawn, would you mind giving us a few moments

alone?”

They nodded and Mark’s mother winked at him, obviously approving, and then they all exited

without a word.

Victor peered at the closed door. “You have a great family, Mark.”
“From the look my mother gave me, they like you, too.” Mark grinned, patting the side of his

bed.

Victor sauntered over and kissed him lightly and gently on the lips before sitting where he

pointed. “You look tired, but I see the color coming back in your cheeks.” His eyes saddened. “I was
so worried about you when you passed out at the pub.”

Mark scratched his head. “About that, what happened?”
Victor sighed as if preparing to recount a long tale. “Well, the police and ambulance came a few

minutes after you passed out. I gave them the blood bag, but they refused to feed it intravenously to
you. They did take it with them and I gave them a sample of the killer’s blood. I didn’t tell them all
the details, but I said antibodies for the type of blood poisoning you had could be found in that
sample.”

Mark chuckled. “I bet they thought you were some crazy mad doctor.”
“You could say that.” Victor shrugged, grinning.
“Anyway, it took them a while, but they found the antidote to stop the infection and they gave you

several blood transfusions. So you’re going to be fine.” He patted his knee over the blanket.

Mark breathed deeply, cleansing his lungs of lingering stress. “And how are you doing?”
“I’m tired, and I haven’t had much time to think of what happened. It’ll take me a little longer to

come to terms with my father’s death and all that happened in the past few days.”

“You’re not alone, Victor. I’m here for you to help you through it, you know.”

Victor smiled. “I know. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met you when I did.”
Mark’s brow rose with his curiosity. It was probably not the right time to bring this up, but he

couldn’t help it. He had to ask the question that had haunted him for a while. “I don’t want to add any
more pressure on you after all you’ve been through. But this has been going through my mind for quite
a bit. What happens to us now that it is all over?”

Victor lifted his finger and grinned widely. “I’ve been thinking about the same thing for a while,

too. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. And we may have started this
relationship in a quick and rash way, but we were able to turn it around and start building something
that I think…no, that I know is amazing and special. I think you felt the same thing.”

Mark nodded.
Victor halted, took a deep breath, and continued, “If you’re willing to give our relationship…

us…a chance, I think what we’ve got between us is what others search for all their lives, but
sometimes never find…true and everlasting love.”

Mark felt like shit, like a runaway train rammed him against a giant boulder. He guessed he

looked like it, too. But in his heart, he’d never felt better. Victor’s words were magical, healing. He
slowly sat up and took Victor’s hand. He brought it to his lips, and closing his eyes, he kissed the
outside of his hand, smelling his sweet, heavenly scent.

He opened his eyes and stared at him. “I don’t have to give this relationship a try. I know

already what we have is exactly that.” Victor smiled and Mark had the insatiable urge to kiss him. He
leaned in. Victor did the same until their lips met. Sparks flew and Mark’s stomach did a
summersault, or three, in giddiness.

Chapter 20

A month later…

“Where are you taking me?” Mark laughed as his outstretched hand reached for an imaginary

wall.

“I can’t say because it’s a surprise. Here, ten more steps forward and we’ll be there.” Victor

guided him by holding his other hand. Mark took hesitant step after hesitant step, trusting Victor
completely, but dying to know where he led him.

He had arrived at Mark’s apartment an hour ago, told him to get ready because he was taking

him somewhere special. He had blindfolded him in the car, much to Mark’s protests, telling him he
wasn’t supposed to know their destination.

The car ride lasted an hour or so from his calculations. Mark had tried to weasel information out

of him, but Victor didn’t budge.

Victor stopped his progress. “Okay, wait a second. I need to do something.” What seemed like

keys rattled and then a door creaked. Victor’s flat hand rested on the middle of Mark’s back and he
nudged him forward. “Just take four more steps, please.”

“All right.” Mark followed his instructions, then Victor undid the blindfold and kissed Mark on

the lips. “Happy one-month anniversary, baby.”

Oak-finished walls and varnished hardwood floors greeted him in a wide open room, with a

small rectangular mocha-brown dining table to the left and a black leather sofa to the right.

Victor asked, “So what do you think?”
“It’s a cabin?”
“Yup. I thought a weekend getaway in the country would be the perfect surprise.”
Mark grinned, his eyes widened, admiring the cozy private cottage. “I love it, but this must have

cost you a mint to rent?”

“No, not at all. It belongs to a friend at work. When I told her I wanted to plan a romantic

weekend with you, she offered this place to us.”

“Is it Trudy?”
“Exactly. Everyone at the advertising firm is great, but she’s the best graphic designer I’ve ever

worked with.”

Mark patted his shoulder. “I’m so happy to hear that about your new job. After your job in New

York, you needed a company where you and your work are appreciated.”

“Thanks, Mark.”
Mark sauntered around the place, checking out the kitchenette and grinning. “The place is super

clean.”

Victor laughed. “How did I know you’d be checking? I forgot to mention Trudy is a fellow neat

freak like you.”

Mark sighed. “I’m not a neat freak, am I?”
Victor shrugged. “Kinda.”
Mark pulled the curtain open and peered out the window. “Holy cow, the view of the lake is

breathtaking.”

“I haven’t seen it yet.” Victor walked up to him and wrapped his arm around Mark’s shoulder,

hugging him close to his body. “Umm, yes, it is beautiful. Kissing his neck and blowing Mark’s ear
until goose bumps of pleasure formed under his breath’s caress, he whispered, “There isn’t a cabin
around for miles, you know. So if you want to go skinny dipping, I’m game for it.”

Mark laughed. “Given the fact you didn’t prepare me for this surprise, I’ll have no choice but to

go nude.”

Victor kissed his lips. “Oh, you are too cute. But I asked Shawn to sneak into your apartment

earlier today when you were at work. He packed you a small bag for the weekend. You’ve got a
change of clothes for the three days, pj’s, and your toothbrush, razor, etc. And of course your
swimming trunks if…you know…you’re too chicken to go in your birthday suit.”

Mark punched him playfully on the shoulder. “You’re sure you’re talking about me and not

yourself?”

Victor snorted. “Oh, no, believe me, I’ve got the balls and then some. Just wait to see what else

I have planne—” He slapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. Then he sneered. “I just ruined
the surprise.”

Chills of excitement ran rampant up and down Mark’s spine. He waggled his left brow. “What

surprise?”

“It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.” Victor grabbed the edge of his shirt and pulled it over his

head. His wide shoulders, flexing pecs, and six-pack abs drew Mark’s attention, making him sigh in
admiration. “The last one in is a rotten—”

Mark blocked his movements. “Nah, nah. You’re not going to weasel out of it. No matter how

much skin you show me, and how hard my cock gets.” He wrapped his arms around Victor and pulled
him to him, so he could feel his hard cock under his tight jeans. He kissed him long and passionately
on the lips, nipping and sucking his lower lip, which he knew turned Victor to mush. And right when
Victor opened his mouth and his tongue made its way into his, Mark moved away and stared into his
eyes. In torment, he said with a devilish grin, “What is my surprise?”

Victor gulped, obviously trying to regain his composure. “If I show you now, it’ll ruin

everything.”

Mark pouted. “If you don’t show me now, then it’ll gnaw at me forever, which will make me nag

you forever. It’ll ruin the whole weekend.”

Victor took a deep breath and bowed his head in defeat. “Fine. Follow me.” He took his hand

and guided him to the bedroom where a huge king-size bed waited for them.

Mark waggled his brow. “Oh, is this my surprise?”
Victor shook his head. He opened a drawer and withdrew a large gift wrapped box. “Actually,

this is.” He offered it to him with a wide smile. “Surprise!”

“Can I shake it or will it break?” Mark grinned.
Victor laughed and bowed his head. “You can do whatever you like.”
When Mark shook it, a rattling and clanking sound greeted him. “Whaaat?” He frowned jerking

his head back.

Victor’s laughter got louder. “You’ll never figure out what it is that way. You wanted to see it,

so open it.”

Mark placed it on the foot of the bed and untied the cobalt blue ribbon wrapped around it. He

lifted the cover and his breath froze in his lungs. In the big box were handcuffs, a blindfold, paddles,
and a whip. When he lifted the blindfold, he saw nipple clamps and a cock ring set. “Holy fuck!”

Victor frowned. “Too much?” He paused and when Mark didn’t answer, just gawking at the

box’s contents, he added, “I thought you would like this.

Victor sighed. “We’ve been talking about this for the past month. I wasn’t ready before, but now

I want to take this first step with you. I want to satisfy you in the ways you want and show you how
much you mean to me. I love you with all my heart and I want to make you happy.”

Mark smiled. “I love you too and I want to share this experience with you, but only if you want it

and it will please you, too.”

“I do want it.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and patted the place beside him. “Sit.” Once Mark sat, he wrapped

his arm around his shoulders and spoke in a gentle, sultry voice, “After that first night we met and you
came out with the handcuffs, I couldn’t stop thinking of it and decided to do my research. I’m not
embarrassed to say that my search opened my eyes to a whole new world of pleasure. What I initially
assumed to be sexual abuse and degradation was a major misconception. In fact, it’s the opposite.”

Mark nodded. “You’re right. Not only will it heighten our sexual pleasures, but it’ll make our

relationship stronger, both sexually and emotionally.”

Victor took his hand and kissed the outside of it. “I want to take that next step in our relationship.

I want to pleasure you as I never have before.”

“I want to please you in just the same way.” Mark wrapped his hand behind Victor’s neck and

leaned in to kiss him hard on the lips. Lightly bumping his forehead to Victor’s, he grinned. “Since
this is my gift, would you mind if I’m your sub our first time?”

Victor burst out in laughter and didn’t stop until he came up for air. “You like being the sub?

And here I assumed you liked being the dom.”

Mark shook his head, his eyes wide and excited. “No, the contrary I like being the bottom. Or

the submissive if you like.” He took a deep breath as an idea sparked. “You know what. Since this is
our first experience and I do still want to be the bottom, why don’t you be the service top?”

“Huh?” Victor’s wide, perplexed eyes made him just too cute. Mark couldn’t help but laugh.
“What that means is you’ll be the master, but I am allowed to ask for things.”
Victor nodded slowly and in a sexy fashion. “Oh, I like that.”
“So do I.” Mark began to undress, with a wicked grin.
“Now? You want this now?” He simpered. “What about the skinny dip?”
Mark gazed at the window in the direction of the lake and shrugged. “Nah, I’m not in the mood

for that just yet. I prefer a good spanking instead.”

Victor lifted his arms as if waiting. “All righty, then. I’m ready.”
Mark lifted a curious brow. “Ready?”
“I’d like you to finish undressing me, slave.” Victor’s lips lifted into a devious grin.
“What happen to me suggesting things, huh?” Mark pouted in faux disappointment.
“Oh, you can, slave. Give and take makes it all the more sexually dynamic. Am I right?” He

wiggled his fingers in the air as a reminder that he was still waiting.

“Yes, master.” Mark let the jeans he just unzipped and his boxer briefs cascade to his ankles,

and he stepped out of them in two quick steps. Never breaking eye contact, he sauntered to Victor and
tossed the shirt he just removed to the floor. He gazed at Victor’s chest with hungry eyes.

“Master, may I kiss you before?” he asked in a low hum.
“Yes,” Victor said between deep breaths.

Mark bent over, kissing the top of his shoulders and neck. Gooseflesh formed under his lips and

a sigh escaped Victor’s lips. Without lifting his head, he asked, “Does this please you, master?”

“Yes, very much. I want more.”
“Of course, master. Your wish is my command.”
He continued to kiss his bronzed chest and toned abdomen, then he asked, “May I suck your

nipples, master?”

“Yes,” Victor murmured.
Mark wrapped his lips around Victor’s taut left nipple, sucking it gently first. Then Victor

groaned, “Bite it.” Without a word, Mark did as he asked, first gently, then with several tugs.

Victor moaned and undid his pants zipper, letting his erect cock spring out, poking in the air,

demanding Mark’s attention. With a quick glance, Mark could see pre-cum coated the tip and he
yearned to lick it, but couldn’t until the order came.

And perfectly on cue, Victor held his cock like a loaded gun. “Lick and suck me, slave.”
Mark wasted no time bending to his knees, and staring up at his master, he grabbed his hard,

swollen balls and massaged them, while he licked the salty pre-cum and then encompassed Victor’s
long, thick cock with his mouth. Victor grabbed him by his hair and began pumping back and forth,
going deeper and deeper into Mark’s mouth and throat.

Mark needed to subdue a gag reflex to get all of Victor’s length into his throat, but he didn’t

stop, his excitement rising until his cock cried out for action, as well.

Victor slipped out of his mouth. “Slave, you are hard. Do you want to fuck me?”
In-between pants, he answered while gazing up into his eyes, “Yes, master. I want to fuck you

hard and fast until I cry out in ecstasy.”

“I want that, too.” He looked at the box that now rested on the hardwood floor next to them. “But

first I want you to put that on me.” He pointed to the nipple clamps and cock ring chain that lay on the
top of the other sex toys.

“Yes, master.” Mark bent down to retrieve it and slid the ring over his cock. His hard, big balls

blocked its advance and he had to pull and squeeze them to fit it through. Victor closed his eyes and
licked his lips with his movement. He then clamped the nipples and pulled the chain that joined them
toward him. Victor groaned in a husky, deep voice as he opened his eyes again. “Yes, that feels good.
Now spank me with the paddle.”

He bent over, his beautiful, muscular ass up in the air, ready for Mark. Taking the paddle, Mark

slapped his ass, not too hard, but enough to know it would please Victor. His left ass cheek jiggled
with the hit and reddened on contact.

“More,” Victor grunted.
Mark slapped his other cheek with exactly the same force, then rubbed his ass cheeks, kissing

them and sucking them, giving Victor two lovely hickeys. He had just marked his territory and his
property.

Victor’s deep voice boomed. “Now fuck me hard and rough, slave, like you want to.”
“Yes, yes, master.” With his sexual desires close to the boiling point, he threw Victor to the bed.

Victor’s eyes lightened with delight by Mark’s actions. He bent doggy style on the bed, his asshole
puckered and ready.

Mark picked up the lubricant, which promised a cool and sexual pleasure on its label, and

squirted some just above his asshole. Victor jerked instinctively. Mark spread the lotion around the

hole and slipped his index finger in first. Victor contracted and moaned.

Mark continued to sink one then two fingers in and out of him, and when his hole had widened

enough to accept Mark’s cock’s girth, he slipped in. Closing his eyes, he let his sense of touch carry
him up.

Victor fit him perfectly. He leaned forward until he could reach the chain Victor wore and gently

pulled it toward him. Victor moaned as the clamps obviously pulled and pinched his nipples and the
ring put pressure on his bulging balls. Victor grabbed his own cock with his right hand and began to
pump it. He proclaimed, “Oh, yes. That feels so good. Now fuck me fast and hard, slave.”

Without speaking, lost in the moment and his desires, Mark quickened his movements, plunged

deeper and faster into Victor. In sync, they followed each other’s lead and actions, countering with
pleasuring thrusts and jerks of their own.

It took only a few minutes before the desire in Mark rose to its peak and he spilled his love

potion into Victor’s ass. He groaned in pleasure just as Victor jerked and grunted, spewing his cum
onto his own leg.

Mark slid out languidly from Victor’s hole, as his cock was super sensitive. He walked into the

bathroom and came out with two wet hand towels, one for himself and one for Victor.

Handing Victor his, he asked grinning, “So how did you like our first BDSM sex game?”
Victor sighed and panted, obviously trying to settle his raging heartbeat. “That was better than I

imagined. It heightened my sexual pleasure to a level I thought never existed and…” He took Mark’s
hand and pulled him in to kiss him on the lips in a sweet gesture. He leaned his forehead onto Mark’s
and staring into his eyes, he added, “It made my love for you even stronger and deeper.” They
remained like this for a few minutes, lost in the moment and their love. Then Victor drew away and
took two deep breaths. “There’s still another surprise for you.” He walked over to the drawer and
picked up a tiny gift wrapped box. He handed this to him.

Mark’s mouth fell open. “Another one? Victor it’s too much.”
Victor grinned. “No, it isn’t. Please, open it.”
Mark quickly tore the wrapping off and opened the jewelry box. In it was a square diamond

ring. His eyes lit up and he lost his voice.

Victor gazed into his eyes. “I want us to take the next step, Mark. I want to spend the rest of my

life with you, loving you. Will you be mine?”

Mark wrapped his free hand around Victor’s neck and drew him in for the longest kiss. When

they broke free, both of them panted.

“Yes, Victor, I will.”
Victor placed the ring on his finger and they embraced. They remained with their foreheads

joined, their arms entwined for a few seconds longer while they stared deeply into each other’s eyes
and right to their soul mate’s heart.

Victor then whispered, “I think we need to get cleaned up now.”
Mark stood straight and grabbed Victor’s hand. “That we do.” He guided him toward the door.
“Where are we going?” Victor asked, but the grin on his lips told him he already knew the

answer.

“Skinny dipping, of course, and to prove to you that I have the balls for it.”
Victor’s low laugh made Mark’s heart warm. As they opened the door and tiptoed out to the

lake, they peered around to make sure no one could see them.

Thankfully, it was as isolated as Victor promised. They were alone, together.
Mark stared at his true love, the man he’d be spending the rest of his life with, as he dipped his

toe into the cold lake and shivered. He smiled at him and at life.

Just when the world seemed so cold, lonely, and cruel, fate intervened and brought them

together. Yes, they would forever be scarred by what they had experienced in the past, but fate had
paved them a new road, one that brought them to their true love and to their happily ever after. Their
very own real-life fairytale come true.

THE END

WWW.AUTHORJESSICAFROST.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Frost has always had a passion for fiction and the written word. Add to that her wild,

vivid imagination and her pure romantic tendencies and she soon realized she had the traits needed to
become a romance author. She decided to take the very big first step not that long ago and wrote her
first erotic romance story. And she has not looked back since.

Being a romance writer is a dream come true for her. Having the opportunity to create fantasy

worlds where anything and everything can happen is an amazing feeling. She hopes these worlds and
the delightful characters she creates will bring hours of enjoyment to her readers as they have done
for her.

For all titles by Jessica Frost, please visit

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