Dracul's Revenge 02: Anarchy in Blood (13 page)

“Let’s pretend we don’t hear it,” Aaron mumbled.

Gray leant over and gave Aaron a kiss on the forehead. “Come on. Let’s go back to bed.”

“What about your call?” Aaron asked, letting Gray pull him to his feet.

“I’ll check the message. Unless it’s incredibly important, I’ll ignore it.” Gray kissed him before dragging him towards the bedroom.

To their surprise, both dogs were sound asleep on the bed. “Get up,” Gray called. The dogs lazily rose to their feet and jumped off the bed before scampering out the door.

“They’re learning to hate me, ya know,” Aaron said, stepping into the bathroom to wash his hands.

Gray shut the door and climbed into bed, reaching for his phone in the process. “Let me just check this message.”

Aaron bounded onto the bed beside his lover and threw the covers over them. He snuggled against Gray’s sculpted body and sighed. “Can we stay in bed the rest of the day?”

Gray tossed his phone onto the bedside table and wrapped his arms around Aaron. “I thought maybe you’d like to go to a Redskins game. That was Kaplan. He managed to get us tickets.”

Aaron sat straight up. “No shit.”

ANARCHY IN BLOOD

Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

85

Gray laughed and pulled him back down against his chest. “Relax. The game doesn’t start until one.”

“Yeah, but we need to get there early to tailgate and stuff,” Aaron tried to argue.

Gray reversed their positions and began kissing Aaron’s neck. “I guess that depends on what kind of tailgate party you’re looking for. I thought we’d have our own party here until we have to leave for the game.”

Aaron wrapped his legs around Gray’s waist. “I can live with that.”

* * * *

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Aaron screamed after the Redskins’ quarterback was sacked after only gaining two yards.

He sat back down in his seat amongst the disgruntled crowd of fans. There was nothing like watching live football. It may be warmer and more comfortable to watch a game from the comfort of your couch, but absolutely nothing beat the excitement generated by over ninety thousand screaming fans.

Aaron spotted Gray making his way down the aisle with two large cups in hand. For some reason beer always tasted better when consumed in the presence of like-minded sports fans. He reached out and Gray handed him the beer, keeping the large coffee for himself.

As soon as Gray was settled in his seat, he leant over and spoke in Aaron’s ear. “I checked my phone messages while I was standing in line.”

“And?”

“Kaplan says there are rumours going around about the President.”

Aaron ground his teeth. He could tell by the expression on Gray’s face it wasn’t good.

“Should we go?”

Gray nodded. “I think so. I’m sure Rick’s been trying to reach you.”

Aaron’s first instinct was to stomp his feet. One fucking day, that’s all he’d asked for.

He nodded and stood. They managed to make their way back down the aisle without spilling a drop of their drinks. He glanced at the full beer in his hand. Drinking it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. If Rick needed him to go in, showing up with beer breath would probably be unprofessional.

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Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

86

As they made their way out of the stadium, the noise level decreased enough for them to talk. “So what’s being said?”

“One of the news stations got a tip that Rick was having an affair with someone inside the White House. When they were unable to get a statement from the White House, they contacted the First Lady’s personal assistant for comment and Larissa had the nerve to tell them there wasn’t a single woman in the White House her husband would be interested in.”

“Oh fuck.” Unprofessional or not, Aaron began gulping down his beer before they reached the exit. They stopped walking long enough for Aaron to finish his drink and toss the cup in the trash.

“Let me check my messages before we go to all the trouble of leaving.” Aaron pulled out his phone and was surprised to see only one message and it was from Cameron.

“Hey, Aaron. I know it’s your day off, but would you give me a call?”

Aaron pulled the phone away from his ear and hit a few buttons. While he waited for the call to go through, he shrugged. “Cameron asked me to call him.”

“Does he usually call you?” Gray asked.

Aaron shook his head. “I think this is a first.”

“Aaron?” Cameron asked as soon as he answered the phone.

“Yes.”

“Can you come into the office?”

Aaron glanced at Gray. “What’s going on?”

“They found another body.”

Aaron groaned. “Where?”

“Lafayette Square.”

“Oh Christ.” Aaron walked over to lean against Gray, needing his lover’s strength.

“There’s more. The body was…not as intact as the others.”

Gray wrapped his arms around Aaron, evidently sensing his distress at the news.

“Where’s Rick?”

“In his office with Brad Hipkins.”

Why would Rick need legal counsel? “What aren’t you telling me?”

“The newest victim had one of the embossed cocktail napkins from the private residence shoved down his throat. I know I’m putting you in an awkward position, but I’d rather you didn’t tell Gray about this just yet.”

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“I understand, but the authorities can’t honestly think Rick would be dumb enough to do something like that, can they?”

“Evidently Brad isn’t taking any chances,” Cameron explained.

“So what does Rick need me to do?” Aaron asked. He glanced up at Gray. He hoped Gray wouldn’t be angry with him for withholding the most recent news, but he assumed Cameron had a good reason for his request.

Cameron cleared his throat. “Me, actually. Rick doesn’t know I’m even calling you.

With the rumours flying around town, I think it would be better if Rick and I didn’t spend too much time together. You can deny an affair under oath, I can’t.”

Aaron sighed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Aaron hung up the phone and gestured towards the parking lot. “I need to go in.”

“I figured as much.”

Aaron took Gray’s free hand. “Sorry about the game.”

Gray shrugged. “Not your fault.”

Aaron told Gray as much of the phone conversation with Cameron as he could while they tried to find the sedan in a sea of big SUVs. He could tell there was something on Gray’s mind. “Do you want to ask me something?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to put you in the position to betray Rick’s trust.”

“I won’t. But ask your question anyway.” Aaron gave Gray’s hand a squeeze.

“Does Larissa know about Cameron?”

“I think so. Although as far as I know, she’s never come right out and asked Rick about it.”

“Why would she ignore it for years and then suddenly turn around and drop a huge hint to the media?” Gray asked.

“Good question. If you’d asked me yesterday why she turned a blind eye to Rick’s relationship with Cameron, I would’ve told you she didn’t care. Rick told me theirs was a marriage of convenience for both of them.”

Aaron waited for Gray to unlock the car. He got in and fastened his seat belt. “Rick’s family always had big plans for him. They started laying the ground work for his political career when he was still young, building the right connections, moving up in society. As the entire country knows, Larissa’s father was a Supreme Court Justice before his death. Their marriage was a huge step towards the presidency.”

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“Do you think she knew from the beginning that Rick’s gay?” Gray lit a cigarette and rolled down the window.

Aaron shook his head and inhaled the second hand smoke. “I don’t know.”

Gray tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “So why would she make a questionable comment now?”

“I don’t know that either. Maybe it has something to do with Rick and Cameron spending so much time together lately.”

“Did Rick always have lovers on the side?”

Aaron tried to remember the few years he’d worked for Rick before Cameron had come onboard. “If he did, I didn’t know about them. Of course I didn’t even know about Cameron until Rick was elected.”

Gray leant over and gave Aaron a quick kiss before starting the car. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and you’ll be finished in time for a late dinner.”

Aaron ran his hand up Gray’s thigh to squeeze his cock through the faded denim. “If not dinner, maybe you’ll let me sleep over again.”

Gray reached down and pressed Aaron’s palm harder against his erection. “Consider this a permanent invitation to warm my bed anytime.”

Aaron groaned but released his hold on Gray’s cock. “You’d better get me to the White House before I change my mind and quit my job.”

* * * *

Sprawled on his couch, files scattered around him, Gray ignored the football game on TV and thought about Aaron. Part of him knew the first time he saw the younger man that Aaron could end up meaning everything to him. Not just because he was the sexiest man Gray had ever been with and seemed to suit Gray perfectly in all things sexual, but because they seemed to have clicked in every way that could make a relationship work.

He enjoyed spending time with Aaron, which hadn’t always been the case when he dated other guys. Often he’d get annoyed with his lover before any serious commitment could be made. He never let them spend the night, rarely inviting them over to his place.

Hell, none of his former dates ever met his dogs, and wasn’t that a rather pathetic commentary on his personal life.

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Butch woofed softly and nudged Gray’s foot with his nose.

Smiling, Gray looked down. “You’re right. It’s not pathetic. I dealt with some other issues that were far more important than not letting the man I slept with spend the night.”

Butch snuffled and laid his head back down. Gray stood, and strolled into the kitchen where he pulled out the makings for tea. As he settled into the soothing ritual, he relaxed, acknowledging that he hadn’t been ready for a serious relationship before now. He was lucky that Aaron came along when he did. After facing his demons, Gray knew he was ready to open his heart.

It didn’t hurt that the sex was phenomenal. Christ, he just had to think about Aaron and he got hard. Looking down at his groin proved his point. His sweats were tented with an erection he was going to have to take care of sometime soon, more than likely by himself. He doubted Aaron would get away from the White House before really late that night. He reached down and rubbed his palm over his cock, biting back his moan. Maybe he should forget about the tea and go take care of his particular problem.

Gray’s phone rang as he reached to turn off the water. He grimaced, but headed back to the living room to snatch it up off the end table. Sitting on the couch once again, he answered it.

“Mills.”

“Hey boss, you busy?”

He shot a look around at all the papers scattered over his coffee table and chuckled.

“Not at all. What can I do for you, Kaplan?”

“I talked to Bert and he gave me some more information on the latest vic.”

“Really? I’m surprised the Bureau shared that already. It’s still a pretty fresh scene.”

The Bureau usually didn’t like to share the glory or the spotlight with local law enforcement.

“Yeah well, I guess Bert bringing Marks’ file to their attention helped him get an ‘in’

with the agents.” Kaplan paused. “Our killer is escalating.”

Gray straightened, and picking up a pencil, he found a clean piece of paper to jot down what Kaplan told him. “How so?”

“According to Bert, the perp’s torturing his victims now.”

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Carol Lynne & T.A. Chase

90

Anger roiled in the pit of Gray’s stomach. He hated killing of innocents, but when they were forced to suffer before they died, it made him furious. He always believed there was a special place in Hell for torturers.

A sudden thought struck him. “I know you and Bert are friends, Kaplan, but why would he risk losing his badge by feeding you this information?”

He could hear the shrug in Kaplan’s voice.

“Not sure. Maybe he figures since we’re working another angle of the case, we’re not going to be interfering with the murder investigation. Also, he knows that even though the three of us all have law enforcement or military backgrounds, we’re not going to do anything stupid like try and solve the case all on our own.”

“Though if we did, we’d be sure to give the information to the proper authorities and let them deal with it.”

Gray understood all the protocols that went with murder and crime. He wasn’t looking to solve the killings or catch the insane bastard who was doing them. All he planned on doing was keeping Aaron safe while fucking the man every chance he could, and finding out who leaked those photos of the President with the dead men. Solving crime wasn’t something that ever interested him. He was definitely more on the protection side of the law.

“Bert knows us. He knows that we’ll do the right thing, if it comes down to it,” Kaplan said, cutting into Gray’s thoughts.

“So tell me what Bert told you.” He poised his pencil over the paper.

“Victim’s name is Craig Duncan, yet another college student. It seems our psychotic bastard took a great deal of delight in cutting up the poor guy. We know that the first three died from a slit to the jugular and were drained of their blood. This latest victim had slices all over his body, and I do mean all over.”

Gray winced and cupped his balls in sympathy. “That had to have sucked.”

Kaplan’s disgusted chuckle filled Gray’s ear. “Tell me about it, boss.”

“No blood in the body or the scene, right?”

“Bingo, but here’s the odd thing in a disturbing sort of way. There was a napkin stuck in his throat. Bert said that it looked like it had been used as a gag or was stuffed in the guy’s mouth. They think that it might have some DNA on it. There is definitely blood from the victim.”