Page 44 of A Midnight Romance

River

T wo Weeks Later

It has been two weeks since we killed Andrew, and the local news has only covered the story a few times, which surprises me, since Nolen, Duncan, Rich, and Andrew were all from the area.

My assumption is, if the police aren’t talking about it, maybe their disappearances are not much of a headline. I guess the public can make of that what they wish.

Leaning back in my office chair, I gaze out into the mountains. The clouds hang low between the trees, and when I think the raven won’t stop by today, a pair of black wings flutter past the window.

“Hey, buddy,” I greet him and wheel my chair closer.

The raven, now more meaningful than ever, has been a symbol of the bond between Lux and me.

She’s my raven— fiercely smart, agile, and observant.

It’s only been a half hour since I’ve seen her and I already miss her presence.

She’s in the middle of a self-defense class with Sensei Clark which she started taking five days a week, and I promised not to interrupt this time like I have the last few.

I take interest in what she’s learning, so when we spar together, I can make sure to keep her on her toes.

Because she’s the most precious thing in my life.

Now, finally completely moved in, her and I spend most of our time together.

She’s decided to take on a less aggressive publishing schedule which will allow her to be more involved in our nighttime projects.

We’ve spent late afternoons hiking along the property, evenings having dinner in the main dining room or in the garden.

The nights are my favorite when we both come alive and I get to make love to her over and over until we both fall asleep by the time dawn breaks.

I stand from my chair, nod at the majestic animal outside the window, and then head out of my office. It doesn’t take me long before I’m rounding the corner into the gym.

Wearing workout clothes that hug each one of her delicious curves, Lux is gloved up and punching the focus pad repeatedly. She puts up a good fight with Sensei Clark as his body jerks back with each of her blows.

“Looks like she’s kicking your ass,” I say.

Lux stops jabbing, but her feet continue to bounce in place. “Couldn’t stay away long, could you?”

I lean against the door frame with my arms crossed over my chest. “Of course not.”

“You’re up next, River.” Sensei Clark wipes the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand.

“Ben has fresh green smoothies in the kitchen,” I begin.

“Say no more.” Sensei Clark whips past me before I can complete the sentence, leaving me and Lux alone in the gym. He can never resist them.

Her eyes narrow. “Since I live here now, I assumed you wouldn’t have to follow me around all day anymore.”

“Your assumption was incorrect.” I push off the wall and walk toward her.

She does the same, her hands firmly on her hips. “Clearly.”

“You like it,” I bite back .

Stepping onto the mat, I close the distance between us. Her large, dark eyes focus upward, meeting mine with a fire I’m obsessed with. “The joys of having a serial killer and stalker as a boyfriend.”

I lean in, bringing my lips to graze hers.

Lux’s eyelids close as she breathes in heavily. “And can’t forget the obscene amount of orgasms you tease out of me on the daily.”

“What can I say? I can’t get enough of you.

” My mouth captures hers as her arms swing around my neck.

The sweetness of her lips mixed with the subtle salt from the sweat on her skin sends me to heaven.

Remaining connected, I bend to bring my arm around her ass and lift her up.

With a smooth movement, her legs wrap around my waist and deepen our kiss.

“Break it up, you two,” Sebastian calls out as he enters the gym.

Both Lux and I turn his direction.

“What is it?” I spit in response to his interruption.

“Hayden was going through the last of the things we collected from the night we set Andrew’s bed and breakfast on fire,” he begins. With a squaring of his shoulders, I can tell he has important information to tell us.

“Is this about there being no remains at the scene?”

Hayden rounds the corner into the gym. “Hey, River. Lux.”

“Hey, man,” I return.

Sebastian flips his hat on backward as if to focus, then removes a card from his front pocket. “One of the guys found this card at the scene.”

Lux jumps down from my arms.

“It was Jacobi who found it. He thought little of it at first, but brought it to my attention since the word is out that the police weren’t able to recover human remains from the burn site. Which we all know is suspicious. ”

Sebastian pinches a small rectangular card between his fingers as he extends his arm to hand it to me. “Here.”

I remove it from his grasp, holding it close to get a good look at what it is.

Embossed with a shiny cream-colored font are the words: The Black Veil Society. I flip the white card around to see a ten-digit number on the back.

Lux approaches my side. “A phone number?”

I glance at Sebastian and Hayden. “Do you know what this is?”

Seeming perplexed, Hayden shakes his head.

“A simple preliminary search of the TI database only pulls up a turn of the century secret organization that well-known murderers belonged to.”

“Shut up,” Lux gasp. “Do you think that’s what this is?”

My mind spins. “It might just be a coincidence.” Then I turn to Hayden. “We’ll look for more information and keep you updated.”

“Of course,” Hayden says. After a quick goodbye, he leaves the gym.

“What the fuck?” I exclaim as soon as it’s only Sebastian and Lux. “Let’s go to my office and get Christian on the phone. He might have some insight.”

The three of us sprint down the hall and back toward the North Wing. Barreling through the office door, I head straight for my desk. With Lux and Sebastian on my heels, I pick up the secure rotary line and dial Christian.

As expected, he answers on the first ring. “River. How are you liking some downtime with the missus?”

My eyes shoot to Lux, and I catch a blush forming on her cheeks which causes a warmth to pool in my stomach .

“That’s not why we’re calling,” Sebastian speaks up from where he’s standing by the window.

“I have Lux and Sebastian on the line as well,” I tell him as Lux leans on her elbows over my desk.

“Oh, the entire gang’s here.” His response is upbeat. “Hey, guys.”

I clear my throat. “We’re calling because something interesting turned up regarding Andrew and the night of his murder.”

“Oh?”

“Do you know anything about The Black Veil Society?” I ask.

Silence.

“Where did you hear that name?” he asks, which means he knows something.

“One of our guys found it on Andrew before we burned the place. They thought little of it until news got out about no human remains being found at the site. Which is difficult to imagine, since we were all watching it burn,” I say.

Sebastian and I exchange a glance with each other, suddenly understanding this is something more to this business card.

“Interesting,” Christian drawls.

“What is it, Christian?” Lux asks.

He sighs before responding. “This suspected society of serial killers has been around for at least fifty years.”

How did I not know about this?

“What?” Sebastian is in disbelief, as I am sure Lux is as well.

Christian continues. “It was an urban legend which started in the 1970s, since that’s when the FBI encountered many well-known serial killers.

We believe the crackdown on crime in the 1990s and advancements in forensics forced the group to dissolve.

That being said, in recent years, there has been talk of a resurgence. ”

“Holy shit.” Sebastian paces behind my desk.

His nervous energy is clouding my thoughts. “Do you think this group is still active and Andrew may have been a part of it?”

“It’s difficult to tell unless we take it on as a new project,” Christian says.

I turn my head toward Lux. The worried expression of torment on her face tells me everything I need to know. She wants nothing to do with this group or to head back into a world where she has finally found closure. Then my eyes fall on Sebastian.

“We’ll call you right back, Christian,” I say and quickly hang up the phone. Leaning back in my chair, I face both my cousin and the love of my life. “Sebastian.”

Under other circumstances, I would dive into this, but my priorities have shifted to taking care of my monster and Lux’s. She and I have spoken about working on another project, but this is not the right one.

“Yeah?” He runs a hand through his hair.

“Do you got this?” I ask.

“Me?”

I nod. “Yes.”

Sebastian has done well with the night crew and has shown great leadership. I trust my cousin and have faith he’ll be able to take the lead on this project.

He pauses, then swallows hard. “Fuck yeah.”

It’s finally time for Sebastian to fully embrace his darkness.