Page 4 of Cuckoo (Devil’s Murder MC #7)

I t took several days for Eagle Eye to get back to me. He woke me in the middle of the night, blowing up my phone until I answered. The fucking vibrations kept going off by my head, and the cell nearly fell off the nightstand before I managed to catch it.

A bit groggy, I grumbled a gruff answer. “Yeah?”

“Katrina works for the city, Cuckoo. She’s a librarian.”

A librarian. It made sense. Katrina always loved books.

“Give me five minutes.” I didn’t wait for him to reply, hitting the end button.

Groaning, I pushed off the mattress and dropped to the floor, doing a few sets of pushups to wake myself up.

Once the blood was pumping, I popped to my feet and entered the bathroom.

It took me less than ten minutes to shower before I snatched up my keys and phone, shoved them in my pockets, and shrugged on my cut.

Eagle Eye ticked his chin my way as I entered his office. “Wait until you see this. Katrina has an employee I.D. It’s a much better pic than her driver’s license.”

Nobody ever had a good driver’s license photo. That was common knowledge.

“Let me see.”

He pulled up both images, but I settled my focus on the City of Henderson I.D. My entire body awakened as a blast of heat shot through me. My cock swelled in my jeans, and every thought in my head focused on her pouty, perfect lips and those pretty doe-like brown eyes. She still wore glasses.

I lifted my hand to touch the screen, brushing my fingertips over her image. Fuck. Was her skin as soft as it appeared?

Outside, my crow grew loud with his chortles and caws. A loud kraa seemed to echo from the roof.

I shuddered, feeling a warmth and intensity I couldn’t explain. It was like she locked onto me from that screen, and I was stuck in her tractor beam, zeroed in, and unable to escape.

I never had such a visceral reaction to a woman in my life. Every inch of me throbbed with want, longing, and lust. I needed to see her, touch her. NOW.

“Oh, shit,” Eagle Eye laughed. “I know that look.”

“What look?” I asked, far too distracted to glance his way.

“Like you just found your mate.”

I jolted, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Katrina. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. She was beautiful. Stunning , actually.

Wow.

“Bro, you need to stick your tongue back in your mouth.”

I ignored his laughter, mostly because all I could think about was how Katrina was going to be mine, and I didn’t care what I had to do to make it happen. If another guy tried to stake a claim, he’d face me and my crow.

Katrina was mine .

“Oh, fuck. You’re serious.”

Did I say that last sentence about her being mine aloud or in my head? It didn’t matter.

“I need her address.”

Eagle Eye crossed his arms, clearing his throat. “You can’t rush into her workplace and carry her out like a caveman.”

“Why not?” Yeah, I was sort of serious.

“Because you’ll get arrested, Crow will get cranky, and we’ll have to bail you out of jail. How will you protect Katrina from behind bars?”

He had a point. “Fine. I still want her home and work addresses. Like you said, for protection.”

He shook his head. “Try not to spook her, bro. She’s not seen you in twelve years. She might not recognize you.”

“She will,” I replied with confidence. “I’m unforgettable.”

A chuckle escaped as he swiveled in his chair, typing keys so fast I couldn’t tell what the hell he was doing. The mouse moved and clicked at an almost inhuman speed.

“You need to get a life, Eagle Eye. That shit is freaky.”

He sighed. “I know.”

“Maybe you’re next,” I suggested.

“For a mate?”

“Yeah.”

“Hell no.”

I snickered as I heard his printer working, processing the information I needed on Katrina. “Thanks.” I snatched the sheet that printed, scanning over the addresses he provided.

“About the other thing,” he began as I took two steps toward the door.

“The cold case?”

“I’m still digging. It’s become a bit of a challenge, but I’ll get through the firewalls and security. Once I figure it out, I’ll contact you.”

“Appreciate it, brother.”

Excitement and anticipation bubbled under the surface of my skin, prodding me to hop on my bike and ride to Katrina as quickly as I could. The time was the only thing stopping me from showing up at her home address. At nearly four in the morning, it was too early to knock on her door.

Maybe I could just stalk her. There was no harm in that, right?

I left the Roost, striding towards my bike as I heard my crow drop from the sky. He landed close to my front tire, chittering at me with encouragement. We both liked the idea of staking out Katrina’s house and ensuring our mate remained safe.

I held the printed addresses in my hand and scanned them again, closing my eyes as I sent the mental image to my crow. “Go to her house. Watch over her until I arrive.”

He cawed and took to the sky, flying off with a flap of silky onyx wings.

Knowing my crow would arrive long before I did, I felt a sense of relief. He’d alert me if anything seemed off or dangerous. His priority was her safety. My crow would attack anyone posing a threat.

The ride to her address took twenty minutes. She lived on the northern side of town, ten minutes from the library where she worked. It didn’t surprise me that she would be that close. Katrina had always been shy, introverted, and happiest when she was curled up with a book.

She made a career out of what she loved.

Smart. Most people never figured out what they wanted in life until it was too late to switch.

They ended up stuck in dead-end jobs and too much debt.

Not my girl. I saw the profile Eagle Eye had put together.

Katrina had minimal debt, and almost all her student loans were paid off. She’d gotten a lot of scholarships.

I was fucking proud of her.

I’d happily pay off the rest of her debt and ease her financial burden. It was the least I could do. After all, I didn’t have many expenses, and I longed to spoil her.

I parked in the shadows across the street, shutting off the engine on my bike and staying hidden behind a variety of tightly clustered palm trees and a prickly bush.

Every house on the street looked similar, with the same stucco exterior, two-car garage, and ranch-style floor plan.

A cookie-cutter life where everyone followed the rules and no one dared to be different. A harsh assessment? Maybe.

But that life wasn’t what I wanted, and I doubted it made Katrina happy.

She might look like a good girl who followed the rules, dressed modestly and made all the right choices, but I remembered the wild, naughty side she let loose on Halloween and the nights when we were alone.

She liked to ride my motorcycle and feel the wind on her face.

Katrina lit up when she had the freedom to do so, and I made it my personal mission to get her on the back of my bike again, showing her everything she was missing.

I lit a smoke and waited for her lights to flick on. The neighborhood began to wake with the sun’s emergence over the horizon in dazzling rays of marigold. Heat penetrated my cut, and the leather grew warm. Katrina was up. I could sense her movements, but my crow was quick to alert me.

Caws filled the air as he hopped along her roof, flapping his dark wings before he settled on a large frond of the nearest palm tree. His excitement and restless energy zipped through me, causing my fingers to drum on my thigh. We both wanted a glimpse of our girl.

Was it a bit odd that I stood in the fading shadows and watched her place, knowing any moment a neighbor might notice? Sure. Did I care? Fuck no.

Katrina opened her living room blinds, and I cracked a smile as I saw her rushing around the house, flitting about the kitchen for her morning coffee, gathering her things for work, and hopping around on one foot as she slid her foot inside her shoe. Adorable.

I smoked three cigarettes before she finally emerged. The garage door opened, and she backed out of her driveway, pulling onto the street in a hurry. She must be running late. I checked my phone, and sure enough, it was seven minutes before her start time. She was cutting it close.

I tsked as I watched her garage door lower, and I rushed across the street, darting inside as I ducked and entered a few seconds before it shut. If anyone saw me, I wouldn’t be recognized. After all, I’d chosen a perfect costume for the occasion.

Before I left my room at the Roost, I opened one of my costume chests and pulled out a desert ghillie suit.

It became useful more often than I could count.

I wore it over my cut and a black A-shirt, covering any identifying markers that could implicate the club.

I kept it contained in my saddlebags until dawn, but after the sun began to ascend, I pulled on the cloth and settled the garment over me, ensuring I was camouflaged and blended in with the surrounding foliage.

But now that I entered Katrina’s home, I shucked the hot and heavy costume and set it aside, draping the material over her supple couch.

Her décor was so fucking pure. Whites, light grays, and tans.

Pops of color with all her plants. Everything had its place.

Perfectly organized. Straight lines. Pure.

Fuck, I wanted to move things around and break those sharp angles. I felt the sudden urge to splatter the ground with blood or cum or sweat just to defile it a little. I needed to leave my mark on her property, but more than that, I craved to do the same on her lithe, petite body.

Christ. I’d fucking lose it when I had the chance to finally fuck her. It couldn’t happen fast enough.

Walking through her house with a stiff dick spurred on my lust, but I held myself in check.

Today wasn’t about getting off, although I would do it later with her name on my lips.

Right now, I wanted to get to know Katrina.

My fingers itched to touch every surface of her bed and dresser, to dig into her private belongings and see what I could find.

I walked into her room, taking note of the simple furnishings and additional plants as I opened her drawers. Everything was folded. Even her socks were paired.

My girl needed an intervention. She had way too much time on her hands. I would exhaust her on those pristine sheets and leave them stained with our combined fluids. I wanted her to fall asleep with my scent on her body and my cum drying between her thighs.

I picked up a pair of silky white panties, inhaling the clean scent of her detergent. She didn’t use a floral scent. This was more like clean, fresh linen and rain.

Rain. Funny how it circled back to that. To me .

I wondered if she remembered my name or how she always said my eyes reflected the moniker. She used to stare deeply into them as she held my hand, telling me that she could always tell my mood because of the storm raging within.

I pocketed her underwear, deciding to hold onto them for future use.

The drawer closed as I pushed it silently in, spinning around to head into her bathroom.

And that was when I was assaulted by her favorite scents and a hint of her musk.

Linen, summer rain, clean, fresh sheets, a bit of citrus, and a little aloe. Fucking intoxicating.

The glass doors on her shower were so fucking clean I almost smacked into the glass before I slid it open and stood on the tile. Would my boots leave any residue behind? Enough for her to notice? I hoped so.

Katrina kept plants on her fucking shower windowsill. Wasn’t she adorable? Who did that? My girl was so goddamn sweet she almost gave me a toothache.

I checked the bottles of her shampoo and conditioner, then her lotion, deodorant, and body spray—no deviation in scent.

My girl was a slave to her routine and schedule. Frowning, I knew I needed to stage an intervention. I’d mess it all up, and when she complained of the stressful chaos, I’d be sure to show her how much better life could be if she let it all go.

Things didn’t improve when I searched her kitchen, finding cabinets and a fridge with all healthy foods.

Tons of salad, fruits, vegetables, and fucking tofu.

Get the fuck out with that shit. And there wasn’t much like she didn’t have much money for extras.

I didn’t doubt it. A single-income household, living alone with no help.

She needed carbs. It wasn’t healthy to avoid the good stuff.

Denial only worked when there was a reward or incentive involved.

I could provide plenty of that. All the orgasms she wanted, free of charge.

Goddamn, I couldn’t wait to prop her ass on the counter, spread her legs, and feast on her pussy.

Yeah, being here in Katrina’s house was fucking turning me on, but it also proved how desperately she needed me in her life. I spent a few minutes familiarizing myself with how she arranged and organized her home, and then I left out the back door, stepping onto her patio.

Pulling out my cell, I dialed Eagle Eye.

“How did it go?” he asked, answering after only one ring.

“Good. Lots of intel. Found out a lot about my woman.”

“You talked to her?”

“Not yet.”

“Shit. Did you break into her house?”

“No. I entered when she opened the garage door.” Not that I had to explain or defend myself. “Used the ghillie suit. I’m wearing it now.”

“Fuck, Cuckoo. That’s gonna be suspicious.”

“That’s why I need you to take control of all the security footage on the street.”

He sighed. “Done.”

“And I need to know the code for her alarm system.”

I wanted to set it for her since she must have forgotten when she left. Who knew if some creep would try to sneak into her place after me?

“Give me a minute.”

“No problem.”

I let him work, scanning the area of her backyard, which, in Nevada, never consisted of grass.

Sand, decorative gravel, and a few palm trees took up most of the space.

A few chairs, a table, and a firepit were all that remained within the gated space.

Out front, I noticed a swing during my surveillance.

“Okay, got it. It’s four letters and two numbers.”

“Give it to me.”

“R-A-I-N-1-2.”

A stupid grin stretched my lips. She never forgot me.

My crow chortled before a loud caw filled the air, and he dropped from the sky, hopping beside me. He chittered as we enjoyed Katrina’s security code. My name plus the number of years since we last saw one another. She must have updated it recently.

“Thanks, brother. I appreciate you.”

“Just don’t get yourself arrested. I’ll deny any involvement,” he laughed. “Crow can just kick your ass.”

I snickered. “Yeah. Okay.”

We ended the call, and I walked back to Katrina’s door, set her alarm, and returned to my bike. I stashed the ghillie suit before I started the engine, eager to get moving. There was only one thing left to do now.

Time to meet my angel face-to-face.