Page 57 of Tell Me Your Desires

Kate’s eyebrows shot up. “Maybe not in the grand scheme of things, but do you remember everyone you’ve ever…uh, I mean, you were an agent for a long time. We’ve interviewed countless people. Surely you can’t remember them all. I wouldn’t think a…lady of the night would either.”

“Nice save,” Anya smirked. “And really? Lady of the night? What is this? The eighteenth century?”

Kate laughed. “I’m sorry! Prostitute sounds so disrespectful. What do you or, uh, what…” she sighed and shook her head. “I should just put my foot in my mouth right now and save myself the trouble.”

“You’re fine,” Anya smiled. “Sex worker is the correct term. And you’re right, prostitute is disrespectful. It’s what the case files used, but that’s not what these women were.” Anya flipped through more photos she’d had Kate print out and found the one she wanted. “Temptress Lilith.”

“A dominatrix?”

Anya nodded. “A hardcore one. Philip needed punishment for failing his wife, and Temptress Lilith did that for him. My conversation with her was quite interesting. We have a very different philosophy on what it means to be a dominatrix. Temptress Lilith relies heavily on humiliation and pain. She’s a true sadist when it comes to her submissives.

And Philip became a masochist, seeking retribution for his failures. ”

“What kind of retribution are we talking about?”

This was one area they hadn’t discussed previously. Some of the kink was a little too much for even Anya to process. “If you want details, they’ll be in the report. But there was knife play, CBT—not the therapy kind, trampling…”

Kate raised her hand and shook her head. “I have no idea what any of that means.”

Anya cleared her throat. “Without getting too graphic, knife play includes, well, a knife. It could consist of cutting or just the feel of the blade across the skin. CBT is, um, torture of the male genitalia, and trampling is pretty much what it sounds like.”

Kate’s face was a picture of shock. “As in walking all over someone? And, yes, I’m deliberately skipping over the others because I…got nothing.”

Anya couldn’t help but snicker at Kate’s obvious discomfort. “Yes, kind of like that. Or more to the point, stepping on someone in a certain area with or without shoes. Like a stiletto.”

“Holy shit.” Kate sat back and blew out a breath. “And the kids saw all of this?”

“I believe so, yes. Under normal circumstances, this would be a distressing experience for children to witness.” Anya rummaged through the papers once again to find the one she needed.

“But beyond their mother’s death, these weren’t normal circumstances.

We’re looking at two disturbed individuals with possible narcissistic, psychopathic, or sociopathic tendencies.

” Anya tapped her chin. “Exposure to this type of unrestricted conduct could explain why Teddy fixated on girls he couldn’t have.

He was scared of them. Especially if he was or is still a virgin. ”

“And Ruby?” Kate took out her phone and made a few notes. “Why would she do this? Did Teddy force her?”

Anya turned the photo of a young Ruby toward Kate and pushed it closer.

“Look at her eyes. No one is forcing her to do anything, Kate. She is the enforcer. She’s the mastermind.

She’s calculated and likes to dominate, and from what Temptress Lilith tells me, full of questions about BDSM and being a dominatrix.

I would classify her as having psychopathic tendencies.

Teddy, on the other hand, is more impulsive and fueled by rage, which fits the sociopath. ”

Kate nodded as she finished her notes and sent them off to her team. “And you’re sure about who you think they are? I mean, without a doubt, you know who Ruby and Teddy Arnold are?”

“Yes, positive. Especially after the DNA results.”

“Anya, we have all we need to arrest them. You don’t need…”

“You have enough to arrest Sapphyre for Jaime’s shooting, and that’s all you have.

The rest is speculation, and you know it, Kate.

She may be a psychopath, but she won’t give up her brother.

” Anya folded her arms on the table as she stared Kate down.

She was getting overly tired and cranky, but Anya would stay awake for another twenty-four hours if it meant talking Kate into doing what needed to be done.

Damn. Now she understood how Jaime felt when she was trying to convince Anya about her plan. “My plan will work, Kate.”

“How do you know they’re not halfway across the country by now?”

“They have too much invested in the club to leave. They’re not going to go back to what it was like twenty years ago, when they kidnapped girls to work on the streets or out of hotel rooms. The girls come to them now.

Besides, I think Sapphyre is too narcissistic to run.

She probably believes she outsmarted me. ”

Kate rubbed her eyes, which were becoming red from tiredness. “I’m going to regret this. Anya, I cannot have more deaths on my conscience. Especially yours.”

“Well, I don’t plan to die anytime soon.”

“She has a gun!”

Anya sighed. “We’re both exhausted. Let’s just take a break, rest, and maybe then you’ll be able to see I’m clearly right, just like I was four years ago.”

Kate snorted. “Fine. Should I, um, go back to my hotel?”

“No, the couch is perfectly fine. Or there’s a floating bed out on the back porch.

Your choice.” Anya looked at her watch. Visiting hours at the hospital would start in four hours.

“Just stay away from my bedroom and don’t call or text me unless it’s an absolute emergency for the next three and a half hours. ”

Kate saluted. “Aye, aye, Captain. Wait. A floating bed?”

“Yep. It’s quite comfy and it’s a nice night.

You should try it.” Anya pointed in the opposite direction.

“The guest bathroom is right through there. You’ll have to share with Derek, but he’s pretty good at putting the seat down, so you should be okay.

If I know you, you’ll have extra clothes in that briefcase of yours for those ‘just in case’ moments such as these. ”

Kate laughed, but her expression was odd. “It’s funny. I don’t remember you being this… whimsical when we were together. It makes me wonder if you hadn’t found your true self yet or if I somehow blocked it.”

Anya lifted a shoulder. “Maybe a little of both. We were both flawed in the relationship, Kate. Let it go.”

“Right. Hey, um, could I ask one more thing? Out of curiosity, that dominatrix stuff from earlier. Is that what you, uh, practice?”

Anya lifted a brow, curious as to why Kate would bring this up right now. “No. As I said before, Temptress Lilith and Lady A have different opinions on what being a dominatrix means.”

“Lady A?”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Anya gestured at Kate. “Don’t think about what it was like between us.”

Kate frowned. “Why? And why wasn’t it ever like that?”

Anya had gotten to the hallway leading to her bedroom as Kate asked that. But since Kate wanted to go there, Anya would lay it out for her. She leaned her shoulder against the wall and crossed her arms. “In sex, you get what you give, Kate.”

Kate’s nostrils flared as she took a sharp breath. “So, I was boring.”

“I didn’t say you were boring. I’m saying maybe I wasn’t the right one for you. You never seemed completely comfortable with me. Even now you’re on edge.”

Kate suddenly had the most pensive look on her face. “I suppose that’s true. I mean, no one would be in competition with someone they truly loved, would they?” She frowned again and shook her head. “I genuinely loved you, Anya.”

Anya’s features softened with a smile. “I know. But genuine love and true love aren’t the same, Kate. Get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us.”

“Do you love her?” Kate called out as Anya turned away.

Anya looked back and smiled. “Goodnight, Kate.”