Lust by Moonlight

Author:Desiree Holt [Holt, Desiree]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-12-20T16:04:24+00:00

Chapter Eight

A bell was ringing somewhere and Mark wished it would just shut the hell up. His

head throbbed and his body felt like one big ache. But the damn bell kept ringing. He felt a body move beside him, lean over him, the ringing stopped and a soft voce said,

“Hello?”

The soft body pressed against him and the fragments of his brain began to come

together.

“Just one moment, okay?” Delicate fingers brushed the hair back from his forehead

and warm, lips brushed a kiss over his. “Mark? Can you open your eyes? You’ve got a

call.”

Prying his eyelids open was almost painful. He felt as if he’d been on a two-day

drunk but he only recalled drinking one beer the night before. So what was going on?

“Gimme a minute,” he muttered.

“He’ll be right with you,” the soft voice said.

He opened his eyes fully and looked directly into Chloe’s sleep-flushed face. “Is

that my cell phone?”

“Yes. It’s for you. Can you talk yet?”

He shifted in bed, pulling her down next to him and taking the phone from her. He

had to clear his throat twice before could speak again.

“Yeah?”

“Mark?” a deep voice said. “It’s Leon Torres. I guess I woke you. Sorry.”

“What time is it?” Morning sunlight was trying to make its way in past the curtains.

“Just a little past eight. I’m sorry but I really need to talk to you.”

“Okay. Just give me a minute.” He struggled to sit up and scrubbed his hand over

his face. Shit. What was wrong with him? Beside him Chloe slipped out of the bed and

pulled his t-shirt over her head. “Okay. I think I’m awake. What’s up?”

“I’m not sure exactly how to say this, but I think I need your help. We’ve had

a…killing.”

And then it all came back to him. Last night. Sherry. The Chupacabra. Reality shot

through him like a spear, and brought him fully awake.

“Okay. I’m with you. What happened? And why are you calling me about it?”

There was a long moment of silence. “I may owe you a huge apology, Mark. I don’t

mind admitting it, although my stupidity and prejudice embarrasses me.”

83

Desiree Holt

“Leon, what the hell is going on?” he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the

bed. The room was still redolent with the scent of sex, and when he rubbed his face

again he detected the faint bouquet of spring flowers that Chloe wore.

“I hate like hell to tell you this,” the sheriff said slowly, “because I know you and Sherry Barton were…close. But Mark, she was killed last night and if other reports are to be believed, it has to be that devil beast.”

Mark closed his eyes briefly, the image of Sherry’s mutilated body flashing vividly

across his brain. “Who found her this early? I thought she lived alone.”

“She does. Did. Apparently her father was supposed to go to an early meeting in

Laredo today. He called her to remind her she had to open the clinic. When she didn’t answer he got worried and took a run out to her house.”

“God. That must have been awful for him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.