Book of Secrets E-Book

D.F. Hart

• Herausgeber: 2 of Harts Publishing
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

The gripping first installment of the Vital Secrets Series.
They survive a nightmare – but they don't escape unscathed.
A harrowing ordeal puts FBI profiler Nathan Thomas and girlfriend Bella Amsel face to face with pure evil.
Little do they know – it’s only the beginning.
The psychopath obsessed with Bella isn’t giving up that easily.
Will Nathan sacrifice everything he stands for to keep Bella safe?

Vital Secrets is a suspenseful crime thriller series chronicling FBI profiler Nathan Thomas and his team's cases, who capture serial killers while also juggling their personal and professional lives. While each suspenseful, riveting title in this series can be read as a standalone, readers will find maximum enjoyment if these full-length books are read in order - because while there are no cliffhangers, there is character growth over the series. If you enjoy the works of Elle Gray, Mary Burton, Lucinda Berry, Melinda Leigh and Pete Zacharias, the Vital Secrets series should make for a very enjoyable read!

Book of Secrets is perfect for readers who enjoy fast-paced, action-filled crime thriller novels that are brimming with unexpected twists and turns and feature FBI profilers.
 

Leseprobe

Book Of Secrets

Book One of the Vital Secrets Series

D.F. Hart

2 Of Harts Publishing

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

Sneak Peek at List of Secrets

Also by D.F. Hart

About the Author

Copyright © 2019 by D.F. Hart

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019905525

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-7330454-2-1

eBook 978-1-7330454-3-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Custom Cover Design and Artwork commissioned for D.F. Hart by Rocking Book Covers, Arlington, Texas

To my husband, who supplies flowers, chocolate, and lemon bars at just the right times and celebrates every step forward right along with me.

To fellow DHS alum Michael C. Miller, who with patience and good humor endured several FBI-related questions.

Last but certainly not least, to all those who encourage me to keep writing, mostly by saying, “Oh my God, what happens after that?”

I thank you all.

Let’s go find out, shall we?

D.F. Hart

Prologue

“Morning. Hey, there was a package that came for you. It’s on your desk.”

“Thanks.” FBI Agent Nathan Thomas continued down the hall to his office in the BAU division. He hung his jacket on the back of his chair, then stared thoughtfully at the plain brown box in the middle of his blotter.

Hmmm. No return address, no distinguishing marks on the package.

The label was made out to him.

Problem is, I haven’t purchased or ordered anything lately, and if I had, they would have been shipped to the house, not to work.

He wasn’t expecting any case-related packages, either.

He thought for a moment before ringing the lobby.

“Does anyone know if this thing went through the scanner?” he asked.

“Of course, it did. Everything does. Standard safety protocols.”

“Just checking.”

He hung up the phone and frowned for a moment, then shrugged on latex gloves, got his pocketknife out, and began to carefully open the package. He waded through layers of packing peanuts until he came to a six by nine-inch manila envelope.

Nathan’s pulse quickened a little.

I have a bad feeling about this, he thought as he pulled the envelope out of the box. He turned it over carefully and used his knife to cut along the bottom seam to preserve any DNA evidence on the gummed flap. Tilting the envelope slightly to one side, he shook it a little, and some Polaroid pictures and a folded paper fell out.

Nathan’s heart fell as he glanced at the photos – pictures of fifteen different young, obviously deceased women, with long dark hair and staring eyes that were once a pretty blue. Then he unfolded the paper and read it.

Give her back, Nathan, and it will stop.

ChapterOne

“Bel!”

Loud humming.

“Hey Bel!”

Loud humming.

“BELLA AMSEL!!”

Bella Amsel turned off the hair dryer. “What?”

“Bel, have you seen my calculator?” Stacy called out as she rummaged through the computer desk drawers.

“It was on top of the TV two days ago,” Bella answered, and flipped her hair dryer back on. And sighed and turned it off again as Stacy appeared in the bathroom doorway looking panicked.

“Oh Bel, help me find it! I gotta be across campus for my Trig final in half an hour,” Stacy pleaded.

“I thought you were a human calculator,” Bella said dryly as she moved to the living room and lifted couch cushions.

“I love you too, smartass,” Stacy snapped as she stomped down the hall to her room to check it again.

Meanwhile Bella wandered into the kitchen, spotted the wayward calculator on top of the microwave, retrieved it, and headed back into the living room to wait patiently.

Stacy came barreling down the hallway and stopped in her tracks when she spied the prize in Bella’s hand.

“You found it! I really DO love you!!” Stacy flung herself at Bella and hugged her before grabbing the calculator. She turned her loose and began hastily shoving things into her backpack.

“Don’t you want to know where I found it?”

“No time,” Stacy sang as she headed out the door. “Gotta go. Professor B will throttle me if I walk in late again.”

Shaking her head, Bella retreated to the bathroom to finish getting ready herself. Today was an important day. She had been selected to interview with the Metzger Youth Institute for a tutoring position in the fall.

The first cool thing about it was she would be getting electives credit for it. The second cool thing was she was only a sophomore; most of these positions were filled by seniors or graduates. But her 4.0 GPA and her ability to speak French, German, and Russian fluently had landed her on Student Services radar.

And the third and perhaps most cool thing about it was - she would be getting paid. Paid. To speak in languages that she loved with all her heart, and to teach others to speak them too. This would be a dream come true if it happened. She’d be able to hang up the apron she wore while working the coffee bar in the student union building once the fall term started.

Not that slinging double half-caf foamy latte is a bad thing. But it would be nice to earn more than minimum wage.

Not to mention having the Metzger Youth Institute at the beginning of one’s resume couldn’t do any harm either. Bella smiled as she checked herself one last time in the mirror.

Here’s to the future, she thought, as she knocked back the rest of her orange juice before brushing her teeth.

Mikel stopped on the landing and stared at the stunning creature walking toward him.

Well, not actually toward him. Toward the headmaster’s office just to the left at the base of the stairs. He could not stop himself from watching her; slender but curvy, with glossy jet-black hair down to her waist that swayed as she walked. She looked straight ahead and did not notice him.

She’s perfect, like a china doll.

Which was a weird thought, even for him. He viewed most everyone and everything around him as inanimate, set there purely as tools for his entertainment and use. The only person he had ever had any sort of positive feelings for was his father. But the girl he had just seen struck his senses in a wholly different and completely new way.

Had Mikel Metzger been wired like other twenty-eight-year-olds he might have recognized the feeling for what it was – love at first sight. But for him anything other than contempt for those around him was foreign, so he didn’t know how to process what was welling up inside him. He found himself wanting to follow her, touch her, hold her, possess her. It unnerved him.

He crept down the stairs, close enough to the open doorway to hear her say, “Hello, I’m Bella, nice to meet you, Mr. Wallace,” before the headmaster closed the door for their meeting.

Bella. My angel’s name is Bella, Mikel’s mind repeated dreamily as he made his way to the elevator. She must be here for one of the tutoring positions.

Mikel decided he would do whatever it took to make sure she got one.

The ringing buzzer signaled the arrival of a visitor.

“Yes?” Stacy said into the intercom.

“It’s Brad.”

Stacy pressed the button. “C’mon up.”

Then, knocking on Bella’s bedroom door, she called out, “Hey.”

“I’ll be out in a sec. The money is on the coffee table.”

Stacy scooped up the cash and met Brad, their pizza deliveryman and her boyfriend, at the door with a kiss.

“Man,” he said, walking into the kitchen, “a tip, and a kiss? How many other sustenance procurement technicians do you treat like this?”

“Sustenance procurement technicians?” Bella said, laughing as she strolled in. “Seriously?”

Stacy mock pouted in the kitchen doorway.

“So, are we really your last stop this time, or is your boss going to be a jerk again?”

“Sure thing,” Brad said, putting his arms around her. “I made sure that this was my last one for the night.”

“How’ve you been, Brad?” Bella asked as she got out three plates and some sodas.

“Fantastic,” he replied. “As a matter of fact, I have awesome news.” Reaching for a slice, he continued, “When I graduate next month, I have a job lined up already. I’ve accepted an offer from the biggest accounting firm in Los Angeles.”

Stacy squealed and hugged him.

“That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “And it fits perfectly into our plans.”

“So, you two are moving to California?” Bella said. “I thought all that was up in the air.”

“Well, we had pretty much decided to leave here already,” Stacy answered. “The pivot point was who was going to offer Brad the best deal, Boston or Los Angeles.”

She took his hand, and continued, “But we really wanted it to be L.A. so I could go to Cal Tech.”

“When are you going?” Bella asked.

“I’ll be leaving to find a place out there in the next week or so,” Brad said. “They want me to start August first.”

“And I will finish out the fall here, then move out there over the holiday break. With any luck I’ll be taking classes at Cal Tech come spring. I’ve already sent my application, so it should all work out,” Stacy finished.

“Well, I have some pretty cool news myself,” Bella said with a twinkle. “I had my interview out at the Metzger Youth Institute today. I think it’s down to me and one other person. Hopefully I will hear something within the next week.”

And Stacy squealed again, and hugged Bella tightly.

“That is just so awesome! When would you start?”

“September,” Bella said. “Unless I can rearrange my summer schedule to start sooner.”

Mikel paused with his knuckles on the door.

God, it’s tiresome having to pretend to give a shit what people say, he groaned inwardly.

But it was the only way to obtain the information he wanted.

He rapped on the door and entered.

“So, I was just wondering how the tutor search was going,” Mikel said as casually as he could manage.

Wallace looked up from his screen.

“Very well. As a matter of fact, we’ve hired all but one. I am particularly impressed with the languages tutor candidates. They are both fluent in French, German, and Russian and each would give our kids some much needed support in their studies.”

Subtlety was not Mikel’s strong suit. Trying his best to sound nonchalant, he asked, “Was one of them the dark-headed girl that came in today?”

“Why, yes, as a matter of fact she is,” replied the oblivious headmaster. “The single thing that works against her is she’s only a sophomore. Brendan, however, graduates next month, which means we could have him full-time without having to work around his school schedule.”

“I see,” Mikel said, his mind racing. “Glad I don’t have to make the choice.”

He made more inane small talk and worked his way out of the headmaster’s office. Free at last, he surreptitiously glanced at the visitor sign-in log. Brendan C. Jones was written in a strong hand, along with his address.

“Well, Mr. Jones,” Mikel murmured to himself as he walked out to his car, “I’m sorry, but you’re not my first choice.”

Bella hung up the phone and came dancing into the kitchen.

“You got it, didn’t you?” Stacy asked, holding her breath.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Bella exclaimed, and was immediately knocked short of breath by Stacy hugging her tightly.

The phone interrupted their celebration.

“I’ll get it,” Bella offered.

“Hello?” she said cheerily. Then, “Oh hi Grandpa, I was going to call you later, I have the most amazing news….”

Her voice faltered and she grew silent.

“What?” she said, alarmed.

Hearing the change in Bella’s tone, Stacy came out to the living room to see Bella still on the phone with tears in her eyes.

“Okay,” Bella managed. “I’ll be there in the next couple of days. Love you too.”

She hung up the phone, looked at Stacy, and sobbed, “Granma’s cancer came back.”

“I thought you were going with the young man,” Adolf frowned as he looked at the list.

“I was going to,” Wallace replied, “but he hasn’t returned my calls in three days, so I guess he found a better offer. I’d wager the young lady’s more proficient than he is in Russian anyway.”

Just then his desk phone rang. He answered, listened, offered sympathy, and finished his conversation with, “Of course my dear. We’ll make do until you can get here. Take the time you need with your family.”

Hanging up the receiver, he looked at Adolf and said, “Speak of the devil. That was her. I’m afraid her start date with us may be postponed. Poor thing, she has a family emergency back East.”

The following evening, on the outskirts of town, a property owner called authorities to report an abandoned car in the open fields behind his place. The policeman responding to the call found the body of a young man in the trunk. The victim still had his wallet and credit cards, and the car was registered to him. There were no obvious injuries, no suspects, no trace evidence, and no witnesses. The murder of Brendan C Jones would become a cold case by the New Year.

“Happy New Year, Granma,” Bella said, trying to cheer up the hospital room.

No response.

Bella moved closer to the bed. Rose was sleeping deeply, no doubt from all the medications they were giving her. In June, Dr. Gable had opted to try surgery again to solve the problem. But on the operating table, they found that Rose’s ovarian cancer had already spread to her entire abdomen. There was nothing to be done surgically.

Now, after six months of aggressive chemotherapy treatments, Rose was just about out of strength. Her beautiful dark hair had long since disappeared. Bella’s had barely grown back out to shoulder length – she’d had much of her waist-length tresses cut off to fashion a wig for Rose.

Bella sighed, and stepped out of the room to talk to Melanie, Rose’s nurse for the night. Melanie was a robust black woman with a Southern drawl who had been a nurse for twenty years, and she was one of Bella’s favorites.

“How’d she do last night, Mel? And be honest,” Bella said.

“Not good, baby girl,” Melanie answered. “We’ve had to increase her pain meds. Doc Gable will be around in a few minutes. He’s going to want to talk to you and your grandfather.”

Laying a motherly hand on Bella’s shoulder, she continued, “I’ve been prayin for her, and for you two, since I met ya’ll. But baby girl, what she’s going through right now, it ain’t livin. You know that.”

“I know,” Bella said, a single tear escaping down her cheek. “I know.”

Sniffling, she said, “Grandpa went down for a cup of coffee. I guess I should go get him.”

She found him leaving the cafeteria, two cups in hand.

He saw her, smiled wanly, said, “Figured you could use some hot chocolate,” and handed her a cup.

“Mel says Doc Gable wants to talk to us. He’s making rounds now,” Bella told him. “So, we should probably get back up there.”

Manfred nodded silently. As they stood waiting for the elevator, she looked at him.

God, he looks tired – and old, she thought. He’s aged a hundred years since June.

They took the elevator up without speaking. Doc Gable was coming out of Rose’s room when the doors opened. He motioned them to the family waiting room down the hall.

“I think it’s time to make service arrangements, if you haven’t already,” he said as gently as he could. “There’s not anything else I can do for her except keep her as pain-free as possible until she passes.”

Tears in his eyes, he continued, “I have been racking my brain trying to think of something. But I’m out of ideas. The latest tests indicate the cancer has metastasized into her bones…”

His voice broke.

“Doc Gable, you’ve been brilliant, and you’ve been there for us,” Manfred replied, his voice thick with emotion. “But sometimes there just isn’t anything else that can be done. You’ve done your best; it’s just my angel’s time to go.”

And he put an arm around the young doctor’s shoulders.

They made their way back down the hall and went in to sit with Rose. Around sunrise on January second, she sighed deeply once, and was gone.

“Go back to school, honey,” Manfred said, gazing out the living room window at a snowy January eleventh. “You already took off early when she got worse. If you don’t start the spring semester, you could be dropped from the University. Not to mention your internship you were telling me about.”

“Are you sure, Grandpa?” Bella asked again. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“I know, Bellissima, and I appreciate that,” Manfred answered, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. “And I know how hard this is, believe me. But your Granma would want us both to have a good cry and then get on with living.”

“Well, we’ve been here before, and certainly done the first part of that,” Bella said, laying her head on Manfred’s shoulder.

“Yes, we have,” Manfred said, hugging his granddaughter. “Now, once again, we have to move to the second part. I’m going back to teaching when my university reopens next week. You should go back to yours too.”

The apartment seemed cavernous without Stacy’s cheerful clutter spread everywhere. Bella shut the door and leaned against it, exhaling slowly. She walked into her room and put her suitcase down, then turned down the hall into the bathroom. She started the tub filling, then undressed and sank into the warm water, trying her best to let her mind go blank.

She had not realized until now how exhausting it had all been. She had traveled back and forth from Phoenix to Virginia a handful of times since that fateful call in June. Then in early December when Rose took a turn for the worst, she had powered through her finals early – thank God for understanding professors – and hopped a plane.

The last month had pretty much been a blur; every waking moment spent at the hospital, then the funeral service, and lastly the plane ride back to Phoenix.

She thought back to when she was eight. When her parents had died, it was sudden and a complete shock. And it completely sucked. This time, it was announced, so to speak. Instead of quick and unexpected, Granma’s decline was slow and brutal to watch. And it completely sucked.

Even if someone had had the stupidity or nerve to ask which was easier to deal with, Bella wouldn’t have been able to answer.

Her stomach growled to get her attention. Food.

Now there was a thought. Bella realized she hadn’t eaten all day. She pulled the plug on the tub and stepped out, reaching for a towel. Wrapping it around herself, she tucked the corner in at the top and turned to the mirror absentmindedly.

Wow. I really do look different with this shorter hair, she thought to herself. But I kinda like it. Easier to manage, anyway.

She put on her ‘comfort clothes’ – yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt -and went to the living room. Reaching for the phone, she dialed Ping’s Palace and ordered her usual chicken fried rice with mushrooms and bean sprouts, and an extra eggroll. She fixed a cup of hot tea and settled in on the sofa to watch TV while she waited for dinner to arrive.

And it occurred to Bella – this was the getting on with living that she and Grandpa talked about. She was managing it. It might not be easy, but she was doing it.

Mikel came awake with a start.

Where am I? his mind raced.

I’m in my room, of course Where the hell else would I be?

But he knew why he was disoriented. The face he had been picturing in his dreams almost every night for six months was more vivid than usual. His angel.

Bella.

“I must see her again,” he said aloud in the darkness. “I must make her mine.”

He felt the familiar strain of penis against pajama bottom and fought to clear his mind. He knew he could have anyone he wanted. There were several women right here in the complex he could bed if he wanted to.

But he didn’t want them. He wanted Bella.

Sighing, he rolled out of bed and pulled on his clothes. There was only one other way he knew to soothe the heat that surged through him.

Striding out into the hall, he approached what looked to be a broom closet door. He opened it, placed his palm on the scanner, and was rewarded with a red elevator door opening. He punched in his keycode, then pressed the button for Sub-Level Three. Once the door opened at his destination, he repeated the security protocols and then a retinal scan to access the tunnel entrance.

Mikel traveled through to the decontamination chamber and suited up. He pressed the keypad at the far end, walked through the negatively pressured antechamber, and entered his workrooms.

Stopping at the first station, he picked up the clipboard and murmured, “Good evening.”

Bella’s smile grew as Tommy, an introverted eleven-year-old, recited the alphabet in near flawless French. By the time he reached the end, she was beaming.

“Excellent! You are doing brilliantly, Tommy,” she said.

He blushed and said, “Thanks to you, Miss Bella.”

She looked at her watch and said, “Oops. You have a history class to get to, I believe. And I have a major test this afternoon. See you after Thanksgiving?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He gathered up his books and headed toward the door. He turned, his hand on the doorknob, and said carefully, “Je pense que vous êtes jolie, Mademoiselle Bella!” before scurrying out.

The sentiment made Bella misty.

Two months ago, he was so shy he would barely speak to me at all, she mused. Now he tells me he thinks I’m pretty! For a kid with so many walls built up, it was a huge stride forward.

She placed her books and notepad in her backpack and slung it over one shoulder almost on autopilot, her mind already churning about the Economics test she would endure this afternoon.

Bella walked out into the foyer toward the front entrance, and immediately had the sensation of being watched again. She glanced around but only saw a small group of students heading into the library. None of them were paying her any mind.

Weird, she thought to herself. I swear to God it feels like someone’s watching me.

Trying her best to quell the goosebumps on her arms, she continued out into the sunlight.

From his vantage point at the monitor, Mikel watched her go.

I have really missed you, angel, he thought to himself.

His dreams of her had continued while he had been gone. Father had interrupted the vital progress in his workroom to send him back to Macapa to deal with some personnel issues that had come up at the mines. What was supposed to be a one-week trip had stretched on forever.

Fortunately, he had been able to cover his tracks well. The labor foreman that had become such a pain in the ass would never be found – Mikel had made sure of that - and his disappearance quelled the uprising. Smoothly doctored maintenance records took care of the rest.

When he returned in February, he had been ecstatic to see that Bella had indeed started as the languages tutor. Without Father’s knowledge he had expanded the security feed to send images to his workroom computer, then set up his terminal for auto-recording. He routinely waded through the security tapes to isolate video of her. Now he could watch his angel all he wanted, in real time or in playback, even when he had to work.

And he was spending more and more time in the workroom these days. The new test subjects he had been working with had developed serious complications; he would have to start completely over with new ones. The frustration at being set back was immeasurable.

Once I find the right mix, we can proceed, my love, he thought as he caressed the close-up still shot of Bella’s face lovingly.

Adolf leaned back in his chair in quiet contemplation. He had spent this beautiful November afternoon reviewing student files and had found several promising candidates in this newest batch of kids. Each of them had perfect or near perfect grades in their studies; each of them was tall and blond; and each of them showed interesting scoring results on the psychological testing. Even the ones that stood out as major disciplinary problems would be manageable once Mikel perfected the serum.

He reached for his desk phone and punched in a four-digit number. He waited patiently until his protégé answered.

“Mikel, what is the status?” he inquired smoothly.

“We’re almost there,” Mikel replied. “There’s one small permutation left to overcome, but I’ve just about got it, Father. I want to try one last round of test subjects just to make sure.”

“Of course, Mikel, whatever it takes,” Adolf answered soothingly. “Just get it done.”

Mikel pressed the disconnect button and leaned back, smiling wolfishly. He already had chosen the perfect candidate.

But first he needed to tidy up his workroom.

ChapterTwo

“Oh Bel, you’re gonna come, right?” Stacy pleaded over the phone. “I know it’s short notice, but it would mean the world to us if you were here.”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Stacy,” Bella answered. “As a matter of fact, I’m putting a bag together now. Where are you staying?”

“Planet Hollywood. We already booked you a room. Are you flying or driving?”

“I was thinking I’d drive it, but I found a deal on a round-trip. Southwest flight 627 landing there around nine. Pick me up at the airport?”

“You know it. See you in a while, Bel!”

Bella hung up the phone and smiled to herself as she threw a couple more things into her suitcase.

Thanksgiving break as a bridesmaid in Vegas…

Not quite what she had planned, but she was genuinely pleased for Stacy and Brad. And it beat spending the short holiday break all alone in the new one-bedroom apartment she’d just moved into.

Grandpa had called a couple of weeks ago and sheepishly asked if she would be okay on her own for the holiday. Great Uncle Max had finally convinced Manfred to take a vacation; the two widowers were on a single seniors’ cruise in the Bahamas.

She quickly reviewed the contents of her suitcase then added her hairbrush and other toiletries into the mix. Snapping her suitcase shut, Bella moved it into the living room by the front door.

She made sure her answering machine was turned on, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed out her door. Locking it securely behind her, she made her way to the elevator, then down to the truck.

Traffic and the trip through security were both lighter than she expected. She made it to her gate with twenty minutes to kill. Bella plugged her earbuds into her iPod and opened the paperback she had brought.

Mikel needed a break. The coolness of a desert night was providing little comfort for his aching muscles. He was disposing of his test subjects.

The serum was a complex mix and was designed to insert itself into the subject’s brain tissue and nerve fibers and remain dormant until activated. He had tried several delivery methods but found two that worked the best – injection as a direct approach and suspended in liquid as a subtle one. Activating the serum was childishly simple – a press of a button. Once activated, the serum would essentially function as a mind control agent that could be operated via electronic signal. Nanotechnology was a wonderful thing.

And it had worked like it was supposed to, in the rats and the monkeys he had begun the trials with.

In late September he had decided to make the move to human subjects. He had taken the first of four trips across the border into Nevada. Each time he found, befriended, drugged and brought back a transient no one would miss. Three men, ranging in age from forty-five to seventy, and one old prostitute in her mid-fifties.

But this first batch of human specimens had been a complete disaster. Instead of allowing for remote control of the individual’s brain activity, the serum had attacked the host when activated, causing seizures, psychotic rages, and massive aneurysms.

He had buried three of them already and was digging the hole for the fourth.

Should’ve started with the big one first, he grumbled to himself. That one will take twice as big a hole to cover him properly.

Finally, the hole was finished. He grabbed the last body by the legs and strained to pull the man out of the bed of the truck.

You’d think a homeless degenerate would be skinnier, he thought disgustedly.

Dragging the stocky man by the feet like a sack of garbage, he stepped around the edge of the hole. Gravity assisted him in placing the body.

He rested for a moment, then picked up the shovel and filled in the last hole. Grabbing the small leafy branch that he had pruned from a tree at the Institute, he swept it back and forth over the graves to minimize obvious signs of digging. Then he carefully walked backward toward his truck, erasing his tracks as he went. He drove slowly back to the main road, then turned right for the twenty-mile drive back to Phoenix.

Mikel had taken great care to strip his subjects of any personal possessions. These items had been locked in the workroom safe. Now he might have to burn them. He saw no reason why the bodies would ever be discovered, and even if they were, no one would be able to link them to him. Still, it might be better to get rid of it all.

Bella stood on her balcony, watching the lights twinkle up and down the Strip. The wedding had quite frankly been classier than she thought. For some reason, she had envisioned Brad and Stacy exchanging vows in front of an Elvis impersonator and surrounded by the musical cacophony of slot machines.

She sighed and went back into her room to remove the sky-blue floor-length dress Stacy had rented for her. Hanging it up carefully, she made her way into the bathroom and turned the water on for a nice hot shower. Attending a wedding in Vegas just made her realize how alone she felt.

Well, maybe I can cheer myself up in the casino later, she thought wryly as she washed her hair. Maybe I will meet a tall, dark stranger who happens to love literature and languages as much as I do.

“Yeah right,” Bella said aloud. “With my luck he’d either be married, gay or a criminal.”

Laughing to herself, she stepped out of the shower and toweled off. Seriously – Who was she fooling? She had only had one serious relationship in her whole life. Bella and Anthony had dated through high school, at least until the senior prom when she caught him making out with the homecoming queen. He had had the nerve to blame it all on Bella because she wouldn’t, as he put it, ‘prove her love for him.’

Jackass.

After that she had written off boys for the foreseeable future.

But seeing Stacy and Brad beaming with happiness as they exchanged vows and rings had awakened a longing in her, a desire to not be isolated anymore.

She sighed again, pulling on jeans, a sweater, and tennis shoes.

“What the hell,” she said aloud to no one. “Let’s hit the slots and see what happens!”

She tucked her money and her room key into her pocket, hooked her cell phone to her belt, and set off. She stopped in the gift shop and bought a pack of smokes and a lighter before making her way to a bank of penny slots. It was a bad habit she had picked up and she really needed to quit, but she was in no mood for self-recrimination or analysis.

Putting a twenty into the machine at the end of the row, she lit a cigarette, selected her bet amount, and pressed ‘spin’ half-heartedly. Bella looked around the casino and people watched a bit, only barely paying attention to her machine. It seemed that everywhere she looked she saw nothing but happy couples.

God, this would be so much more fun if I had someone to talk to, she thought wistfully.

Her machine beeping and blinking caught her full attention. A fifty dollar win on a fifty-cent bet.

Not bad!

She smiled to herself as the credits added to her total.

“Nice spin!” came a voice from her right.

She turned and looked into the most amazing hazel eyes. Her field of vision widened to take in a chiseled face, attached to a muscular body. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, ever. She felt herself smiling back at him.

“Um, thanks,” she said, slightly flustered. “It’s the luck of the draw, I guess.”

“Pretty darn good luck, I’d say,” the vision before her responded. He held out a hand.

“My name’s Nathan Thomas.”

She hesitated, then shrugged her shoulders and shook his hand.

“Bella Amsel.”

“What brings you to Vegas, Bella?” Nathan asked. “Besides good luck on the machine?”

“Marriage,” she replied as she pressed the spin button again. “My best friend got married today.”

“Oh, good. At first, I thought you meant you,” Nathan replied. “That would have been awkward.”

They both laughed.

“What about you? What brings you here?” Bella asked him.

“Fun,” he said. “I start my new job next week, so I thought I would blow off some steam before I hit the ground running.”

“What type of job?” she asked. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Law enforcement,” Nathan replied. “I got a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and spent two years with the Virginia State Troopers. But,” he continued, leaning a little closer to her and dropping his voice, “I recently graduated from the FBI academy, and I go into the field next week. So, I am taking a little vacation first; sort of a ‘happy graduation to me’.”

“Congratulations,” Bella said sincerely. “Quantico is beautiful.”

“You’ve been there?”

“Virginia’s my home state. I grew up in Manassas,” Bella explained. “And my grandfather teaches languages and literature at the University of Virginia. But he’s done some guest lecturing at Quantico, and I got to go with him once when I was about twelve.”

“And,” she continued, leaning closer to him and looking him straight in the eyes, “I was taught to not talk to strangers, and to always ask policemen for ID.”

Laughing, Nathan drew out his wallet and showed her both his identification and his badge. “Satisfied?”

“Very, thank you,” Bella said. “Now I can keep talking to you.”

“That’s wonderful,” Nathan said. “But only if you let me buy you dinner.”

“That would be nice,” Bella said, trying to be nonchalant as she scouted for a wedding ring.

He caught her surreptitious gaze, and said solemnly, “I’m not married, Bella. Not even dating anyone, not for a long time.”

She flushed crimson, and managed, “It never hurts to check.”

Nathan stood.

“Come on,” he said, extending his hand. “Grab your bounty of winnings and tell me about yourself over some nice Italian food.”

“Sixty-five dollars isn’t exactly a bounty. But Italian food happens to be my favorite,” Bella said with a smile. “So now I couldn’t tell you no even if I wanted to.”

And she took his hand.

Bella cashed in her ticket, and they strolled leisurely down the Strip to the MGM.

“The place is called Fiamma, and it’s excellent,” Nathan told her. “I tried it about a year ago when I was here for my best friend’s wedding.”

They were graciously ushered to a cozy table in the corner. For the next three hours, they ate and talked and laughed. Nathan talked about his family and upbringing; he was the youngest of four and the only boy. Then he listened as she shared her journey with him, and held her hand when she talked about her parents’ and her grandmother’s deaths.

Over tiramisu he asked her, “So, a degree in literature to go with all those languages. What are your plans?”

“Well,” she said, “I’ve had an opportunity to work with troubled kids as a languages tutor for the last several months. And I’ve found I truly enjoy it. I definitely foresee working with children in some form. I’m not sure yet what age bracket, though.”

She took a sip of her hot tea before she asked, “And what about you? What led you to law enforcement?”

“Two generations of my family were D.C. cops,” he said. “I guess it’s in my blood. And working as a trooper got me some valuable experience on the ground. But I decided I wanted to be a criminal profiler. I want to be more proactive in identifying and catching the bad guys before they can do damage, rather than just chase them once they do. So, I applied to the FBI.”

Dessert was cleared and beverages refilled. Then Nathan took her hand again, and asked, “So, when do you leave for Arizona?’

“My flight is at four tomorrow,” she replied softly, savoring the touch of his hand on hers.

“What about you?”

“Mine leaves at six,” he said. They were both quiet for a long moment.

“Bella,” he said gently, reaching over to touch her cheek, “I know we just met, and forgive me if this sounds stupid, but… oh hell,” he muttered. “Never mind.”

“What?” she asked, a little breathless.

“May I kiss you?”

She flushed again, but her eyes did not leave his as she whispered, “Yes.”

He smiled, leaned in, and gently traced her lips with his. And a thunderbolt shot through her, all the way down to her toes. She shuddered involuntarily from the sudden heat that burned in her.

“Are you all right? Did I upset you?” Nathan asked, his eyes filled with longing and concern.

“No,” she said. “I just haven’t been kissed in a really, really long time.”

“That surprises me, quite frankly,” Nathan replied. “You’re stunning, and you’re one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. I’m amazed you’re even single.”

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of that, but I’m most definitely single,” Bella said. “In fact, this is the first date I’ve been on since high school.”

The waiter appeared with the bill.

“Let me settle this, and then let’s get out of here,” Nathan said quietly.

She nodded silently. In her head she was thinking all sorts of things, none of which were proper, especially with someone she had just met. But the images in her brain refused to go away. She wanted to spend the night with this man. She wanted to feel his mouth, his skin, his body on hers.

Isabella Rose, get hold of yourself, her inner matron intoned. What the hell are you doing? You’ve only known this guy for about three hours.

But she realized she really didn’t care. She wanted to be with him tonight and the future could be sorted out later.

“Bella?”

She pulled out of her inner conflict and smiled at him. “Are you ready to go?’

“Yes,” he said, returning the smile.

They left the restaurant and arm in arm headed back toward Planet Hollywood.

“Nathan?”

“Yes?”

“It’s my turn to ask something awkward.”

He laughed. “Okay, shoot.”

She stopped and turned to face him. Taking hold of both his hands, she took a deep breath, and said, “Like you said, we just met. But it feels like we’ve known each other for a long time.”

She blushed a deep, deep red and took the plunge.

“I cannot believe I am about to say this to you, but…what I mean is, this is not like me, but……. dammit…. …I want to know if you want to….um…come to my room with me,” she finished in a whisper and looking at the ground.

She felt him let go of her hands and closed her eyes and cursed inwardly.

Christ, I finally meet a great man and I scared him off, she thought to herself. I am such an idiot.

Then she felt two strong arms wrap protectively around her and his breath on her hair. He was shaking, she could feel it.

“Bella,” he murmured throatily. “I know how you feel; I know where you’re coming from.”

He tipped her chin upward until she opened her eyes and looked at him.

“I will come with you, to talk. Nothing else will happen unless and until you are absolutely ready for it to. Okay?”

“Okay”, she said simply.

They reluctantly broke the embrace and continued their walk back to the hotel.

They rode the elevator hand in hand and in silence. Her heart was racing so hard she had trouble swiping the key card to her room.

“Here, let me,” Nathan said gently.

He opened the door and held it for her. She made her way past him over to the little fridge and pulled out two sodas to occupy her shaking hands.

Suddenly her words came out in a tumble.

“I’m so sorry. You must think I’m a slut or something. I swear to God that this is not normal behavior for me, at all, ever. I’ve never even…” Bella’s voice trailed off in complete embarrassment.

“Why would I think that?” Nathan prodded as he filled two glasses with ice. “And what makes you think I’ve ever done it, either?”

Bella was flabbergasted. “Seriously?”

“Completely,” he admitted as he opened the sodas and poured. “I know it’s not hip or cool or the norm, but yes, I am a twenty-six-year-old virgin. I had opportunities to change that, of course, but I wanted to wait for the right woman, someone special.”

“I know what you mean,” Bella said. “After Anthony cheated on me because I wouldn’t put out, I decided not to bother with dating anymore. I figured that if a boy I had known for years could turn out to be that shallow, that all the rest must be too.”

He walked over to her and handed her a glass.

“We’re not all like that, Bella, not by a long shot,” he said. “And I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

He took her hand and led her out onto the balcony.

“You know, this is so ironic,” Bella said almost in disbelief. “About five hours ago, I was standing in this very spot, feeling very isolated and sad because I realized I’m tired of being alone. I even daydreamed about meeting some tall dark stranger,” she added, poking his side as she noticed Nathan grinning at this bit of news.

“And wonder of wonders, here you are. So, where do we go from here?” she asked as they looked at the traffic and lights up and down the Strip.

“Well, I definitely want to see you again, as much as possible, regardless of where tonight leads,” Nathan said. “We met for a reason, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let distance or anything else get in the way of getting to know you.”

Setting his glass down, he turned and wrapped his arms around her.

“I want to spend the night with you, Bella, even if we just talk all night.”

She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Nathan?” she said in a small voice.

“Yes, Bella?”

“I’m so glad I met you.”

They went back inside and talked until somewhere around three a.m. before drifting off in each other’s arms.