Capturing Kylie [Slick Rock 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page A

bed, leaning against the headboard with a book in her hand, trying to appear relaxed. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t read more than five words before her mind began to wander. She just hoped she appeared as calm as she tried to portray.
    “Kylie?” Eva sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for her to explain.
    “I’m sorry I lost it before. I’ll apologize to your men tomorrow.”
    Eva waved her hand in the air. “Don’t worry about it. They can see how stressed you are.” After a pause she asked, “Why is your life in danger?”
    Kylie clutched her hands together and gripped her fingers so hard they began to ache. “I witnessed a crime.”
    “What sort of crime?”
    “Rape and assault.”
    “Shit. No wonder you look so tired. You aren’t sleeping, are you?”
    “No.” Kylie sighed and pushed the tips of her fingers into her closed eyelids, trying to relieve the ache behind them, again. Not that it did any good.
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    Kylie shook her head but then changed to nodding. She took a deep breath and began talking. “Two weeks ago, I was working late into the night at the desk in my bedroom. I couldn’t sleep so decided I may as well do something constructive and transcribe some medical notes.
    “I heard what I thought was a man’s muffled scream and pushed the curtains aside to peer out the window into the back alley. I didn’t think I was visible, since the light in my room was off, but it turned out the light from my computer screen must have been enough to illuminate my face. A man was raping a younger man, and after he’d finished he beat him so bad.” Kylie shuddered as the images flashed across her mind again. Every time she closed her eyes she saw that bastard violating the smaller man and then beating him half to death.
    “I called the cops, but he must have heard them coming. Just before he took off running, he looked up and stared right at me. He made a slashing motion with his finger across his throat in warning and then disappeared.”
    Kylie hadn’t even realized she was crying until Eva reached out and wiped the tears from her face. Then her friend pulled her into her arms and held her while she cried. When her tumultuous storm finally abated, she released her and sat back.
    “Did the police catch him?”
    “No,” Kylie croaked. “The police took my statement and the next day I went into the precinct and worked with their artist, but they haven’t been able to find him. The fucker doesn’t have a record, the DNA the authorities took from the victim didn’t match up to anything on their database, and the victim isn’t talking. From what the police have said, he may well know who hurt him but is either too scared to press charges or doesn’t want to relive his nightmare.”
    “Why do you think you’re in danger?”
    “I’ve had threatening letters. I’ve handed them over to the police but they weren’t able to get any prints or DNA from them. He must have come back and found out who I was. You know that my name is on the mailbox in the foyer like everyone else who lives in my building. He had to have come in and got my name and then looked up my phone number. The bastard had to be wearing gloves. I have been too scared to go outside and when I needed something I ordered it online and had it delivered. When I called the cops about the letters they were kind enough to send someone over to pick them up. I’ve also had phone calls in the middle of the night.”
    “What?” Eva paused to swallow as if she had a lump in her throat. “What do they say?”
    “That’s just it. Whoever it is doesn’t say anything. All I can hear is heavy breathing and then whoever it is hangs up.”
    “Have you told the police all this?”
    “Of course I have.” Kylie inhaled deeply when she heard the slight hysteria in her own voice and then released it slowly. “The cops even tapped my phone, but the prick always hangs up before the trace can be made.