28 Days: a romantic suspense (11 page)

Coulter contemplated what to say without saying too much. “Without getting into specifics, let’s just say the ME thinks it is a homicide. She was dumped…or rather buried…close to the river off Morris Bridge Road in Tampa. Some campers found her five days ago.”

Amber believed it was attempted strangulation. Jocelyn’s head had been nearly severed—just like the young woman they found yesterday. It intrigued him that bones held so much information after being buried for years.

“How do you know its Jocelyn?” Saige asked.

“The ME matched the partial serial number in the breast implants to Jocelyn, and then the dentist records. Her medical records also indicated pins in her left arm and leg. They all matched.”

“She was in a car accident as a teenager,” Alex confirmed what Coulter already knew.

“You’re thinking that her death is connected to Quinten,” Saige observed. “Why?”

Alex’s head snapped around to Coulter. “Connected? How? Quinten was locked away then.”

“I know it wasn’t Quinten, and I’ve never been completely sold on the idea that Quinten was guilty of the murders and your kidnapping.” He nodded toward Saige. “There’s always been something that niggled at me about the case. But everyone else got hung up on his DNA. Getting back to Jocelyn and how she was found, I think whoever put her there went back and uncovered enough so that she’d be found. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Saige looked surprised, but Alex became angry. He stood with his fists flexed at his sides before he turned and started pacing.

As Coulter watched Alex walk out his aggression, he debated showing them a picture of the girl they found to see if she was familiar. So far, they had no leads on her identification and his gut churned with the knowledge that she was connected somehow to all this.

He was going completely out on a limb with Saige and Alex by discussing his doubts and the case, but he was willing to trust them because they all wanted the same thing—the truth.

Pulling out his cell, he unlocked the screen and before he could change his mind, opened up the image of the young woman’s face. Amber had cleaned her up the best she could and the sheet had been pulled up to her chin. His stomach rolled when he thought of the ruin below that sheet…the bastard had been angry and violent. If he did nothing else, he needed to get justice for her—the victim.

“I want to ask you to take a look at this picture.” He kept his cell to his chest while he spoke. “And tell me if you recognize her.”

Saige eyed him warily while Alex just stared at him.

“She’s dead?” Alex asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Saige agreed, and stepped closer to him. “Let me see.”

He slowly turned his cell, second-guessing his instinct as he did. Her eyes widened, her face paled and a gasp hissed from her lips as she covered her mouth. “Alex?” She could barely get any sound out. “It’s Fern.”

Until Saige had identified the victim, Alex hadn’t looked all that interested, but he did now as he took two long strides and took Coulter’s cell from his fingers.

“What the fuck?” Alex met Coulter’s gaze, shock clear in his eyes. “When?”

“She was found yesterday morning. The ME still doesn’t have an exact time of death. But from what she saw from the insects around the body, she’d say the victim had been dead for about four days…Who is she?”

“Fern Jordan,” Saige offered. “She worked for Daniel Sterling, Quinten’s defense attorney.” She swallowed and Coulter wasn’t sure if she was fighting down bile or tears. “I can’t believe she’s dead.” Her voice wavered. “We only spoke briefly when we went and met with Daniel.”

Coulter’s eyes snapped to Saige. “She was part of Quinten’s defense team? I don’t recognize her.”

“No,” Alex added. “She started at Daniel’s firm about twelve months ago...How did she die?” Alex gulped, which told Coulter more than he thought Alex wanted him to know.

“The same way as Jocelyn.”

“What?” Alex whispered. “Why? I don’t believe Jocelyn and Fern knew each other.”

“How well did you know her?”

Alex hesitated. “Not well.”

“But you
knew
her.” He held Alex’s gaze, making no mistake as to what he meant.

Alex stepped away and tugged at his hair. “We fucked around a few times. Nothing more.”

Just as Coulter thought.

Saige stayed quiet, seemingly lost in thoughts of her own, so he carried on questioning Alex.

Coulter didn’t believe Alex had anything to do with Fern’s death, but he’d been wrong before.

“When was the last time you ‘fucked around’ with Fern?”

Alex looked tormented but then answered, “Three weeks ago.”

And now Alex had lied to him. Why?

“Fern’s connected as well. First Quinten’s ex-wife, and now a woman from his defense attorney’s office is dead. What if there are other women who have died that have some sort of connection, but you never got their cases?” Saige asked, interrupting Coulter’s interrogation.

“I already have someone working on that back in Tampa,” Coulter answered.

“I’ve also been thinking, and I was wondering if you can arrange for me to visit Quinten.” Saige worried at her lip.

“Are you sure?” Alex crouched beside Saige, he was the one who seemed unsure. “Once you’ve seen him in that place, you won’t ever get it out of your head.”

“I’m sure, Alex. I want my memory back and I’m hoping that seeing him will help them return. I need to see him.” She bit her lip. “But what if he doesn’t want to see me? I named him as my abductor.”

Coulter held Saige’s begging gaze. “I’ve spoken with Quinten, and I know he wants to see you. The warden already has paperwork from Quinten requesting you have visitation rights.”

“Really?” Saige smiled.

“Yes, really. It will be a few days before it’s authorized though, so hang in there.”

Saige nodded, and that’s when he felt the first drop of rain on his head.

“I still have questions about Fern.” Coulter glared at Alex so the man knew he wasn’t off the hook yet. “But I think we need to get out of the rain.”

The storm hit before they reached their vehicles.

1
1
:30pm

S
aige moved fluidly
toward the bed where he sat, allowing him time to savor the sight of her nude body. She was exquisite and made his blood thrum through his system and pool in one place, and one place only.

Quinten’s shaft was hard and pulsed with a life of its own at just the sight of the beautiful woman he’d fallen in love with. She was everything to him and, if he had his way, she’d be his everything for the rest of his life. Only when he was with her did his heart feel full and his soul at ease.

They’d met secretly at the boathouse on her father’s property for a month and the thought of her going back to school, and them being separated, had caused him to break the one rule he told himself not to break—he made love to her.

He hadn’t been able to think straight when he pulled her into his arms and sealed his lips over hers. Pure desperation had run through him, and he’d needed to love her. He’d needed her to know just how much he loved her and had decided to show her.

Saige had been just as desperate and Quinten had been humbled to realize that he was her first. She had no idea, but he planned on being her only.

Reaching for him, her palms went to the sides of his face as she straddled his thighs. His hands caressed her hips and slipped around to her soft-as-silk bottom. He gently tugged her closer and lowered his head to kiss each hipbone.

They’d already made love three times, and he knew that by morning, they’d make love numerous more times.

Sliding his hands up her torso he cupped each round breast in his hand and gently rubbed the hard buds of her nipples. He smiled when he heard her breath catch.

He’d discovered how sensitive her breasts were the first time he’d been inside her. She released the second his mouth had closed around the hard nub and he suckled against it.

And, just as expected, when he brought a breast to his mouth and rubbed her nipple between his tongue and the roof of his mouth, her legs quivered and she dropped to his lap.

“Mmm,” Saige moaned. “I love the feel of your hardness against my softness.” She wiggled closer and he arched his hips when she settled against his balls and ground down.

“Saige,” he hissed. “Rise up a bit. I need to be inside of you.”

“Yes.”

When the welcoming lips of her sex started to enclose him inside her snug channel, he didn’t think he’d last another minute.

He was fully seated inside her as Saige wound her arms around his neck, her breasts pressed against his chest, and she kissed him. “I love you, Quinten, and before you know it, I’m going to be home and in your arms again.”

“Damn straight, baby.” His arms went around her waist, holding her tightly. He flipped them over on the bed and with a desperation he hadn’t felt before, his hips rhythmically moved against her until he felt the woman he loved quiver in his arms and then fall apart on a loud, long moan.

Feeling her core as it pulsed tightly around him, he lost it, and spilled his warm release deeply inside her. Tiny aftershocks pulled more from him, so much so that his legs shook with the power behind his climax.

Panting, Saige started kissing him all over his face, neck, and back up to his face. Finally finding his lips, she whispered, “I’m yours, Quinten. I love you,” before she sealed their lips in such a powerful kiss that he felt it to his toes…

Suddenly awake, Quinten panted and tried to get his bearings.

Like an ax falling, reality struck his heart and caused it to lurch in pain. Saige wasn’t there…he wasn’t with her. He was still in prison…dreaming of her. But it had felt so real that he’d come hard in his briefs.

His breath caught in the back of his throat and tears fell from his eyes for the love that never had a chance so long ago.

4
:30am

S
aige watched
Quinten sleep softly on his back beside her, the covers long since shoved to the floor.

Sated from a night of loving, Saige smiled as she remembered how beautifully he’d made love to her the first time, and she vowed to never forget it. She’d fallen in love with him and wanted nothing more than to spend all her time in his presence.

They had never made love before that night, but she knew he’d thought about it, like she had.

Usually they’d talk until the early hours of the morning then go their separate ways before anyone else was up for the day. That part she hated. She wanted to be able to sleep in his arms every night, and to wake up with the sun streaming through the windows while they made slow, sweet love. She wanted to pull him down to breakfast and shout to the world that they were in love, but they couldn’t do that…at least, not yet.

Needing to feel his hands on her once more, Saige couldn’t resist waking him in a most delicious way. A way he hadn’t wanted her to feel she had to do to him, after he’d used his wicked mouth on her.

Her eyes moved to his penis and widened when she saw how swollen he was in his sleep. Her heart pounded with arousal as she reached out with a hand and slowly traced around one of his nipples before she let her fingers tickle down his hard stomach and along his shaft.

Becoming bolder, Saige ran her fingers back and forth along Quinten’s throbbing flesh, which was warm and smooth beneath her touch.

Her small hand wrapped around his girth, her thumb rubbed over the leaking tip...and that’s when she heard a loud groan before she found herself on her back with Quinten looming over her.

She met his glittering, hunter green eyes seconds before he dropped his head and kissed her taut nipples, rousing a melting sweetness within her.

“I love these,” he whispered, cupping her breasts in his large hands before blowing warm air over them.

He smiled and slowly moved his hands downward, skimming either side of her body to her thighs. They trembled at his touch and she whimpered when he placed her legs over his shoulders and nibbled along her flesh until he arrived at her pelvis.

He nuzzled against her and she felt her face heat with embarrassment.

Quinten chuckled, and opened her up to his eyes. All it took was a teasing pressure against her clit with his tongue and she was ready for him.

“Inside me,” she begged.

He met her gaze, his face buried between her legs. “I love being down here.” He breathed against her.

“It’s morning,” she felt tears choke her. “I have to leave—” she didn’t finish her sentence.

Quinten quickly rose up, took hold of his hard flesh and slowly sank into her welcoming heat.

He gathered her against his warm, pulsing body. Her breasts tingled against his hair-roughened chest, as her hands caressed the planes of his back before her fingers dug into his buttocks.

“I love you, and I don’t want to leave you,” Saige confessed.

He kissed her, hard and long. “You’ll be back in my arms before you know it, Saige.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I love you. Only you.”

Quinten slowly moved his hips...

Tears streamed down her face and Saige felt the wet pillow under her seconds before her eyes opened. She knew, without a doubt, that her dream had been a memory. The love she’d felt coming from Quinten had been tremendous, and to think that she’d thrown all that away because she hadn’t remembered. How had she not remembered being with him before now?

And the chair that she had in her apartment in Tampa—her favorite one that they would cuddle up on and talk. It had been their chair. Somehow she’d known that the chair had meaning to her, and now she knew what it was. Saige just wished that she had the rest of her memories. She was so desperate to remember. The fact that she couldn’t left a hard lump in the pit of her stomach. How did Quinten feel knowing that she couldn’t remember him or their time together? Saige knew, deep in her heart, that he hadn’t been the one to harm her.

Saige turned over in bed to lay on her side, using the quilt to wipe at her cheeks. Her heart hurt and she felt utter misery. Even only having that one vivid memory of Quinten made her crave to have him lying beside her with his arms holding her snuggled tightly against his strong chest.

1
1
:20am

T
he chains grated
on Quinten’s nerves as he entered a small room to visit with his brother. The visiting rooms in the building he’d been moved to were more private than what had been used when he’d been in a death row cell. And while he liked the new rooms, reason as to why he’d been moved caused his heart to beat recklessly in his chest.

As the guard indicated for him to sit, he wondered whether or not a stay would be given. Until he’d been convicted, he believed in the justice system, but not anymore.

Quinten knew that he was innocent—of the murders and hurting Saige. He only had himself to blame for screwing up the crime scene with his blood. His only concern at the time had been getting Saige and getting the hell out of the shack.

Eight years later, he still had trouble getting his head around the fact that he had been convicted while the real fucker was out there somewhere. That had been his fear at first—that the real bastard would go back and finish off Saige because she’d been the one to get away—to survive.

No one would listen except Detective Robinson. The detective hadn’t completely been on his side, but Robinson had been the only one to question the evidence at the scene. In the end it hadn’t mattered, he’d still been given the blue pants and orange shirt to wear for the remainder of his life.

When the door creaked open, he turned and watched Alex walk into the room. His brother looked the same as always in his jeans and heavy rock T-shirt. But he had cut his normally unruly hair.

Once a month, his brother would visit and Quinten knew that it always took a lot out of Alex. It took a lot out of him as well...except this time would be different.

Alex cleared his throat and finally met his gaze. “You okay?” Alex asked.

“I haven’t been okay in eight years.” Quinten sighed. “Sorry. It’s not your fault that I’m in here.”

“It is.” Alex’s eyes flickered to the side before he met Quinten’s again, “I should have done more.”

Quinten shook his head, as the older brother, Alex had always taken on the task of watching his back. Changing the subject, he said, “I’ve heard you’re helping Saige. That’s good.” Even saying her name out loud to his brother caused his heart to hitch in his chest.

“Yeah.” Alex let out a loud breath and laughed. “I’m an idiot. I spent all this time being angry with her for not helping you back then when she had no clue about any of it. Even when I first talked to her I was slightly skeptical about her loss of memory, but there was no faking her reaction when I told her that she had a relationship with you.”

Quinten flinched, dipping his head so Alex wouldn’t see how much it hurt. Not only couldn’t she remember him, but she was out there right now trying to get her memories back. He hoped that she did. He wanted and needed to see her just one more time before...

“If it helps, she dreamt about you last night.”

That got his attention and his eyes snapped back to his brother.

“Go on.” Quinten waited impatiently for Alex to tell him.

“Saige was tired at breakfast and wouldn’t go into detail, but she looked visibly shaken. She finally admitted to dreaming about you. I got the impression that it was, um, one of those dreams.” Alex cleared his throat and offered him an embarrassed smile. “I think Christina is hiding something. She certainly influenced Saige into choosing your image when she was asked.”

Saige hadn’t been the only one to dream last night. He’d lain awake for hours before he managed to fall back asleep. In a way, he hated having dreams about Saige because it made him realize all the more what he’d lost.

“Christina hated me being with Saige. She also hated the fact that you’d tease her before knocking her back.”

Alex wouldn’t meet his gaze. “She’ll talk.”

“Alex,” Quinten growled, “don’t go doing something you’ll regret.” His brother was hot headed and had a habit of acting before thinking. “The last thing I want is for you to end up in jail and for Saige to be alone out there.”

Alex smirked. “Are you only concerned about Saige, bro?”

“Dammit.” Quinten tried to control his temper at his brother. “You know damn well that I love you. You’re the only family I have...but I love Saige as well. Hell, God knows what can of worms she’s going to open by doing what she’s doing...you as well.”

“You mean trying to save your ass?”

“Yes.” Quinten hated knowing that Saige was out there and vulnerable. “Whoever took her is still out there and if the wrong person finds out what she’s doing...I don’t even have to say it...it’s obvious. Just watch her back as though it’s mine.”

Alex shook his head and his eyes filled with guilt. “I didn’t do such a good job with yours.”

“There was nothing you could have done. Once they had the DNA results back they didn’t look for anyone else.” And wasn’t that the truth. He’d been guilty in their eyes regardless of what he said. Detective Robinson had been the one to question everything. Jocelyn, his ex-wife, hadn’t helped with her lies. He didn’t think that she’d have known the truth if it had jumped up and bit her on the ass.

“You heard about Jocelyn?” Quinten asked, and watched Alex wipe a hand down his face as though he was exhausted.

“Yeah. Detective Robinson showed up in Port Jude and told Saige and me...” He glanced around the room, his eyes falling on the barred window that overlooked an exercise yard. “A woman was murdered five nights ago as well,” he added, his voice raw with emotion.

Quinten frowned. “What does that have to do with me?”

“I don’t know. Her name was Fern Jordan and she worked for Daniel Sterling. Detective Robinson thinks both Jocelyn and Fern’s murders are connected in some way to you. I don’t see how.” Alex raised a questioning brow to him.

“I never met Fern, and I don’t think I’ve heard her name before.”

“Didn’t think so,” Alex admitted but avoided his gaze
again
as his eyes swept the room.

“What’s going on with you?” Quinten asked, wondering if his brother lied to him.

He used to be able to tell when Alex lied because he’d avoid looking at him, and he’d twitch, which he did now.

“Nothing,” Alex replied and laughed. “Seriously, I’m okay. But I do need to talk to you about Saige.”

“Five minutes,” the guard informed them.

Quinten nodded to acknowledge that he’d heard.

“What about Saige?” Quinten asked.

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea that she comes here.” Alex waved his arms around. “Are you sure you want her to see you in this place?”

He closed his eyes because he wanted to be selfish and say yes.

“I don’t think it would do her any good coming here. This place takes it out of you. I wouldn’t want any girl I cared about seeing me in this place.”

Quinten’s anger rose as he listened to his brother. At least Alex could leave when he wanted. There was only one way Quinten was leaving.

“I don’t even know if she wants to come and visit me,” he said, his anger leaking out.

“Robinson agreed to bring her. He’ll be able to get her in, but I want you to refuse.”

“Why?”

“She’s too damn sweet to be in this place,” Alex admitted.

“If she wants to come then...I look forward to seeing her.” Quinten stood and shuffled toward the guard.

He refused to look back at his brother. He was angry and wondered what the fuck was going on between Alex and Saige.

3
:00pm

“
W
ell
…well…well, if it isn’t the whore...”

Saige dropped to the grass on her hands and knees as the pain echoed in her head and she wondered what the hell that memory had been about. Someone with long dark hair had taunted her with those words...was it Jocelyn?

She had no memory of ever talking to the woman. Saige had felt a shiver of fear slide down her spine at the taunt that had been delivered by a very angry woman.

“Saige?”

She heard the voice but it sounded like it came at her from faraway.

“You’ll never have him.”

Rapidly blinking, Saige tried to shake more of the memory free as hands grabbed her arms and helped her sit on the grass.

“Saige, look at me.”

Her eyes moved and met those of Detective Coulter Robinson.

“What happened?”

She raised a shaky hand to her forehead but, feeling weak, gave up and let her hand drop to her lap. She rested her forehead against her raised knees. “A sudden vision of a dark haired woman”—Saige swallowed, not wanting to admit who she thought it was and held Coulter’s gaze—“was before my eyes.” She sighed. “She said, ‘You’ll never have him’...I’m presuming that she meant Quinten? Could it have been Jocelyn? I didn’t see her properly, more like a fuzzy image.”

“That would make sense, I guess. But Quinten and Alex said they didn’t think she knew about you two until the day you left for school.” Coulter frowned.

“Even though we lived in the same town, I don’t ever remember talking to Jocelyn, and her appearance would change with the wind. I knew who she was. I think the whole town knew of her, but it would only make sense for her to say the words I heard. It wouldn’t make any sense otherwise.” Saige turned to her hands and knees and scrambled to her feet.

Coulter followed and stood in front of her. “I don’t like any of this, Saige. None. Something happened eight years ago and I’m now, more than ever, convinced an innocent man was sent to prison. That’s the first thing that needs correcting.” Coulter placed his hands on his hips and stared out across the ocean.