Title: Collin: The Valentine Killer
Series: Phoenix Skulls MC
Author: Jessie Cooke
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: October 13, 2019
In the heart of Phoenix, in the Valley of the Sun, a new dawn is rising for the Phoenix Skulls.
Jace Bell, his club and his family are building new lives, making new friends and recruiting new members.
Their newest friends come in the form of a detective named Noah Campbell, obsessed with a crime he could never solve. A young man named Collin Kelly, tired of living his life for everyone else's satisfaction, a woman named Ava Kelly with a past she can't escape and Ciara Campbellā¦a young woman lost.
In the midst of family drama, a serial killer running loose and a rival MC trying to take over, these people will learn all they need to know about love and family under the hot Arizona sun.
Come along on a ride that will leave you breathless and maybe you'll learn how to live all over again.
Prologue.
The Valentine Killer.
The killer clicked off the computer and the room went black. He sat back in the chair and breathed in the darkness. He loved the night, and wished it would never get light. During work hours he was forced to endure the company of fools whether he wanted it or not, and he didnāt want it. The only thing he could honestly say it did for him to be around people was to provide fodder for his darkest fantasies. Some nights when he wasnāt able to go outā¦or he didnāt get called outā¦he would lie quietly on his pillow and picture all of their faces, one at a time, as he killed them. Just picturing it excited him and he'd lie there in the dark, trying hard not to wake up his wife as he let his mind play through it in intimate detail as he brought himself to climax.
āHey! Are you in there?ā
Shit! He opened his eyes at the sound of the grating voice. It was like nails on a chalkboard and he'd grown to despise it. āYeah, what do you need?ā The door handle moved back and forth but the door didnāt open. He had locked it specifically to keep the nosy bitch out. This was his domain and she had no business in here.
āWhy is the door locked? And why are you sitting there in the dark? Youāre acting so strange lately.ā
āI just needed a few minutes of quiet time. Thanks for ruining it,ā he said, standing up and stretching out his long limbs. He ran a hand through his thinning dirty blond hair. It was touching his shoulders. It was past time for a haircut.
āDinnerās ready. Are you coming out?ā
āYeah, in a minute,ā he said. He waited until he heard her footfalls recede down the hallway and then opened the French doors quietly and slipped outside. He walked quickly until he was away from the house. He would have to hear her nag laterā¦but that was nothing new. Heād just tell her that he got called out and she would accept that. One of these days he would kill her too, but for now he still might have some use for her.
He walked down the quiet street with his hands in his pockets, whistling a tune that he couldnāt even remember hearing before. He was nobody during the day. Just another unhappily married man working at a job that he hated and no one appreciated. He had shuffled through his life unfulfilled. But when nightfall came, it cocooned him in its protective folds and allowed him to rejuvenate, and one night it allowed him to finally do something that he knew now to be his destiny. Who knew what might happen? Maybe one day, he would become invincible.
He turned into the dark alley, reveling in the way that he could all but disappear into its murky blackness. His incredible eyesight was what first prompted him to seek out nocturnal delights. He could see as well as a cat in the darkness and he was learning how to stalk his prey just as astutely.
The woman lay against the wall, huddled underneath the blanket that he had left for her the last time he went out. He wanted her to be familiar with him when it was. He hated having to chase them. He wasnāt as young as he used to be, so getting to know them first was something that he had learned by trial and error. Success takes hard work and practiceā¦effort that he was willing to put forth, at least for this job. He realized when he was only a few feet from her that she must have just used the syringe she still held in her hand. Sheād started the party without him. She had her eyes half open, but she had no clue that he was there. He sat down next to her and took the syringe out of her hand. The touch brought her around a bit.
āHi, baby,ā she slurred.
āHi there, beautiful. Been partying tonight?ā
āJust a little bit, baby. Iām trying to quit.ā
āThatās okay, baby,ā he said, pulling her head over into his chest and petting her hair. āAfter tonight, you wonāt have to worry about it anymore. Youāll be singing in the holy choir.ā The knife blade was as black as the night and even if she hadnāt been wasted, she would have never seen it coming. He let it gently glide across her neck and then he waited. He loved to watch as the life slipped away. It took her a few minutes to realize what happened. When she did, her hands went to her throat and her eyes actually opened wide. The only sound she made was a small gurgle before she fell over. He kissed her on the side of the face and then stood up and pulled the plastic bag out of his pocket. He took off his clothes and put them into the bag. Then, naked and excited, he went behind the dumpster and pulled the loose brick out of the wall. He reached inside and brought out another plastic bag. Inside were baby wipes, which he used to clean himself up a bit, and a fresh set of clothes. He put the t-shirt on and then sat the bag with his dirty things on the ground in front of him. Closing his eyes he pictured her face as the life drained out of it. It only took a minute or two before he was exploding in ecstasy. After another minute to recover, he reached down and pulled the tie, closing his DNA up with it. He slipped on the rest of his clothes and with a quick glance to make sure he was still alone in the alley, he headed out. He only paused long enough to drop a tissue into her lap as he passed by. Then, unfortunately, he went home to his wife.
Chapter One
Phoenix Skulls Clubhouse
āYou really don't have a problem with that cop hanging around here all the time?ā Jace was working on a bike, customizing it for one of their return customers. Vic, always suspicious of everyone, had sat down on the stool next to Jace's oversize toolbox and was looking across the shop at Noah Campbell, who was a PI and not a ācop,ā and another man who had been hanging around the club a lot...Collin Kelly. Collin was a friend of Finn's, Jace's VP. Jace didn't have any hard and fast rules about who his guys could be friends with. He did have the final say before they took them in as āhang-aroundsā but Finn had come to him about Collin a few months earlier and Jace had given him the okay. Collin was a firefighter, and Finn had met him when he'd come out to inspect some of the new buildings theyād put up on the club's property. Collin was from a fairly traditional, Catholic, Irish-American family, so he'd homed in on Finn's thick Irish accent at once and they had started talking. Finn had a hard time making friends, so when he asked Jace about Collin hanging around, Jace checked the guy out and didn't find any reason to deny him.
Noah was a different story. Jace had first met him in a bar that the Skulls had since bought. Jace was there to meet with the owner and finalize the purchase and Noah had been there meeting a client. After Noahās client left, Noah mentioned to Jace that he was friends with Collin, and the conversation took off from there. By the time theyād had a few beers, Noah was talking about buying a Harley and Jace told him about the customizing work he did and invited him out to the shop to see some of the bikes they had restored, customized, and put up for sale.
After that, Noah had started coming around to just bullshit, or have a beer on the weekends, and when Noah told Jace he used to be a cop, Jace hadnāt seen a problem with it. Jace started his career as a Skull in Boston, where the presidentās old lady and her entire family had all been cops. So Noah's past as a cop, or his present as a PI, didnāt worry him. Jace actually thought it could be a relationship they might all benefit from in the future, and of course, if Jace had anything to hide, he knew how to hide it. It wasnāt like they were going around terrorizing the city or having turf wars. They more or less minded their own business, and Jace knew how to keep their business at home.
āTake off the tinfoil hat and get to know him,ā Jace told Vic, not looking up from his project. āHeās a cool guy.ā
Vic snorted. Jace might think after spending so many years in the Navy that Vic wouldnāt be so paranoid about āauthority figuresā...but in his case it seemed to have the opposite effect. āWhat about the firefighter? You going to let him prospect? Can the guy even ride?ā
Jace chuckled and shook his head. āWhy donāt you go ask him?ā Collin didn't have his own bike yet, but Finn had told Jace Collin could ride and planned on buying his own, so Jace had no reason to doubt him.
āI might.ā Vic said it like it was a threat. Jace chuckled. Collin hadnāt been anything but fun and polite since he started hanging around, but he looked to Jace like he could hold his own if hot-headed Vic wanted to pick a fight with him.
āGood,ā Jace said with a grin. āThen after that, maybe you can get some work done? I thought you were helping Boots and Bubba on the greenhouse today.ā Phoenix was hot...almost all the time. Jace thought the shop felt like a fucking greenhouse itself. But Jace was taking a page from the Southside Skulls playbook. For decades, thanks to Daxās mother Dallas, they had grown the best weed in the state and it was a huge source of revenue for the ranch and club. The key had been underground, climate-controlled greenhouses. Dax had given Jace a copy of the blueprints to the ones they used, and the Phoenix club had been working on constructing their own. It was slow going since it wasnāt really something Jace could hire a construction crew for. Cannabis wasn't exactly legal in Arizona.
Vic sighed. Jace got the feeling he was bored. The Phoenix Skulls was a fairly new chapter with just over a dozen members now. Jace had been working hard on recruiting and building, but he was a patient man. He could look into the future and see where he wanted to be, make plans to get there and work toward it, slowly, if thatās what it took. Men like Vic wanted immediate gratification, and lived for the chaos. The Skulls hadn't had any real chaos in months, not since theyād had to rescue Madison Benning, and Jace got the feeling Vic was craving it.
āYeah, Iāll go see if they need any help,ā he said. Jace looked up as he went, watching him stop by and say something to Finn as he passed. Finn laughed, but Vic wasn't smiling. Of course, where Vic was always serious, Finn was almost the opposite. The kid was so happy with his second chance at life once he got to Phoenix, that there was hardly anything that upset him anymore. Sometimes he was too fun-loving, and that got him into a little bit of trouble from time to time.
āHey, Jace,ā Noah said as he came over to Jaceās work station. āI donāt want to interrupt, but do you have time for a question?ā
āSure.ā Jace picked up a rag and wiped the oil off his hands as he stood up. His body was beginning to stiffen up on the floor anyway. He was having a hard time admitting that he wasn't as young as he used to be. Of course, being around all his new young recruits every day, coupled with the fact that he and Beck had hardly gotten more than three or four hours a nightās sleep since their baby was born, added to it. āWhatās up?ā
Noah hesitated. Since Jace met him, he hadn't seemed to have any problems speaking his mind, so his reluctance made Jace curious. āFinn told me that you're reopening Sirens this week.ā Sirens was the bar where Jace and Noah had first met. Jace had closed it down after they bought it and had his friend's construction company do a lot of renovations to it, inside and out. It was in kind of a crappy neighborhood and the place had been a dump. Jace hoped it would turn into a comfortable place for bikers and the like to hang out, so he wasn't worried about the neighborhood, but he didn't want the roof to fall in on them.
āYep. Friday is our grand opening,ā Jace said with a little laugh. āI'm not sure āgrandā is the right word, but the place is at least structurally sound now.ā
Noah smiled. āGood to know. I admit I was a little worried when the client wanted to meet there that day.ā
Jace laughed. āWell, I still wonāt be able to vouch for the neighborhood.ā
Noah was smiling, but Jace detected something sad in his eyes as he said, āWell, the neighborhood is actually the reason for my question.ā Noah looked around like he was making sure no one else was listening and he said, āYouāre going to think Iām one hell of a private eye when you hear this...but I was hoping maybe if I give you a picture, you wouldnāt mind keeping an eye out for...a young lady Iāve been looking for. She spends a lot of time in that neighborhood, but I havenāt been able to find her lately.ā
Jace did think it was an odd request, especially since Noah had said ālatelyā as if he had found her before and then lost her. āSure...who is she? If you donāt mind me asking.ā
Noah looked around again and then took out his wallet and handed Jace a small photo. Noah was in the picture and he had his arm around a girl that looked a lot like him. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and Noahās smile. āSheās my sister,ā Noah said. āHer name is Ciara and this picture is an old one. I can get you a more recent one and bring it out next time I come...but itāll be a mug shot.ā Jace kept his face neutral and waited for Noah to go on. He finally said, āSheās a heroin addict and sheās been on the streets for a while so she looks a lot different now.ā Noah sighed and the sadness in his eyes suddenly looked more like guilt as he said, āIāve tried to help her, but it always turns out that I just enable her...or push too hard and she gets pissed off and disappears again. Anyway, this time itās been longer since sheās shown up than before and Iāve checked and sheās not locked up, or in any local hospitals. Iām guessing sheās just getting better at fading into the background out on the streets and maybe so strung out that sheās avoiding me on purpose. All I want is to know is that sheās okay, without her knowing Iām checking up on her.ā
Jace could understand worrying about a little sister. He had worried about his since the day she was born. Of course Rosie was autistic and not addicted to drugs and on the streets...but a brotherās love was just that. āOf course Iāll keep an eye out. Do you want me to give the others a heads-up too, and my bartenders and waitresses?ā
āJust as long as she doesnāt know,ā Noah said. āKnowing Iām checking up on her only seems to push her further away lately. Thereās something else, Jace, and this part Iād like to keep just between us if we can?ā
āYou got it.ā
āIām pretty sure sheās turning tricks to support herself...she was arrested for solicitation a while back. At that time she wouldnāt tell me who her dealer or her pimp were...if you were to hear anything like that...ā
āIād be happy to arrange the introductions,ā Jace said.
* * *
āNoah?ā It was late Wednesday morning and Noah was in the office. Avaās voice floated out of the speaker and he closed down the spider solitaire game on his computer, as if she could see what he was doing across the intercom. He had to keep reminding himself that the little green-eyed, red-haired fiery Irish woman was not his boss. It was hard sometimes though, because she was so bossy.
āYes, Ava?ā
āThereās someone here to see you.ā
āA client?ā
āYes.ā
āOkay, send him in.ā He ran a hand through his hair and one across his face. Now, he wished that he had shaved. They hadnāt had a real paying client in a few weeks and he knew that he should be more worried about business than he was, but he was an optimist at heart. Despite the recent slump, he firmly believed that things were going to get better. He also believed that he was the best damned PI in the city of Phoenix, and he could get rich, if only people would realize it.
He looked up as the door opened and saw Ava. Her long curly red hair was pulled neatly up into a professional-looking bun and she had on a finely tailored navy blue skirt and a crisp white blouse. He was glad to see at least one of them looked professional...especially after he got his first look at the "client.ā She couldnāt have been over twenty-five or six and she was wearing an aqua blue silk suit that fit her like a second skin. A strand of gray pearls adorned her long, delicate-looking neck and her eyes were the darkest shade of blue that Noah had ever seen. Her long blonde hair had a glossy shine to it and lay cascaded across her shoulders, reaching just above the swell of her ample breasts. She wasnāt overly tall, but the short skirt she wore emphasized her legs and they seemed to go on forever.
āNoah, this is Kyla Peterson. Mrs. Peterson, this is Noah Campbell.ā Ava introduced them and Noah stood up and took the young womanās soft, warm hand into his. She wore only one ring and that was on her other hand. It was a simple silver wedding band. Her sapphire eyes met Noahās brown ones as they shook hands, and he found himself hesitant to let go. Ava cleared her throat, bringing him back to the moment. He didnāt dare look at her face. He already knew which of her disapproving looks would be there.
āItās a pleasure, Mrs. Peterson. Please, have a seat.ā
āThank you. Please call me Kyla,ā she said.
āDo you need me to stay?ā Ava asked.
Noah looked at Kyla and asked, āWould you feel more comfortable with my associate Ava in the roomā¦?ā
āIām comfortable either way,ā Kyla said.
āI have some work to attend to,ā Ava said. āIāll let you two talk.ā She smiled at Kyla and left, closing the door behind her. Noah wondered what āworkā she could possibly have to attend to.
āPlease have a seat,ā he told the young woman. She sat down in the chair in front of his desk and crossed her pretty legs, drawing the short skirt up even higher. He reminded himself that she was a client and obviously married and he was still staring at her legs. Damn! āHow can I help you today, Kyla?ā Noah took his seat and realized that it was hard to look directly at her. Her eyes were so intense that they were almost intimidating. The strangest thing about it was that nothing intimidated him. Okay, Ava intimidated him, but that was it.
Kyla looked a bit intimidated herself, or overwhelmed. Noah either hadnāt been what she was expecting, or she hadnāt known what to expect at all. She finally said, āHave you heard of Carrington Bio Tech?ā
āYes, of course.ā Carrington Bio Tech had a hand in the design of practically every yard in the upper class sections of Phoenix and the outlying areas. They were very rich people.
āThatās my family.ā
āOhā¦hmmā¦okayā¦ā
āI need a PI but I canāt hire anyone who might know my family on a personal level.ā
āOkayā¦Are you concerned about discretion?ā
āVery much so.ā
āI can promise you that wonāt be a concern here.ā
āThank you. Thatās why I came to you.ā
āYou were referred by someone?ā
āHayden Brandt.ā Hayden was Noahās best friend and his old partner. Theyād graduated the police academy together back in the day.
āHaydenās a good friend of mine.ā
āYes, he told me.ā The wheels in Noahās head were spinning. He was trying hard to figure out how in the world Hayden would know a woman like her. Hayden was married and had been since he was nineteen years old. He was the same age as Noah, who just turned thirty-six. Theyād known each other since right before his third anniversary. Noah had never known him to cheat on his wife, or even think about it.
āSo Kyla, would you like to tell me what it is you need a PI for?ā
āI think my husband is the Valentine Killer.ā
āOh.ā No fucking way! āI see.ā He really didnāt. Why isnāt she calling the cops? āAnd you want me toā¦?ā
āFollow him. Find out for sure.ā
āOkayā¦can you tell me why you would think your husband is involved in this?ā The āValentine Killerā was a serial killer who had been operating in the city for almost five years already. He was partially the reason why Noah was no longer a cop. He was dubbed the Valentine Killer because after he slit the womanās throat, he would leave a tiny silver necklace wrapped in a tissue behind. The pendant was shaped like a heart with wings. Noah had spent hours trying to track down where the killer bought the necklaces while he was working the case...but to no avail.
āHe leaves the house at nightā¦at very odd hours.ā She stopped. Noah really hoped that wasnāt all she was basing her suspicions on.
āIs that it?ā he asked her.
āNo, umā¦the times that he leaves the house at night correspond to when the bodies have been found. He also doesnātā¦I mean heās not interested inā¦he canāt get aroused when he returns home.ā Noah had to make himself close his mouth. She apparently knew that she was hot. So much so that she believed her husband to be a killer for not wanting her. He was almost impressed by her arrogance. He also didnāt really want to be the one that had to tell her that so far this was sounding like the man was sneaking out and getting lucky. Hot wife or not, some guys stray.
āAnything else?ā
āHeās just been acting so strange, and he suddenly hates everyone.ā She let her eyes run across Noahās desk as if she was looking for something and then she said, āCan I smoke in here?ā His stomach clenched. Ava was going to have a conniption fit.
āOf course,ā he said, as if he had a right to in his own office. She fished a case out of her purse. It was an expensive purse. He knew that for a fact because his former fiancĆ©e had one just like it. Noah had paid for it, in more ways than one. She opened the case and took out a Virginia Slim. He realized as she placed it between her lips, how full and plump they wereā¦ripe for kissingā¦
āIs that okay?ā
āWhat?ā
āIām ready to go on,ā she said.
Damn it! He had been so focused on her lips that he hadnāt heard her say a thing. āIām sorry, yes, go on.ā
āEthan works for my family, but even after being married for almost ten years, he hasnāt developed any kind of relationship with any of them.ā Ten years? Hell, maybe she wasnāt as young as he thought she was. Maybe he needed to drink some of that water. āHe doesnāt have any friends,ā she said, taking a long drag of her cigarette and then exhaling. It was a sight to behold. āHe collects knivesā¦ā
āNoahā¦ā Ava opened the door and stopped in her tracks. She was staring at Kyla and the long, and if he had to add, sexy, cigarette dangling from her lips.
āYes?ā Noah tried to play it off casually. Ava narrowed her eyes at him and said:
āIām so sorry to interrupt. Can I see you in the outer office for just a moment?ā
āHmm, Iām a littleā¦ā
āNow?!ā
Trying hard not to roll his eyes like an insolent teenager, Noah looked at Kyla and smiled. āWould you mind excusing me for just a moment?ā
āNot at all,ā she said. She smiled at Ava. Ava gave her a tight-lipped smile back. He followed his receptionist, who believed she was his boss, back out the door. She closed it behind them, and then it was on.
āSheās smoking in your office? There are ordinances in this city against that. I could sue you for having to work in a hostile environmentā¦or something like that.ā
Noah tried not to laugh. āSheās a client, Ava. A rich client. We need the business. If she wants to smoke, so be it.ā
āSheās hot. You donāt care about her money or my lung cancer.ā
He did smile then. She was so dramatic sometimes. āI care very much about your lung cancer,ā he told her. āAnd yes, she is hot. Now, can I get back to my client?ā
āNo, I meanā¦I didnāt call you out here to talk about her smoking. Hayden called. He wants you to meet him for lunch and he says itās about a āreferralā he made to you. Iām assuming since she is our only client for the past three weeks, he must be talking about her.ā
āOkay, that might help,ā he said. āI donāt think Iām really wrapping my head around what sheās trying to tell me anyways. Maybe Hayden can explain it.ā
āAt least when you talk to Hayden youāll be listening with the head on your shoulders.ā He did roll his eyes then. Heād never admit it to her, but she was kind of right.
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