In the short silence that followed, all Tucker could hear were Gavin’s panting breaths. Then with another quick nuzzle at his neck, he pulled out and Tucker straightened up, holding onto the slick wall for support. He could hear rustling sounds, presumably Gavin disposing of the condom, and then the sound of a zipper.

Gavin put hishands on Tucker’s shoulders, pulled him up and turned him so his back was against the wall, moving both hands up to frame his face. Leaning in, he kissed Tucker, licking first at his lips until his mouth fell open and then sweeping his magical tongue inside. He moved a hand down to gently squeeze his softened dick.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said against his lips. He reached forTucker’s pants, still around his ankles and pulled them up, tucking him back inside and fastening them. Gavin looked up and caressed Tucker’s face with one hand, then stepped away into the darkness.

“What?” Almost in a daze, Tucker realized Gavin was gone, and he straightened up, reaching for him. “What? No, wait!”

The room was dark, but Tucker could just make out a large form moving quickly toward the curtains and slipping out to the bar beyond. He raced over to the curtains, but tripped over somebody’s feet, and cursing, he stumbled into a wall before righting himself and hurrying back to the main area of the bar. Gavin was nowhere to be seen. Not a trace.

“Damn it!” He felt bereft and abandoned. Before he could even get the man’s number, he’d slipped away, right out of his hands. All he had was his name—Gavin. Not even a last name.

“Shit!” He dropped down on a bar stool and ordered another beer for the road, considering he hadn’t even had a chance to taste the first one. He was sticky and wet inside his pants, his shirt stuck to his chest. Feeling used and definitely shaken up in mind and spirit, he sat at the bar and tried to think what to do next. His body felt slightly wasted, but his brain was already busy planning what he might be able to do to find Gavin the next morning when he got to work.

A slight shiver traveled down his spine as he remembered the feel of that talented cock in his ass. What did it mean about him that he’d enjoyed being fucked and controlled so much?

Nothing. It meant nothing. It was just a one-time thing, an anonymous fuck with a stranger. It didn’t mean anything about who he really was. He had to get that out of his mind. No, it was good in a way. Being fucked like that and losing all control—it would help him be a better lover in the future, more considerate with his partners. This was just a one-off that would never be repeated.

Coming back to the present with a jolt, Tucker finished his shower and stepped out, quickly drying off. He needed to forget what happened earlier. He’d probably never see the beautiful Gavin again—funny how a sharp pang shot right through him at the idea. Padding back to the bedroom, he pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a T-shirt, clipping his badge to his jeans pocket. He found his shoes and his keys and took off, driving through the soft, sultry night to whatever was waiting for him at the crime scene. On the way he pulled into an all-night drive-through to get a cup of coffee and a biscuit to eat. Something told him that once he got to the scene, he probably wouldn’t have much appetite left.

Chapter Two

Tucker walked to the end of the alleyway and lit up a cigarette with shaky hands. He never got used to seeing something like this. Bryson hadn’t been kidding. This one was as fucking bad as anything he’d ever seen, and he’d seen a lot sincehe’d become a cop. The young officer, or what was left of him, had been systematically and carefully beaten to death with malice.

The coroner placed the time of death around the time Tucker was inside the club having his ass reamed by the talented Gavin. He felt a momentary twinge of guilt, even though his rational mind realized he was off duty, and there was no way he could have known what was happening outside the club. Still, the idea of the killer operating so close by while he enjoyed his evening inside made him very uncomfortable. Not to mention pissed off.

The things that had been done to the young officer made the bile rise up in his throat. He’d already had to send two patrolmen home after they caught a glimpse of the carnage left behind by that monster, so he needed to hold it together. He still had work to do before he could fall apart.

Bryson came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay? You looked a little green back there.”

“Yeah, I’ll make it.” He took another drag of his cigarette and glanced over his shoulder. “They ready to move the body yet?”

“Almost. The coroner’s boys are finishing with their pictures.”

“The sick mother-fucker. What the hell did he use on him? A baseball bat?”

“Not sure, but the coroner may be able to tell us. More teeth marks too. I’m sure they’ll probably match the ones on the other bodies.”

“This son of a bitch has to be as crazy as hell. Do you think he lured him out here, or was it just a crime of opportunity?”

“I’d say the latter. People inside the bar said Officer Adams didn’t make it a habit to stop by here. As a matter of fact, it may have been his first time. Some of his buddies were stopping after their shift and invited him for a beer on his way home. Theygot off at nine o’clock,” Tucker said, consulting his notebook. “And they invited Adams here for a celebratory beer. You know, the new baby.” Bryson’s mouth tightened at the irony. “He had the beer and then left at around ten thirty, or ten forty-five. The coroner can pin the time of death down for us a little more.”

“Did anybody see him follow someone outside? Or did someone follow him? Any description?” Tucker ran his hand tiredly through his hair.

“No. No one claims to have seen anything odd. Adams had one beer and left, saying he needed to go home. All his friends swore he was alone when he left the bar.”

“Why did it take so long to find the body?”

“The killer dragged Adams’s body behind some garbage cans in the alley. It wasn’t until the bar closed and they were emptying garbage that they found him.”

“Shit, this fucker’s luck can’t hold forever. Ask for the tapes from the security cameras. We’ll review them and see if anybody stands out.”

The coroner’s assistants had loaded up the remains of the young man on a stretcher and were taking him down to their waiting van. As the van backed up to the alley, the crowd of people standing behind the yellow tape parted slightly, and Tucker found himself staring into the big chocolate-brown eyes ofthe man who’d been with him earlier in the back room of the bar. It was Gavin, not thirty-five feet away. He was wearing a sweatshirt with a hood pulled up over his head and a pair of skin tight jeans. Tuckerwas so shocked at first he couldn’t move. Bryson followed his gaze.

“I’ve seen that guy before,” he said.

“What?” Tucker whipped his gaze around and pinned Bryson with an intense stare. “What did you say?”

“That guy you’re looking at—the big, good-looking one with the hoodie. I noticed him at the last crime scene.It was the next afternoon when I’d gone for some follow-up. He stood around for a while behind the crime scene tape.He kind of stands out, doesn’t he?”

Tucker gave him an intense stare and whirled around again to face the man. He took a step toward him and Gavin backed up, sliding away into the crowd. Tucker threw his cigarette to the ground and took off after him, running as fast as he could.

Gavin dodged between the onlookers standing on the sidewalk outside the club. Tucker had seen him and was running down the alleyway after him, so Gavin had to get away. Tucker would be too full of questions—ones he knew he wouldn’t be able to answer to the handsome detective’s satisfaction. If there hadn’t been so many people on the sidewalk, many of whom were gawking at him as he pushed his way through the crowd, he might have been able to shift and move with supernatural quickness, but here, with all these witnesses, itsimply wasn’t possible. He could still turn on some of the speed if he had to, but he didn’t want to alert any more suspicion than he had already. Damn it, he shouldn’t have come back, but when he’d been told a policeman had been killed in the alley outside the club, his heart had almost stopped. He’d had to comeback and make sure it wasn’t Tucker.

He dashed to the street, hoping to cross it and lose Tucker in the crowd behind him. He ventured a quick glance over his shoulder and saw that Tucker was alarmingly close, his whole attention focused directly on him. The expression on Tucker’s face was grim and determined. It unnerved Gavin a little, and he put on an extra burst of speed, moving so fast he was out of the street and into a nearby alley before Tucker would be able to see where he’d gone. Sure enough, a quick glance back once he reached the shadows showed him Tucker, standing in the middle of the roadway looking stunned and confused. Tucker cast quick glances around him trying to figure out where his quarry had disappeared to, and then jumped in surprise as a blaring noise from behind him startled him, making him freeze as a huge bright light hurtled toward him.

Fear took hold of Gavin ’s heart and squeezed it like a fist. Moving faster than he even knew he could, he slammed into Tucker, throwing him out of the way. The sight of the truck bearing down on Tucker scared Gavin so badly he hadn’t been able to hold onto Tucker, and he hit the pavement hard, his head bouncing off the concrete and his body rolling out of control. When he came to a stop he was lying on his back, his eyes closed and his body limp. Gavin’s heart was pounding, but he ran over to where Tucker lay crumpled on the street and hovered over him, afraid to move him. Tucker opened his beautiful eyes and tried to raise his head but fell back, not quite losing consciousness, but very close to it.

“Tucker! Tucker, can you hear me?” He fluttered his eyelids and smiled, reaching up to touch him. “Hey, Gavin,” he said softly, reaching up weakly. “Couldn’t find you.”

Gavin grabbed his hand and held on. “Hey,yourself, and I’m right here, baby. Are you all right? Damn, that scared the shit out of me. Can you sit up?”