31. Thirty-One

thirty-one

Charlotte

"Peter," Blaire gleefully called out later that evening, chuckling as my face scrunched up, the shot I'd just taken sending a burn straight from Hell's gates down my throat. "We need another round."

"No the hell we don't," I shouted, ignoring Blaire as she began laughing harder. "I'm done."

We'd been at it for hours, though I was nowhere near as intoxicated as Blaire, and Peter had opted to drink beer instead of liquor. After my conversation with Amber, I wasn't in the mood to go out tonight. I just wanted to stay home where I was comfortable.

"Here," Peter said, ambling inside the living room with two full shots in his gloved hands.

I shook my head in refusal, but Blaire smiled sweetly at Peter and accepted them before I could throw in a verbal protest.

"Last one and then I'll leave you alone," she promised.

I really didn't want the damn shot. I'd already taken eight and if I had any more, I'd be climbing into bed a lot earlier than planned. When I got home after making a quick detour to check up on Delilah, I'd printed what I needed to print, connected some dots, then hid everything neatly and safely under my mattress so Peter and Blaire wouldn't stumble upon them. It was still radio silent on Phoenix and Spike's end, which wasn't a good sign. At all. I desperately wanted to call them, but I couldn't exactly do that without Blaire and Peter eavesdropping. As much as I hated being that person, I frankly didn't have a choice.

It was time for them to go so I could get back to work.

Blaire nudged my shoulder, and I let out a groan, making a face that expressed how much I did not want to do this. Peter chuckled deeply and sank down on the end of the couch, watching as I regretfully accepted the shot glass from Blaire, my face pinched.

"Jesus, fuck," I coughed, gagging and strenuously shaking my head. "That's disgusting."

Blaire sighed in awe while Peter continued giggling under his breath.

"Well, it's been a blast, guys, but I think I'm going to head out."

"You're leaving?" I asked as Blaire rose to her feet, and she nodded, offering me a frown.

Damn. Well, that was easy.

"It's late, Char, and Carter should be calling me within the next hour. We're going to have some intense phone sex, and then I'm taking my drunk ass to bed."

"Are you even okay to drive?" asked Peter, who stared concerningly at her with his brows raised. "You've had a lot to drink, Blaire."

"Thank you, Peter, but I already got it covered. I ordered an Uber. She should be pulling up any minute now."

"Just be safe," I told her, getting to my feet to return the hug she was offering me. "Text me when you're home."

"I will, Char. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Peter and I said in unison.

He showed her out and shut the door, turning around to face me with a small smile tilting his lips. "Are you okay?"

"No," was my unfortunate but honest retort. "But I will be. Thank you for coming over and being here for me, Peter. I had fun, but I think I'm going to get a shower and go to bed."

"Your cameras are still damaged, and it doesn't look like they're sending anyone to patrol the house now that Karl's in lockup. Would you like me to stay with you tonight? I could sleep on the couch."

I shook my head. "Thanks, Peter, but no. You don't have to do that. I called the security company and they're sending technicians out tomorrow morning with new equipment. I'll be fine."

"And your gun?"

"Upstairs in my nightstand."

He smiled, seeming pleased with that response. "Good. That's good. Have you heard from Rhodes or Hutch?"

"No. Still nothing."

Peter made a face, but he opted to keep his thoughts to himself. He didn't have to though because I already knew what he was thinking—that Karl was guilty.

"It'll be okay, Char. I know it may not seem like it, but everything will work out the way it should."

I snorted and crossed my arms against my chest. That was easy for him to say when it wasn't his life and career being sucked down the drain. While he may have broken me down and convinced me to spill the beans about Karl, he was still in the dark about my suspension and that I was proceeding with these investigations in secret. Hell, there was a lot Peter still didn't know. The truth would come out eventually, but regardless of how much I trusted Peter, I couldn't trust him with this. If he discovered what I was up to, he'd turn me in. I just knew he would.

"All I'm saying is that silence isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know they found Karl's DNA, but if the search was a bust, then they're all probably scrambling around trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Hutch or Rhodes would've called you if they'd found something, right?"

"I would like to think so."

"Then there you go," he said through a gentle smile. "I'd say that's a good sign, wouldn't you?"

He was right.

Well, maybe…

Possibly.

"Thanks, Peter. Are you okay to drive home or would you like me to order you an Uber?"

"I'll be fine. I only had a few beers and I'm not even buzzed." He stepped away from the door, and I met him halfway, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Get yourself some rest, Char. I'll text you when I'm home."

I thanked him again and then opened the door, staying put until I knew he was safely inside his car. When he was gone, I shut the door and armed the security system, just to blow out a huge breath of relief as I marched across the living room and into the kitchen to grab my phone, swaying a little from the alcohol. With still no word, not even so much as a damn text from Spike or Phoenix, I called Phoenix first, then Spike.

A low growl shook through my chest when I was forwarded to voicemail both times.

Saying fuck it, I went upstairs to take a shower, and when I stepped out, wrapping my bath robe around me and tying it in a knot at my waist, my body went stiff at the sound of heavy rapping against my front door. My phone was on the bathroom counter, but I soon froze mid-reach after abruptly remembering my cameras were inoperable.

Shit.

Who the hell could be at my—

My eyes widened when a voice I immediately recognized as Phoenix resonated loud enough for me to hear from my upstairs bathroom.

"Charlotte," he called again, and I was on the move, unarming the system and opening the door within less than a minute.

My breath was stolen as Phoenix's mouth pressed against mine, his hands firmly snaking around my robe.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered against my lips.

I opened my mouth, but my words fell short as Spike burst through the doorway and tugged me away from Phoenix, capturing my mouth with his.

"Harley has been a fucking nightmare," he said when he parted from me.

"What happened?"

"It's not good, Char," Phoenix said while Spike hauled ass for the kitchen, examining the half gallon of booze Blaire brought over. "We found the bull mask, and Delilah's mask at Karl's apartment."

I blinked at him, my eyes bugging fretfully wide. "What?"

"That's not all," Spike said from the kitchen, as he began plundering through my cabinets hunting for a cup. "We also found a burner phone. I'll let you take a wild guess at whose name and number was listed in it. The only name and number for that matter."

I swallowed hard.

Mine.

It was mine.

FUCK.

"Hold that thought," I told them, my heart hammering as I raced back upstairs and inside my bedroom to grab the pages I'd printed out. Phoenix looked confused when I came back down with the small stack in my hands.

"What's that?" he asked, and I glanced into the kitchen, finding Spike chugging down booze, his face scrunched in horror at the taste.

"Harley suspended me," I muttered, "but thankfully, I was able to get to my office and snap pictures of the files and all the evidence we'd gathered before it was too late. I-uh, also talked to Amber and Delilah while you were searching Karl's apartment. Delilah told me she's never met Karl, and Amber backed Karl's story. She said she hasn't seen or spoken to him in over a month."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Spike asked as he came marching back inside the room, offering me a glare. "Do you have any idea what would've happened if—"

"I know, Spike, I know. Which is why I made both Amber and Delilah promise not to mention my little pop up to anyone, especially Harley. They're both on board and know you'll be back to question them again. And speaking of, when exactly are you planning to do that?"

"We already did." Phoenix sat down on my couch and rubbed the heels of his palms against his eyes, expelling an exhausted breath. "That's why it took us so long to get to you. And you're right. Delilah says she doesn't know him, and Amber did back everything Karl said."

Spike planted himself beside Phoenix, pausing briefly to finish the last of the booze in his cup. He strenuously shook his head and then placed the empty plastic on my center table. "We went back to the precinct to question Karl about the masks and phone. As usual, he's denying everything and swears it had to have been planted. Most of the evidence we had at first was nothing but circumstantial, but with the DNA match and now that we found the masks inside Karl's apartment, proving Karl's being framed is going to be extremely difficult."

"If not impossible," muttered Phoenix.

"Wait." My heart sputtered as my gaze darted between them. "You think he's innocent?"

"We do," Spike answered, which frankly shocked the hell out of me. "But the problem is Harley."

"What do you mean?"

"We tried to talk to her," said Phoenix. "After we'd spoken with Amber. But that woman is—"

"Fucking intolerable," scoffed Spike.

"Harley ordered us to stand down from investigating anything else until she could review every speckle of evidence on both cases. Thanks to her eavesdropping on us, she wants to make sure everything we've gathered is credible."

"We didn't have a choice but to listen to her," Spike said much to all of our dismay. "She threatened to rat us out to the Cap and Chief if we didn't."

I blew out an overly flustered breath and then gently perched against the edge of my center table, moving Spike's cup out of the way so I could place the pages I was still holding down.

"You said you found Delilah's mask and the bull mask at Karl's apartment, but what about the third mask?" Phoenix had once mentioned he had a theory about our perp carrying two masks to help evade detection.

"It wasn't there," Phoenix answered.

"You reviewed the footage I had Phoenix bring over to you, right?"

My eyes widened, and my face flushed as I glanced over at Phoenix who smiled knowingly at me.

Oh my God…

Shit!

"No," I admitted, unable to hide the guilt as my cheeks began burning hotter. "I kind of got a little…distracted and completely forgot about it."

"Why am I not surprised?" Spike's eyes narrowed on Phoenix, who did nothing but grin bigger and flash him a teasing wink.

"When you get a chance, look at it. The guy talking to Amber isn't wearing a bull mask. In fact, it's not an animal mask at all. It's hard to tell even with the footage enhanced, but Phoenix and I both agree that it looks like some type of masquerade mask."

"And you didn't get a good look at his face?" I asked.

Spike leaned back in his seat and sighed. "No. The bastard was smart and sitting at an angle that only gave us a view of his mask and body, not his actual face. I remember the guy's body type though, and from that alone, it's not Karl. It can't be. Karl's at least twice the size of this other guy."

Besides the rest of the damning evidence against Karl, this was good news. But knowing Harley like I did, it wasn't going to be enough to exonerate him, not with his DNA and the masks at play.

Whoever's doing this…

Whoever's framing Karl…

Fuck.

Someone was hurting Karl to get to me. The packages, the texts, all of this bullshit was because of me.

But why?

Who the fuck would be twistedly psychotic enough to do something like this?

"I have to tell you guys something."

I made a mistake confiding in Peter with this, but now—now I couldn't help but think that it had to be related. Since Karl was being truthful about his involvement with Amber, then maybe he was telling the truth about this too.

"When Karl showed up here the other day… He'd asked for my help with something."

"With what?" Phoenix asked.

I relayed to them what was said, watching as they shared the same expression they had in the interrogation room, when they first began interviewing Karl.

"There's no evidence to back his claims," I said before either of them could ask. "Karl thought it was all bullshit and tossed everything."

"But what about his mistress?" Spike wondered. "Did she keep anything?"

I shrugged. "No clue. I let Karl say what he needed to say and then I ran back inside the house and called Peter. I never looked into it because I thought he was lying to me."

"But now you're not so sure."

I nodded, agreeing.

If I was right about this, then whoever tampered with Karl's truck was likely the same person responsible for these brutal attacks.

"We'll look into it." Phoenix rubbed a tense hand across his sharp jaw. "But for now, can we just call it quits on all this shit? I'm stressed out and could really use a damn drink."

"I'll get you something," I told him, getting up and making way for the kitchen, grabbing a glass and pouring it about halfway.

I came back into the room and passed it off to him.

"I have a better idea," Spike said when he got to his feet, grabbing my hand and pulling me close to him. His lips softly brushed against mine as he began tugging at the knot on my robe. "Why don't we take this off and have a little fun?"

A blush crept up my face, and before I could form a response, the knot was undone, and the robe was at my feet, leaving me completely bare. Spike's hands cupped my ass, and he squeezed them hard as he moved back to sit on the couch, pulling me on top so I'd straddle him. My lips parted when his hands met my hips, and he bucked his, allowing me to feel his raging erection.

Phoenix finished his drink and then scooted closer to me, grabbing my chin and bringing my mouth to his as Spike began kissing a torturous pace down my neck, the sensations making me moan softly against Phoenix's lips.

"He's been a bad boy, Eve," Spike whispered gruffly in my ear as Phoenix's tongue slid in my mouth, ravishing mine. "I think he could use some punishing, don't you?"

Phoenix broke the kiss and then locked eyes with Spike, the hunger and sheer excitement in them doing fathomless things to my pussy.

"Get my cuffs," Spike commanded as he slightly sat up even with me in his lap. "Back pocket."

Phoenix rose to his feet when he had them and slowly began undressing. When he was fully naked, he turned with his hands behind his back, waiting.

"You know what to do," Spike purred in my ear, releasing my hips so I could get up. I grabbed the cuffs and eagerly placed the cool, open metal around Phoenix's wrists, locking him in place. I couldn't even begin to explain the surge of pleasure I felt when he returned to his spot, his cock beautifully stiff and waiting.

"Get on your knees," Spike softly commanded.

I did as I was told and kneeled before Phoenix, licking my lips.

"He can't cum. You understand me, Eve? Edge him. I want to hear him begging for you to let him cum."

I glanced up for reassurance, and he gave me a wink before he began stripping out of his clothes.

A low groan burst out of Phoenix as I sucked him in deep, his head falling back against the couch cushion. A low moan of my own vibrated up my throat when Spike grabbed a fistful of my damp hair, forcing me to choke down every inch.

I worked Phoenix fast, sucking and licking with Spike"s guidance. With my other hand, I reached up and grasped Phoenix"s balls, rubbing and squeezing them gently.

"Fuck, Charlotte," Phoenix rasped, squirming and panting hard. "I'm about to—"

"Enough."

I pulled back, cracking a smile when Phoenix groaned again and squeezed his eyes closed, his cock dripping with pre-cum.

"Lick him clean and start again."

I did as commanded, licking Phoenix clean before I deep throated him. And Spike, although he wasn't exactly gentle about it, grasped my hair again. It wasn't until I thought I was about to pass out when Spike pulled me back just as Phoenix began crying out that he was about to cum again.

"Are you her good boy?" Spike asked Phoenix. He approached him and then ferociously grasped his face, forcing him to stare into my eyes.

"Yes," he whimpered. "Always."

"Tell him he's doing a good job," Spike instructed me.

"You're doing so good, Phoenix," I told him, grasping his cock and stroking it slowly. "So fucking good."

"I-I want to cum," he pleaded. "Please, Charlotte, I-I want to cum."

I spared another look at Spike. He nodded, and said, "Ride him."

Spike graciously helped me to my feet, and as I straddled Phoenix, cupping his face and pressing his lips fiercely against mine, I sank down on his cock, my eyes widening at the fullness. Phoenix's eyes rolled into the back of his head once I was fully seated.

"Kiss me," I whispered, and his lips immediately met mine, our tongues clashing against each other as I lifted up and began to ride him slowly, my hands firmly pressed against his shoulders for extra support.

I amped up my pace, my moans growing louder.

"I love you," he moaned against my mouth. "God, I fucking love you, Charlotte."

I desperately wanted to say it back, but I—or more like my heart—wasn't ready to admit it just yet.

"Fuck," he cried out as his breathing picked up. "Harder, baby. Fuck me harder."

I worked my hips even faster, harder, feeling my release building when suddenly a presence came up behind me and grabbed ahold of my hips.

"Keep going," Spike demanded in his gruff voice. "Don't you dare fucking stop. I want to see his cum dripping out of your pussy when he's done."

His words had us both wildly moaning, and before I knew it, I was squirting, soaking Phoenix's chest. Spike gripped my hips even harder and urged me to continue until he saw what he needed to see, Phoenix's cum dripping out of my pussy.

Phoenix's cock slid out of me, and I barely had time to properly recover, or much less move before Spike's cock impaled me in a vicious thrust, taking me by surprise.

"Oh, FUCK!"

I fell against Phoenix's chest.

"Stay just like that," Spike whispered through a throaty growl.

From the corner of my eye, it looked like he'd sucked his thumb into his mouth. A moment later, he had it pressing into my asshole until eventually, he breached it.

I whimpered at the pain and squeezed my eyes closed. I wasn't an anal woman. I'd tried it a few times with Karl in the past, and maybe once or twice with Spike and Phoenix, but it was just too painful to bear.

"It's okay, baby. Just trust me."

"Look at me," Phoenix whispered, and I did, a tear rolling down my cheek. "It's okay. I promise."

I nodded and kissed him, trying not to think about the pain as Spike began fucking my ass with his thumb while he fucked my pussy, the pleasure eventually overpowering the pain.

I fell into it deeply, a little too deeply, and wildly made out with Phoenix while Spike's whole thumb was inside my ass. His ladder rubbed vehemently against my walls as he fucked my weeping pussy raw with each brutal thrust.

I was cumming within seconds, soaking Phoenix again and breathing hard as Spike pulled out of me, shooting his seed all over my ass and lower back.

"Fuck," he breathed out, panting hard as Phoenix grinned and kissed me, our tongues dancing against each other. "I need something to clean you up with."

"Kitchen," I muttered as I lay against Phoenix's chest, smiling in awe as he kissed the top of my head. "There's a towel in the kitchen."