24. Delaney
CHAPTER 24
DELANEY
“I miss my bike.”
We’ve been on the road for a couple of days and only have a few more hours to go until we reach Philadelphia. Mark is currently driving, and Thorn is taking a nap in the backseat. Thorn wasn’t kidding about no overnight stops until we reach our destination, so it’s been nice having three drivers. We’ve only had to take breaks to stretch our legs, grab food or gas, and use the bathrooms. We took one of the club’s SUVs so we could stretch out in the back and have room to return with the Phantom.
“Hopefully, we’ll find this asshole in Philly, and you can get back to your precious Harley,” I snap.
“Fuck, De.” Mark glances over at me before turning back to watch the road. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
I blow out a breath. He’s right. I’m being a complete bitch, but I’m getting restless. After riding on the back of Thorn’s motorcycle, I understand the feeling of flying down the open road and wish that’s how we were taking this little trip. However, I had the Phantom in my grasp, and he got away. I can’t afford to let anything distract me again.
“Sorry.” I fidget with the monkey fist on my keychain. “I need to catch this guy. He can’t get away again.”
“He won’t.” Mark reaches over and pats my arm.
I dig my phone out of my purse, scroll through my messages, and start responding.
Mom: Where are you?
Me: Almost to Pennsylvania.
Mom: What are you doing there? I thought you were in Vegas.
Me: I was. A marketing firm wants to talk to me about working exclusively with them.
Mom: I thought you liked being a freelancer.
Me: I do, but getting wined and dined for once is nice.
Mom: Have fun, please be careful.
Me: Always. Love you
Mom: Love you
I could lie to her and let her believe I’m still in Nevada, but I don’t see the point. Just because she knows where I’m gonna be, doesn’t necessarily mean she needs to know the truth about why I’m going there.
Me: We’re almost to the hotel.
Jez: Reservations are under Kyle Gruber.
Me: Who’s that??
“Me,” Thorn says over my shoulder.
“Ah!” Startled, I jump, and I lose my grip on the phone. It slips through my fingers and lands with a thud on the floor of the vehicle. “Fucking shit, you scared me. What are you doing reading my messages?”
“You were reading your messages out loud.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were.”
Both Mark and Thorn reply simultaneously.
I lean over and grab my cell just as another message from Jez pops up.
Jez: Thorn. Thought you knew that.
Me: I do now.
“Why didn’t you tell me your name was Kyle?” I ask, my brows narrowing. “I hate liars.”
“Whoa.” Thorn holds his hands up. “I never lied. Yes, the name my parents gave me is Kyle, but I haven’t gone by that since I joined the club. I’m not Kyle anymore.”
“Oh.”
What else can I say? Based on his explanation, it makes sense, and I, more than most, understand. I’m not the carefree, happy-go-lucky Delaney I was before my twenty-first birthday. She died the night her twin did, and in her place, a cold bitter female emerged.
People change. Life forces them to.
Check-in is a breeze because it’s all done on an app. Thorn and I have an adjoining room with Mark so we have some privacy but are able to get to each other fast if we need to. We keep the door between the rooms open while we get settled so we can talk.
“What should we do tonight?” Mark asks.
Thorn throws his bag on the bed. “I asked the concierge about the nightlife while you unloaded the car. He said there’s a couple bars down the block.”
“Sounds like a good place to start.” I scroll through the names of the bars he mentions on my phone. “The closest one serves a full menu. It’s still early, so we can eat first and then split up.”
Thorn shakes his head. “We can eat first, but we’re not splitting up.” I start to protest, but he covers my mouth. “I know you can handle yourself, but we told Soul we’d stick together, and I don’t make a habit of lying to my President.”
“Fine.”
Thorn gathers me in his arms and crushes his mouth to mine. I want to deny him, but when he runs his tongue along the seam of my lips, I cave. His tongue dances in my mouth, and I grasp his neck to pull him closer. Thorn lifts me easily, and I wrap my legs around his waist.
A throat clears behind us.
We both pause, and Thorn glowers over my shoulder at Mark. My skin flushes because I forgot the door was still open when we started our make-out session.
“Get the fuck out, prospect,” Thorn growls.
I slide down Thorn’s body while he’s distracted and bury my face in his chest.
“Dinner, bars, remember?” Mark mocks.
“We’re coming. I’m gonna go freshen up.” I hurry into the bathroom.
“You fucking cockblocker,” Thorn says, and Mark’s laughter filters into the room as I close the door.
We stay out until two in the morning, hopping from bar to bar. Mark does prevent a couple of women from being taken advantage of, but none of the men he stops are the man we’re after.
When we get back to the hotel, Mark retreats to his room, and Thorn and I rush to take a quick shower and wash off the last few days of travel. While I brush my teeth, Thorn texts Jez to let her know that our first night wasn’t successful, and that we’re going to move further into the city tomorrow.
Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, I watch him finish his messaging before he looks up from his phone and crooks his finger at me.
“C’mere.”
I sashay over to the bed. Thorn reaches out to yank me onto his lap, and then he rolls us both so he’s on top of me. He smashes his lips to mine, and I greedily take what he’s offering.
“You taste delicious,” he says when he finally lets us come up for air.
“So do you.”
“I think we need to finish what we started before we were rudely interrupted by Mark earlier.”
Thorn slides on a condom and slams into my pussy like a madman. He doesn’t give me time to adjust, but I don’t care. I need this. I need the pain to appreciate the pleasure he wrings from my body. And somehow, he knows it.
I rake my nails down his back, and he groans. Thorn pushes my tank over my breasts and sucks on my nipple. A familiar sensation flutters inside as he pounds away, hitting my G-spot with each thrust. I moan, and his movements become more frantic.
“Come with me,” he commands.
I’m close, but not quite there yet. He must see that in my expression because he reaches between our bodies and feverishly rubs my clit. My breath hitches as my back arches. I’m so close.
Thorn buries his face in my neck and sinks his teeth into my flesh. My whole body convulses with an earth-shattering orgasm. Thorn’s cock swells inside of me, and he shouts my name as he comes.
We must drift off because the next thing I know, sunlight is peaking through the curtains of the hotel room. I rub my eyes and attempt to roll over, but I can’t because Thorn has his body wrapped around me. I don’t even remember falling asleep, but I do remember the orgasms, phenomenal as they were.
“Hey,” Thorn mutters into my hair.
“Hey, yourself.”
He loosens his hold so I can flip around and face him. With his arms wrapped around me, he kisses me senseless, and his morning wood digs into my thigh.
“Before we sta?—”
Knock, knock, knock.
“Wake up!” Mark’s voice is muffled by the adjoining door.
Thorn jumps out of bed and tosses me a t-shirt before pulling on a pair of gym shorts for himself. As he’s striding toward the door, Mark shoves his way into the room.
“What the fu?—”
“Turn on the television,” Mark demands.
I pick up the remote. “What channel?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
My heart pounds as I fumble with the buttons. There’s only one reason Mark would be this frantic.
The fucking Phantom.
“... body was discovered during a ghost tour by one of the guides and some tourists who were out on the town for a night that should’ve ended in fun, not death,” a reporter states.
“We thought it was a prop, but the guide said it was a ghost tour, and no props are used,” one tourist comments when a microphone is shoved in her face. “When he went to take a closer look, he freaked out and ran away screaming.”
“Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, the PPD and the FBI will likely be linking this murder to the Phantom Strangler based on how the body was found,” the reporter says.
The room spins, black dots dance in my vision, and my breathing speeds up. Someone grabs my arms, but I can’t focus.
“Breathe, Delaney!”
I am breathing… aren’t I?
Fingers dig into my arms, bringing me back to the present. The room slowly comes back into focus, and Thorn’s face is pale and panicked.
“Breathe in and out,” he instructs. “That’s it, nice and easy.”
I follow his instructions until my vision is no longer hazy. “What the fuck happened?” I ask, even though I have a pretty good idea.
“You had a panic attack,” Mark confirms.
“Fucking great.”
Thorn scoops me up and walks over to the bed where he sits down with me on his lap. “Do you get panic attacks a lot?”
“I haven’t had one in years,” I admit. “It must’ve been the news story.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Mark asks, returning his attention to the TV to give us a small amount of privacy.
“I don’t know,” Thorn answers.
“It has to be him . We need to go, now.” I push off Thorn’s lap.
“We don’t know it’s him for sure, De,” Mark chastises.
“ I know it’s him. The Phantom is taunting us,” I say confidently. “He’s moving to his next target.”
“Where do we go?”
I reach into my purse and pull out the map. I lay it flat on the bed and point. “We head west. That is where the rest of the green dots are.”
“Which state?”
I hang my head in defeat. “I don’t know.”
“Mark, get packed up and let Jez know we’re moving on,” Thorn orders. “We’re leaving in thirty. Tell her to dig deep and see if she can find out which state we need to head to. For now, we can head in that direction. We have time to pick a route once we get on the road.”
“Got it.” Mark rushes back into his room.
Thorn stares at me for a minute. “You okay?”
“No.”
“We will catch him,” Thorn promises.
I nod solemnly. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… How many more people have to die before we do?”