Pleasant Extortion (The Extortionists 1)

“Finish this, Randon,” Kurt said. “They have a right to know and we don’t have a lot of time.”

“When you came in the diner, I wanted to tell you all of it, Pageant, but if you remember, I told you that you wouldn’t be able to sleep at all if I shared what we had on the extortionist.”

“Don’t you dare try to play this off like you’ve been trying to protect me! We may have slept together, but from what I’ve gathered so far, your feelings for me are far stronger than mine are for you.”

Randon flinched.

“Ouch,” Kurt muttered. “That’s gotta hurt.”

“She’s lying,” Randon said confidently. “But this isn’t about us, Pageant. This is about you and what you mean to the extortionist. Moreover, it’s important for us to discuss the extreme measures he’s willing to take to make you his.”

“What do you mean ‘make me’ his?” The color washed out of her face. “Are you saying that some serial killer believes I belong to him?”

Kurt crossed his arms and glowered at her. “Yeah, I know it’s sort of hard to fathom going to bed with a beast when—”

“Kurt.” Randon shook his head, not at all in the mood for Kurt’s sarcasm.

“Just pointing out the obvious.”

Pageant’s fingers slipped under her hair and she slowly stroked a small patch of skin right below her ear. Randon’s cock twitched with a recent memory. He’d bitten her there. He’d marked her several places, but the one below her ear was an intimate expression as much as a ritualistic claiming. And she’d understood the significance then just as she understood now.

“Well?” She dragged him from his thoughts. “Am I right?”

“It’s not just a random belief or psychotic delusions.” He halfway expected someone to interrupt him, but when they didn’t, he made the decision to take Kurt’s advice and finish this. Maybe if Sheriff McKinney and Pageant understood what they were up against, they’d understand why it had been impossible to stop the extortionist. “You are his, Pageant.” Every muscle in his body throbbed in pain. The truth was tearing her apart. “As much as you belong to me in this world, in his world, you belong to him.”

She slumped to the stoop once more. “And to think I’d just started to believe I’m only yours. Guess I was wrong on several counts.”

“Have I missed something?” Sheriff McKinney asked.

“No.”

“Yes,” Randon countered her with full intentions of explaining the whole story. “Why don’t we start at the beginning?”

“That’s a good idea,” Sheriff McKinney said. “Assuming you can tell the whole story before we’re attacked again.”

Randon had wanted to tell her everything the night they’d met in the diner. Convinced knowledge would empower her, he’d later regretted that he hadn’t taken the time to let her know what he and Kurt had uncovered over the last few years. “We can’t leave anything out.”

Kurt nodded in agreement.

“Even if you have doubts, you will never be protected in this town if you don’t do everything I tell you in order to protect yourselves and Pleasant.”

“Of course,” Pageant said, her eyes softer again.

“Of course,” Sheriff McKinney mimicked her. “In fact, I’ll even strip off my badge, hand you my gun, and ask God if you can take his seat, too. How’s that?”

“The first two, I’ll gladly accept. Not a chance on the latter. Kurt and I have a few supernatural abilities we can depend upon and so far, we’re no match for the extortionist. We need God on our side.”

“He’s right,” Kurt chimed in. “We’re already convinced the extortionist is working with a power greater than himself. We need to find a way to do the same.”

Pageant went pale and pointed to the area behind him. “Then you might want to start praying now, but in the meantime, run!”

Chapter Sixteen

“This is getting old, man!” Kurt slammed the hotel room door and collapsed on the bed. His ragged breaths filled the room as Randon checked Pageant’s exposed skin—face, neck, and limbs, making certain she hadn’t been harmed in some way.

“What happened out there?” She went to the window and drew the curtains. Peering around them, she asked, “Did Blaine, I mean Sheriff McKinney, escape?”

“He made it to the jail,” Randon replied, leading her to the bed. His vision was still a little blurry thanks to the bolts of blue lighting the extortionist had thrown in their direction. During the worst of the attack, a large shadow pivoted and then waves of electrical currents were hurled in their direction. “Sit.”