Edge of Darkness: Submit to Darkness, #1

By AJ Spencer

Like a little sinister with your sexy?  Then this dark romance thriller might be for you!  However, heed the warning…

Begin the journey of a lifetime as FBI Profiler, Natasha Stolt, is swept up in the hunt for the serial killer known as Grimm.  He may be a ruthless hunter, but so is she.  This introduction to the Submit to Darkness series by Indie Author, AJ Spencer, doesn’t just push, but obliterates the boundaries of crime and erotic novels alike! 

Natasha will face her own darkness as she gets closer to finding the man that has terrified New York City for months.  As she delves deeper into his crimes and the psychology that makes up such a killer, her fate will become tangled with his.  What happens when she becomes dangerously curious about the man behind the monster?  Will the shadows of his depraved and violent world shatter her sanity?  Or will Natasha be able to remain safe at the edge of darkness?

More importantly, will you become as obsessed with her prey as she does?

EDGE OF DARKNESS is the first book in a three part series.  They must be read in order to fully understand the story. 

WARNING: Please be aware this series contains graphic content and is only intended for mature audiences.

~Reviewer’s comments~

“Derik makes Hannibal look like a sweet little kitten”

“Kept my mind turning throughout the entire book”

“A storyline that will have many looking deep inside themselves”

“Gives one the heebie jeebies”

• Language: English
• Publisher: AJ Spencer
• Release date: Sep 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502306920

AJ Spencer

AJ Spencer has found the true beauty of being an Indie Author – No Boundaries!  Having always had a fascination with the dark depths of the human mind, AJ finds that being an independent author allows her the freedom to push the envelope of crime and erotic novels alike!  The extreme acts humans are capable of, whether heroic or hedonistic, fascinate this author and so she enjoys writing about these extremes.  Her debut novel EDGE OF DARKNESS, an erotic thriller and book one of the Submit to Darkness series, hit the Amazon Top 100 list across four genres and has made its dark presence known in several countries. AJ lives in sunny Florida with her husband and two fur-babies!  For the latest musings and book information, stop by for a visit on her website or other social media sites. 

Book preview

Chapter 1 ~ Awkward

Loud, not going away, annoying knocking on the front door.  A growl rumbled from under the mound of bed covers in the darkened bedroom.  A female’s hand snaked out reaching blindly for the cell phone by the bed.  It was snatched back into the duvet den.

It’s 6:40 in the damn morning Natasha exclaimed to the phone’s illuminated screen.  BAM!  BAM!  BAM!  More knocking!!

Oh for the love of God...I’M COMING she yelled as the covers were tossed aside.

Dammit!

Natasha hit her knee on the little hallway table just before clumsily descending the stairs of the apartment.  Still groggy from the sleeping pill she took just four hours ago, Natasha yanked open her front door.

What she demanded to a leather clad chest.  What the Hell?

Oh good, you’re awake Detective Giovanni Tagliente smirked, his Brooklyn accent sounding like something from a Rocky movie.

Natasha arched her neck to look up at this leather jacket wearing hottie and cocked her head to the side. 

You don’t look like the paper boy, so why are you banging on my door at this God awful hour Natasha inquired sarcastically. 

His humor filled eyes glanced down at her chest briefly and came up looking darker and embarrassed.  What’s that about? 

Detective Tagliente cleared his throat and began intently inspecting the door frame above her head.  She looked down at herself to see what was wrong.

Shit she gasped and slammed the door while whirling around and planting her back against it. 

The one breast that was exposed from her barely buttoned sleep shirt indicated it was rather chilly this morning.  Shoot me now!

The sound of a throat being cleared could be heard from the other side of the door. 

Um...Agent Stolt, I’m Detective Giovanni Tagliente from NYPD Homicide.  I came by ‘cause we got a meet-n-greet with Brass at 7:30.  I thought I’d pick you up and introduce myself. 

Did he just chuckle?  Natasha thought as she dropped her head in her hands feeling mortified.

From the briefing she received from her superiors before leaving Quantico yesterday, she knew Detective Tagliente was the lead on the Grimm case, as the press had so lovingly tagged it.  She was to provide support in building a profile on this serial killer and work with this man and his team.  The man that just saw my boob!  Crap!

Agent Stolt the detective asked through the door.

You wanna just try this over again he sounded sincere and so she dropped her hands from her face with a sigh and righted her shirt. 

Finally she opened the door.

Good morning, Detective.  Yes, let’s begin again.  I’m Agent Natasha Stolt, Behavioral Analysis Unit, nice to meet you Natasha extended her hand and he took it, his smile spreading across his face and she thought he was quite handsome. 

Giovanni, or Tag to his friends and coworkers, got a kick out of her blushing cheeks and decided to go easy on her.

So you want to go grab coffee before we meet with the team he asked leaning against the door jam. 

His causal nature and relaxed demeanor instantly putting Natasha at ease.  The cold morning air was beginning to snake its way around her bare legs and so she invited him inside where it was warm. 

We can grab coffee here, it’s on a timer and should be ready.  Help yourself.  I’ll be down in twenty minutes Detective.

Tag watched her ascend the stairs and briefly admired her well-toned legs.  A hot cup of free coffee and a peep show, not a bad morning my man!

Today sucks Natasha whispered to her reflection in the steamy mirror as she finished getting ready.

When it came to work, she always prided herself on keeping a balance between a professional yet feminine style.  She did not wear a lot of makeup, usually just mascara to frame her dark blue eyes and some lipstick.  Her clothes were a bit on the expensive side and her usual attire consisted of pant suites, small earrings, and a bracelet.  Her long brown hair she left damp since she would inevitably pull it into a pony tail or bun once she reached the office. 

Although she was trained as an FBI agent, her work as a profiler normally kept her out of harm’s way; allowing her to wear her beloved heels!  Not stilettos of course, but a heeled black leather boot to match her eggplant colored suit.  The deep purple was always her best color and after the morning’s rocky start, she could use the confidence. 

Tag was leaning against the kitchen counter with his legs crossed at the ankles watching as Natasha gracefully descended the stairs. 

Thanks for the coffee Agent, you ready to head out he asked with what seemed to be a perpetual half smile on his lips. 

Yes, however, I was told the briefing would not be until 9am; why the change she asked as she gathered her briefcase and purse. 

I’m not quite sure to be honest.  I got a text at 5:30am that said to get my ass in early.  My Lieutenant can be a bit vague at times Tag smiled and dumped the remaining coffee down the sink. 

After locking the door on the FBI leased apartment, she turned to see the detective was waiting by a large quad-cab pickup truck.

Is this your personal vehicle Detective inquired Natasha as she pondered the height of the steel beast.  Thankfully I didn’t wear a skirt or he would receive two peep shows this morning!

Yeah, I prefer driving this; got more head room Tag responded with a shrug of his wide shoulders. 

The drive to the precinct was quiet with the exception of radio chatter from his CB and the usual street noise of Manhattan.  Taxi cabs cut in and out of traffic with the quickness and ease of fighter jets.  Even the foot traffic was busy considering it wasn’t even 7:30am.  Natasha took it all in as she mentally pulled up the file on Grimm.

The case involved a serial killer that enjoyed disfiguring his victims by mutilating the skin and breaking bones to position or transform them into characters from various fairy tales.  Ergo, the title Grimm after Brothers Grimm. 

Normally, law enforcement waits until at least three victims can be linked to a single UNSUB (unidentified subject) before using the title of Serial Killer and calling in the Feds.  However, after the second crime scene was found and staged with an obvious Fairy Tale reference, they had no choice.  They also began rechecking some cold cases just to be sure this guy wasn’t growing more bold.  What if he used to be subtle in his staging, or maybe he was more metaphoric than in-your-face obvious?

So far they knew of four victims.  Two females, two males, all random ages, random physical traits, no apparent time line for the killings, and no discernible pattern in behavior or known associates.  In fact, the victims were not all from New York.  The third victim Tim McDay, AKA Frankenstein, was from Florida but happened to be in New York on a two day business trip.  The local law enforcement was having a helluva time trying to make any connections to the victims.

Even the crime scenes weren’t offering any help.  It seemed they were only dump sites.  The victims were killed and prepped elsewhere, then brought to the dump site and assembled or posed for effect.  Forensics found next to nothing; no finger prints, no hair or fiber samples, not even trace evidence from the various wounds.  All victims died from the acts of mutilation; never poisoned, shot, stabbed, or strangled.  The victims were alive while the cuts were made, bones broken, and/or objects inserted. 

There were no drugs found in their systems so that would mean each victim was restrained and probably conscious while the UNSUB performed his work; this was consistent with the ligature marks on various parts of the bodies.  Also indicates he was not concerned about their screams being heard. 

So what do you think about that the detective’s voice cut through Natasha’s thoughts. 

I’m sorry, what did you say she responded a little embarrassed about being caught day dreaming. 

I was asking what you thought this early meeting could be about Tag replied without appearing annoyed at her obvious lack of attention.

Oh, I assume they just wanted to gather the troops and prepare us before the press gets ahold of the fact I’m here Natasha knew her presence was going to cause a stir. 

Her last case was also high profile, as it involved a public official’s family that had been terrorized by a stalker.  He eventually kidnapped the teenage daughter across state lines; which was what brought her onboard.  Her profile was a great help to the local law enforcement in catching the stalker within five days of her arrival. 

Tag made a noncommittal sound and turned left into the precinct parking lot.  His thoughts were also straying to the case on the ride in.  He had read about this Profiler seated next to him and was impressed with her intellect and obvious success rate, but he had his doubts as to whether she could crack this case as quickly as her others. 

Hate to admit it, but I think Grimm is gonna give Miss Fancy Pants a run for her money!

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Why should I give a fuck about what this brawd thinks a New York accented male voice greeted Agent