Madmen and Gator Tales

By Julie Lynn Hayes

A mad man is on the loose in Florida... a serial killer dubbed the Florida Mangler by the media because of the condition he leaves his victims in. A huge task force has been created for the purpose of catching him. Vinnie and Ethan, just back from Georgia, find themselves heading to Florida to become part of the group, at the request of their supervisor, Anderson Riley.

But something’s different with this case. Vinnie and Ethan aren’t the primaries, they’re just two more faces in this statewide manhunt. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve been partnered—on a temporary basis—with another agent, an outspoken in-your-face kind of gal named Eva June. Their job is to follow her from bar to bar, crisscrossing the state in no discernible pattern, keeping a surveillance on her as she tries to draw the Mangler into their snare. So far, they’ve had no luck, and neither has anyone else.

The profilers haven’t been of much use—although they think the man may have an interest in alligators—and Vinnie feels as though they’re spinning their wheels. Eva June’s getting on his last nerve, especially with her comments about his fear of gators.

But everything’s about to go to Hell in a hurry, and Vinnie and Ethan may just want those boring days back again...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julie Lynn Hayes
• Release date: Mar 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463408285

Julie Lynn Hayes

Julie Lynn Hayes was born and raised in St Louis, Missouri, and still calls that city home. She first began to write over fifty years ago, and doesn’t see that stopping anytime soon. She likes to write in different genres, to stretch herself in order to see what is possible. When someone tells her something can’t be done, she feels compelled to do it. Much of her writing is in the m/m romance category.When she isn’t writing, or working at her day job with a third party elevator inspection company, she enjoys crafts, such as cross stitch and crochet, and watching her favorite programs. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian, and her favorite historical character is Aaron Burr—she is obsessed with all things Hamilton! Never say never is her motto!

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Madmen and Gator Tales

(Rose and Thorne #4)

Julie Lynn Hayes

For Jaleen, my real life Eva June, and her new hubby Durrell

Madmen and Gator Tales (Rose and Thorne #4)

Julie Lynn Hayes

Copyright © 2020 Julie Lynn Hayes

Puppylove4ever Publishing, a division of GO Jules Productions Inc

This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Baby, you need to relax.

Ethan, if I was any more relaxed, I’d be comatose, I muttered. And if I had to spit any more of this white sand out of my mouth, I’d scream. I turned my head a little to the side, pressing my bare cheek against the sand instead. Much better.

You’re so tense, Ethan continued, as he gently massaged the flesh around my neck and shoulder blades. His long, firm fingers skillfully caressed every spot he could reach. Mmm, that felt so good. Too bad we were out in public. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to take this to the next level.

The sand was deliciously warm beneath my bare belly and legs, and I was in absolutely no hurry to move anytime in the near future. They say the beaches on the Gulf side of Florida are prettier than those on the Atlantic. Right now, being on the Gulf side, I’d pretty much agree with that. Maybe I’d change my mind once we got to the other side of the state. Assuming we ever got to the other side.

Ethan was perched on my back, just above the base of my spine, his legs on either side of me. His weight was comforting, but his warmth was coming perilously close to putting me to sleep. Lying on the beach in Panama City, even in November, was probably not a good idea. My concern was more for Ethan than myself. With his fair skin, if he wasn’t careful, he’d end up resembling a boiled lobster, while my skin would only take on a temporary golden-olive hue, and even that would fade with time.

This was not exactly the vacation we’d hoped for. In fact, it wasn’t a vacation at all, despite the fact we were wearing swimsuits and lying on the beach. We were on the job. Of course.

I’m not tense, I argued. Do you want me to fall asleep to show you how relaxed I am?

Vinnie, Vinnie, Vinnie, tsk, tsk, he clucked in his usual inimitable style. Always low- key and laid back, that was my Ethan. I can feel it in your muscles, no matter how much you try to deny it. I think you’re still upset about that gator thing.

If I wasn’t tense before, I stiffened now. Well excuse me for not being overly fond of alligators. Don’t see too many of them up in Joliet. As in zero. Zip. Nada. Only uncivilized places like Florida keep them hanging around like pets.

Ethan laughed. Vinnie, it was only a stuffed gator, remember? Nothing to be alarmed about. They don’t eat much.

And that was the straw that broke the camel’s damn back. Feeling suddenly invigorated, I rolled over beneath Ethan. He managed to keep his seat, despite my impression of a bucking bronco, and now I could distinctly see in his eyes the amusement I could only hear before.

He was finding the whole thing altogether too funny for my taste.

I glared up at him, although the effect was somewhat diminished by my undignified position. And my lack of clothing. At least I hadn’t let him get the tiny little thong thing he was looking at when we shopped for this trip. I finally convinced him not to get it by saying I didn’t want to show that much flesh in front of strangers, and he agreed the world didn’t need to see what was his alone.

Crisis temporarily averted.

I didn’t know that, though, did I? I said through clenched teeth. I was acting on instinct, okay? That self-preservation thing, you know?

Aw, poor baby, he cooed. He bent down and pressed a soft kiss on my collarbone.

Dammit, why did he always have my number?

Not gonna work, I gritted out, even as he brushed his lips over the same spot again, and then began to gently suck at the sensitized skin. Oh lordy.

I swallowed the moan threatening to make itself heard, but it was rapidly developing into a loud purr.

Don’t worry, Ethan whispered between caresses. I won’t let any old gator get you. If anyone’s gonna eat you, it’s gonna be me.

And now the second brain had engaged, and goddammit, I was getting hard, despite my childish intention not to.

What I meant to reply to his suggestion was something along the lines of You and what army? What came out, to my embarrassment, was When?

Yeah, way to tell him, Delarosa. Good job.

Considering it was almost Thanksgiving, the weather was pretty damn nice, even for Florida. We were far from the only ones on the beach, but we had enough space that we weren’t sitting on top of anyone else. Still, there was not enough privacy for anything even remotely resembling what I had in mind.

Damn you, Ethan, I mentally cursed him, even as my body responded to his every touch.

Maybe we can find some bushes, I heard myself suggest, much to my chagrin.

Vinnie, seriously? It’s a beach. No bushes. He was nibbling at my ear lobe, and I was arching against him for all I was worth, in serious danger of having an accident, when the sound of his phone stopped us both in mid-action.

Fuck.

It’s her, I groaned.

Yeah, it’s her, he agreed. He rolled off of me and reached for our pile of beach things which sat beside us, including towels, lotion, and sunglasses. And phones.

I knew we were working with her, and I was well aware she’d call us at some point, but I’m here to tell you she had the shittiest timing in the world. Not the first time she’d interrupted something between us. Even if that something wasn’t going to happen immediately. But that’s not the point.

Hey there, Eva June, he greeted her in what I felt was an overly friendly voice. What’s up? He listened for a couple moments then said, Okay, give us time to get dressed and we’ll meet you there. A few seconds later, he chuckled. No, not that kind of dressed. See you. He clicked off and turned to me.

Her highness beckons?

Be nice, Vinnie, he admonished me. She just wanted to let us know which bar she’s at so we can meet her there. He brushed sand off himself as he rose, than leaned over and offered me his hand. Come on, baby, he coaxed. I’ll buy you a drink if you’re a nice boy for Ethan.

Like it wasn’t all going on the government tab anyway? I rolled my eyes, but I let him help me up. All right, I said, with resignation. Let’s go.

I managed to talk Ethan into taking a quick shower together, but before we got under the water, he made it clear there’d be no fooling around. And there’d be no using my masculine wiles on him either. Damn mind reader. At least I was able to wash off the lingering grains of sand which had embedded themselves in my body in rather uncomfortable places. Afterward, we got dressed for a casual night of bar hopping.

Why are we starting now? I groused as Ethan slid behind the wheel of our rental car. It’s kind of early for people to be out on a Saturday, don’t you think? I mean the sun is just now setting, it’s only going on five o’clock. No one’s even had dinner yet. On the job, we ate when we could, but when we were at home we usually wouldn’t even think about eating before eight o’clock.

Ethan shrugged. Ours not to question why, babe. Maybe she’s got some intel we don’t know about.

Or maybe she just wants to booze it up on the government’s dime, I said unkindly. Unlike us, I could have added. We could drink but we couldn’t afford to get drunk on the job. We had to cover Eva June’s perky ass. And I meant perky as in personality, not appearance. That woman was a character, no lie.

She knows better than to get drunk, Ethan assured me. She’s a federal agent too. She can handle this.

I mumbled something, which Ethan must have taken as my agreement, and the subject was dropped.

We’d flown to Florida the day after we came back from Ethan’s family emergency in Georgia. We’d been correct in our assumption that our supervisor, Anderson Riley, had something for us to do, somewhere he needed us to be. Little did we know we’d end up as part of a large task force that was trying to catch the elusive Florida Mangler, the serial killer who was the subject of headlines in newspapers all across the country. So-called because of the condition in which he left his victims’ bodies.

Seven deaths had been attributed to this twisted fuck, but authorities speculated there were more which hadn’t yet come to light. These unknown victims were hinted at in some of the peculiar love notes the killer left behind. Boastful in nature, they supposedly shed a great deal of light on the man’s character, and profilers were having a field day with their miscellaneous diagnoses of his personality, from psychopath to sociopath and everything in between. Trouble was, they couldn’t seem to agree on a damn thing.

Naturally, Floridians were not as enamored of this enigmatic murderer as the fourth estate who reported his every accomplishment. That was understandable, considering he’d apparently targeted their state for his activities—at least as far as we knew—and his movements were as unpredictable and ethereal as that of any ghost. The only common denominator among the deceased was a predilection for the bar scene. And God only knew there were hundreds of bars in Florida. Not like that pinned down his modus operandi any.

What made this criminal different from most other serial killers was he was an equal opportunity monster—he killed men and women alike. The suggestion had been made that he was obviously bisexual. Some said transsexual. Others claimed the killer was a drag queen, hiding behind outlandish make-up while wearing a dress to disguise his own gender. I honestly didn’t think any of the so-called experts knew what they were talking about. But I was far from in charge of this investigation. In fact, Ethan and I were actually backup for another detective.

And that’s where Eva June Newman comes in.

Technically, we were underneath her, even though we were all detectives with the same federal outfit. She was fiftyish but didn’t look it. If I hadn’t known, I’d have pegged her age closer to forty. She had what some people might call a bubbly personality—I called it annoying. Wavy dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a laugh that wouldn’t quit. Our job was to keep an eye on her while she visited different bars, trying to smoke out the killer. There were a lot of officers all across the state doing just that. We were definitely not alone in our endeavors.

What I didn’t understand, and what I kept arguing about, was what if he’s after a guy this time, what then? But no one was listening. Basically, the big shots in charge of the operation—the ones who liked to look pretty for the camera when it came time to give the press updates on the case— told us to shut up and do what they said. So we did.

Tonight’s bar was located at a popular resort hotel that fronted the west end of Panama City Beach. It had a decided tropical air, not surprisingly, and servers in bikinis circulated among the patrons, with swaying hips and cool drinks. Lovely. Just what I wanted to see.

As if he could read my mind, Ethan pinched my ass as we threaded our way between the round wooden tables and the palm trees, searching for our target. I turned and gave him one of my looks. What was the purpose of that?

I just figured if you’re going to be grouchy, you should have something to be grouchy about, Ethan said, managing to keep a straight face.

Who’s grouchy? I countered.

You. You’re gearing up for it, I can tell. Just thought I’d nip it in the bud. His hand dropped back and massaged the same area he’d just grabbed. Was this his idea of the carrot and stick method? Since when was he Sigmund goddamn Freud?

And how did he know me so well?

I took a second to breathe, pushing back my hair, which was getting long and starting to hang in my face. But whenever I mentioned having it cut, Ethan threw a fit. Well, as much of a fit as Ethan ever threw, which wasn’t much.

I dunno, this just seems so pointless. I don’t feel like we’re really contributing anything to the effort to find this fucker, you know? I mean, what are the odds he’s gonna show up where we are, and hit on Eva June? He could be anywhere else in the state, who knows?

You’re right, we don’t know, Ethan said. But this is what they want us to do. They must have some reason for the cities they have people canvassing. We just happened to draw this one. And most likely we’ll head somewhere else soon enough.

Wasn’t that the truth?

Look, there she is. He nudged me in the direction of the bar. I spotted her dark head above the crowd. She was seated on a bar stool, alone. I started to tell Ethan I saw her when he surprised me with a kiss that occupied my mouth and melted my resistance.

Ethan’s such a charmer.

He wore a shit-eating grin when he drew back. He knew he had me good, and I knew it too. All right, I’ll lighten up, I conceded. He took my hand, and we headed toward Eva June.

She must have spotted us too. She slid off the stool and headed toward us, wearing one of her big old Texas grins. If her intention was to stand out in a crowd, then she’d worn the right dress for the occasion. It was a red halter dress, slit down to there, displaying her fashionably tanned arms. The hem didn’t even reach mid-thigh, which meant she was flashing a whole lot of leg too. The bodice—what there was of it—was adorned with an ungodly amount of sequins that glittered in the overhead lights. She referred to it as Texas chic, I called it trashy.

Howdy fellas, she greeted us.

Hey there, Ethan said. When I didn’t respond quickly