The Isolated Widow (The Widow Taker Book 2)

by Kennedy Layne

  Quinn’s subtle curves fit against his in a way no other woman’s body had ever done before. She was the one to deepen their kiss as she pushed herself up against him on her tiptoes. The open invitation was just too hard to ignore. He lifted her up so that he had better access to her, setting her down on the counter behind her so that he could kiss her properly.

  The heat of her tongue matched his, and she wasn’t shy in showing him what she wanted. The hand that she had wrapped around the back of his neck gradually made its way down the front of him until she was able to unbutton his jeans. He’d already known that there was no stopping her when she wanted something, but he needed so much more than she was willing to give.

  “You mentioned this casually a time or two, Quinn,” Linc murmured, tearing his lips from hers so that she understood exactly what she was getting herself into. Her lips were already slightly swollen from their kiss. He waited until she lifted those light brown eyes of hers that were now darkened with arousal. “This…thing between us? It’s anything but casual.”

  Linc had released his hold on her, pressing the palms of his hands into the lip of the counter on either side of her. He’d had enough casual flings to know the difference, but she was something more than an unintended encounter.

  He’d known that from the moment he’d met her.

  “Do you really want to do this now?” Quinn asked a bit breathlessly as they both continued to compose themselves.

  “Yeah, we do need to do this now,” Linc countered, trusting his will enough that he was able to lift a hand and brush away a wayward strand of her hair. “I’d like to go on record that casual isn’t going to be good enough for me.”

  The quick intake of air through her parted lips told him that he might not get to taste them again. The burning desire to compromise the decision he’d just made was strong. She must have put on some hand lotion, because it was as if she’d just immerged from a field of orchids. He could feel the sun above them already, but she had to be willing to take his hand and walk the path.

  “I’m…” Quinn’s breath stuttered as she finally released the air from her lungs.

  “It’s okay,” Linc replied softly, stepping close so that he could pull her into his arms. She rested her cheek again his chest as he wrapped her in his embrace. Damn, she felt good. He held her for a long time, not wanting to let go of their intimacy quite yet. He wanted to tell her that nothing had taken place to the point where they couldn’t redraw the line in the sand, but he wouldn’t lie to her. “We should be getting back to work, so why don’t we—”

  Quinn lowered the zipper on his jeans, and he didn’t think he’d ever been at such a loss of words in his life. She would never cease to be the beautiful enigma he’d come to know. The guttural moan that vibrated between them had definitely come from him. He had her off the counter and on the way into the living room before he could talk sense into himself.

  They would both have to deal with the ramifications of their actions later.

  She had her legs wrapped around his waist, so it was relatively easy to lay them both down on the couch, though he would have much preferred they had made it to her bed. He was able to get his sweater and her sweatshirt off without too much hassle, but he had to stop to admire her beauty.

  Quinn lay somewhat breathless on the couch where he’d pushed his files to the floor, her hair fanned out all around her. Her lips glistened from his kiss and her cheeks were flushed with the same red hot desire that was coursing through his veins. He traced the mounds of her breasts with his finger, giving him time to control the impulse of instant gratification.

  She tested him, though, by arching her back into his touch. He slowly leaned down and brushed his lips against the ample portion of her right breast. Hell, she even tasted like fresh ground vanilla beans. It didn’t take him long to reach underneath her and release the catch. He gradually slid the straps from her arms until there was nothing more standing in his way.

  “I need this, Linc,” Quinn whispered longingly, pulling him back up for another kiss. She then drew him down until her warm lips pressed against his ear. “I need you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Quinn listened to the rhythmic sound of Linc’s heartbeat that had been so erratic just moments before. She still hadn’t quite caught her breath from the release he’d given her. She wasn’t a stranger to sex, but what they’d just done went beyond that and more. Her body was still humming with electrical energy.

  “If you keep that up, we’ll be eating lunch and dinner here,” Linc murmured, his eyes still closed while she continued to trace circles on his chest with her fingers. “Rhonda will think I kidnapped you or something.”

  She couldn’t help but smile, not realizing that she’d let her hand slip quite so low. It wasn’t her fault that her subconscious automatically veered back to where they’d just returned from. For someone who sat at a desk most of the day constructing profiles, he sure managed to keep a healthy physique and a tremendous amount of stamina.

  Her smile faded slightly when she thought back to his terms, but she did her best to push her fears of intimacy aside. It was always in the back of her mind that there hadn’t been one person in her life that she hadn’t lost after loving them with nearly everything her heart possessed. She’d been able to come to terms with that and distance herself from history repeating itself.

  Quinn highly doubted that she would need to worry about Linc once the case was solved. Linc would go back to Quantico, and she’d stay here. His attention would eventually wane. Time and distance would be the problem solver in this situation, so she’d let herself enjoy his company without the inherent fear she’d come to own.

  However Linc viewed the term casual was up to him.

  “I think I’d prefer this over chicken noodle soup, anyway,” Quinn said teasingly, pushing herself off his arm so that she could lay on top of him. They were both completely nude, with not even a blanket to cover them. Not once in the past hour had she been anything but on fire, but she pushed that thought aside, as well. “If you don’t have any more condoms in your wallet, I have some upstairs, either under my bathroom sink or in my bedside table. I’m definitely up for round two if you are.”

  Quinn had been placing light kisses down the side of his neck, even nibbling a time or two to give him the incentive to retrieve the required protection. She should have known it wouldn’t take much. Before she knew what was happening, he’d turned her over and had her trapped underneath him. Her arousal burned hot, and she wasn’t sure she could wait for him to make the trip upstairs. The ringing of his phone brought back a bit of her sanity.

  “I’ll go grab the condoms while you answer that,” Quinn directed after stealing one more kiss. He didn’t move, though. He’d gone to reach for his phone that had fallen to the floor along with several files, but every muscle in his body had tensed with whatever had caught his attention. “Linc?”

  “Son of a bitch,” he murmured, pushing off her as he scooped up one of the papers that had gotten loose from a file. “Quinn, you said you didn’t know Brandon Harper all that well, but did you know he had a younger sister?”

  It was a good thing that Quinn was used to high speed turns when it came to life, because they’d gone from being intimate to tracking a serial killer in a span of milliseconds. She quickly scooted off the couch to grab their clothes.

  “Olivia? I don’t even think she was in high school when I was a senior. Brandon’s younger than me, so she’s even younger. I couldn’t even tell you what she looked like.” Quinn didn’t bother to put on her bra, but instead pulled the hoodie over her head. She managed to slide her hands through the arms of the sweatshirt before finishing her answer. “What did you find?”

  “I’ve been combing over Tamara Johnson’s file,” Linc explained, shooting her a grateful look when she passed him his clothes. He didn’t waste time getting dressed, either. “The unsub usually has either a personal connection to his first victim or made a mistake
in some way.”

  “And you found it?” Quinn asked, the adrenaline she experienced with him earlier morphing into a different kind of excitement. They both managed to finish dressing, albeit haphazardly, before she settled in next to him. In his hand was one of the criminal reports with several names listed on the bottom. It didn’t take her long to spot Olivia Harper’s name. “Tamara and Olivia were friends?”

  “It appears so,” Linc said quietly, running a finger underneath her name. “Chaz included her name, indicating he had a brief phone conversation with her.”

  “Why over the phone?” Quinn asked as she read over the notes next to Olivia’s name. The summary was that the two were friends and she’d acknowledged Tamara’s desire to disengage from her friends after the death of her husband. Tamara had clearly still been grieving the loss of her spouse. “Why wouldn’t the sheriff go see her in person?”

  “It’s impossible to personally interview everyone involved with a victim’s life,” Linc explained. “They were friends who ran in the same circle, but they weren’t as close as some of the others who are listed in the report. It’s the second connection we found between the victims and the pub, though.”

  “But you said yourself that you don’t believe Brandon Harper is the unsub.” Quinn stood and walked over to the white board that she’d put together. It wasn’t as in depth as the one at the station, but it helped her when she was airing her podcast. “Brandon dated Lisa’s sister back in high school. I hate to say it, but if Nick spilled our secret…”

  “I don’t think Audrey has anything to do this.” Linc stood, pulling the sleeves of his sweater up his forearms as he joined her in front of the whiteboard. “We need to find out how often Olivia goes to the pub to visit her brother. She’s what? In her late twenties?”

  Quinn picked up one of the markers and wrote Olivia Harper’s name underneath the group of people who were already denoted on the board.

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I don’t understand why you’re so focused on Olivia, but not Brandon.” Quinn put the cap back on the marker, turning so that she could see Linc’s expression. He was frowning, but there was a glint of determination in his gaze. He’d connected some imaginary thread that she couldn’t see yet. “He’s the one who works at the pub. Well, used to work at the pub.”

  “But Olivia is the true connection,” Linc said confidently, without any proof. He had a process that she had to respect, but she hated being kept in the dark. “It always comes back to the first victim. Always.”

  Linc leaned down and kissed her before turning back to retrieve his phone. He had yet to see who’d texted him before, and it looked as if he ignored the message now. It didn’t take him long to reach Agent Malone. The unexpected kiss had her pressing her fingertips to her tingling lips. He’d distracted her. She’d gotten used to him sidetracking her this past weekend, but this was different.

  “Dean, we found something that…”

  Quinn let Linc have some privacy as she walked over to her desk to check her messages. There were quite a few emails from readers, asking for a weekend update on The Widow Taker. There wasn’t much to tell them.

  She’d made a promise to Linc and Agent Malone, and she was good on her word.

  With that said, she’d still put out some feelers to Katie and Roger to see if anything new had hit the radar this morning while she’d been otherwise occupied—not that she regretted a single second she and Linc had spent on the couch.

  It took her less than ten minutes to dash upstairs and change into a pair of jeans and one of her favorite dark green cowlneck sweaters. She ran a quick brush through her tangled hair before making her way back downstairs. Linc was still on the phone, so she sat down at her desk and began to do a little bit of research herself. She figured Linc was having his team search for a connection between Olivia Harper and the victims.

  The distraction also kept her from thinking too much about what Linc said about how what was between them was anything but casual. She’d let her physical needs overwhelm her common sense, but she was still comforted by the fact that he would leave after the case was solved. She was well aware of what happened when she became too involved with someone, on any level. Aaron, her mother, her best friend, and the list only continued.

  Work, readers, and listeners were what and who kept Quinn company on those cold nights. She ignored the warmth that had replaced the chill in her bones. It was only a temporary situation, anyway.

  “…I might have an idea on that, but I want to make sure the connections line up,” Linc said, still speaking with Agent Malone.

  Linc’s voice sounded a bit closer than before, causing Quinn to raise her gaze over the top of her monitor. Sure enough, his watchful gaze was observing her a little too close for comfort. He had that annoying knack of knowing someone’s thoughts.

  Quinn forced herself to concentrate on the lighted display in front of her. She typed in several keywords into the search engine before using the cursor to click on the small magnifying glass. It didn’t take long for possible results to reveal themselves in her feed. She began scanning the results, landing on the third one down.

  “Linc,” Quinn whispered, waving for him to come around her desk from where he now stood in front of the whiteboard. “I’ve got something.”

  “…you sure?” Linc wasn’t addressing Quinn, but he did begin to cross the cream carpet in his bare feet. “That’s thin, so keep digging. We’ll stop by the station after lunch. See you then.”

  “What’s this?” Quinn asked warily, hoping they weren’t on the wrong track. There was evidence before her that spoke to the contrary, but she wanted to hear what Linc had to say first. “Is it something about Olivia?”

  “One of the victims sold wreaths on an Etsy site,” Linc replied, setting the criminal report that he’d been holding onto next to her teacup from earlier this morning. “Olivia Harper left a stellar review. That connection doesn’t do it for me. There’s got to be more there.”

  “Then how about this?” Quinn clicked on images, leaving the search engine results in hopes of something better. She was rewarded instantly, and she pointed to the blonde standing next to a man in a dark grey suit in the image. “That’s Olivia, standing next to Governor Compton. She worked on his campaign, Linc.”

  “Nice, Quinn. Really nice work.” Linc still had his phone, so he shot off a quick text. No doubt it was to Agent Malone. “Has anyone ever told you that you would have made an excellent detective?”

  “No,” Quinn quipped, keeping the lighthearted atmosphere alive. The last thing she wanted Linc to do was make this awkward. “All the deputies are too busy hating me, and the sheriff thinks I’m just a pain in his ass.”

  “They believe you have wrong intentions, but I know better.” Linc had taken the arm of her chair and spun her enough so that she was facing him. She’d been worried about nothing, because the left corner of his mouth was upturned in a half grin as he leaned down to steal another kiss. “You’re actually gunning for the sheriff’s job, Quinn. I get it. It’ll be our little secret.”

  Quinn couldn’t help but laugh at the direction he’d taken, but the relief that washed over her was vast. He wasn’t going to make this new dynamic they’d introduced into their relationship uncomfortable.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Quinn asked, settling back in her seat. She’d overheard him say that they were still going to lunch and then heading to the station, but she wanted to know the larger agenda. “Are you or Agent Malone going to question Olivia?”

  “Dean will take care of it,” Linc replied with the utmost confidence, picking up the criminal report he’d set on her desk before walking over to the couch. He put it back in the file before sparing a glance her way. “I’ll spend the evening making changes to the profile as information comes in regarding Olivia Harper’s connection with the unsub.”

  “Do you know how frustrating that is?” Quinn stood, leaving the tab open that held Olivia’s
picture with Governor Compton. Linc might be able to pass the core investigating off to his colleague, but she wouldn’t be able to let it rest without exhausting all sources. “You found a major lead, and you’re not even following up on it.”

  “That’s why there’s an entire team.” Linc pulled the black sweater he’d chosen to wear today over his head before running a hand through his hair. He then reached for his socks. “Everyone has their responsibilities, and the goal is to make an arrest and bring an end to the unsub’s reign of terror. Besides, I have you to keep me occupied. Do you really think I don’t know that you’re going to research this lead into the ground? I might actually have to make a side bet with Dean to see who comes up with the most substantial lead.”

  The fact that Linc believed in her investigative abilities that much had her wishing he would make such a bet. She should be given points, though. Agent Malone had a hell of a lot more databases at his disposal. Fortunately, he didn’t have the local connections that she had in her back pocket. She was slightly hampered by the restrictions of her recent promise, though.

  “I won’t run an article or mention Olivia in my podcast, but that hypothetical bet would mean I could do some digging on the side, right?” Quinn asked, wanting the rules laid out so that she didn’t piss off the lead agent. She picked up her teacup to take into the kitchen, wanting to take care of a few things before they left for the pub. “I’ll use discretion, of course.”

  “Once again, I trust you.” Linc wasn’t even looking her way when he replied to her question. His casual manner as he went about picking up the folders off the floor fed into her mixed feelings. She wanted to ask why, but that might veer the discussion into tumultuous waves that she wasn’t ready to swim in. “Ready to head out?”

  Quinn breathed a little easier regarding the personal front, but she still had a ton of questions regarding the case. She had an angle that she might be able to cover on her podcast, but she’d have to see how the next few hours went before she due on air. She would tread carefully, respecting the agreement that she’d made with Linc.