by Morgan James
Detective Sanchez leveled a look at her. “It’s likely, yes.”
“We could draw him out, make him come to me—”
“No.” Blake’s hard voice immediately cut her off.
Sanchez’s gaze flicked to Blake before returning to Victoria. “I’d like to exhaust every other option before we do anything extreme.”
“Whoever this guy is, he’s starting to unravel and he’s making mistakes.” Blake laced his fingers with hers and squeezed gently. “I won’t let you put yourself in danger for this asshole. Let the police do their job and catch him. Your job is to stay safe and help other people.”
Her head bobbed once, not quite a promise. She would help others—by finding a way to put this guy behind bars.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I need a favor.”
Con’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why do I feel like this is not going to be a normal request?” He caught the black box Blake tossed his way, his gaze never wavering, and flipped it open.
“I need you to find someone to put a tracker in there.”
“For Dr. Carr?”
“Yes.”
Con shook his head. “Kingsley will never agree to cover this. The expense to keep tabs on her 24/7 will be astronomical.”
“He won’t have to. It’s coming out of my pocket. It’s worse than we knew.”
His friend snapped the box closed and leaned forward in his chair. “Tell me what you know.”
Blake settled into the chair across from his friend and relayed the story. “So, I fixed it up to surprise her. That should be incentive enough for her to keep it on at all times so, on the off chance that I’m not with her, we can keep tabs on her.”
“If you’re already in her bed then there’s no reason to risk this expense. You know it’s not going to be cheap,” Con warned.
Blake shook his head. “I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Victoria’s friend was attacked in her own office. Unless Kingsley extends the contract, which I seriously doubt, I won’t be able to watch over her all the time, and I need to make sure she’s okay.”
His friend studied him for a moment. “Two of the new guys just got in a couple days ago. Let me go introduce you, and we’ll have them get you squared away.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it. For real.”
Con lifted a brow. “Jesus. You find a woman and get all soft. Get out of here with that shit.”
Blake let out a hearty laugh. “Just wait, asshole. Some chick’s gonna come along and blindside you one of these days.”
His friend shuddered in mock horror, though shadows entered his eyes. His tone was hard when he spoke. “That won’t happen.”
Blake sobered, immediately regretting his words. His friend had been through the emotional wringer when he’d been younger and had his heart ripped out by his childhood sweetheart. Since Blake had known him, Con was reserved and aloof, and he stayed away from women as much as possible. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but Blake had a feeling that Con was still deeply in love with his ex. Con kept every emotion and thought under lock and key, sharing only necessary details. No one might ever know the real story.
He clapped a hand on Con’s shoulder. “Introduce me to the newbies. I fully expect to see them in those heinous-ass shirts you bought.”
A feral grin lit the man’s face. “I’m not sure who bitched more, you or them.”
Blake followed Con out of his office to the door leading to the bullpen. “That’s because they’re fucking terrible.”
Con chuckled and shrugged good-naturedly. “Just testing your loyalty.”
Blake rolled his eyes as Con punched his code into the keypad and the door unlocked, emitting a low beep as it granted access to its inner sanctum. A dozen or so cubicles were set up in the middle of the room, divided by low gray walls to give a semblance of privacy. Two men occupied the front two cubes, and they looked up as he and Con entered.
Con lifted a hand. “Guys, I want to introduce you to Blake Lawson.”
Blake stepped forward as both men rose to their feet and extended their hands almost simultaneously. He shook and allowed Con to make introductions.
“This is Vince Incarnato, Ink for short.” The man had dark hair and dark eyes. Not quite as tall as Blake, Vince was stocky with a muscular build, tattooed sleeves running down both arms. Blake wasn’t sure if Ink was short for Incarnato or for the colorful images covering a good portion of the man’s body, but the nickname was appropriate regardless. Blake nodded a greeting.
“And this,” Con continued, gesturing to the second man, “is Jason Doyle, resident tech expert. Stole him from the bureau. He’s the man you need.”
Jason’s pale green eyes flicked toward Blake. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Just Blake.” The man nodded an acknowledgment and Blake handed over the box. “I need you to put a tracking device into my girlfriend’s necklace.”
Saying the words aloud sounded creepy as hell, but Jason tipped his chin like the request wasn’t at all out of the ordinary. He pulled the locket out and examined the interior compartment of the golden oval. “Are you putting pictures in here?”
“Yeah. I’m working on that right now, so whatever you’re using will be concealed.”
He glanced at his watch. His lunch break was almost over, but fortunately he was just a few blocks from Victoria’s office building. The jeweler had called this morning to let him know the necklace was ready, and he’d rushed over to pick it up. He wanted to give it to her as soon as possible.
He’d coerced Detective Sanchez into releasing it, briefly explaining his plan after Victoria’s house had been broken into. The man had been surprisingly cooperative once Blake assured him that he had no intention of interfering with the investigation. He merely wanted what was best for Victoria, and he’d help in any way he could.
Victoria was under the impression that Sanchez had kept it for evidence, so she wouldn’t be the wiser until he surprised her with it. He just prayed he could convince her to wear it. The jeweler had soldered the bail on the locket, and it now hung from the new gold chain he’d purchased. His plan was to put pictures of both Leah and Victoria inside the locket. Now he just had to find them. Social media had been scarce back in those days, so there weren’t any good pictures online. The local newspaper at the time of Leah’s death had printed a picture of the beautiful blonde, but it was grainy and unclear.
He couldn’t reach out directly to either Victoria or Leah’s parents without jeopardizing the case, so he was left to his own devices. He’d come across their high school yearbook on the school’s website, and he’d put in a request to the school’s principal, telling the woman that his security firm was looking into the cold case, but needed a copy of the photo, preferably digital, if they had one. He’d explained that he didn’t want to contact the family and get their hopes up and left his contact information. He’d yet to hear anything back, but it’d only been a couple days.
“Give me a day or two to get what I need.” Jason flicked a glance at Blake. “You know these aren’t fool-proof, right? Even active, it will only alert us to the general vicinity.”
“Anything is better than nothing. Will you keep it active all the time?”
“That’s up to you.” Jason shrugged. “I can run perpetual radar on it, or I can activate it if shit goes down. That’ll be a lot cheaper.”
Blake deliberated for a moment. He hated the thought of not being able to find her. “Can you hack the system and trace her phone, if necessary?”
The other man raised a brow. “I can hack anything. That’s a little more complex, though, and gives about the same results. Tracker will generally place you within a few hundred yards or so.”
Blake scowled. “That’s hardly accurate.”
Jason shrugged one shoulder. “No, it’s not, but unless you’re working with the Feds and have access to their system, this is what we have to work with.”
“Right.
Well, just put it in the necklace as a safeguard and we’ll activate it if we need to.” He turned back to Con. “I’ve gotta get back over there. Benny’s holding down the fort, but Victoria should be finishing up soon and I want to make sure I’m there.”
Con tipped his head toward the door. “Come on.” They walked out front and Blake gestured at the still-empty receptionist’s desk.
“When does Abby start?”
“Two weeks. I’m flying out for her graduation this weekend, then we’ll drive back. I’m helping her move all her stuff down, so I’ll be out for a few days. I’ll need you to be my backup while I’m gone.”
“No problem.”
Con shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’re sure you know what you’re doing?”
Blake stiffened. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she's safe, regardless of the cost.”
His friend waved him off. “No, I mean... I understand. Just be careful.”
Again, Blake wondered about his friend’s history and the woman obviously still had the man tied up in knots. Choosing not to press him, Blake just nodded. “I will.”
Victoria was his now, and he would do anything for her.
“HELLO, VICTORIA. DO you have a few minutes?”
Victoria barely managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. As if it mattered now. She glanced to where Phyllis stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed in blatant disapproval at Johnathan. Her assistant’s gaze flicked to her, and Victoria offered a soft smile.
“I can spare a moment or two.”
Her eyes skimmed over Greg Andrews’s social media page one last time. She’d spent a little time each day trying to dig into the man’s life, seeing who he was friends with and what he liked. Though she’d learned a little about him while she’d been treating him, she was fascinated by some of his interests. She’d begun to follow some of his friends as well, trying to find any kind of connection to the recent murders or to herself. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been at all successful.
If she didn’t find anything relevant here soon, she was going to have to resort to desperate measures and invite the man back to counseling. She didn’t particularly want to see him again, especially if he was responsible for the recent upheaval, but she’d do anything necessary to put the killer behind bars. She closed the window on the browser with a dismayed sigh and swiveled her chair toward Johnathan. “How have you been?”
He lifted a brow. “I think the better question is, how have you been?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Fine, I suppose.” She’d told Johnathan about the break-in a couple days ago, and he’d been calling or stopping by her office each day. “I’ve had new locks installed on all of the doors and made a few enhancements to my security system.”
In all honesty, even though the new mattress had been delivered just yesterday, she wasn’t looking forward to sleeping in her own bed again. She’d spent the past three nights at Blake’s house, unable to fathom the idea of being in her home, knowing that the killer had been in there. She’d have to go back to her place soon. Just... not yet. Blake hadn’t pushed her, either. He’d taken the necessary precautions to ensure her safety, telling her he’d be right beside her when she did decide to go home.
She’d kind of lied to Blake about never having a man over, though it was more a lie of omission. Although she’d never had a boyfriend, Johnathan had stopped by frequently before she and Blake had started dating. Thank goodness he hadn’t shown up unexpectedly at her house like he used to. It was bad enough that she had to worry about Blake seeing Johnathan show up here where she worked. She knew Blake was jealous of the other man, even though he had no reason to be. Although she had to admit, she’d feel the exact same way if Blake had female friends. Licking her lips, Victoria took a deep breath and decided to come clean.
“I’ve decided to take your advice. About dating,” she clarified.
An expression of pure elation passed over his face before he could school his features, and guilt slammed into her. He really was such a nice guy, and she hated to have to hurt him. He spoke up before she had the chance to elaborate. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” She nodded slowly. “In fact, I’ve been talking with someone. Even been out on a couple dates.”
His face fell. “Well, that’s wonderful. How did you meet him?”
She fought the urge to fidget. “He actually works here, in the healthplex.”
“Another doctor, Victoria, really?” His face screwed up. “You know how badly those relationships turn out. Do you really want to date someone in the same profession?”
Ironic, coming from him.
“No, it’s not...” She took a deep breath. “After that poor woman was murdered a few weeks ago, you suggested we try to get some extra security around here. Remember?”
“Of course.” Disbelief colored his features as realization dawned. “You’re dating that... that cop downstairs?”
“Not a cop,” she corrected. “Personal security agent.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “Isn’t that a bit of a conflict of interest?”
“Mr. Lawson was brought in as a precaution for the entire healthplex—not for me specifically. Blake has been wonderful enough to help me after hours.”
“I’m sure he has,” Johnathan muttered under his breath, and Victoria shot him a glare.
“My house was broken into,” she snapped. “It’s nice to have someone there who actually cares about me and is willing to go out of his way to keep me safe.”
It was a cheap dig, and she almost—almost—felt guilty when Johnathan’s lips turned down in a frown.
“You seem to rely quite heavily on Mr. Lawson.”
Her back stiffened defensively. “Isn’t that the point of a relationship? To give and take, to be able to trust your partner and accept their help?”
“Of course,” he soothed. “I just meant that you’ve only known him for a very short time. I would hate to see you get hurt.”
“I really like him.” She hadn’t admitted it aloud before, and Victoria dropped her gaze to her hands, picking at a thumbnail.
Johnathan was quiet for a moment. “And are you happy?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He’s a good guy. He makes me feel safe.”
“After everything you’ve been through, you deserve to feel safe and cared for. Does he love you?”
She quirked a brow. “We’ve only known each other for a couple weeks. Who can tell?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Some people know right away.”
She shifted under the scrutiny. Was that true? All of her training told her no, it wasn’t possible. It took time to develop those kinds of feelings. “I don’t know. We’ll date for a while and see what happens.”
“When does his job end here?”
“He has about a week and a half left on the contract, I think. I haven’t heard anything about them extending it.”
“I’ll bet he’ll be busy soon,” he replied. “I heard one of his colleagues just took a security assignment for Gemma Malone.”
Victoria’s gaze snapped to him, and she felt her jaw go slack. “The singer?”
A wry grin quirked his mouth. “America’s sweetheart.”
Oh, God. A sudden surge of jealousy twisted Victoria’s stomach into a knot. Gemma Malone was incredibly talented—and incredibly gorgeous. The thought of Blake surrounded by women like her—blonde, beautiful, successful...
“I’m really sorry, Johnathan,” she managed to choke out. “My next patient will be here in just a few minutes and I have to get ready.”
“Of course, my apologies.” He stood and brushed a hand over his slacks. “Call me if you need anything.”
Johnathan left and Victoria sat in her chair twirling a pen and staring out the window as thoughts swirled through her mind. Was there already an expiration date on her relationship with Blake?
Chapter Twenty-Two
“You okay?”
Blake’s voice cut through her musings
as Victoria pushed her food around her plate. She lifted her gaze and gave him a wan smile. “I’m fine. Just thinking that I should go home soon.”
A wary light entered his eyes. “Well, you should be safe there now. I’ll bet you’re getting tired of living out of a suitcase.”
His gentle teasing caused her heart to constrict. “A little bit. It’s just... I can’t let someone run me out of my own house. I can’t let him win.”
“I understand.” He scooped up another bite of food. “Well, we can head over to your place after dinner if you want.”
We. She sucked in a sharp breath at the word. “Blake? Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“I was just wondering... What will you do after your job here is up?”
“You mean working at the healthplex?” He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I put in a request for an extension after your house was broken into, but it hasn’t been approved yet. The landlord may deny it and turn the responsibility over to the PD since you’ve been targeted at home. But to answer your question, I honestly don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.” She pushed the rice around her plate before sighing and setting her fork at the edge of her plate. “Will we still see each other?”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “Of course. Is that what you’re worried about?”
She nodded and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “What if your next job takes you far away?”
He tipped his head to one side, studying her. “We’ll just have to take it one day at a time.”
“But what if you’re gone for months?” she pressed. She cringed at the insecurity and neediness in her voice but she couldn’t help it.
“Sweetheart, everything will be fine. I promise.”
He sounded so sure of himself, yet doubt lingered within her. “But how can you know?”
“I just know.” His voice low and patient as he took her hand in his, gently stroking her palm with his thumb. “We’ll still talk and spend time together, just like we do now. Maybe I won’t get to see you every day, but... we’ll work it out.”
