I slammed the door shut behind us, locked it, and tried really hard to keep my eyes away from her breasts. “You don’t run out like that again.”
Her long-wet hair was now tiny candy curls. They clung to the side of her face. “I will try my best.”
“Try your best?” Fury zipped through my blood. “You ran out there without backup? What the hell, Haven? You know better. You think there’s some perp out there; you get me; you come and get—”
“There wasn’t time.” She looked at the ground. “He got away before. . .I didn’t want him to get away again.”
Vernon had left a message, ordering her to leave town. Who the fuck did he think he was? Now, this psycho was preying on her and I wouldn’t stand for it.
She shoved back her hair. Water droplets littered the floor.
“Why do you think he came to your room, Agent Barron?”
There was an odd, tense note in her voice. “He’s watching me and thinks that I can help you catch him.”
“You’re a threat to him. Soon there won’t be any nice messages. If there’s a next time, he may kill you. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
I wouldn’t let it happen.
“I’m sorry, Agent King. I won’t do that again.” She inched back and carefully put her gun down on the nightstand.
“Okay.” I felt bad for a few seconds. But not too bad. I was more scared of her being killed than of my hurting her feelings over reckless actions. “Coming to you twice makes him desperate. Let’s hope he left a print.”
Doubt coated her words. “Let’s hope.”
“Agent. . .” My words left me. I closed the distance. Barely an inch lay between us. “You see anyone—anyone—out there again, you come and get me before you go storming outside.”
“I will.”
“You said that before.”
“I mean it this time.”
“You better.” I breathed her sweet scent in. “You don’t face the psychos on your own. Not when I would walk through fire to keep you safe.”
She parted her lips as if in shock.
I whispered, “That scared the shit out of me. You owe me.”
We were so close. Heat radiated between us. I yearned to gather her in my arms and kiss her.
She whispered, “Thank you for trying to protect me.”
“Just trying, Agent Barron?” An inch, maybe two, separated our lips. I needed to close that distance and take her mouth. To plunge my tongue deep inside and taste her. But I couldn’t cross the line. With insanity, I fisted my hands at my sides.
She gazed in my eyes. “I really am sorry.”
“That’s not enough. I’m still mad.”
Haven licked her lips. Her hands came up, pressed against my chest. The touch seemed to burn my flesh. So hot, but her flesh felt so soft and silky. “Sorry isn’t enough?”
It was a simple question, but one lathered in more. Desire. Lust. The hunger for more. And I knew that I wasn’t imagining things, that it was all in my perverted head. In that moment, I remembered that I was only wearing boxer briefs.
“Alexander,” she whispered.
My name rolled off her tongue with that nearly forgotten hint of a southern drawl. If I wasn’t careful, she would drive me crazy with lust. And definitely have me on my knees with my tongue out.
My cock throbbed. I tried to keep my voice firm when speech was nearly impossible. “You stay in my room until the case is closed.”
“Okay.”
You damn right it’s okay. There would be no other option.
We were wet and close. Surely, adrenaline buzzed through us. Surely, that buzz heightened our craving of each other.
My cock twitched, rising and swelling.
She looked away but didn’t step back. “I should go back to my room and get my stuff. I’m wet and—”
I took her.
With no control.
With no sense of logic.
I gathered Haven in my arms and devoured her mouth like a mad man. Hungry flames ripped through my blood at the touch of those lips. Her wet t-shirt smoothed against mine. And no sane man would blame me. For so long, I’d yearned to taste her. The arousal had my muscles stiff and my cock jerking. If I had let this go on any longer, then at some point, I would have exploded.
She was a temptation I could no longer resist.
And then our tongues met.
A moan rose in her throat; the sound came out sexy, raw, and wild.
Rising up on her toes, she raised her arms, rested them on my shoulders, and wrapped them around me, pulling me closer.
I dropped my hands to the curve of her ass. My fingers clenched as I pressed her closer to me, pushing her body up against my swollen cock.
Her nails dug into my shoulders.
A delightful bite.
The bed. Get us to the bed.
Too excited, I couldn’t take my mouth from hers. Her taste would haunt me. Sweet honey, rich wine. Fucking insane combination that was only. . .Haven.
Goddamn it.
Crazy thoughts spun in my head. Already, I knew I wouldn’t last long the first time. However, the second time, I would make it up to her. She would scream my name. Then the third time, she would twist and turn as she came.
I brushed my fingers against her panties. Soft, silky panties. So wet. So hot. My finger eased under the silk.
So far, I was seeing that Haven could burn me alive with just a touch.
Her breath caught and went ragged. Slowly, I slipped down her panties over that plump ass. Hunger beat in my blood. The lust nearly blinded me.
She rose on her toes some more, clutching my shoulders and holding on tight. Our mouths crashed onto each other. Wet lips upon hungry ones. Those stiff nipples pressed against my chest.
Fuck this. I have to take her. Right. Now.
I caught her hips, yanking her closer. We stumbled a bit as I backed us up. The bed hit my leg. I spun us around.
I had to have her naked and beneath me.
We hit the bed. The mattress groaned beneath our weight.
Moaning, her legs came up and locked around my hips.
Hell yes.
I tore my mouth from hers and kissed a path down her neck. Haven moaned, arching beneath me.
Her nails bit into his shoulders. “Fuck…”
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted you?” I lifted up, pushing my palms flat against the mattress on either side of her. That damn wet shirt would have to go.
“Finally.” I grabbed the bottom and yanked it up.
Like a crazed man, I wrenched the bra to the side, needing to see her breasts.
Fuck yes.
Those breasts were perfection. Large, soft pillows. Dark nipples.
I lowered and closed my mouth around one.
I bit her.
Light, not too hard.
Not yet.
“Oh!” She shivered beneath me.
And then a knock came.
I rose from her breasts.
Haven’s breath caught. She stared up at me, eyes widening.
And then the phone rang.
I’ll ignore the damn phone and that knock. Fuck all of them.
“They can wait.” I bent to kiss her again.
“No.” A whisper. Soft but certain.
And then, the knock shifted to pounding.
I should shoot this idiot!
I moved my hands away from her and rolled onto the bed. “It better be Vernon wrapped in a bow and holding evidence.”
“Let’s hope.”
I growled, “Forget them.”
And because I was insane with need, I got back on her and kissed that mouth.
Whimpering, she didn’t even try to stop me.
A harder knock rattled the door.
Okay. Okay.
Haven wrenched her mouth from mine. I moved from her lips, glistening from our kiss.
Fuck whoever is at the door.
I craved more kissing, more of her t
aste.
The person knocked again.
“Agent King?!” A loud voice demanded right before another hard knock. “It’s Sheriff Michaelson. We heard the Angel Maker was here.”
Licking her lips, Haven fixed her shirt and rose from the bed.
Still, I kept my gaze on her and stood. “Give me a minute, Sheriff!”
“Okay. I’ll be down in the lobby. My officers are interviewing the staff.”
You fucking idiots. Of all nights, you choose to be on point and on time?”
Haven cleared her throat and kept her voice low. “I’ll get dressed.”
She turned away from me. I grabbed her arm and swung her right back around to face me.
“What—”
I kissed her again.
Hard.
Fast.
When I lifted my head, I glared at her. “For the record, I’m still mad.”
She blinked and went away.
My cock now pointed far ahead of me. I would have to calm it down before I made it downstairs.
Haven went into the bathroom, probably to get a towel.
And maybe she needs to gather herself too. I never got to see how wet she was.
Grinning, I snagged my shirt off the side of the bed.
I’ll find out later.
Yanking the shirt on, I put on my pants and then slid into my shoes. My cock hung heavy, so I decided to put on a jacket to cover the front.
I glanced at the bathroom’s opened door. Haven rushed with drying her hair.
“Stay up here,” I ordered. “When everyone is done in your room, get your clothes and change.”
For now, you look too damn lovely with just that wet t-shirt on. No one else should get to see this.
“I’ll be back.” I headed for the door.
“If there is anything important—”
“Then, I will call you down immediately.” I grabbed the doorknob and looked her way. “And that kiss. . .”
She stopped drying her hair and turned my way.
I growled, “That kiss will happen again and again.”
“Agent King.”
“I enjoyed it.”
“We need to focus.”
“We are focusing.”
She sighed, but she didn’t argue with me anymore. Clearly, she enjoyed that kiss as much as me.
That thought made my cock jerk some more as I headed away.
When I entered the hallway, Sheriff Michaelson stood there, waiting. A slick expression covered his face as if he knew exactly what had been going on.
Shocked, I raised my brows. “I thought we would meet downstairs.”
“I assumed Haven was in your room. I didn’t want to say the other information. I actually don’t want any of your agents knowing until we can confirm.”
“I don’t keep secrets from my agents. It could impede the investigation.”
“I just don’t want the town up in hysteria, until we know for sure.”
“Know what?”
“Another girl went missing, but this one could be a runaway or—”
“How old is she?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Seven.”
“Usually, seven-year-olds don’t run away. I would count this as a possible kidnapping.” I wanted to punch the stupidity out of him. “When did the parents report it?”
“Three hours ago. However, we can’t act until it’s twenty-four hours—”
“We’ll be acting immediately. There’s a serial killer in this town that preys on victims in that age range. We won’t be following any protocol—”
“Agent King, this is my town.”
“Good. Keep your town, but stay away from my investigation.” I stormed off. “Have your people give my agents everything. We can’t waste any more time.”
Chapter 28
Loverboy Strikes Again
Haven
No sleep came that night.
I dressed fast, brushed my unruly hair into a ponytail, and headed down with all the other agents.
That was when I discovered the news about Brie Johnson. Unfortunately, I knew Brie’s mother Vicky Johnson. We’d been on the debate team together. That was the most I remembered. Years later, Mom had told me that Vicky became a lawyer. From time to time, she provided free legal assistance to the church.
We went over the footage. A man raced away. He looked bigger than Vernon. There was also something familiar about the run. Unfortunately, the perpetrator had a mask and wore all black.
It was now five in the morning on an exhausting Monday.
Drinking coffee, I met all the agents inside a conference room in St. Mary’s Inn. The staff had been nice enough to open it up. With the new missing child, we didn’t want to even waste time driving to the office. Every minute would need to be focused on victim number seven.
She can’t die. We must save her.
Alexander stood in front of the board in the back of the room. He pointed to the little girl’s picture. “This is Brie Johnson. She was playing in her backyard late Sunday afternoon. She’d been dressed in her church clothes, when the person grabbed her.”
In the image, Brie smiled back at us. She wore an orange sweater with a big yellow sun in the center. Orange bows wrapped around her two ponytails.
Tina asked the first question. “Does she go to Fullbrooke Baptist Church?”
He frowned. “She does. Yesterday, she attended church with her parents.”
Alexander and I had sat in the same room with Brie, listening to Pastor Miller preach. She’d been a part of the Junior Choir and sung for me, while I wondered about Vernon’s possible involvement.
Brett raised his hands. “I couldn’t find any religious holidays for today. What should we assume about this?”
“Two things. One, he’s nervous. Two, he’s beyond the point of addiction. He needs to feed his habit at a faster rate.” Alexander put his hands in his pockets. “We have several cars on Vernon Miller. We’re pushing judges to sign off on a higher level of surveillance.”
I spoke up, “Vernon was missing from the church and Pastor Miller’s house at the time Brie was taken. What are we going to do about that?”
Alexander called a male agent over. “Luckily, we were given a warrant to look into Vernon’s cellphone. We have tower hits near Brie’s house, which is odd. Pastor Miller’s house is in the opposite direction.”
The other agent began taping a large map onto the wall. It was of Fullbrooke but had large red dots and then perimeter circles surrounding each dot.
Alexander gestured to him. “Agent Kroger is going to explain more.”
Agent Kroger turned around. “There were six hits during the hours Vernon Miller went missing. In those six times either Mrs. Miller or Pastor Miller called, possibly inquiring about where he was.”
Raising my hand, I edged closer to get a better view of the map, but not block anyone else. “Could we get the conversations?”
“No.” Alexander shook his head. “The Judge was already reluctant to check Vernon’s phone. If we want more, we’ll need to get more evidence. For now, we should check out each area where the phone pinged.”
Agent Kroger touched the top of the map. “Vernon drives an old Cadillac which explains why he was able to cover so much distance. However, this spot appears to be in a deserted area of town.”
I squinted my eyes. “That’s the edge of Northside, right before you start getting into the white part of town.”
Agent Kroger gave me an odd look.
I explained, “In some ways, Fullbrooke is still a bit racially divided. There’s no official boundary, but the emptiness and abandoned spots says it all. Northside used to be an affluent black neighborhood when my parents were growing up.”
Agent Kroger quirked his brows. “Why did everyone abandon it?”
“Fighting among Whites and Blacks. A lot of the affluent white families thought the blacks were getting too close to them. Blacks complained that their property was getting damaged
and set on fire.”
Alexander stepped in. “What about the back and forth of the missing girls? The stuff everyone was talking about at dinner yesterday. Do you think this could have been happening in Northside?”
“I’m sure of it. If I remember correctly, Pastor Miller’s father had a church there.”
Alexander nodded. “He did mention that his father’s second church was burned down in Northside by Reverend Thompson’s family.”
Brett rushed to his computer. “I’ll pull up any old records and find out if the building is still standing.”
“I want everyone checking out each pinged area in pairs.” Alexander went to grab his jacket and a thin file. “Stein, when you get the address, send it to my phone. Barron and I are going to head up to the Northside ping.”
I swallowed, gathered my stuff, and left with Alexander.
We walked out of St. Mary’s Inn at a fast pace.
Brie’s smiling face remained in my mind.
We have to find her. I don’t want to see her dead body on the coroner’s table.
When we got in the car, Alexander handed me the files, started the vehicle, and sped off.
Silence filled the space.
I stared at the thin file. “What’s this?”
“The old case on Vernon’s little sister—Kela Miller. Through all the madness, I haven’t been able to go over it. I figured we could multi-task.”
“Good idea.” I opened the file and read through it. “There’s not much information here. All it says is that Kela Miller passed away in her sleep from natural occurrences.”
“Pretty surprising for a four-year-old. Who signed off on the report?”
Sadness hit me as I found the name. “Detective Barron.”
“Your father?”
“Yes. It looks like the good ole boy system crossed racial boundaries. He wasn’t even a detective at this time. How could this be legal?”
“It’s a small town. Lots of things get hidden with ease because no one is looking. Besides, your father thought he was helping his Pastor.”
“My father also could have caught a future serial killer.” I looked through it some more. “There’s no mention of Kela’s pillow or Vernon. There’s a small discussion of Kela having breathing problems.”
Missing Hearts Page 26
