Pursuing Aries

by Linzi Baxter

  Pursuing Aries

  Linzi Baxter

  Linzi Baxter

  Contents

  1. Sasha

  2. Brandon

  3. Sasha

  4. Brandon

  5. Sasha

  6. Brandon

  7. Sasha

  8. Brandon

  9. Sasha

  10. Sasha

  11. Sasha

  12. Brandon

  13. Sasha

  14. Brandon

  15. Sasha

  16. Brandon

  17. Sasha

  18. Brandon

  Grayson’s Angel - Preview

  About the Author

  Pursuing Aries

  Nova Satellite Security, Book 2

  Copyright © 2020 by Linzi Baxter

  Cover Artist: Cassy Roop, Pink Ink Designs

  Photography: CJC Photography

  Cover Model: Mason

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without permission of the author.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement (including infringement without monetary gain) is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  OTHER TITLES BY LINZI BAXTER

  White Hat Security Series

  Hacker Exposed

  Royal Hacker

  Misunderstood Hacker

  Undercover Hacker

  Hacker Revelation

  Hacker Christmas

  Hacker Salvation

  Hacker Enclosed - July 7, 2020

  Nova Satellite Security Series

  (White Hat Security Spin Off)

  Pursuing Phoenix

  Pursing Aries

  Pursuing Pegasus

  Immortal Dragon

  The Dragon’s Psychic

  The Dragon’s Human

  The Dragon’s Mate

  The Dragon’s Warlock - July 28, 2020

  Montana Gold (Brotherhood Protector World)

  Grayson’s Angel

  Noah’s Love

  Bryson’s Treasure

  A Flipping Love Story (Special Forces World)

  Unlocking Dreams

  Unlocking Hope

  Unlocking Love - June 2, 2020

  Siblings of the Underworld

  Hell’s Key

  Hell’s Future

  Hell’s Vacation - April 28, 2020

  Visit linzibaxter.com for more information and release dates.

  Join Linzi Baxter Newsletter at Newsletter

  1

  Sasha

  I sat at my usual table waiting for my morning iced coffee. Astria Java was my traditional stop before walking across the street to Nova Satellite Security.

  The silver bell above the door chimed as a tall man dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt walked in. His sapphire eyes locked with mine for a second before Jamie, the part-time barista, sat down my coffee, blocking my view.

  “How was your week of binge-watching Game of Thrones?”

  Jared, the owner of Nova Satellite Security also known as NSS, gave me two weeks off after working nonstop for the last month. Our company was on a tight deadline for the design of a new rocket. Not quite a week had passed before my boss called me back early from vacation because someone messed up though. I’d contemplated telling him to shove the job, but my dog, Benji, wasn’t paying rent, so I didn’t have a choice.

  “It was supposed to be two weeks, and I’m not done, so no spoilers. My boss is a total asshole for making me come back early. Hence the cinnamon roll to make me feel better.”

  “You want me to put laxatives in his coffee tomorrow?” the young girl asked.

  “Not tomorrow, but I will keep you in mind.”

  Jamie put down the cinnamon roll and walked back to the counter. My eyes went back to the sexy man who walked in before Jamie blocked my sight. That wasn’t the first time I’d seen the handsome detective. He was as hot as I remembered from a few weeks ago, when he walked into NSS to help deal with the owner’s ex-wife.

  As he scanned the coffee shop looking for someone, Detective Quinn glanced in my direction and gave me a polite nod before turning back in line. The lines at Astria Java were crazy in the morning. Anyone who loved coffee wanted a cup from there. Arial, the owner, was behind the counter, helping with the crowd.

  Three women dressed in business suits were chatting in front of the detective, but his eyes weren’t on the attractive women. He was frowning at his phone, and he even looked sexy when he wasn’t smiling.

  When he stepped up to the counter, I watched as he talked to Arial. His dark-blond hair dusted the top of his white button-down shirt, giving off a corporate vibe. The sleeves were rolled up to the middles of his forearms, showing the bottom of a tattoo on his right arm. It only added to his sex appeal.

  My phone dinged announcing another email. It was from my boss and I didn’t plan on opening it until I got to work. I was already in a bad mood.

  Laughter echoed through the coffee shop, and I looked back to the counter. Arial glanced in my direction and gave me a wink before handing Quinn his change. He turned from the counter and strode toward my table.

  “Is this seat taken?” He tapped the top of the wooden chair across from me.

  “Nope.”

  “Sasha Patterson, right?” His deep voice mesmerized me and I wanted him to whisper dirty things to me while running his hands over my body.

  For someone close to six-three, he folded himself gracefully into the chair. The sun reflected off the gold badge hanging around his neck.

  I was surprised he remembered my name. “And you’re Detective Quinn in charge of taking down ex-wives.”

  Quinn reached up and scratched the scruff of his short whiskers. “I wish.” He let out a sigh. “Working a crazy-wife case would be so much better than the case I’m working on now. Damn, I might even like an old-fashioned murder.”

  Three weeks had passed since the incident at NSS, where Jacob’s ex-wife had gone crazy. People at work were still talking about how unhinged she was and how much they like Jacob’s fiancée Lily. His ex-wife, Rachel, had never come around much. My first encounter with her was when she threw wine on Lily at a charity event in New York. I was not sure how Quinn dealt with stuff like that regularly.

  “Can I ask what you’re working on?”

  Before Quinn answered my question, Jamie walked over and handed him his coffee. He smiled up at the girl and thanked her. When he turned his attention back to me, he had a grim look on his face again. “Do you watch the news much?”

  I didn’t. The news seemed to only talk about the bad things going on in the world and not much good. “No.”

  “My case has been the main topic of the six-o’clock news every day.” He shook his head. “Have you heard about the Houston Internet Slayer?”

  A man or woman killed three women, two teens, and two men in the Houston area once a month for the past seven months. You didn’t have to watch the news to hear about the case. The police hadn’t figured out the link between the victims.

  I shuddered thinking about the las
t photo I’d seen plastered all over the internet. The serial killer posted notifications on the internet when he killed his victims. He would post pictures of the body laid to rest.

  “You’re working on that case? How did you also handle Jacobs?” I asked Quinn.

  “I do work more than one case at a time. My main specialty is serial killers, but Jacob is a high-profile name, so the bosses had me help with the case. Jacob and I also met over the years at charity events for kids in foster homes. The Houston Internet Slayer case is my primary, but I’m still needed on other cases.”

  My phone dinged next to me. It was a text from my boss. I ignored it and went back to the conversation. “How does someone specialize in serial killers?”

  “Before joining the Navy, I thought about getting a degree in psychology, because I had an incident happen when I was younger, and it made me wonder how the human brain worked. I didn’t have the money for college so after graduating from high school, I went into the Navy for ten years. One of my fellow SEALs was a serial killer. He didn’t show any of the traits of a serial killer until I walked in and saw him murder a woman he took home from the bar. He wasn’t the first serial killer I’d met though. Then I spent years researching the minds of killers.”

  I never imagined meeting a serial killer in person. Jacob’s ex-wife was the first crazy person I’d met, and I planned to stay away from the crazies in the future—well, as much as possible. My boss was a little unhinged most of the time.

  “Is your old teammate in jail now?”

  “He killed multiple women across multiple countries. The military courts found him guilty and he is on death row in Terre Haute, Indiana. You know this isn’t the best morning conversation.”

  “It’s better than going to work. My boss is an asshole. I can’t wait for him to die from a heart attack.” Benjamin Walker had already had three minor heart attacks since I’d started working for NSS. He never changed his eating habits or exercised though. After each one he seemed to eat more junk food. I really just wanted him to retire or get fired.

  “Not sure it’s good to tell someone you want your boss dead,” Quinn said.

  I took a sip of coffee. “I guess you’re right. Telling a cop I want my boss dead isn’t a good idea. Maybe you should give me your card in case he accidentally dies and I need someone to prove my innocence.”

  I’d never been arrested, and I wasn’t about to start now, but I also wouldn’t complain about getting the sexy detective’s number.

  He reached for his leather wallet and pulled out a card. Before handing it over, he flipped it to the other side and wrote a number on the back. “This is my cell phone number. Give me a call if you ever need help.”

  I reached across the table and grabbed his card. I wasn’t sure if I would ever call him, but still, I had his number. Instead of grabbing one of my cards, I wrote my number on a napkin and pushed it across the table. “In case you ever need to know how to build a rocket.”

  “Not sure that will help me catch a serial killer.”

  “With how high profile the case is, you would think that they would dedicate a team just for the creep. I’m sure you’re good at your job, but why is the FBI not working the case?” Last week, I also watched my share of Criminal Minds. They had a dedicated team to most cases unless there were no clues and they were tasked with another case.

  “Our Special Investigations Command is working with the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Division.” Quinn clenched his jaw before taking a sip of his coffee. “The Houston Internet Slayer is pulling me into his game, and the FBI isn’t any closer than I was a few months ago.”

  I wanted to reach across the table and grab his hand. The sadness in his eyes broke my heart.

  “Enough about me and crazy killers. What made you go into aerospace?”

  “I loved the stars when I was younger. My mom would lay out in the yard with me, and we would look for constellations.”

  Those were the bright memories from my childhood that I wished would never go away, but the older I got, the more they started to fade.

  Brandon tilted his head to the side, “What’s your favorite constellation?”

  “Aries.” My mom always said I matched my birth sign.

  “I could see that. You seem like a risk taker and I noticed before how good of friend you were to Lily.”

  “Your knowledge of astrological signs just made you even hotter.”

  Brandon’s face blushed bright red. “Good to know you think I’m hot.”

  My phone chirped again. Mr. Walker wasn’t liking I had been ignoring him all morning. I took the last drink of my coffee. “It was great seeing you again, and I think I inflated your ego enough for one day. My boss hasn’t stopped sending me texts this morning. I need to head into work.”

  Quinn glanced down at his phone and frowned. “I need to head into work as well. My partner, Tammy Turner, was supposed to meet me here this morning, but it looks like she might’ve gone to the office instead.”

  I didn’t like the grimace on his face. He wasn’t saying everything on his mind, but I didn’t have time to ask more questions before my phone dinged again.

  “If you ever need tips on anything aerospace, give me a call, or if you just want to talk.”

  He folded the napkin and shoved it in his front pocket. “I might just do that.”

  I waved goodbye to Arial and pushed the front door of the coffee shop open. Traffic was backed up in the street outside, making it easy to cut across the lanes. Detective Quinn yelled something as I weaved between the cars. When I got across, I looked back to see him shaking his head.

  A new temp sat with Lily behind the front desk at NSS. I couldn’t help but smile at my friend. “Hello, boss.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “Not even close. The three men on the top floor are the bosses. I thought you were off for another week.”

  Jacob, Jax, and Jared ran the company, and I loved working for them. My report-to boss, not so much though. “I’m supposed to be, but something happened with the new simulation, and Mr. Walker told me I had to come in. Jared is going to owe me big for dealing with my boss.”

  For a few months, Jared had been mentioning that they were planning to get rid of Mr. Walker, and they hadn’t yet. I didn’t even care if I got my boss's job. All I cared about was them hiring someone capable of understanding basic aerospace. If I hadn’t seen his diploma, I would have sworn he’d found it in a crackerjack box.

  “Does Jared know Mr. Walker called you in?”

  “Probably not. He wouldn’t want Jared to know someone messed up the work we did. I’m surprised he can walk and hold a scissors at the same time. Maybe next time I see him with a sharp object, I will hold out some cookies and he might run toward them.”

  “Not sure you should talk about wanting your boss dead in the entryway of the company.” Lily was right.

  “I guess, it’s not like I will ever be lucky enough to see the day, anyway. Want to head upstairs, or do you need to stay down here longer?”

  She turned to the older lady next to her. “If you need anything, press the second button on the phone directory and it will ring my desk.”

  Lily gathered her things and followed me over to the elevator. “Did Jared yell at the last temp again?”

  Jared was gruff and took some getting used to. He expected the receptionist to be perfect at all times, hence the high turn-over on the position. Lily reached over and pushed my floor’s button than hers.

  “No, the last temp wanted to move back home. I hope this one lasts more than two weeks. In a few weeks, I’m going to cut my hours back and start going to culinary school. Do you have plans for lunch? I made a chicken dish I want you to try,” Lily asked.

  “Nope, not planning to kill my boss at lunch today,” I joked.

  She rolled her eyes. “Come try my new dish with Kaylene and I.”

  The elevator door swung open and at the end of the hall stood my boss, yelling at another employee.

>   “I will be there, unless I’m arrested for killing that man.”

  2

  Brandon

  “Good morning,” Special Agent Harold Carson said in a deep Southern accent. “Where’s your shadow?”

  “I’m not sure, she isn’t here yet and not answering her phone.” I’d tried Tammy’s number three times since leaving the coffee shop. We made plans the night before to stop and grab a coffee before meeting with SA Carson.

  It wasn’t like my partner to not show when she said she would. I thought about driving by her house to make sure she hadn’t overslept, but I didn’t have time after talking with Sasha. Since leaving the military and joining the Houston Police department, I worked in the Criminal Investigation Department.

  I hadn’t seen him since, I assisted in the case at NSS because Jacob and I knew each other from charity work. His company donated a lot of money to the Hope for Kids Foundation, which I’d started.

  SA Carson was staring at the whiteboard in the conference room. “Today he takes another victim, and we have no clue what he might go after.”

  Assistant Chief Miles walked in the conference room, holding a small Amazon box, a frown on his face. “This arrived for you this morning by courier.” He let out a sigh and put the box on the table. “Detective Marcus questioned the courier. Unknown number called, asked him to do a delivery. When he went to pick up the package, money was at the site, along with the package and this address.”

  “Should we wait for Lida?”

  Lida Saylor was our division’s forensic technician. She helped sort through evidence and got upset when we didn’t follow the proper protocols about touching evidence.