by Caisey Quinn
“Well, I don’t. But I’ll call him.” Vivien felt the sharpness of the bitter edge in his undertone. It wasn’t a secret that Agent Davis was interested in her. He’d asked her out a few times, but she figured he’d gotten the hint since she always declined and surely he saw how the chemistry with her and Chase had changed today.
She wanted to say something to ease the tension between them, but she didn’t have time for petty jealousy. She needed to call her Director and figure out a way to stay put.
Fifteen
“Forensics came back on the note from the IED we retrieved from the Ryman. No prints, no trace evidence, nothing. Whoever put it there knew what they were doing. So nothing helpful yet,” Luke told Chase and Captain Raeder. “Here’s what we’ve come up with so far.”
Chase tried to focus on what Luke was saying instead of replaying what he’d just seen. Vivien was leaving. Again. But this time he should’ve been prepared, given that her assignment was temporary.
He wasn’t.
He trained his eyes on the photos appearing on the projection screen at the front of the conference room.
“Tobias Edwards is a thirty-one-year-old engineer who works at the shipping facility where some of the materials went missing. He reported his key to the containment area stolen months ago.” Luke gestured to the photo of a clean-cut nondescript blond man in glasses. “We tracked the materials, and it led to him. He only lives about ten miles from the storage facility. His ex-roommate, twenty-eight-year-old Eric Lewis, has a record for B and E, assault with a deadly weapon, and was a decorated Marine before they threw him in the brig then dishonorably discharged him for undisclosed misconduct.”
“So we like the roommate for it?” He tried to focus on the picture of the thin pale-faced dark-haired man who looked as if he was the poster boy for reasons not to do meth.
“We do.” Luke pulled up a timeline sketch. “Lewis previously rented space at the storage unit before it closed. He’s off his meds because his discharge meant he was no longer receiving veteran’s benefits. According to Edwards, they met online a little over a year ago, when he posted a roommate-wanted ad. Edwards kicked him out after stuff started going missing. He hasn’t seen him around in the past month. Edwards is cooperating fully, but he works third shift and barely saw his roommate even before he was in the wind.”
“So the beef with the government is his motive? Because the Corps tossed his ass?” Chase frowned. Everything he’d witnessed at the scene made it seem so much more personal than that. Whoever left the note knew about Vivien. “And his roommate just happens to have access to military-grade explosives? I’m having trouble connecting the dots.”
Luke held his hands out. “That’s where I’m stuck. I don’t know what he thought leveling downtown would do to stick it to the Man. And we haven’t found any connection he might have to you or Agent Montgomery.”
“Be nice if we could find out more about why he was discharged.” Chase stared at the timeline, at the photos of both men, and at the crime scene pictures, including Ethan’s injured hand.
Luke made a low sound under his breath. “Well, I have it on good authority that you have a friend at the Bureau, so she might could pull some strings and find out.”
“I’ll ask.” While he was at it, he’d ask her how he was supposed to return to living without her when he’d only just gotten her back.
“Captain?” Officer Jeffrey Campbell, who everyone called Soup, poked his head in. “Can I have a minute of your time?”
The Captain frowned at the intrusion and so did Luke.
Soup was a beat cop, and that’s all he’d ever be. Chase hadn’t ever worked with him but Luke had before his promotion to detective, and he remembered his friend being worried about how short-tempered and impulsive the other guy was. Chase could tell that was an accurate assessment by the way the man was practically shaking like a Chihuahua hyped-up on caffeine while waiting to talk to the Captain.
“Keep up the good work and keep me in the loop,” their Captain said to Luke. “Since our federal agent friends are leaving us today, you might want to use their resources to check further into Lewis while you still can.”
Luke nodded but Chase sat completely still. She was leaving.
Like hell.
He couldn’t determine the correct course of action that very second and he didn’t want to act impulsively and piss her off, but some way, somehow, they would not give up what they’d only just rediscovered.
Once the Captain was gone, Luke gestured for Chase to step over to his desk. “Aiden is cooking tonight for Annalise’s birthday.” He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a small square box wrapped in silver paper. “I can’t make it but I was hoping you could give her this for me.”
Chase eyed the box as if it were a live grenade. “Any particular reason you can’t give it to her yourself?”
“I have to work. Running down more leads on Lewis.” Luke pulled the box back. “But if you can’t do it, I’ll just get my favorite FBI agent to give it to her.”
Chase held out his hand. “Give me the damn box, you big chicken.”
Luke smirked and nodded over Chase’s head to where Vivien and her fellow agents were packing up their things. “You’re one to talk.”
***
“I poked around to try to get some answers about Lewis’s dishonorable discharge,” Vivien told him after they’d finished sweeping the remainder of zone six. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times. “But I haven’t heard back yet.”
“Thanks.” Chase still hadn’t found the words to ask her what time she was leaving. He didn’t want to give voice to the fact because that would make it real, would put a zero hour on the end. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
He could feel her trying to make eye contact, trying to unearth the key to what was keeping him quiet—restricting his responses to four words or less.
“You have dinner plans?” he asked, feeling like an awkward teenager asking the prom queen on a date.
“No. You cooking?”
Chase forced a laugh. “Hardly. Aiden cooks. He’s actually really good at it. He’s making dinner for Annalise’s birthday.”
“You sure I wouldn’t be intruding?”
“Positive.”
Vivien smiled. “Then I wouldn’t miss it.”
Once they’d returned to the precinct to check in with Luke, Vivien kissed him gently on the cheek and told him she was going to grab Annalise a gift before dinner.
Watching her walk away struck an exposed nerve in his chest. He’d lost her once already before he’d had a chance to tell her how he felt. He couldn’t allow that to happen again. “Viv . . . wait.”
She turned and he closed the distance between them quickly.
Once he’d reached her, he slid both of his hands over hers. “I know you have work to do and that if your boss says Milwaukee then that’s where you have to be, but—”
“Chase,” she interrupted. “Even if I have to go, you know it’s temporary, right? All they want is a profile on the unsubs from a team experienced in crimes involving arson. One way or another, I’ll be back here as soon as I can.”
Chase nodded, feeling embarrassed about his obvious anxiety. “I didn’t know the details but that’s good to hear.” He wanted to say so much more, but he was new to this sharing-his-feelings business.
“You think I’d just up and go after everything? Come on, now.” She shook her head and smiled before lifting on her toes to kiss him firmly on the mouth. “See you at dinner.”
This time watching her walk away wasn’t quite as difficult. But it wasn’t easy either. He suspected it never would be.
“Better get comfortable opening up and telling her how you really feel. You’re running out of time,” Luke said evenly once Chase repeated the encounter to him. “They�
��re taking the red-eye out tomorrow evening.”
“How do you know?”
Luke pulled a face. “Well . . . I’m a detective. It’s my job to know. And I asked her.”
“She hasn’t said much other than it would be temporary and she’d be back. But I don’t know when. She didn’t specify.”
Luke leveled him with a glance. “Did you ask her directly? Tell her exactly how you feel?”
Chase lifted his hands. “I’m working on it. But what can I say? Quit your job? Please don’t leave?”
Luke’s gaze drifted for a moment, then snapped into sharp focus. “You say whatever you have to say. You say you don’t want to live without her because there’s no point. You say everything you’re feeling regardless of how it will sound or make you look because when she’s gone, she’s gone, and frankly, what do you have to lose?”
“Her,” Chase answered immediately.
Luke nodded, glancing over at Annalise’s now-empty desk across the bull pen. “If she’s already leaving, you’ve already lost her. At this point, I don’t think it could get any worse. Even if she leaves, at least you’ll know you tried.”
Chase sighed and stood to leave. “Thanks, Dr. Phil. If this detective thing doesn’t work out, I’m sure you could employ your love-doctor skills elsewhere.”
Luke cracked a small smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Any more info on Lewis?”
“He used his bank card at a gas station the day you disarmed the IED. At a Texaco about a mile from the Ryman.”
“But the question is, where is he staying?” Chase glanced at the map. There were plenty of hotels and run-down places that would take cash and rent Lewis a room by the night. Hell, by the hour in some parts of town.
“He could be sleeping on the street for all we know. He was a Marine. His survival skills will be strong enough he won’t need a place to stay.”
“So you’re no closer to finding him then?” Visiting Ethan had renewed Chase’s violent need to see this man behind bars.
“We’re closing in. Just takes time.”
Time was beginning to feel like Chase’s number one enemy.
Sixteen
Vivien pulled up to the quaint Craftsman-style house Chase, Luke, and Aiden shared in East Nashville just as the streetlamps began to come on. She smoothed her hands down the deep cerulean blue casual dress she wore and tried not to feel self-conscious.
She’d been here once before and the memory of that night wasn’t a pleasant one she wanted to revisit. Tonight she would be the one in Chase’s arms. Not some random blonde from years ago whose name she hadn’t known and he couldn’t remember.
He was grieving back then—she knew that. She knew the sting she’d felt that night was null and void compared to what she’d put him through. And she hoped both of their pain from their messy past would fade into the shadows as they forged a bright new future together.
Glancing at herself in the rearview mirror, she began to feel excited about making new memories. She and Annalise had quickly become friends during her time working in Nashville, and Vivien was looking forward to celebrating Annalise’s birthday with her. She knew Aiden and Luke were like brothers to Chase, so Vivien hoped to get to know both of them better. She’d made a decision today, one that maybe she should’ve discussed with Chase first, but there really hadn’t been time.
Walking from the car to his front door, she was alarmed to feel gooseflesh rising on her arms. Surely she wasn’t all that nervous. Heat rose up her back, and she turned to check behind herself.
No, it wasn’t nerves. But she did have a strange sensation that someone was watching her.
Before going inside, she did a quick perimeter check. The house contained several Nashville police officers and she was a federal agent. Anyone stupid enough to think that breaking into it was a good idea would have to be tweaked out on something strong. Every single one of them carried off duty. Except maybe Annalise.
Once she arrived at the front door, she knocked firmly. Chase answered and pulled her into his arms.
“Hey, babe.”
He smelled faintly of soap and expensive cologne. Clean. Masculine. A subtle taste of his favorite beer lingered on her lips after he kissed her hello.
“Hey,” Vivien began, planning to mention that she’d felt a strange sensation outside. But Annalise barreled into the living room and hugged her before she could.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” the other woman told her. “With my job, I don’t have very many female friends and hanging out with these guys all the time is getting old.” She tossed a playful look at Chase.
“I can imagine,” Vivien said with a laugh. “Happy to supply the additional estrogen.”
The three of them made their way through the kitchen and onto the back deck, where the scent of grilled meat and buttery vegetables wafted in the air.
“I didn’t even realize I was hungry,” Vivien said. “Until I caught a whiff of that.”
She smiled at Aiden who was manning the grill. She could imagine the many women who would swoon at the sight of the broad-shouldered man cooking dinner for them, but she only had eyes for the one grabbing her a beer from a silver bucket full of ice nearby.
“Glad you could make it. There’s red wine and beer.” Aiden nodded in greeting as Chase handed her a bottle of Michelob ULTRA. She liked that he remembered her preference. Red wine made her face flush a shade of red that clashed with her hair. She took a slow sip and admired the lights hanging across the deck before sitting beside Annalise on the comfortably cushioned patio couch.
“This is pretty fancy for a bachelor pad. I’m impressed.”
Annalise laughed. “Yeah, I had to beg them to let me hang my twinkle lights.”
“You don’t even live here,” Aiden pointed out. “And yet you make all the decorating decisions.”
“I spend more time here than at my own apartment.” She turned to Vivien and said, “I have a psycho roommate,” before returning to the banter with her brother. “Besides, leather is not the only fabric on Earth and bacon is not an air freshener. Nor are stacks of empty pizza boxes considered chic. You’re welcome.”
Soon the group settled into easy conversation, and Aiden began plating the food with Chase’s help. The steaks were perfectly seared on the outside, and she could hear her stomach rumbling with anticipation.
“Um, aren’t we expecting one more?”
Vivien didn’t miss Annalise’s hopeful expression or wistful tone. She had a pretty good idea who she was referring to. Luke Foster was conspicuously absent.
“He couldn’t make it,” Chase said quietly. “But he asked me to give you a gift. I’ll grab it after we eat.” It seemed as if he was purposely keeping his voice too low for Aiden to hear.
Vivien watched her friend’s face fall, feeling both heartbroken for Annalise and curious about the situation with Luke. She couldn’t figure out why Aiden would take issue with his best friend dating his sister but it was very clear that he was intentionally being kept out of the loop.
When he sat, the four of them clinked their beer bottles together across the wooden table, cheers-ing to Annalise’s turning twenty-six.
“This is incredible, Aiden,” Vivien said after her first bite of steak. “Whatever you marinate this in, I want the recipe.”
“He won’t give it to you,” Annalise said, seemingly perking up a bit. “My brother is a weirdo about his cooking. He’s been that way forever.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “I think I might can give you a few hints.”
“So you’re the decorator,” Vivien said to Annalise. “And you’re the chef,” she said, canting her head toward Aiden. “Luke is obviously the peacekeeper with his superb negotiation skills.” Everyone seemed to agree with her assessment. “So what about you?” She let her gaze rest on where Chase sat bes
ide her enjoying his meal. “What do you contribute around here?”
“Broody silence mostly,” Annalise offered. “Except he’s been a little warmer lately. Can’t imagine why that is . . .”
Vivien blushed at the insinuation. She’d left herself open for that one.
“I take the trash out,” Chase offered. “Sometimes I do laundry even if it’s not mine and I have been known to wash a dish or two when Aiden is kind enough to bless us with his culinary skills.”
Vivien’s eyebrows lifted. “You’re the housewife. I fully approve.”
Chase shook his head with a laugh. “How very stereotypical of you, Agent Montgomery.”
“So any leads on our wannabe bomber?” Aiden asked Vivien once they’d all stopped to breathe between bites.
“Six minutes and thirty-seven seconds,” Annalise said with an exasperated expression. “I wondered how long it would be until we launched into shoptalk.”
“I don’t get a lot of updates being a field training officer,” Aiden told her. “I spend all day training rookies. Sorry. I’m curious.” He shrugged. “We can talk about something else. Like where Luke is. Chase, did he say anything to you?”
“Actually I was a little curious about the progress on the bomber case too,” Annalise admitted, shifting the focus back to work.
Or maybe she just didn’t want to talk about Luke’s absence. Vivien wasn’t sure.
“So far we like a guy named Eric Lewis,” Chase informed them. “Former Marine, previous experience with explosives, connection to the storage facility, and major issues with authority. But we haven’t been able to track him down for questioning just yet. I suspect that’s what Luke is working late on right now.”
“That reminds me,” Vivien broke in, wiping her mouth with a napkin just in case there was food anywhere on it. “I heard back from a friend of mine. Lewis was released from the Corps for bad conduct after an investigation determined he’d been stealing government property and reselling it.”
