The Steve Williams Series Boxed Set

by J. E. Taylor

  Jessica blinked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as the word ‘yes’ escaped her lips.

  You bastard. Chris’s voice echoed in Steve’s head, angry and righteous, and in concert with Jessica’s single thought.

  “If you take him, I’ll have you arrested for kidnapping.”

  Her penetrating glare prickled his skin bringing his own anger to the surface and his hands balled in response. He closed his eyes for a moment, reigning in the power. When he opened them, she flinched and Steve stepped closer. “Do you really want to mess with me?”

  She shook her head. “But I’m not letting my son step into the line of fire. Not after what happened with Chris.”

  “I’ll be fine, Mom,” CJ said from behind Steve, his voice brittle and on edge, breaking the battle of wills.

  Steve stepped back, giving Jessica space and wondering what, if anything, CJ would do to him for trying to coerce his mother.

  “I’m afraid something bad is going to happen,” Jessica said, addressing CJ.

  “Something bad is already happening, Mrs. Ryan. This guy carves the kids up, piece by piece, he kills them slowly, and we can stop him.”

  Jessica shook her head. “You’re not invincible.”

  “I know that.”

  “Neither is CJ.”

  A slight nod. “He’s less likely to get hurt than I am and you know it.” Steve inhaled. “We can stop this guy!”

  Jessica didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit and the echoes of her thoughts penetrated Steve’s like a fist pummeling a punching bag. There was only one thing to do that could turn the tide. He had to make a promise and a promise for Steve was like the seven seals of God, if broken, all hell would break loose and he wouldn’t allow that. “I promise, nothing will happen to CJ and you know I never break my promises.”

  She inhaled through tight lips. “You promise nothing will happen to my son?”

  “I promise,” Steve said.

  She looked beyond Steve and then brought her gaze back. “Okay. Let me throw some things together.”

  Steve held his hand up. “No. I’m not bringing you and Tommy down there with us. I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  Jessica balked. “Who’s going to watch him?”

  “Jennifer.”

  Jessica looked at the empty car in the driveway. “She’s not in the car.”

  “No, I’m meeting her at Brainard Airport for an eight o’clock flight.”

  “What about school?”

  “You can have the school email the lesson plans to me and I’ll have Jennifer go over them with him.”

  “Mom, let me help,” CJ said.

  With all arguments exhausted, she looked between Steve and her son and gave a nod. “So help me, Steve, if anything happens to him, I’ll skin you alive.”

  “I promise, nothing will happen to CJ,” Steve said again and reached in his pocket and pulled out his card, scribbling a couple of numbers on the back. “I’m giving you Jennifer’s cell as well as Sarah’s so you can get a hold of us at any time.”

  Jessica took the card and slid it into her pocket before she crossed to CJ and gave him a hug. “Are you sure?” Steve couldn’t see the expression on her face, but he could feel the worry filling the air.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” CJ said and traded a glance with Steve.

  Tommy came running around the corner of the house and he stopped in the driveway, his eyes drifting between the three of them and falling on a spot behind Steve, the smile on his face fading. His gaze snapped to Steve. “Dad is pissed.”

  “Thomas Patrick!” Jessica said, releasing CJ from her arms and standing.

  “Well, he is,” Tommy said, his hand waiving in the direction of the ghost only he could see.

  “I don’t want to hear you using that kind of language again.”

  A blush crept into Tommy’s cheeks and he turned his attention to his brother. “You’re going on a trip?”

  “Yep,” CJ grinned, he pulled the duffel bag back on his shoulder in a mocking manner.

  “Can I come?”

  “No.” Both Steve and Jessica said in unison.

  “Not this time,” Steve added after trading glances with CJ. “But I promise I’ll take you someplace special when we get back. Okay?”

  Tommy shifted his eyes back and forth between Steve and the empty space behind him and then nodded. He walked to his brother and gave him a hug. “See you when I see you,” he said and broke the grip, crossing to stand next to his mother.

  Steve opened the trunk and took CJ’s duffel bag. “You sure you have everything you need?”

  “Yes.”

  “Toothbrush?”

  “Yep, underwear too and I brought my DSI,” he said and pulled the hand held game console out of his pocket.

  “His bedtime is at nine,” Jessica said from the lawn.

  “He’ll be in the hotel and tucked into bed tonight by nine-thirty.” Steve opened the back door for CJ. “I’ve got a friend who’s flying us by private charter,” he said to her raised eyebrow.

  “Ah,” she said and he could tell she still wasn’t a hundred percent on board. Her eyes drifted to her son in the back seat and sent him a reassuring smile. “Keep him safe, Agent Williams.”

  “I will.” Steve slid into the driver’s seat and spun the car around, heading for Connecticut and another woman who needed convincing.

  Chapter 22

  CJ watched the scenery pass, his stomach a jumble of nerve endings and despite how hard he tried, he couldn’t focus on the DSI Pokemon game in his hands. Instead, he focused on Steve, and his silent concentration in the front seat.

  Steve sighed and glanced in the rearview mirror. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “I’ll be okay, Agent Williams.”

  “Are you so sure it’s going to be okay?”

  CJ stared at Steve opened his mouth to speak and then closed it, shaking his head.

  “Do you know what we are going after?”

  “A monster,” CJ said without hesitation.

  “He’s hurting kids around your age.”

  Yep, and you’re bringing my son into the lion’s den. His father’s voice echoed in Steve’s thoughts, driving the loss deeper in CJ. Tommy could see their father and Steve could hear him, but he couldn’t do either and that aggravated him.

  “And your father isn’t happy with me at all for bringing you with me.”

  “I know. Sucks to be you,” CJ said.

  Steve met his gaze and wrinkles of humor formed around his eyes in the rearview mirror. A soft chuckle erupted from the front seat. “It certainly does.”

  * * * *

  The kid didn’t know the half of it. He not only had to deal with a pissed off angel, now he had to face Jennifer’s father, which always provided for a good dose of tension and with his temper frayed by the situation in Georgia, he hoped like hell he would be able to keep it in check. Steve sighed and focused back on the road. “So what are you doing in school these days?”

  “Learning cursive, estimating math problems, and studying King Arthur. Cool stuff like that.”

  “You like school?”

  “Yeah, but sometimes it’s boring.”

  “What’s your favorite subject?” Steve remembered his favorite subject in grade school was gym.

  “I like science. Learning about the weather and the solar system is fun, and they let us play on the computer too.”

  Steve smiled. If CJ was anything like his father, he’d be a wiz with technology. “I assume you’re getting straight A’s in all your classes.”

  CJ nodded at him in the rearview mirror. “Tommy doesn’t get all A’s though. He has a harder time in school than I do.”

  “Think you’ll be a genius like your dad?”

  “I dunno,” CJ said and looked out the window.

  Sadness shrouded his features and Steve felt a pang of guilt for bringing the subject up. “I’m sorry, CJ.”

  CJ brought his gaze back to
meet Steve’s. His eyes glimmered with tears.

  Steve sent a small smile back to the boy. “I know how it feels. I lost my dad too.” All he got was a nod in response and static from the back seat. CJ had closed down on him for the time being.

  He flipped on the radio and when they passed from Interstate 95 to Interstate 495, he took a quick glance in the mirror. CJ was sound asleep and slumped against the door.

  Steve sang softly to the tunes as they shuffled on the radio and before he knew it, he was cruising over the Charter Oak Bridge glancing at the Hartford skyline. A little over an hour later, he pulled off the Merritt parkway in New Canaan.

  CJ hadn’t stirred during the ride and now, with the slowing of the car, he uttered a moan from the backseat. “My leg!”

  “We’re almost there,” Steve said, glancing at the boy’s grimace in the rearview mirror. The sleepy whine continued and CJ shifted in the seat, his discomfort palatable in the stale air of the car. “Your leg fall asleep?”

  CJ nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “It hurts.”

  “Keep moving it. It’ll get better,” Steve said and focused back on the road. The whine in CJ’s voice brought home the fact that he was walking a kid into the devil’s lair. The closer he got, the more he questioned his plan and he was sure Jennifer would be just as critical.

  Pulling into his in-law’s driveway, he braced himself for an unpleasant interrogation. With the keys in his pocket, he slid out of the car and held the back door for CJ. Steve offered a slight shrug at his questioning gaze. “My father-in-law doesn’t like me,” he said.

  CJ had the wherewithal not to say a word, but a smirk appeared for a brief instant and he fell in step behind Steve.

  * * * *

  Jennifer heard the car followed by Steve’s jumbled thoughts and she strode to the door, opening it before Steve’s knuckles rapped the mahogany. The sight of CJ standing next to him caught her off guard and her gaze bounced from the boy back to Steve’s bright blue eyes. “I really didn’t think you’d go through with this.” Her voice carried with it the disappointment etched into her bones.

  “I wanted to come,” CJ said.

  Steve put his hand on CJ’s head. “CJ, I appreciate the thought, but I’m already in the dog house with my wife and you can’t fix it. Now, let’s go see what we can drum up for you to eat.” He scooted around her leading CJ through the house and into the kitchen.

  Jennifer saw the tightness in his shoulder’s relax with the absence of her father’s sarcastic wisecrack and Steve glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “Where are your folks?”

  “At the club. Dad had a tee-time and Mom has bridge. I told them I might not be here when they got back.”

  “Might?” Steve set his jaw in that arrogant ‘might, my ass’ fashion and pulled a couple of slices of bread from the bread drawer. “Peanut butter and jelly?” he asked CJ.

  “Yes, please,” CJ answered and took a seat at the table.

  Jennifer observed the dynamics between her husband and CJ, seeing an undertone of respect layered between them. She waited until the sandwich and a glass of milk was set on the table before she pulled Steve aside. “I don’t know, Steve,” she said, not wanting to be party to this insanity.

  “Jen, I need you there.”

  “You’re still using people to get what you want.”

  Steve rolled his eyes and sent a glare in her direction.

  Instant irritation stung her tongue and she snapped. “Don’t you even think about giving me the evil eye.”

  He blinked, opening his mouth to deny it, but she caught the look and his cheeks bloomed blotchy red. He snapped his mouth closed and took a breath through his nose. “CJ knows the plan. He knows what I’m asking of him and while I agree, it’s not the best idea I’ve ever had, it’s the only one I can see resolving this case before the latest kidnapped child dies. If dangling him as a carrot leads us to this psycho…”

  “—You are insane. What do you think his father is going to say?”

  “He hates the idea. And since when are you concerned with what Chris Ryan has to say?”

  “I talked to him after you left for Georgia.”

  Steve took a fraction of a step back. “Where?”

  She hated to admit it, but the dark angel she spoke to wasn’t what she expected. He neither oozed evil nor did he grow horns and when she touched his chest, all that flowed through her was love and a visceral attraction. “The cove, and he’s not half bad.”

  Steve’s eyes hardened and his lips pressed tight together. “I’m not sure I like you chatting it up with him, even if he is just a ghost.”

  Her eyebrows rose at the stubborn hint of jealousy radiating from him.

  I’m not sure I like you taking my son to Georgia.

  Chris Ryan’s voice reverberated in Steve’s head, broadcasting loud and clear and Jennifer’s gaze shot to CJ. The boy had his sandwich frozen halfway to his mouth and his wide blue eyes locked on Steve.

  CJ’s eyebrows shot up and he cocked his head, a smile gaining traction. “Sucks to be you,” he said and went back to his sandwich before the chuckle erupted from Steve.

  When Steve brought his gaze back to hers, her heart skipped at the underlying humor reflected in his bright blue eyes. It had been a while since she saw that twinkle and her skin flushed with the memory. She turned away before he caught the nuance in her eyes.

  “So, are you coming?”

  That was the question she’d tossed around ever since he called. She wasn’t ready to step back into the marriage, not yet, not with the issues plaguing her.

  “I’m not staying at the hotel with you. You’ll be sharing a suite with CJ,” Steve said, his voice going cold and flat, just like the spark in his eyes.

  “Oh. I just assumed.”

  “You assumed wrong.” Steve glanced at the clock and then back at her, his eyes now dark and stormy like he knew exactly what she had been thinking.

  His mind was unreadable, so was CJ’s and that irked her. You know what I’m thinking and yet you won’t let me into your head?

  Steve huffed and turned away. “I’m not playing games, Jen.”

  “Neither am I. You can pull sh…” Her gaze slid to CJ. “Stuff from my head, but you’ve got a mountain of a wall erected between us.”

  “CJ, why don’t you go into the family room and watch a little television,” Steve said and took the empty plate from the table, depositing it into the dishwasher. He waited until the television was on and sounds of a cartoon filled the house before he turned back to Jennifer. “You’re the one who built that wall, Jen. You’re the one who doesn’t want me around. Do you even love me anymore?”

  Jennifer stepped back, distancing herself from his venom. Her mind scrambled for an answer. Yes, she loved him, but she couldn’t stand anyone touching her. Not after what Kyle did and she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words, not to Steve. That would be akin to admitting Kyle won and she would rather die. Instead, she changed the subject. “What time’s the flight?”

  “Eight. We’re meeting Ted at Brainard.” He stared at her, waiting with the expression she knew too well.

  She ran her hand through her hair and glanced toward the family room. “It’s not you, Steve. I’ve got a lot of shit to deal with and I can’t do this right now.”

  “I’m your husband, please let me help. I know a thing or two about the effects of rape, so I understand your aversion to physical contact, and I saw the videos. I know what Kyle made you do and I know how different it was from what happened at Brooksfield U. I’m sure being at the cabin didn’t help. And we don’t have to go back until the new house is built. Okay?”

  His words struck her like a slap upside the head, bringing stinging tears to her eyes and blurring her vision. He did know and that’s why this was so hard.

  “But I need to know. I need to know if you still love me.” His voice cracked and his eyes shined with tears. “Do you?”

  Her chin q
uivered and she swore under her breath. She didn’t want to break down in front of him, and the dam was threatening to burst at the vulnerability in his eyes, at the pleading she heard in his mind. With her voice locked in her chest, she nodded ascent and accepted his warm hug.

  * * * *

  Relief flooded through him and he pulled her into his arms as tears spilled over her wet lashes and he felt his own track down his cheeks. The walls he erected to safe-guard his heart from breaking crumbled and he kissed the top of her head.

  “I’ll be patient. I promise,” he whispered.

  She raised her tearstained face from his chest and nodded. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll get through this.” He took a deep breath. “Now, about Atlanta.”

  “I’m still not sure it’s a good idea, but if you need me there, I’ll be there.”

  He smiled. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea either, but I think CJ can hold his own. The tricky thing will be to get the UNSUB to take the bait. There’s no way to guarantee that at all.”

  “You’re that desperate?”

  “Yes, I am.” The admission burned his throat more than the tears. “I told CJ he just has to hold him until I can get there.”

  “And what if he can’t, what if his only recourse is killing?”

  Steve shook his head. “CJ can hold anything in place for as long as he wants.” He glanced up at the doorway where CJ now stood. “Right?”

  CJ nodded. “Yes. I know what I’m getting into, Mrs. Williams.”

  Jennifer turned toward the boy. “Please, call me Jennifer. Mrs. Williams makes me feel so old.”

  “Actually, you’re going to have to get used to calling her Mom in public, that’s the cover.”

  Without missing a beat, CJ turned to Jennifer. “I’ll be just fine, Mom.” The tone screamed exasperation, with just the right mix of embarrassment and he added an eye roll for good measure. He looked at Steve. “Like that?”

  Amusement laced Steve’s tongue and he suppressed the chuckle that bubbled at the base of his throat. “Yeah, like that.” He grinned and slid his glance sideways toward Jennifer. The same level of humor graced her expression and when their gaze met, she flashed a full on smile in his direction, stealing his breath away.