The Profilers (Born Bratva The Lost Years Book 2)

by Suzanne Steele

  “Oh, I do love the sight of blood. And yours smells so delicious.” He pressed a fingertip into the blood and waved it beneath his nose, groaning as he breathed in the faint coppery smell.

  Tee swallowed hard and pressed her eyes closed in an effort to stave off the crying jag she had been fighting for hours. She had been trying to remain calm, but she had had it with this guy. “What the fuck do you want from me?”

  “I told you, I don’t like dirty language.” Each word was emphasized by a jab of the knife’s tip into the alabaster skin of her abdomen, with extra force on the final word. “Oh, look at that. The contrast of the blood against your pretty skin is gorgeous.”

  Tee was bent over, gasping with pain. That last cut had gone deep enough into her abdomen that it was impossible to ignore. Judging by the gush of blood from the wound, it wasn’t a superficial injury, and it wasn’t something she could ignore if she wanted to survive. The stakes had just gotten a lot higher.

  He was undeterred as he stepped away from her and waved his arm in a grandiose, commanding gesture. “Now, dance! You heard me! Dance! C’mon, make me believe it!” The bastard was smiling serenely, as if stabbing her was business as usual. And maybe it was.

  “That’s why I’m so sad, you know?” she sniffled, not entirely play-acting because the stab wound hurt like hell. “I can’t dance with these handcuffs on. I don’t want to disappoint you. I couldn’t bear to disappoint you.” She looked up at him, giving him the most pitiful look she could muster, which wasn’t difficult, considering the pain she was in.

  His face softened at her sweet words and the demure sincerity on her face. He was starting to feel better about this one. “Well, because you’re wounded, I suppose there’s no reason why your hands can’t be free.”

  If she was going to get away, this would probably be her only chance. She stood still as he worked to release the cuffs. Her arms ached as she lowered them to her sides, wrapping her arms around herself where the knife had entered. She was starting to feel lightheaded. If the knife had done the kind of damage she was worried about, she couldn’t wait to act. It had to be now.

  “I…I need to dance for you,” she said weakly as he moved in closer to her.

  “Shhh…” He knelt in front of her and gazed admiringly at the blood issuing forth from the hole he’d put in her. “I need to…taste you…just a little…” As his face drew nearer to her naked body, she fought the urge to cringe and jerk away from him. If he planned to rape her, there would be nothing she could do.

  Her lower lip quivered as he leaned even closer, his eyes closing as his tongue extended out to touch her skin. As he began to lap at the blood seeping from her wound, she froze in horror. She couldn’t bear him touching her and there was something grotesque in the knowledge that he was taking part of her inside him.

  She wobbled and cursed the weakness that threatened to buckle her knees. No doubt, blood loss was taking its toll.

  “Shhh,” he said again. “Let me do this, then you can dance for me.”

  At the feel of his tongue slithering across her skin, Tee summoned the strength to reach up and grab onto the wrist restraints that were still swinging just above her head. She reared back, bent one leg at the knee, and kicked him squarely in the face.

  The force of the impact sent him careening across the floor, howling with pain and rage as he clutched at his bloody, gushing nose. He hadn’t seen the kick coming, but he sure as hell felt the knife when he landed on it. He gasped in shock as the blade sank into his leg from tip to handle.

  Too late, he realized he’d made the mistake of leaving the door open. Tee had landed on her ass and briefly scrambled away from him in a panic-stricken crab-walk before her rational mind prevailed. Adrenaline fueled her rubbery limbs as she lurched through the open doorway in search of a way out. A set of rickety stairs led to a door. Guided by a faint beam of light along the bottom of the doorframe, she lurched up the steps, turned the knob, and shoved the door open.

  A long, dark hallway led to the front door. Thank God the place was small. She could hear his incoherent screams from a distance but getting closer by the second. Surely, between his broken nose and the stab wound to his leg, he’d be moving slow enough for her to get away.

  She yanked the door open and ran outside. She made a break for the woods, her hand gripping her side in an effort to staunch the blood that still seeped from her stab wound. Her pounding heartbeat probably wasn’t helping matters. She ran through the woods, oblivious to the branches and thorns that tore into her bare feet, legs, and face. Tears stung her skin like fire as they trailed over the cuts on her cheeks. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her moving, and she dared not stop. If she stopped, she might collapse and never get up.

  Fifteen minutes felt like forever as she raced through the woods. She finally reached a road and frantically waved her arms when she saw headlights on the horizon. At the last second, she almost panicked and ran back into the woods at the possibility that it might be her abductor. He knew this area.

  She was going on pure instinct and fear, so she stumbled into the middle of the road and collapsed. As she lay on the pavement, blinded by the glare of the headlights shining in her face, she knew she’d done all she could. She was beyond caring that she was stark naked in the middle of nowhere and covered in blood. She knew she must be a sight to see. She could only thank God that someone had seen her. In that moment, she knew she would either be rescued by this passing motorist or she’d die trying. Either way, she would never be at someone’s mercy again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Okay, so the bastard said he’d let us know where the body was. But we haven’t heard anything. Maybe he didn’t kill her after all.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Rene said. “She’s a fighter. If she had a chance to get away…”

  “Hey, Murphy!” Richardson yelled across the crowded office. “Got a call on line two I think you’ll be interested in.”

  Rene looked at Turner with raised brows, then picked up the call, putting it on speaker so he could listen in.

  “Is this Agent Rene Murphy?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “I’m Grace Donahue, the nurse supervisor at Norton Hospital.”

  “Yes, ma’am. And the purpose of your call?”

  “We have a patient here that’s asking for you. Her name is Terry Henderson. She was brought in tonight by a passing motorist who found her wandering around near the woods off the highway. She nearly ran over her but was able to stop in time. Ms. Henderson was in bad shape when she got here. Multiple stab wounds. She went straight into surgery. She asked that we notify you before contacting our usual law enforcement resources.”

  “She’s in surgery now?” Rene asked as she cut her eyes at Turner and nodded.

  “Just got out. She’s in recovery. I imagine you’ll want to get a statement from her. She’s resting but should be able to talk to you when you arrive.” The nurse went on to tell Rene how to reach the area where the patient would be by the time they arrived.

  “Got it. Thanks for the call. We’re on our way.” She ended the call and stood, slipping her suit jacket over her shoulders. Turning to speak to Turner, she noticed that he was already halfway to the door. She practically had to run to keep up with him, as usual. “Damned if you weren’t right. She got away. Yes!”

  On the way across town, Turner commented, “You know, this is the first time I’ve actually felt proud of somebody for getting away. That girl didn’t deserve to die, Rene. She’s bound to have some story to tell.”

  “None of them deserved it, and by the way, you’re driving too fast,” Rene said, grabbing on to the internal handle above her car door. When he drove too crazy she called it her ‘Oh shit!’ handle.

  “We need to get there and hear her story.”

  “He must have hurt her pretty bad if she had to have surgery.”

  “We’re about to find out,” Turner said as he cut the engine. He had parked the c
ar by the main entrance, in the first of several spaces reserved for law enforcement. They entered the hospital and made a beeline for the elevator.

  When they reached the appropriate floor, a nurse looked up from the nurse’s station. Both agents had their badges out. “You must be here about Ms. Henderson,” she said crisply.

  “Yes,” Rene said. “Is she awake?”

  “She is.” The nurse gave them the room number and watched as they hurried down the hall.

  Tee’s eyes fluttered when she heard the agents enter her room. Rene placed a hand over Tee’s and greeted her softly. “It’s good to see you, girl.”

  “It’s good to be alive.” Tee recounted her story to them. Both agents waited until she finished to ask any questions.

  “Do you think you hurt him bad enough for him to need emergency care?” Rene asked.

  “Oh, my God,” Tee gasped, her complexion ashen as she considered what that might mean. “You’re telling me that bastard could be here in the hospital right now?!”

  “It’s a possibility, but not likely. We’ll station security outside your room and outside your apartment, and we’ll let Harper know to be on the lookout. We’ll keep you safe,” Turner assured her.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s not going to stop killing, though. He’s crazy. He kept wanting me to dance for him. Creepiest experience I’ve ever had. When I convinced him I couldn’t dance for him because of the handcuffs, he undid them. That’s the only way I got away. What if he dies from that knife wound?”

  “Then you’d be doing this community a great service,” Rene muttered. “There’s no jury on earth that would put you away for defending yourself against that kind of evil. You just rest and get well. We’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Thank you, I will. I’m so tired. Please warn Harper before you do anything else.”

  “Will do. Hey, Tee, one more question. Do you have any idea where you were?”

  “No, and I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking clearly at first, and then I was in a panic to get away from him. Just out in the middle of the woods somewhere, is all I know. I never even thought to ask the woman who gave me a ride. I was in full survival mode, just trying to run.”

  “Understandable.” Rene glanced at her partner. “And it makes sense that he’d choose a rural area. He’d want complete privacy.”

  “The first thing we’ll do is station an officer outside your room so you can get some sleep,” Turner said. The agents said their goodbyes and turned for the door. When they stepped into the hall, Tee’s eyes were already closed and her breathing was steady and deep.

  Turner’s first order of business was to place a call to arrange for Tee’s security detail. When that was done, he posed a question to his partner. “What do you make of his demand that she prepare to ‘audition’ for him?”

  Rene frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, assuming that he may have done the same thing with his other victims, I’d say he wants them to prove themselves. He wants them to practice to the exclusion of all else, to the point of exhaustion, so they can audition for him.”

  “Why, though? Why is that so important to him?”

  Rene looked up at him and shrugged as they walked together. “He wants them to prove themselves. Maybe because when it counted, he couldn’t. When someone goes to such lengths to avoid failure, it could be because he’s all too familiar with it himself.”

  Turner stopped abruptly and turned fierce eyes her way. “Tee escaped. She’s the only one to get away. He failed.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Fuck.”

  They stopped at the nurse’s station where Turner issued terse instructions. “Don’t let anyone in her room until a cop gets here. And ID any visitors.” The nurse nodded and he turned away to walk to the elevator. He stopped abruptly and turned around. “One more thing. Did you happen to get the woman’s information? The motorist who brought her in?”

  “Give me a quick second to check her chart.” Her fingertips flew over the keyboard as she scanned the monitor screen for information from Tee’s initial arrival in the E.R. “Bingo! They sure did,” she said, scribbling it down on a piece of paper, which she handed to Turner.

  “Great, thanks,” he said, taking the slip of paper from her. Now to warn Harper that she might be in danger. Maybe Mr. Benzo would help them out by getting sloppy and showing up. Stranger things had happened.

  Chapter Twenty

  “That bitch,” Benzo hissed as he looked down at the gaping wound on his leg. He grabbed a bottle of pain pills from his stash. He chewed up three of the pills, grimacing as he washed down the bitter taste with a swig from the bottle of bourbon he’d set on the floor by the bathtub.

  He eased down onto the toilet lid, wincing in pain as he considered his situation. The knife wound in his leg would have to be sewn up. While Tee was tucked into her hospital bed on good drugs, he was being forced to sew up his own wound—the wound that bitch made in his leg. Sure, he fell on the knife, but it was her fault for kicking him like that and then running away. He knew if he went to the hospital they would report him so he’d been reduced to this. How could he have been so careless as to let her drop him like that? She hadn’t fought fair, and he hated her for it.

  Benzo reached over for the suture kit he’d ordered months ago, just in case something like this ever happened. At least he’d had the foresight to do that. Too bad he hadn’t had better instincts with the woman. He pushed away thoughts of getting even with her. He had bigger, sexier fish to fry.

  He threaded the curved needle and began the agonizing job of sewing his skin closed. The pills and booze had kicked in, which made it somewhat easier to tolerate the pain but was really fucking with his hand-eye coordination.

  He thought about his next victim. He would be going for something totally different. He wouldn’t make any mistakes like he had before. The woman he had in mind was classier. She would be a challenge but a very rewarding one.

  The media was going to have a field day with an FBI agent being abducted. He’d be a household name; more famous or infamous than the serial killers before him. Toying with the feds was going to be a blast. They would know they’d met their match.

  He thought about the luscious redhead with the bright green eyes. He was going to enjoy her. It would be hard to get to her, though, because that partner of hers was so overprotective. Well, more like obsessed. There was a lot more than deskwork going on between them, and that knowledge just made Benzo’s plans that much sweeter. It was easy to understand how a man could be so intrigued with Rene Murphy. She was special. She was sexy and smart. She was the total package; not like the others. She might even be worth keeping.

  He had moved to another hideout. They were sure to find the place Tee had run from, so he had bugged out as soon as he’d been able to get moving. Thank God his parents had left him an inheritance. No one knew his real name…yet. The anonymity would come in handy for what he had in mind for the beautiful FBI agent. He hummed drunkenly as his cock rose to attention at the prospect of having Agent Rene Murphy all to himself. His time with her was going to be about so much more than dancing. She deserved a truly special experience, something unlike anything he’d given anyone else. It was time to finally grow the hell up and take things to the next level. Plus, it would be good to keep the FBI guessing. The last thing he wanted to be was predictable.

  Once he got his hands on her, he was going to take his time with her. The right combination of restraints and sedatives would turn her into a regular dream date. The challenge of subduing her would be like no other; that alone would make his pursuit of her far more satisfying than any of his previous hunts.

  He tied off the sutures. He reached over for two more pills and swallowed them down with a gulp of bourbon. He looked down with pride at the job he’d done. Not a work of art, but it would do. A week of antibiotics and he should be good as new. Who needed a damn doctor anyway? Not him. He didn’t need anybody. He di
dn’t need Rene Murphy, either, but he sure as fuck wanted her. And he was going to have her.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Glazov pulled his wife over on top of him. He slid his hands down her back and over her ass, tugging her thighs apart so that she straddled his hips. “I need to be inside you before I go to court,” he murmured as he moved restlessly beneath her, instinctively sliding the length of his cock back and forth along the lips of her sex.

  “This is all happening so fast. Do you really think you should be going? I just don’t know if making an appearance at Ivan’s hearing is smart.”

  “Oh, so you’re saying I’m not smart,” he scoffed, raising a sardonic brow as he gripped her hips, lifted her up, and settled her onto his erection.

  Kathleen tossed her head back, reveling in that initial stretch and delicious bite of pain as Glazov surged into place deep inside her.

  “Nothing to say, hmm? I didn’t think so,” he smirked. He thrust up into her as deep as he could go. Her pussy’s silky heat felt like heaven on earth.

  Glazov savored these early morning moments alone with his wife. You never knew what a day would bring in the Born Bratva life. Today promised to be high drama, as Ivan’s case had been expedited. It paid to know people with connections and to have the best legal counsel money could buy. Ivan was going to turn himself in and plead guilty, so the courts weren’t going to dick around with delays.

  He slipped his fingertips over her porcelain skin, making a slow trail of fire down between her legs. She ground her hips in a circle, pressing against his finger in a long, slow slide that felt oh so good.

  He watched her face as her body shuddered in climax. He always saw to her pleasure before giving a thought to his own. As her creamy walls rippled around his cock, his hips set a punishing pace as he moved inside her until he found his own release.

  Afterwards, she raised her head from his chest, gazing at him softly as she rested her chin on her hand. “I’m serious, Glazov. I just don’t feel good about you setting foot in that courtroom.”