by Geri Foster
She propped her arms on his chest and raised her head. “Are you looking for more compliments, Hightower?”
“No. I just want to know if I pleased you, that’s all.”
“In that case, you did a very good job. I’m one very satisfied woman.”
He gripped her tightly. “Too satisfied to give it a second try?” he asked, his right eyebrow arched. “After all, we have the whole night.”
Chapter 14
At six o’clock the next morning, Lincoln woke up to find Mia snuggled up against his left side, sleeping soundly. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She moaned softly before her eyes fluttered open.
“Good morning,” he said, smiling. “I take it you slept quite well last night.”
“For what little sleep I got, it was really good. But the other part was much better.” She laughed. “Did we really sleep at all?”
“We did, although I can’t account for how many hours. We were awake most of the night, take my word for it.”
She gazed up at him. “I want you to know, Lincoln Hightower, I’m starving to death. We didn’t have dinner last night. And if I remember correctly, we were on our way out to do just that when things took a different turn.”
“You’re right.” He sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed. “Get dressed and let’s go have breakfast.”
She checked her phone on the side of the bed. “It’s six o’clock. Will we have time for both of us to shower, get dressed, have breakfast and be at work on time?”
He gave her a cocky grin. “Probably, if we don’t take that shower together. If that happens, we’re either going to be hungry or late for work.”
Mia jumped up and ran into the bathroom. She closed the door and he heard the shower running. He knew she was going to be first.
He put on a pair of shorts and went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. By the time he came back, she was putting on her clothes and drying her hair.
“Your turn. I’m all finished.”
“I guess you want food more than you want more of what went on last night, because you sure high-tailed it into that bathroom.”
She used his brush to take care of her hair. She looked over at him and grinned. “Right now, my stomach is demanding food. Sex can wait ‘til later.”
He barked out a laugh. “So, there’s going to be sex later?” He rubbed his hands together. “Hot damn, I can barely wait.” He walked toward the bathroom, grinning from ear to ear.
He stepped into the bathroom as she called out, “Oh, by the way, I used your toothbrush.” He turned to gaze at her. She shrugged. “I figured your mouth had been all over me, and your tongue halfway down my throat, so what difference does it make if I use your toothbrush?”
He laughed and closed the door.
As the warm water sprayed against his body, Lincoln brought back memories of the night before. He felt for certain guilt would be his primary gut feeling, but it wasn’t. He enjoyed being with Mia. She was a beautiful woman and a great lover. Could there be more? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t at a point in his life where he could question that.
He had simply gotten over his biggest hurdle. Sharing his body with a woman other than Marilyn. And while he knew in his heart he would love her always, he also knew that life goes on. She wouldn’t want him suffering in a self-imposed prison.
He knew he wouldn’t have wanted that for her. Not at all. If something had happened to him instead of her, he would’ve wanted her to be happy. To find someone she could love and who would love her as much as he had.
He lowered his head and allowed the water to pound against his back, washing away all the sorrow, blame, and excuses for not living his life to the fullest. Something shifted in him last night. He found out that he could laugh, enjoy sex, relish the touch of another woman’s body, and allow her to please him.
That didn’t mean he was madly in love with Mia. He didn’t know about that and he refused to let his mind go that far. But he was okay with what they had and he would not diminish the experience they had the night before.
He wouldn’t take that away from either one of them.
Out of the shower, dressed in a suit, with a tie hanging around his neck, he met up with Mia in the kitchen, where she leaned against the counter, enjoying a cup of coffee. His cup was set on the counter, fixed exactly the way he liked it.
“Drink up,” she said. “While this is good, it’s not food. And I need food.”
He took her hand and they walked out the door and got into one of the SUVs. He drove to Gert’s Diner where they had breakfast. When Mia had said she was hungry, she wasn’t kidding. She ordered eggs, bacon, and pancakes. They were close to cleaning their plates when Lucas walked in.
“You guys are getting an early start,” he said with a knowing smile. “Find out anything in Dallas yesterday?”
Lincoln nodded. “We came away with a different perspective of the killer. We met up with a guy named Bob Morrison and I was quite impressed by his knowledge. He did a really good profile on the man we were looking for twenty years ago.”
Mia took a sip of coffee and then put her cup back on the saucer. “I think you should share with your guys that we’re looking for an average-looking man. Perhaps a soft-spoken man who children feel very comfortable around.”
“I can do that,” Lucas said. “I don’t think my men know exactly who or what they’re looking for. What they’re trying to do is gather enough information to get an idea of what to look for, either in a person, a car, or a situation. My men have scoured the town from one end to the other, and they’ve come up empty-handed. We have absolutely no suspects. No one we can even question.”
Lincoln shoved back his plate and rested his forearm on the table. “I hope we can change that. I’m going to contact the ME and learn more about the body found yesterday. On first examination, she thought the body was at least ten years older than the others. If that’s the case, that means he’s been at it much longer than we originally thought.”
Lucas shook his head, frustration clearly etched on his face. “This whole case is driving me and my men crazy. They want this man caught, and every family in the area wants their child to be safe. How can I do that with nothing to work on?”
“I know,” Lincoln said, his mouth tight. He glanced over at Mia. “We’re doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this. Mark my words, we’ll catch him.”
“I hope you’re right.” Lucas turned and walked out of the diner.
Mia looked at him. “We’re going to have to crack this case or the whole town is going to be in an uproar, and I don’t blame them. We can’t just sacrifice our children. We have to do something.”
“You have any suggestions? Because if you do, I’m willing to listen.”
“You keep saying it’s me he wants.”
“You have the stitches to prove it,” he said. He remembered touching the stitches last night, and how it had hurt him to realize she had been the target.
“Then if he wants me, let’s use me as bait. Maybe that will bring him out in the open. Let’s give him a better shot.”
Lincoln felt like he had been sucker punched in the gut. “No!” He straightened and sent her a hard look. “I’m not going to put your life in danger. He almost killed you once. I’m not giving him another chance.”
Mia leaned forward, clutching his hand. “Lincoln, we’re not getting anywhere in this case. Yes, we are collecting a lot of information, but it’s not helping us. We’re no closer to catching the guy today then we were the minute I walked into your office. We have to change that.”
“Mia, I am not going to put your life on the line. I can’t do that.”
“If it were you, could you?”
He glanced away. “That’s different.”
“How? I’m an FBI agent just like you. We both take risks. That’s part of our job. When we signed on, we were never guaranteed a plush assignment. We have to catch this guy, and I may be the on
ly way.”
Lincoln looked away. “You know Austin isn’t going to go for that. We need to come up with a better idea.”
“Okay. What do you have in your magic box? Can you think of something that might flush this guy out, bring us closer to catching him, or at least finding out who he is?”
“No, I can’t say I do.” Lincoln didn’t want to admit for one minute that she might be right. He didn’t want her in the line of fire. He didn’t want her life in danger. He threw down his napkin. “Let’s get to work and see if our boss has any better ideas.” He pointed at her. “I’m going to warn you right now, I’m not going to go for the idea of you being bait. I’ll fight it with my last breath.”
She smiled coyly. “We’ll see.”
* * *
Mia and Lincoln left the diner and headed for the office. She knew convincing Austin to let her be out there where the killer could easily find her wouldn’t be easy.
And Lincoln felt the exact same way. He didn’t like the idea of her putting herself in danger at all. That she was an agent, well-trained, who knew her job didn’t matter to him. To her, she could be as easily shot walking down the street as she could trying to lure out the murderer.
They both knew that, so why was he putting up such a fight? Mia decided to leave it up to their boss. He was the one in charge. If he thought it was useful to go along with her idea, he’d say so, and Lincoln wouldn’t be given an opinion. She knew he wouldn’t like that, but she was willing to take the chance. She didn’t want another little girl to die.
After settling in at their desks, they decided it was time to approach Austin. Mia could never tell if he was in a good mood or not. The only time she saw him smile was the time his wife, Canid, showed up to go to lunch with him. Then he lit up like a Christmas tree. The love those two shared was clearly visible.
Mia and Lincoln took a seat in front of Austin and waited. When he finally looked up from his paperwork, Lincoln started the conversation. He thumbed toward her. “She wants to play as bait and hopefully lure the killer out in the open so we might stand a chance of catching the guy.” He squirmed in his chair. “For the record, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Putting an officer in danger deliberately is foolish.”
Mia stared at Austin, waiting for his response. His sharp, dark eyes shifted to her. “Let’s hear your side of it.”
“Agent Hightower is convinced this madman wants to kill me. And he might be right, because someone took a shot at me. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad, and I got away with just a scratch. My point is, if the guy wants me, let him have me.”
Austin studied her carefully. “This man is bad. Not just bad, but one of the worse. He so bad, we don’t even know how many people he’s killed. Putting your life up for grabs is not my idea of a great plan, but if we adhere to a few strict rules, we might just be able to pull it off.”
Lincoln leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I hate her being a walking target. We haven’t come close to even getting a description of the guy, much less a suspect. For her to just be out there parading around, waiting for the guy to strike is really dangerous, Austin.”
Mia cleared her throat. “I know it sounds risky, and I don’t take it frivolously, but I don’t know what else to do. We have to catch this guy and, so far, he’s stayed one step ahead of us. What little information we’ve gathered about him hasn’t really led to anything we can use.” She glanced over at Lincoln who didn’t look happy at all. “It’s time to try something drastic.”
Lincoln jumped to his feet, running his fingers through his hair. “That doesn’t mean that we let this guy near you. What if he kills you? What good are you to us then?”
“I agree with Lincoln,” Austin said. “Every word out of his mouth is the truth. However, everything you said was also true. People want this man caught and they don’t care how we do it. I do care. And risking an agent’s life isn’t my idea of our first plan of action. But as we all know, we’re getting nowhere.”
“Boss,” Lincoln said pleadingly. “Whatever else this killer is, he’s smart, and cunning, and has nothing to lose. Taking out an FBI agent would be nothing to him. I don’t agree with just turning Mia loose out there and letting this guy take pot shots at her. It sounds like a good way to get her killed to me.”
Mia knew that would be Lincoln’s argument. He didn’t want to see any harm come to her, and if the shoe were on the other foot, she’d feel the same. But more than anything, she wanted this man put away. If that meant taking a few risks, she was up for the task.
Austin came to his feet and paced. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked at her then his gaze swung to Lincoln. “I honestly think you two can pull this off.”
“What?” Lincoln practically yelled. “You’re telling me you’re willing to risk her life?”
“No.” Austin stopped pacing and leaned down, placing his palms on his desk. “Hear me out. And if you don’t like what I say, we keep talking.”
Lincoln and Mia nodded.
“First of all, she wears a vest at all times. And I mean, even when she’s sleeping. Lincoln, I don’t want you to let her out of your sight. Not for one minute. You’re going to wear a vest, too. If he’ll kill one agent, he’ll kill two.”
“You think just a vest is going to keep her alive?” Lincoln asked incredulously. “That leaves a lot of her body exposed.”
“Lincoln,” Austin said in a firm, no-nonsense voice. “We need to be precise about this. I don’t want you to take her by the arm and parade her up and down Main Street. That’s not my plan. I say we go about our business of working this case the best we can, but also, you two need to be completely aware of your surroundings. That means everything and everyone.”
“You haven’t convinced me yet,” Lincoln said stubbornly. “This guy got to her once. He can do it again.”
Mia turned and looked up at Lincoln. “He got to me because we weren’t expecting him to shoot anyone. Now, we’re aware that’s a possibility. We would be anticipating his next moves.”
Lincoln put his hands on his hips. “And exactly how in the hell are we going to do that when we know jack shit about the guy?”
Mia looked over at Austin. “How many agents do we have on this case?”
“Six FBI agents, Lucas, David, three deputies, and you two.”
Mia smiled then glanced over at Lincoln. “That’s a lot of people. A lot of gun power. And if they are all looking out for me, I don’t think this guy stands a chance. Do you?”
Lincoln suddenly became interested in the toes of his shoes, and while Mia knew he didn’t like what she had to say, he felt better knowing how many people were involved. It was important to him that she be protected and, obviously, she would be.
“Can you agree to that, Lincoln?” Austin asked, his head dipped so he could get a look at Lincoln’s face. “I’ll notify everyone to be on guard. She’ll be on around-the-clock surveillance. He won’t get past us.”
“Can you guarantee that?” Lincoln asked, unsmiling.
Chapter 15
Lincoln wasn’t any happier when they came out of Austin’s office than he had been going in. He didn’t like Mia’s life being in danger and he didn’t care who knew it. This hair-brained idea was going to get her killed, and he’d be damned if he’d stand by and let that happen.
They went back to their desks and Mia remained quiet. Not in a gloating way, just silent and somber. Mia wasn’t that kind of person. She had made her point and won, now he had to make sure she got out of this alive. And he would, regardless of the cost.
His phone rang and he picked it up, holding it to his ear. “Hightower here.” After a few minutes, he turned his phone off and looked at Mia. “They found another body.”
“Near where they found the last one? Was it buried?”
“No,” he gritted out. “This is another one tossed alongside the road. Right inside the city limits of Rainwater. Let’s go.”
They both grabbed a v
est before leaving, and after they were secured, they stepped out of the building, prepared for anything. Lincoln searched the area carefully. There were no cars in the parking lot, nothing in the perimeter. Not even a bird flew overhead.
Only then did he allow Mia to walk out and get in the car. He knew she wasn’t happy with him for being overly cautious but he didn’t care. His job was to keep her alive and that was exactly what he intended to do.
Inside the car, she remained silent. Lincoln worried about that. They had spent the night together and had a wonderful time, and truth be told, he wanted a repeat. He didn’t want to do anything to upset that, yet he had to say what was on his mind. “You mad at me?”
“No, Lincoln. I’m not mad at you. You just said what you thought and that’s never wrong. We just happen to disagree. People do that all the time.” She smiled and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. “You can look forward to more of it in the future.”
He returned her smile. “I’m glad to hear that. To start off with, you need to know I don’t like women who pout. I’d rather have a rip-roaring argument than someone sit around sulking.”
“You may live to eat those words, Mister. I say what’s on my mind. I’ll admit when I’m wrong, but I don’t like the taste of crow.”
“Okay. We both know where we stand.”
They pulled up on the scene and only Lucas and David had arrived so far. A blue tarp had been spread over the body. Lincoln walked over, lifted up the corner, and caught a glimpse of a young girl, completely nude, with evidence that she had been choked.
“Well, it looks like our guy’s at it again,” Lincoln said in a tired voice. “I think I liked it better when he was burying them. At least they didn’t look like roadkill. As if they meant nothing in the world to the guy. Son of a bitch.”
“It’s different now,” Lucas said soberly. “It looks like he’s changed his MO completely.”
Mia stepped closer. “Do any of you wonder if we go by our theory that there could be two killers, one may be tossing them on the roadside while the other is burying them?”
