“I forget to check my mail until the mailman comes to the door and leaves one of those sticky notes telling me the box is full.”
“Say again?”
I didn’t know why she was telling me about her mailman.
“All of my bills are paid electronically. I don’t get paper bills.”
“I know that.”
And I did, I’d been the one to set everything up for her, because during the school year, she often forgot when her bills were due. It wasn’t because she was irresponsible, but she was busy, grading papers, and organizing lesson plans. Not even her triple calendars helped remind her, especially during testing months when she was focused on her students.
“So I didn’t collect the mail until today when the mailman knocked on the door and told me he couldn’t shove anything else in. That was in there. I opened it.”
“Okay.”
She was silent for a moment then said, “I shouldn’t have. I should’ve called you or Ethan.”
Ethan? Why would she call my brother?
Done waiting, I picked up the paper and the moment my eyes landed on the angry block letters I understood why she’d mentioned Ethan. Him being my brother wasn’t why she should’ve called, being a police officer was the reason.
I scanned the note and with each sentence my blood boiled.
“Call Ethan,” I clipped.
“But we touched it.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is fucked. We need to file a police report.”
“Okay.”
Her defeated whisper was my undoing. “Come here, Laney.”
I tossed the vile message back on the table and she stepped into my arms, wrapping both of hers around my middle.
“Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“But it says—”
“Don’t give a fuck what it says. You’re safe. I’m safe. Nothing’s gonna happen.”
“But—”
“Laney baby, listen to me. No one is going to hurt me.”
I heard her sniffle and felt her nod. She didn’t believe me.
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and called my brother. He told me he’d be right over and I made one more call.
“Yo,” Jasper answered.
“Listen, I need you to come over. Call my dad, Levi, and Clark. Need all four of you.”
“Delaney safe?”
“Yes, need you all on the double.”
“Be there in ten.”
I shoved my phone back into my pocket, not having the opportunity to say goodbye because all I had was dead air. Jasper was a man of few words, fewer when shit needed to get done.
“I don’t even know what to say.” Delaney fisted the back of my tee, stretching the material. “Who would send me that?”
“Don’t know, but we’re gonna find out.”
“It says they’re gonna kill you.”
“I read it, baby. I know what it says.”
“And I’m gonna watch.” A sob tore through her and I didn’t know how to make this better for her. I didn’t think now was the right time to make promises that no one was going to kill me, therefore she’d never watch anything. She wasn’t in a place where she’d believe me.
I twisted her in my arms, squatted, my forearm going under her knees, the other behind her, and I hefted her into my arms and walked us to the couch. I sat and adjusted her in my lap so I was cradling her. She shoved her face into my neck and I felt wetness from her tears hit my skin and my anger flashed.
Someone had scared her so badly she was shaking. Fear leaked from her pretty blue eyes and burned a path down my flesh.
Neither of us spoke. I held her while she cried, trying to tamp down the urge to kill the asshole who sent the letter. Old habits die hard. I’d led a life of action, where threats were met with bodily harm. Now, I didn’t have the authority to strap on my kit and hunt down leads. I couldn’t act swiftly and methodically to new intel. I had to sit on my ass and wait for Ethan.
I had no choice but to take the back seat while he worked the system. He had his own set of rules he had to follow, and he did, always. There had only been one time when he’d stepped out of bounds and that was when Honor had been kidnapped. An infraction that was overlooked because the call he’d made had saved a life, and the only person who’d been left to rot in the ground was the man who’d deserved it.
The front door opened and Laney jolted in my arms.
“It’s your dad, baby,” I whispered to the top of her head, then to the rest of the guys who’d walked in. “On the table. We already touched it.”
Jasper, my dad, Levi, Clark, and Ethan all walked by eyeing me holding Delaney. All had matching pissed-off expressions and they didn’t even know how bad it was.
The message was fucked. It was clear. And it was detailed.
The person said they were going to kill me, do it slowly, and Delaney was gonna be forced to watch but she’d be left breathing. The author of the note said they wanted her to live the rest of her life with the memory. What she’d been forced to see and the knowledge she couldn’t stop it but it was her fault.
“Fuck. Goddamn!” my dad boomed.
“Came through the mail. Virginia Beach, VA,” Jasper growled. “You have any enemies up there?”
His question was directed to me, therefore I answered. “None that I’m aware of. I can call my old team, see if they’ve heard anything or received any threats. Though they may be MIA, they were leaving for training.”
“Someone from overseas?” Ethan asked.
“Too many to count. But I find it doubtful ISIS would send a handwritten warning.”
There was a beat of silence and I knew without looking they were all studying the letter.
“Nick,” my dad clipped. “I just sent you an email. A letter that was delivered to Delaney’s house. I need you to take a look at it.” There was a pause then he continued. “Yeah, I’ll wait. I’m putting you on speakerphone.”
“Pulling it up now,” Nick’s voice came over the speaker.
“I’m really scared, Carter,” Delaney spoke softly.
“I know, Laney. But everything’s gonna be okay.”
“What in the fuck?” Nick sounded much like the other men. Angry and unbelieving.
“Lock it down, son,” Clark waded in. “We need you to focus. Read it again as an FBI profiler, not as Carter’s cousin.”
“Christ,” he muttered. “First read it seems to be about an enemy of Carter’s wanting him dead. But if you pull out the marker words, the motivation behind killing him is Delaney. The person is using Carter as the tool to hurt her.”
“What does that tell you?” Levi asked.
“The person is enraged with Delaney, a perceived wrongdoing against the unsub. I’d focus on Delaney’s enemies, not Carter’s. He’s simply the means. Read the line, ‘You’ll know my pain.’ Delaney will, not Carter. Also, where it says, ‘You’re going to live your life like I do.’ Again referring to Delaney. If this was about Carter, everything would be in reverse. Delaney’s life would be in danger. The wording would be different, Delaney would die and Carter would watch. I want a list of every person in the last three years that has looked cross-eyed in her direction. Anyone who’s given the smallest hint they’re pissed at her. Kids who got a bad grade and voiced their displeasure, a parent, a teacher, a friend, every last person. I’ll go from there. If I have to go back ten years I will.”
“FBI doesn’t handle threats like this,” Ethan reminded Nick.
“We do today. I’ll brief Unit Chief Gonzales here at my office and make a call up to Virginia to the director. The second I mention Delaney Walker and Carter Lenox, they’ll give my offices full support.”
I had no doubt about that. My dad, Levi, Jasper, and Clark had worked with the Director of the BAU a lot over the years and the man thought very highly of my family.
“That’d be appreciated,” Ethan returned.
“I’ll have a preliminary workup sent to the station, E. As
a matter of fact, I’ll personally deliver it tomorrow.”
“’Preciate it. See you tomorrow.”
“Anything else I should know?” Nick asked.
“Yeah. About two weeks ago, Delaney’s tires were slashed,” I added.
“Nothing left? No note?”
“No.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“I’m gonna take this in.” Ethan stopped in front of me on his way to the door. “Watch yourself.”
Delaney whimpered and I wanted to kick my brother.
“Will do.”
“Guys, I’m gonna take Laney to the bedroom, I’ll be right back.”
I stood and Delaney struggled to stand. “I don’t want to go into the bedroom.”
“We’ll all be right here, nothing’s gonna happen.”
“You think I’m weak.”
“No, baby, you’re the strongest woman I know. I think you’ve had a shock and you’ve heard enough. I think you need to take a breather and rest. Once the initial terror of the threat wears off, you’ll remember who I am and what I do for a living and you’ll come to believe me when I tell you, no one is going to kill me. But you need a minute to process. That’s what I’m giving you.”
Delaney didn’t relax in my arms but she was no longer fighting me.
Someone’s head was going to roll for putting fear in Delaney’s eyes.
26
Delaney
“Do you think this is a good idea?” I asked Carter.
“I think it’s better than good, it’s a great idea.”
We were in his truck on the way to a place called The Hole. The restaurant was so small and hidden between two other stores, if you didn’t know what you were looking for you’d miss it. It also had the best jazz acts in all of Georgia come play. There was always music on the weekends but sometimes they had a performance during the week. It was also always packed. And with their rotation menu, you never knew what your food choices were going to be, just that they’d be delicious.
I loved The Hole. And under normal circumstances I’d be thrilled Carter was taking me on a date. But after the letter, hearing what Nick had said, then lying in bed listening to the muffled conversation between Carter, his dad, mine, Uncle Levi, and Uncle Clark I was in no state to go out.
However, Carter had been right about one thing. When the shock had worn off a tad I did find it hard to believe that someone would be able to get close enough to capture him. Not to mention, strong enough to subdue and move him.
And that’s what the note had said. The person explained in detail how they were going to use a knife and carve him up while I watched. They hadn’t threatened to shoot him, which they could do from a distance.
Carter had insisted on going out. He’d pulled out the emotional big guns and reminded me he’d wasted time and he wasn’t wasting anymore. So there we were driving to a restaurant with the threat of Carter’s demise looming over us.
I heard people talk about how in the aftermath of danger or during an extreme situation it made them appreciate what they had, even made them want to live life to the fullest. You know, make a bucket list and tick off all the things you wanted to do before you died.
That had not been my experience. I’d been in the throes of heartbreak and agony after what happened with Derek. I hadn’t been in any sort of mind to appreciate anything.
Now, I could possibly see how that was true. A little. Someone threatening Carter’s life did make me want to hold on tighter. Part of me wanted to lock him in the house so no one could get to him but a sliver of me wanted to pack everything I could in the shortest amount of time possible.
What the threat had done was made me realize with a hundred percent clarity was, I couldn’t live without Carter. I hadn’t allowed my mind to wander down a dark path picturing his death, but I did think about how I’d pushed him away and how I’d stupidly thought I could replace the irreplaceable.
“Can I say something without you getting pissed off?” I asked Carter.
“Can’t answer that without knowing what you wanna talk about.”
“Steve.”
“Don’t go there, Laney.”
I had to. There were a few things we had to discuss.
“You know I work with him.”
“Yep.”
“So when school starts next month, I’m gonna see him.”
Carter was quiet for a long time. Perhaps bringing up Steve while Carter was taking me on a date wasn’t the best timing.
“Sorry. Maybe we should talk about this later,” I muttered.
“No good time to talk about him.” Then a pause before he asked, “Has he been bothering you?”
“Bothering me?”
“Calling you? Texting you?”
Carter was weirdly calm, he sounded more thoughtful than angry.
“Last time I spoke to him on the phone was when I was at the beach. The conversation was a little forced and distant, but he was checking on me and asking how my vacation was going. He’s texted me once since I’ve been home, asking about you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. He knew we had history. After what happened at Tuesday’s it was hard to miss. When he broke things off with me, he was gentle about it and told me to find what I needed to be happy.”
“Right.”
“He was asking if I’d found it and I told him I had.”
“Did he know why you went to the beach? Why you were there alone?”
“No,” I whispered. “I didn’t tell him anything. He knew I was holding back. He’d asked why I was so sad, but I never told him.”
I hadn’t told anyone. I wasn’t strong enough to talk about the baby. Thinking on it, I didn’t have much to give anyone, not without Carter by my side.
“He gonna be a problem when you go back to work?”
“For me? No. He’s asked me out plenty over the last two years but never pushed when I’d turned him down. Now that he knows about you, he won’t ask again. He’s a nice guy.”
“Right.” One word dripping in sarcasm said it all. He didn’t think Steve was a nice guy and I smartly wasn’t going to convince him. If the roles were reversed and he’d dated some woman, then tried to tell me she was nice, I wouldn’t have been happy about it either.
Time to move on.
“Thanks for taking me out tonight.”
“I’m slackin’ on the date nights. This is only number two.”
My belly flipped. Carter Lenox keeping track of dates. I never thought I’d see the day. It was a miracle I could smile at all after what’d happened earlier. But there I was sitting in Carter’s truck, dressed up, going on my second date with him, and I was doing it—smiling.
* * *
“Thank you,” I whispered close to Carter’s ear so he could hear me over the music. “This was just what I needed.”
We were sitting at a round top table at the front of the room but off to the left a bit. We had a perfect view of Tommy Feels. Dinner had been consumed, plates cleared, and I was relaxed. So relaxed I was leaning into Carter and my eyes were closed. The music was good, the vibe in the room mellow.
It was perfect.
“Welcome, baby.”
Carter’s arm was around the back of my chair, his hand on my shoulder and he gave me a squeeze.
“You gonna marry me, Laney?”
This time I didn’t stiffen at his question. I smiled.
“Not yet, honey.”
“Right.” He chuckled.
* * *
We were in bed, Carter’s face was buried between my legs, my hands in his hair, my knees spread wide, giving him room to work his magic.
Good God, he was good at this. Mostly because he loved doing it. Partly because he was a good listener and paid attention to every sound I made, every buck of my hips. When he did something I liked, he continued to do it. Now he was flicking my clit with his tongue and had added his fingers. Thrusting them in and out until he found the spot that drove me crazy.
His face came up and my hands lost purchase in his hair. “I love you, Laney.”
“Love you,” I panted, rocking my hips harder.
“Can’t live without you,” he continued, still fucking me with his fingers and I was close. “Marry me, Delaney.”
My head tipped back and my eyes closed and I groaned at the sensations he was creating. My skin was on fire, my pussy was clenching, a tremble ran through me and Carter stopped.
“Not yet. Marry me.”
“Carter,” I moaned and lifted my hips. “I’m close.”
“Tell me you’ll marry me and I’ll take you there.”
Bastard.
Two could play his game.
My hand left the bed and went to my clit and rubbed hard, quick as lightning pins and needles pricked my skin.
Carter knocked my hand away and trapped it on the bed.
“Marry me.”
“No.”
“Marry me, Delaney,” he growled.
“Not yet.”
“Hands above your head,” he demanded.
I did his bidding, he came up on his knees and drove inside of me with such force the bed shook.
“Yes,” I groaned. “Harder, honey.”
“Christ,” he groaned. “So fucking sweet. Nothing better than being inside of you.”
He didn’t stop his punishing pace. Not when I wailed out my orgasm, nor when he built the second one and I was getting ready to tip over the edge. Carter wasn’t making love to me. He wasn’t even fucking me. He was proving a point and it wasn’t lost on me. He was the only man I’d ever had, he was the only one I ever would. And he could take me on a wild ride or a sweet adventure. There was nothing he couldn’t give me.
Carter shoved his face in my neck and sucked so hard I figured he’d left a mark. He gave me a quick nip with his teeth before his mouth was next to my ear.
“Mark this, Laney. You’re gonna marry me. You know it, I know it, everybody fuckin’ knows it. I’ll wear you down. I’ll ask a million times. Don’t care how long it takes. But you will be my wife.”
Adoring Delaney: The Next Generation Page 20
