A Little Harmless Submission 6 (3 page)

He nodded and headed out the door. No matter what, he was on the case until he caught the bastard. And no one, not the FBI or the HPD, would tell him differently.

Chapter Two

Maria was nervous. Her entire body sizzled with energy that was draining her concentration. She had faced down felons that would scare the bejesus out of most grown men, but none of them made her feel as nervous as Detective Carino. It was embarrassing to admit that Carino made her palms sweat.

It wasn’t uncommon for her to be edgy at work. She had never really fit in at the FBI, and she knew she never would. Every little bit of the job made her feel out of place. She hated the adrenaline rush before a raid, and she really hated questioning suspects. Still, Carino made her off her game. And not in the way that most adversaries did. She couldn’t get the cool, quiet detective out of her head. Good lord, she didn’t even know the man, and he had her almost drooling. There was something about the way he moved, all quiet control…It made her shiver.

She pulled in a deep breath and looked out over the pool area. She needed to get her reaction to him under control. Acting this way could end up being embarrassing for her. Besides that, she could lose the edge she had over him right now. She knew he understood if he didn’t play nice, he could lose any hopes of solving the case. If she wanted to be a complete ass, she could take over the investigation. But she didn’t want to do that. She wanted his help. No, she needed it. Not that she would let him know how much she needed him. That would be a mistake with a man like Rome Carino.

With considerable effort, she sipped on her white wine. As the cool liquid slid down her throat, she thought how she would prefer a swift shot of whiskey. She ordered herself to calm down, and she took another drink. It was her idea to work together. It was a great plan. All of it, including the part she didn’t tell them about, was solid. Now that she was here in Hawaii, she wanted to go run and hide. What the hell had she been thinking?

You weren’t thinking, little girl.

Maria shook her head, trying to push that thought aside, but she knew it was no use. How many times did she hear that from her father? More than a thousand, she was sure. He would have approved of her plan. It was good, solid, and coming in under the radar was the best way to do it. He definitely would not be happy with her reaction to Detective Carino.

“Daydreaming, Agent Callahan?”

She started at the deep, resonate voice that came from beside her. Drawing in a deep breath, she tried to prepare herself before looking at him. She just hoped she wouldn’t swallow her tongue. He was standing so close, she was amazed she hadn’t heard him walk up.

There was no doubt about it. The man was a god. She knew for a fact there wasn’t a heterosexual woman alive who would argue with her. He was tall, so tall, that she had to look up at him. Since she was five foot eleven in her stocking feet, that didn’t happen that often. He wasn’t just tall, but he also had those movie star looks. A strong jaw, swarthy skin, and long, long eye lashes were enough to attract just about any woman. Add in the hazel eyes that seemed greener now that he was in the natural sunlight and he was near perfection. His dark hair was military short, but she could tell it was thick and probably very well given to curl. Full sensual lips completed the package, and she had to fight the urge to lick her own. He would be considered pretty if he hadn’t had his nose broken more than once.

“Agent Callahan?”

“Yes.” Great. Yeah, really a way to impress the local law. She was staring at him like she was a fifteen-year-old with a crush. “Sorry. I’ve been up for about forty hours or so.”

One of his eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know you just got here.”

She tried to tell herself not to get irritated, but she hated repeating herself. Especially when she was sure he did remember what she’d said earlier. Power plays were one thing she despised. “As I said at the station, we’d come straight from the airport. It’s the reason we were in our suits. You remember that, right?”

His smile told her he did. “And you look much more relaxed now.”

She looked down at her outfit, knowing it probably still looked too formal for Hawaii. The short sleeved red shirt and khaki shorts weren’t as flashy as a lot of the other tourists’ clothes, but it was the only thing she could think of wearing. Most of her other clothes were too formal, and she knew that she couldn’t wear her workout clothes to their meeting.

He paused, his hands still in his pockets. “You want to wait to talk about this?”

She shook her head. “I’m anxious to get to everything that isn’t in the report.”

He looked around the bar. “I think we need to go somewhere more private. Is Masters in the room?”

“He’s in his room. I’ve got my own.”

He nodded and waited. Again, she liked the fact that he seemed to take his time to talk. So many men said the first thing that came to their mind. “Why don’t we take a walk on the beach?”

She nodded, setting down her drink. He waited for her to step in front of him. An odd feeling. She spent so much time with men who treated her as another one of them, she always found it strange when men held chairs or doors for her. The moment he touched her back, she had to fight a shiver. He was warm, and—she thought—so was she. But the moment he touched her, heat and craving rolled through her.

When they reached the sidewalk, she waited for him to draw even with her, and then they started to walk.

“You have very nice legs, Agent Callahan.” The amusement in his voice didn’t bother her as much as she thought he might like it to. She knew that local police officers had to take a few swings at them.

“I hate suits, especially in humid weather.”

“Then why wear them?”

She shrugged and looked out over the beach. “It’s expected.”

She sensed, rather than saw him nod.

“I met your father once.”

That took her by surprise. Maria didn’t know why because she should have been used to people knowing her father, especially in law enforcement. He had been a celebrity of sorts, regularly interviewed on television. She glanced at Rome, but he was looking ahead of them.

“Really?”

He nodded. “I was stationed in the DC area, and he did a few lectures about different procedures.”

“He was good at that.” She could hear the pride in her own voice. Even if he had driven her crazy reciting his rules and regs while she was growing up, Maria knew her father had been a good lecturer. Hell, he had been good at anything he tried. “I think it was why he was so good at criminal profiling. He always said that following the rules would lead you to the man.”

They walked for a few more steps, and then she asked, “You were in the military?”

He glanced at her. “I would have thought you read my entire file.”

“I didn’t have time. I read most of it, but I spent a lot of the trip going over each of your cases and comparing them to the others. What service?

“Marines.”

Like her father. “You weren’t in long enough to make it a career?”

He shook his head. “No. My father got sick, and I needed to get back to Seattle.”

She waited, but he didn’t continue. She knew he’d been a cop for a few years in Seattle, but not much else other than the proof he wasn’t connected to the case and that he was a member of the biggest BDSM club on the island. They walked on a few steps, the crashing of the surf and the busy walkway the only sounds she heard.

“Okay, so you want to talk about the case?” she asked.

“Not really.”

They continued to walk in silence for a while, and he turned into the lobby area and then headed toward the Tapa Tower where she was staying.

“How did you know where I was staying?”

“With your job, they weren’t going to spring for the Ali’I Tower. And the Tapa Tower is the one people usually get at the last minute.”

She nodded as they walked to the elevators. The moment they stepped onto the car, a family of Japanese tourist rushed aboard. She was forced to step closer to Carino. She could feel the heat of him warm her arm. The spicy scent had nothing to do with cologne and everything to do with the man. Neither of them said a word on the ride. Once they stepped off the elevator, he followed her silently to her room. By the time they were in her room, she had her mind back on the case, and apparently he did too.

“So, you want to tell me what you know?”

She nodded. “Not much. I take it from what I read you had no samples for DNA?”

“No.”

“Which a few years ago would have meant he was involved with the police in some way. But now, with all the information out there, everyone knows that.”

He frowned. “Still, the crime scenes are too clean.”

She sighed and settled on her bed. “I know. I saw it right off.”

He crossed his arms and frowned. “There’s nothing in the reports I could find.”

She was tired, so tired, and right now, the first rush of adrenaline after seeing Rome was starting to fade. “I wasn’t primary on it, as I said. And I couldn’t really say anything.”

A look of understanding moved over his face. “So the first agent fucked up the investigation.”

She shrugged. “Not really. His wife served him with divorce papers about halfway through the investigation.”

He opened his mouth, and she held up her hand to forestall any comments.

“I agree, he should have removed himself from the case. I would have, and I am pretty sure you would have.”

“You can be damned sure I wouldn’t. I just wouldn’t let it interfere.”

Okay, so he was sort of like the other men she knew. They all thought they were ten feet tall and bullet proof. Like her father up until the bitter end.

“It started in Phoenix at a club called The Velvet Whip.”

“I thought it was at The Dungeon in Seattle?”

She shook her head. “Those were the first reported incidents, but the MO of the killings in Phoenix were a lot like the others. In fact, just about down to a T, but he did make a few alterations. They tend to do that.”

He nodded and continued to watch her. She had a feeling she was being weighed and measured on a professional level. She was used to it from everyone she worked with. For some reason, though, his contemplation irked her.

“Why don’t we go back to my place? I think we have a lot to talk about, and I haven’t had anything to eat.”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Normally she would say no. She didn’t feel like going. It had been a long trip over, and she was on hour forty-something of being awake. She knew the drill, too. Most of the time, something like this was a prelude to him trying to get her in bed. But she had a feeling with Carino, it wouldn’t be a problem. This was a man who never mixed business and pleasure. Besides, the one little tidbit she did know about him was that he was a practicing Dom. Since no one would ever call her a submissive woman, it was a pretty sure bet he wouldn’t be interested in her. Still, it would probably get them off to a good start of working together. If she could control her attraction and not slobber on him, she would be good to go.

“Sure, why not?”

· · · · ·

Rome tried to keep his head straight as he turned the car onto his street. He’d suggested going to his house because seeing her on that hotel bed had been a little too much temptation. But now, he felt an odd sort of thrill that he would see her in his house. He was having a really hard time keeping himself on the straight and narrow, and it made no sense. She wasn’t his type of woman. Or, he thought she wasn’t. It had nothing to do with her looks. She was like most women in her career field. Almost every one of them dressed like they thought a man would dress if he were a woman. Callahan was no different. But, he would bet there was a tight, athletic body beneath the ugly suit. Not to mention the legs that seemed to go on forever. She didn’t wear much makeup, but, truthfully, she didn’t really need it. Amazing skin, sculpted cheekbones, and those electric blue eyes. There was enough there to make a man want to look beneath that tough surface.

For some reason, though, his body didn’t care that she probably wasn’t a sub. Every time he was around her, there was a low-level hum that filtered through his blood. It was enough to drive a man crazy. He sighed, trying to keep his mind on the objective. He wanted this bastard and so did Callahan. Thinking about a woman who didn’t want him would only cause problems. Besides, Rome didn’t get involved with female partners. Not after what happened in Seattle.

Again, she pulled him out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry for butting into the investigation.”

God, that voice was going to drive him crazy. It was so sultry, seductive. It was making his body ache to hear her moan. It was totally at odds with the woman she presented to the world.

“First, be truthful. You probably had to fight tooth and nail to get over here. They pulled the case from someone else, but they gave it to a younger agent, someone with no background in the field.”

“Except she was trained by the best serial killer hunter who ever lived.”

He heard the pride in her voice, just as he had earlier. There were definitely some issues there, but she had been very proud of her father’s work. “To get back to your earlier comment. I have no problem with it, especially the way we are going to handle this. We need the capabilities of the FBI.”

He sensed her nod as he turned into his carport. He turned off the car and then noticed she was staring at him.

“What?”

She shook her head and said nothing as she slipped out of the car. He followed suit, and then lead the way to the front door. After unlocking the door, they both stepped into the foyer, and he was glad that he’d hired maid service to come in once a month. And thanked God it was the day after a visit.

He led her into the living room, and after they settled down, he said, “Okay. Go.”

She nodded. “Our guy is probably between thirty and forty-five, and he likes dark-headed women usually. Athletic build, white most of the time, although there have been a few Hispanic women in his pickings.”