Games We Play (12 page)

“Have you considered you’re just horny and as your fake wife I’m the only option around and clouding your brain?” She had to ask because if zebra print underwear which was supposed to be funny not sexy was setting off his libido he had problems.

“No.” there wasn’t a drop of doubt in his gruff tone. “It isn’t so much the stripes but what’s under them.” His hand moved around her hip and cupped her butt, pulling her closer to his middle and the state of arousal he was in.

Suddenly this was all too real. She pushed on his shoulders and crawled out from under him. “I don’t think we can wait to talk about this. I need to know what you want and what the hell is going on here.” She knew he said he wanted to build on the newly formed attraction between them but what did that mean really? Guys said a lot of things when they wanted sex and right now getting her heart broken was far scarier than the job she chose for a living.

Nick opened his mouth and quickly closed it as someone rung the doorbell and interrupted what sur
e
ly wasn’t going to be a swift talk. “Our reinforcements are here.” As he went to open the door she sat correctly on the couch and adjusted her clothes. She had been expecting Noah Lindley and Wayne Smith, they after all were the agents Pete assigned to aid the local sheriff department but the she was in for a nice surprise when she saw Gage Locke was also with them. He was one of the only people she considered a best friend in and out of the bureau. “What are you doing here?” she got off the couch and gave him a hug.

“These two knuckleheads needed help. I don’t think Noah even knows how to turn on a computer.” Gage was the team technical genius. He was a field agent if need be but he felt most comfortable behind a monitor running point for the team from afar. “What are you wearing?”

“Maggie wears denim skirts and frilly dresses and all that shit I detest. Hey Wayne and Noah.” She smiled at them, there wasn’t anyone on the team she didn’t get along with besides Nicholas but now that was different seeing as he was more focused on playing with her tonsils than arguing with her.

“Hey, little lady.” Noah greeted. For him everyone was little, he stood tall at 6’7 and a wall of pure muscle. He looked like the last person you ever wanted to cross with such a powerful build and intense Italian features but he was actually the nicest guy you’d ever have the pleasure of meeting.

“Hey.” Wayne kissed her cheek. “Tell me you have some food in this house. I’m starving and I know Nick likes twigs and shit like that.” After Gage, Wayne was the person she got along with the best. It was easy with his bubbling personality. He was first generation native Kenyan with thick rimmed glasses framing his face and while tall in the normal wor
l
d at six feet even he looked like a little screwy kid next to Noah.

Sasha laughed and pointed to the kitchen. “Go for it.”

Nick asked the rest of the group, “What has Pete told you?”

Noah answered. “We know he wants an outline no how to put the killer’s timeline to come after Maggie and her husband first rather than last.”

“Wait. What does that mean?” Sasha knew she was playing the main target but never that Nick was at the same risk. She didn’t like it.

Gage dug in his messenger bag and pulled out a case folder. “After some more searching into the victimology we realized he kills five random women and then a couple to finish the cycle of seven.”

“I didn’t notice that when I was reading over the case files. It makes sense now, the Marshals didn’t want Maggie to come home married because it made for a better cover story. They wanted her to come married and be the ultimate temptation for the unsub. Whispers of the first two murders are making their way around town and everyone is suspicious. I want to out the fact he’s back and put the town on alert. I want him to have no choice but to come after us.” Sasha glanced at each of their faces, Nick still didn’t like the idea and neither did Gage but he knew her the best and knew it would be pointless to try and change her mind. Noah was ready for whatever was decided and what his task would be. “Ok then, let’s get working on mapping out a plan.”

Chapter 15

When they finally called it a night hours later Noah and Wayne camped out in the living room with Nicholas while Gage bunked with Sasha. They were like brother and sister and everyone on the team knew it. Gage was an only child and Sasha wasn’t close with the sibling she had, when she started on the team she and Gage gravitated to each other instantly.  Thinking back on that day reminded her of Carolyn. They were adults now and it was foolish to be upset about the past any longer. When this case was closed she made a mental note to make more of an effort with her sister other than the occasional email every week.

“I need some advice.” Sasha spoke.

Gage was laid out on the bed, with a groan he looked at her as she joined him on the bed. “My brain is fried.”

“We both know that’s not possible. Something changed with me and Nick.”

“I think we all noticed the lack of fighting between the two of you. You disagreed but you didn’t go full out into a yelling match that would’ve ended up having nothing to do with the actual case.” He, like the rest of Pete’s team, had witnessed countless fights between Sasha and Nicholas. “Have you finally realized all the fighting was built up sexual tension?”

She scoffed, stuttered, and grew mortified all at the same time. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. “What?”

Any shred of sleep left his grey eyes as he smiled at her expense. “Yup, I get it now. All that faking for the sake of the public you realized you liked it a little too much.”

“No. That’s not what happened and I haven’t realized a damn thing. It’s Nick changing the game around. He’s been saying all these nice things and kissing me when it has nothing to do with putting on a realistic show. He told me he wants to build on what’s happening between us but I don’t know exactly what that is. What I do think is that being away from home has shaken a few screws loose and when we do get home he’s going to realize his mistake.”

“What mistake? That he’s attracted to a beautiful woman and he’s a lucky son of a bitch? Nick’s smarter than you give him credit for and he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

“I know he’s smart and he’s experienced. He knows all the pretty things to tell a girl so she drops her guard and when he gets what he wants it’s bye-bye relationship.”

“Do you want a relationship with him?”

“I don’t want to be used for sex and if he does realistically want to build on this then yeah a relationship is what we have to have before I let myself go any farther.” Sasha gave it thought and allowed herself for a small moment to picture a relationship with Nick, coming home to him every night and waking up by his side. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Hell she had to stop kidding herself, it sounded perfect.

“How far have you gone?” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Shut up.” She slapped him across the chest which hurt her hand more than it hurt him. For a bona fide geek he was in great shape. “What should I do?”

“Everything you’ve told me you need to tell him and you need to tell him why this isn’t the easiest subject for you.”

“Um…any advice that doesn’t involve me actually having to talk to him?”

“No, fresh out of super mind control that will magically let him know everything. Can I go to sleep now?”

“No. I’m tired but not sleepy. Talk to me about what’s going on back at the bureau, please?”

“Pete’s been interviewing with a few new prospects for the team. He’s leaning toward a woman named Billie Savich.”

Sasha’s interest was thoroughly peaked. “Another girl? Have you met her?”

“Yes, she was nice enough but pretty nervous. She’s a CID analyst looking to get into field work. I spoke with Pete and he said even though she doesn’t have the experience some of the other candidates had he liked her drive. He said the same thing about you and you turned out decent enough.” Gage teased.

“So decent I can kick your ass all over the gym mats when we get back home. You’ve bored me enough, you can get some sleep now.” She pushed him back onto the pillows. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”  She moved carefully down the stairs and into the kitchen not to wake any of the guys up although with how they were snoring it didn’t look like anyone was going to hear a few foot steps. She went straight for the freezer and grabbed the vanilla ice cream box. Ice cream was the best snack in the world and the quickest to grab. She turned on the stove light and hoped on the counter to enjoy her snack alone.

It didn’t take long for her thoughts to drift back to the 7Xs killer and wonder if the plan could work in their favor. It made her sick to think of another woman falling victim to his deep evil ritual. She hoped off the counter and moved over to the table where the case files lay. Right on top was the autopsy report on the latest victim Genny Dava. Following his symbolism with the number 7 he killed each victim with seven stab wounds, one to the liver, each shoulder blade, right thigh, the carotid artery, and the heart. The stabs went deep piercing through each muscle clear through to the other side. Every autopsy report said the same thing; every victim was alive for the stabs through the non vital areas and the one to the carotid and heart happened within seconds of each other and the cause of death. The reason he used a couple as victims six and seven was only something the unsub knew, he didn’t kill the man any different than the women in any of the cycles.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Nick asked softly from behind her.

“I guess it’s just not la
t
e
enough or early enough into the morning. What else could cause wounds to these specific spots?”  Her mind was solely focused on the case and she couldn’t allow herself to be affect by his closeness or all the conversations they kept putting on hold creeping too close to the surface.

“I have no idea.”

“That’s a first.”

“It does happen.” He pulled out a chair and sat with her at the table. “Gage ran a search on any crimes similar to this before the unsub started his reign and nothing came up. It could be these areas mean something to him but not necessary injured with stab wounds.”

“Just injured like maybe some sort of accident?”

“There are too many variables to try and narrow down a search and point us in the right direction. I don’t like it but forcing his hand and bringing him to us could be our only shot.”

“Exactly why I suggested it. Going to the sheriff’s office and involving the local law enforcement is going to put my sister smack in the middle of this.”

“Do you think she’ll blow your cover?”

“On purpose? No, but worried and nosey makes for a bad combination. You couldn’t sleep either?” she knew he couldn’t be up because she woke him, she had used her best stealth skills to avoid making a peep in the kitchen and yes she was very proud of that.

“Have you heard the snoring coming out of Noah?”

She laughed. “Yeah, a fright train has a better chance of drowning that out. I was talking to Gage and apparently Pete’s looking at some fresh meat.”

“He’s approved for a twelve member team and with our caseload piling higher and higher he’s been looking into new recruits for a few weeks now.” Nick explained casually and Sasha was glad he wasn’t using this time alone to try and push for that conversation she was trying to ignore.

“There’s a woman he seemed to like a lot. I hope he hires her on because it’ll be nice not to be the only girl. I’m gonna head off to bed now.”

“Goodnight Sasha.”

It was safe to say the morning came much too fast for all the campers in the house. Nicholas had finally managed to succumb to his exhaustion some point after five and now it was only eight. He needed to pee and of course his bathroom was in use and Noah was already standing in wait for the next turn.  He jogged up the stairs and decided to try his luck with Sasha’s bathroom.

Luck was on his side because both Gage and Sasha were still asleep nearly on top of each other. The queen size mattress proved to still be too small for these friends. His urge to pee lay forgotten as he banged on the bedroom door. “Rise and shine. We have half hour left to get to our appointment with the sheriff.” Pete had taken care of the arrangements last night after they called him with their laid out plan.

Sasha sat up first. “Crap.” She pushed her messy hair out of her face and noticed Gage hadn’t gotten up fast enough for her liking. “Come on dork, I can’t sleep neither can you.” She pushed him half off the bed.

Nick smirked and continued to the bathroom after seeing first hand there was absolutely nothing to worry about with Sasha and Gage. Now that he thought about it there wasn’t a guy she showed any interest around the office and if she dated in the last year she kept it well hidden from the office. After finally peeing and washing up he left the bathroom to find Gage disappeared.

“He went in search of coffee.” Sasha answered, her words muffled from the pillow she had her face buried in.

“Downstairs is like a frat house right now so I’m gonna grab my stuff and change here if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. I’ll hit the bathroom now.”

Nick forced himself not to laugh at her wrinkled and disheveled appearance, she looked like something the cat pulled from a gutter and dragged home to play with. In a still adorable way of course.  At the closet he grabbed the first pair of pants and shirt in front of his hand. He already had his pants changed and belt in place when he noticed he had a one woman audience. His chest wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before, she had woken before him every day that week and saw him asleep on the couch he was sure but that didn’t mean she had no reaction now. He enjoyed her admiration, the way her eyes shifted from an obvious green into a dark shadow of its usual color.