Games We Play (6 page)

Sasha took his hand and plastered on another fake smile. “I try. How have you been during all these years?”

“Twenty years is sure a lot to cram into a quick conversation. I’m having a dinner party at my place tonight in celebration of my cousin making partner at her law firm, why don’t you and your husband join us?”

When Sasha hesitated Nick jumped right in. “We’d love to.”

Stacy giggled with excitement and rattled off her address before getting back to her supply shopping.  As she told Nick before running off she was cooking a huge fest tonight.

Sasha stood there feeling numb. “Why did you do that?”

“A party with people Maggie used to know is perfect to draw out the unsub.” He whispered. “What’s wrong with you?”

Sasha knew she very well couldn’t tell him that she despised Stacy Fern for a
l
l her years of bullying and tormenting. “Nothing.” She found slapping on that fake smile was getting easier and it was a perfect cover to her real thoughts, she s
l
apped one on now. “Are you done here?”

Nicholas bent and whispered in her ear, “You’re going to have to start being honest with me. We’re in this together and if this is going to blow up in our faces I’d like to know.” His hand moved down her waist and stilled on her hip. “We have company, look at me. What’s going on with you?”

Sasha was tempted to run around town screaming she was serial killer bait and beg him to strike already. This role playing game was hell on her heart rate and nerve endings. “It’s nothing serious, its personal and has nothing to do with Maggie.”

He was willing to accept hat without anymore fuss. “Are you ready to go buy your junk food?” he dropped his hand and stood back to grab their cart.

With him not standing so close it felt like she was coming up from being under water for one minute too long than she could handle. Her breathing was shaky at best. “It’s better than this crap.” She gripped the handle of the cart and started pushing as he laughed behind her and followed.

Chapter 7

Nicholas stood back watching as Sasha emptied her shopping bags and put the food away. “With forty dollars I got sensible food of meat and veggies. You wasted a hundred and there’s nothing sensible or all that good for you in sight.”

“You’re right about that, there’s nothing good for me in sight so I might as well have some comfort food to fall back on.”  She wasn’t saying it but Nick was sure that run in with that woman at the supermarket was still bothering her. After she swore it had no bearing on their case he lost the right to ask anymore questions. Sure he wanted to know the history there but it wasn’t his place to hound her. They were only married in the public eye, here in the house she was Sasha and her business was her business. 

It was probably better if she was left alone. “I’m gonna go check in with Pete.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he made his way over to the living room and sat on the couch, his only sanctuary in this whole house. Nick pulled out his phone only to have it ring in his hand. “I was just about to call you.” Only one person had the number, Pete was their handler and liaison with the Marshals.  Nick got up and joined Sasha again where he put the phone on speaker.

“They just found victim #2.” Pete broke the news with a heavy heart. “She was reported missing two days ago and from what the local PD has figured out her time of death was as recent as last night. Cause of death was consistent with victim #1 and the past cycles. There’s no doubt now he’s fully engaged to use Maple Oaks as his killing ground this time around.” 

Sasha cursed. “Is there any ideas on how we can drag this guy out quicker? From what I read he’s very ritualistic on how he does this and following a ritual he might want to leave the one who got away last to really complete what he couldn’t back then in 1991.”

Nick was impressed.
Sasha wasn’t a profiler but she was catching on very quickly about how this unsub’s mind worked. “It hasn’t even been twenty four hours. We don’t have any ideas who the killer is.” He reminded both Sasha and Pete.

Pete asked, “How’s the rest going in Maple Oaks?”

Sasha fell silent, her time back home wasn’t something she wanted to converse about. Nick picked up the slack. “We went out for dinner last night and it was all over town that Maggie is back home. The headline wasn’t in today’s paper so I assume they’ll run it tomorrow. At the supermarket one of Maggie’s old school mates asked us to a party and that’s where we’ll be tonight.”

“Hmm, I’m surprised to hear you’re both making such an effort without being forced. I thought you two in a closed space was asking for blood shed.”

With a shake of her head Sasha spoke. “We’re here to catch this evil son of a bitch and nothing is more important than that, even Nick’s annoying habits which do get worse in close spaces.”

“Now that’s what I expected.” Pete chuckled.

Nick cut her a dirty look but she was too busy reaching inside the freezer for an ice cream sandwich to see him. “She’s no picnic either but I’m mature enough not to mention it. How’s it going back at the office, sir?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary and I assure you both its much more fun where you’re at. I have a consult to get back to but check in with me after the party if it’s not already too late.”

“Do you think under that warm caring personality is a sadist?” Sasha asked around a bite of her ice cream. “I think he’s having too much fun at our expense and now isn’t the first time.” She was talking about last month when Pete invited them to dinner with his family. It had been the same day a case went wrong and Nick was ready to wring his co-worker’s neck.

“I don’t know. He has a lot of crazy ideas.” Nick walked over to the table with where his laptop was and sat. “He thinks if we spend enough time together something will change.”

“Yeah, he’s mentioned that and so have you but change how?”

Nick dragged his eyes up from the computer screen to her curious expression. Her green eyes held a small squint when she was really focused on something. He thought it was oddly cute in that hot nerd fantasy type of way most guys held during their teenager years. “I have no idea. I haven’t thought to ask him.” That was a lie; he knew exactly where their boss’ head was at. Strangely Pete had
a
very frustrating knack for getting too invested in his
agents’
personal lives and wanting to play match maker.

“Yeah, me either. I guess because in the long run it doesn’t really matter. We have a few hours to kill and I’m going to be wasting them in front of the TV.” She didn’t bother to wait for a reply and quickly left the kitchen.

The couch was nice and fluffy and for the next four hours it’d be perfect to drift into its comfort and forget the real world. Back home she didn’t have moments like this to lounge without something interrupting her. It was no time to be vacationing while a madman was targeting innocent people but she couldn’t actively help in finding the 7Xs killer without blowing her cover. It was either watch some TV or take a nap.

She settled on an action movie and enjoyed the gun fights and car chases but they didn’t stop her thoughts from drifting while the commercials played during the movie break. Back in Maple Oaks the last time she had been there played a lot in her thoughts last night and now was no different. It was during the high school graduation. She didn’t want to go but her sister forced the situation and in the end she put on the cap and gown and placated her older sister. Stacy Fern hadn’t wasted any time to get in some more taunts with her bratty group of girlfriends. Teenager girls could be very vile and emotionless more so than some of the killers Sasha had come across working with the FBI. It felt foolish to be thinking about all those times as a bullied kid more than ten years later and yet she couldn’t stop.

“What are you watching?” Nicholas sat across from her on the couch and reached over for the remote control.

“Nick, damn it. I was here first give it back and go away.” That was one of the few problems with this house, there was only one TV.

He managed to grab her hand before her punch could land on his arm. “Don’t play dirty. You weren’t watching anything, I called your name three times and you were too spaced out to hear me.”

“I was still here first you annoying pain in the ass!” he wouldn’t let go of her hand probably because he suspected she still wanted to use it against him and he was right.

“What is it about you that turns every argument into an immature hissy fit? We’re adults.”

“It’s not me, it’s you who doesn’t act like it. Case in point you’re holding my hands.”

“Because you’re trying to hit me! I’m not the immature one here because if I was I’d do this.” He pushed her down onto the couch. “I win and the remote is mine. You can go get online or read a book.” Finally he let her go and reached down to the floor where the prized remote had fallen in the middle of their short lived scuffle.

“When you least expect it I am going to get you back for this.”

“I can’t wait babe.”

Sasha left the living room and flipped him off with her middle finger on the way. She made a very detailed plan to pour cold water over him tomorrow morning while he was asleep. Upstairs she shut the door to her room and let out a long sigh. The room was hers for the duration of the case and Nicholas couldn’t bother her
t
here. Tomorrow after she woke him up with a nice cup of ice water she was going to buy a TV for the bedroom and make sure to spend all her time away from Nick when possible.

With this unforeseen extra spare time she decided to slowly get ready for the tortuous party she was being forced to go to all in the name of getting a mad man’s interest. Stacy didn’t know she had invited Sasha Madden, hell she probably didn’t even remember the girl she bullied for years, but Sasha still wanted to look good and give those people nothing to criticize. 

Searching through her new pile of clothes her fingers went over that black dress more than once. It was a soft material and pretty sexy with a strapless sweetheart neckline and short A-line skirt. Knowing how Stacy used to be back in school this party wasn’t going to be some casual gathering amongst friends, she was going to make sure to make it as glamorous as possible and right now the only thing that fit in with that atmosphere was the little black dress Sasha had swore to never put on especially in public.

It wasn’t that she was embarrassed by her body, she was in shape thanks to the gruesome training it took to gain her credentials but showing skin and trying to be sexy wasn’t in her vocabulary. She was the tomboy who used to shop in the men’s section for jeans and t-shirts. For work she branched out and bought suits but even they still concealed her like a second armor would.

With a sigh she fell back on the bed. “I’m too old to be scared of a stupid party.” She held up the dress to her eye line. “It’s time to stop being scared of the past.” That was it the decision was made.

Chapter 8

Nicholas grabbed his suit out from the closet and changed while Sasha was doing the same in the bathroom. He quickly came to realize he wasn’t a fan of undercover work, sure he’d do it if necessary but he’d rather be out there a
part of the man hunt for this sadistic fucker targeting people for whatever sick pleasure it gave him.

He opted for his black suit and white shirt only leaving the tie in the closet. It didn’t take long to dress and comb his hair back. Like Sasha complained; guys had it easy. He left the room and went downstairs to wait for his pretend wife. He didn’t suspect it was going to take her too long to get ready either. This party wasn’t something she even wanted to go to.

He walked through the living room and into the kitchen to grab something to drink. He wasn’t a crazed health nut like his roommate was trying to paint him as, he grabbed a can of soda and popped it open. There wasn’t an FBI agent or any time of law enforcement that could do that job without caffeine. He preferred it was coffee but there wasn’t much time to start a fresh pot. He and Sasha agreed to meet each other at the door at 8 o’clock and it was ten minutes until then. He carried the can of orange flavored soda with him to the couch. He thought about calling Pete for any updates on the man hunt but he already knew if anything big had happened his boss would’ve made sure to inform them. He did however still have to call his mom and cancel for the weekly dinner gathering. He cringed at the thought and decided it could wait until tomorrow.

He heard the clicking sound of heels and all his thoughts came to an abrupt stop. Heels? Sasha was wearing heels? He sat the near empty can of soda down on the coffee table and stood off the couch. His eyes went wide at the sight of her and it was a good thing he put his drink down because right now he might’ve dropped it as every part of his body was endeared useless but his eyes. He couldn’t stop staring at her.

The black dress she swore was nothing but a business expense to never see the light of day was wrapped around her body better than a Christmas morning present could ever look.

“Nick…” she sighed. “I already feel like running for the hills and you looking at me like that isn’t helping. Is it that bad?”