Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) (45 page)

“Where’s Carlisle?” he asked, his eyes scanning the living room for Jake.

“He’s with Gena. He was worried about her, so I sent him off to check on her,” Stephanie said, grinning when he glared at her.

“You did what?” he asked, disbelief on his face. “Stephanie, you have a serial killer after you and he’s your protection, he and Rafe. When are you going to get it into your head, this isn’t a game you’re playing with this psycho, it’s real? Your life is on the line.”

“Jase, I know, but I was safe here. I promised Jake I would stay inside and I’ve kept the Glock by my side,” Stephanie said, smiling sweetly at him.

“You didn’t even notice when I walked into the apartment.” Jase growled.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I did. Besides I knew it was you.”

“And how exactly did you know it was me?” he asked sarcastically, moving from behind the couch to sit on it.

Stephanie shifted so her back was pressed up against Jase’s legs. Tilting her neck to look up at him, she said, “Your aftershave gives you away, so does the tread of the way you walk. It’s cautious and careful. You walk like a Detective.” Pausing, her eyes narrowed and, she said softly, “Or should I say, an FBI agent.”

Jase bent down to kiss her lips briefly, lifting his mouth from hers to study her. He grinned at her last comment, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I should have known,” he said slowly, shaking his head, his grin widening.

Stephanie put the laptop on the ground, twisting around to look at Jase, her hand on his knee. He absentmindedly covered her hand with his own. “I’m curious, did you work it out before or after you snooped through my desk?’

It was Stephanie’s turn to grin. “I suspected you weren’t kicked off the force, but snooping confirmed it.” Cocking her head to one side, she said, “How’d you guess I’d snoop?”

Jase chuckled softly, gently cuffing her underneath her chin. “You wouldn’t be Stephanie Carovella if you didn’t.”

Her grin fading, her expression turned serious. “I saw the files, Jase. When were you recruited by the Feds? Before, or after, you started dating Angel?”

Jase leant back against the couch, patting the seat beside him. He watched Stephanie silently move onto the seat beside him. “It was about a year before. I’d worked with the Feds on a number of occasions, so when they offered me a position I didn’t think twice about taking it.”

“It’s a step up,” Stephanie acknowledged quietly.

“I didn’t do it to get ahead. I did it because I was beating my head against a brick wall within the L.A.P.D. I didn’t exactly play by their rules, and they didn’t like it. To be honest, I think Roberts was happy to palm me off.”

“You wanted to make a difference,” Stephanie said, watching Jase nod. “Did you know Angel was my friend when you got together with her?”

Jase took her hand in his, spanning her hand with his own, linking their fingers together. “Yeah, I knew. I’m guessing you saw the file we have on you?” When Stephanie nodded silently, he said slowly, “After your parents’ murder, the FBI kept loose tabs on you.”

“Were my parents murdered by a serial killer?” she asked bluntly.

Jase smiled at her direct question. “The FBI thinks so. We think they were killed by a bi-coastal serial killer. We have murders, matching your parents, from New York to Los Angeles and in between.”

“I saw the crime scene reports and photos,” Stephanie interrupted.

“You saw a few of them. Not all of them,” Jase corrected gently. Changing the subject he said, “I didn’t mean to fall in love with Angel, it just happened.”

“You weren’t out getting drunk when she was murdered, were you?” she said quietly.

He shook his head. “The night she was murdered, I was in Washington.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he shook his head. “And no, I can’t tell you what it was about.”

Stephanie turned on the couch to face him, drawing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “Actually, I was going to ask why everyone thinks you got kicked off the force. Why not tell them the truth?”

“Babe, you should know the answer to this better than anyone. Sometimes it’s better to have people believe the worst, rather than tell them the truth,” he chided, adding softly, “It allows me to fly under the radar. As a private investigator, I get more answers than I would if they knew I was actually FBI. The less people who know I’m an agent, the better.”

“Did you read my sealed file before or after you announced to everyone my parents were murdered?” she asked, her eyes flashing dangerously.

“After. I requested it. I had your parents file and the dossier on you, but knew nothing about the file. I didn’t have clearance to access it. Once I explained my situation to the Bureau, they granted me access,” Jase said, grinning devilishly. “You’d be surprised by how many people within the Behavioral Analysis Unit find you interesting. You intrigue them.”

“That’s wonderful,” Stephanie said sarcastically, adding, “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. All my dreams are complete now that I know the Feds are fascinated by me.”

Jase wrapped his hand around her ankle, jerking her foot until she lost her balance, falling back on the couch. He pinned her onto the couch with his own body, grabbing her arms and pinning them above her head. “Babe, you fascinate them because you survived not one killer, but two. They were even more fascinated when I showed them your files. The fact you put together a profile so detailed and so articulate has unnerved them a little.”

Stephanie smiled impishly at his words, reaching out to stroke his jaw line. “Delucci knows, doesn’t he? He knows you’re a Fed.” Watching him nod, she asked cautiously, “Does Gena?”

Jase shook his head. “No. The only people who know, apart from the Bureau, is Delucci and the top Brass.”

“She’s in a lot of trouble isn’t she?” she whispered, watching him scowl, before he silently nodded. “Will she lose her job?”

“She lied to protect Carlisle, forgot to mention her relationship with three of the victims and crossed more than a few departmental boundaries,” Jase said, moving off Stephanie to sit up. He lifted her up until she was sitting on his lap. “She’s going to have to face a disciplinary hearing, will probably have to deal with Internal Affairs, and she risks losing her badge.”

“She’s a good Detective, Jase,” she said, her eyes flashing with pain. “She’s worked so hard to get her career to where it is. I’d hate to see her lose it all.”

Absentmindedly stroking her back, Jase teased, “I thought you were done with Gena?”

“Our relationship is complicated,” Stephanie admitted, giving him a small smile. “We will scream, say we hate each other, but it won’t change the fact we will always regroup and band together when we need one another. And Jase, we do need each other. We always have. We’ve always had a love hate relationship and we always will. It keeps us both balanced.”

“You should talk to her. Let her know you care. Right now she’s going to need all the friends she can get,” Jase said softly, watching Stephanie nod. He nodded his head towards her laptop. “What were you researching?”

Stephanie slid off his lap, standing up and leaning down to pick up her laptop. Jase hooked his fingers through the belt hoop at the back of her jeans, drawing her back down onto his knee. She sank back onto his lap, balancing the laptop on her own knee.

“I was researching Leigh,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “After you told me he was Katrina’s ex-boyfriend, it got me thinking. I’ve spent most of the afternoon scanning my graduation year photos. I figured if I found Leigh, maybe then I could find our serial killer.”

Jase tensed at her words, his arm wrapping around her waist tightly, supporting her balance. “You think they’re connected?”

Stephanie nodded. “It’s possible. I mean it would make sense wouldn’t it? Leigh is a suspect for Katrina’s murder and for months no witness comes forth. But as soon as the noose starts tightening around Leigh’s neck, suddenly a witness comes forth.”

Jase shook his head. “You were attacked by one killer.”

“Jase, I’m not saying they were a
Buono
and
Bianchi
. I don’t think they killed together. But maybe they played together.” Stephanie’s face twisted in distaste at her choice of words. “Leigh stalked me. Maybe he stalked me with someone else. Maybe this is how it all started. Maybe I wasn’t the first person they stalked. And just maybe, I wasn’t the intended victim the night Katrina was killed. Maybe it was a sexual assault gone wrong.”

Jase nodded, his expression contemplative. “You think Leigh and this psycho were sexual predators together?”

Stephanie shrugged, tapping her fingers against her laptop. “I don’t know Jase. It’s worth thinking about. Leigh certainly liked it rough and considering everything you found in his apartment, maybe he’s being framed. Maybe he got in the way. I’m just tossing ideas up in the air and seeing where they fall.”

“Do you think they killed together?” Jase asked, watching Stephanie’s expression. He knew she was analyzing every bit of information, processing it all and trying to find a place to fit it together. He shook his head with a grin. It suddenly hit him this was like a puzzle to her, one she
had
to put together. She didn’t profile people intentionally, she just did it without thinking. She was a natural at it. It both fascinated and terrified him.

Stephanie turned her head when she realized he was studying her. She wrinkled her nose, saying softly, “Now who’s profiling who?” Without waiting him to answer, she said quietly, “I don’t think they killed together. I think that’s where the path divided. Maybe he attacked Katrina because she was Leigh’s. I’m beginning to think killing Katrina was an accident. He only wanted to rape her – to claim her as his own, but he was too rough. Maybe she cried out, made too much noise and he had to silence her. Maybe this is how it all started. He saw what he was capable of and he enjoyed the killing. Killing Katrina gave him a power he wasn’t finding elsewhere. It gave him a thrill. Maybe sexual assault wasn’t enough anymore. Taking a woman by force wasn’t giving him the same kicks. Killing heightened it. He liked the domination. He loved the power. Maybe Katrina was his first kill and it escalated from there.”

 “And maybe I’m the end game. Maybe he felt he had to kill all these women to not only prove something to himself, but to prove something to me. He wants my attention. He wants to prove himself to me. It’s like he’s saying ‘look at me, look what I’m capable of. Do you think I’m worthy?’ It’s sick, I know, but I think that’s what it comes down to. He wanted my attention to begin with. He killed Angel to bring me home and once he had me here, he felt he still had to prove himself to me.”

Jase drew her closer, his lips brushing her forehead. Stephanie’s voice was barely a whisper when she spoke, “I think he killed Dom because he saw him as competition. He couldn’t have me, so he was damned if he was going to let anyone else have me either. The same applied to Leigh. I think he was set up to take the fall. Leigh took what was his, so he found a way to exact his revenge. Jase, he’s through with proving himself to me. Now he wants to claim me. He knows as well as I do that there’s nowhere left to run and there’s nowhere left to hide. This is our endgame.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Gena hummed to herself, as she padded barefoot around the kitchen, wearing only Jake’s t-shirt. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the window, she grinned at the sight of her passion-bruised lips, tussled hair and dreamy expression. If someone had told her that her night would end with Jake Carlisle in her bed, she’d have said they were certifiably insane.

Opening the kitchen cupboard, she pulled out two cereal bowls, pouring frosted flakes into each bowl. Adding milk, she gasped softly when a hand snaked around her waist and she was pulled hard against Jake’s body. She relaxed when he pressed his lips to the side of her neck, whispered softly, “Have I told you how much I’ve always loved seeing you in my T-shirt?”

Tilting her head back, she leaned against his chest, feeling safe in his arms. Absently caressing his arm, she said softly, “God, I wish we could stay like this forever.”

“Why can’t we?” he countered lightly, moving to take one of the cereal bowls out of her hands.

Handing him a spoon, she turned around to face him, her eyes caressing his half-naked body. Clad in only jeans, Jake leaned his left hip against the kitchen bench, casually eating his cereal as if he shared breakfast with Gena every day.

Blushing red, she recalled what else they’d done on that same bench last night. A shaft of pain slid through her with the realization she wanted more from him than a night of casual sex. Moving to the kitchen table, she sat down, beginning to eat. Jake watched her, analyzing and assessing every movement she made, before he joined her at the table.

“We never did get around to talking last night,” she said quietly, dropping her eyes to her cereal bowl. “I never thought you were a killer, Jake. I was just doing my job.”

Jake put his cereal bowl down on the table, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “Gena, I didn’t think you did. Maybe for a brief moment I wondered, but then I saw your face. You had to follow procedure. I get it. It’s your job.”

Gena nodded morosely. Putting down her spoon, she said bitterly, “It
was
my job.”

“Gena, you shouldn’t have thrown yourself on your sword for me. I’m not worth it,” Jake said quietly, reaching out to touch her hand.

She gripped his hand, squeezing tightly. “Yes, Jake, you are. Besides, they were always going to pull me off the cases. I’m the one who made the decision not to disclose the fact I knew each victim. I didn’t inform my Chief I knew Jesse or Ben. I should have automatically stepped aside when Angel was murdered, but I couldn’t.”

Taking a deep breath, she gave him a wavering smile. “I don’t regret it one bit. If it means I lose my badge, then so be it. I’ll do something else. I can’t let go of these cases, anymore than Stephanie can. Angel, Ana, and Carolyn were my friends. I wanted to fight for them. I still do. I don’t want their deaths to be in vain.”