The Heart Of A Killer Part 20

He sucked in a breath and leaned over her, mapping her hip with his tongue and moving along her rib cage, each harsh breath she took like a song to him. He moved up her body with his tongue, raked it across her neck and drew back to look at her, at the heat in her eyes that matched the inferno burning inside him.

He bent, kissed her, loving the taste of her, b.u.t.tery and salty like popcorn as he slid his tongue between her lips and sucked. He was already out of control. This wasnat going to be slow and easy.

Anna wrapped her legs around him, her frenzy equaling his.

He didnat want to be gentle, not when head gone so long without her, and she gave him permission not to be. She scratched his arms, dug her heels into him, moaned against his lips and pressed her body against his, all clear signals that she was ready.

But he wanted her more than ready. With a gentle push, he moved her to the side and swept his hand over her s.e.x. She was hot silk, tight and quivering as he tucked two fingers inside her and began to move. And the way she looked at hima"there was no more fear or hesitation on her face. She was with him the whole way now as he brought her to the peak over and over again, held her there and then watched her fall.

There was nothing more beautiful or more arousing than watching his woman come, knowing he took her there, that she trusted him enough to let go like this. And when she opened her eyes and he saw such naked desire in them, he knew head reached the point of no return. He rolled over and took her mouth, kissing her as he slid inside her with one deep thrust.

She murmured his name on a gasp, and it made his b.a.l.l.s tighten when she wrapped her legs around him, when she lifted against him to draw him in deeper. He buried his face in her neck and listened to her sighs, every breath as he ground against her and brought her with him again to the very edge.

He lifted his head and met her gaze, linked his fingers with hers, and this time when she cried out, he shuddered, going with her, letting her know head never let her fall without him.

After, he held her, both of them much more relaxed as they stroked each otheras bodies.

This intimacy thing, even when they yelled at each other, was becoming scarily comfortable. Dante didnat know what was going to happen after the killer was found and he had to leave town.

aYouare quiet,a she said, her voice low and unsure.

aWas just thinking.a aAbout?a aWhat happens when this case is over?a aI guess you leave.a She made it sound so matter-of-fact, as though she didnat care. He knew she did, that she was as unsure as he was. But that was Anna. She wouldnat cling. And he wouldnat ask to stay. Which left them, essentially, nowhere.

aI guess I do.a His phone rang. They both sat up and looked at the clock. It was after midnight. Never a good thing when the phone rang that late.

aYeah.a He listened, looked at Anna.

She already knew.

aBe right there.a He closed the phone, climbed out of bed to grab his pants.

aTell me,a she said, already out of bed and reaching for clothes.

aRoman was doing a drive-by in the alley to check security. Someone killed the uniform on patrol there, then attacked Roman and stabbed him.a She was eerily calm, on her knees listening as he spoke. aIs he dead?a aNo. Heas alive. He managed to fight off the killer. Theyare taking him to the hospital. And heas conscious.a Roman survived. It was the first solid lead they had. Maybe they could identify the killer now. He grabbed his shoes and slid them on.

aOkay. Heas alive.a He stood and turned to her. She still hadnat moved. He tipped his finger under her chin. aYes, Anna, he made it.a She nodded and he saw the tears she refused to shed. aYouare right, he did. Letas go to the hospital.a Anna was worried sick about Roman, but he didnat look too bad for being attacked. He had a stab wound in the right shoulder, had fought off the killeras attempt to carve and beat him. The suspect hadnat gotten around to getting the job done. Head gotten punched a few times in the face and upper body, and head been kicked.

Roman had found an officer down, called it in, and head been attacked from behind, blindsided by the suspect whoad gotten him with the knife before head known what hit him. But Roman was strong and head fended off the attacker long enough for the black-and-whites to show up.

He was alive. It was all that mattered. She was so happy to see him alive when they got to the hospital she wanted to put her arms around him and not let go, but he was too banged up for that. As it was, she sat by his side and held his hand, at least until it was time to take his statement.

aRoutine drive-by, like Iave been doing lately, right?a he said. aI wanted to check to make sure the units were doing their job, that the surveillance equipment was in place and still working, right?a He s.h.i.+fted, winced as he sat up straighter in the bed.

aAnyway, the unit was parked in the alley and the driveras-side door was open. Figured maybe Hannesey had gotten out of the car to do a walk through the alley. So I pulled up behind him and got out to go find him.a Dante was recording, Anna was listening.

aWhat time was this?a Dante asked.

aAbout ten-thirty or so. I was on my way home. Anyway, I get past the Dumpster and I see Hannesey down. I thought, s.h.i.+t. I crouched down, see that heas dead. But heas not beaten up like the other victims.a Roman clenched his jaw. aHe cut Hanneseyas throat and just left him there to bleed to death.a Roman shoved his hand through his hair. His hand was shaking. Anna fought back tears, imagining what it must have been like for Roman to come up on that scene.

None of them wanted to lose one of their own, and a fellow officer being killed was like losing part of yourself. She felt responsible, as if she had started this chain of events. And now Hannesey was dead.

aIam sorry, Roman.a aAnyway,a Roman said, lifting his chin, aI called it in and stood up, ready to go hunting down the son of a b.i.t.c.h. Thatas when he jumped me from behind. I turned around and he stuck the knife in my upper shoulder. G.o.d, it hurt like h.e.l.l. I turned around right away to face him, figuring he was going to kill me. I was trying to go for the knife in his hand, trying to wrestle it away from him, but I was down one arm. We fought and he hit me in the jaw, kicked my leg out from under me and I went down. Thatas when he kicked me in the ribs.a Anna could visualize the scene. Roman was lucky the same thing hadnat happened to him that happened to Hannesey. The killer could have taken the knife to his throat, too. aIam glad you had fast reflexes.a aMe, too. I knew he was going to kill me, just like the others. I got mad. Mad for George, and your dad, and for Jeff. For Hannesey, too. I fought back. And then I heard the sirens. He must have, too, because he took off.a aIam glad you made it.a aI canat believe the son of a b.i.t.c.h jumped me. I canat believe I didnat know he was there. How could I not know he was right G.o.dd.a.m.n behind me?a Anna winced, knowing exactly what it was like to be taken by surprise in that alley. Images flooded her of that night so long ago, of what it felt like to have Maclinas arms go around her and drag her into the Dumpster.

This isnat about you. Snap out of it!

aDid you see his face?a Dante asked.

Roman shook his head. aHe was dressed all in black, wore one of those biker skull masks that hide everything but your eyes. His eyes were dark brown. Thatas all I remember.a aHow about build?a Anna asked.

aPretty tall. At least six foot. Well built. Not like a bodybuilder, but good muscle. He wore thick gloves and s.h.i.+t-kicker boots.a Anna turned to Dante. aThat explains the marks on the bodies.a Dante nodded. aBut he stabbed Roman. That makes no sense.a aHe didnat choose Roman as a victim. It was coincidence they were in the alley at the same time,a Anna said. aI donat think he was prepared. Maybe he was setting the scene for his next victim.a aOr even revisiting the scene to relive the kills. Hannesey and then Roman surprised him,a Dante suggested. aMaybe thatas why there was a change in his method. Roman being there threw him off his game.a aI donat care what it was,a Roman said. aIam just d.a.m.n glad Iam alive.a Anna leaned over and squeezed his hand. aSo am I. Very glad.a Roman smiled up at her.

aDo you need me to call Tess for you?a Roman shook his head. aAlready did. Sheas out of town on an audit. Wanted to cancel it and come right back, but I told her no. Theyare going to spring me tomorrow anyway and sheall be back by the weekend, so I promised her she could wait on me hand and foot then.a Dante laughed. aMilk it for all itas worth, buddy.a aI intend to.a Roman waggled his brows.

aYouare terrible,a Anna said.

aNo, Iam not. And admit it. Youare happy.a aI am,a she said, fighting back tears.

He squeezed her hand. aAnna, stop that. Iam fine. Just some bruises and sore ribs, and the wound is superficial. A few st.i.tches, is all.a Anna exhaled a sigh and nodded. aI canat tell you how relieved I am that youare all right. I donat think I can take losing anyone else. We have to catch this guy before anyone else dies.a aWe have leads now that we didnat have before,a Dante said. aHeas losing his grip. I can feel it. Heas going to f.u.c.k up and then heas ours.a For the first time since this whole thing started, Anna was beginning to believe it.

aItas also possible the suspect thinks Roman can identify him. That might make him desperate, and careless,a Dante added. aHe might come after Roman.a Roman laid his hands over his stomach. aGee, thanks. Make me a target again.a Anna turned to Roman. aThere are uniforms stationed outside your room, and when youare discharged there will be someone at the house.a Roman laughed, and then winced, grasping his side. aI was teasing. I donat need protection at the house. A good nightas sleep and Iall be fine once I go home.a aAnd weare not taking any chances on your life,a Anna said. aYou take the protection, understand?a Roman looked to Dante, who just shrugged, so he said, aYes, maaam.a She stood, leaned over and kissed Romanas brow. aRest.a He grabbed her hand. aHeas going to keep doing this until weare all dead.a She nodded. aI know.a aYou need to get them out of here.a aThem?a aDante and Gabe. Theyare next.a She closed her eyes, knowing Roman was right. aI know.a Roman looked worried, his normal bravado gone. aI donat want to lose anyone else, Anna.a She sucked in a breath and swept her hand over Romanas hair. aI donat want that, either. Weare going to protect all of you. I promise. No one else is going to die.a Anna decided that testosterone made men stupid. What part of bodies dropping all around them could they not fathom? Even strong, capable men could be killed.

But no, they wouldnat listen, and now Dante was off meeting with Gabe about some lead he was working on. She was so irritated with hima"with them botha"she hoped he hung out with Gabe all night.

Dante had asked her to come with him, but she declined out of simple anger. And then head irritated her even more by telling her that whenever he wasnat with her, a uniform would be. She was a target, too.

Shead argued with him until theyad ended up shouting at each other, but she couldnat argue with her captain, whoad insisted that either Dante would be there to provide protection or a uniformed officer would.

Dammit. She hated feeling as if she couldnat take care of herself.

She had agreed with Romanas statement in the hospital: Dante and Gabe were targets and they should leave. They both said no and neither of them were her favorite people right now. And she still couldnat convince Pohanski to put her back on the case.

d.a.m.n men.

The less she saw of any of them right now the better. The only male she liked at the moment was Rusty, and he had no b.a.l.l.s, so he was an acceptable choice.

She and Rusty were curled up in bed and she was going to read every square inch of case files tonight if it took her the entire night. It wasnat as though she spent any time sleeping anyway.

They needed a break in the case. Surveillance equipment at the scene in the alley showed the suspect sneaking down the alley on foot and disappearing behind the Dumpster. He lingered there for a while, but their view was skewed, so no idea what head been doing back there. Then Hannesey had shown up and was taken down, and Roman came on the scene to find Hannesey and the suspect jumped him from behind. But Roman was righta"it was hard to distinguish anything from the way the killer was dressed all in black, his face obscured by the skull mask.

So she was going to go through the entire case tonight, starting from the beginninga"the very beginninga"until she found something.

She grabbed Tony Maclinas file, wrinkling her nose as she did. She hated reliving the nightmare, hated Tony Maclin with every fiber in her body, but she had to look over the case again, had to look over everything one more time.

This time she was determined to read every single d.a.m.n word of this file and study every photograph until she had them committed to memory. Shead lost a best friend and her father, a uniform had died and shead almost lost Roman. It was time to push her trauma behind her and focus on Maclinas case with an objective eye.

She opened the autopsy file and read from the beginning, taking her time. She wasnat squeamish. h.e.l.l, she attended plenty of autopsies. She could handle the written word, even if it brought back memories she found unpleasant. Head shown her no mercy. Shead be equally as merciless as she read his autopsy.

Bruising to his chest and back. Three of his ribs had been broken. His nose had been shattered and two of his teeth had been knocked out. Blunt-force trauma to his head, and pieces of brick found in his scalp.

Wait. She stopped, read that section again.

Brick? What brick?

She flipped through the medical examineras notes, read that blunt-force trauma to the head was listed as the cause of death, attributed to being struck by the brick.

Again, what brick?

Shead been dazed and in shock that night, but as shead lain there against the wall and watched the guys pummel Tony Maclin, she sure as h.e.l.l never saw any of them pick up a brick and hit him over the head. Sure, theyad struck him with their fists, but no one had used a brick on his head. Not that she remembered.

Maybe Dante or Gabe would, though.

Where had she left her phone? Kitchen, when she went in there to fix a soda. She slid out of bed to go get it, stopping cold when she heard a noise in the backyard. Something had either been b.u.mped into or knocked over.

And it wasnat windy outside.

Rusty leaped off the bed on alert, the hairs on his back rising. He started to growl.

aShh,a she whispered. aRusty, down. Stay.a Rusty did as ordered. She turned off the light in her bedroom, then reached for her gun. A round was already racked in the chamber, so she crept out of the bedroom, closed the door to keep Rusty in there and headed down the hall toward the back door.

She saw her phone on the kitchen counter, grabbed it and dialed Danteas number, holding the phone up to her ear.

He answered on the first ring.

aWhatas up?a aNothing, probably, but I heard something in the backyard.a aWhereas the uniform?a aI donat know. Out front, I guess.a aGo get him. Weall be right there.a aDonat. Itas likely just a cat or the wind. The uniform and I can check it out.a aThereas no wind and youare wasting my time talking. Donat go out there. Weall be there in ten minutes.a aOkay.a She clicked off and slid her phone in her pocket, went to look out the back door.

But she also wasnat stupid. She went to the front door and opened it.

No one was there. Uniform was supposed to stay at the front door at all times. She walked outside a few steps and didnat see him.

She shut the front door in a hurry, locked the dead bolt and pulled the chain across, then turned to face the back door.

s.h.i.+t.

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, trying to calm the pounding of her heart.

Maybe the uniform went to take a leak. It was plausible enough, right?

Yeah, and it was going to snow in July.

She was going to try really hard not to conjure up the boogeyman where there wasnat one.

But then Rusty started barking in the bedroom, and she saw something move out back.

Dante said to wait for him. But dammit, she was a cop. She wasnat some untrained bimbo who needed a man to come save her. She was going to check it out.

She unlocked the slider, then pulled it open slow and easy.

It was muggy tonight, the air totally still. She couldnat hear anything but her own breathing. And Rusty, who was still barking in her bedroom.

She pulled the screen door back and stepped onto the patio. She made a quick glance over to the table and chairs, then over to the barbecue. Nothing looked out of place. She moved farther out into the yard and leaned out toward the back door by her bedroom, saw nothing and decided it had to be some kind of animal, but shead do a thorough search.

Shead made one step into the gra.s.s when a body slammed into her.

Stunned, she was tossed into the gra.s.s and she lost her grip on her gun. It went flying a few feet out of her grasp.

s.h.i.+t! Whoever knocked into her was big, heavy and definitely male, from the size of muscle ma.s.s and how hard he hit her. She tried to fight him off, but he was too big for her. He was a blur dressed all in black and she couldnat even see skin. He pinned her to the ground with the sheer size of his body, and memories of that night twelve years ago came flooding back.

aNo!a she shouted. This wasnat twelve years ago, and she wasnat a scared sixteen-year-old anymore. He lay on top of her and she raised a leg up, effectively jamming it into his b.a.l.l.s. She heard him grunt, and she used the advantage of his temporary pain to throw him off, then scramble away for her gun. But he grabbed her leg and jerked her back just before she could get her fingers on her gun, dragging her into the gra.s.s.

Then he slapped her across the face. He wore gloves, making the smack more painful.

Stunned at the impact, she lay there for a few seconds, trying to get the ringing out of her head as sharp pain sheared through her senses. He rose up and she saw the glint of a knife.

Oh, no. Not again. As he came for her she figured he probably thought she was scared and wouldnat move.

But this time she wasnat scared. She was angry.

That gave her the element of surprise this time. She bent her knees and shot them out, jamming her feet into his stomach and sending him flying backward. She scrambled and grabbed her gun, but by then he was on the run. She fired off a shot as he flew through the gate.

aAnna!a She swiveled to see Dante and Gabe tear through the doorway, both of them with guns in their hands. She aimed the gun barrel toward the ground. aHe just left through the gate,a she said, panting and out of breath.

aStay with her,a Dante said, then tore out of the yard.

aYou okay, honey?a Gabe asked, hooking one arm around her and holding his gun in his other hand. He pointed it toward the gate, but backed them toward the house so theyad have a position of safety.

aYeah, Iam fine. He knocked me around a little, but Iam okay. Whereas the uniform?a aIn the bushes outside.a Dread made her stomach drop. aIs he dead?a aNo. Looks like someone slammed his head good into the side of your house. Heas out cold. We already called for an ambulance and the cops.a She blew out a sigh of relief. aThank G.o.d.a She followed him out front and they saw to the uniform, who was coming around. He had a bad gash on his forehead, but she was so d.a.m.n happy he was conscious. When the ambulance and police cars screamed into her driveway, they stepped out of the way to let the paramedics deal with him.

aLetas go inside.a Gabe sat her down on one of the kitchen chairs, then turned on the light.

aYou need some ice on your face. He walloped you,a Gabe said, giving her a once-over and frowning.

She put her hand to her swelling cheek. aYeah, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d slapped me a good one. I saw stars for a few seconds.a aWhat the f.u.c.k happened?a aHang on.a She got up, winced a little as she limped down the hallway to let Rusty out, praising him for being such a good dog. He wagged his tail, went over to warily sniff Gabe, then laid his head in her lap when she sat again.

Gabe was already crus.h.i.+ng ice and putting it in a bag.

aI heard a noise outside. So I went to investigate. The a.s.shole football tackled me as soon as I cleared the patio.a aNo sign of him,a Dante said as he came through the slider and closed it.

He came over to her, lifted the ice pack away and winced. ad.a.m.n.a aIam okay.a aYouare lucky he didnat do more damage. Why didnat you stay in the house and wait for us, or call the cops?a She tilted her head to the side and gave him a aduha look. aI am the cops. I went out front to get the uniform but didnat see him.a Dante dragged his hand through his hair and paced. aSo you go outside in the dark by yourself when you know a killer is after you? What the h.e.l.l are you thinking, Anna?a She shrugged and put the ice pack back on her cheek. aIam thinking I was lucky you two showed up when you did, though he seemed to be on his way out of here as soon as I got hold of my gun and aimed it in his direction.a Dante kneeled in front of her. aDid he have a gun?a aNot that I could tell. He had a knife, though. When he stood over me he pointed it at me.a Dante swept her hair away from her face. aThatas not good.a aNo, but the odd thing is, he had me at an advantage and didnat use it. He slapped me so hard I was dazed, and when I shook it off he was hovering over me with the knife. He could have stabbed me right then, or even when I was temporarily out of it, but he didnat.a Dante stood and pulled up a chair. Gabe handed him a beer and pulled out another chair. aHesitation?a Gabe asked.

aMaybe. Or maybe he wanted to threaten me. I got the idea I wasnat really a target.a aLike he wanted to scare you more than hurt you?a Dante asked.

aSomething like that. I could be wrong, though.a It took a couple hours to take statements and for Forensics to sweep her backyard. As Anna suspected, they didnat find much. With the battle between her and the a.s.sailant, and Gabe and Dante back there running after the suspect, the gra.s.s was a wreck and they couldnat get decent footprints.

Gabe called Roman, who rushed over. His arm was in a sling and he still had a limp and was bruised up, but he was starting to look a little better. He frowned when he saw her.

aSon of a b.i.t.c.h,a he said, leaning over to brush her hair aside. aHe hit you?a aYeah.a Roman sat next to her in the kitchen. aIam so sorry. I should have been here.a She smiled. aI donat need a babysitter, Roman.a He lifted his arm and winced a little. aI doubt I could have offered much help anyway, G.o.ddammit.a aYou could have shot the b.a.s.t.a.r.d.a Roman laughed. aI would have, too. I want him dead.a aWe all want him dead.a She filled him in on what happened while Gabe and Dante worked with the CSU team and the uniforms.

aUnits have already been sent to find Sam Maclin. Heas not at home.a Dante said. aAnd his mother doesnat know where he is. He left the house about seven tonight, said he was going out, but didnat say where he was going.a aThat makes him a viable suspect,a she said. aWhat about Crey Robinson?a aOn duty, as usual. Which doesnat mean anything.a aNo, it doesnat.a She was wiped out by the time the CSU team left. Dante was about to shuffle Roman and Gabe out the door when she remembered.