by Anna Blakely
“That was…different.” She blushed, making him question exactly what it was she’d seen. “Look.” Eden stepped closer. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, Alex. Trust me. But something is telling me I have to do this. That I’m supposed to be the one to help catch this guy.”
Alex stared down at her a few seconds more before huffing out a breath. “Fine. But the minute it becomes too much for you, you’re done.”
One corner of her mouth curled up in a sexy-as-fuck smirk. “Is that an order, Detective?”
“Damn straight, it is.”
Fuck not having a say in what she did. As far as he was concerned Eden was already his. His to love, and his to protect.
In that moment, he made a silent vow to do whatever it took to keep her safe. Even if it meant protecting her from herself.
“Look at it this way,” she attempted to appease him. “Now you don’t have to drive all the way to my house to pick me up for dinner.”
Knowing their first official date was only hours away did help ease his anxiety, somewhat.
Sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave. “Fine.” He sighed. “Let’s go.”
Several minutes later, after filling out the appropriate paperwork so Eden could get her official access badge, Alex escorted her upstairs.
After Zoe and the rest of his team said their hellos and welcome back’s, Alex asked her, “You want a coffee or tea or something before we get started?”
“A cup of coffee would be great. Thanks.”
“I’ll be right back.”
When he returned with her coffee a few short minutes later, Eden was nowhere to be seen.
“She’s in the room,” Rhys, Zoe’s partner, explained.
Heading that way, Alex found her standing in front of the death board.
“This is so sad,” she said without looking at him. “Do you know why he chose them?”
“That’s why you’re here.”
Eden did turn to him, then. “You haven’t found a connection between them?”
“Not yet.”
He crossed the room and handed her the coffee. Their fingers brushed against each other’s, and though the contact was brief, he still felt the electricity arching between them. From her tiny intake of breath, she’d felt it, too.
“Sorry,” he mumbled quietly.
Eden’s eyes rose to meet his. “Don’t be.”
“You ever think you’ll get used to touching me?” The question was out before he could stop it.
A slight flush filled her cheeks. “I guess only time will tell.”
Her words hinted at a future, one he very much wanted to share with her.
Remembering where they were, Alex cleared his throat and took a step back. “So, these are the women we’ve found, so far. This is the latest victim.” He pointed to the picture on the end.
Eden studied the picture more closely. “She looks familiar.”
“Her name is Chloe Howard. Her mother is Congresswoman Howard.”
“Maybe that’s why.”
Just then, Garrett entered the room carrying a clear, plastic tub. “Here’s some of the evidence from each of the five crime scenes. Just make sure everything gets put back into the correct bag, or Baker will have my head.”
Trina Baker was the officer in charge of the evidence locker, and no one—not even Murphy—dared to get on her bad side.
“Trina’s still a tough old bird, huh?”
“I sure as hell won’t cross her,” Garrett answered seriously.
This made Eden smile. “She was always nice to me.”
“That’s because she likes you,” Alex emphasized that last word for Garrett’s benefit.
“Hey.” A look of hurt feelings crossed over his partner’s face. “Baker likes me.”
“Baker tolerates you. There’s a difference.”
“Whatever.” The other man gave Eden a nod. “Good luck. Holler if you need anything.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Garrett.”
Alone again, Eden glanced at the tub. “Guess we should get started.”
Still unhappy about her decision to help, Alex begrudgingly removed the container’s lid and began sorting the bags in a line on the table.
With a notebook and pen in hand, he sat across from her, watching silently as Eden made her way through the victim’s things. One by one, as a vision would hit, she’d explain to him as best she could what she was seeing.
For the next couple of hours, his pen flew across the lined paper as Alex documented the details she was able to provide. The initial visions were almost identical for each of the women.
Unspeakable terror. The feeling of being bound, unable to move their arms or legs. A gloved hand holding a shiny scalpel.
Once Eden got past those first, terrorizing images, they became more personal.
Sometimes she could see the women’s likes or dislikes. Hobbies or interests. But what seemed to be most prominent to her were the colors.
“They were all so dull. Muted greys and dark blues,” Eden explained sullenly after having gone through each item.
“What do you think that means?”
“My best guess?” She sighed. “These women felt sad. Alone. As though they had no one to turn to.”
“Makes sense.” Alex looked across the table at her. “From everything we’ve found, each of the victims kept to themselves. The jobs they had required minimal contact with other people. Those who did know them described the women as being loners.”
“What about their parents?”
Sitting back in his chair, Alex tossed his pen onto the yellow legal pad he’d been using and exhaled loudly. “Honestly? Chloe’s were the only ones who seemed to give a damn.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Wish I was.”
“That’s awful.”
Alex nodded. “It really is.”
“Did the other women’s parents say why they felt that way?”
“Not really. Some said their daughters were strange. Had been trouble-makers when they were younger and wouldn’t listen or do what they were told.”
“Maybe that’s your connection,” she suggested.
“I’d started to think that, too, until Chloe. Her parents were devastated by the news of her death. She was finishing her senior year at the University of Chicago. Double major and on the track to graduate Magna Cum Laude.”
“What about friends?”
“She was in a couple academic clubs and was an active member of her sorority.”
Eden stood, shaking her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. I got the same feeling of loneliness from her as I did the other women.”
“I’m just telling you what we know.”
“I know.” She looked at the pictures again. “There’s something there. I can feel it. What I picked up from them was familiar. Almost like…”
Alex stood and went to her. “Almost like what?” he asked quietly.
“What words were used to describe them? Exactly, I mean.”
“I don’t know. Quiet. Introverted.” He thought back to the interviews he’d been a part of, and the case notes he’d studied meticulously. “I think the adjective we heard the most was ‘odd’. Why do you ask?”
“Odd,” Eden repeated the word with a hushed voice. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms at her waist, as though to protect herself. “They sound like me.”
Scowling, he gave her a pointed look. “You are not odd.”
She snorted. “What would you call it?”
“Intelligent. Compassionate. Beautiful and gifted.” He brushed some hair from her eyes. “You’re a lot of things, Eden. But odd is not one of them.”
Heat started to replace the sadness behind her golden eyes, but it vanished when she glanced over his shoulder at the evidence on the table.
“Do you have anything of his?”
“Whose?” he asked, knowing damn well who she meant. From the look she was giving him, she knew it, too.
; “The killer’s.”
“No.” He shook his head. It was the first lie he’d ever told her.
Her face fell. “That’s too bad. I was hoping maybe I could get a read on who this guy is.”
“Hey.” He took a chance she was too worn down to detect the lie and rested his hands on her shoulders. Ignoring the magnetic pull he felt each time they touched, Alex focused on his concern for her and said, “Why don’t we take a break?” She may not have felt anything malicious or evil, but he could tell the experience had drained her.
“Okay.”
Surprised by her quick agreement—and relieved as hell she hadn’t seen through his deception--he went a stretch further and reached for her hand. Linking his fingers with hers, Alex whispered, “This okay?” He was relieved to see a ghost of a smile.
“Yeah.” She nodded, “It’s okay.”
As they exited the room, Eden glanced back over her shoulder at the photos again.
“We need to find him, Alex.”
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I know.”
Chapter Five
Eden looked across the small, round table. She still couldn’t believe she was on an honest-to-goodness date with Alex Bennett.
After taking a walk earlier to clear their heads, they’d returned to the Twenty-Third to go back over the evidence one last time before calling it a day. Though she’d hoped to pick up something new, the visions and colors she’d gotten were simply more of the same.
From what Eden could gather, each of the victims had experienced intermittent moments of happiness and joy. But by and large, all of the women had purposely isolated themselves as much as possible.
All except for Chloe Howard. She was an anomaly. One Eden didn’t understand.
“Eden?”
Alex’s voice broke through her thoughts. When her eyes flew back to his, she realized he’d been saying something to her.
“Yes?”
He reached across the table, covering her tightened fist with his hand. He’d been touching her a lot today.
Mainly small, brief touches. Nothing too forceful or overbearing. Eden got the feeling he was testing the waters, helping her get used to the feeling of his hands on her.
The former Marine came off as this big, bad, Alpha male when really he was a soft, gentle man with a heart of gold.
“Where’d you go just now?”
Guilt washed over her. He’d finally asked her out, and here she was spending their time lost in her own head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Not asking you to be sorry, sweetheart. Just want you to talk to me.”
Though she felt it in his touch, she didn’t need to read him to know he was telling the truth. It was there, staring back from those caring seas of blue.
“I was just thinking about Chloe Howard.”
“What about her?”
Eden shook her head. “She doesn’t fit.”
Alex’s handsome face creased as he sat back in his chair, his hand slipping away from hers. “What doesn’t fit?”
“Everything.” Eden leaned her elbows on the table. “You said she was active in groups and her sorority. She put herself out there, and from all accounts had a set of loving and caring parents. Yet, the reading I got when I held her scarf was the same grey, despondent lonesomeness as the other women. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“Maybe it was all a show.”
“A show?”
“Sure.” Alex shrugged casually. “A privileged childhood doesn’t always equal happiness. Sometimes those kids grow up with even more pressure on their shoulders than others.”
“True,” Eden agreed. “So, you think she joined the sorority and those other organizations to please her parents?”
“It’s possible.” He took a sip of his iced tea then set the glass down. “She was a legacy in her sorority.” When he noticed the blank look on her face, he explained, “Her mom was a member of the same sorority when she was in college.”
“Oh. Right.”
“I take it you didn’t do the whole sorority thing?”
Eden scoffed. “I didn’t do the whole college thing.”
Alex grinned. “Me, neither. But, hey. We still turned out okay, don’t you think?”
She stared back at him. “I think you turned out a lot better than just okay.”
Covering her hand with his once more, the sweet man brushed his thumb across her skin in slow, deliberate strokes. Sparks of red filled the air around him. Red was the color she’d always associated with attraction and arousal.
He wanted her. She could see it in his thoughts, both past and present.
I want to feel more than just his thoughts.
Alex glanced down at his watch and frowned. “It’s getting late. As much as I hate to cut the night short, you have an hour’s drive ahead of you. I don’t like the idea of you being on the roads late at night by yourself.”
Always trying to protect me. “I’m not going home tonight.”
This surprised him. “You’re not?”
“I figured if this case was anything like the others we’ve worked, it would be best to stay at a hotel. That way, if I’m needed last-minute, I’ll already be in the city.”
Alex stared back at her for a moment before nodding. “You could stay in a hotel. Or…” His voice trailed off.
“Or?” Eden waited for him to finish his thought.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his thumb deliberately making another pass over the back of her hand. With his eyes staring deep into hers, Alex offered, “Or, you could stay with me.”
Eden took only a second to think about his offer before whispering a soft, “Okay.”
Standing, Alex quickly pulled his wallet from his pocket. After tossing down enough cash to cover the check plus the tip, he shoved the wallet back into place and went to her side. Pulling her to her feet, his deep voice rumbled when he spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Eden was thankful she’d followed him to the restaurant, rather than letting him drive. What she’d told him was the truth. She’d brought her suitcase with her in case they ended up working too late for her to go back home. But she’d also been worried about being too drained from the readings to drive.
That’s what she’d tried telling herself, anyway.
Admit it, girl. After that amazingly realistic vision yesterday, you were hoping he’d invite you to stay over.
Either way, the drive from the restaurant to his apartment gave her a few minutes to regroup and calm her nerves. It had been a long time since she’d slept with anyone. A very long time.
In her thirty-two years, Eden had only had sex a handful of times. The first time was when she was twenty…and it was awful.
The visions she’d gotten during the act had been so disruptive it had ruined the entire experience. The guy became paranoid while Eden’s self-doubt grew. That was when she first realized just how difficult that part of life was going to be.
One thing her limited experience had taught her was most men didn’t want the person they were with to know their true thoughts or feelings. Or, like with a couple of the men Eden had dated, the thing’s they’d done.
Her most recent sexual partner was a former co-worker she’d dated briefly. Four years ago. She’d been working at a major bookstore downtown, before she’d began consulting with the Chicago P.D.
Brian was a nice enough guy, and she’d genuinely enjoyed his company. He felt the same about her, too…at first. But it didn’t take long for him be put off by her unpredictable behavior.
She could still remember the day he’d broken things off with her.
“I like you, Eden. I just can’t handle…whatever this is…anymore.”
“You mean you can’t handle what I am.”
“No, I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Like so many others, Brian had looked back at her as if she were a freak. Eden could still picture the look on his face, like he couldn’t get away
fast enough.
After nearly a year together, he’d just up and left, without so much as batting an eye.
The longer Eden drove, the more those old insecurities began to seep in. By the time she pulled into Alex’s apartment complex, she’d all but convinced herself things with him wouldn’t end any differently.
Putting her truck in park, she got out but waited by the driver’s door. A cool breeze passed by, causing Eden to cross her arms at her chest to keep warm.
“Where are your bags?” Alex asked as he walked toward her. “I’ll help you carry them in.”
“I don’t”—Eden swallowed nervously— “I mean, maybe it would be best if I stayed at a hotel, after all.”
“Oh.” He looked back at her, his disappointment obvious. “If you don’t feel comfortable staying here, I understand.”
“It’s not my comfort I’m worried about.”
Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”
God, this was embarrassing. But she’d rather get this out now, before things went any further.
“I like you, Alex.” Eden swiped at some hair that had blown into her face. “A lot.”
“Good to know.” He smirked. “And in the interest of full disclosure, I more than like you, Eden.” He took a step closer. “Although, I’m pretty sure you knew that, already.”
“I did.” She shook her head. “I do. It’s just that…I’ve been here before.”
“To my apartment?”
“No.” She couldn’t help but chuckle, though her humor was short-lived. “I mean, I’ve had guys who thought they wanted to be with me, but when they realized what I was”—she licked her lips— “what I am, it all became too much for them. I don’t want that to happen to us, Alex.” Eden prayed he could make sense of her ramblings. “I don’t want to wake up one day and suddenly find you staring back at me like I’m damaged goods. Or worse, some sort of freak.”
In less than a second, he was directly in front of her. A muscle in his sexy jaw bulged as he gently grabbed her hands and stared down at her.
“Close your eyes.” When she did as he’d asked, Alex held on a little tighter. “Now, tell me what you see.”
Concentrating solely on their connection, Eden focused on what he wanted her to see.