“Indeed. The She-Wolves had twenty two active cheerleaders until Charlene Merron was murdered. We have to determine why he is choosing these women.”
Michael leaned forward in his chair. “This was no random act. He has followed these women, learned their schedules. The unfortunate aspect here is that your teams schedule is available online for anyone to access. He knows what town you’re going to be in for weeks in advance. What we have to do now is try and determine if this is an inside job or if he’s a fan of the teams.”
David and Trent exchanged a concerned look.
“Wait a second, Agent Finn. You’re suggesting that someone in the team could be involved in this?”
“Until we rule them out, everyone is a suspect Coach Cramner.” Meredith watched the expressions of shock and realization sink in to them.
Trent cleared his throat. “I have arranged for you to meet the football team and speak to them. The team and cheerleaders celebrate together and Diana has arranged for the cheerleading squad to meet with you. The girls were all good friends and they can tell you everything you will need to know about Barbara. The team is just finishing practice so if you’d like to follow me down to the field, we can get introductions done.” Trent stood up and straightened his suit jacket, Coach Cramner followed.
*****
Sweat trickled down his face and back as he sprinted toward the end of the field. His arms pumping, heart racing as he passed quarterback Nathan Hudson.
“What the hell Razor? You’re on fire today. Trying to impress someone?”
“Nope. Just feeling it today that’s all.” Ross ‘Razor’ Mitchell shrugged and grabbed a towel hanging over the railing, he wiped his face then draped the towel over his shoulder.
“Try not to make the rest of us look bad.” Nathan smirked.
Razor looked up as he heard the stand doors opening. Coach Cramner and Trent were headed their way with two well dressed types. The guy was pretty tall, short brown hair and somewhat of a serious look on his face. Razor’s eyes fixed on the woman and his racing heart came to a skidding halt.
“Damn.” He muttered.
“Huh?” Nathan followed his gaze and raised his eyebrow.
When he remembered to take a breath, Razor lifted his water bottle and took a swig. He couldn’t help but shoot a side glance at the woman as they approached.
Her red hair was pulled back and pinned up, emerald green eyes that he could imagine looking into while she writhed under him. Full, pink lips that desperately needed his attention.
Easy boy.
He mentally chastised himself and straightened as they approached.
“Nathan, Razor. Meet Agents Meredith Rhodes and Michael Finn from the FBI. They’re investigating Barbara’s disappearance and Charlene’s murder. Agent Rhodes, this is quarterback Nathan Hudson and wide receiver Ross ‘Razor’ Mitchell.”
Razor smirked when he saw her cheeks redden, he reached his hand out and she placed her hand in his. Her skin was soft, her hand warm and once more he was imagining her hand doing something else besides shaking his.
“Nice to meet you.” He said gruffly.
“Likewise.” She replied softly.
“Uhm. Hi.” Nathan lifted his hand.
Razor stepped back and let the introductions continue.
Coach Cramner briefly explained the practice regime and then led them towards the gym where the cheerleaders trained.
Meredith waited until they were in the corridor.
“You guys keep going. I’ll catch up.” Finn gave her a small nod and followed Cramner and Trent.
Letting out a long breath, she couldn’t gauge what had just happened. Those amber eyes were far too mesmerizing. She’d never felt anything like it before.
When he shook her hand, the jolt she’d felt traveling up her arm was something she couldn’t ignore. There was no choice. That feeling would have to be ignored, at least until…
Shaking her head, she came to her senses. There was no until. Her job was everything and these women deserved justice. There was still a chance to save Barbara and bring her home to her family.
Feeling something for one of these players was out of the question.
“Hey. You OK?” the rough voice pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to see Razor walking towards her, towel draped over his shoulder. He’d removed the t-shirt he’d been wearing and she could not count every ab.
Oh God. Don’t look…don’t look.
It was too late. Not only did she look, but she felt her mouth instantly turn dry. The closer he got, the more she caught his scent. Sweat and male, there was a hint of something else. Cedar? She wasn’t sure.
“I’m OK.” She replied.
“You sure? Seemed like you were spacing out a little.” The side of his mouth tilted up a little and there was the hint of a smile.
Oh please not a smile. I imagined you smiling and wow.
“I’m sure. I better go find Cramner.” She turned to walk away.
“Hold up a second. Do you, I mean will you be able to find who did this?” he took a step closer and looked down at her. He had to be at least six two.
“I’m good at what I do. We’ll do everything we can to bring her back and catch this guy.” She stated firmly.
“We might seem like a bunch of overpaid jocks but we’re like family and Barbara’s one of the good ones.”
Meredith took a step towards him, with hesitation, she lifted her hand and placed it on his arm, his muscle tensing under her touch.
“I am going to do everything I can to find her alive. That’s what I can promise you.”
“Thank you.” He replied.
Her gaze fixed on his, she felt her heart begin to race as she tightened her grip on his arm a little. After what felt like a lifetime, she slid her hand off his arm and cleared her throat.
“I’ll see you around Meredith.”
She watched him walk away, his track pants clinging to his powerful thighs. Letting out a slow breath, she turned and made her way to the gym.
*****
“Are we in any danger?” the cheerleader asked. Meredith looked at the athletic brunette with possibly the darkest eyes she’d ever seen.
“The truthful answer is that whoever is doing this has made it clear that they are targeting cheerleaders from both teams. Your coach has assured me that security has been increased and we have the stadiums covered. However we will need your co-operation in this. I am sorry to have to tell you this but you’re going to have to hold off on the usual celebrating after each game. You stick to the hotel you’re staying at and that’s it.”
“Oh my God are you kidding? We can’t not go out when we win a game. It’s what we do.” A petite blonde was sitting on the front bench, her hair pulled back into a long ponytail.
Folding her arms, Meredith shot a glance at Finn who took a step forward and held his hand up.
“Ladies, what you need to realize is that this is for your own safety. Someone is killing cheerleaders and that means the target is on your backs. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but you need to know the reality of this situation. Going out after games puts you at great risk and until we find whoever is responsible, it’s best that you remain in the hotel after games and keep an eye out for one another. It’s imperative that if you see anything strange, you contact security immediately. Diana has both mine and Agent Rhodes’ cell numbers and she will make sure you each get them. Put them into your phone and if there’s anything you remember, or you think something is going on, then you call us immediately.”
Each one of the girls nodded slowly, the true severity of the immediate situation seeming to become clearer to each of them.
“Now that you have scared my girls, can we get on with training now?” Diana narrowed her eyes on Meredith who politely nodded her head.
“Local PD are faxing over the rest of the info they have. The team is heading out tomorrow afternoon for Ohio. They’re playing the Lions at the weekend.” Finn held open the door of the gym,
Meredith walked through.
“Both teams in the same place. Our guy will be exhilarated by that. My guess is he will definitely make a move.” Meredith considered the profile she had begun to put together, but until they had all the information from the police, they couldn’t put together a full and detailed profile. The connection between the girls so far was that they were cheerleaders.
“Or he will make a move before the game, have both teams on edge.” Finn suggested.
“The teams are already on edge. Their worried about the people they work with. Especially with Barbara still missing.”
Let’s go. I want to speak to the team before they go home for the day.”
As interviews go, the Wolves had certainly made for some interesting ones. Aside from some of the team having a very high opinion of themselves, several had very sexual opinions about the cheerleaders.
Meredith had not sensed a very sinister vibe from any of them, however when Razor was sitting across from them, she couldn’t help but feel the heat rising in her body.
“You’ve never had a relationship with any of the cheerleaders?” Finn asked.
“No. They’re not my type. I like my women strong, forceful and sexy.” Meredith saw his gaze settle on her and felt herself blush.
How could she have let herself get so worked up over this guy? She was thankful when she realized that Finn hadn’t picked up on it.
“Do you think any of them did it?” Finn asked her as they made their way to the car.
“I haven’t picked up on anything. That’s not to say it’s not there though.”
“I’m sure we’ll find something out,” Finn concluded.
*****
The team had arrived in Ohio to fans and press aching for a photo opportunity. The press hounded Meredith and Finn as they’d departed the airport, every one of them asking the same question. Were they closer to catching the killer?
Making their way to the hotel, Finn was driving.
“It has to be someone involved with the team. They’re the only ones who have access to the full schedule. Especially where Barbara and the other victims would be. That information isn’t available to just anyone.” Finn speculated.
“But in this day and age you can find anything you want online, Finn. Anyone could have found that information but I am inclined to agree with you. Whoever is doing this is personally involved in either team.”
The team was staying at a five-star hotel, Meredith had arranged for a room for her and Finn to use as an incident room. As they walked into the hotel, she saw the team standing at the check-in desk.
Meredith saw Razor talking to one of his team mates. He saw her and smiled, she felt her body shiver. He made his way over to her.
“Agent Rhodes, Agent Finn. I heard you told the She-Wolves to calm down on their partying. I didn’t think that was possible.” He chuckled, the sound vibrating from his throat.
“If it will keep them safe, I’m sure they won’t mind forgoing a few parties.” Meredith replied.
“Indeed. I’ll be seeing you around.” He flashed the prize winning grin and headed back over to the check in desk.
Finn shook his head.
“Jock.” He murmured.
“You should talk. I’ve seen your college football photos.” Meredith chuckled and went over to the elevator.
Practice had finished early which was surprising. Diana usually wasn’t the type to let them get away from practice early. She had parked her car in the parking garage, the other girls had arrived a few minutes earlier and had headed upstairs.
She removed her bag from the trunk and slung it over her shoulder. As she made her way to the elevator, she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped and the footsteps stopped, their echoes surrounding her.
Quickly, she removed her phone and dialed Agent Rhodes’ number.
“Agent Rhodes. I need your help. I’m in the parking garage and I think someone is following me.” She whispered low, keeping her voice as quiet as possible. She pocketed her phone and ran towards the elevator.
A gloved hand wrapped around her mouth, a strong body slamming into her.
“Help!” she screamed.
The elevator opened and Agent Rhodes emerged, her gun drawn, she immediately sprinted towards them. Whoever was holding her threw her to the ground and ran back into the parking garage.
“Get to the elevator!” Rhodes yelled.
Meredith sprinted towards the dark figure as they disappeared between the cars. She held her gun ahead of her, aiming around as she made her way between the cars. Listening carefully, she heard footsteps to her right and made her way through. She saw the figure darting out and sprinting across the garage.
“Don’t move!” she yelled. The figure turned, their arm out reached as they fired a gun towards her. She ducked and rolled, getting onto a knee, she aimed and fired towards the figure. They continued running and she gave chase.
As she darted out from between two cars, she was stopped by a car braking in front of her.
“Dammit!” she ran round the car and looked further into the garage. She’d lost the target.
As she made her way back to the elevator, Finn jogged over to her.
“What happened?”
“I lost him. They were dressed in black, I couldn’t get a good look at him. Is Stephanie okay?”
“In shock. They’ve taken her to the hospital. The police are upstairs.” Finn confirmed.
“Okay. I’ll head up and talk to them.”
*****
Frustration tore through her, giving her the urge to slam her first through the nearest wall. She wouldn’t though, not here anyway. The near miss tonight confused her, Barbara had not been found, yet the killer had attempted to strike again. Stephanie was currently at County General with a heavy police presence to ensure that no one could get near her. The security firm hired by the team had a lot of explaining to do. If only she had been faster, she would have had the son of a bitch in cuffs by now.
Turning at the last minute, she pushed open the door to the stairs. As the stepped onto the first step, she heard the door open behind her.
“Rhodes.” Razor’s low voice sent a small shiver through her body.
“Yeah?” she turned and looked up at him. Lord, the man was drop dead gorgeous. His black dress pants clung to his powerful thighs and the grey shirt he was wearing had the first three buttons undone. She’d already seen what was under that shirt and boy did she want to get her hands on him.
“You okay? Nathan just told me what happened earlier. You went after the guy? You could have been killed.” His mouth was set in a grim line. Genuine concern in his eyes.
“It’s my job Razor. You know that.”
“Your job put you in the path of someone who has killed three women. I doubt they’d have thought twice about killing you. I couldn’t handle it if something happened…” he trailed off and averted his gaze.
“What are you talking about?”
He said nothing, the silence becoming thick around them.
“Oh fuck it.” Razor closed the distance between them and backed Meredith against the wall.
His lips crushed down on hers, his hands moving through her hair.
A moan escaped her lips as his tongue slid into her mouth and slowly caressed against her own. She could feel his erection against her, he was rock hard. His hands slid down and came to settle on her hips, he bit down lightly on her lip, moaning slowly as he pulled back and looked at her.
“Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her up the stairs, his thumb tracing a small circle across the top of her hand.
The next few minutes went by in a whirl of passion and extreme heat. Razor pulled her tight against him and all but carried her down the hall.
Their kiss broke for a brief moment as he opened the door to his suite. They practically tripped inside and laughed before Razor pulled her towards his bedroom. His suite was three times the size of hers, his kit was stacked neatly by th
e window. It surprised her that his room was neat and tidy, not that she thought he was a slob, but neatness didn’t seem to be something high on his priority list.
“You’re so damn beautiful. From the second I saw you on that training field, I wanted to feel your lips on mine.” Razor murmured as he kissed her slowly. His tongue sliding against her bottom lip.
“Razor—”
“Call me Ross.”
Meredith looked up at him.
“Ross. I want this. You’ve no idea how much, but…” she trailed off. Unable to finish the sentence when his fingers traced along the back of her neck.
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t do this Meredith. Absolutely none.” Hearing her name coming from his mouth was music to her ears.
Ross’s gaze moved to her lips. Meredith’s grip tightened on his wrists. This woman made him feel things that no other woman had ever been able to. The soft moan that escaped her lips brought a growl rumbling from his throat. He kissed her hard, pulling her into the bedroom, without hesitation, he pulled her down on top of him so she was straddling him. Pulling her hair from the ponytail, it flowed in waves over her shoulder and hit his shirt.
He watched as Meredith gripped each side of his shirt and ripped it open. Buttons flew in several directions as her mouth came down onto his chest. She kissed and licked up his chest, her tongue flicking against his nipples.
Ross bit his lower lip, when he couldn’t hold back any longer, he moaned loudly, his hands coming up to cup her breasts through her top.
She straightened up and lifted her shirt above her head. Ross immediately sat up and covered one nipple with his mouth. He licked, sucked and flicked his tongue against it, feeling her thighs tighten around him.
“Damnit, baby. I can barely hold it together here.” He murmured against her breast.
“Then don’t.” Meredith panted as she moved off him. Without a word, she slid the waistband of her pants and panties down her legs, she slid off her boots and kicked off her pants. Ross watched, his mouth watering as she finally stood naked before him.
Meredith watched as Ross stood up and shrugged off his shirt. She bit down on her lower lip as he unbuttoned his pants and slowly slid them down. When his cock broke free, she lifted her gaze to his.
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