He moves past me with purpose, only pausing long enough to encircle my waist with his massive hands to lift me up and out of his way. Before I can stop sputtering indignantly and suck in enough air to really let him have it, he sets me off to the side with a smirk and saunters across the parking lot into Jack’s office.
I storm in behind him, crazy angry that I’ve been manhandled and as good as ignored. Who the hell does this jerk think he is? That’s fine. I’ll bypass his sorry ass and deal with Jack.
I slam the door behind me and shoulder my way in front of this guy. With my arms crossed over my chest, I bring Jack up to speed on the guy’s unexpected arrival and wait expectantly for Jack to light into this guy, whoever he is.
“I’m sorry, Jack,” I say as I put my hands on my hips and stare down Black Widow Boy. “I tried to stop him at the door, I don’t even know how he got through the gate.”
I’m talking to Jack but I’m still glaring straight at the asshole, who’s now grinning down at me and giving me a pretty thorough once over with those dark eyes.
“Call off your little yipping Chihuahua, Jack.” His eyes had been twinkling but not now. His voice is a low, menacing growl as we stare each other down.
Jack seems inexplicably pleased by the whole thing. He leans back in his seat and grins. What the hell is going on here?
“Settle down, boys and girls,” he says with a chuckle. “Spider, this is Max. Max, I’d like you to meet Spider – our newest team member.”
“As what, a menace to society?”
“He’s a cyber security specialist. You know, the hacker I told you about.”
Now I am seriously pissed. “What?! He’s not booshie, Jack. You said you were hiring a suit!”
“Well, you don’t exactly look like the golden girl of high society’s elite either, sweetie.” The man I’ve engaged in a staring death match holds my gaze without blinking.
“I am not, nor will I ever be, your sweetie, and I can assure you, I will not be working with you--”
Jack interrupts my rant, shutting me down with only a few words, “Max. As we discussed previously, you’ll work with who I say you work with. Non-negotiable, and you should know by now that I don’t like to repeat myself. Spider is the best at what he does. He comes to us based on a strong recommendation from Undercover Elite. Cash recommended him personally.”
As if on cue, the guy removes his leather riding gloves to reveal massive hands. My attention is drawn to the top of one hand that’s sporting some impressive ink: an intricate design of a spider in a web. I’m pissed at myself when my eyes linger on the tattoo, as I admire the workmanship. I’m horrified when he catches me looking.
“Glad you approve.” The arrogance in his voice coupled with the cocky smirk on his face pushes me over the edge.
“You. Arrogant. ASS!” I storm out, slamming the door behind me, but not before I hear Jack say, “So that was Max. She’ll warm up to you eventually.”
As if that isn’t bad enough, the egotistical ass laughs at Jack’s remark. Yeah, no way in hell am I working with Spider man…
Chapter Twenty Nine
Max
I’m shaking from head to toe as I plop down in front of my computer. I breathe in and out slowly, close my eyes and try to figure out what the hell just happened. How could Jack hire that jackass? Well, I refuse to feel guilty about my outburst in Jack’s office. Even though I know I overreacted, I have no intention of backing down. But I’ve never reacted so strongly to someone before and, if I’m honest with myself, I know this isn’t like me. The combination of lack of sleep, stress over Mom’s pearls, and Spider’s arrogance have turned me into someone I don’t know.
And what the hell did he think he was doing, calling me a yipping Chihuahua?! That was the last straw, right there. What an asshole. I don’t want to be in the same room with the guy, much less work with him – but this is Jack’s show and, ultimately, I’ll need to figure out how to handle this. After all, Jack isn’t the bad guy here; that testosterone-filled windbag is.
I’m better than this. He just caught me off guard, that’s all. This isn’t a problem because I won’t let it become one. I’ve always been a loner so it shouldn’t be too hard to avoid Spider.
I’m so totally overreacting. Jack has a lot of respect for women -- hell, his woman is an alpha female who can definitely hold her own in any situation. If anyone is all about woman power, it’s him. That douchebag he just hired is another story though. With his looks and cocky attitude, the guy’s got manwhore written all over him. I bet he fucks a different woman every night. I don’t care if he sticks his dick in a hole in the wall, but I do care about our compound being compromised because some woman runs her mouth about what she’s heard while in Spider’s bed.
I have no intention of letting anyone get in the way of Urban Elite’s success. He could compromise the whole operation. I’m talking to Jack about this -- when that guy isn’t around.
For now, I’ve got plenty of work to do to keep my mind off this bullshit. I open my e-mail and begin sorting through the junk mail I seem to get no matter how many mailing lists I unsubscribe from. One in particular catches my eye. My heartbeat quickens at the sender’s return address: Iloveserialkillers. Like I don’t have enough problems?!? I reluctantly open it and begin reading.
This is all your fault. I asked you nicely to contact me. Who the fuck do you think you are, writing about my work without including me? I tried to be nice but that doesn’t seem to work with you. You might want to open the attachment, I have something of yours. Let’s see how quick you change your tune, you disrespectful little bitch! Show me the respect I deserve or my next gift will be the rotting remains of one of your little cop friends. Maybe that pretty little Barbie doll whore -- or you.
I’m shaking but this time it isn’t from anger. Fear is wrapping itself around my throat and I can barely breathe as I click on the attachment and wait for the image to load. A sob escapes me when I see the image of my mother’s pearls. I know they’re hers because I see the tiny heart charm that’s attached next to the clasp.
This is bigger than me and no matter how much bravery I can muster to deal with this sick bastard, I’m obviously in over my head. I’m going to need help here, from someone who’s been up close and personal with the psyche of a serial killer.
If we’re going to nail this guy, then two, three, or even four heads are sure as hell better than one. Here’s hoping Jack’s dream team will able to come together and be just that: a team. Because shit just got real.
Chapter Thirty
Jack
Max doesn’t even wait for me to speak before she’s talking so fast I can hardly keep up, and so loud that I have to hold my phone away from my ear.
“That son of a bitch has my mother’s pearls, Jack. Please get over here. I’ve got an email here with an attachment. He sent me a photograph of my mom’s pearls.”
I don’t even answer her, just hang up the phone and haul ass toward the door, with Spider right behind me. “Come on, Spider, it looks like you just got your first assignment. No probation period for you, consider yourself on the team.”
“Works for me, boss man.”
We rush out the door and over to Max’s room. When she meets us at the door, she doesn’t need to say a word for me to understand how helpless and out of control she feels at being on a serial killer’s radar. Max is brave, not stupid; even she knows when she needs help. I sit down at her desk and read the email aloud as Spider and Max stare at the screen over my shoulder.
Holy fuck.
This maggot has really got balls. He threatened both Max and Valerie. I can’t wait to take his ass down.
I trade places with Spider so he can take the lead on what needs to be done. As Spider settles in the chair, his jaw is clenched and his mouth is set in a hard line. No need to worry if he’s on board with our operation, he clearly wants to get this guy as much as we do.
“Do what you do, Spider,” I tell him.
“I need the IP address and as much information as you can find on whoever’s using that e-mail account.”
“I’d be willing to bet he set the account up for the sole purpose of dealing with you guys. If he’s operating on the dark web, finding him is gonna be a tall order. Not impossible by any means, but it’s gonna take some time,” Spider replies absently.
I’m impressed with how fast he can shift gears. He’s already focusing all his attention on finding a trail to follow through the maze of coding and information that will, hopefully, lead us to this guy.
I direct my attention toward Max. “Listen up, Max. I don’t want you out alone and I forbid you from meeting this guy without back up. You’ll act at my direction from here on out, understand?
“You’re dealing with a serial killer that has stalker tendencies and this guy has become enamored with you. And you’ve pissed him off without even trying. I’ve seen some shit over the years, Max -- this guy’s the real deal. He’s all about power and control. He’s methodical. Everything he’s done up to this point has been calculated. He gets off on messing with people’s heads as much as he does the kill.”
“Why would he want to exercise power or control over someone like me?”
“The answer is right there in the e-mail, Max. This guy feels insulted. You intruded on his turf by writing about his crimes and didn’t include him. He feels slighted. He wants to insert himself into this investigation and he’s using you to do it. More than that, he wants validation, acknowledgment. And he wants it from you. Based on the threats he’s making, his behavior’s escalating. I’ll bring Valerie up to speed. As of this moment, the whole Urban Elite team is on high alert.”
Chapter Thirty One
Max
I’m only hearing every third or fourth word he’s saying to me. I forbid you…validation…threats…high alert. I feel like I’m in a tunnel and nothing is making sense. The words sound so far away, it’s an effort to piece them together and form complete sentences. One thing is crystal clear, though: I’m in way over my head and as badly as I hate to admit it, I need hacker boy’s help.
Jack’s right, we’re going to have to work together as a team to get this guy and stay safe while we do it.
“If you find the IP address, will you be able to find out where his computer is?” I ask Spider, looking for some kind of control in this chaotic situation.
Spider turns around and raises a sardonic brow. “That’s a ‘when’, not an ‘if’, sweetness. And I thought you weren’t gonna be working with me.”
“Not now, Spider,” Jack cuts in. “This isn’t the time to rib her.” He includes me in his next comment, his steady gaze making it clear that he expects our compliance. “We’re a team and if you’re going to work here, then you’re going to have to let the petty disagreements go.”
Even though Jack is sticking up for me, I really should apologize to this guy. “Look, Spider, I’m sorry. I had a rough night last night and I took it out on you when I shouldn’t have.” I stick my hand out, hoping he won’t leave me hanging. “Can we start over?”
He doesn’t shake my hand just looks down at it for a moment before looking me in the eye. “That’s fine. I’m here to work, and if helping you is what gets the job done, then so be it.”
I let my arm drop to my side and feel my cheeks blaze with heat. Well, score one point for the asshole. I can tell Spider probably isn’t used to being disrespected but I’m not going to kiss his ass either. Whatever, we don’t have to be besties to work together—just on speaking terms. If that’s all we’ve got going for us at this point, then so be it.
After a few more seconds of deliberate, steady eye contact with me, he turns back to his computer screen. His fingers fly across the keyboard as he answers my question. “This guy’s using VPN— a Virtual Private Network provider. It was developed to stop government censorship on the worldwide web, but criminals can use it as a way to mask their criminal behavior. If he’s smart enough to use that, then it won’t do any good to try to get his cell number either. He’ll have sense enough to know how to tower hop -- you know, have his phone’s signal pinging off different cell towers so he can’t be detected. Looks like this guy really knows what he’s doing. The fucker sure knows how to not leave a trail.”
With his body practically bristling with frustration, he shoves the keyboard aside and leans back in his chair, not moving a muscle, absorbed in his thoughts. With a sudden, harsh exhale he declares, “This is the kind of guy we’re going to have to catch in the act or, worse yet, interact with to get him to make a mistake. I can’t find out a damn thing without having more knowledge of his online habits, and interaction is the only thing that’s going to give me that kind of information.”
Spider turns to face Jack, his voice hushed. “You may want to think about letting her interact with him online, Jack, so we can monitor it. If she builds some rapport with him and she can gain even a little trust, we’d be in a better position to set him up.” He continues like he doesn’t want to give Jack too long to think about it. “It isn’t like she’s going to be dealing with him face to face, Jack. It’ll be strictly via computer. He’s already following her, we know that. If she can make him think he’s in control, he’ll soften toward her.”
He looks over at me with narrowed eyes and asks, “Is there any chance you know this guy?”
At that point Jack interrupts. “There’s something that came up the other night when Valerie and I were talking. Max, when you went out with the doctor last night—“
“Hmmph, maybe you’re booshie, Max. That would certainly explain a lot.” At his snide words, I cut my eyes at Spider. He meets my gaze without blinking once. His gaze is intense and makes me squirm in spite of myself. He’s making no secret of his contempt for me. The tension between us is palpable and not in a good way.
I can’t help but wonder how deep that intensity goes with the women he hooks up with. I inwardly chastise myself for even thinking about his sex life. I couldn’t care less about anything to do with this guy’s personal life—much less who he’s fucking. Or how he’s fucking them. Which means I’m still thinking about him fucking. Fuuuuuck...
“I said let it go, Spider.” This time Jack’s tone is harsh. “Moving on. Max, think back. Was there any time that evening when Chambers’ hands were close enough to you to get those pearls from around your neck?”
A wave of nausea washes over me and I grab the back of Spider’s chair to stay upright until the room stops spinning.
“Shit. He helped me with my wrap and I remember the tips of his fingers brushing my neck.”
“Why the fuck would you remember a detail like that?” Spider asks, his tone curt as he swivels his chair toward me.
My face gets hot as I remember the tinge of excitement I felt at Liam’s brief touch in the restaurant and the better than average kiss by my car. I clear my throat and ignore Spider’s raised eyebrow as I reply to Jack’s question, “Surely he couldn’t have gotten them off my neck that quickly without me noticing.”
“Sounds like maybe you were a little distracted,” Spider mutters.
Jack ignores the comment and crosses his arms over his chest, considering me carefully as he speaks. “Well, we discussed that too, and here’s the thing. According to Valerie, with the kind of clasp antique pearls like that would have, yeah, it’s a possibility.”
“Oh, God--” I stumble toward the bed and sit down so I don’t pass out. “He could be the serial killer. It would explain why the killer is so precise with cutting off limbs at the joint like that. Who would know the medical ins and outs of cutting off a limb better than an orthopedic surgeon? Holy shit, I might have spent the evening sitting across from a killer.” I raise my fingertips to my lips as I realize I may have briefly made out with one, too.
“I don’t want to assume anything, Max. Whoever cut off those body parts used a circular saw. That’s messy work for an experienced killer with the kind of expertise that would be required.”
“He may have a blood fetish,” Spider interjects as he stares at my lips with a scowl. I put my head in my hands and try to process what they’re saying to me. There’s a possibility I shared a civilized meal and bumped tongues with a serial killer last night.
“You’re going to have to get it together, kiddo,” Jack says brusquely as he walks to the door. “Spider’s right. We need you back in the saddle. Work with Spider to reach out to this guy so we can catch him, or we’re all in danger.”
Chapter Thirty Two
Jack
My cell phone’s ring pulls me from the conversation. It’s the coroner calling about the severed arm. I arrange to meet him at the morgue for a few reasons: I don’t think Max is in any frame of mind to hear whatever news it is he has for me; also, I want her to go ahead and make contact with the serial killer. And having her send the email with Spider standing over her shoulder will force them to work together. I take a moment to fill them in before I head out.
“Max, if you handle this right, he’ll let his guard down. Tell him you understand, that you realize now that you never thought of his side of things, and that you’re so sorry but you want your mother’s pearls back. If he tries to set up a meeting, we’ll call Agent Turner and Agent Murphy in for the arrest.”
“Do you really think it could be Liam?” As much as I don’t want it to be true, it kind of makes sense.
“I’m not saying your friend the doctor is a killer. I am, however, saying that I’ve seen enough in my line of work to know to expect the unexpected. There isn’t a whole lot that shocks me anymore kid, be careful.”
I direct my attention toward Spider. “Part of your job is to keep her safe.” He meets my steady gaze and I know he won’t let a petty argument get in the way of his professionalism.
“You got it, boss. I plan to stick to her like glue. Anybody comes near her, I’ll knock their ass out.”
Urban Renewal (Urban Elite Book 1) Page 11