by Ciana Stone
"Just don't take it so seriously you put yourself six feet under from the stress. It's not worth your life, honey."
Gib thought about Diana's warning, and about the day that Isabelle Adams became part of his life.
2008 - Quantico, Virginia
Gib crammed his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. He was mad enough to hit something. Or someone. But he wouldn't. He'd work through his anger and deal with the situation like a professional.
He'd almost curbed the worst of the irritation when a knock sounded at his door. Gib knew who it was. "Come," he called without turning around.
Leo Grant, his most experienced agent and friend, entered and waited just inside the door.
"Close it, please."
Gib heard the door close, but waited a beat before turning to face Leo. "Have a seat, Special Agent Grant."
Leo's expression and slight nod, let Gib know Leo was fully aware that this conversation was strictly professional. Having Gib as his superior was new for both men. Until a month ago, they'd been on equal footing, Special Agents assigned to the Behavioral Analysis Unit, under the leadership of Special Agent in Charge, Mike Smithers.
Mike retired, and Gib was selected to fill his shoes. Gib was thrilled, excited, and more than a little eager to show his worth. He'd thought things were going well until this week. Now he realized he hadn't been very observant. How had it escaped him that one of his best friends and teammate was having an affair?
Once Leo was seated, Gib walked over and settled into the chair behind his desk, letting the expanse of wood separate them figuratively as well as literally. "I asked you here to discuss your request to enlist the aid of Dr. Isabelle Adams in this investigation, Agent Grant."
"Yes, sir."
Gib tried to ignore the awkwardness he felt at hearing Leo address him as 'sir'. "Something has been brought to my attention that we must address. I will ask this once. Did you have any kind of sexual relations with her when you interviewed her in 2005?"
"No, sir."
"Are you now engaged in a sexual relationship with her?"
There was a minute hesitation before Leo's gaze locked with his, and he answered. "Yes, sir."
"Was she of age when this affair began?"
"Yes, sir."
"When did it begin?"
"Six months ago. We met again when I did the lecture at UNCC. She's twenty, sir. Almost twenty-one. And a professor at the University."
That relieved Gib. At least partially. If Gib became aware that Leo was involved with an underage girl, he'd have no choice but to bring Leo up on disciplinary charges. Since the young woman was an adult in the eyes of the law, there would be no need for that. But it bothered Gib, nonetheless.
He'd known Leo and Leo's wife, Margaux, for a long time. Because of their friendship, Gib was aware of the problems Leo and Margaux had been going through for the last couple of years. To his credit, Leo kept his personal life out of the workplace and, to the best of his Gib's knowledge, had never allowed his marital problems to interfere with his job.
"Stepping out of my role as SAC and speaking as a friend, I have to ask. Why?" Gib needed an answer. The last thing he wanted was to lose respect for his friend.
Leo shook his head and slumped in his chair. "I wish I could find the words. She's… she's not like any woman I've ever known. Good heavens, Gib, look at all she's suffered. How many among us could have carried such a burden without becoming damaged beyond repair?"
Gib knew the facts, had suffered more than one bout of revulsion and sense of wonder at all Isabelle Adams had endured. But he knew her only from words on a page and old photos. "Tell me about her."
"She's amazing. Intelligent, educated, and informed… and—psychic."
"So, you said. Would you care to elaborate?"
"Izzi has a way of knowing things without being told. She's allowed me to see medical and scholarly reports written about her, and a host of scientist and medical researchers agree that she possesses what we might call extra senses. She's also connected with the killer. She's afraid to do it, but convinced she can touch his mind if she lowers the mental barriers she's spent her life erecting and fortifying."
"And you believe this?"
"I do."
Had that statement come from anyone else, Gib might have dismissed it. Coming from Leo, it carried weight. The fact that the Seven Bridges Killer had now killed two more women and three children put Gib in a circumstance of some urgency. This psychopath needed to be stopped, and he'd use every resource available.
That thought brought a slight pang of shame. If the reports Leo mentioned held up under scrutiny, then Isabelle Adams might well help them solve a case that started in 1995. It would certainly be a feather in Gib's cap if they succeeded in that task. If he didn't close cases, he could lose the position of command. If his team outperformed expectations, he and everyone under his control could expect pay grade increases and the potential to rise higher in the BAU.
Gib made a decision.
"Back to business. Put me in touch with Dr. Adams. I want to pay her a visit and speak with her in person. If things pan out, we'll bring her in as a consultant."
"Yes, sir."
Gib nodded. "Dismissed." He hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "Leo, hold on," he hurried to add as Leo stood. "As a friend, I'd like to ask you to stay a moment."
"Sure," Leo agreed and sat again.
"Why?" Gib asked.
"Didn't we already cover that?"
"Not really. Why cheat on Margaux? I know you've been through a few rough years, but your marriage has to be worth saving."
Leo nodded, looked down for a moment, and then up at Gib. "It is. I want to but… Gib, I'll never forget the day I first saw her. You remember. It was 2005 and we thought the 7 Bridges Killer was starting up again. It'd been a decade, and suddenly in four months, there were two more families killed, and everything matched the '95 killings."
"I remember. You volunteered to go interview the girl who survived the string of murders in '95. Isabelle Adams."
"I never expected to be so–affected. I remember reading about her and what happened to her and her family, but I wasn't quite prepared for the young woman I met."
"She was how old then?" Gib asked. "Sixteen? Seventeen?"
"Seventeen. A sophomore in college. She was sitting on a bench, waiting for me. There were pairs or groups of students in the commons, all talking, having lunch, making out with their boy or girlfriends. She sat alone, reading.
"But she looked up before I reached her and watched until I stopped in front of her. "Agent Grant," she said. "I didn't think you'd be so tall. Or so sexy. Is that common for BAU agents, or are you an anomaly?
"I didn't quite know what to say, so I just extended my hand to her.
"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Miss Adams," I said.
"She stood, removed her sunglasses, took my hand, and looked up at me and God as my witness, I actually stepped back in shock."
"Shock?"
"Her eyes. I've never seen anything like that. Not white, not green, but… a kind of pearlescent that has hues of pale sea green and blue.
"Her hair was very dark before her family was attacked, and her eyebrows and eyelashes remained remained dark, which makes the contrast with her eyes even more pronounced.
"Her hair was cut short, like some kind of pixie from a fairy tale and I swear to you, she looked just like something from a book, a fairy princess or–what was that little fairy? Tinker Bell? She seemed… otherworldly."
"But you didn't see her again after that?" Gib needed reassurance.
"No. I thought about her over the years but never attempted to contact her. Although she told me we'd see one another again. I didn't really believe it, but I guess she was right because the day I did that lecture just before the end of the year at UNCC in 2008, there she was. All grown up and the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."
Leo held up hi
s hand as Gib opened his mouth to speak. "I love my wife, Gib. I've always loved her, but I could no more have said no to Isabelle than I could have shot myself. She told me we had six months, and then our time would end. I didn't believe her, but I should have."
"Why is that?"
"Because tomorrow is the anniversary of the day of that lecture. And tomorrow, I'm guessing, is the day you'll go see her and decide whether to use her as a consultant."
"And that will put an end to the affair?"
"Yes, I believe it will."
"How do you feel about that? And I'm asking as a friend."
"Sad. Grateful. I know I need to repair the damage to my marriage, and I swear to you I will try. Because you're my friend, I'm going to ask a favor, and it's a big ask.
"Don't let Margaux know about this. About Izzi. She might survive finding out I'd had an affair, but if she ever met Izzi, she'd leave me."
"Isabelle Adams can't be that special."
"Tell me that after you meet her, my friend."
Gib nodded, stood, and rose to walk around the desk and offer his hand to Leo. "You have my word."
"Thank you,"
Leo took his hand, grasped tight for a moment, then released it. "I owe you."
"Friendship doesn't require payment, Leo. You know that."
"Still, I owe you. Anything else, sir?"
Gib sensed Leo's need to fall into a professional role and honored the unspoken request. "No, thank you. If you'll contact Dr. Adams and ask permission for me to call, I'll speak with her and make arrangements to fly to North Carolina tomorrow and meet with her."
"I'll do that now."
"Thank you."
Now, Gib pulled back from the memory. Leo had been right. Meeting Izzi was a pivotal moment in his life. He never imagined the day they met, that she'd become a ruling passion in his life. He was happily married, intended on staying that way, and despite the powerful effect she had on him, he and she had never crossed the line from friends to something more.
She didn't have a lot of friends, it had seemed. No one really to confide in. She may have taken the breakup with Leo as something that was inevitable, but when she talked about it, he paid attention to the space between her words and heard someone who was lonely and a bit heartbroken.
His wife, Diana, always said his soft heart got him into trouble all the time. Perhaps she was right because he felt sorry for Isabelle Adams. She was so young and had suffered so much. At almost twenty-one, she was alone. All her family was gone, and she was not ordinary enough to have an easy time fitting in.
That sympathy prompted him to become her friend, someone she could confide in. Strangely, it ended up that she was as much, if not more, confidant and sounding board for him than the other way around. She had a way of seeing into people that brought things into the light they weren't always aware they were hiding.
Still, they were friends only. That's how it was meant to be.
Or so he thought.
Gib pushed back the thoughts and asked what he'd been holding back for a long time. "Do you wish I'd never shown up that first day?"
She reached over to take his hand. "I don't blame you for what happened. You must know that."
"But it cost you your relationship with Leo and–"
"Shhh," she silenced him. "Leo and I were never meant to be together forever. He loves Margaux. He always did. They'd just lost sight of what they wanted the most. When I said yes to the request to work with your team, he and I both knew that was the end of whatever we had. It took a bit of time to figure out new dynamics, but lucky for me, our friendship survived, and I was lucky enough to eventually become friends with his wife and daughter, Alanna.
"It took a little while, but before long, Margaux became cautiously trusting. They still walked on uneven ground for a long time, but when he was hurt, it made her realize how important he was to her. That's what he really wanted, all along. To be important to her.
"It worked out the way it was supposed to for them. Besides, I found a friend to help me through my rough patch—and you really did, you know—so it worked out for me, too."
"I think I received far more than I gave," he spoke from the heart. "I never planned on loving you, Iz, even though I did, and you knew it. Still, I'd never thought we'd end up together. And maybe that was a mistake. Maybe I should have never told you. Maybe then that monster wouldn't have taken you. I swear I never–"
"Don't." This time, Izzi's hand tightened on his. "I told you then, and it still holds true. No one forced me to get involved. It was my decision. I should have known better."
Gib nodded and was silent for a time, trying to decide if he should be there at all. What right did he have to ask for her help?
Again. After all she'd been through.
"He'll know if I get involved in the case with you, again," she whispered. "I don't know how, but somehow he knows."
"Leo and Galen are working the case. I'm supervising. You'd be working with them and the rest of the Unit."
"But not you?"
"You said you'd never work with me again."
"Only because I love you. If I do this, people I care about may die. I don't know if I can live with that. Especially you. I know Diana was your first love, your wife, and the mother of your children, and I'll never be to you what she was, but you were and are my first. And only."
"What about Leo?"
"Leo was a crush. I knew it then. I love him, but was never in love with him."
Gib was silent for a bit, trying to figure out what was the right thing to do. He knew Izzi's skills and had no doubt she could draw out the killer, get his attention, and maybe with all the team working together, they could trip him up, force him to make a mistake.
If so, they could stop him. Once and for all.
"Would it change anything if I promise I'll protect you? I swear, I will. Even if it means 24-7 protection. I won't let him hurt you, Iz."
The next squeeze she gave his hand was gentle. "Don't you get it? It's you who needs protection. He's playing with you. With all of us."
"You think killing innocent women and children is playing?" Gib immediately regretted the anger that was so obvious in his voice.
"I think it is for him. And he won't quit."
"He will if we stop him. Help us do that. Help me."
"Why do you think we can? We failed before. People died. You almost died. Do you think this time is any different?"
"I do. Our team is strong, determined, and smart. You now that. Leo and Galen are the best Agents in the BAU. Fiona is a top-notch profiler, and Tamara and David are both brilliant. The point is, if we work together, we can not only find him, we can stop him. For good.
"Please. I know I have no right to play on your emotion, to ask you to do this because of how you feel about me, about our past, but I need you, Iz. I have to stop this monster, and I can't do it without you."
Izzi pulled something from her pocket, something very familiar. Her worry-stone. Once upon a time, he'd thought it was something she used to calm herself, or perhaps focus her attention. Then he realized it was that, but also more. If she handed it to him after she'd used it, it would be almost too hot to touch, and literally vibrating with energy.
She sat there, staring out over her yard, rubbing her thumb lightly over the worn surface of the stone. Gib wondered if she was ignoring him. Then she turned her head, and for the first time since they sat, she looked at him. Had it been the first time he'd experienced it, he would have been taken aback, but he'd been locked in her gaze before, seen her eyes go white.
"We won't catch him. The time for the final showdown isn't now. This is just another act in the play, one more demonstration that he's smarter than all of you. You're playing his game, and he's not about to let you win."
She blinked, and her eyes were once again normal. At least normal for her. "But I can help you with the Cheerleader killer."
"How do you know about that?"
"I don't, b
ut you do. Can you use my help?"
"Yes, with both, if you're willing."
She nodded. "I'll help you all I can."
"Will you come to Virginia so you can work with the team daily?"
"And live where? In a hotel? You know I don't fare well in hotels."
"You can stay with me."
"Gib, I–"
"I have a guest room. You're welcome to it. Please, Iz."
He wondered if she noticed the way he addressed her since he arrived. Iz. No one called her Iz but him, and he hadn't used that diminutive since the day she walked away from him. She smiled at him, and he sensed a hint of relief in her expression at his offer and an acceptance of him using his own unique version of her name.
"Thank you. I'll consider the housing offer and let you know. But not today. Today, we're going to walk the woods, eat a good home-cooked meal, and you're going to hold me while I sleep, and we'll pretend, just for tonight, there are no monsters to battle."
"Is that what we're about to do?"
"Yes."
Gib smiled, stood, and offered her hand. "It is permissible to hold hands while we take that walk?"
"Absolutely," she placed her hand in his and let him tug her to her feet.
"I've missed you, Iz," he couldn't stop himself from speaking, even knowing that he shouldn't. "I love you, you know."
"And I'll never love anyone the way I love you. Love was never the issue."
Gib remembered the last time she said that. It was right before she told him she couldn't go on, chasing monsters, being saturated in evil and death. She had to get away from it and asked that he leave with her.
He couldn't let go.
Of his position, or the work.
And so, he lost her.
Right now, he wondered if that was the stupidest decision he'd ever made.
Chapter Four
Cabarrus County, North Carolina