“I could see that, Joshua. I have two eyes in my head,” she shot back. “And we’ve got a killer on the loose here on the base.”
“Well, it’s not like we didn’t know that already,” Had said, jogging up next to her.
Agent Cooper shot the young cop a look, and he raised his arms in defense. “Hey. I’m just saying.”
“When we didn’t find him the first time around, I’d thought he’d just cleared out of here completely,” Coop said. “But clearly that wasn’t the case.”
She watched as Agent Shively gathered his team around him, murmuring directions to each of them. Moments later they fanned out, each of the five team members taking a slightly different direction.
“Spiral search,” Shively barked out. “I want him found.”
“We need to get in touch with Klingler, see if we can get additional men out here,” Coop added, moving in to speak with the CID agent.
“Thank you, Agent Cooper, but I think we’ve got the matter well in hand.”
“Well in hand?” Reggie burst out, not able to hold in her irritation at the man’s attitude. “We just got shot at!”
“Which is why its vital that we start the search immediately,” he replied, his distaste clear in his tone.
Reggie watched as Agent Cooper took a deep breath. That was something that Reggie found impressive about their team leader. No matter how aggressive or even downright offensive someone else got with her, Coop managed to keep her anger in check. Granted, sometimes that façade would show some cracks, but the BAU agent’s ability to stay under control was a skill that Reggie envied.
“I think it’s possible to do both at once,” Coop responded after a moment, in a tone of voice that seemed to be calibrated not to reach the other CID agents. “Will you please give Agent Klingler a call?”
“He left me in charge of--”
A voice broke through the conversation. “No need, Agent Cooper. I’m here.”
And Agent Klingler walked into the middle of the clearing.
* * *
Joshua surged up from where he was holding Bella. There was nothing he wanted to do more than to keep comforting her, but to be honest, that was more for Joshua’s peace of mind than hers at this point.
And there was something else that needed to be addressed. Right now.
“Check his hands for gunshot residue,” he called out to Bailey.
Shock registered in the woman’s face as it dawned on her what he was saying. “I… It couldn’t be Agent Klingler who…”
But the CID agent stepped forward, holding out his hands. “You have what you need to make the test?”
“You…? You’re okay with me doing that?” she asked, tone high and tense.
The agent shrugged. “If it makes your team comfortable. You all were fired on. I wasn’t here. I would suspect me, too.”
Bailey shook her head, pulling out her kit. She glanced over at Joshua as she pulled out the cotton swabs and the chemicals for the test.
“As long as you’re okay with it.”
“Perfectly.” The agent held out both of his hands, preempting Joshua’s next accusation… that the agent had used his opposite hand.
Did it mean that Klingler was really being that accommodating? Or was it that he was guilty and didn’t want to appear that way?
Bailey dropped a bit of the chemical on the two swabs she had made, one of each hand. The first chemical showed no reaction. She glanced at Coop, who urged her to go ahead with the second.
Nothing.
“All right, if that’s taken care of, would it be all right with you all if can we get back to trying to catch the son of a bitch?” Agent Shively questioned, his tone overly polite, sarcasm bleeding out of every syllable.
Bailey gave him an odd look back, and Shively shrugged, turning away. The crime scene investigator pursed her lips, staring at the man’s back.
“Give it a rest, Shively,” Klingler, murmured to the man before he stalked off.
He got close enough to his irritated second-in-command that it was clear that he was at least trying to keep the conversation private. But the sour-faced agent pulled away without a response.
Klingler sighed. “We’re all just trying to do our jobs here.”
Shively glared around at the group and then stalked off after the rest of his team that was now out in the forest trying to find the shooter. Klingler turned back to face Coop after watching the man leave.
“You’ll have to forgive him,” he said, a wry grin on his face. “He gets territorial about things like this.”
“Kind of a tough way to be, considering the fact that you guys are like us,” Reggie interjected. Klingler gave her a look, cocking an eyebrow at her in an apparent question. She continued. “You know, with no jurisdiction.”
The agent shrugged. “I think this one’s worse. We don’t have any real leads on this at all. Makes us all feel a little defensive.”
This whole conversation was making Joshua see red. He had gone back to Bella and was trying to look at her wound. She would let him lift her leg, but the second he tried to probe the place where the bullet had grazed, to get a sense of just how bad it was, Bella would squirm and snatch her limb back.
And with each failed attempt, he could feel the rage building inside of him. It was like a ravenous beast, feeding off every tiny thing Agent Klingler did, blowing up small mistakes into enormous failures.
“You should feel defensive,” Joshua heard himself say. “It was on your watch that this attack happened.”
Klingler stiffened up for a moment, but then it appeared that he forced himself to relax. “Mr. Wright?” he asked, his tone making it clear that he was looking for confirmation that his information was correct.
Joshua gave him a curt nod.
“I see,” he said, his face shifting into some unknown expression. It seemed almost as if the man thought he’d figured out something important. He gazed down at the dog.
“Have you all checked into your hotel yet?” he asked. Joshua perked up at the seeming non-sequitur.
“Not yet,” Coop answered.
“Maybe now would be a good time to do it. Get the dog to a vet. Make sure everyone’s settled in.” He pointed to the surrounding woods. “It’s going to take us a while to finish the search. We’ll call you if we find anything.”
Agent Cooper seemed to be about to protest, but then her eyes fell on Joshua and Bella, and she appeared to cut herself off. “Actually, that might be a good idea.”
“Good idea?” Joshua cut in, getting up once more and placing himself between the two individuals from the two different agencies. “I’m not going to sit around while the man who shot Bella is somewhere out there.”
There was a moment’s pause, in which Coop turned to face him. “It’s for the best, Joshua. Give everyone a chance to cool off a bit. Besides, we really need to get Bella in to the vet. Make sure that gash doesn’t get infected.”
She seemed to be trying to communicate something else to him at the same time, but Joshua was in no mood to play guessing games. The fact was, she was right about Bella. Joshua was just livid about her getting hurt.
And possibly was looking for a scapegoat.
The apology that he should make, that he wanted to make, stuck in his craw. Instead of saying anything to Agent Klingler, he went back to kneel down by Bella. He’d need to carry her back to the taxi, just to make sure she didn’t injure her leg any further.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Agent Cooper whisper something to Klingler. Probably something to calm the guy down. Let him know that it wasn’t really his fault. That it was just Joshua’s alky rage getting the better of him.
Thing was, Joshua knew the accusation was true.
That didn’t make it any better.
CHAPTER 5
The ride to the vet and then to the hotel was a tad surreal, Had forced himself to admit. Riding in a taxi with the windows shot out was going to be strange at the best of time
s. But taking that trip when everyone was pissed off at each other took it that one step beyond awkward and into the realm of painful.
Bailey had left their team back at the base, saying that she needed to get some paperwork taken care of. Had was excited to have another member of their team. Maybe it would alleviate some of the tension.
The mood seemed to affect Phoenix, who had been so vibrant and pleasant throughout their day together, and now just seemed subdued. She’d made a call to her boss at the taxicab company she worked for, and he hadn’t been too thrilled about the damage that had been inflicted on his car. The entire team had heard him bawling her out, the words clear even through her cell phone. Coop had spoken with the man, but it wasn’t clear how well that had gone.
So now they were all riding in near silence, listening to the wind rip through the interior of the cab. No Sinatra blaring from the speakers.
Even Bella was not her normal happy self, but sat across everyone’s laps, whining and trying to find someone to lick. Her head was enclosed in one of those cones that were supposed to keep her from picking at her wound, but it seemed like here in the cab with no windows, it just amplified every whistle the moving air would make. The bandage on Bella’s leg rasped against Had’s jeans, making an odd noise.
Maybe now wasn’t the time to bring up Mama’s trip.
But then again, if Had didn’t do it now, it was possible the entire team was in for a shock. He had tried not to tell Mama where the hotel was, but that had lasted all of fifteen seconds.
If there was one thing Had knew from his years of experience with his mother, she had her ways of getting information. It could be black magic. No one really knew. But anyone who had met the woman learned quickly not to underestimate her. Ever.
Besides, maybe they’d be happy about it. She was bringing her best barbeque, after all. That was something, wasn’t it?
Had looked around the cab, seeing all the long faces mostly staring at the ground. Except for Reggie. She was going back and forth between Coop and Joshua, her face pinched with worry. Yeah, this announcement was not going to go well at all.
Time to just suck it up and be a man.
“Guys,” he began. “There’s something I wanted to tell you…”
All eyes turned to him. None of them seemed happy about the interruption. In fact, Had might go so far as to say that they were downright hostile.
Meh. Being a man was overrated, anyway.
“Er… it was great working with you today.”
There was a long pause, then everyone went back to their previous activity… mutely staring at the ground or at each other without a word spoken. It was as if the words had never been spoken at all.
So, that hadn’t gone as well as he would have liked. Maybe he should just let things play out the way they were going to. Pretend he had no idea that Mama was in town or that she might show up with a full picnic basket.
What was the worst that could happen?
They pulled up to the front of the Hampton. There were several places that they could have stayed in that were inside of Fort Jackson, but Agent Cooper had insisted that they head out of the base when they were bedding down for the night.
It wasn’t a bad idea. Getting a little bit of distance, at least overnight, gave them the ability to see things fresh as they came back the next day. The environment at the base could get a bit… regimented at times.
Before sending Phoenix off, Agent Cooper made sure she had all the information she needed to get the BAU to pay for the repairs to her cab. The pink-haired woman seemed to brighten just a bit at that, so at least there was one of them that wasn’t acting like death had come to pay her a visit.
They entered into the lobby, checking in to their respective rooms. All the while, Had was looking around every corner, peering into every darkened space. Mama was here. He just knew it. There was no scenario that he could envision where she knew about their location, but somehow decided not to show up.
The receptionist gave him a smile as he told her his name and put down a credit card for her to swipe for incidentals. Had smiled back. The woman was cute, with a dimple that showed up when she grinned. As she prepared the envelope for his keys, she gave him a little wink.
Well, that was something to brighten up his day. The receptionist at the hotel was flirting with him. That had never happened to Had before.
Had picked up his key cards and headed up to his room, once more on the alert for the presence of his mama. But the farther he went, the more it seemed clear that maybe she hadn’t made her way here. Yet.
Because one thing was clear. She would show up at some point. And as far as Had could see, there was no point at which her arrival was going to be a good thing. Not with this group. Not at this point in this case.
He slid his key card into the reader, watching the light turn from red to green. There was the snick of the lock disengaging, and then he stepped into the cool wash of air conditioning that swirled about in his room. There was nothing better than that feel, especially after a long, hot day in the South Carolina heat and humidity.
He flopped down on one of the soft beds for which the Hampton was known, feeling the stress of the day start to bleed away. He hovered there on the edge of consciousness, knowing that he should get up and unpack. Maybe shower and get ready for bed. But right now, lying here felt so good, he just didn’t want to move.
Then, out of the darkness, came a knock.
Had sprang upright. The sound had been odd. What was it about that knock that had been so strange? It wasn’t like Coop or Reggie, or even Joshua on occasion, wouldn’t come to his room and want to talk through the events of the day. Or sometimes just hang out, go to the pool, grab a bite to eat.
And then the knock resonated through the room again, and Had realized what was so weird about it. The rapping wasn’t coming from the front door of his room. It was coming from the doorway to the adjoining hotel room.
He moved over to the door, turning the deadbolt lock that kept the two rooms separate. Before he even had a chance to open it, the door burst open and there in the framing of the passageway between the rooms was a familiar figure.
“Baby! I got us rooms next door to each other!”
Well, at least Had now knew where his mama was.
* * *
Reggie wasn’t ready to call it a night.
It had been a rough day out there today, with a lot of physical and emotional stressors, and lying in her hotel room watching television didn’t seem like a fun idea. But going for a swim or soaking in the hot tub meant changing into a swimsuit, and she couldn’t for the life of her remember if she’d packed one.
So, instead, she was sitting at the bar of the restaurant, nursing a drink. She wasn’t even sure what she had ordered. There was a vague taste of lime. Mojito? Margarita? She glanced at the drink in her hand. Whiskey tumbler. Must be a mojito. Oh yeah, there was the hint of mint on her tongue as well. Duh.
Man, she was out of it.
In addition to the fact that today had been a complete wringer, there was something else that had been weighing on her mind. Well, someone else.
He was wrong for her on every level. She knew it. Hell, he probably knew it too. And it’s not like there’d been anything more than flirting between them.
But Reggie knew him well enough to know that any level of flirtation from the man was tantamount to a proposal. He had been mourning his wife and children for the past decade and a half, and Reggie was pretty sure that she was the first woman he’d really paid attention to since then.
Plus, there was the age difference. It wasn’t like Reggie had never gone out with older guys. But she’d discovered along the way that they seemed to bring out the worst in her. They always ended up being emotionally stunted in some way or another. And then she’d end up trying to fix them while at the same time wanting them to make her feel safe. It was a recipe for heartbreak.
“Reggie?”
It was Coop. The BAU a
gent looked about as beat as Reggie felt.
“You, too?” she asked her team leader, and motioned to the barstool next to her. “Take a load off. Grab a drink. Try to forget that there was someone trying to kill us today. Twice.”
Coop ordered a Scotch, neat. Which was a bit of a surprise to Reggie, as she wasn’t sure she’d seen Agent Cooper drink anything ever. She’d figured her boss for a white wine kind of person.
There was something about her order that was kind of… what? Sexy, in a way. The directness and potency of the drink was something that was only appreciated by a few. And while Reggie herself was usually a mixed drinks kind of girl, she could appreciate a good whiskey when it presented itself.
It did also give her a twinge. That was also Joshua’s favorite drink, and there was nothing at all sexy about his drinking problem.
Coop sank into the barstool next to her and sighed. It was a long, weary exhalation of breath that seemed to have the weight of the entire world in it.
“Are you okay, Coop?” Reggie asked.
The agent grimaced. “Mmmm.” There was a pause, then Coop made eye contact. “Reg? Can you do something for me, just for tonight?”
“Sure. What do you need?”
There was another pause, and the agent seemed to swallow before speaking, her tone tentative. Reggie couldn’t remember seeing her like this before.
“Can you call me Sariah?” she asked. “I need to take off my badge for a while, and Coop sounds like one small step away from official.” Her words were delivered with a wry grin that took any reprimand out of them, but Reggie could see that it was important to her.
“Of course,” she answered, and then said her name. “Sariah.”
Reggie rolled the name around on her tongue. It felt good there. It was a feminine name, but one that held power in it. Like Coop’s… no, Sariah’s… chosen drink, it seemed to epitomize a side of the woman that Reggie had only glimpsed in the past.
It was a side that she was very much enjoying.
Sariah’s half-grin turned into a genuine smile. “It’s nice hearing you say my name. I don’t get to hear it all that often.” She held up her hand, as if she were fending off what Reggie might say next. “I love being an agent, don’t get me wrong. It just gets a little…” Her voice trailed off, and she scooped up the scotch the bartender had placed in front of her, taking a sip of the amber fluid.
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