by J. E. Taylor
Chapter 23
They pulled into the airport and parked in an assigned spot in the VIP lot. Steve glanced at Jennifer in the passenger seat and offered a strained smile. The light humor found earlier in the day had all but evaporated and in its place came angst on both their parts. She had never seen Steve so ambivalent about a course of action he put in effect and it didn’t do anything to settle her nerves.
Without further ado, he stepped out of the car and retrieved the bags from the trunk.
“This is an airport?” CJ asked, looking at the diminutive building.
“Yes. It’s a private airport, so it’s a lot smaller than the public ones like Logan Airport up in Boston.”
“Oh,” CJ said and glanced between Steve and Jennifer.
“I’ve never been on a private plane either,” Jennifer said. All she could envision was a junky little twin prop with duct tape holding the wings together. She tried on a smile but the nervous tick in her cheek gave away her discomfort.
Steve glanced in her direction, picking up her unrest. “Don’t worry, hon, this isn’t a little puddle jumper. It’s a high-end corporate jet. You’ll understand when we board.”
The three of them walked into the terminal and approached the check-in counter. The receptionist smiled and before he could introduce himself, a voice echoed across the empty lounge area.
“Steve!”
Jennifer turned toward the voice in time to see a voluptuous red head crossing the lobby toward them. A smile lit up Steve’s face and shock, along with a vein of jealousy wound through her stomach like a serpent eyeing their quarry.
“Heather, I didn’t know you were coming,” he said and accepted the enthusiastic hug before introducing Jennifer and CJ. “This is my wife Jennifer and a friend of the family, CJ Ryan. Guys, this is Heather Beaumont.”
Jennifer extended her hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said, her voice layered with snark, especially with the complete adoration Heather shined on her husband.
Steve cast a quick glare in her direction.
Ease up. His voice echoed in her head and she swallowed the green-eyed demon, taking a mental step back to study the dynamics.
Steve turned to Heather. “Is Ted gassing up?”
“Yes, I figured you wouldn’t mind me tagging along. It’s been way too long and I didn’t get to go the last time you two went on an adventure.”
Jennifer cocked her head. And when exactly was that?
“New York,” Steve answered her unspoken question. Before Kyle attacked you.
Heat drained from her cheeks at the mention of his name and she gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. Another reminder of what that bastard did to her life, and she closed down, putting another layer of bricks around her heart, retreating farther into her shell.
CJ reached out and took her hand offering her a small smile of support. She looked between their clasped hands and his bright blue eyes. Eyes that could see into her soul. Eyes just like his father’s.
A lump formed in her throat and she inhaled, smiling and blinking back the tears clouding her vision, the sweet gesture suspending her retreat for the moment.
“Should we head out?” Steve asked, shifting the duffel bag on his shoulder.
Heather nodded and they followed her out on the tarmac where the sleek Gulfstream 650 sat.
Steve whistled at the sharp jet and Jennifer’s first impression was one of awe. Her attention pulled away from the pristine plane toward a tall man clad in jeans and donning a Red Sox cap striding in their direction.
“I see you got a new toy,” Steve said sticking his hand out to the man. After a handshake and a pseudo hug, Steve turned toward Jennifer. “Jen, this is Ted Beaumont. Ted, this is Jennifer.”
Ted smiled and stuck his hand out. “Pleasure to finally meet you.” His grip was warm and firm, much like the smile on his lips.
“Same here,” Jennifer said.
“And this is CJ; he’s a friend of the family.”
“Hi, CJ. When we reach cruising altitude, would you like to sit with me in the cockpit?”
CJ’s eyes widened and Jennifer thought they’d just about pop out of his head, pulling a genuine smile from her heart. This man knew how to awe his audience, especially the younger set.
“Can I?” The question was aimed at Steve.
“Of course.”
“Cool!” CJ broke the grip on Jennifer’s hand and vaulted up the steps disappearing into the fuselage.
Steve pulled out his wallet and handed Ted a check. “That should cover it.”
Without a glance, Ted pocketed the money and waved toward the plane. “After you.”
Jennifer climbed the steps, curious to see the inside, but when she stepped through the door, her breath was stolen away. Plush leather seats and shiny granite-like tables graced the interior. “Wow.”
CJ had thrown himself on the couch and lay on his back staring at the ceiling, an awed smile plastered on his lips.
“Told you it wasn’t a puddle jumper,” Steve whispered in her ear and hauled the bags to the holding bay in the back.
“The refrigerator is stocked with both soda and beer if you’d like and I’ve got a few snack type things in the cabinet,” Ted said and closed and locked the outer door.
Heather scooted into the cockpit taking the co-pilot seat.
“Relax and enjoy the ride.” Ted nodded and disappeared into the cockpit.
“CJ, come over here and put on a seatbelt until we’re up in the air.” Steve pointed to a chair in the group of seats where Jennifer sat. Steve took a seat on the opposite side, facing them.
“I could get used to this,” Jennifer said. Her fingers traced the soft leather as the plane taxied onto the runway.
“I told Ted I’d call when we were ready to head back.”
“Really?”
“Yep, especially now that my car is at Brainard,” he said and grinned.
The smile warmed her heart and the heat built in her cheeks. She looked away before he caught the blush, focusing on the diminishing ground as the plane accelerated, climbing higher into the sky.
As soon as they reached cruising speed, Heather came back into the main cabin. “If you’d like to go up in the cockpit, Ted said right now would be a good time.” She smiled at CJ and his seatbelt was off and he disappeared within a blink.
Jennifer watched him go before bringing her gaze to Heather as the woman took the seat next to Steve and gave his knee a pat. The gesture struck her as overly friendly and she cocked her head, sending a questioning glance in his direction.
* * * *
Steve caught the look in Jennifer’s eyes and had to press his lips together against the smirk. Jealousy was written all over her face and he turned to Heather, ignoring Jennifer’s quizzical expression. “So how are the kids?”
Heather dug out a small wallet from her pocket and pulled out the latest Christmas photo, handing it to Steve. “They keep us on our toes.”
“How old are they now?” Steve asked, studying the happy family of four before handing the picture to Jennifer. A twinge of sorrow bit at the edges of his heart, creating a dull ache in his chest. He should have had a family of four right now but the gods had a different plan for him. He swallowed the bitter thought, forcing a smile to his lips for Heather.
“Jeremy is four and Kiley’s two. I’m trying to talk Ted into another one, but you know how he is.”
“You’ve got a beautiful family,” Jennifer said and handed the photo back to Heather.
Steve saw the same melancholy in her eyes that he felt. It caressed his nerve endings, lining the back of his throat with burning tears and he had to look away. The clouds passed like giant cotton balls and after he was sure his eyes wouldn’t betray his thoughts, he turned and met her gaze with a half-hearted smile.
Heather tucked the picture back into her wallet and slipped it in her pocket. “So you’re babysitting for a friend?” She asked, hooking her thumb toward the cockpit.
&
nbsp; “Yeah, you could say that.”
Heather raised an eyebrow and traded a glance with Jennifer before focusing back on Steve. “He’s not part of your latest case, is he?”
Steve grinned and rolled his eyes. “No. If you hadn’t noticed, he’s just a kid.”
Heather shrugged. “Yeah, well, I know you. You’ll do almost anything to crack a case and Ted said you’re working.”
Steve didn’t answer. The comment wasn’t meant as a dig, but it still didn’t settle quite right under his skin. He unhooked his seatbelt. “On that note, I better check up on CJ.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“—Don’t worry about it, Heather. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Steve stood and shuffled toward the cockpit wondering if Jennifer would talk to Heather or just sulk in the chair looking out at the clouds.
* * * *
“I really didn’t mean to offend him,” Heather said.
“Yeah, well, you certainly called it right. He’ll do anything to catch this one.” Her discomfort with the situation resounded in her words and Heather’s head cocked to the side.
“He isn’t thinking about…”
“Using CJ?” Jennifer finished her sentence and shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure whether he really will or not, but CJ has certain gifts that could help with the case.”
“Really?” Heather perked up and Jennifer caught her sense of intrigue.
Jennifer nodded but didn’t elaborate. “So tell me a little about how you and Steve met?” The question brought a flurry of activity in Heather’s mind, feeding Jennifer with details of her assault and Steve’s heroic save.
“He was assigned to a case at Yale. At the time I didn’t know he was with the FBI. I thought he was just another arrogant law student who happened to be roommates with my boyfriend. I’m damn glad he turned out to be a cop and a smart one at that. Steve figured out who was attacking women on campus and caught him before he had a chance to rape me.”
Jennifer nodded, wishing he had been able to figure things out earlier with the Slasher case. If he had, Samantha would still be alive. The thought constricted her throat and unshed tears blurred her vision. She looked away, but not before catching the empathy in Heather’s features and echoed in her thoughts.
The hand that slipped over hers caught her attention and she snapped her gaze back in Heather’s direction.
“It’s okay. I know a little of what happened to you and Steve and I was so sorry to hear about your daughter.”
The tears spilled over and she nodded, pressing her lips together. For her, it had been only a week. A week of being awake and feeling the loss of their child like a dagger through her heart with every breath. Heather’s kindness shattered the wall she’d built up in that short span of time.
* * * *
Steve stiffened, trading a glance with CJ right before the sound of sobbing drifted into the cockpit.
Ted turned, leveling his gaze at Steve. “Everything all right?”
Steve raised an eyebrow. “I think so. She needs to let it out. She’s held it together since she came out of the coma, so this is due.”
CJ made a move to get up and Steve shook his head. “Not now, CJ, let her get it out otherwise, she’ll put the brakes on and the grief will just fester, eating her up from the inside.”
“But…”
“—CJ, leave it,” Steve said, sharper than he intended and CJ’s gaze clouded over and his features hardened. He turned his attention back to the sky before him.
“My wife is real good with things like this. Us guys need to stick together up here and let the women work it out,” Ted said, smoothing over the tension in the cockpit. He sent a ‘cut the shit’ look in Steve’s direction.
Steve got the message, not only did the look penetrate, but Ted’s thoughts echoed the sentiment and he slid into the jump seat behind CJ. “So what has Ted shown you up here?” he asked, refocusing the conversation on something more pleasant than the choking sobs behind him.
“He told me that I could take the controls if you said it was okay.”
“He did?”
CJ turned and smiled. “Yes, he did.”
“Before I let you fly this plane, I want you to repeat what I told you about flying.”
“I need to keep the plane level, using the altitude indicator as a guide.” CJ tapped the correct instrument. “Just like on Wii Sky Crawlers and World War II Aces,” he finished.
“A video game is different…”
“—Actually, it uses the same principals as a flight simulator,” Ted said.
Steve wasn’t sure it was the same, not after his near disaster at the controls of a plane. “I don’t know, Ted.”
“It’s not like he’s trying to land the plane,” Ted said with a smirk. “I wouldn’t let a novice try to land a plane.”
Steve laughed. “Oh, yeah? You learned your lesson back in college?”
CJ looked between the two men and chuckled. “You almost crashed a plane?”
“Yes. Ted was trying to teach me to fly. I did fine up in the air, but landing wasn’t as easy as I thought it was. He had to take the controls before we crashed his father’s twin prop into a hangar.”
“I bet I could do a better job landing than he can,” CJ said, hooking his thumb in Steve’s direction.
Ted laughed. “I’m sure you could but I’m not going to chance a brand new bird to someone your age. I’ll let you take the controls up here for a little while, okay?”
CJ nodded and Ted pointed to the controls. CJ wrapped his small hands around the yoke and took over the job of flying the jet.
“Check it out. I’m flying a plane!”
Steve smiled at the exuberance in the boy’s voice and the wide grin on his face, praying that this high would last because what waited on the ground in Atlanta was darker than he could ever imagine.
Chapter 24
For such a mecca, the Atlanta airport was quiet for nine in the evening. A few dozen people traversed the concourse and fewer people volleyed in the rental car lines.
Jennifer followed Steve to the Ritz Carlton on Peachtree Street. “I’m three and a half blocks north at the Days Inn on Baker Street. The police precinct is on the corner of Bell and Auburn a few blocks southeast from here. There’s a lot to do downtown and a bunch of parks on the outskirts,” he said, carrying both Jennifer and CJ’s suitcase into the hotel. CJ trailed behind, looking around at the downtown lights. The streets weren’t as busy as New York, but there was still a fair amount of traffic.
When they were settled in the hotel suite, Steve turned to CJ. “The man we’re looking for is pretending to be a police officer. He’s got a police dog, a Golden Retriever in training. If you see anyone like that, regardless of where you are, call me.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not talking about calling me on the phone.”
“I know,” CJ said. I got it.
Steve nodded. “All right. Now it’s time for you to get some sleep.” He pointed to the bedroom where he put CJ’s bag.
Steve turned to Jennifer.
“What if something goes wrong?” she asked.
He didn’t react at first. Instead, he walked to the window, shutting her out of his mind as he looked over the city pondering the question. What if…
“Well?”
“Nothing can touch CJ.” He glanced at her reflection. “Nothing.” He turned in her direction. “He’s untouchable, even by me.”
Chapter 25
The girl hadn’t been enough to discourage them from hunting me and now the fucking FBI was involved. That maverick of an agent discovered my secret. How I lure my test subjects, how I coerce them into the dark.
My dumbass brother still doesn’t have a clue, although I can feel him itching at the walls, even now.
With all this focus on me and my dead patients, I needed to change my approach and I needed to send a message.
A giant middle finger to the FBI.
I tru
dged down the dark hall, Alex’s toenail clicks guiding the way to the boy’s cell. The stench of blood and urine filled my nostrils and I ground my teeth until my jaw ached.
With a flick of my wrist, bright lights flooded the room and the boy blinked against the bright light. His sunken eyes painted with fear.
Fear I thrive on.
“Please, please don’t,” the boy sobbed over and over until I wanted to scream.
For a moment I considered cutting out his tongue, but that wouldn’t stop the noise. For that I’d have to cut out his larynx and I raised my eyebrow. I hadn’t tried that surgery yet.
“You’ve lasted longer than any other of my patients and it’s a real pity that this has to end,” I said and reached for the scalpel. I didn’t bother with the book, I knew where the larynx was and I knew the risk of cutting into the throat, especially with the brat thrashing on the table but I couldn’t help myself.
I needed to hear the scream and the silence that followed broken only by wheezing breath.
I needed to see the light fade from his eyes.
I needed to see if he finally found peace.
Chapter 26
Steve reached for the ringing phone sitting on the nightstand. He could hear his boss even before he got the receiver to his ear.
“Where the hell were you yesterday?” Cleary’s angry voice came barreling through the line.
“Road trip. I’m here now.” He sat up. Cleary’s mind was like an immediate info dump. “Where’d they find the body?”
“Centennial Olympic Park,” Cleary snarled. “Get your ass over here now!”
Steve vaulted out of bed. “Give me ten minutes,” he said. The phone slammed on the hook and he was in the shower rinsing off the jet lag and out the door fully dressed in his signature jeans and t-shirt, with his wallet and badge tucked into the back pocket of his jeans.
Sarah leaned against his car and when he stepped out, hand combing his hair in place, she straightened. “What time did you get in?”