by Lesley Davis
Rafe helped clear up their belongings and followed Ashley back down the stairs to her apartment. Once inside, Rafe looked around it with a critical eye.
“This place is just not right for you.” After throwing away the trash, she wandered back to the tiny living room and cocked her head questioningly at Ashley. At her nod of agreement, Rafe flipped over the whiteboard. Her eyes fell on the familiar photos. “I’ve wondered at the significance of this board since the last time I was here.”
“You mean when you came to yell at me?”
“I didn’t come to yell, merely to chase you off my case.” She eyed the photos. “For all the good it did me,” she said. “How many other police investigations have you been in on?”
“None here. You’re my first. But I’ve ‘assisted’ on a few cases here and there. You are, however, the first one I’ve walked up to and told you point-blank that I needed to be brought in.”
“Why?”
“Because you need me and because you’d already been dragged into my world. I knew we could work together.”
“Yet with the other investigations?”
“Strictly professional. I fed them information, they did all the ground work, and I took what I needed from them by glamouring up and walking right on in.”
“And the child porn case?”
Ashley looked surprised. “I forgot you had your computer whiz dig up my files. That one I wasn’t able to keep out of the limelight quite so well. I went in as myself because I had the lead they needed to follow. Huge case, very nasty.”
“Were they demons? The guys you stopped?”
“No, they were the worse scum of humanity instead. The demon was the one using their sordid depravity to line his own pockets by distributing it over the Internet. He was who I was after.”
“But you got him?”
Ashley nodded. “He’s back where he belongs.”
“Do you always get who you want?” Rafe asked, hoping her gulp wasn’t audible as Ashley’s eyes heated and she moved purposely to invade Rafe’s personal space.
“If I’m lucky.” Ashley pushed her way into Rafe’s arms and cuddled into her.
Rafe couldn’t draw Ashley close enough to her. She breathed in deeply of her scent and just held Ashley tight. Soft lips began working their way up her neck, and Rafe tilted her head so Ashley could reach everywhere she wanted. Teeth nipped at her pulse point and her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. Clinging to Ashley so she wouldn’t fall, Rafe struggled to speak. “God, woman, what you do to me. How can someone so small rock me off my feet so fast?” She rubbed her cheek across Ashley’s hair and trembled as Ashley’s hands pushed under her heavy jacket to spread across her back. Rafe pressed fevered kisses along Ashley’s hairline, then dropped her lips to capture Ashley’s in a hot meshing of mouths. She thrilled to the sound of Ashley’s moan as their mouths locked and tongues tangled.
She cradled Ashley’s face between her palms to hold her still to deepen the kiss. Rafe ran her tongue along Ashley’s full lower lip, caught it gently in her teeth, tugged slightly, then ran her tongue back over to soothe. She lowered her hands to tug up Ashley’s shirt, kneading at the taut muscles in Ashley’s stomach. Ashley’s body tumbled into Rafe, almost knocking them over in her need to get closer. Rafe’s back hit something solid. She looked over her shoulder and caught sight of the lifeless stare of one of the dead women posted on the board. Rafe pulled back. “We have to stop.”
Dazed eyes met hers, disbelief clouding Ashley’s face. “Why?”
“Because this is too fast, too soon, and we have a case to solve.”
Ashley pulled out of Rafe’s arms. “Too fast, too soon?” Ashley tugged her shirt back down to cover her bare midriff.
Rafe’s mouth watered at the sight of the belly button shyly peeking over the waistband of Ashley’s jeans before it was hidden. She all but reached for the shirt to expose it again and explore further. Common sense won out, to her own sense of dismay.
“Rafe Douglas, life is too short. Do I need to remind you that in the space of just a few weeks you have almost died twice? The first time I couldn’t stop, but the second time I was right by your side pulling you back from the edge.” She poked Rafe sharply in the chest. “I have it on good authority life is too short and too precious to waste.”
Rafe hugged Ashley to her, trying desperately to wrap herself around her. “I’m no good at any of this. I’m sorry. You make me nervous and exhilarated all at the same time. I can’t decide between getting hot and naked with you or running as far away as I can from you.”
Ashley caressed Rafe’s cheek. “Why run, sweetheart?”
“Because in the few days I’ve known you, I feel like I’ve known you forever. It scares me, and yet, I can’t explain it away.”
“Do you believe in soul mates?”
Rafe’s eyebrow rose a little. “The idea that someone has only half a soul and when they meet their other half they’re finally at peace?” She smiled crookedly at her. “It makes for a nice romantic tale.”
“What if I told you it’s all true?”
Rafe slipped out of Ashley’s arms to stalk off a few steps only to turn around again. “Is there nothing you don’t fucking know about!”
Ashley’s quiet voice broke through Rafe’s agitation. “I don’t know how you feel about me.”
One look at Ashley’s face and Rafe’s heart reached out for her. She took an involuntary step forward as if physically pulled by it. “How can I tell you when I don’t even know myself?”
“But you care for me, right?”
“You’ve been in my house, slept with me and my cat, and I made breakfast. That’s more intimacy than I have shared with most of the women I’ve been with.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets and again caught sight of the board displaying the scenes of crime. “We have a duty to these women to find their killer. Until then, we have to stay focused.”
“I am woman. I can multitask and focus on many things at once.”
“I’m a detective, and I need to concentrate on one thing at a time.”
“So how many dates are we talking, Detective, before you can speak of soul mates without freaking out?”
“I don’t know. Our dates seem to be a little odd in and of themselves.”
“And this is what, our third one already? I’d say things are looking bright for you with me.”
“You deserve better,” Rafe said.
“But, Detective Douglas, you forget, I can see you too. All the way through those strategically placed walls, past the badge, right through to your heart. Because I feel like I’ve known you forever too.”
Rafe reached for Ashley’s hand just as her phone rang loudly in her pocket. She snatched it up quickly, fearing another dead body found. “Douglas here.” She let out a soft breath at the voice on the other end. “No, it’s okay. I’m…” She gave Ashley a look. “I’m not home yet. I’ll phone you when I get back.” Rafe checked her watch. “Give me half an hour or so.” She finished up the call. “I’ve got to go. I have to return a call to Blythe about this case.”
“You could talk to her here. You don’t have to leave.”
Rafe was torn between duty and need. She threw caution to the wind and caught Ashley up in her arms. The kiss she gave her was almost bruising in its ferocity and in her desire. She only pulled back when she could no longer breathe. Ashley was left gasping in her wake.
“Soul mates, eh?” Rafe rubbed her nose against Ashley’s. “Just when I think you can’t surprise me any further.”
“I’ve got to keep you on your toes to keep you interested,” Ashley said before Rafe kissed her again, long and hard.
“Oh, I’m interested.” Rafe dragged herself away from Ashley’s tempting body. “Just for the record again, there was never anything at all between Blythe and me.”
“I know. That’s why I’m letting you go.” Ashley touched her lips with shaking fingers. “For now.”
Rafe pulled the d
oor open, wondering if she was crazy to leave behind what Ashley was so obviously offering her. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“I’ll pop into the office before I go do some of my own work.”
As she stepped over the threshold, Rafe paused in the doorway, hesitating to shut the door behind her. “Why don’t I want to leave?”
“Because your heart recognizes what your head doesn’t yet,” Ashley said.
“Which is?”
“That you belong with me.”
Rafe’s whole being filled with a soothing warmth that was unfamiliar. Peace. Is that what this is? “I’ve never belonged to anyone before. Other than Trinity, and I think she only stays for the food and the scratching post.”
“You should go back to your cat. She’ll be feeling lonesome.” Ashley edged nearer. “Are you going to tell Blythe about any of this?”
“You mean tell her about the demons running rife in my life? Hell no! She’s my friend and I love her, but she doesn’t need to know. I want her to be blissful in her ignorance.”
“Can you keep it from her?”
“I’m going to give it a damn good try. I don’t tell her everything; what’s one more secret?” Rafe made herself take another step away. “I’d better go. I need to ask her about reworking the profile.”
Ashley grabbed Rafe by the lapel of her jacket and tugged her down for a long, lingering kiss. “Go. Be careful driving home.”
Rafe ran her tongue over her lips, relishing the gentle throb the kiss had left behind. “Sure I will, because if the demons in Chicago aren’t trying to kill you, the crazies on the road are.” Rafe left before she found another excuse to stay.
Chapter Nineteen
Alone in her apartment, Ashley took off her jacket and waited for Eli to appear. His sense of timing was always impeccable, so she knew it wouldn’t be long after Rafe had left that he’d show up. Ashley felt cut adrift without Rafe beside her. She missed the warmth that naturally radiated off Rafe, missed her presence and her intelligence. Now that they were getting more intimate, Ashley was loath to let Rafe out of her sight. She touched her lips gently with her fingertips. They still tingled from the forceful kisses they had shared. She smiled and hugged the sensation to her.
“You look happy.”
Ashley spun around to greet Eli. “I had my detective over to share some quality demon-watching time,” she said.
“So I saw.”
“Were you spying on us?”
“No. I was merely doing my job observing humanity.”
“Do you watch everything I do?”
“No. I grant you your privacy when it’s warranted. I’m not a pervert. I know when to draw the veil over my eyes.”
“Are you ever afraid you’ll be tempted?”
“I saw what it did to those I considered brothers. I don’t envy their life and what they have become.” Unexpectedly, he brushed his knuckles across Ashley’s cheek. “But your father helped bring you into this world, and sometimes I envy him for that. You are a marvelous woman.”
Ashley’s eyes welled up. “May you always think so.”
“I have no doubt you’ll continue to surprise me, but you will always be favored.”
“Because you’re my guardian?”
“Because you are the daughter of my beloved brother angel and you are my friend.” He smiled at her, a truly beautiful smile befitting such an angelic soul. He then turned his attention back to the board filled with photos. “Anything new?”
Ashley followed him so they stood side by side, just as they had every single night since the second killing, staring at the stark images pinned on the board. “There’s nothing significant that points to one man or demon. I fear he’s going to have to kill again and hopefully slip up. So far, he’s invincible. He kills at will and no one can stop him.” Ashley stared at a photo and something tugged at her memory. “You know, I’m sure I’ve seen something like this pose before.” She studied it harder, racking her brain for an answer. “I just can’t think where.”
“A statue perhaps? Some kind of sculpture?”
Ashley chewed at her lip, pensive. “I’m not sure, but something about it is nagging at my brain.”
“Maybe it will become clearer as the hours pass.”
“Maybe. But not tonight. I’m going to bed. Alone, might I add.”
“Your detective didn’t want to stay?”
“I think she wanted to stay but wouldn’t let herself.”
“An honorable woman, a rarity these days.”
“Honor is overrated, Eli. Sometimes you just want a warm body to cuddle up with on a night like tonight.” Ashley wanted Rafe like no other woman she’d been with. Not just for the physical release their lovemaking could bring them both, but for the comfort, the tenderness, the sheer need to just be with her. This feeling was soul deep and almost desperate. And I sent her home to talk with another woman instead of keeping her here with me. What’s wrong with that picture, Ashley? She continued to berate herself as she took herself off to bed.
*
Settled in her living room, her lap taken up by her cat, Rafe called Blythe’s number. She answered on the second ring.
“Tell me you weren’t really still at work this late not long after being discharged from the hospital.”
“No, Mom. I was out on a surveillance that saw me just sitting around on my ass. I got fed and everything, so you can quit worrying.” She heard Blythe’s exasperation with her loud and clear through the phone. “Honestly, I’m getting stronger every day.”
“Your hair is too damn short.”
“I had them just shave it all so it was the same length instead of me looking like a complete fashion disaster. It’s growing already.” She brushed her hand over the soft bristles on her scalp.
“You frightened me,” Blythe finally admitted.
“Yeah, well, I frightened myself there for a while. But I’m on the mend, and the guy who did this is well and truly dealt with.” In every way. “So how’s the FBI treating you these days? Are you in charge of the DDU yet?”
“No, and I don’t think I want that responsibility either. I like my job just fine as it is. I spend way too many hours working. I have no time for a social life. Sometimes I barely find a moment or two in the day to breathe.”
“And you love every second.” Rafe knew that feeling well.
“Yeah, I do. I just wish I could do something more about my woefully lacking love life. I really don’t want to strike up a romance with someone in the office, though. If it ends badly, I don’t want to be the one reassigned from a job I love so much.”
“You’ll just have to trust that your heart will lead you on the right path.” She listened to the silence on the other end of the line. “Blythe?”
“Just how badly were you hurt in that fight, Rafe?”
“Enough to shake my perspective on life. I’ve come to realize it’s too short. You need to grab happiness wherever you find it.” Ever the cop, she couldn’t resist adding, “As long as it doesn’t compromise the evidence or interfere with your case.”
“What happened to By the Book Douglas?”
“She’s still here, but sometimes you have to step into the gray areas. I’m treading in some now.”
“Are you okay, Rafe, seriously? Health-wise? And no fudging.”
“I’m fine. I am healing and getting my strength back more every day. And I’m…seeing someone.”
“A woman?”
“Yes, a woman! I do date, you know.”
“Yes, but it’s so rare and I never hear about it until well after the fact.”
“This is still new. Early days if I’m honest.” Literally days. God, it seems like forever.
“She must be special if you’re mentioning her.”
“She’s special, all right.”
“What’s her name?”
“Ashley Scott. She’s a PI assisting on the case.”
“Ashley Scott? Where do I know that name from?
A PI, you say?” Rafe could all but hear Blythe’s brain ticking away. “Not the same Scott involved in the child porn ring we busted?”
“Small world, isn’t it?”
“I remember meeting her briefly. She was more involved with the Internet side of the ring, but I saw her in the department a few times. Small and blond, right? Very pretty.”
“That would be her.”
“And she’s helping you how?”
“She has contacts on the street, some of the great unwashed who don’t want to talk to cops. She’s also checking into the weirder aspect of these killings. She’s investigating an occult angle.”
“I don’t recall any occult references in the profile I gave you.”
Rafe knew her lame excuse for having Ashley involved in the investigation was going to cause more trouble than it was worth. She considered for a brief moment just telling Blythe the truth, to have someone else see how crazy the world had gotten since she’d had her head caved in. To have someone to confide in, worry with, be frightened with. She thought of Ashley and the trust she had placed in Rafe and decided against it. “It’s just another angle. It’s not in my team’s investigation; it’s something she is pursuing on her own.” Rafe fingered the scar on her forehead. “She’s not on my dime, so she can chase after shadows as much as she likes.”
“And you’re dating.”
“Kind of,” Rafe hedged, gasping as Trinity chose that moment to stick her claws through her pants almost in reprimand. “Yes.” She glared down at the cat, who blinked at her, unrepentant. “We’ve seen each other a few times now.”
“But?”
“No, no buts, well, not really. I’m just cautious, and it’s all happening so suddenly. I’m still getting my head around the fact I nearly died in that alley, and now I have this woman in my life and she’s wonderful and funny and makes my head spin worse than the medication does.”
“Oh, Rafe, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”