When Ciara’s vision cleared, she quickly checked around for the van. No one was in the parking lot. She ran to her car to get the hot agent’s number. Even if she called Sheriff Logan, he wouldn’t believe her. Agent Cooper would believe her. If she called him right now, she would ruin his date with his partner. A smile crept across her face as she reached for his card in the cupholder. She sat in the driver’s seat and pulled the door closed. After locking the doors, she dialed his number.
“Agent Cooper,” he answered on the second ring. His voice instantly soothed her.
“Agent Cooper, I don’t know if you remember me. We meet earlier, I’m -”
“Ciara Carter, I remember.” He spoke her name with a softness she wasn’t used to. “What can I do for you?”
It tugged at her heart that he remembered her name. Quickly, she remembered why she had called him in the first place.
“I’m at AJ’s Bar, out on Pike Drive. I think you should come down here. Another woman has been taken.”
“We’ll be right there. Have you called the sheriff?” His voice changed from moments ago. All seriousness replaced any tenderness.
“No. I got the impression he didn’t want to hear from me anymore.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll give him a call.”
“As long as he doesn’t arrest me.” She heard a door shut in the phone’s background.
“I assure you, as long as I’m around, he won’t arrest you. We’ll be there shortly.”
“Thanks.” She just hoped he got here before the sheriff.
She grabbed the door handle, only to let go and sit back in the seat. Going back inside was her first thought, but she didn’t want to draw a lot of attention when the agents and sheriff showed up. Looking in the rearview mirror, she adjusted it so she could see when someone pulled into the parking lot. To kill time, she studied Agent Cooper’s business card. FPU Division, BB Task Force, HB Specialist. I thought he was FBI. What’s BB Task Force? She flipped his card over in her hands. Maybe there is more to Agent Cooper than she thought.
Chapter Five
“I know it’s late, but you can’t wait for a missing person report. If she’s sure that a woman was taken, I think we should hear her out,” Heath told Sheriff Logan over the phone.
“Look, she did this yesterday and it wasted time better spent looking into the actual investigation.”
“We’ll be at AJ’s in less than ten minutes. You can be there or continue your investigation elsewhere.” Heath hung up, tired of listening to the sheriff. “He can be there or not. I don’t give a shit.”
“What is it about this case that has you on edge?” Heather raised a brow. She pulled to a stop at a red light.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re the one that reminds me to be nice. Not the other way around. I’ve told you twice today. It’s the woman from the station. The Carter woman.” The light turned to green, and she turned back to the front.
“Her name is Ciara.”
“Don’t get involved.” She gave him a warning look. “You don’t know anything about her.”
“It’s fine, Heather. I’m not involved.” Yet.
“Why would she go somewhere she knew the killer had grabbed one woman? You don’t think she’s forcing herself into the investigation?”
“I don’t know why she would go there. We’ll ask her when we get there.”
“She could be involved in this and putting herself into the investigation would be a good way to steer us in the wrong direction.”
“She’s not involved.” Heath put his phone down. “Turn right at the next light.”
“How do you know she’s not? She knows an awful lot about the kidnappings. She could be working with the kidnapper.”
“She’s not involved, Heather.” His voice was stern, a tone he hadn’t used with her in a long time. “She was panicked when she came to the sheriff’s department and pissed that the sheriff didn’t believe her. She’s telling the truth. I can feel it.”
“Ugh, you and your feelings. I know they haven’t been wrong, but one day, they’re going to get you into trouble,” she warned him as she turned the steering wheel.
“The day my feelings mislead me is the day you miss a shot.”
“Oh, that will never happen.” She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “I don’t miss.”
“Alright then, my feelings aren’t wrong.”
“You’re such an asshole.”
“And you’re a bitch.” He smirked.
“That’s Empress Bitch to you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes as she turned into the parking lot of AJ’s Bar.
“I guess we’re gonna have to go in to find your girl,” Heather commented as she pulled into a parking spot.
He didn’t miss her jab about his girl. If she only knew. He wouldn’t mind her being his girl, once the case was over.
“Nope, she found us.” He pointed at Ciara getting out of a green CR-V.
He stepped out of the SUV, never taking his eyes off her. She was dressed in black, complete with knee high boots over her black jeans. The mixed emotions coming from her hit him hard causing him to briefly pause. As she came closer, he analyzed her emotions. Surprisingly, the strongest emotion coming from her, at the moment, was jealousy and not fear. Worry and sadness were twisted together like a thread. His lip curled into a smile when the scent of her lust grew stronger as she sauntered up to him. Her jealousy grew stronger, blocking her lustful feelings as she glanced over at Heather.
“Ms. Carter.” He reached out his hand, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she tucked her scarf and pulled her jacket closer around her. “I don’t believe you’ve met Agent Rockfell.”
“Not officially.” This time she didn’t hesitate to reach out to shake Heather’s hand.
What the hell? Did he have sweaty palms? Instinctively, he wiped his palms on his pants. Ciara’s jealousy seemed to dissipate slightly. She held onto Heather’s hand a little longer than normal. Was she jealous of Heather? The thought had him smiling on the inside, since this wasn’t the time to show his amusement.
“So, tell us what happened,” Heather said, releasing Ciara’s hand.
A car pulled into the parking lot. The bright headlights nearly blinded them as the car pulled up next to them, not even bothering with a parking spot. The car was turned off, giving them a perfect view of the driver. Sheriff Logan opened the door and stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind him.
“Alright, I’m here. What’s going on?” He hitched up his pants as he stepped closer to them.
“We were just about to get some answers,” Heather stated and turned to Ciara.
Ciara didn’t look at the sheriff. Instead, she turned to Heath. He knew her dealings with the sheriff weren’t pleasant. Heath could feel her doubt as the sheriff stared at her. That’s right, focus on me, not him.
“When I was inside earlier, I noticed this couple at a table. She didn’t seem to be having a good time, which is why they caught my attention. She left him at the table and came outside. Probably to leave since he never went to look for her. Anyways, a man in a mask grabbed her before she got to her car. I think he stabbed something into her neck. Then he pushed her into a dark color van and drove off.”
“And you didn’t call 911?” Sheriff Logan narrowed his eyes at Ciara.
“I called Agent Cooper right away.” Ciara didn’t look at the sheriff but at Heath instead.
“That’s when I called you,” Heath told the sheriff as he nodded at Ciara.
“Where were you when this happened?” Heather crossed her arms.
“I was walking out of the bar.”
Heath knew she was lying. He could smell the lie and feel her deception. It may have happened, but she wasn’t telling them the whole truth. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. Why isn’t she telling them everything?
“So, you saw them, and he just drove off. With you right there.” Sheriff
Logan’s disbelief ran strong. Heath had a feeling it didn’t matter what Ciara said, the sheriff wouldn’t believe her.
“I guess he didn’t see me.” Her eyes kept darting over to the sheriff.
“You’re lucky he didn’t, or we’d have two more missing women instead of just one.” Heath tried to ease the tension. “What did the van look like?”
“It was dark, black or maybe blue. It was really hard to tell with the lights so dim.” She pointed up the light pole. “Before you ask, no, I didn’t get a look at the license plate.”
The flickering light was barely bright enough to see in front of your face. How could she have seen all the way across the parking lot with barely any light to see by? Heath glanced over to the bar entrance then back at Ciara. Guilt washed over her other emotions. He needed to get her alone to find out exactly what was going on. Whatever it was, he had a feeling she didn’t want to say in front of the sheriff. The fact that she was his mate made him choose carefully what he said in front of the sheriff.
“Where were they when she was taken?” Heath inspected the parking lot for any sign of a struggle.
“She was at the white car, right there.” She pointed to a white Nissan Maxima two spots down from her vehicle. “The van was right next to it on the left.”
“I’ll check out the car and ID the owner.” Heather pulled her phone from her pocket and headed to the car. No doubt she was calling Gunner for the ID. Gunner may not be out in the field, but he was fast when it came to information.
“Sheriff, why don’t you stay here with Agent Rockfell and process the scene. I’ll walk Ms. Carter inside and find the woman’s date.”
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and strolled over to Heather.
Now that they were alone, the tension in the air disappeared. He evaluated her for a moment before turning toward the bar. He wanted her emotions to calm, so he could know what changes when they talked. Together, they slowly made their way to the bar.
“What’s the FPU Division?” She caught him off guard.
“Federal Paranormal Unit,” he answered honestly.
“Are you a ghostbuster? I can assure you the killer is a person not a ghost.”
Unable to keep it to himself, he laughed out loud. “No, we’re not ghostbusters. We just know there’s more out there than just humans. Things beyond human comprehension. Like your sheriff over there.” He nodded toward Sheriff Logan. “He’s all human and would never believe anything paranormal. Vampires and shifters are not as far-fetched as some believe them to be.”
“So, you know there’s more out there.” She seemed to chew that over for a second. “I didn’t actually see the abduction.”
“I didn’t think you did.” He was glad she was opening up to him and telling him the truth. “Then how do you know about the abduction?”
“I have a gift, kind of. Sometimes it’s a curse. It’s called retrocognition. It means I can see the past by touching objects. The woman left the bar almost an hour before I did. When I came outside, I didn’t see anyone. It wasn’t until I tripped and fell into her car that the vision of her kidnapping started. I saw it as if it was in real time. For a minute or two, I was her. I saw what she saw, felt what she felt.”
“You’re a seer?” It made more sense as to how she knew the details of the kidnappings.
“I can see the past, mostly. Sometimes I get premonitions of the future. Rarely, do I get present events, but it does happen.” She shrugged as he opened the door to the bar. “I have to be touching something relevant. Like at the grocery store. I grabbed the shopping cart the woman was using. This time, it was the woman’s car.”
“Which is why Sheriff Logan doesn’t believe you.” The pieces were starting to fall into place.
“Yeah, and I can’t exactly tell him the truth. He’ll have me involuntarily committed.”
“Well, I’m here now, and I believe you.”
“Good, then I need to tell you. The woman tonight had powers of her own.”
“What kind of powers?” They made their way in the bar, so she could scan the crowd for the mystery woman’s date.
“She was able to move things with her hands. When the man came up behind her and grabbed her, she kicked against the car. When he was pulling her around the van, she waved her hand and the trash can moved across the parking lot.”
“I didn’t see a trash can.” He peered out the window to see if he could spot it, but it was too dark.
“It’s in the shadows just off the pavement.” She explained and gazed out at the crowd. “The man in the grey shirt with black hair at the corner table.”
“Got it. Go outside with Agent Rockfell and the sheriff. I’ll be out shortly.” With a nod, she started easing away from him. As she turned away, he reached out his hand, lightly taking her wrist. “Thank you for your help.”
“These women deserve help and justice.” She turned and walked away.
He watched as his mate walked away once more. Was all he’s going to see was her walking away? He waited until she got within sight of Heather before turning his attention to the man across the room. As he crossed the dance floor, the crowd started parting. There was no fear coming from the man he zeroed in on, even as he watched Heath closed in the distance. Heath flashed his badge to the man.
“Sir, I need to talk to you about your date earlier,” Heath told him, expecting the man to be shocked or confused. Instead, he felt embarrassment.
“Ladies, I assure you. I am a single man.” He raised his hands. “Yet, seeing how this is a man of the law, please excuse me while I help in any way I can.”
Heath led the man to a quieter spot by the door. This way, he was able to talk to him and keep an eye on what was happening outside.
“What’s your name?” Heath asked as he pulled out a small notebook from his jacket pocket.
“Aiden Strider,” he answered and held out his hand. “How can I help you?”
“I wanted to know about the woman you were in here with earlier, wearing a red dress.” He tried to jog Aiden’s drunken mind.
“Oh, that was Nevada. She was smoking hot, but she was a snob.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “She won’t be getting a second date from me.”
“That bad?”
“She didn’t laugh at any of my jokes. Get this, she walked out, leaving me with the bill. She only drank top shelf. I should have you look into that. Maybe get me some of my money back.”
“Does Nevada have a last name?”
“Yeah, Nickson.” He stopped a passing waitress to get her attention. “Can I get another beer?”
“Do you happen to know what she drives? Did you ride here together?”
“Nah, she met me up here. I believe it was a white car, don’t know what kind. There were other hotties in here and my mind was distracted.”
“Did you see anybody watching her?”
“I didn’t notice if they did. What’s this about?”
“She hasn’t made it home yet. We’re trying to find out where she is.” Heath didn’t want to say too much.
“Maybe she went over to The Rusty Spur. She hasn’t been gone that long.” Aiden swayed.
“You’re right,” Heath didn’t want wild rumors spreading and panic to ensue. “We’ll check over there. Thank you for your time.”
“No problem.” He wasted no time as he headed back to the table he vacated. His arms went up into the air as if he was about to make a big presentation. “Ladies, I’m all yours.”
Heath shook his head and headed for the door. No wonder his date left. Too bad he wasn’t man enough to walk her out. He may have been able to prevent her abduction. Crime scene techs had arrived. Their white van parked where the sheriff’s car was when he walked inside. Ciara’s CR-V was still in its spot, however, he didn’t see her anywhere.
“The victim is Nevada Nickson,” he told Heather as he walked up beside her.
“Yeah, Gunner sent the information on the owner of the Maxima. Ciara confirmed it was he
r.” She led him over to the driver side of the white car. “There’s a dent in the car like it was kicked by our victim. You can see the imprint from her heel.”
“She put up a fight.” Heath peered up the light poles for cameras.
“There’s not much to go on. Gunner’s pulling any nearby video feeds.”
“Where’s Ciara?” Heath observed the scene looking for any possible evidence.
“Sheriff took her back to the station.”
“For a statement?” He didn’t like Ciara being alone with the sheriff. It seemed like he was on a witch hunt and had her in his sights.
“I was under the impression that it was for interrogation.” Heather shrugged and walked into the empty parking spot where the suspect’s van had been parked. “It gets him out of our hair.”
“Damn it, Heather. Why did you let him take her?”
“Because this is still his town. He can question whoever he wants. Besides, I can’t concentrate with him bitching and moaning. We’re just about done here. A tow truck is going to take the car to process for evidence. Then you can go intervene in his interrogation.”
“You damn right I will. He has it out for her, and she doesn’t deserve it.”
He surveyed the payment, hoping to find the syringe Ciara mentioned. The trash can lay on its side by a bush on the edge of the pavement, just where Ciara said it would be.
“Have the techs process the trash can. They hit up against it, maybe there’s hair or fibers.” As he turned back toward their vehicle, something shiny caught his attention. “Look at this,” he crouched down by the rear tire of the car next to the empty spot. A bracelet laid behind the tire, but it hadn’t been run over. “The tires haven’t crunched over it. I think this may have fallen during the struggle.”
“Hey, Blondie,” Heather called to one of the techs. “Flag, tag, and bag this.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The young man nodded and pulled a number cone from his bag.
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