17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Byron
T he note awaits Lily on her apartment door when we stop by after work to get her some clean clothes. She tries to stay brave, but there is no denying that the words creep her out. She rushes around her place, drawing shut all her blinds before double-checking the locks on the windows.
"This is good and useful. I'll send it to be printed and checked. Maybe your stalker is in the system. By the way, it's been placed against your door. I doubt the delivery guy touched it, which means we might get some workable prints.
Watching her rush around her home, looking over her shoulder every few minutes, is more challenging than I care to admit, so I gravitate towards her kitchen and take in the cornucopia of hanging plants all over the small place. "Can I water these for you?" I call her, heading to the sink where the cutest watering can covered in painted wildflowers waits to be filled.
"Please! One can full of water in the top basket only, please." She peeks her head into the kitchen, a sweet smile on her face. "It's set up so the water runs through to the bottom pots, the ones on top needing the most." She shrugs, her grin growing sheepish. "You get the idea."
When I've watered all her colorful friends, she's waiting for me with a bag over her shoulder.
"I packed for a few days. I'll ask Mrs. Ross to come water the plants if I'm not back tomorrow to be safe."
It breaks me knowing that she doesn't feel safe in her own home, but I have to admit, having her with me at the hotel isn't going to suck. Even if she's a few rooms over, I hope to convince her to let her room go and stay with me.
She takes my offered hand and lets me lock up before returning to my rental car. The smile from just a few minutes ago is gone again, and her shoulders are tense.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" My question pulls her from her thoughts, and she looks at me for a beat.
"There's a drive-through just around the corner. It's cheap, greasy, and probably going to take a year off of our lives, but it also has the bonus of being convenient and quick?"
We're just approaching the fast food chain when my phone starts ringing. Chief Hinds.
Fuck.
"Chief," I greet my boss as a pimply-faced teen with glasses too big for his face opens the window to take our orders. Holding out my finger to him, asking him to wait, I look at Lily, mouthing the order number I want. Her luscious body brushes past mine as she leans over me to try and whisper our order to the attendant.
Her soft curves instantly wake up every cell in my body, and I cannot control my reaction.
Of course, she's got me sporting wood like some kid.
"Scott. There's been another body dump."
"Fuck," I bite out, frowning at the dash even as I enjoy Lily's body against mine. I must be some kind of sick fuck if not even the thought of a mutilated body can distract me from the beautiful woman in front of me. She completes the order and pulls back, her hand accidentally brushing against my crotch, sending a spark running through my body.
She looks at me at my sharp intake of breath, a question in her eyes. I shake my head in response, trying to keep my attention on the life-and-death conversation with my boss.
"Where? Are they keeping the scene?"
My words cause Lily to stiffen, and I know she's putting two and two together.
"I'll have Giz text you the address. It's fresh. I'm also sending a backup. A second body so soon after the first is an escalation. We were supposed to have at least another week."
He's not wrong. The Cat typically waits two weeks to a month between kills. The cool-down period is attributed to the fact that he has to stalk his victims and obtain enough evidence to be sure of their guilt.
"Okay, fine. Just don't send Jones."
Chief Hinds grunts, chuckles, and hangs up the phone, leaving me to stare at the screen and frown.
He didn't say no.
Dammit. Jones is way too attractive and flirtatious. I don't need him around Lily.
When I look at the woman in question, she's staring down at her phone, sending a text. The kid at the window clears his throat, obviously waiting for me to pay, so I hand him a few bills before moving on to the next window.
"I'm going to have to drop you off at the hotel; there's been another victim," I explain to Lily.
"I know," she responds, holding her phone. "I'm on call."
Oh.
"You need to go too?" How the fuck do I handle this? Will she want to show up with me? Or does she want to get her car?
I'm not a monk, but I've never hooked up or done anything like this with someone close to my work life.
"Yeah," she shrugs. "They told me I can take my time because some asshole FBI agent is making them wait before they can process the scene." That's when I notice the smirk on her face and the laughter she's trying to keep in.
"Oh, he sounds terrible," I quip, and she loses the battle with her laughter when a snort escapes.
"Uh-huh."
"I have a solution to your problem," I say, deciding to take the chance.
"Yeah? Know some kind of anti-asshole tricks that will cure him?"
My surprised laughter fills the car, and I'm rewarded with her stunning smile. Without thinking, I reach across the car and cradle her face, my thumb gently stroking against her scar as I lean over to kiss her.
"If you show up with the asshole, you won't have to wait for him."
She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth with her teeth and looks down at her hands before peeking at me from under her lashes. "You sure you want to do that?"
"Oh beautiful, nothing would make me happier."
My hand still holds onto her face, so I bring it closer to give her another kiss. Before I can deepen it, the window next to us opens again, and another awkward teen leans out and hands me our food.
When I hand the paper bag to Lily, she rubs at the scar where I was stroking it and stares out of her window in deep thought.
"Everything okay, beautiful?"
She smiles at me, an unknown emotion still filling her eyes. "You don't ask," she says inexplicably.
"I don't? About?"
"My scar. The way you act is almost like you really don't see it. And you don't ask how I got it or why I haven't had it fixed."
Her words shoot straight through to my heart. I'm not an idiot. I know how fucked up people can be, but it doesn't make it easier to know that life has been cruel to Lily. This conversation is a good reminder that I have to be extra careful with how I handle her.
"You'll tell me when you're ready. Or you won't, and that will be fine too. It doesn't matter why you have it. All that matters is that you're here with me now. Now, the more important question is. Do you mind eating before walking into a possibly gruesome crime scene?"
My question breaks the tension, and she smiles at me before digging into the paper bag to unearth our food.