11. Jasper
ELEVEN
JASPER
"Ooff," I grunt as her sharp elbow slams into my ribs, and has the air stuttering in my chest before she climbs over the pile, almost falling in the process, in a bid to get the fuck away from me.
I can honestly say that's a new one for me.
I've never had a woman run away from my attention before.
I quickly blow a breath into my hand to check my breath, but it seems fine. Maybe Scarlett is just prickly?
There's no way she could still be a virgin at thirty-one, could she? Not likely with the way she oozes sex appeal. I refuse to even acknowledge the possibility that she's not equally as attracted to me as I am to her.
I take in the guy she's introducing herself to and clock the fact that she doesn't offer him her hand to shake.
One look at his dirty hands has me swallowing my grin.
Yeah, there's no way she's risking getting any of that on her.
"Garnier." I incline my head to the shop owner.
I make a mental note to do a full profile on him.
Just because he appears to volunteer information about the crime committed behind his business does not rule him out as Ashmaker.
If anything, it fits the profile. Ashmaker is daring, and we know that he enjoys watching the results of his crime.
What a perfect way to get up close and personal with us.
"You think you might have caught our perp on camera? "
I catalog all his minute movements and micro-facial expressions, and notice that Scarlett is doing the same.
"Zory. Yeah, my cameras aren't great, to be honest. I use them mainly just as a deterrent to keep the kids around here from breaking into the shop and stealing parts.
" He rubs his black streaked fingers across his chin, and Scarlett shudders next to me in disgust. Hilarious.
I'll have to remember to see how she reacts to being covered in cum, when I eventually paint her in mine.
Fuck, and now my cock is throbbing again.
Zory motions to a small, outdated screen on a shelf, where an image of the alleyway is frozen.
The image is so dark and slightly distorted that I'm not holding out much hope that this guy actually caught anything.
He presses something on a remote, and the video begins to play.
At first, I'm not sure what I'm actually seeing, until it becomes clear that it's a person shrouded in dark clothing, moving back and forth to the dumpster, collecting refuse before placing it down on the ground.
Oh shit, he's covering George Weston. I narrow my glance, trying to pick through all the immediate details, and hopefully not missing anything important.
"Fuck." I watch with amazement as they place the garbage around him, ensuring his body is surrounded by it, before lighting George's body on fire by dropping a lit piece of cardboard on his lap, and instantly the body is aflame.
"We'll need a copy of this video," I demand, breaking the silence around us.
Zory instantly nods and moves aside, hopefully to make us a copy.
My phone buzzes incessantly in my pocket, and I pry it out to see Director Shaw's name across the screen. Fuck this asshole. He couldn't walk his lazy ass twenty feet to come talk to me? "Garnier," I bark into the phone, but my attention is still centered on Scarlett, and what has her so fixated.
Shaw yells into the phone, but I'm not even listening.
On the screen, I witness a second shadow moving into the corner to perform the same fire ritual on George Weston that Ashmaker did, ensuring the flames don't recede.
My chest tightens with excitement at this new revelation.
I expect Scarlett to turn around and confirm what I'm seeing, but she's calm and silent.
I can see that she's witnessed the same thing as I have, but instead of reacting positively to the break in the case, she does nothing.
Makes no motion at all, and calmly turns around and moves past me. What the fucking hell was that?
I'm about to call her out, but force myself to halt.
Scarlett has been acting suspiciously for the last couple of murders.
She's been quieter about her thoughts and suspicions.
This right here is a huge break in the case, one that could help us catch not one but two of these assholes.
Ashmaker has an accomplice who is cleaning up after him, and that's why we haven't been able to apprehend him yet.
Why isn't she saying anything? In fact, why isn't she running out of the shop to announce our findings to the director and the team?
"Here you go, Agent Garnier, the copy you wanted," Zory hands me a USB, and I grasp it tightly in my grip, before nodding and following a stoic Scarlett out of the shop, and back into the alleyway.
It's on the tip of my tongue to question her, but I hesitate again.
There's no way she thinks this clue will stay quiet, since anyone reviewing the footage will see it. What is going on in that mind of hers?
"Scarlett?" I question, bringing her to a halt.
Her back straightens, her neck elongated as she turns back to acknowledge me.
Her cold eyes meet mine, and it's as if there is nothing there but a looming darkness.
Her face is calm, passive even, but underneath I sense a roaring storm.
Does she know who Ashmaker's accomplice is?
The form was much larger in stature than Ashmaker's.
Is there a chance that the second person is also killing people, or just helping to hide the crimes?
So many questions swirl through my mind at once, and yet Scarlett remains mute, as if we don't have a crispy body mere feet away from us.
"What did you think of the video?" I challenge, cataloging how her fingers bite into her palm and how her neck cords, the slight veins visible. Something is not right here. Come on, little Vixen, tell me that you saw it too.
She turns, giving me her back, and starts walking back towards the command station, but I see how my question is affecting her.
"It's grainy and dark. It doesn't really give us a good look at Ashmaker.
It does confirm what we already knew about the accelerant.
" Nothing about the second person in the alley.
What the hell is she playing at? There's no way she missed that.
I feel vexation racing through me, as she continues to move away from where Stephens' team is packing up George's remains for transport.
She's going to work that detail alone, trying to get one up on me, and catching these psychos on her own.
I thought we were a team, that we would catch him together, but it looks like Scarlett is only looking out for her own neck.
"Agent Lyssa! Agent Garnier!" A strong male voice shouts above the others, and it catches both mine and Scarlett's attention. "Are you worried that the killer has bested you?! Are you the reason Ashmaker is killing more rapidly?! Should you be fired for your incompetence?!"
Ah, hell no, not after what just happened. I storm forward, and Scarlett's hand darts to grab my arm, but I dodge it, until I'm standing in front of the crowd of reporters with phones and microphones being shoved in my face. "What did you just say?" I demand, my tone filled with fury.
A smirk crosses the prick's pale face, as he pushes his almost white blond hair from his face, his eerily icy blue-gray eyes meeting mine without fear.
"Xavier Poine from the Metropolitan paper.
" He nods with satisfaction as Scarlett moves up next to me, and also directs her attention his way.
"I'm questioning whether one or both of you should be fired, and replaced with more competent agents, for your failure to catch this psycho.
There have been nine bodies, and you seem no further than you were with the first one. "
It's as if the crowd holds its breath, awaiting our reply to his condemnation.
The smug bastard grins, raising an eyebrow in expectation.
My first reaction is to slam my meaty fist into his young, pretty-boy face, but I restrain myself, and notice that Scarlett actually moves her body forward, blocking my path.
She turns and gives me a serious expression, before addressing the asshole herself.
"His escalations have no bearing on our police work, Mr. Poine. We've worked every crime scene correctly, within the bounds of the law, and used all the evidence to not only profile him but to try to catch him." Her voice rings out with authority.
"That's the problem, isn't it, Agent Lyssa?
You're still trying to profile him, still trying to catch him.
You're no closer to actually getting him off the streets and behind bars.
You've failed so far, and that will tarnish your perfect record, won't it?
" Xavier demands, all his attention centered on Scarlett.
Something about his expression, and the way he just stares at her, brings a cold chill down my spine.
I shift forward, blocking his view of my partner.
"That's enough. This is an active investigation, and we have nothing new to add.
" I grab hold of Scarlett's wrist and yank her away towards my car.
It's time my partner and I had a chat. She's going to tell me what's going on with her, or I'm going to take her over my knee and tan her hide.
Either way, it's about to be an enjoyable experience for one of us.
While I'm adding to all the mess in my head, I make a mental note to destroy Xavier Poine's career, and ensure he never works another crime investigation for the rest of his miserable fucking life.
I also don't want him anywhere near Scarlett Lyssa.
That wasn't just professional interest I felt from him, it was something else, and it's triggering the obsessive need to have her for myself. She's mine, asshole! I want to roar.
"Get in the fucking car, Scarlett, we need to chat," I demand before shoving her towards the passenger side of my vehicle.