Criminal Minds (Fox Meridian Book 4) (7 page)

‘Who were they selling to?’ Terri asked.

‘Anyone who wanted the kit. Mostly through the black market to companies who’d never be able to afford the stuff otherwise, but we know they sold a couple of gene sequencers to an eco-terror group, Green Dawn, and they shipped something, we’re still not sure what, into the South African Federation. Mostly they were stealing stuff that hadn’t gone online, or had been decommissioned, but they got greedy and took some genemodding gadget out of a lab that was in use.’

‘Stupid.’

‘Big payout, or so they thought. We tracked it. German cops are nailing both ends of the transaction and raiding various other addresses.’

‘Your first corporate investigation,’ Fox said. ‘A complete success.’

‘Not complete. We never did track that African deal down, but the liaison with the German authorities worked well and we nailed the entire ring. I put some recommendations in the report to try to limit this kind of thing in the future.’

‘Ryan kind of things?’

‘Ryan’s and MarTech’s recruitment department. Some of these guys should have been spotted before they got near one of our buildings.’

‘I’ll see to that personally,’ Terri said, ‘right after our lunch meeting.’

Dillan blinked. ‘We have a lunch meeting?’

‘Uh-huh. My room, thirty minutes. With dessert. I made sure there was whipped cream.’

‘Terri, are you trying to corrupt my staff?’ Fox asked.

‘Well, I failed on you and I have a reputation to uphold.’

‘No you don’t.’

‘I’d like to have a reputation to uphold?’

‘Just don’t break her or I’ll make you buy me a new one.’

Terri inscribed a cross over her chest. ‘Promise.’ Then she spoiled it by adding, ‘Well, maybe just a little bit.’

~~~

Yoga was not something Marie had ever tried before, but she was doing okay and even considering trying to keep it up after her week was done. She was naturally flexible so the bending was pretty easy: so far the instructor had not asked her to do anything which stressed her too much. The hard bit was the balancing. Standing forward bends, all the pigeon poses, even the one where she was bent over with her chest on the floor in box splits… no problem. Tree stance with one leg tucked up against her hip had her wobbling. She could get herself into position, but maintaining it was not so easy.

Her mind was not helping. She kept flicking back to the morning class with Sam. Maybe
because
it had been Sam she was working with, she had found it easy to shut out everyone else in the room and focus on what she was being told and getting on with performing. She had been seeing Sam for weeks, but that hour in class had been one of the most erotic experiences she could recall having with him. The comment about not being able to stop had been a joke, but it had been close to the truth. She thought Sam had felt the same and it worried her a little.

The truth was that she had not been putting the effort into their relationship Sam deserved. He was good in bed. He was
incredible
in bed. And outside of it he was smooth, sophisticated, a gentleman with a wild, roguish quality when there was the need for it. He did not push and he seemed quite happy with how things were, but Marie was sure she could do better. And that class had really shown her that she could
and should
be putting more effort in. If nothing else, she was sure that if she did, the result would be incredible for both of them.

The thought had occurred to her that she had been more active with Fox. That had worried her more for a little while, but she had concluded that it was a combination of novelty, since Fox had been her first female partner, and Sam’s training. There was a great temptation with Sam to just let him work your body like the virtuoso he was. He was just so
good
at it. But that time was done. It was time, Marie thought, to show her man what
she
could do.

‘Breathing, Marie,’ the instructor said in a patient tone. ‘Focus on your breathing.’

‘Yes, Sister,’ Marie replied and, because her mind was settled with the decision, she did.

~~~

Fox’s shower was a walk-in design: open doorways on either side of the large hot tub bath let you into a space where you could be deluged with water and then dried with air blowers. There were frosted-glass screens which let you look out onto the room, but Fox felt secure in the house and rarely looked out. When she stepped out of the shower and found Jason leaning against the wall, one of her eyebrows went up.

‘You didn’t think to mention he was here?’ Fox asked silently.

‘He asked me to let him surprise you and he is not carrying a sidearm, according to Belle.’

‘You’re not armed?’ Fox asked aloud.

‘I need a gun to visit here?’

‘No, I just… I guess I’m used to cops and you’re more of… a special cop.’ She glanced back at the screens. ‘Good view?’

‘It was somewhat obscured, but you know that hints are often sexier than the full view.’

Fox smiled and walked past him to the door. ‘Yeah, I’d heard that. How’s the full view?’

‘Sometimes the hints do not do it justice.’ He followed behind her as she walked and so was right at her back when she stopped, hands on the doorframe. He rested his hands on her hips and she felt her breathing quicken. She heard him chuckle. ‘Here or the bedroom?’ he said.

Fox felt her heart drop into her guts. Ice filled her veins and a thousand tiny claws pricked her scalp. Her throat dried up and she knew she stiffened because he said, ‘Fox?’ and there was concern in his voice. She pulled away from him, backed up against the far wall of the corridor, and held up her hands to keep him back.

‘Just… Just give me a minute. Give me… a minute, just a minute.’

‘Fox, what’s wrong? Did I say something–’

‘It’s not you,’ she said quickly. ‘Give me a minute.’

He nodded and backed into the bathroom. Fox kept a robe hanging on the door and he took it, holding it out at arm’s length for her. His face was neutral. She knew he was doing his best to keep it that way: she could see the strain, what it was costing him to give her room, to keep what she suspected might be pity but knew was concern off his face. She pulled on the robe. It was short and she wished it was longer, and at the same time did not. Jason had done nothing wrong, would not do anything wrong, and she was safe with him. She was safe…

‘C-could you go downstairs? Sam has whiskey a-and I could use one. I’ll be in the lounge.’

Jason nodded once and turned for the back of the house where the stairs were. When he returned holding a bottle and two glasses, Fox was curled up on the sofa, holding a cushion in her lap like a life preserver.

‘Sit beside me,’ Fox said. Her voice was calm now, but she waited until he had taken a seat, poured her a glass of whiskey, which she downed immediately, and then poured another before she went on. ‘There was a man. Josh Sandoval.’

‘The cop you shot in self-defence. There were reports and I read them.’

Fox nodded. ‘I’d expect you to check up on me. What’s not in the report is that he was NIX and we had sex a couple of times. We were up at a resort on that UA case. Wolfeboro, high-end place. MarTech has a suite there for corporate retreats and such. Terri said we could use it since we were late finishing up there. Sandoval cooked and then… It just happened. I was hot. I went for a swim, naked, and he was watching me when I got out. I wanted him to…’ She shook her head. ‘It just wasn’t like me. It was wild. Insane. We went at it like… like dogs. I figured it was just stress relief. The case was tough, people were dying, there was nothing I could do until the morning…’

She flicked a glance at him and saw something, some sort of recognition. Jason thought he knew where the story was going, but he was letting her tell it. ‘I figured it was a one-off, but then he came to my apartment one evening. I cooked and then… I threw myself at him. I wanted him so bad it almost hurt. When I woke up, I was hyper, distracted, couldn’t remember exactly what had happened. Kit didn’t think it was right and she took the wine glasses, got them sent to Jackson for analysis.’

‘There is a drug which leaked onto the streets a few years back. They call it Cupie.’

‘Jackson explained. A dopamine agonist combined with a CB-one agonist. It hypes the libido, and inhibits inhibitions, critical thinking, and long-term memory function. Side effects include increased body temperature. He doped the food the first time. We were both on it. He knew he was going to kill me after the second dose and he wanted me suffering the after effects, so he dosed my wine. Hyperactivity, mood swings, memory loss… Everything you don’t need in a gun fight. Jackson was able to counter them.’

‘And you shot him when he came for you.’

‘I did.’ She paused. ‘The first time, when he came to me after the swim. I stopped in the doorway and he came up behind me. He said… He said…’

‘Here or in the bedroom?’

‘A-and I got down on my… my knees…’ Fox could feel herself folding again and pulled in a deep breath to steady herself.

‘I am so sorry, Fox.’

She reached out, cupping his cheek. ‘
You
have nothing to apologise for. And he paid with his life for r- For what he did. You couldn’t have known. It’s not your fault.’

Jason gave a slow nod. ‘I can leave or stay. If you’d prefer to be alone, I’d understand.’

‘No, I want you to stay. I want to have another drink and I want you to make love to me. Make love. It’s something Sandoval never did.’

20
^th
August.

Walking was a little difficult. Nothing too bad, but Marie was still feeling a little uncomfortable when she was summoned to Sister Naomi’s rooms. Naomi presumably knew the class schedule and smiled when Marie walked in.

‘The discomfort passes quickly enough and you do get used to it, should you wish to entertain in that manner in the future,’ Naomi said.

‘I can’t imagine why anyone would, though I hear some men like it.’

‘Men imagine women do. Some actually do, but it’s like any other form of sexual activity: it depends upon your tastes. Sit, the chairs are quite comfortable.’

Marie took a seat, thankful of the padding.

‘So, your time here is almost over,’ Naomi said.

‘I guess. I’m staying tonight, right?’

‘Your choice. We’ll be happy to have you. I’ve asked your instructors and they were all pleased with you.’

‘Well, I was trying to “live the role,” I guess. There was no point in being here if I didn’t get a feel for what it’s like to
be
a Sister.’

‘And do you think you have?’

Marie nodded. ‘There’s the classes and the sex, of course, which is what most people think is what happens here. But there’s the sense of duty to the profession, and the friendship everyone seems to have. It’s serious and fun at the same time. I talked to a few of the licensed Sisters, about the job. Sister Demeter arranged for me to sit in the control room and watch some of the brothel feeds. It’s not always glamorous and it’s not always wonderful sex. I knew that from Sam before I came here, but I know more now. I know some of them only get through the day-to-day because they have their friends to help them through it. I can’t imagine what it was like before legalisation.’

‘I can,’ Naomi said. ‘My mother was a prostitute before it was legalised.’

‘I know. It came up.’

‘It was hard for her, but it never turned
her
hard which it did to some. Now, as then, it depends entirely on the woman, or man, turning tricks. Look at Sam. He’s been doing this for over a decade and he’s never lost what was essentially him.’ She frowned. ‘No, I lie. For a time, he was a little lost. He’s always been compassionate, caring, generous with his forgiveness, and as smooth as anyone I’ve ever met, of course. But he lost the capacity to enjoy the relationship between two people who care for one another.’ Naomi pointed at Marie. ‘You gave that back to him.’

Marie shook her head. ‘No. Okay, maybe a little, but it was Fox. Fox gave me up when Sam decided he might want something more from me. It hurt her to do it, but she did anyway, because he’s her friend.’

‘I am going to have to make it a point to get to know your Fox better. She sounds like a very interesting woman.’

Marie grinned. ‘I think she might like that, because you’re a very interesting woman too.’

25
^th
August.

Fox watched the preview screens in the control room with a slightly amused smile on her face. The subject matter was serious, but the dialogue was a little on the stilted side and about as accurate as vids got when it came to portrayals of cops at work.

‘Where’s your buddy, Daker?’ she asked over her shoulder.

Nathan Shark, producer, smiled his gleaming, white smile. ‘At home, up to his eyeballs in rewrites.’

‘Oh?’

‘Uh-huh. Our Sister of Corruption came in and made a bunch of suggestions to improve the script. Adrian spent half an hour listening to her talking about her stay with them, moaned, and ran off to change things. We’re filming the stuff he doesn’t think needs to be rewritten from scratch first. Joys of editing, we can shoot in any order we like.’

‘I’m glad you were willing to accommodate Marie’s suggestions.’

‘Yeah, well…’ He lowered his voice. ‘She’s miles better than the other actors, she’s done the research, and we want this to work. This is our big chance, just like it’s hers. She’s committed to the project and I’m not stupid enough to ignore things which make our heroine more sympathetic to the audience. There are one or two people who think the idea of having a Sister as the protagonist is
never
going to work.’

Fox shrugged. ‘Everyone has their prejudices. Asking Sam to consult was a nice move too. Shame you didn’t ask me to do the same on the cops.’

Shark winced. ‘If I’d known you would have, I’d have asked.’

‘Honestly, I’m up to my eyeballs in legislation. I took the morning out to come down because I needed a break. Is Marie shooting today?’