WATCHING (39 page)

Chapter
49

****

His office was ten yards past Hellbrook
’
s and was his haven. He
’
d always felt like he
’
d succeeded the instant he sank into his chair. His office wasn
’
t the largest—
Hellbrook
’
s
claimed that honor. But his was the neatest. He liked order. One thing that he hated, though. His damned air never quite worked right. The closer it got to summer, the more he felt like a damned roasting pig.

It helped if he propped his door open. He did, pausing when the sound of feminine giggles echoed down the hall. Laughter wasn
’
t something he was used to hearing around this place. He stuck his head out his door and there she was, his little mouse. She was leaning against Hellbrook
’
s door, one hand covering her mouth.

Her beautiful hazel eyes were happy and alive with humor. He stepped from his office and into the hallway.
“
Uh, hello, doc. Surprised to see you
.
”

She straightened, her face closing. The sparkle in her eyes faded. Turned to nerves. He was sorry to see it go, to see her afraid of him. Why was she? Did she know it was him who
’
d thrown rocks at her, who
’
d started the fire in her room?
Who
’
d hurt her and her friends?

“
Hi. I
’
m in town for a few days. How are you feeling? Any shortness of breath
?
”

“
Huh? Oh...the fire
.
”
Guilt had him flushing. She wore that yellow sweatshirt, the one he
’
d seen her in before. Probably because he
’
d burned all her other clothing. Including her underwear. That thought had him shifting nervously. Had she had time to buy more?
“
Yeah. I
’
m...uh...fine. Actually...I was just going to head to the coffee shop on the corner. Would you care to join me
?
”
She hesitated and it hurt. It
’
s not like he
’
d asked her on a date or anything. It was just coffee. Little mouse should have been flattered he
’
d even asked.
“
Never mind. Forget I asked. You
’
re probably busy
.
”

Her soft little hand brushed the skin on his forearm.
“
Actually, I would, but Ed Dennis has asked that I meet with him in a few minutes
.
”

“
About what
?
”
He blurted the question, without thinking. Did Dennis suspect him? Was the director going to ask if she saw anything? The doctor
’
s eyes turned even more wary. He realized then how the question had sounded.
“
Sorry. Not my business. How long are you in town for? Maybe we could go to dinner? My treat
.
”

The same lines he
’
d used on another honey-haired, hazel-eyed lady almost exactly a year ago. He felt the absurd urge to smooth his hair and straighten his tie while he waited for her answer. Nothing had felt more important in his life.

“
Honestly...I don
’
t date
.
”

Her tone was flat but her eyes were filled with a pain he understood. He stepped closer.

“
I lost my husband three years ago, and I
’
m not looking for anyone else. I spend every vacation with my family
.
”

“
And they
’
re here? In St. Louis
.
”
The princess, probably. The pictures he
’
d burned were seared into his mind. She
’
d lost her husband, then. Poor mouse.

“
Georgia is my sister-in-law. Her son my husband
’
s nephew. I appreciate the compliment, but..
.
”

He grabbed her hand, squeezed it once, only wanting to comfort. It hurt when she tried to pull it away.
“
I understand. I lost someone, too. She was special, her name was Linda. If you ever change your mind..
.
”

He dropped her hand as Hellbrook
’
s door opened. Hellbrook and the princess stood there. Staring at him.

He got it pretty quick, and didn
’
t need the smudge of lipstick on the corner of the smug bastard
’
s mouth to figure out Hellbrook had been grabbing a quickie with the princess.

And the little doctor had been guarding the door, giggling like a school girl. He smiled, more at her than anyone else. Charming. Linda would have giggled, too.

***

Fifteen minutes later he was waiting outside the door to Dennis
’
office. The door opened and there was his little mouse and Dennis himself.

She was hugging him, her arm around his waist. Hugged that bastard Ed Dennis after turning down his invitation. The anger that hit him was boiling. She
’
d turned
him
down. Was it truly because of the story she
’
d given him or was it because she was already fucking Edward Dennis?

They certainly looked cozy. Dennis
’
hand rested on her waist; all he
’
d have to do was slide that hand down a few inches and he
’
d be cupping the doctor
’
s ass.

Dennis kissed her! Right on the mouth, right where anyone could see. Less than six feet from where he stood.

Did he respect her so little? Was that why she was still in town? To give Dennis some sort of booty call?

She was the same age as Dennis
’
daughter. That made Dennis no better than a damned child molester. And she preferred Dennis over him?

“
Sir
?
”
The little Asian agent who was Dennis
’
assistant grabbed his attention.
“
You can go in now. Director Dennis will join you shortly
.
”

He nodded at her, followed her into Dennis
’
office. Took a seat on the brown leather couch. Had Dennis and the doctor engaged in an office quickie of their own? The couch would have been the perfect spot for it.

Dennis shut the door after telling the mouse goodbye.
“
There
’
s something I wanted to talk to you about..
.
”

Did Dennis know? Was he about to arrested? Had the redheaded girl or that kid Compton seen enough of him to give a positive ID?

Sweat stung his eyes but he didn
’
t dare reach to wipe it away. Perspiration equaled nerves; Dennis would know that. He swallowed before finding his voice.
“
What
’
s this about
?
”

Dennis opened the file and withdrew a stack of forms.
“
There
’
s no easy way to say this
.
”

He knew. He relaxed his hands, forced his breathing to remain steady.
“
Say what
?
”

“
We no longer need your team, Roger. It
’
s being disbanded
.
”

“
What for
?
”

Dennis looked at him, pity mingling with a smirk on his face.
“
Quantico has decided to expand the CCU, and eliminate some other units. Yours and Dr. Brockman
’
s, for example
.
”

“
Bullshit. My team is just as good as the CCU
.
”
If the damned powers that be would just look closer they
’
d see that.

“
No, they
’
re not,
”
Dennis said.
“
No team is, and the Bureau wants to capitalize on Hellbrook
’
s success. This isn
’
t easy for us. I can promise you that
.
”

Sure it wasn
’
t. Hellbrook
’
s team got it all. Dennis
’
daughter
’
s team got it all.
“
My agents? What
’
s to happen to them
?
”

“
Transferring
.
”
Dennis passed him the orders. It would be his fucking job to tell them. Tell them to kiss St. Louis goodbye. Why couldn
’
t Dennis do it? Fucking coward.

“
I see. Brockman
’
s team transferring, too
?
”

“
In a sense. They
’
re joining the CCU,
”
Dennis said.
“
We
’
re tripling the number of agents in it
.
”

“
And myself
?
”
How was he supposed to work with Hellbrook
’
s team, knowing what he had done?

“
There
’
s an opening in the Pittsburg field office for someone with your skills and experience
.
”
A final form with his name on it was passed over the desk. He scanned it quickly. It wasn
’
t a promotion. A damned lateral move. Dennis was punishing him. Had the mouse told Dennis of his invite? Was Dennis getting rid of his competition?

“
I see
.
”
Dennis had to know. Why else would he be sending him away? But just what did he know?

Dennis was afraid to arrest him; that was it. Afraid to let it be known that he, Roger Stephenson, had gotten the jump on half the great Hellbrook
’
s team. Wouldn
’
t want it getting out. What would that knowledge do for the great Hellbrook
’
s reputation? Couldn
’
t have the poster child for PAVAD looking like a loser.

So they
’
d toss him and his aside as so much trash. Once again, he and his were taking backseat to Hellbrook. He didn
’
t hear another damned thing the director said. It didn
’
t matter how fucking good he was he wasn
’
t Dennis, Hellbrook, the princess, or their pals.

He
didn
’
t matter. His
team
didn
’
t matter.
Linda
probably hadn
’
t mattered to Dennis, either. Dennis had been her boss, after all. He was everyone
’
s fucking boss. He shouldn
’
t have let her out in the field. But she hadn
’
t mattered. None of it fucking mattered now.

Chapter
50

****

Something was bothering Hell. His eyes weren
’
t the same. They were clouded, introspective. Bothered. And she had a sneaking suspicion that whatever was bothering him centered fully on her.

She resisted the urge to slip her hand into his, to offer him some comfort for whatever it was that troubled him.

But she wasn
’
t used to seeing him so melancholy.

Her shoulder bumped his as they filed into the smallest of conference rooms outside the bullpen of the CCU. Her father waited inside, looking handsome and distinguished in a navy suit. He lived for her and Matthew and the FBI. In that order. He was such a good-looking man, her father. She hated that he had always seemed so alone. Was she becoming like him? A single parent, dedicated to her child and her career who once that child was an adult would only have that career?

God, she hoped not. She wanted someone who understood her. Like Bryan had. Like Rick had understood Jules, like Fin and Ana understood each other.

Hellbrook certainly seemed to understand her. She
’
d heard his words to her father earlier. He understood how she felt about pressure. And he seemed to be sincere when he
’
d said it was her decision what happened with her own life. He understood that she wouldn
’
t be pushed or pressured. And though he possessed a complex mind unlike anyone she
’
d ever met, she
’
d like to think she understood him.

That had to count for something.

“
What
’
s this about
?
”
Hellbrook asked her father, taking a file that was handed to him by her father
’
s assistant, Agent Len.

“
The media is calling him
The Ghost
.
”
Her father said.

“
I
’
ve read about him
.
”
Georgia took her own copy of the file from Agent Len.
“
Their calling him that because he watches the crime scenes of his previous victims, then chooses a new victim from the people who cross that scene in the following week
.
”

“
Yes. And he
’
s struck again. This time in Kansas City. Our side of the river. I
’
m pairing your team with
Alessandra
Brockman and Agent Daviess. Agent Lorcan will be sitting in for this case as well. He
’
s still undecided if the CCU is for him and I
’
ve agreed to let him see how we do things around here
.
”

He nodded at the dark-haired man who
’
d entered behind Carrie and her crutches. Georgia remembered him from Friday, when they
’
d returned from South Dakota. Her father
’
s midnight job interview.

Her father must really want him for the division to accommodate a late-night interview and allowing him to sit
in for a CCU case.

Lorcan was an attractive man, probably thirty-five or so, with dark hair and the strangest green eyes Georgia had ever seen. She
’
d noticed that the night before while waiting for Hell to finish with her father. He moved with a fluidity that reminded her of Ana and spoke of many years
’
training in the martial arts. He wasn
’
t as tall as Hellbrook, though it was close, and he was definitely leaner, more rangy. A very dangerous predator, but had nothing on Hellbrook. Her lion would always win in a jungle fight.
Hell was the king of the pride. This guy would prefer to slink around the forest, alone.

He nodded in their direction.
“
Hellbrook, Dr. Dennis
.
”

Two other agents followed him in, and Georgia felt a genuine smile hit her lips. Paige Daviess and
Alessandra
Brockman were partners from the former Undercover Operations division. They were currently without a proper team, though they were often used to fill in for other agents for whatever reasons necessary.

They were two sides of the same coin and that was reflected in their appearances.
Alessandra
had the same blue eyes as her older brother Malachi, and the build and coloring of a Barbie doll. But she was far from fluff-brained.

Her partn
er was a few years younger, taller
but thin
ner
. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, Paige dressed only in black
—
unless the case demanded differently. The black was usually accented with heavy silver skulls or funky crystals, and she marched to her own unique beat.

“
George
.
”
Paige nodded before turning to help Carrie settle into a chair. Georgia had never quite gotten the full story of how the two younger women knew each other. But Paige was fiercely protective of Carrie.
“
Sparkie, thought you were taking a few days off at least
.
”

“
No. Wanted to work. Wanted to
.
”
Carrie didn
’
t look up from the file she was reading. Her fingers tapped against the tabletop.
“
I
’
m ok, Paige
.
”

“
Ok. But don
’
t be stupid
.
”
Paige shrugged.
“
So what
’
s this about, sir
?
”

“
We
’
re going ghost-hunting
.
”
Hellbrook nodded to Agent Len to begin.

Georgia pushed her worry about Hellbrook aside and focused on the new case. It was back to business as usual. She
’
d have time later that night to figure out what was weighing so heavily on his mind.
The case was local, so they would have some time together in the evenings.