where he wanted her. Her eyes stayed pinned on the hall where Jorge disappeared as he checked the bedrooms. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until he reappeared, stalking toward her like a dark avenging angel. Amid the craziness that was her life, she could not help but admire the gorgeous man… the protector, the lover. He did not stop until he was straight in front of her, looking down, his gaze roving over her face. She knew he was looking for clues as to how she felt. Reaching up, she placed her palms on his broad chest. “I’m okay. I was shaken, but I’m okay now.”
He continued to search her face for a moment as though ascertaining the veracity of her statement. Seemingly satisfied, he leaned forward and placed his lips on her forehead, holding on to the kiss for a moment. Stepping back, he linked fingers with her. “I know we need to get the groceries in and get something to eat. First, I need to check in with my people. Why don’t you rest and then I’ll—”
“Honey, it’s okay. You go talk to your people, and I’ll get the groceries and feed Melon. We bought plenty of things that will be simple to fix, so I’ll throw something together for us. Then, please, let me know what our plan is.”
His hands lifted and cupped her jaws, tilting her head back. She saw his intent and lifted on her toes. The kiss was hard and fast, an air of desperation as her fingers clung to his shoulders, and he swept his tongue inside her mouth. Pulling back, he kissed her forehead again and said, “I promise we’ll talk as soon as I know what the deal is.”
He helped her bring the groceries into the house then walked back to the guest room and shut the door. She was tempted to sneak down the hall and press her ear against the door to listen but knew that was childish. He would handle the security, and she needed to do her part by letting him do his job. Looking down, Melon was weaving back and forth between her feet, meowing.
“Okay, let’s get you fed. Then I can take care of Jorge.” As she opened up the cat food, she tried to pretend that it was a normal activity on a normal day and not one where someone was threatening her.
“Please, tell me you got something on this fucker,” Cobb said, standing in the guest room staring out the window once again with one hand holding the phone to his ear and the other one in a fist on his hips.
“The slasher must have known where the security cameras were at the front of the grocery store and in the parking lot. We can see someone with black pants, black jacket, and a cap pulled down low moving from the side, but they kept their head down,” Josh reported.
Mace interjected, “Most of us are here, and we’re all working on it, Cobb. Keeping you and Ms. Rector safe is our top priority right now.”
Cobb squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to erase the sight of Josie’s pale, frightened expression when she realized what had happened to her car. “What about coming and going from the parking lot?”
“They didn’t park in the lot or the cameras would’ve picked it up. They weaved in and out of cars, keeping their face away from all the camera views. The jacket was baggy, but my guess would be it was a male based on the way they were walking.”
“And when they left?”
“They ran off to the side where no cameras are, so there’s no way to see what kind of vehicle they were in.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” Cobb cursed. “What are you getting on the trace from her phone?”
“Text from a burner, but we pinged the tower, and it came in from your area. Not surprising, but I’m still digging to see if I can find anything,” Walker said. “They mentioned bookkeeper. Who else knows that she’s got someone taking Caesar’s place?”
“Everybody at her office, and I’ve got a few more people I want you to check out. Dr. Mark Forbes. He works there part-time and has a lot of debt. Charlene Porter. She’s a receptionist who dresses like she makes a fuck-ton of money. Says her boyfriend buys the shit, but I don’t know. Those two don’t add up for me. But while you’re at it, check on the other two there.