Hide & Seek - Nicole Edwards Page 0,90

ago to say they were all three in the hospital and would remain there for a few days while their injuries were tended to. She had confirmed that Dale Henderson and Alicia Struthers had both arrived, as had Maria Espinoza’s parents, all grateful that their loved one was alive.

They would survive, he knew. Time would heal their physical injuries and, if they were lucky, some of the mental wounds as well. Reese knew how that was. He battled his own demons, though he’d grown adept at keeping them bottled up because they were too horrific to reflect on. But seeing those women in that room, chained up the way they had been, it brought some of those memories flooding back.

Tesha bumped his hand, drew Reese back to the present. He forced a smile, figuring if he did, it would eventually stick.

“Probably should make some dinner,” he told the dog, getting to his feet.

When he turned around, he saw Brantley standing inside the house, shoulder propped on the doorjamb as he watched him. The concern he saw on his face was understandable.

“Shower with me?” Brantley prompted when Reese approached.

“Then dinner?”

Brantley nodded. “I’ll make sandwiches.”

Good idea.

***

Baz sat on his couch, head tilted back, eyes closed. He hadn’t bothered to turn on the television, didn’t even manage to fix himself dinner like he’d planned.

No, from the moment he walked into the apartment, he’d been dead on his feet, the events of the day draining all the energy from his body.

And to think, he wasn’t the one who had found those women, freed them, or watched the detective take his own life. Still, it felt as though he’d been right there with Brantley and Reese, not two hundred miles away. Brantley had called, filled them in on what went down, then asked JJ to gather all the evidence they’d uncovered that would help the police and the FBI to close the case up neat and tidy. Along with Trey, the three of them had worked diligently to gather it all together before JJ sent an electronic file over to the special agent now in charge.

He didn’t miss it, he realized. Didn’t miss being on the front line, seeing the carnage, dealing with the emotional aftermath. Trey had asked him if he would, and Baz had wondered there for a little while. But he didn’t and he knew that he wouldn’t. He was content to sit on the sidelines, to run the op from behind a computer screen, JJ at his side.

What did that say about him? he wondered.

His cell phone chimed.

Baz shifted as he dug it out of his pocket, checked the screen. It was a text message from JJ, so he unlocked the phone, read it. Smiled.

Getting to his feet, he went to his front door, opened it.

And there she was, standing in the hallway outside his apartment.

JJ lifted a bag, waved it. “I brought dinner.” She lifted the other hand, revealing a six-pack of beer. “And this.”

Taking the beer from her, he stepped back out of the way, then closed the door when she came inside.

As he’d learned with JJ, her curiosity dictated her movements, and she waltzed right into his apartment, scoping it out from top to bottom.

“A little plain, don’t you think?” she asked, pivoting to look at him. “Kinda dark. You need some art on the walls or somethin’.”

“You brighten the space up quite nicely,” he told her, setting the beer on the end table.

Baz took the paper sack from her hand, set it down, too, then pulled her into him. He cupped her face and stared down at her. “This is a pleasant surprise, by the way. I didn’t expect you to show up.” He narrowed his eyes. “In fact, I didn’t realize you knew where I lived.”

She smiled, her green eyes lighting up. “Mad hacker skills, remember?”

“Yes. I remember.”

Baz kissed her.

He’d been battling the urge all day, reminding himself they were at work and he had to focus. It wasn’t easy when every single thing JJ did made him crazy with lust. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met a woman who affected him on this level before. From the moment he’d set eyes on her, Baz had been a goner. She was different. She mattered.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, the words spoken against his lips.

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Whether or not you’re stayin’ the night.”

JJ pulled back, stared up at him. “Why does that matter?”

“If you are, then yes, I’m hungry. We can eat, drink a couple of beers, chill. Then