Take a Breath (Take #1) - Jaimie Roberts Page 0,84
flash, I run to the kitchen and start putting on some spaghetti, so I can make us a quick bolognese. As I’m heating the water up, Jake walks in. When I turn, I see how crushed he looks. Running into his arms, I breathe him in. He squeezes me to him, inhaling the scent of my hair. He’s only been away a few hours, so it’s frightening just how much I had missed him. My stomach curls when I remember all too quickly why he had been gone.
“Tell me. Please. I can handle it—honestly.” He sighs, letting me go, so I sit on the bar stool and wait for him to start.
“I won’t lie to you. It wasn’t pleasant. The scene I found when I got there was horrific. She wasn’t strangled this time; she was stabbed multiple times in a frenzied attack. She had been left there since early Saturday. They say time of death was between one and five in the morning.”
This is getting worse. Much worse. “How do they know it is our killer then?” I ask.
He looks pained. “She fits the description. Blonde hair, blue eyes, in her twenties. But that wasn’t the most damning part. There was another note. We know it’s him.”
I brace myself for what he’s about to say next. “What did it say?”
He sighs. “It was only one word, but it was the same paper, same writing. They’re going to examine it for sure, but we’re fairly certain it is the same guy.”
I wait, but nothing’s said. “Jake, please. What did it say?” I grab his hand to try and pull him out of it.
“Bitch. It said bitch.”
I look up, startled, not knowing what all of it means. Does he mean that I am a bitch, or that the poor girl he stabbed to death was a bitch? One thing is certain: he’s angry. Why? What’s changed to make him so pissed?
“Was that agent there?” I ask.
He nods. “Yes, along with Tom and Michael.”
“What were his thoughts?”
“He asked how you were doing. Then he warned me how grim the scene was. Tom and Michael both looked sick. That was the first time I’ve ever seen that smug look off of Tom’s face, to be honest. The bottom line is he’s pissed, so something has changed. We’re all concerned it has made him more dangerous. He’s changed his M.O., and it has made everyone nervous. We have to bring in more men on this to nail him ASAP. He has to be stopped.”
I nod, cupping my hand on his face and kissing him gently. “He’ll be caught soon. I know he will.”
Trying not to picture the awful scene in my head myself, I get up to grab some spaghetti from the pantry and start loading some in the pan. I take some meatballs from the fridge and start lightly frying them up. I’m in the middle of stirring the meatballs, when I feel a set of arms wrap around me from the back. Jake kisses my neck, and I make a light humming sound in my throat. We stay like that for a while, but then Matthew comes breezing through the door. Matthew clears his throat, making Jake jump out of his skin. He moves quickly and guiltily away from me. I start laughing, setting Matthew off.
“Wow, Dad, what a way to look guilty. Did I interrupt something?”
He winks at me, making me blush. “Don’t tease your father. He feels a little delicate about all this.” We both laugh again while Jake just stands there, looking shell-shocked.
“Well, I’m glad you both find me so amusing. This is all new to me. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act.”
Matthew sits himself down on the stool. “Dad, I’ve told you, I’m fine. It’s okay. Honestly. Take a chill pill.”
“Take a what?” The look on Jake’s face is priceless. I shake my head with a smile, all the bad forgotten. I can’t let this arsehole rule my head.
Matthew and I laugh again, and eventually Jake relaxes, letting out a little chuckle himself.
I grab the sauce for the meatballs and get some parmesan cheese out of the fridge. “Matthew, take a seat, mate. Dinner’s nearly ready.”
He salutes me, taking a seat. “Alright, Governor.” I give him a stern look for his mickey taking, but he just giggles at me.
After a few minutes of stirring everything, I gather three big bowls and start dealing out the portions. Jake grabs some cutlery as we sit down to eat.