Page 12

12

STONE

“Keys,” I said, holding out my hand.

We’d taken an unexpected detour back to Len’s apartment.

I tried not to show how much the call had shaken me. A trained FBI agent should have a better handle on his emotions, be able to put aside how he feels and act rationally in the face of a threat. Instead, my mind was racing, and I hadn’t stopped replaying the call.

Len was packing to stay with me until I was able to say with certainty her apartment was safe again. I was not taking no for an answer.

Fine. Maybe I would have, because I wasn’t going to kidnap her and keep her hostage.

But I would have fought with everything I had to convince her to change her mind. I was thankful when she’d barely argued. It was almost too easy, but I saw the way Len’s face paled at the call. Whether she’d admit it or not, it’d gotten to her as well.

Len poked her head out of the room and tossed keys at me. I barely had time to register it and catch them.

She ushered her cats into little carriers she had for them. I picked up one and realized I was carrying Birdie. She meowed up at me, and I gave her a slight smile. No one could convince me cats weren’t too smart for their own good.

It didn’t take long before we were back at Len’s car. This time, I had the keys and jumped into the driver’s seat before she could protest. She safely placed both cats in the backseat and made sure they were secure. I heard her mutter something about my driving skills to the felines before she put her seat back up and join me in the front.

I drove through town, and it took us a bit longer to get to the rental, having to sit in the small town’s tourist traffic. It was Saturday, which meant many tourists were leaving and just as many were coming into town.

Len kept tapping her fingers on the center console at every stop, the small sound pulling my attention away from the road. I tried to drown it out, but I couldn’t ignore her growing anxiety.

It worked once before, which meant it could work again.

I reached out to place my right hand on hers. “We’ll find them,” I promised her.

“You can’t possibly know that,” she said.

“I have an IQ higher than anyone else in the FBI. I’ve won more awards than any other agent my age and have been on more cases. I memorize every fact I see and read. So listen to me when I promise you, we will find them. I won’t leave until I do,” I assured her.

Her fingers stopped fidgeting under my touch, and after a second, she pulled her hand away. I let her. It had only been to calm her down, an easy strategy used to bring someone back to reality, nothing more.

We sat in silence the rest of the ride until we made it to the rental house.

More colorful flowers bloomed in the front yard, and I watched Len stare out into the back as she got out of the car. I could hear the waves crashing against the cliffside.

“You coming?” I asked Len, her eyes distant as she stared out into the water.

“In a second,” she said softly.

I followed her gaze and watched the waves as they rolled. Salty air reached us easily this close, its presence somehow calming. Off to the left, I spotted a tall, white lighthouse in my peripheral vision. I hadn’t noticed it the first day, but I’d also been distracted when I arrived.

Len’s movement snapped my attention back to her. She grabbed the cats out of the back of the convertible and made her way toward the house. I grabbed the large duffel bag she packed and carried it inside.

“You can take the room, and I’ll stay in the living room,” I offered.

She looked like she was about to argue but decided against it. Dark half circles sat under her eyes, and I noticed just how worn down she’d become. Len barely got any sleep the night before, and I dragged her around town. Beyond that, she must’ve been mentally exhausted. The Coastal Killer was back, and the killing would most likely start again.

My gut clenched, remembering just how gruesome and gory each kill had been the first time around. Most of the victims were left cut to bits, barely recognizable, and a ring shoved down their throat.

I’d seen some horrible things in the field, but this, by far, was one of the worst.

I carried Len’s bag up to the room and quickly packed my stuff into my suitcase to bring back downstairs with me. Len walked into the room behind me.

“Why don’t you rest?” I suggested. “You didn’t sleep well.”

“It’s the middle of the day,” she argued. “And I need to get Birdie and Alonzo set up.”

She packed items for the two cats still in the trunk of the convertible.

“I’ll grab everything and make sure they’re all set,” I assured her.

She sat down on the bed and looked as though she might fall asleep sitting up. “All right,” she conceded. “I’ll rest for an hour, and then I’ll come back to help.”

I closed the door on my way out, leaving her to relax. I wasn’t worried about her helping for the rest of the day. There was plenty I could start on my own, and realistically, I didn’t need a new partner.

There was just something about Len…

She was nothing like Blythe; the pair was almost complete opposites. Yet, somehow, I knew if my partner were still alive, she would’ve loved Len.

My heart twinged at the sharp pain of the memory. I found myself glancing down at my hands covered in red.

It wasn’t real…

I shook my head, trying to push out the memory.

It didn’t take long for me to get everything set up for the two cats, as well as for myself in the living room. Hours passed, and when Len didn’t re-emerge, I started shifting through the papers the sheriff had given us, memorizing every little detail of the case and the reports Len had asked for.

Close to 9:00, Len appeared from the room.

“You let me sleep too long,” she accused, rubbing her eyes.

“You needed rest,” I pointed out.

She pursed her lips and walked to the kitchen. When she returned, she held a makeshift sandwich she managed to whip up with what little groceries I had. I realized I hadn’t eaten at all and quickly hurried to the kitchen to find something for myself.

I should’ve made food for us both.

I settled on a basic salad and returned to the living room. Len sat in an armchair, her legs pulled in close. She’d already finished the sandwich, flipping through a book she found on the shelf beside the chair.

I could’ve watched her read all night long.

“I can feel you staring,” she said without looking up from the book.

“I like that one,” I said, recognizing the title and trying to find a valid excuse.

“I’m only three pages in,“ Len said. She closed the book and stood, eyes avoiding mine. “If there’s nothing to help with tonight, I’m going to read this in bed.”

“Do you need anything?” I asked gently.

I knew it was loaded question.

She shook her head. “Goodnight, Beck,” she said quickly.

Before she passed the couch where I sat to head up the stairs, I reached out and caught her arm. “Stone,” I said for the first time in months.

“What?”

“You don’t have to call me Agent Beck,” I said. “You can call me Stone.”

* * *

“Shit!” Len yelled.

I came rushing into the kitchen to find her staring at her phone.It’d been a few days of Len staying in the rental with me, and I’d grown accustomed to her presence. The first day or two was hard; I wasn’t used to sharing a space with someone else.

Blythe would’ve teased me about it.

Most nights, I stayed up as long as possible before falling asleep, afraid to subject Len to the nightmares. They were unpredictable, and I needed to get a handle on them.

“What’s wrong?” I breathed out, realizing my panic was for nothing as she held up her phone.

“I have to have dinner with my family tonight,” she grumbled.

“Your parents are in town,” I recalled. She’d told me a few days prior—it was part of what had been bothering her that first meeting.

“Yes,” she sighed.

“And you have to go to your brother’s tonight?” I asked.

She nodded.

Not the crisis I expected to find. I could fix this. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

“I could come with you,” I offered.

What was I doing?

“No, you don’t have to do that,” she said, but I saw the hopeful gleam in her eyes.How could I turn that down? It’d be cruel.

“I’m happy to,” I said. “Parents love me.”

“You’ve met lots?” she asked, raising a brow.

It was a test, an easy one. I aced every test I took, and this would be no different.

“No,” I answered, watching as she physically relaxed. She tried to hide the cues, but she couldn’t from me. “It’s just what every man seems to say in this scenario, and a lot of studies show, manifesting success helps you achieve it.”

She rolled her eyes.“My parents aren’t some statistic you can so easily win over to your side.”

“I know, but I’m willing to try. To win them over, that is,” I answered.

She folded her arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter.“Fine. We need to get ready now then.”

“What time are we meeting them?” I asked, noticing it was only 2:00 p.m.

“At 6:00, but I need to make sure there is nothing my mother can possibly comment on,” she huffed and hurried out of the kitchen, going upstairs to the room she’d been using.

A couple hours later, Len emerged from her room; I’d been ready for a while. My suitcase didn’t hold many options, but I managed to find a pair of slacks and a short sleeve button down I deemed fit for the occasion.

Len rounded the corner, and I nearly choked on the water I’d been sipping.

She’d pinned half of her hair out of her face, but her long, brown curls still fell over her shoulders, the thin straps of her black dress hidden under them.

The dress she wore hugged her torso, showing every curve of her body. It flowed only a little away from her at her hips. The deep v of the neck showed off a necklace she wore, a little charm on it with a letter. The longer I stared, I realized it was an M.

Not M for Jake. Perhaps for Mallory.

“What’s wrong?” Len asked, looking concerned.

“Nothing,” I said. “You look beautiful.”

Her eyes avoided mine, and she clasped her hands in front of her. “You don’t have to say that. I’m sure my mother will find something wrong with it all.”

I closed the distance between us, standing inches away from her. I needed her to hear me. The only way I could possibly do that was to make sure I had her attention. It was as simple as that.

I tipped her chin to meet my gaze again. My fingers barely brushed against her skin, but I could feel how warm it was.

“Lenore Calder, hear me when I say, you are stunning, and nothing she says will change that.” I dropped my hand and backed away.

Len bit the inside of her cheek, and I saw the way her eyes lingered on me, only to look away.

“We should go,” I said quickly. “We don’t want to be late.”

I calculated exactly how long it would take to get to Calvin’s house, leaving enough time to be on the earlier side. I knew how nervous Len was to see her parents and brother, and this was one tangible way I could help alleviate some of that.

She nodded and grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter. On our way out, I caught Lenore pausing in front of the mirror hanging next to the door. I studied her features, the way she intensely looked over her herself. It was like she was seeing herself for the first time—not in the way Jake had seen her, and not for all the flaws her mother pointed out.

“Thank you,” she whispered, barely audible as she tore her eyes from the mirror.

I nodded and led her out to my rental car. I held the door open for her and then hurried to the driver’s seat.

The drive took exactly the amount of time I’d calculated, and we arrived five minutes before Calvin had told Lenore to be there. We pulled up the narrow driveway to the small, yellow, colonial-style house.

I turned to Len and saw her swallow hard. Quickly, I got out of my car and made my way to the other side. I pulled open the door and saw Len hesitate.

I held out my hand to her. “Ready?”

She stared at it for a second before she grabbed it.