“I had a feelin’ you were gonna say that.”
When he slipped into the bathroom, JJ went to the living room, grabbed her bag, and pulled out her computer. She flopped down on the couch, smiling when Tesha joined her, hopping up and settling in at her side.
It only took a few minutes to order pizza. She ordered one large—half with double pepperoni for Baz, half light sauce and all veggies for her—and a side of breadsticks. When that was submitted, she opened her email, checked to see what she’d gotten, and was happy to see there was one she’d been expecting.
Clicking on the attachments, she opened the pdf files and began reviewing them.
“Holy shit,” she muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’,” she said quickly, looking up at Baz. “Well, nothin’ more, anyway. We’ve still got some guy kidnapping and possibly murderin’ women.”
He was watching her, his eyebrows lifted.
“Remember how Reese asked me to see if there were police reports from the women who went missing?”
Baz came over, took a seat on the opposite side of her from Tesha. She kept her attention on the computer screen because it was difficult enough ignoring him when he smelled so damn good. If she took a moment to truly ogle him, they would both be naked again and the pizza guy would end up beating on the door, leaving their food. It would get cold…
“JJ?”
“Hmm?”
“The police reports?”
“Oh, right.” She flipped through the images on the screen, one after the other. “Reese was right. All four of these women filed reports.”
“For?”
She pointed at the screen where it noted what the complaint was for.
“Indecent exposure?” Baz leaned in closer. “All four of them?”
“Yep.” She kept reading. “Looks like they made the report at the station. A man with a description that definitely fits Detective Collins was doing obscene things at the lake.”
“Jackin’ off where they could see him?”
The thought made her shudder. “Yeah.”
They looked at each other then and in unison said, “That’s how he picked them.”
“Do you think it was to cover it up? If they went missing, they couldn’t point the finger at him?”
Baz glanced at her, that look he got when he was considering it on his face. “Maybe. But more than likely, it was his way of picking them out. With the report, he’d have their information.”
“He could find out whatever he wanted to know,” JJ stated. “Yes. I bet you’re right. He wasn’t coverin’ up a crime, it was his way of picking his next victim. Whoever would come forward was worthy of his attention.”
“And I bet if you look, you’ll find more reports filed for the same thing,” Baz said. “My guess, he somehow chose his victims based on the dates since we know he’s got a pattern.”
It was a creepy thought, but it sure sounded more reasonable than him attempting to cover it up.
The rest of the night was spent with the two of them working to put together a timeline of events, determining when the complaints were filed in reference to the disappearances. JJ noted as much detail as she could because she knew Reese and Brantley would ask the question. With Baz’s help, they were able to get a full report out via email to the rest of the team but not before three in the morning.
At that point, JJ could barely keep her eyes open.
“Come on,” Baz said, holding out his hand for her. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Without an ounce of hesitation, she put her hand in his and let him lead her to her bedroom. Later, she would wonder at what point she’d decided Sebastian Buchanan was worthy of an overnight stay.JJ woke with the sun streaming in through her bedroom window. The pillow beneath her head was soft; the blanket covering her was warm.
Everything was normal.
So why did she feel a sudden overwhelming panic?
Had she overslept?
Was she late for work?
Had she missed an appointment?
The fear that she had was enough to have her bolting upright in bed.
Cool air caressed her skin, and she jerked at the comforter, surprised to find she was naked. Her back straightened, her ears perked.
Why was she naked?
Soft breaths sounded from behind her and the events of last night came back with a vengeance.
Baz.
Gorgeous, naked Baz.
Sex.
Incredible, mind-numbing sex.
Oh, God.
Her body warmed instantly from the memories of Baz, of the two of them screwing like rabbits when they made it to the bedroom. They’d finally drifted off sometime around five, which explained why the sun was already up.
Her gaze strayed to the clock. “Oh, shit. I’m late.”
JJ jerked the sheet, ready to bolt from the bed when a warm hand landed on her forearm.
“There’s no rush.”
Glancing over, she saw Baz reclined on the bed, one hand tucked under his head, that glorious muscled chest on full display. His abs—all sleek and contoured—appeared as she tugged on the sheet.
