Into the Night(23)

“You’re my partner. I’m supposed to look out for my partner.” He was still holding her, but his hands had moved down to wrap around her wrists now. Macey shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

And everything to do with him.

He’d been the perfect agent all day, not saying a single word about the previous night. As if it had never happened. As if she’d never gone wild in bed with him. His gaze had barely seemed to glance over her. His tone had been almost painfully polite before they’d gotten to that crime scene at the cabin.

When she’d gone to him in North Carolina, Macey had told Bowen it would just be for one night. She’d promised him that nothing would change. It sure looked as if he were following her rules.

So why do I want him to break those rules so badly?

“He’s...he’s going to attack again.” She pulled away from Bowen because she found that she liked his touch too much. Something she hadn’t expected at all. Since her attack, she hadn’t liked to be touched. But with Bowen, it was different. He touched her, and she ached—she wanted. “The perp we’re after isn’t going to stop. Obviously, he’s planned all of this in advance. I mean, getting Lydia and Patrick up here, then killing Patrick right after his attack on Daniel—”

“You think he deliberately scheduled his attacks so that one would follow right after the other.”

She’d been considering this, again and again. While the firefighters had battled the blaze, she’d tried to get inside the killer’s head. “If he did that—” Macey exhaled on a slow breath “—then he would have needed to plan Daniel’s murder in advance, too. He would have needed to know that Daniel was hiding in North Carolina the whole time.”

His body tensed before her. “And the bastard was what—waiting for us to find Daniel?” But he didn’t give her a chance to answer. Instead, he growled, an angry, rough sound, and said, “That would mean that our perp let Gale Collins die. He knew exactly what Daniel Haddox was. He knew where Daniel was, and he didn’t tell anyone. He just waited until he’d lined up all his little chess pieces.”

“He waited until we entered the game.” She licked her lips. “And then he went in for the kill.” Macey hesitated a moment, and then she made herself say the suspicion that wouldn’t leave her alone. “Our perp could have even used Gale as bait, to lure Daniel into an attack. Her eyes, Bowen. Her eyes. When she crossed his path, he would have immediately been drawn to her. Our perp would know that, if he had studied Haddox’s work.” And she was betting he had.

If Macey was right, then the perp had viewed Gale as disposable. A perfect victim to be used so that he could spring his trap.

He wanted the FBI to know where Daniel was... In order to do that, he needed the perfect victim. A victim that Daniel wouldn’t be able to resist.

“The bastard profiled Daniel Haddox,” Bowen said.

Yes, she feared that was exactly what he’d done.

“He found the perfect victim for Haddox, and then he waited to see what would happen.” He took a step back. “He profiled you.”

Her heart lurched in her chest. “What?”

“He knew you were looking for Haddox. Knew you were studying victims, always searching for a kill that could be Haddox’s. Our perp knew you’d bring Gale’s murder to the attention of the team. He was counting on it.” He gave a low whistle. “He wanted us here. He wanted you here. Whatever he’s doing, I think the bastard is just getting started.”

That scared her, and FBI agents weren’t supposed to be afraid, were they? They were supposed to be the ones always ready to act. The ones eager to find the danger and stop the monsters.

But the more she learned about the monsters out there, the more she feared them.

The human monsters are far worse than any fairy-tale nightmare that children fear.

“We should get some sleep, Mace.” Bowen’s voice had become even rougher. “Something tells me tomorrow is going to be another long day.”

Right. Sleep. Too bad that when she closed her eyes, Macey saw all the things she didn’t want to face. The Doctor is finally gone, but nothing is better. “Good night, Bowen.”

He turned away and paced back toward the door, but then he stopped. Tension seemed to fill the air between them. In the next breath, he’d spun back to face her. “We’re not going to talk about it at all, huh?”

Her lips parted.

“I’m not supposed to bring it up? Supposed to act like things are normal between us?”

She wasn’t sure things had ever been “normal.” That was a bit of a stretch. Things had always been a bit strained between them. The awareness—that primitive attraction—had always been there simmering just beneath the surface.

“Nothing to say, Macey? That’s not like you.”

She swallowed. “I wasn’t...myself last night.”

“Really? Because I sure thought I was fucking you.”

Macey flinched.

He swore. “That’s not what I... Hell. I don’t ever say the right thing with you. Don’t ever do the right thing with you.”

She thought he’d done things pretty right last night. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and tried to explain things better. Macey figured he deserved an explanation. “Daniel’s death...it messed me up.”