Borderline (11 page)

“I like the fact you said when and not if.” Mac closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

“Do you really think there’s even a remote possibility you won’t find who did this?” Tanner shook his head. “Mac, you won’t rest until the man who killed Marissa is behind bars. I might not have known you for very long, but I think I understand how tenacious you are when it comes to cases. You wouldn’t be where you’re at in the rangers if you didn’t solve a lot of your cases.”

“And you wouldn’t be where you’re at if you weren’t good at your job,” Mac remarked, opening his eyes to meet Tanner’s gaze. “Between the two of us, we’ll bring the fucker down. He might kill another woman, but it’ll be his last. I’m not letting him hurt another person after that.”

Tanner brought Mac’s hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss on the man’s knuckles. “I wish there was a way to save this last one, but unless we get a miracle, I don’t see it.”

“I know, yet with each murder, he risks screwing up. No one’s perfect a hundred percent of the time, and we’ll catch him.”

“Why did you become a cop in the first place?” Tanner shrugged when Mac looked at him. “I don’t know why, but it’s not the first career choice I’d think of for you.”

Mac’s smile looked more like a smirk. “What do you think I should be doing?”

“Don’t know for sure, but my instincts tell me if José hadn’t gotten to you, you’d be on the other side of the law. Probably not a mule, though. You’d be in charge of whatever criminal activity you chose.”

He burst out laughing as Mac shoved him onto his back and loomed over him. He spread his legs, letting Mac’s hips nestle between them. Reaching up, he smoothed the rumpled hair falling over Mac’s forehead.

“You’re right; even after José adopted me, I was still rather wild. Then I met a cop who used to come into José’s store. We’d talk, and he convinced me police work was interesting and, at times, could be exciting.”

“What did you do when you found out he exaggerated about how fast paced and exciting a cop’s life could be?” Tanner trailed his fingers down Mac’s nose and outlined his lips.

Mac nipped Tanner’s finger. “By the time I figured it out, it was too late. I’d already graduated from the academy. Plus he knew what made me tick deep inside and what would make me a good detective.”

“What was that?” Tanner murmured, losing a little interest in their conversation as Mac ground his erection against Tanner’s.

“I like puzzles and solving them. I like getting all the pieces, putting them together, and getting the final picture. That’s what makes me a good investigator. I can’t stand not knowing. I’m always digging into things, even stuff that doesn’t concern me.”

Tanner stiffened slightly. What if Mac decided he wanted to know more about Tanner? What if he dug deep into Tanner’s past? He’d never really worried about someone finding out about his family history. Not even when he joined the bureau. His mother had told him they were safe, and he accepted her word for it.

Mac leaned down and nuzzled Tanner’s jaw, causing him to lift his head to allow Mac to kiss a line along his throat. He whimpered softly as Mac scraped his teeth over Tanner’s jugular. He kept one hand on Mac’s shoulder and gripped the back of the couch with the other one. Tanner arched up as Mac licked one of his nipples.

“Shit.” He shuddered when his lover pinched the hard nub with his teeth. “I’m not sure if this is the best time. You need to get home and changed before you go in to work.”

His weak protest drew a rumbling sound from Mac. Tanner managed to open his eyes and met Mac’s. One more teasing nibble and Mac eased away. Tanner flopped back, covering his face with his arm.

“Why have I suddenly become diligent about work? I should have kept my mouth shut,” he complained.

“Come on. You’re right, and we’ll pick up where I left off later.” Mac held out his hand to help Tanner off the couch.

“Do you want a cup of coffee to go?” Tanner paused. “I can brew a cup for you.”

“I thought you didn’t drink coffee,” Mac said over his shoulder as he headed to the bedroom.

“I don’t anymore, but I still keep some on hand in case I have guests who do.” Tanner pursed his lips. “It’s a new can of coffee. I threw out the last one since I don’t tend to have a lot of guests over.”

“Sure. If you don’t mind.” Mac’s voice disappeared when he entered the bedroom.

“No problem.” He got everything ready and brewing before making his way back to the bedroom.

Mac was in the bathroom when Tanner got there. After pulling out a dress shirt and tie, Tanner stood at his dresser and listened to the water running in the sink. It had been a long time since he’d had any guy spend the night. Usually he’d either go over to their place or he’d kick them out right after the sex was done. Yet the thought never occurred to him last night or the night before to toss Mac out when they finished. What made the man so different from the others?

“Oh, you got a text or something. Your phone beeping woke me up. Sorry about not telling you sooner.” Mac came out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt.

“Thanks.” Tanner fought the urge to rush over and check his phone. It wasn’t his work one since that had been out in the living room with him. He grabbed some briefs from the dresser and tossed them on the bed. “You heading out?”

“Yeah.”

Mac encircled Tanner’s waist, drawing him close. Their lips came together in a gentle kiss, more like
good morning and have a good day
than
let’s fuck right now
. Tanner played with the damp hairs at the base of Mac’s skull. Their tongues stroked along each other, and Tanner shivered as his cock hardened. One more quick kiss and Mac stepped away.

“If we don’t stop now, we’ll be in bed until noon, and we’ll both get our asses chewed.”

As much as Tanner hated to agree, he did. “You’re right. Get going. I’ll call you when I’m ready to come over and look at the physical evidence.”

“See you later then.” Mac slapped him on the ass as he walked by.

“Jackass,” Tanner grumbled, rubbing the offended cheek.

He waited until the front door shut behind Mac before picking up his personal phone from the nightstand. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he scrolled through for missed messages. His hand shook slightly, hoping it wasn’t bad news.

Back in Houston.Small emergency.

Shit! He typed quickly.
U ok?

Tanner wanted to pace but kept his body still. No reason to worry. There probably wasn’t anything wrong, and really, even if there was, he couldn’t do anything about it. Not without losing his job and probably coming under investigation himself.

Fine. Business related.

He breathed a sigh of relief.
Thx for letting me know. B careful.

Always.

Shutting his phone, he tossed it on the mattress next to him. He braced his elbows on his knees and studied the carpet. He needed to take the time soon to decide if he wanted to keep his life the way it was. It got harder and harder to keep everything separate, and unless he wanted to cut out a very important part of his life, he knew what he had to do.

Tanner stood and shoved his hands through his hair, vowing to seriously think about his future after the case was solved. His phone beeped again. He flipped it open and checked the text.

Lilies.

A smiled crossed his face as he typed in:
Got it.

He returned the phone to the sheets before stripping as he strolled into the bathroom. He needed to get dressed and go to work. He needed to type up his profile and take it over to Mac; plus he had some other cases to go over with Sam. It was going to be a busy day, but he’d take lunch and go visit his mother’s grave. He tried to get there once a week, just to say hi. Might seem a little creepy, but he liked to go to the cemetery. An odd sense of peace filled the air, and he always came back refreshed to face the terrible crimes he investigated.

He snorted and climbed under the hot water. God, he was weird. Probably why he’d ended up in the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI instead of as a regular agent. It took a certain type of mind-set to work as a profiler, and Tanner had found he was good at his job, even though it gave him nightmares and an ulcer. At certain times, Tanner thought he was going out of his mind with how easily he connected with the serial killers and mass murderers he interviewed. Each time it got easier to understand how they killed and why. The ease he felt slipping into the minds of killers bothered him.

Tanner ducked his head and let the water wash away his thoughts. He needed to focus on the Knife case and not worry about his own mind. He had all the time in the world afterward to clean the images out of his brain.

Chapter Seven

Tanner frowned as he picked up an envelope placed on his desk. It was addressed to Agent Wallace, but the handwriting didn’t look familiar. Since all mail was x-rayed and checked before being delivered, he decided to open it. He slit the flap and removed the folded paper. He opened it and began to silently read.

Agent Wallace,

I’m a little put out by the ridiculous nickname the media has given me. You would think they could come up with something more creative. I want to wish you good luck in trying to catch me. Maybe we’ll meet soon.

The Knife.

Holy fuck
! Tanner dropped it on his desk and grabbed his phone. He called the crime scene techs to come and take the note to the lab. They’d have to check it for fingerprints and all that. After talking to them, he informed Sam, who joined him in his office.

“That sounds like a threat to me,” Sam commented.

Tanner nodded. “But it doesn’t make sense. He kills women. Why choose to threaten me unless he’s trying to upset me?”

“It’s possible.” Sam stepped back when the tech arrived. “We need a copy of the note ASAP.”

“Certainly, sir.” The tech nodded and left.

“As soon as I get a copy, I’ll take it over to Guzman. He’ll want to study it himself.” Tanner cleared his throat. “We think we found the connection between the victims.”

Sam’s eyes lit up. “Really? What is it?”

“They all work out at gyms. I believe he goes and picks out his victims there.” Tanner rested his hands on his hips.

Sam sat, crossed his legs, and grunted. “You could be right about that.”

They discussed several different angles to the case while they waited for the copy of the letter. Finally Tanner’s laptop dinged, and he checked his e-mail. The tech had scanned the note and sent him a copy. He printed it out and grabbed his keys.

“I’m going over to talk to Mac and Billingsley. I’ll call you if I find anything.”

Sam waved him out.

* * * *

Mac groaned silently as he walked into the bull pen and spied Sorensterm sitting at his desk.
Great
. His morning had started so well. He didn’t need Sorensterm’s bullshit.

“Where were you last night, Guzman?” Sorensterm raised an eyebrow in Mac’s direction.

“I worked on the case. Why? Were you checking up on me?” He stopped a few feet short of Sorensterm.

Sorensterm shrugged. “I thought we could kick around some ideas. See if we could come up with a connection between the victims. Guess you don’t need my help, huh? Not when you’ve got that faggot Fed to suck your cock. Makes working late easier.”

Mac gritted his teeth but kept his hands clenched at his sides. He couldn’t hit Sorensterm, no matter if the man deserved it or not. He was already walking a thin line with Billingsley. Punching a fellow ranger would get his ass suspended.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about. I was going over the credit card statements of the victims.”

He pushed past Sorensterm, trying not to touch him. Maybe not acknowledging the man would make Sorensterm go away, but he had a feeling his fellow detective wasn’t going to let it go. Mac sat at his desk and turned on his computer. He had to write up the report before seeing his boss.

Sorensterm leaned over, getting right in Mac’s face. “I think you owe me something for not saying anything to the boss.”

“Say what?” Mac didn’t like giving ground, but Sorensterm’s rank breath caused his eyes to water.

“You’re a fag, Guzman. Don’t deny it. What do you think Billingsley will say to that? I think I deserve something for not mentioning it to everyone.”

Panic skated over Mac.
Shit
. Sorensterm must have sensed Mac’s sudden nervousness. He backed up with a vicious grin.

“I’ll get back to you on what you owe me.”

Fuck
! Mac wanted to punch something or someone. He should just come clean with Billingsley and deal with the fallout. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to screw up the courage. Shaking his head, he pulled out the list of gyms. It was their first possible lead, and he wouldn’t let Sorensterm throw him off.

“Detective Guzman, you have visitors.”

Mac crumpled the list of gyms in his hand as he saw the Levistons walk into Company A’s headquarters.
Shit
! He’d forgotten to call them earlier about being able to get Marissa’s body. He threw the papers on his desk and went to intercept them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Leviston, I’m sorry I didn’t call you like I said I would. I got the release notice from the ME last night, and I’ve been busy with a slight break in the case this morning.”

He held out his hand, and Marissa’s father shook it.

“We understand, Mac. We’d prefer you focus on who killed our daughter. You said you had a break in the case.” Mr. Leviston looked at him eagerly.

“I can’t go into details, but it moves us closer to finding the person who did this to Marissa. I’ll call down to the morgue and have someone come up to help you make arrangements to get Marissa’s body to the funeral home.” He gestured toward his desk. “If you’d like to sit down while you wait.”

After getting them coffee, he called down to the coroner’s office and arranged for someone to come and collect the Levistons. He hung up and sat down next to Mrs. Leviston. Her wan smile tugged at his heart.