WATCHING (28 page)

“
That
’
s her
,
”
Georgia said.
“
Hell? I think we need to get Jules on this one as fast as we can
.
”

“
If he
’
s devolved this rapidly, it
’
s not good
,
”
Hell added, moving closer to her unconsciously. She felt his hand rest against her back.
Strong. Supportive.

“
Jones, have a few of your men take pictures of the crowd
,
”
Georgia ordered.

“
You think this bastard
’
s here
?
”
Jones
’
body tensed.

“
Relax! Don
’
t give it away!
”
Hell
’
s hand dropped to his weapon, rested against it.
“
He
’
s probably watching, needing the thrill from seeing the consequences of his actions. Especially since, at this point, the high he gets from each kill has decreased markedly. That
’
s one reason why he
’
s devolved. He needs the kill more; so much so that he couldn
’
t wait until evening this time
.
It
’
s about the kill now. The sexual assault is just secondary, now.
”

Georgia echoed Hellbrook
’
s movement, her eyes scanning the crowd from behind her dark glasses she
’
d pulled from her bag. She cataloged every male she could see, concentrating on those that fit the physical profile the team had already established. She began walking toward the west and Jules
’
team processing the body
, aware of Hell walking to the east and the back edge of the parking lot, giving the orders in a soft voice to Jones and his two agents, telling them to fill the gaps.

If Hell or Georgia saw the man
—
and at this point Georgia knew they
’
d recognize him by the unavoidable fascination he
’
d have for the victim
—
they
’
d be able to trap him between them and signal Jones and his men to close in.

Georgia saw him first; the man
’
s frantic pacing signaling more than normal curiosity for the proceedings. He looked familiar, his dark hair, shorter build, and wider shoulders sparking a hint of recognition. It took her less than ten seconds to place him. He
’
d stopped her outside the coffee shop.

Chapter
3
6

****

Hell saw Georgia
’
s signal from his spot
a hundred
feet away. He nodded to Jones as soon as he saw what Georgia had found.

They moved in, Jones speaking quietly into his radio.

The man in question didn
’
t appear to notice, his eyes trained on the small-boned, brunette medical examiner as she ordered the body loaded onto a gurney. He was moving closer to Dr. Bellows, slowly, inexorably, agitatedly.

Hell was within
seventy
-five feet when a loud wail sounded. He jerked his head toward the edge of the police barrier, seeing an older woman trying to push through the crowd. The local sheriff moved to intercept the woman whom Hell assumed was Maggie Evans
’
mother as Hell turned his attention back to the man.

His eyes met watery, excited blue eyes. Hell
’
s mind clicked into place.

The man
’
s attention was focused on the body of the latest victim, an unholy fascination in the proceedings clear on his ordinary face. He disappeared into the crowd, stepping closer to the body.

Georgia was moving. She moved into the crowd, having as easy a time as the UNSUB, her smaller body and agile steps finding her the clearest path almost effortlessly. He couldn
’
t see her
—
or the UNSUB, as the crowd began to jostle, trapping him in its midst. Hell stopped and yelled to Jones
’
two agents.
“
Cut him off at the road! Move, move, move!
”

Hell started shoving his way through the people staring at him.
“
Move! Dammit, move!
”

***

Georgia knew she had seconds to act. The man seemed oblivious to the crowd surrounding him, and that told her that he had completely broken with reality. He was not concerned with the dozen agents and cops surrounding the scene. He didn
’
t care about the onlookers pressing against the crime scene tape. He was focused on whatever he had to have.
Whom
ever he had to have. They had either two outcomes if someone didn
’
t take control of the situation as soon as possible
—
the UNSUB would hurt someone else, or he
’
d hurt himself.

Georgia would by far prefer the latter, but she didn
’
t want the man dead. She wanted him to be forced to sit in a courtroom and have to face the parents and relatives of those children and women he had hurt. She wanted his choices taken from him the way he
’
d taken his victims
’
. That
’
s what she
’
d promised Katherine Montehue.

It was a far greater punishment to force someone to live under someone else
’
s control than to let that person kill themselves, using the police as the weapon.

There would be no suicide-by-cop for this
monster
.

Georgia jerked between two onlookers, cut a diagonal over the asphalt. Her stomach lurched when she realized the man was focused on a
new
target. He
’
d slipped beneath the crime tape and was now a direct member of the action.

Jules
had her back to the UNSUB and he was getting closer. She was focused on the work in front of her, unaware of what was happening around her. Behind her.

Georgia ran.

T
hir
ty
feet away. She could hear Hellbrook yelling behind her. Jones and his men were on the other edge of the large parking lot moving in the same direction. Toward Jules. But they would be too late. Heartbeats passed. Georgia was
fifteen
feet away.

He was a yard behind her best friend. His face was tight with animosity and a fervent hatred. He held something in his left hand
—
probably the stun gun he
’
d used to control his victims
—
and he was reaching even as he was moving closer. At that moment, Jules bent down beside the body of Maggie Evans, making furious notes on the pad in her hand. The UNSUB missed her. Jules was still unaware.

He reached for Jules again.

“
Jules! Down!
”
Georgia shouted.
“
Down! Down! Down!
”

Her friend reacted immediately, hitting the concrete beside the victim
’
s body, and covering her head with both arms.

Georgia leaped over Jules and the body of Maggie Evans.

She hit the UNSUB mid-waist, taking him to the ground. She ignored the jarring in her right shoulder, ignored the burn of the concrete against her elbow and her left knee, and the sharp jab of the UNSUB
’
s knee into her abdomen. She even ignored the man
’
s attempts to throw her off of him by bucking wildly.

She had him down, and that
’
s where he was staying.

Chapter
3
7

****

By the time Hell got through the crowd, Georgia had brought the man to his back, holding him pressed to the ground with her weight. Her knee rested on his ribs, her good hand was wrapped tightly in the man
’
s hair.

She looked fierce, and Hell couldn
’
t decide if he was proud or angry at her actions. She
’
d stopped the bastard. Before he could hurt anyone else. That was what it was ultimately about. He reached her in time to help flip him over and snap a pair of cuffs around the UNSUB
’
s wrists. The man lay on the ground sobbing.

Hell pulled Georgia to her feet, using her good arm as leverage. He searched the crowd.
“
Jones! Get him out of here!
”

Before the crowd turned and realized the man responsible for so many deaths was in their midst. Jones must have understood the necessity. He pulled the UNSUB to his feet and he and two of his men ushered the man to a waiting SUV. That left Hell to deal with his agent.
“
Georgia
—
let
’
s go
.
”

“
Something doesn
’
t seem right
.
”
Was all she said.

He waited until they reached the second SUV. Jones
’
people had effectively done crowd control, ensuring that Hell and Georgia had plenty of breathing room. Dr. Bellows hadn
’
t even reacted to the sudden onslaught of drama. She
’
d stuck by the victim
’
s body until it entered the ambulance for transport. Hell had to admire that dogged determination. She had to have realized the man was going after her, but she
’
d done her job.

Georgia said very little. He shut the door behind him before he spoke.
“
Did you hurt yourself
?
”

“
No
.
”
She watched the first SUV as it pulled out, siren blazing on its roof.

“
Are we going to extradite him to the South Dakota facility
?
”
Georgia leaned against the seat as Jones
’
man guided the car onto the highway.

“
For now, I think we
’
ll keep him here. The locals in Carterville are angry. Four teenage girls, two young women, and one living victim in South Dakota, it will take little incentive for them to snap. Even some of the LEOs. I want to do some deep questioning. Ensure this is our bastard
.
”
He moved closer, pulled her injured arm down slightly. He didn
’
t miss the way she tensed.
“
Did you hurt yourself
?
”

He didn
’
t miss the way the driver
’
s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror speculatively. Hell knew what the other man had heard. His voice had dropped intimately. Lover-like and concerned. If this stranger had noticed, would she?

***

They took twenty minutes to freshen up once they arrived at the new precinct, to get something to drink and to discuss strategy. It would take double that to process the UNSUB. They didn
’
t even know his name.

“
What do you want from me
?
”
Georgia asked the question that had been at the back of her mind since the moment in the E.R. when Hellbrook had said he wanted her.

“
What do you mean
?
”

“
I mean this. Technically, Hell, we
’
ve slept together. Not exactly something I did with my last boss
.
”

“
I
’
m sure Brockman probably wouldn
’
t have minded
.
”
He voiced the one thing about Brockman that had always eaten at him.

“
Excuse me
?
”
She grew at least an inch taller when her spine straightened and she glared at him. Her dark eyes flashed as she moved closer.
“
What are you implying
?
”

“
Absolutely nothing
.
”

“
It wasn
’
t nothing, Hellbrook
.
”
She jerked around, turned her back to him.
“
You know, I can
’
t figure you out
.
”

“
How
’
s that
?
”
He didn
’
t know why he
’
d said anything, especially that part about Brockman. He
knew
there were no romantic feelings between her and the other man. Those thoughts had been allayed months ago.

“
You treat me like a pariah for months and then it goes away. Changes
—
because
you
say so? What am I supposed to think? It
’
s not exactly realistic
.
”

“
That I finally got my head out of my ass
?
”
He grabbed her by the belt-loop when she stepped away from him.
“
Georgia-
”

“
And it
’
s as simple as that to you? What about my life, my view on things? You change your mind
—
get your head out of your ass
—
and I
’
m expected to fall in line? You
’
re arrogant, Hellbrook. And that
’
s infuriating
.
”

“
I wouldn
’
t say I
’
m arrogant
.
”

“
I would. Do you need me to profile you? Let
’
s see
—
you succeeded at an earlier age than most agents. Twenty-six when you were appointed to the west coast
’
s Behavioral Analysis unit, right? So, there was the prodigy factor. Bound to lead to a bit of over confidence
.
”
She ticked off her points on her fingers with jerking movements.
“
Then, ten to one you
’
re either an only child or an oldest. You are too used to taking control. You have the arrogance that your orders will be followed. And then there is this unit. Founded, when a decade ago? And mostly on your say-so. Something else to lend arrogance
.
”

“
Is that so wrong
?
”
Is that how she saw him? An arrogant asshole?
“
I worked hard for all of that, and I
’
m not ashamed of it
.
”

“
You shouldn
’
t. But you also shouldn
’
t assume that because you say so, I
’
m going to fall in with what you
’
ve planned. It doesn
’
t work that way
—
not even in cheesy romance novels. What are you expecting
—
that once this is over we
’
ll go back to your motel room, have wild monkey sex, and everything bad between us will go away
?
”

“
Excuse me
.
”
The flat voice behind them had them both jumping and spinning toward the door. The medical examiner stood inside the doorway.
“
I wanted to let you know the biologicals from your UNSUB will be processed against those left at Claire Reid
’
s scene. And cause of death
for Maggie
was strangulation. Apparently he wanted it done much quicker this time. And now I
’
ll let you get back to your discussion regarding wild monkey sex. Now, I
’
ve prepared the victim for transport and am heading back to Rapid City. George, talk to you later...and enjoy
.
”

Bellows said it all with a completely straight face, then exited.

“
Well
,
”
Georgia said.
“
That was embarrassing. Anyone other than Jules..
.
”

“
I
’
d be stupid to say no to the wild monkey sex
.
”
Hell pulled her closer, then tilted her head back with one finger under her chin.
“
It won
’
t change. And I don
’
t expect you to fall into line. But I
’
m tired of hiding how I feel. I
’
ve wasted too much time by being an idiot where you
’
re concerned. But if you can look at me right now and tell me this is all on my side, then I
’
ll pretend this never happened. We
’
ll go back to being Hellbrook and Dr. Dennis, period
.
”

She bit her lip, her dark eyes widened slightly. It was clear to him she hadn
’
t expected him to turn the control over to her.
“
Georgia? Is it one-sided? Should I back
off
?
”