reluctantly. Obviously, this barely put together detective had the ability to calm her when no one else did and Jordan thanked him silently. “What Detective Foxx means is that we’ve lost a lot of sleep over this case and not being any closer to catching the guy hits you in the gut. Forgive us, if we take things a little personally around here.”
Jordan shook her head from side to side. “It’s my fault.” She lowered her eyes from Rebecca’s glaring gaze ruefully. “I know what it’s like to have someone question how you do your job. Thank you for sharing your case files with us. We’ll get out of your hair now.”
Jordan grabbed Matt and started to leave. She turned back and met Rebecca’s gaze, once again looking inside her. “Whatever we can do to help, please let me know. You have my promise that even though our intrusion is off the record, you will have the full resources of the FBI.”
Rebecca nodded her headed slightly, a small sign that for the first time she might appreciate the help. “Thank you, Agent Gray.”
Chapter 4
Jordan knocked on the door leading into Julie’s room. She met Susan’s eyes, giving her a slight nod to let her know that she and Matt had already met with the CDD already. She didn’t take the folder with case notes out of her jacket for fear that it would upset Julie. “Assistant Director Mitchell.”
Susan’s wary eyes met hers, and she could see they were red-rimmed. “Susan, please. We’re outside the office.”
“Susan.” Jordan’s voice was decidedly low, given the sterile and ominous surroundings. She gestured towards Julie, who was still under heavy sedatives. “How is she?”
Susan stood up and rolled her shoulders. The ache that had started when her partner had been attacked hadn’t stopped. She wasn’t sleeping, and it showed. “Resting, finally. She’s been having nightmares.”
“As expected.” Jordan rested her hand on Susan’s arm. She met her eyes, not masking the concern in her own. “How are you holding up?”
“I’ve been better.” Susan shrugged. “I’m sure when the shock wears off, and I finally sit down, it will all hit me. I’m certain I’ll fall apart then.”
“Call me if you do. We’ll talk.” Jordan’s voice carried her concern. She suddenly felt closer to Susan, as if they were friends, and she wasn’t her subordinate. They would return to that when protocol dictated, but for now, Jordan knew Susan needed a friend more than a coworker.
Susan let herself feel anger for a few brief moments then her body grew tight and Jordan felt her pull away, physically and mentally. Her eyes flicked to Julie then back again, satisfied she was still asleep. “Did you get any leads from the CDD?”
Jordan shook her head. “Not here. Let me get you a cup of coffee. There’s a Starbucks right around the corner. You look like you could use a break.”
Susan looked as though she might resist, but her weariness got the better of her. “A quick one, okay?”
Jordan nodded her acquiescence. “Fifteen minutes.”
They rode the elevator in silence and didn’t talk again until they were seated at a corner table, nursing Venti coffees. Jordan pulled the folder out of her jacket and slid it on to the table in front of Susan.
Susan eyed it suspiciously and raised an eyebrow in Jordan’s direction. “This is it?”
“It’s not much to go on, I know. I’m hoping that Julie can give us at least a somewhat decent description of the UNSUB.”
Susan scanned the file quickly. The tips of her ears reddened as she read, the only sign that her ire was raising with every sentence. She finally shut the file and leaned back in her chair. “He’s a fucking monster.” She ran a hand through her unruly hair. She looked like she hadn’t slept or showered in days. She leveled Jordan with her gaze, hints of helplessness juxtaposed by seething anger. “I want him dead.”
“Is that my boss or my friend talking?” Jordan saw the mixed emotions in her eyes. “I know this is personal, but I need to know.”
Susan shook her head. “I can’t answer that. My heart wants this bastard dead for what he took from me, from Julie. I know he should rot in prison for his crimes, but why should he get to live when my baby is dead?”
Jordan watched the tears well in her eyes. Susan was making it even more difficult to keep her distance from the case. She was already too close to it. She needed to get that emotion under control, so she didn’t make a mistake. “I’m sorry, Susan. I’m so sorry for your loss. I won’t sit here and say that I know what you are going through. However, I will promise you today, we will get him, dead or alive.”
Susan saw the understanding in Jordan’s eyes. “I know you will. That’s why I asked you to do this for me.” Her eyes dropped, and she rolled her cup around in her hands. “I know that I don’t have to tell you what I want.”
Jordan shook her head from side to side. Susan didn’t need to tell her that officially or unofficially, it didn’t matter. She wanted him to suffer and eventually die. If asked on an official basis, both knew they would never say those words out loud. They would swear only to catch him and having faith in the justice system. Neither one would ever voice anything other than blind faith in the law. “No, you don’t.”
“How did the Detective treat you?”
“Alright.” Jordan smiled ruefully, her mind going back to yesterday’s encounter. “She did make it quite clear that she didn’t give a rat’s ass that we were FBI, and her only reason for cooperating in the least, was her desire to catch this bastard. She’s ballsy. She might be the best person to have taken the case. I don’t see her giving up.”
“I guess if she doesn’t put up with your shit, she won’t let anyone run over her.” A hint of a smile played on Susan’s face. Whatever their relationship, the two women had a lot of respect for each other. Jordan knew any teasing from her boss was because she genuinely liked her.
“Hey, she didn’t fall for Matty, either.” Jordan said defensively. She wasn’t sure why it mattered that Detective Foxx had shot her down. She tried to tell herself to take the rejection and move on, but her thoughts had returned to the hot redhead more times than she was comfortable admitting.
“Don’t get sidetracked, Gray.” Susan said sternly. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, but Jordan knew from the throwback to her last name that Susan wasn’t joking, and she wouldn’t be stupid enough to blow this case because she couldn’t keep her libido in check.
Jordan fidgeted in her chair. “I won’t, Assistant Dir…”
Susan waived a hand dismissively. “Jordan, please. I know I’m asking a lot for you and Matty to do this on your own time. I hope I’m not asking too much.”
“You aren’t.” Jordan shook her head. Her eyes turned cold. “I want him just as badly as you do.”
Susan gulped the remaining coffee and set the cup on the table. “I need to get back.” She stood up, her eyes telling Jordan to stay seated. She tapped a finger on the file and met Jordan’s eyes. “I’ll call you when Julie feels like talking. I’m not sure if she got a look at him. It was pretty dark. However, maybe she can remember something.”
Jordan watched her walk away; her shoulders huddled against the wind. Her heart went out to her boss. Her partner was safe, albeit hurt, but they had lost their baby. She hoped that the wounds she couldn’t see would heal with time.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number and waited. When he finally picked up, she smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey, boss.”
Jordan smiled again. His moniker for her made her smiled every time. She wasn’t his boss. In fact, he had shown her more than once that if anyone were boss, it was him. She stood up and stuck the file under her arm. “You busy?”
“Nah. What’s up?”
She could hear his gravelly voice and wondered how he was as healthy as he was when he smoked like a chimney. It seemed almost illegal that her trainer was in better shape than she was, given her strict diet and
