Chapter 23
Kylie glanced at the clock on the wall and again at her cell phone as it rang for the third time. “Hello,” she said, and adjusted her Bluetooth in her ear. “Did you stay home from school today?”
“Mom said I could.” Dani sounded like her usual happy self. “I drew a picture of the guy in that black SUV last night. Would you like to see it?”
Kylie perked up, hoping more would come to Dani today. Any information Dani offered would only bring Kylie and Perry closer to arresting the asshole. “I’d love to see it,” she said, not hiding her excitement.
“I figured you would, although I find it interesting that a picture I drew of a guy who tried to kidnap me would appeal to you so much if you aren’t a cop.” Her tone was victorious, as if she’d just busted Kylie.
Kylie didn’t sleep for shit last night, waking up several times and reaching for Perry only to realize he wasn’t sleeping next to her. Nor would he ever be sleeping next to her. He’d made as much clear last night when he told his nieces, on two different occasions, that he and Kylie were not a couple. If thoughts of pressing whatever it was between the two of them further truly appealed to Perry, he would prepare his family for the fact, get them to accept her. Perry took what he wanted and made the world accept him for who he was.
It just wasn’t meant for the two of them to be together, other than possibly to share some mind-blowing sex while working an investigation. That was enough to depress her through the day, and it was a fight to keep her spirits up.
Kylie managed to laugh. “You got me. I’m busted.”
“You are? I knew it,” Dani said, and made a whooping sound through the phone.
Kylie laughed even harder.
“What?” Dani demanded.
“You’re funny. I’m not a cop.”
“Damn you. That isn’t funny.” She didn’t sound as if she pouted too hard. “Why were you so thrilled to see my drawing?”
“Because it would make you happy,” Kylie explained, thinking quickly, on her toes. “A very traumatic experience happened to you last night, something many people never have happen to them as long as they live. You need to work through it, and if drawing the guy you saw helps you, then I very much want to see what you’ve drawn.”
“Well, you know where I am,” Dani said. “I’m not allowed to leave the house or even unlock the front door. I don’t think Mom meant you couldn’t come over, though.”
“Call her and get permission and let me know,” Kylie told her, and glanced up when John Athey paused in the doorway of Paul’s office, where she’d set up camp this morning while Paul was at a doctor’s appointment. “I’ll talk to you soon, Dani.” Kylie said good-bye and pulled her Bluetooth from her ear. “Good morning,” she said, again looking at the wall clock and confirming it was still morning. It seemed as though it should be almost five.
“You mind filling me in on the excitement you had last night?” John asked, crossing his arms as he leaned in the doorway.
Kylie was convinced John simply wasn’t a happy man. Either that or he really didn’t like her. He scowled at her now as if whatever it was he’d heard about last night didn’t impress him, or pissed him off.
“You already knew I had plans to have dinner with Perry-Lieutenant Flynn’s sister and her daughters,” Kylie began, ignoring the frown that created more lines on John’s face as he watched her.
“And you knew I told you not to go,” he informed her dryly.
“It’s a damn good thing I did go. We’re closer to Peter than ever now. And we’ve got a witness who can ID him.”
“Do you really think Flynn will allow his niece to be used as bait to bring the perp in?”
“Of course not. I would never ask him to do that. She’s only sixteen.”
“You make it sound like he would do anything you would ask of him.”
“Do you want to discuss my personal life or this case?” Kylie snapped, and stood to refill her coffee.
“Tell me what happened last night.”
“I ate dinner with Megan and her daughters and then Perry picked me up to take me home.”
“To take you home?” John interrupted. “Why didn’t you drive there?”
“I’d planned on it.” She needed to choose her words carefully, without tipping John off that she’d fucked Perry. And that she couldn’t wait to fuck him again. “He insisted. I think he wanted to be there when introductions were made.”
“Cut the crap,” John hissed, walking into the office and stopping when he loomed over her. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”
Kylie stood, glaring at him even though he was a good six inches taller. “I know exactly who I’m talking to,” she sneered. “And I’d like the same respect. I’m getting damn close to cracking this case wide open, and your going on about my private life is distracting us from the issues.”
“Your private life becoming a distraction is the issue.” He narrowed his gaze on her. “Not to mention you were specifically asked to stay away from anyone who could be a suspect.”
“For crying out loud!” Kylie threw her hands up in the air while turning and pacing the length of the small office. “His own niece was almost abducted last night. Do you really think he’s a suspect?”
“Mighty damn convenient that she was
“Would you rather have had her raped and killed?”
“What I would rather have is an agent who does as she’s told.” John stepped in her path, preventing her from pacing. “You can date a cop, or you can solve this case.”
Kylie froze. Anger attacked so hard she damn near shook from it. John didn’t have the authority to fire her, but his word would carry a lot of weight if he filed an official complaint about her performance. As much as she ached to say a few choice words to him, Kylie stepped around him, grabbed her purse, and stormed out of the office.
“I’ve got a job to do,” she sneered, grinding her teeth while the bilious words fought to slip out.
“I’ll take that as your answer.”
“I don’t do ultimatums,” she growled, storming out of the building and into the parking lot.
Her outrage hadn’t subsided when she pulled up in front of Dani’s house. As Kylie parked behind Perry’s Jeep, mixed emotions hit her that he was here, too. She’d forgotten to call Dani to make sure her mother was cool with Kylie being there, and pulled out her cell phone to place the call while staring at the back end of his car.
Perry wasn’t worth losing her job over. She scrolled down her list of numbers to Dani’s number while repeating that mantra inside her head. What pissed Kylie off more than anything was that field supervisors seldom cared what she did in her downtime while working in their cities. And not that it happened that often, but she’d seen men before on the side while handling a case. Nothing ever that serious. Other agents did it, too.
“Dani, I’m here,” Kylie said when Dani answered the phone. “Did your mother say it was okay?”
“My uncle is here, so I know it is okay. I’ll unlock the door.” Dani hung up without saying anything else.
Kylie dropped her phone into her purse and shut off her car, putting her keys away, too. Grabbing her door handle, she paused when a black Suburban drove by. She froze, certain she’d seen wrong, but her wits returned quickly and she jumped out of her car, squinting to catch the letters and numbers on the tag.
XLS519.
“I know those are the same,” she grunted, dragging her phone out and feeling the cool hardness of her gun brush against her knuckles. Kylie snapped her purse shut and pushed speed dial on her cell phone, pausing on the walk leading to Dani’s home. “This is Special Agent Kylie Donovan,” she said quietly, glancing at the house and then back in the direction the Suburban headed. “I need you to run a tag for me, Kansas, Johnson County, XLS five-one- nine.”
She fidgeted, waiting while the dispatcher at the FBI field office chatted with her about nothing while pulling up the tag. Paul was out of the office, and the last person Kylie wanted to speak with was John, so the dispatcher would do.
“Are you sure you got the tag number right?” the dispatcher asked. He cleared his throat before she could answer. “I mean, if you did, it’s a fake.”
