Page 106 of Girl Betrayed

“It was implied,” Jake said with a wink.

Dana rolled her eyes at him as Richter nodded to Jake’s coffee mug. “You got any of that for me?”

“Plenty,” Jake said, opening the door for them. “Come on in.”

Richter walked in first and Jake caught Dana’s hand, holding her back. “Hey,” he said, lowering his voice as she stared up at him. “You okay?”

He could see from the heaviness in her normally bright eyes that she wasn’t, but she nodded anyway. Jake squeezed her hand, letting her know he was there, nonetheless. “Come on, it’s freezing out here.”

Inside they gathered in Dana’s kitchen, Jake and Richter over coffee, Dana with a cup of freshly steeped mint tea. Jake watched the way she stared into the tendrils of steam, lost in thought as he and Richter reminisced about their Army days.

Jake studied the furrowed crease between Dana’s eyebrows, resisting the sudden urge to kiss her there. He knew better than to interrupt when she was working through something, but he hated seeing the toll this case was taking on her.

Claire padded into the kitchen, her arrival a welcome interruption. “I thought I heard you,” she said, grinning at Dana, but she froze when she saw Richter.

Dana jumped into action. “Claire, this is Agent Richter with the BAU. We’ve been working together on the Reaper case.”

“Oh,” was all Claire offered.

“Hello, Claire,” Richter said, offering a kind smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He extended his hand and Claire took a step back. Richter did the same and the room stilled to a strange standoff.

“Why are you here?” Claire finally asked.

Richter answered honestly. “To speak with you.”

“About what?”

“The case we’re working on. I’d like to ask for your help.”

“Why me?”

Richter looked at Dana who nodded. “Because we think you’re the only one who can get us the answers we need in time.”

“In time for what?”

It was Dana who answered. “To stop the Reaper from killing the next victim tonight.”

92

Claire satin the living room, jaw set tight as she nodded again. “I want to do it,” she insisted. Dana and Jake exchanged looks which only annoyed her further. “I said, I want to help,” she repeated, enunciating each word.

“Maybe take some time and think about it,” Jake recommended.

“I don’t need time, and we don’t have it, right?” Claire asked, turning her attention to Agent Richter.

It was obvious Dana and Jake had asked the BAU agent to take the lead in proposing this plan to stop the Reaper. Claire wasn’t sure if it was Richter’s calm demeanor that won her over or the fact that it was a neutral party asking rather than Dana or Jake.

Either way, she had difficulty denying the logic. Even with her help, they still might not find what they were looking for, but Claire didn’t want to be the reason more people suffered. Especially Max. What she didn’t understand was why Jake and Dana were suddenly fighting her when she finally agreed to cooperate.

Dana’s voice interrupted Claire’s thoughts. “We understand what we’re asking is a lot?—”

“No!” Claire erupted. “It’s not. Not if it proves Max is innocent.”

“Even if it means going under hypnosis again?” Dana clarified.

Claire nodded. “Yes, but …”

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