Page 21 of Lust
She should be here.
Had that incident on the fire escape been more serious than he gave credit? Thinking back, he tried to pinpoint any evidence that indicated a problem. It wasn’t the rats. She’d stared at her hands, then she’d fled. Remarkably, Liza had descended the fire escape with the dexterity and speed that had stunned him, but only cemented his suspicions about her training.
Conversation in the room picked up in decibel as more detectives and officers entered. Geoff, Joe’s colleague from the bureau, arrived late, tucking his shirt into his pants and straightening his hair. Joe frowned at him. How the rookie had passed through Quantico, he’d never know. Geoff was constantly late, always in a disarray, and his sandy brown hair was never neat. The twenty-two-year-old looked like a ring-in. But the ex-high-school quarterback was good with the grunt work and great in a fight.
Geoff jogged up to Joe and flashed him a cocky grin. “Sorry, I’m late.”
Joe stifled an eye-roll and handed over the case files pertinent to the briefing. “Stick those to the board once the official task force meeting starts.”
“Rogee.”
“You mean Roger.”
“Nope.” Geoff smiled again. “Rogee.”
Joe blew air through his teeth. Geoff was always making up his own words. As if he couldn’t look more incompetent, the petite detective who’d alerted Joe to the briefing arrived looking more disheveled than Joe remembered. He slid his gaze to Geoff who only cleared his throat and glanced away.
“Seriously?” Joe mumbled. “Couldn’t keep it in your pants for five minutes?”
Geoff replied, “It was a good five minutes.”
“Is that all it takes millennials these days?” Joe shot back wryly.
The portly Captain Morais entered the room and conversation shuttered. Joe doubted the man had ever been fit in his life. Burst blood vessels around his nose, neck, and face were a testament to his waning health. But being unfit hadn’t stopped the man from becoming Captain. He had a personality like a shark and was no one’s friend. Didn’t matter to Joe anymore. He wasn’t Joe’s boss, after all.
Without pausing to greet Joe, Morais took the podium at the front and cleared his throat. He opened his mouth—
“Sorry, I’m late.” Liza burst through the door.
Joe’s heart stopped at the sight of her.
Every. Damn. Time.
Long, sun-kissed brown hair. The body of an Amazon warrior. The smile of a seductress. Dark, amused eyes belonging in the bedroom. She wore tight jeans, a soft white shirt that clung to her shape with static and pulled under her arm from her holster. The CCPD badge pinned on her belt drew his eye to her swaying hips before she sat down near the back and placed her hands on the lecture desk. Black leather gloves covered her hands.
Odd.
When his gaze lifted to hers, he found she watched him. More specifically, the area below his belt too. She lifted her gaze and blushed.
One side of his lips curved upward.
“Day-um,” Geoff murmured, eyes on Liza. “She’s hot.”
“Act professional.”
“Rogee.”
Joe tuned into Morais’ brief.
“… As you all know, a slew of missing persons and homicides have been reported in the city over the past few months. Some homicides are linked to a killer known as the Ripper. To say the nickname is cliché is an understatement, but when the press runs with something, we’re stuck.” A laborious sigh. “So, we’re taking a multi-agency approach to catch this killer. A special task force based out of the CCPD will take advantage of a collaborative team effort and shared information from local and federal agencies.” Morais paused and looked at Joe. “Some of you remember Joe Luciano from his CCPD days. He’s now Special Agent Joe Luciano, and his colleague is Agent Geoff Slinksi. Our budget for team contribution will include Detective Lazarus and Detective Briggs. Please report to Special Agent Luciano for your briefing. Anyone gathering intel about the Ripper in Cardinal City, please forward it to the task force. That will be all. Dismissed.”
Captain Morais moved to leave the room. The crowd stood. Liza shot out of her seat and tried to head him off.
“Sir,” she protested. “I can’t be on the task force.”
Morais raised his brows. “Why?”
“The Ripper is a sex-related crime. I specifically requested to stay away from them.” She winced. “I don’t want to go back.”
