Page 64 of Tell Me Your Desires
Jaime had no choice but to follow Anya. She was already halfway out the back door before she had even finished her sentence. Derek zipped past Jaime, brushing her leg as he zoomed outside behind Anya. Since Anya hadn’t freaked out—like Jaime nearly had—she assumed this was an acceptable situation.
Anya crawled up onto a round, oversized porch swing and patted the space next to her for Jaime to join her.
Jaime stared, then blinked repeatedly before she managed to get her mouth working. “You have a floating bed in your backyard.”
Anya laughed. “I was going to correct you and tell you it was a hanging daybed, but?—”
“But that’s exactly what I just said.” Jaime sat gingerly on the edge of the floating bed, bouncing slightly to test the strength of the ropes holding it in place.
“What are you doing?”
Jaime bounced again. “Making sure this thing will hold us.”
“It will.”
Jaime glanced over her shoulder at Anya with a raised brow. “You’ve tested it with two people then?”
“No, but the weight limit is at least three times what we weigh together, and I’ve definitely tested the bounce factor.”
Jaime had been so busy studying the hardware that held the hanging daybed that shealmostmissed Anya’s admission. “E-excuse me?”
“I can tell youthatstory or the FBI story. Pick one.”
“Oh, you are evil.” Jaime abandoned her irrational fear of falling two feet should the daybed crash to the ground and settled in beside Anya. “I pick… the FBI story. Only because I fully intend to test the bounce factor on this thing with you myself.”
Anya’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. She watched on as Jaime found a comfortable position, her long legs stretched out and crossed. Anya would admit that she enjoyed seeing Jaime so relaxed here. “You surprise me with how patient you can be,” Anya confessed.
Jaime snorted. “I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered by that.”
Since Anya wasn’t sure how she meant it either, she merely smiled. “I’m just saying that you must keep this side of yourself reserved for victims or witnesses because I’ve been on the other side, and you’re quite surly.”
“Surly,” Jaime repeated. “I prefer to think of it as unflinchingly committed to seeking justice for those who need help.”
“Oh my. That was…” Anya rolled her eyes dramatically, causing Jaime to laugh.
“It may sound cheesy, but it’s true.” Jaime clasped her hands behind her head and stared up. “I guess I can be surly with suspects. I think I’m getting to know you a little, though. Rushing you to talk is a good way to either get you to clam up or to walk out completely.” Jaime turned on her side and gazed back at Anya. “I already feel like I’m pushing too hard. If I am, I’m sorry about that. Normally I’d wait until you were good and ready to let it all out, but I don’t think we have that luxury right now, Anya.” Jaime stroked a fingertip up the inside of Anya’s wrist. “If we’re going to be on the same page with all of this, I need to know what’s holding you back.”
“Just so we’re clear, I’m not sure I’lleverbe on the same page with you regarding your plan to use yourself as bait. However,” Anya continued before Jaime could argue with her, “I do owe you my story.”
“You don’toweme anything.” Jaime never wanted Anya to think she had to do this. While Jaime desperately wanted to know what was going on inside Anya’s head, she couldn’t force it out of her. If this woman chose to clam up in the next few minutes, there wasnothingJaime could do about it.
“No, I do. Not because you told me yours, but because you deserve to know who you’re getting involved with. Romantically and—if you get your way—professionally.” Anya paused briefly. “I’ve never told anyone what I’m about to say to you, Jaime.There’s an official account of what happened, and then there’s the truth.”
“I’m listening,” Jaime said softly, echoing the words Anya had said to her earlier.
Anya tooka deep breath and let it out slowly through her mouth. Derek must’ve sensed her anxiety because he’d abandoned whatever mischief he had been up to and jumped up into her lap. He turned three times, made a few biscuits as cats did, and then lay down, purring softly as Anya scratched his head.
“We were working a high-profile kidnapping case—a sixteen-year-old girl.” Anya began. “Every kidnapping is brutal, but this one had the added pressure of being the daughter of a councilman. Who also happened to be a good friend of the Special Agent in Charge.”
“So the scrutiny was high, and the leash was short,” Jaime guessed.
“Exactly. As you know, the first 48 hours, in any case, are the most crucial. The councilman wanted that cut in half. It was his daughter. We obviously understood his desperation, but this kidnapper was very meticulous. Dead-end evidence, no DNA, no leads. None of that mattered, though. When you’re a politician and a friend of the boss, things tend to get fast-tracked.”
“Including a profile, I’m assuming?”
“Yes.” Anya sighed. “What I do is based on many different aspects of a case. Some cases speak for themselves. But others?” She shook her head. “I hadn’t even had time to investigate the crime before I was asked to identify a person who would or coulddo this. Then, a file was thrown on my desk, and I was told the SAC wanted my profile by the end of the day.”
“What was in the file?” Jaime asked, wholly engrossed in Anya’s story. She and Max had taken a few ‘shortcuts’ before to get to justice, but nothing that would compromise a case or their colleagues.
