The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents #6)(38)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Yes, he had. “He’s killing the women, almost executing them, and I think he is doing it just to make their lovers suffer. He wants them to hurt, to grieve. When they’re broken, then he goes in—”

“—for the kill,” Mercer finished.

“He’s doing it again. It’s already in motion. I can see it now.” Her words were coming out too fast, so she tried to slow them down. “Gabrielle Harper. He’s not talking to her because she’s the reporter investigating his kills. He’s focused on her because of her relationship to Cooper.” A very personal relationship, judging by what she’d just seen in that interrogation room. “He’s already told us—we just didn’t realize—Gabrielle is his next target. And, once she’s dead…”

His voice and face grim, Mercer said, “He’ll go after Cooper.”

Chapter Ten

He shouldn’t be kissing her. He should be taking things slower, trying to soothe her. Trying to mend the fences that he’d destroyed.

But he needed her. So much.

His body pressed against hers, and Cooper knew that Gabrielle had to feel the force of his arousal. For her.

Everything was for her.

Her hands flew up and grabbed his shoulders. He tensed, expecting her to push him away.

Then her mouth parted beneath his. Her tongue met his. She kissed him back with the same raw, wild need that he felt.

In that moment, she nearly brought him to his knees.

Everything was going to be all right. Gabrielle understood why he’d kept his true identity secret. They could go back to the way things had been before.

Her taste made him light-headed, desperate for more.

His hands locked around her. He pulled her against him, holding the curve of her hips.

But then she shoved against him. “No.” Her voice was husky but brimming with anger. “Just because I want you, you aren’t going to get away with what you’ve done to me.”

Tears glittered in her gorgeous eyes. Actual tears.

“I trusted you. You broke into my home. You destroyed evidence.”

“I was following orders.” Those words seemed hollow to his ears.

She edged away from him. “That’s what you’re still doing. Let me guess…whoever runs this place told you to come in here and charm me again?”

He wasn’t touching that one.

She laughed, and the sound wasn’t like her at all. Gabrielle wasn’t that bitter. Gabrielle was open, happy.

“This isn’t going to work. We aren’t going to work.” She headed for the door.

He had to stop her. Cooper hated to do it, but he stepped into her path.

Her head tilted back as she stared up at him. “What are you going to do?” Gabrielle asked him as she swiped a hand over her cheek. “Handcuff me again?”

“No.” Stay calm. Stay calm. But it was hard because he felt like his world was unraveling before his eyes. “I’m going to make sure that you’re free to go, but in return, you have to do something for me.”

“I get to just walk out of here?” Doubt was plain on her face.

“We have your flash drive. You don’t know anything else about the EOD, nothing concrete. And if you try to cover the story, you will put lives at risk.” He crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. “That’s not who you are. You bring justice to families. You don’t go out and try to hurt anyone.”

“You actually sound as if you know me.”

“I do.” Better than he’d known any other lover.

“I wish I could say the same about you.”

Hit. The woman was lethal with her words.

“But I don’t know you,” Gabrielle continued on fiercely. “I feel like I’m staring straight at a stranger.”

“You’re staring at your lover.” She wasn’t going to deny that—deny them.

She gave a hard shake of her head. “I’m staring at an EOD agent who’s done nothing but lie to me.”

“I’m the one who got you out of Lockwood’s place so the cops wouldn’t find you there. I’m the one who’s been helping you.” She might not want to see the truth now, but sooner or later, she’d have to look past her rage.

I want sooner.

“We can keep helping each other,” he told her, trying to keep the desperate edge out of his words. “We make a good team, Gabrielle, and that doesn’t have to end. Agree to drop any inquiries into the EOD, and I’ll talk to my boss. I’ll get you out of here.”

Her eyelashes flickered. “Why did I get dragged into this place? If I already had an EOD agent with me day and night, then why did I—” She broke off as her eyes widened. “You.”

Hell. This was about to go from bad to worse.

“You were chasing after me. I ran from you, and you called in your backup, didn’t you?”

His back teeth had locked. “A killer is out there. After you. What was I supposed to do? Let you run straight into danger?”

“You don’t even know that he’s after me—”

The door opened behind Cooper.

“Yes,” Bruce Mercer’s distinct voice said clearly. “We do know that the killer is after you, Ms. Harper. And if you want to keep living, then I would suggest that you calm down and get used to the idea of working with the EOD.”

THE PROFILER WAS too damn good.

She’d been poking her head in where it didn’t belong, getting too close.

Trying to learn too much about me.

He hadn’t thought Mercer would pull in an outsider to hunt him.

He’d underestimated the bastard.

He hurried down the hallway. Other agents were working, barely glancing his way.

They knew that a killer was among them. Did they care?

No, because we’re all killers.

Some just hid that truth a bit better than others.

He rounded the corner. His gaze cut to the office on the right.

She was there.

He sucked in a deep breath and walked closer to her door.

Then he heard her laugh.

Rachel Mancini wasn’t alone, and there was only one man that ever made her laugh.

A few more steps and he saw that Dylan Foxx was leaning over her, putting his body too close to hers.

The fool gave away too much when he looked at Rachel. He made the same mistakes that Frank Malone had made with his Jessica.

His glances were too possessive, his posture too protective.

Rachel might not feel the same way that Dylan did, but what did that matter?