Seductive Reasoning (TASK FORCE HAWAII Book 1) (3 page)

“No other reports here on the island for something like this?” Del asked.

Adam shook his head. “I haven’t found anything. Even went on to search the mainland. Nothing.”

He sighed. “So, this is his first, and that means there will be more. Make sure to expand the search internationally. We need to cover all our bases here. There is no way he is going to stop at just one. Although, make sure there are no suicides in the next twenty-four hours.”

“You think he would kill himself after this?’ Graeme asked.

Del shrugged. “You never know. Sometimes, they just pop off, you know? They know the woman, they do this thing they have been dreaming about for months…years. Then, they accomplish it, and just lose it. Most of the time, they go on to kill again, but we just need to make sure that we check out each suspected suicide.”

“We need to get ahead of this, Boss,” Adam said.

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. We are fifteen days into the investigation, if you look at it from the time she disappeared. Means we will be working a lot of overtime to find this bastard.”

“Fine by me. We need to find him and string him up by his bollocks.”

Elle cleared her throat.

“You have something to add?” Del said.

“Other than I agree with the bollocks part, I truly think this isn’t his first time. Maybe on this island, but he did something like this before, even if he left the woman alive.”

“Why do you say that?” Del asked.

“The fact that he grabbed her off the street, kept her hidden, then posed her the way he did. He did all of this undetected. Even if he knew her, it would take someone very skilled to do what he did. Planned it out, and he made sure there were no witnesses. We might find him, but it makes me think that he has done this elsewhere.”

A sinking feeling filled his stomach again. He rubbed his hand over his belly, but it did nothing to help with the rising irritation.

Graeme chuckled. “And we all know which lass can help with it, but she told Del she wouldn’t work with him again.”

Del tossed a glare in the direction of the irritating Scot. He hadn’t spoken to her since their last fight, and Emma had been very clear about her feelings. He regretted the fight, but he hadn’t come up with a way to approach her yet. There was a good chance she would hit him with a two-by-four. Again.

“She isn’t the only person who could help with this. We’re all experienced.” Well,
they
were all experienced. They could even call in a profiler from the FBI.

“Don’t even think about it,” Adam warned.

“What?”

“We are not calling the FBI any sooner than we have to. You just need to man up and go talk to Emma. She’ll help if you ask.”

“I would say get her in here as soon as possible.”

Elle’s solemn statement made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He glanced at his ME. She wasn’t an alarmist.

“Why is that?”

“First, she is the best at making the connections we need here. You know that. You all are very good at your jobs, but she is good at giving all of us direction. Which normally, isn’t that important. But, this is…” she sighed.

“Spit it out, Sassenach,” Graeme said.

The usually cool-headed Elle narrowed her eyes. “I’ve told you not to use that term with me.”

Before they could develop a full-blown fight, Del stepped in. “What’s up?”

It took her a few seconds to gather her control before she looked at him. “She has a tattoo. On the small of her back. It’s a picture of Hina.”

“Hina?” Adam asked. “The Hawaiian Goddess of the moon?”

Elle nodded. “It is just a face, and I would not have known, but it is inscribed beneath her face. What do you know about her? I found a few sites online, but I wanted to do some deeper research.”

“There are a few stories about her. She left Earth to live in the Moon, because she could not stand the crowds of people. And, then there was one that is close to her being the queen of the underworld, but, of course, in Hawaiian culture, she would be beneath the sea. But I don’t see where it is that important.” He shrugged. “So, she had a tramp stamp. Not that uncommon around here.”

“Or anywhere for that matter,” Graeme said. “They are pretty accepted in today’s world, Dr. Middleton.”

His tone was condescending, and Del wouldn’t really blame Elle if she smacked him. Maybe that was what the giant Scot needed. But, Elle just straightened her spine and ignored him. Instead, she concentrated on Adam.

“Be that as it may, Grace did not have any tattoos. Not when she disappeared. They would have been noted in the missing person’s report. And, she did not get one the night she disappeared—at least that we know of. I believe this work was done over a couple of days.”

“Wait, are you saying she got the tattoo in the last couple of weeks?” Del asked.

She nodded, her gaze revealing the horror of what she had discovered. “I’m telling you this monster tattooed her and kept her while it healed. I believe it might be his calling card.”

A hush swept through the room. The morning had given them enough chills to last a lifetime, but this was depraved.

“And that means we need Emma, Boss. Seriously. She will dig to find connections all over the world for this,” Adam said. “If Elle is right, and I’m pretty damned sure she is, you need to hire Emma for this. We can be running down the leads, but you know how her mind works.”

Dammit, he wasn’t telling him anything Del didn’t already know.
Fuck
.

“I’ll call her.”

F
ifteen minutes later
, he realized that was easier said than done. Apparently, Emma had not forgiven him for their fight. He’d called a couple times, then it went straight to voicemail.

“Did you get hold of her?” Adam said walking into his office.

Del shook his head. “I need you to ping her. She didn’t answer any texts or calls. She might still be pissed at me, but she would at least tell me to bugger off.”

Adam nodded. “You know she won’t be happy about it, bra.”

He shrugged. “When has the woman
ever
been happy with me? I don’t have the luxury to see if she will come off her high horse and help us.”

Adam nodded. “I got that feeling too.”

He left Del alone. Yeah, the feeling. It was a ticking time clock linked up to a massive bomb. Hell, he would rather deal with a bomb than deal with this nutjob.

And, he would definitely rather defuse a bomb than face Emma, but if there was one thing he learned while in the military, you can’t always get what you want.

E
mma Taylor raised her leg
, then pivoted to deliver a roundhouse kick to the foam shield that her brother Sean held up for her. He barely acknowledged the kick, the wanker. She was sweaty—something she hated—and every muscle ached. She was trying to remember just why she was there in the first place.

Sean nodded. “Good, you landed it right in the middle that time.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, and it wouldn’t have taken anyone down. You didn’t even show any sign that I hit you.”

He shook his head. “You have more power in your legs. You know I keep telling you that. A little bit more training, and you will be ready. Besides, I’m ready for the kick and I’m holding a shield. On top of it, you’re small and people will think they have you at a disadvantage. Then, you’ll kick their ass.”

She nodded and grabbed her water. She had been working out for the last two hours, and she was ready to go back to her condo. Sean was doing what he thought big brothers were supposed to do. Since they had only known about each other for the past year, he had been trying to make up for what he called ‘lost time’. And, because she wanted to make him happy, she went along with it. Expecting her to work out in the sun without breakfast...that was just mean.

“Something else is bothering you,” he said, as he set down the shield and studied her. “You’re distracted. More than usual.”

She shrugged. It was hard to put her finger on it, but she felt…restless. More than usual. As someone who suffered from ADHD, it wasn’t that unusual, but this time, she felt off. It was as if she was missing something. It had affected her appetite and her sleep. She was used to dealing with insomnia, but skipping meals was just something she did not do, unless she was deep in a project.

“You know, Jaime, Randy, and I have a trip next month to Japan. You should come with us. Change of scenery would do you good.”

She glanced back up at the house that her brother shared with his two lovers. Emma didn’t have a problem with their lifestyle, and they were a lot of fun on trips. All three of them had been all over the world, so no matter where they went, she ended up seeing the real parts of the city, which she preferred over the tourist traps. Best yet, they always had wonderful stories about their time spent in other countries. When she went, she always was part of the whole.

At the moment, she just wasn’t in the mood to travel. Not right now. She had been moving around most of the last eleven years—really most of her life. It was nice now when someone asked her where she was from, she could say Honolulu.

“Emma?”

She shook her head. “No, I have some things I’m working on.”

He opened his mouth, but there was a shout from the lanai on the second floor.

“Hey, Del’s here,” Randy said.

“What’s he here for?” Sean asked, but Emma knew—
just
knew—why Del was there.

Randy chuckled. “The answer is who. I think he’s looking for Emma.”

She rolled her eyes. Since she had walked out of his office last month, she had not talked to Del. Elle had called her a couple of times, and she and Drew had lunch last week. Charity and Emma texted on a daily basis and that had not changed. She had avoided Task Force Headquarters.

Their fight last month had been brewing for months. He routinely ignored her advice right off the bat. She knew his job was to be diplomatic, but she felt he was hindering her abilities. When he ignored her suggestion on who the insider at the bank was, she had lost what little temper she had held onto. She had been right, of course, but he had said that it was just one of the possibilities. In the end, they still got the people responsible, but she couldn’t deal with working for him. She could handle people being assholes, but she would
not
deal with someone denying her intelligence.

“I take it you two haven’t talked,” Sean said, watching her.

“No.”

Sean sighed. “You knew he was going to hunt you down.”

“No, I didn’t. He actually said he was sick of working with me.”

Which had hurt. Granted, the man wasn’t the easiest to work with, but she had felt a connection to him early on. Other than Sean, he had been the only other person she trusted for the longest time. When they had their fight, they both said some horrible things. Of course, she had done her best not to show how much it hurt her, which wasn’t difficult. She hid her emotions easily—years of living on the street helped with that. It didn’t take away the pain, though.

She watched as Del came striding through Sean’s house. Tall, muscled, and with a gun. He wore it in a shoulder holster, and she had seen more than once he knew how to use it. But, she had the idea that he would rather use his fists. He was one of those types of guys who hit first and asked questions later. That was okay, because she was the same way.

As he stepped out onto the lanai, she tried not to sigh. It was difficult though. The man was built, and he had these milk chocolate eyes that she knew people called bedroom eyes. Dark, short hair, those eyes, and skin that just seemed to stay bronze naturally, and he was one delicious treat for the eyes.

Bloody hell, he was gorgeous. The green T-shirt with the pocket TFH logo stretched across his massive chest was tucked neatly into a pair of khaki cargo pants. She’d had more than a few thoughts about what he would look like without those pants…even though they gave everyone a good view of his ass. That had been part of her problem. The ongoing fantasies she had been having about him had made her grumpy. Especially since he treated her like he was her older brother.

“Taylor, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

And people said
her
manners were rude. She didn’t know why he insisted on using her last name. Like she was some kind of recruit. Del seemed to have forgotten he wasn’t in the Army anymore.

“When?”

“When, what?”

Sean rolled his eyes. “Emma is confused by you saying you have been trying to get hold of her. She would like to know when you were trying to get hold of her. Damn, now I feel like a translator.”

“This morning. We caught a case I’d like to hire you for.”

She didn’t directly work for Del. She was contracted out, mainly because they didn’t need her on staff, and because they couldn’t afford to hire her full time. She also had made sure that her contract had her attached to the governor. He seemed to forget that…all the time.

“I’ll let you two talk this out, because I’m sure there are things I don’t need to hear about the case,” Sean said. He kissed her on the cheek. “I think Randy said something about going to Leonard’s to pick up some treats.”

She nodded, but barely spared him a glance when he walked away.

“I told you I wasn’t working with you again.”

He sighed. “
For
me, Taylor. You work for me.”

She sniffed. “That’s not what the contract says, boy-o.”

He settled his hands on his waist. “While I would like to have a rehash of our argument from last month, this is more important. We found Grace Singh.”

The name gave her pause. She had been working on some software development the last couple of weeks, so she had missed a lot. Still, she had taken note of the schoolteacher’s disappearance. It was hard to miss since the entire island seemed to be looking for her. There were regular updates on the telly and online. Every hour during the day, the local radio stations were reporting the newest developments.

“I take it not alive.”

He shook his head and sighed again. In that moment, she saw it in his gaze. There was a horror there that could not be denied.

“She was murdered, and not in the usual way,” she said.

He nodded, once. “Did you see the news this morning?”

“No. I got up and came over here. Sean thinks I need to learn to protect myself.”

Del snorted, and she couldn’t fight the smile. Seeing that she had smacked Del with a two-by-four the first time they’d met, he probably thought she didn’t need lessons.

“Exactly. But, he insisted.” Then she realized she hadn’t told anyone but Sean where she was going to be. “How did you know I was here?”

“I called you several times. When I couldn’t find you, I had Adam run you down.”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. The implications of the casual statement he had just lobbed at her sunk in. “You tracked my mobile?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t even deny it. “That’s creepy, Del.”

“Answer your phone and I wouldn’t have to do it.”

Of course, that’s what the wanker was thinking. He had a right to track her down.

“Don’t do it again.”

He hesitated, then nodded. Oh, he wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed.

“Just so you know, I am not the kind of woman…”

She let her voice trail off when she realized what she was about to say. Good lord, he didn’t need to know that she was attracted to him. He’d be mortified.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just don’t do it again.”

She started to walk toward the house. “So, what do you actually need me for? I know that several of your team has handled a case like this.”

Elle had handled several back in England before she had left to move to Hawaii. Adam had been around for the last serial killer to hit Hawaii, so he would know more than she would.

“Yes, but I think we need your expertise. The woman was tattooed and with Hina, a Hawaiian goddess. I’m sure it was symbolic. We’re good at connecting the dots, but developing those dots…you might help. If we can get a lead, maybe we can beat him before he hurts someone else.”

She nodded as she stepped into Sean’s house. “If he hasn’t already disappeared from here.”

“There is that. But, if he shows up elsewhere, whatever we develop can be put to use. We’re going to have a late afternoon meeting with everyone. Four…this afternoon.”

She nodded.

“Taylor?”

“I nodded.” He crossed his arms. Stubborn man. “Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Okay.”

Then he hesitated again.

“What?” she asked, not even bothering to hide her irritation.

“This isn’t going to be a fun case.”

“Are any of them?”

“True. This one though…already have a bad feeling about it.”

“And you thought to include me,” she said with chuckle. She turned and was surprised at the stunned look on his face.

“What?”

“You used sarcasm right.”

Embarrassment flooded her as her face heated. She did have issues with social cues, and sarcasm was one of the ones she could never seem to get right. The team had been merciless in making fun of her because of it.

“I’ve picked up a few things.” Thanks mainly to Jaime Alexander, one of her brother’s lovers. Jaime had a smart mouth, and after a period of mutual distrust, Jaime had taken Emma under her wing. Sean had said it was a sign of the coming apocalypse; she now understood the humor behind the comment.

“Good.”

Then he did nothing but stare at her. She always had issues when he looked at her like that. She knew he was just trying to assess the situation or her mood, but for her, the attention made her go all hot inside. It made her want to do silly things like jump on top of him and demand a good hard shag.

“What now?” she asked.

He shook himself. “Nothing. Sorry. Four, and don’t be late,” he said heading out the door.

She watched him walk away, admiring the way the faded material cupped that marvelous ass.

“He is an amazing piece of man,” Jaime said from beside Emma. She jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Bloody hell, Jaime, I said don’t do that.”

She smiled. “My time with Randy is finally paying off.”

Randy Young filled out the trio of lovers. The former SEAL was well known for his ability to sneak up on anyone. Sean was good, but Randy was better.

“I think you got some other payoff from him and my brother.”

She winked. “True. Now, tell me why you haven’t munched on that man yet.”

“Randy?” she asked walking away, trying to avoid the conversation. Jaime had taken too much interest in Emma’s sex life, or lack thereof. “That’s gross.”

“You find Randy gross?”

“Well, I see him like I see Sean, like a brother. Just, eww.”

Jaime chuckled. “I wasn’t talking about him. I was talking about Delano.

She shrugged. “Not my type.”

“Honey, that man is every straight woman’s type. If he went that way, I know both Sean and Randy would have had a go at him at least once. You know he has to be a tiger in bed. Hmm, those sexy eyes make me want to do all kinds of terrible things. They should make you think of those things too.”

“Okay, he’s hot, and yes, I have thought about those things.” She sighed. “I have never really been into those alpha males with guns, but when he comes striding into the office wearing his...he makes my head spin.”

“So, why not try him on for size?”

She laughed. “You have the oddest terms for sex. I wouldn’t mind a go at him, but he sees me as a sister.”

Jaime looked at her for a long moment. “Uh, no he doesn’t.”

“I know what you are trying to do here, but Jaime, I do not inspire lust in men. Not like you do.”

“I am not doing anything but telling you the truth. He watches you.”

Emma shook her head as Jaime nodded hers.

“He does. When he thinks no one is looking, he watches you.”

She snorted and started gathering up her stuff. “I am sure he does. More than likely he’s wondering if I’ll hit him over the head with another board.”

Jaime chuckled. “I have a feeling it’s for a whole other reason.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because when he looks at you sometimes, he looks like he wants to take a big bite of
you
.”

“Living with two men has made you daft.”

“Bollocks, but I will let it go for now.”

That was a good thing since Randy and Sean were walking down the stairs. Both men had gotten a little too interested in what was going on with her love life. It was weird having that many people worrying about what she was doing.

“What are you two talking about?” Randy asked.

Jaime opened her mouth, but Emma stopped her with a shake of her head. She did not need both Randy and Sean thinking there was something there with Del, especially since there wasn’t.