As worried as I was about myself, my professional drive hadn’t abated yet. There was still a story here, and being sick didn’t mean my job was over.
Ollie stood and guided me out of the conference room. Nate walked beside me. His sunglasses sat on top of his head, and I couldn’t help but notice the way he kept glancing at me, like hecouldn’t keep his eyes off me. He was irritating and more than a little arrogant, but despite that, I found myself enjoying the attention. It even helped keep my mind off the fear swirling in my heart.
8
Nate
My bike allowed me to get to the hospital well ahead of Ollie and Cameron. The motorcycle gave me the freedom I loved. Bobbing and weaving through traffic, pushing things to their limit—it was how I lived my life, and I enjoyed the adrenaline rush. Back in the day, Ollie used to tell me I’d end up dead or in jail the way I liked to ride, but so far it had worked out fine for me.
I was sitting on the bike, waiting for them, when Ollie’s police-issued sedan pulled in. Cameron gave me a look as they drove past to find a parking spot. Her gaze lingered on me, and I smirked. She rolled her eyes and turned to Ollie again.
She was a peculiar woman indeed. I’d spent years getting used to the fact that I could use my charms and looks to ingratiate myself with any woman I wanted. It wasn’t necessarily cockiness—okay, maybe it was alittlecocky, but it was mostly a natural self-awareness. I was attractive, women enjoyed confidence, and I enjoyed giving women what they wanted. Simple as that.
Yet, Cameron seemed to either be immune to my game or was good at hiding it. That alone made her intriguing. The fact that she was a knockout didn’t hurt. Smart and cute was usually all I needed, but she was feisty and strong. Hell, she’d managed to single-handedly fight off a feral wolf. I smiled to myself. What other talents did she have? My mind went into overdrive as I imagined us together. I wasn’t one for daydreams or fantasies, so this was unexpected. Nice, but unusual for me.
“What are you grinning about?” she asked as she and Ollie walked up.
I gave her a once-over. “Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something fun.”
“Ugh, whatever,” she muttered.
She could act aloof all she wanted, but I could smell her arousal when she was around me. Though, unlike most women, she was fighting that attraction. Maybe I wasn’t her type.
She turned to Ollie. “I know you told me the other day you couldn’t talk about the case, but I feel like I deserve some information now that I’m personally involved.”
Ollie heaved out a sigh. “That’s true, you are involved, but some information is still need-to-know. Unfortunately, Ms. Torres, regardless of your experiences thus far, you still don’t need to know.”
“What if we worked in hypotheticals?” she asked flippantly, smiling at Ollie.
He narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Hypothetically, if this serial killer really is using a trained animal, what sorts of leads has the department looked into? Perhaps he’s a professional dog trainer? Have you checked local obedience schools and cross-referenced their employees? Has any DNA analysis been done on the bites to figure out what kind of dog is being used?”
Her questions came rapid-fire, and from the look on Ollie’s face, she’d been questioning him since they left the newspaper office. He looked on the verge of snapping.
“Ms. Torres, as I’ve saidmultipletimes, I can’t comment on the investigation at this time. Even hypothetical answers to hypothetical questions could hurt the case.”
“What about speaking off the record? Nothing with your name attached. Can you give me any hints as to the profile you’ve developed for the killer? Have you contacted the RCMP to assist with the investigation?”
I snorted a laugh. “I don’t think Ollie needs any help fromDudley Do-Right.”
Cameron glared at me. “The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are Canada’s preeminent law enforcement agency.”
“Yeah, those horses, red uniforms, and goofy hats really inspire fear,” I said as I walked through the doors.
“That’s all ceremonial these days,” Cameron said. “They don’t usually ride around on horses like that anymore.”
“Sure thing,” I said, waving at her to go back to her discussion with Ollie.
“You haven’t answered my question, Detective Vickers. Has Toronto PD contacted outside resources to assist?”
Ollie groaned. “Ms. Torres, can we have a few minutes of quiet? Please?”
“What’s wrong, Ollie?” I cocked an eyebrow and grinned at him. “Can’t handle a strong-willed woman?”
He looked at me in exasperation while Cameron ignored my attempt at a compliment. It impressed me how she’d gone so quickly from fear and worry right back to professionalism. I’d warned Ollie against the wholediseaseangle, thinking it might freak her out. Shehadfreaked out—I could smell it in her pheromones—but she’d hidden it well and pushed down her fear. She seemed like a tough woman, not easily rattled. Iliked that. It was also funny watching Ollie squirm beneath her barrage of questions.
I moved a bit closer to her, wanting to catch her scent. Jasmine, mint, vanilla, and the faintest hint of arousal the closer I got to her. She was reacting to me. The same thing had happened the night I’d met her at her apartment. Some part of herwasinto me, but it looked like she wanted nothing to do with those thoughts.
