Jaime noticed a slight tremor in Anya’s hand, so she gently took the cup of tea from her and set it to the side. “It’snot overboard if it makes you feel safe. As a cop, I approve,” Jaime smiled, attempting to ease the tension surrounding them. She held Anya’s hands, gently rubbing her knuckles with her thumbs. “Could I ask you one more question about all of that?”
Anya nodded, appreciating Jaime’s sensitivity to the situation and her feelings.
“Why did you let them push you out? Why didn’t your partner speak up and explain that you’d tried to tell them something was wrong?”
Anya bowed her head. She hated it when her weaknesses were exposed. And back then, her partner was one of those weaknesses. “She was afraid the repercussions would be far worse than early retirement if she came clean. She begged me not to tell anyone I had concerns about the case and the operation.”
“And you remained loyal despite everything.” Jaime somehow admired that about Anya. While it had ultimately led to her leaving the job, Jaime had to appreciate Anya’s loyalty.
“Yes.” Anya looked up at Jaime. “I lost a lot that day, Jaime. My job, my confidence, my trust, my partner…my lover.”
Jaime’s eyebrows shot up. Oh, she hadn’t expected that. “Y-you and your partner?”
“Yes. That’s why her betrayal hurt so much. I thought she would have my back, not only as my partner but as mypartner. It seems her ambition overshadowed anything she ever felt for me.”
“Fucking fool,” Jaime muttered. “Where is she now?”
“As far as I know, she’s still an agent.”
“Fucking Fed!” Jaime wanted to fight the anger and jealousy she felt, but it was a struggle. Was it ridiculous to feel jealous? Of course it was. Jaime spoke about Taylor all the time, and she had yet to experience Anya’s petulant child phase about it. Sowhy did she want to punch this ‘partner’ in the fucking throat?Because she betrayed Anya.
“Iwas one of those fucking feds, Detective,” Anya teased. “I’m actually surprised you’ve held them off for this long. No offense to the Reno PD, but serial killers tend to pique the FBI’s interest.”
“Yeah, well.” Jaime reluctantly let go of one of Anya’s hands and scratched the back of her neck. It was a stupid, ineffective tactic while she thought of how much she should tell Anya. After everything they’d just spoken about, Jaime quickly realized that she had no choice but to be honest with Anya. “We’ve been pretty strategic with our wording and how we connect the cases in the system. So far, anyway.”
Anya’s brows drew together. “You’re deliberately omitting information?”
“This is our city. We don’t need the feds coming in here and taking over.”
Anya decided it would be best to keep quiet about the fact that Reno PD still didn’t have a suspect in custody after five murders. She had been around enough police officers to understand how territorial they could be. But she also knew this case was now personal for Jaime. In any other circumstance, that would be a reason to take Jaimeoffthe case. But this wasn’t any other circumstance. Was it?
“If Max has put out feelers about unsolved murders with similar M.O.s, it’s safe to say the FBI will be crashing the party sooner than you may want.”
Jaime scrubbed her face, irritated with the entire situation. “Yeah, that’s what I feared. This is why weneedto discuss the logistics of our sting operation.”
Anya sighed. “And Ineedto see those files, Jaime. You heard my issues. You know why I needallof the information.”
“I understand, I really do, but I don’t think we have time to wait. And that’s not because I’m worried about the FBI swooping in and taking the case,” Jaime said, hoping she could hold Anya’s anger at bay. “You tell me, as a profiler, if you think this guy is going to stop killing because you stoppedthosekinds of sessions. Or do you think he’s going to come after you because you’re his obsession?”
Anya had a strong feeling that if she read the files Max had pulled up, she would discover that the unsub had moved on because there was nothing left to obsess over. Logically, it suggested that the last person on his kill list was the one he had been most fixated on. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to all of this, but maybe if they could solve this piece of the puzzle, the rest would fall into place.
“Fine, okay.”
Jaime’s eyes widened. “Okay?”
Anya nodded. “Will your tech department be tapping into the video feed in my chambers? If so, you may want to choose a package thatdoesn’thave you hanging naked from the rafters.”
Jaime nearly choked on her own spit when she inhaled sharply. Anya’s words brought up all sorts of images that Jaime wasn’t prepared for. Sexy… vulnerable. Fucking incredible images that needed to take a backseat right now so Jaime could stay focused on the job.
“You are a sadist, Lady A.”
Anya smirked. “That’s why I get paid the big bucks.”
Jaime narrowed her eyes. Tech wouldn’t be watching. No one would. But Jaime could play this game, too. “I was thinking we could do something a little more fun and sexier for the guys. Maybe…reverse cowgirl?”
Sadly, for Jaime, Anya saw right through her little charade. If there was a chance someone from Jaime’s department would be watching such an intimate moment, Jaime wouldn’t be makingjokes about it. She would be finding a way to make Anya more comfortable with something so private.
“Veto,” Anya said immediately.
