Syd Parker - The Killing Ground

“Not today.” Jordan wasn’t quite sure what to make of the question. She didn’t think Rebecca was interested in him or any other man, for that matter, but maybe she read it wrong. “Let’s just say he’s covering both our asses while I am working on this case. I think he doesn’t mind not being buried in this case anyway. He doesn't do blood and guts too well.”

Rebecca’s husky laugh came through the phone and sent shivers up and down Jordan’s spine. “Yeah, I kind of gathered that from his reaction last night. Jonesy is following up on another lead as well.”

A thought struck Jordan, and she took a leap of faith. "Since it's just the two of us, how about I pick you up?"

Rebecca almost declined, but on a whim and in the interest of time, she accepted. Twenty minutes later, Rebecca was ensconced in the soft leather of Jordan’s Nissan 370Z. Richard Hudson was being detained at the airport, and Jordan was chomping at the bit to see his face when he learned his wife had been murdered. She stole a sideways glance at Rebecca and wasn’t surprised to see her jaw muscles flexing uncontrollably. “Listen, I know I have a bad habit of butting in where I don’t belong, but I figured in light of our shared desire to catch this guy, you might be willing to overlook that.”

Rebecca’s fist flexed into a tight ball. “It isn’t that. I’m talking myself into behaving when we get there. I’m so ready to catch the fucker who is doing this, that I’m afraid anyone who even smells a little suspicious might catch the brunt of my anger.”

“Temper, temper, Detective Foxx.” Jordan directed her car onto the highway and instead of merging into the traffic, shot across several lanes and let the speedometer rest at eighty-five miles an hour. “I’ve been doing the same thing. Ever since I found out that Julie had been attacked, I’ve been fighting to keep this case from becoming too personal.”

Rebecca finally turned to her and searched her face. “How’s that working for you? ‘Cause so far, I’m failing miserably. I want to slice this guy’s dick off and shove it down his throat.”

“Wow, tell me how you really feel.” Jordan’s tone was teasing, but she felt the same way. She followed her comment up by balling up her own fists.

Rebecca smiled evilly. “I can’t help it. I’m tired of seeing the same thing day in and day out. Some guy goes on one bad date and decides to start taking it out on random strangers. Then more times than not, he pleads insanity and spends a few years in some cushy mental facility before he gets released back out on the streets and starts the whole thing all over again.”

“Not this time.” Jordan’s tone held an unspoken warning. In all her years, particularly those spent surviving on the streets, she didn't fail. She wouldn't allow herself to fail her boss, and especially not Julie.

As much as Rebecca wanted to find him and gun him down herself, her sworn duty as an officer of the law required her to apprehend him, build the strongest case possible and then trust that justice would be served. “You can’t go all rogue on me, Special Agent Gray. I’ve got my superiors to answer to and having to tell them that some hot-headed Fibbie shot my UNSUB in cold blood isn’t going to go over well.”

Jordan was silent for several minutes, not acknowledging the comment. She wasn’t a hothead, didn’t shoot from the hip. That wasn’t her style. She was methodical, cold, calculated. That’s what kept her alive all these years. She also didn’t defend herself to anyone, least of all a Detective with a chip on her shoulder.

Rebecca could sense she had hit a nerve, and she felt immediately guilty. Not enough to give her an apology, but enough to try to smooth things over. As much as she resented the FBI’s involvement, she did appreciate what help they had given her and jeopardizing the relationship didn’t seem as important as it once had. “Listen, since we are going to be working together pretty closely for a while, I’m going to do something I don’t do…ever. Call me Rebecca.”

It wasn’t much of an apology, especially since Jordan had already done away with formalities…at least in her head. Jordan quirked an eyebrow, not sure that she had heard her correctly, but when she saw the smile on Rebecca’s face, she knew she had heard right. It was the first genuine smile she had seen from the woman since they met. “I’d like that.” When she said it, she meant it. It was one step closer to getting to know the mysterious redhead sitting next to her. “And you can still call me Jordan.”

“So, Jordan, how do you want to handle this?” It was another attempt by Rebecca to smooth things over, one that surprised even herself. Normally, she could give a rat's ass what anyone else's opinion was. However, here she was, asking for Jordan's, and if she didn't know any better, she was willing to accept her input, not just trying to appease her.

Jordan swallowed a lump in her throat. She was shocked for the second time in as many minutes. First, they were on a first-name basis, and now Rebecca wanted to talk about what was happening between them. “Well, I don’t know for sure, I’ve never dated anyone I worked with.”

Rebecca’s laughter filled the car.

“What?” The look of genuine surprise on Jordan’s face was priceless.

“You thought I meant how we would handle something between us?” Rebecca wiped tears from her eyes. “There is no something between us, Agent. Get that through your thick skull. What I meant was how do you want to handle the Hudson thing?”

“Oh.” Jordan couldn’t think of any response that would make her faux pas any less embarrassing. “How about I just be your wingman? Let you take the lead.”

The corner of Rebecca’s mouth turned up slightly. Jordan was good. She could tell that Rebecca wanted to be in command, and she was content to stand by and let her take the lead. “I think that’s a good idea. Just watch him. If he so much as flinches the wrong way, you cover me.”

The drive to O’Hare was completely ignored during their conversation, and Jordan had pulled into the loading zone and flashed her badge before Rebecca knew they had even stopped driving.

When they walked into the room, Richard Hudson jumped up and started pointing angrily. “It’s about fucking time. Maybe you can tell me why I’m being detained?”

Rebecca's eyes met Jordan’s, and they exchanged a knowing glance. The rumors of his temper had not been exaggerated. “Mr. Hudson, please have a seat.”

“I’ve been sitting for two hours.” He started pacing the room. “Now somebody start talking. I know my rights, and you have no authority to keep me here.”

Rebecca didn’t budge, her eyes held his until he realized that he wasn’t going to get any explanation until he cooperated.

Rebecca took the seat across from him, and Jordan opted to stand in the corner of the room, her behavior almost that of disinterest to the casual observer. However, her focus was on him, and she had already taken in details that many might miss. In his agitated state, he wrung his hands together with enough force to drain the blood from his fingers. He also had a nervous tick that made his right eye twitch. Despite being directly across from Rebecca, his eyes darted nervously between them. All of those could be signs of guilt, or merely the machinations of an innocent man who had been held up and provided no details about his sudden detaining. Time would tell.

“I’m Detective Foxx and this is Special Agent Gray.” She pulled a folder out and left it on the table unopened. “I’m sorry to have kept you here.”

He looked as though he wanted to say something about being detained, but thought better of it when he saw the look in Rebecca’s eyes. “What’s going on? Why am I being held here?”