Storm's Cage by Mary Stone (uplifting novels .TXT) 📕

I shook my head. Those were the same words Ted Bundy had likely uttered before he’d been arrested and sent to the electric chair.

I knew better. Prepare for the worst.

Gritting my teeth, I typed in the name of a worldwide airline that ran routine flights out of O’Hare.

I’d work on what to tell my sergeant after I was out of the country.

24

As Joseph glanced to his watch and then to the glass and metal door, he slumped down in his mesh-backed office chair. He’d arrived at the FBI office just before nine, and for the last four hours, he’d seen no sign of Amelia Storm anywhere in the building. Around eleven, he’d even gone as far as asking Zane Palmer if he knew Amelia’s whereabouts.

To Joseph’s surprise, Palmer didn’t have a clue.

However, Jasmine Keaton hadn’t stopped by the conference room to ask Joseph why Amelia hadn’t come to work. Wherever Amelia was, she’d at least informed the SAC.

Blinking against the sunlight that streamed in through the wall-spanning windows, Joseph fiddled with the cap of a ballpoint pen as he turned to the list of names that filled the whiteboard. All but one was crossed out.

Russel Ulmer.

Joseph’s mouth twisted into a scowl. He was sure news of the corrections officer’s untimely demise would reach Senator Young, but Joseph didn’t particularly care. As far as Joseph was concerned, he’d done the Leónes and the senator a favor.

I did humanity a favor. This planet’s better off without him.

And one day soon, he’d watch the light go out in Sawyer Kastner’s eyes. He’d have retribution for the damage that bastard had done to his brother. If the prick wasn’t serving a ten-year sentence for molesting another boy—a boy whose parents held sway with the District Attorney—Joseph would have already undertaken the nearly five-hour drive to St. Louis.

Only a year remained until Sawyer could apply for parole.

Joseph hoped his request was granted. Because as soon as Sawyer was free, he would die.

With a sharp breath, Joseph shook himself free from the line of thought. Sawyer’s time would come. Right now, Joseph needed to figure out where in the hell Amelia Storm had gone. She hadn’t answered the two texts he’d sent, nor had she picked up when he’d called.

A prickle of dread moved up his scalp.

Had she told someone about his advance the night before? Had she gone to SAC Keaton to request a transfer to a different department or to a different office altogether?

No.

He was sure no one would side with her even if she went over their encounter. If she told anyone, they’d ask why she hadn’t just declined or why she hadn’t done more to put distance between the two of them. They’d speculate that maybe she’d led him on or that maybe she’d been dressed provocatively.

Plastic blinds clattered against the glass door, shattering the room’s silence with the force of the Thor’s hammer.

Joseph’s heart leapt into his throat as he dropped his pen and snapped his attention to the doorway. For the second time that day, he’d been surprised to within an inch of a coronary event. Apparently, the confrontation with Russel had made him jumpy.

As the door swung open, a familiar pair of green eyes fell on him. The rush of foreboding receded as a slight smile crept to his face.

With an outstretched hand, Amelia beckoned him forward before he could offer a greeting. “Come on. The tech lab has something for us.”

Blinking away his confusion, Joseph pushed to his feet. “Good morning to you too, Storm.”

Her expression changed little as she stepped out into the hall. “Yeah, it’s morning.”

Joseph followed, waiting until they were close to the elevator before he spoke again. “Where have you been? I tried to get ahold of you.”

Like a streak of lightning across a cloud, indignance flickered in her eyes. And like lightning, the anger was gone as soon as he spotted it.

“Following up on something. I knew we didn’t have any leads to chase on the Enrico case, so I figured I’d get this taken care of.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Get what taken care of?”

“Just a case I was helping the CPD with.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Something I’d been procrastinating.”

With a frown, he pressed a button to summon the elevator. “Okay. Well, it would’ve been nice if you’d said something, you know?”

Amelia kept her gaze on the number pad, staring intently as if she were inspecting each button. “Yeah, my bad, I guess. I left my phone in the car while I was in the precinct.”

Avoiding eye contact was a clear sign to Joseph that he had successfully wormed his way into her mind. Good or bad, she was thinking about him. That was progress.

He thought to continue the guilt trip until he received a real apology, but the irritability he’d seen in her eyes made him second-guess the tactic. Applying too much pressure often resulted in the opposite outcome. Using a person’s kindhearted nature to his benefit was an art form Joseph had mastered over a decade ago, but Amelia was different.

Difficult, even.

Joseph had no doubts about Amelia’s kind heart, but at the same time, she was cynical. The moment she even suspected she was being played with guilt she’d return the sentiment in spades. She had the power to make him pay dearly, though he doubted she realized it. He needed to keep it that way.

He dismissed the idea and tucked one hand into his pocket. “Happens to the best of us. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a little break from the damn thing anyway.”

As she tightened her ponytail, she nodded. “Yeah. It was kind of nice, actually. But I’d almost forgotten about the message I got from the tech lab manager yesterday. She didn’t say it was urgent, but I figured it’d be a good follow-up since we’ve got nothing else on our plates today.”

The silver doors slid open with a ding, and Joseph followed Amelia into the