Page 26 of Possessed

“Right. I’ve been, uh, busy.” Raef didn’t meet Lauren’s gaze. “So, what I meant to say was for you to take the morning off. Tomorrow. And good job.”

“Thanks, boss,” Preston said, with only a hint of sarcasm before disconnecting.

“It’s Braggs,” Lauren said.

“Good possibility it is,” he agreed.

She tapped the paper she’d been taking notes on, frowning. “January, April, July.” Lauren looked up at him. “If this is him, he’s killing in three-month cycles. Raef, it’s October.”

“He’s due,” Raef said.

“So we’re going to go apprehend him, right?” Lauren was already getting up and heading toward the pool of pink lace that was very near his feet. “I mean, we’ll question him and see if he squirms?”

He sighed and grabbed her by his sweatshirt, lifting her up so that she wasn’t bending over and showing way too much of her pretty little ass. “We’renot.Iam.”

She frowned up at him. “I’m going with you.”

“To confront the serial killer who murdered your twin sister, still has her soul trapped and is ready to murder again? No, you’re not.”

Instead of pulling away from him, Lauren pressed her hand against his chest. “I have to. It’s logical.”

“Putting you in danger isn’t logical.” Her touch was doing weird things to him, and he had to keep reminding himself that she was not Aubrey.But, damn! She felt like her and looked like her and even if she wasn’t Aubrey he really liked her and— Raef shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “I’ll check him out and tell you everything. You’ll be in on all of it, but from a safe distance.”

“There is no safe distance for me, Raef! I’m being drained just like Aubrey is being drained. We don’t have time to mess around with this. The bottom line is that it’s logical that I come with you because you’ll know as soon as he sees me if he’s the killer.”

Raef stared down at her. She was right. If Braggs was the killer the sight of Lauren, looking so much like one of his murder victims, would evoke strong, negative emotions from him—emotions Raef’s Gift would definitely be able to pick up.

He blew out a long breath of frustration. “You can come, but it has to be on my terms.”

“Anything,” she said, hugging him hard.

Raef let himself hold her and breathe in her scent. “Stay close to me. Stay quiet. And if bad shit starts going down you run like hell and call 9-1-1. Promise me.”

“I promise,” she said, and squeezed him tightly before letting him go.

“And I want my sweatshirt back, too,” he said.

She had bent over to pick up her panties. She paused, straightened, and with a smile that had his heartbeat speeding up, Lauren pulled his sweatshirt over her head and tossed it at him. Then, very slowly, she said, “Be careful what you ask for, Raef.”

He swallowed, muttered, “Thanks,” and retreated into his bedroom as fast as his rubber legs could carry him.

* * *

THERE’DBEENAMAJORredo to the University of Tulsa’s campus over the past couple of years. What had once been a nondescript entrance to a cluster of light-colored stone buildings mixed with modern stuff stuck in a kinda dicey part of town at Eleventh and Harvard had turned into a real university campus—complete with a swanky stone-and-wrought-iron perimeter fence and excellent landscaping.

Hell, they even had a fountain.

Raef was an ex-TU student. He hadn’t graduated, but he liked to think that the several thousand dollars he’d paid in tuition during his three long years there had bought at least a few yards of the new fencing. Or maybe a portion of the fountain. Whatever. He still knew enough about the campus to pull into the main entrance at Tucker Drive and take a right to snake around to the bio building, Oliphant Hall. He parked in the west lot, shut off the car and turned to face Lauren.

“Okay, here’s why we’re here. We need Dr. Braggs’s advice on how to save the big old elm in my front yard because we heard he’s an expert on curing Dutch elm disease.”

“There is no real cure for Dutch elm disease,” she said.

He sighed. “Look at me. Do you think he’d think I know that?”

She raised her brows, and even though her eyes were tired and shaded, they sparkled at him. “Probably not.”

“Exactly. So, if this is our guy you need to understand that his first sight of you will elicit some strong negative emotions. He’ll be in turmoil, even if he looks totally calm to you. I’m going to ask for his business card—so I can reach him later about my elm, because right now we’re in a hurry to get to a dinner date. You stay behind me. I’ll be between you and him. You’ll be near the door. We’ll get in, and get out, and if I pick up negative emotions from him I will make a call to TPD. They’ll take it from there.”