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Her suit was the sametasteful bronze as her shoes. The pencil skirt fitted so it showed off those million dollar legs. The matching jacket was buttoned, showcasing a tiny waist and just a hint of cleavage.
When she reached us she handed the warrant over to Agent Greer and then he handed it to me. I didn’t look at it because the woman hadn’t taken her eyes off Jack during the entire spectacle.
“It’s been a long time, Jack,” she said, pouting prettily. “Aren’t you going to say hello?”
I felt more than heard Jack’s sigh.
“Hello, Lauren.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“This is Lauren Rhodes,” Agent Greer said, since it was obvious introductions weren’t needed for anyone but me. “She’s an attorney with the Department of Justice. Lauren, this is Doctor Graves.”
Lauren’s clear blue eyes met mine and she gave a professional nod. “If you’ll look over the warrant and make sure everything is in order we can get to the bottom of this.”
I opened the folded sheaf of papers with surprisingly steady hands, but I didn’t really see the words on the page. The tension between Jack and Lauren was palpable and I had nothing but questions that I knew I didn’t want the answers to.
“It looks good,” I said, folding it back up. “Let me unlock the door for you.” I turned my back on Jack and Lauren and walked swiftly up the sidewalk where the team was waiting to get in. Agent Greer stayed at my side.
I unlocked the kitchen door and tried not to panic as the team crowded in behind me. I stood in front of the keypad, blocking the view of the code that would let us into the basement. The door opened with a soft click and the cold air rushed over us.
“You’re welcome to come down and observe while we remove the remains,” Greer said. “We have no intention of inconveniencing you.”
“Thank you.”
The lights came on automatically as we stepped over the threshold and I led them down the staircase instead of using the elevator. I showed them the freezer where I was keeping the body, the bag of clothing, and the sealed bag with his finger and the removed skin I’d had to take for the fingerprint.
I stood off in the corner asthey searched every inch of the lab and every file cabinet drawer to make sure there wasn’t further information I was keeping somewhere. I don’t know if it was divine intervention or something else at play that had made me take the boxes belonging to my parents, but I was glad we’d moved them to Jack’s.
Jack and Lauren came down through the elevator—probably in deference to the heels that brought the top of her head even with Jack’s chin—and my gaze passed over them briefly, even though I could feel Jack’s eyes. He broke away from Lauren and came to stand beside me, leaning back against the wall in a casual pose. I crossed my arms over my chest and scooted farther back into the corner. I answered questions when they were directed at me, but mostly I was just numb.
“You don’t have to stay here the whole time,” Jackfinally said. “This could take hours. We could wait up in the kitchen and make some coffee.” Jack’s hand came up and rested on the back of my neck and he kissed my temple, but I was still stiff under his touch.
“I’m sorry for earlier.”
I wasn’t sure if he was referring to our argument or how he’d reacted to seeing Lauren, so I didn’t say anything.
“I understand why you waited to tell me, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less that your first reaction wasn’t to confide in me but to deal with it yourself.”
I sucked in a deep breathand nodded. “I don’t think I can talk about this now, Jack. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but the way you reacted says a lot, and you’ve made your position perfectly clear. I probably should have told you sooner. I’ll apologize for that. I’m still getting used to having someone to go to.”
“The thing is, Jaye, you’ve always come to me with personal things before. I’ve been your friend longer than I’ve been your lover. The friendship part shouldn’t change now that we’re sleeping together.”
I pressed my lips together and pushed away from the wall.“I could use some coffee. Maybe with a shot of the whiskey I keep under the counter.”
Jack said a few words to Agent Greer and then we headed back up to the kitchen. I felt Lauren’s eyes follow us up, but I didn’t turn to look at her. She was an element of this mess I couldn’t deal with just yet.
The kitchen was surprisingly empty considering the chaos happening below, and I went automatically to the cabinet and pulled out the coffee grounds. Jack took the bag from my hands out of self-preservation because I always made shitty coffee no matter how precisely I followed the instructions.
“I need to explain about Lauren.” Jack’s voice was soft, but I looked around to make sure no one was standing nearby so they could overhear us.
“No, really you don’t, Jack. We both had a past before this thing with us started. She isn’t the first of your lovers I’ve met, and she probably won’t be the last. Just like I’m sure you’ve run into mine. It’s a small world.”
Jack scowled and took mugs down from the cabinet at the mention of previous lovers. “I know you’re angry at me, but there’s no reason to take cheap shots. Lauren and I were together a long time ago.”
Hepoured the coffee, and then bent down to the bottom cabinet to pull the bottle of Jameson’s I kept there in case of emergency. He poured a healthy dollop into each coffee mug and then handed me one.
“And like I said, I don’t need to hear the details, but it was obvious to everyone standing outside that there was something between the two of you, and neither of you bothered to try and hide it. Just drop it, Jack. I can only deal with one fight at a time. You’re the one who called off your “vacation.”
