“So… a stripper, huh?”she sighed as he nibbled on her ankle.
“That was all for me, babe.”
Drea laughed.“Really?”
“Oh yes,” he said.He opened her legs and settled between them.“Because now you owe me one!”
***
“You don’t need to come with me to see Carter.”Cujo watched the way Drea’s hips swayed from side to side.The way she pulled those jeans up over her practical yet all kinds of sexy cotton panties was making him hard.
Which brought him back to their disagreement.He didn’tneedto go with her, but no fucking way was he giving Carter a second chance to hit on her.
“First, it’s always my pleasure to come with you.”He wiggled his eyebrows at her and laughed as she giggled.“And second, it’s no trouble.My shift starts in a couple of hours.”It was Friday, and for once they’d both pulled later shifts.She tugged a José’s T-shirt over her head, pulled on a stack of bracelets, and moved to his mirror to put on her lip gloss.
Cujo laughed to himself.The thought of living with a woman had been so far removed only a month ago, and yet Drea was here, and he couldn’t imagine his home without her.
She fluffed her hair and turned, giving him a killer smile.Fuck, she was breathtaking.
They drove to the police station and found a spot to park.Call him old-fashioned, but he loved helping her in and out of his truck.
They walked toward the stationhouse.He understood Drea’s need to find the woman, but his was equally strong to find the fucker who’d thought to put a gun to their heads.But Drea sticking her neck out to find people who might know who the woman was worried him.Finding her was the right thing to do, but it left Drea vulnerable, which didn’t sit well at all.
Once inside, they asked to see Carter.He didn’t keep them waiting long, and appeared holding a file.
“Ms.Caron, Mr.Matthews.What can I do for you?”He shook their hands, leaving Cujo with the tiniest amount of respect for the firmness of his handshake.He led them down a narrow corridor into a meeting room where they took a seat at a table.
“I wondered if there was any progress in the finding the missing woman?”
“I’m sorry,” Carter said.“There are no leads.And at this point, I can’t see us finding one.The first forty-eight hours on a missing person case are the most critical.If we don’t find them within that window of time, or get a solid idea of who might be involved, the chances of solving the case diminish.”
Drea’s shoulders slumped.Cujo reached for her hand.
“I can’t believe she just disappeared into thin air like that.Or that nobody cares enough about her to report her missing.”
“What about the lawyer guy.Do you have any further idea what happened to him?”Cujo asked.
“Walter Tobias is a senior partner at Tobias, Jesper and Wu.He was an environmental lawyer and frequently undertook pro-bono cases for communities impacted by big companies.We spoke to Mr.Wu, and he confirmed Walter Tobias was currently involved in a large malpractice case against a different energy company.Also mentioned Mr.Tobias was considering a review of the Cleffan operation mentioned in the files.”
“Was he killed?”Drea asked.
“Yes.His brakes were tampered with.”Carter didn’t elaborate.
“Do you know who did it?”Cujo asked.He felt sorry for L.A., but the woman sitting next to him meant more.All he really cared about was finding the people who might try to hurt her.
“Not yet.But a neighbor saw someone on their street that evening, was able to give a great description to our artists.”Carter pulled the sketch out of his folder.
Cujo held his breath, expecting to see Snake staring back at them.
Drea gasped.“Rondo Hatton,” she whispered.
“You know the guy?”Cujo asked.
“No, Gilliam said Mike MacArthur told him he was being followed by a guy who looked like Rondo Hatton.He was an actor in the thirties and forties.He had some disease with a really long name I can’t remember.But it makes the head look like that.Big nose, lumps under the skin, and a pronounced forehead.”
“Okay.Back up,” Carter directed.“Confidentially, I spoke to the RCMP in Alberta.They’ve confirmed MacArthur was run off the road, and there were signs of a struggle, but no official witnesses.”
“This was a call between MacArthur and Gilliam Gillespie.Mike described a person he thought was following him.Gilliam said he told the police that.”
