Killer Instinct Read online

  “Works every time, doesn’t it? I miss you.”

  “Miss you too. I’ll be over there in ten.”

  Instead of staring at the walls, waiting for Theo’s call and hoping her gut had betrayed her, she would see Kira, and toast to the future.

  Yeah, right.

  Sticking to her promise, Kira greeted Joanna with a hug and then served her ice cream and wine. It had become something like a ritual for them after Joanna’s release, even after it became clear that Kira and Coby were serious, and moved in together.

  “This is so good. Thank you. I needed that.”

  “I’m glad I could help. You said you had a story to tell.”

  Joanna figured that halfway through her glass, she couldn’t back out now.

  “All right. You heard about the woman who ran away from a man who abducted her, and was found by a truck driver?”

  “Yeah, I heard about it. What’s that got to do with you?”

  “I saw her in the hospital today.”

  “You did what?” Kira exclaimed. “Are you crazy?”

  “The case is similar to one I once worked. I had to speak up.”

  “Going to the hospital is not the same. Honey, do you realize that any defense lawyer will just love to jump on the fact you were anywhere near her? You’re famous. You killed a murderer. As unfair as that might be, I don’t think your colleagues want to be seen with you, and sadly, they have a point. Someone will make the connection.”

  “Theo said something like that,” Joanna admitted. “Damn, I had hoped for some support from you.”

  “This is the way I offer support,” Kira indicated the delicacies on the table with a sweeping gesture, “and by telling you the truth. You can’t be involved. I don’t want you to put yourself in danger.”

  Joanna finished her glass and reached for the bottle.

  “It might already be too late for that.”

  Before she could elaborate, the vibration of her cell phone indicated the arrival of a text message.

  “Excuse me.”

  Once upon a time, she had known what to do, without hesitating, without doubt. After the brief conversation with Theo, Joanna felt confused. Relieved, too. Grace had apparently fully cooperated, told the cops she’d broken up with the boyfriend and apologized again for the text messages. More important, she had an alibi for the night Christina Danvers had hooked up with the couple.

  Christina had confirmed that she’d never seen Grace before.

  Something had been off about her. Joanna didn’t think her instincts would betray her so badly. She shook herself. She should be grateful that she had avoided adding another nightmare to the ones that never went away.

  “Are you okay?” Kira asked when she returned to the living room.

  “Yeah. It’s actually good news. Forget what I said earlier—it’s not all that dramatic. All of you were right. I should stay far away from that case.”

  Kira poured them both another glass.

  “Hey, better late than never. Let’s drink to that. You should fall in love too.”

  “Uh, no. It’s doesn’t work that way for everyone.”

  “Because you have commitment issues. You panic when someone calls you back.”

  “That’s not true.” Was it? Was there a possibility that there was something wrong with Joanna instead of Grace? Oh, the possibilities were endless. “Look at my life. Who would want to get caught up in that mess?”

  Kira laid an arm around her shoulders. “Last time I checked, you cleaned up that mess pretty nicely. Back on the inside, you could’ve gotten caught up in all kinds of bad stuff, but you stayed out of it. You have a job that pays for a roof over your head and more booze and cigarettes than you should have.”

  “I sense some criticism coming on.”

  “Just give it a chance sometime, won’t you?”

  Joanna took another spoonful of ice cream.

  “I like fewer complications in my life. Simple pleasures, you know?”

  “I really don’t know. You hook up with some bizarre people. That’s the only part you haven’t quite figured out yet.”

  You don’t know the half of it, Joanna wanted to say. Then again, she hadn’t been so great at relationships before she and Decker crossed paths. For some things, she had no one to blame but herself.

  “Maybe there’s nothing to figure out. I get by.”

  And for a few hours, she’d been worried that her latest hook-up could have been a murderer’s accomplice—or apprentice. Right, why change anything?

  Chapter Five

  Felicia felt like she was on top of the world. The fact that she’d almost had a bottle of wine by herself might have something to do with that, but she didn’t care. She felt amazing. If only the jerk she’d dated for six months could see where she was now. What she could do.

  She had noticed the new guy, Randy, in the club before. She’d been sure he was giving her the eye. Felicia decided that if he was there tonight, that would be it—and it got even better from there.

  They had already made out in the corner booth of the club, and she was ready to go. He said he liked to draw it out, and that he had a surprise for her.

  Felicity liked surprises, so she followed him back on the dance floor. He held her close, and a moment later, she was startled when someone came up behind her, embracing her from behind.

  “Hi,” a soft voice whispered. A woman’s voice.

  “You don’t mind if Dana joins us?” Randy asked.

  Felicia turned around, took a look at the woman and decided that no, she didn’t mind. At this point, she was burning up with heat and imagination, and she couldn’t wait to get somewhere more private with the two of them. The guy who left her last month?

  She could barely remember his name.

  “Not a problem,” she said.

  “Good. You won’t regret it. Ready to go?”

  If Felicia got any more ready, she’d commit indecent acts in public.

  “There’s a motel not far from here,” Dana said. Her hand was on Felicia’s hip, moving lower. Felicia wanted to moan. She barely kept in the sound.

  “Relax, baby. It will be magical,” Randy promised.

  The motel wasn’t anything luxurious, but Felicia didn’t care. She barely noticed the trashy Christmas decoration near the entrance, or the man behind the counter whose grin said he knew exactly what was going on.

  She soon forgot that the walls were probably paper thin, shivering in anticipation when Dana and Randy undressed her, and then each other. Felicia didn’t hold back. It was the kind of place where no one blinked an eye when they heard moans, and screams even. No room service, but the couple magically produced another bottle of wine, part of which ended up over Felicity’s sweaty naked body.

  She passed out.

  * * * *

  Before going out, Joanna made an effort of cleaning up her apartment, not that it took long. Kira’s words remained with her, and she turned them over in her head, wondering what to do with them.

  Not the falling in love part. Joanna was quite sure that it wasn’t in store with her. She wanted to wash the taste of Grace, the bizarre memory, from her lips and mind, and she was hopeful she could find someone who’d help her with that.

  She gathered the papers from her desk and, about to put them into the shredder, hesitated. There was no reason for her to keep them any longer. She had done her part.

  Joanna picked up a folder instead, laid the printouts inside and put them into a drawer. It wasn’t like she’d forget or could pretend this mess didn’t exist.

  She had made progress, Kira was right. The most important thing was not to blow it—or keep wondering how her life could have turned out, if she’d caught the slasher, if she’d made different choices.

  It was Saturday night. She had earned a little fun.

  To her relief, Grace was nowhere to be seen at The Copper Door. Vanessa sat at the bar, sipping her Martini.

  “Uh-oh.” Joanna slipped onto t
he barstool next to hers. “What’s wrong?”

  Vanessa grimaced. “Nothing much, except that I can’t be seen in public with my boyfriend.”

  Joanna winced on her behalf. “Theo said that?”

  “Not in so many words, but it’s clear that he prefers to keep this our dirty little secret. In bed with IAB. Someone might take offense.”

  “It’s not always easy to keep emotions out of the job.” That hadn’t been the right answer, or the one Vanessa wanted, Joanna could tell right away.

  “You would know.”

  “Well, actually I would, and it cost me, as you know.”

  “That’s not the same. I resent the idea that I can’t have a love life and do my job. It’s such a cliché that women can’t do that.”

  “Is that really the problem here?”

  Vanessa sighed. “Hell if I know. Relationships don’t work. It’s just too much investment with little to no return.”

  It sounded exactly like what Joanna had told Kira last night, yet she felt like she should protest.

  “Don’t tell me that isn’t your premise. I know you messed around with anger issues girl.”

  It was Joanna’s turn to sigh. “You know, I wish you two would talk about someone other than me every once in a while.”

  “Me too,” Vanessa said. “But where you are concerned, we all have dues to pay. That, and your story never ceases to intrigue us.”

  “I’m not sure what to say to that.”

  When the bartender brought another Martini for Vanessa, Joanna ordered a red wine. Not something The Copper Door was famous for, but it was decent. She didn’t want to start with the vodka, in case Vanessa’s mood worsened, or that one true love for Joanna walked through the door.

  Right. Number one was more of a possibility.

  “You know why I did it, right?”

  Here we go. “Of course,” Joanna assured her. “We’ve been over this.”

  “I wanted the bastard dead just as much as you did. The difference between the two of us is that you picked up a gun and shot him four times.”

  Faith Rickers, Danielle Montgomery…

  “The system doesn’t work that way, and for a reason. If we all acted like that, there’d be chaos. Before I joined Internal Affairs, I saw enough kids accidentally shooting their friends or grandparents. We don’t need vigilantes on top of that. Can you imagine how many people would get it wrong?”

  “I didn’t get it wrong,” Joanna reminded her, wondering if they’d ever find it in themselves to let go of this subject.

  “No, but he got off easy anyway. That kind of death was too good for him.”

  “I agree with you on that. Every time that happens, we should have another drink.”

  “No, let’s have a drink every time we don’t agree,” Vanessa said. “Otherwise I’ll never get a proper buzz going. What about you? You want to take someone home tonight?”

  “Slow down. I’ve been here for fifteen minutes.”

  “That’s usually your speed. What are you waiting for?”

  As if on cue, a woman walked inside, clutching her purse to her chest as if she was worried someone might steal it. She was wearing a knee-length burgundy coat and black high-heeled boots. No hat. Her hair was damp with melting snowflakes.

  Joanna realized she had watched for a little too long when the woman caught her gaze and quickly looked away.

  Vanessa had missed the subtle interaction, and Joanna directed her attention back to her. “Don’t worry about me. If you want to talk…”

  “We’ve already talked more than I intended. Let’s drink some more.”

  It occurred to Joanna that all of her friends, her included, had similar coping strategies. Of course, Kira was the one who got the jackpot, but she, too, had a past she was trying to run from. Would any of them ever completely succeed? Joanna doubted it.

  “I’m with you on that. Let’s forget about all the people that complicate our lives for a while.”

  Something, however, made her sip her wine slowly, and she kept stealing glances at the woman sitting at the other end of the bar and checking her phone every once in a while. She was probably waiting for someone, Joanna reasoned. Forty-five minutes later, and judging from the woman’s frustrated expression, it was likely that he or she had stood her up. It was enough time for Joanna to come up with alternate scenarios in her mind.

  Some sexy. Some disturbing. She remembered what Christina had told her about finding the couple in the bar. Random encounters came with a risk, always. She tried to concentrate on the brighter options.

  “What do you want from life?” Vanessa asked, blitzed enough to become philosophical. “I mean, this uphill battle thing we’re doing, it can’t be all, right? Do your job, or do what’s right, and you always get screwed over anyway for the lack of a dick.”

  Joanna almost choked on her sip of wine, but she couldn’t help laughing. There was a reason why she actually liked hanging out with Vanessa.

  The woman gave her a hesitant smile. She was beautiful, probably a neat person judging from her getup, kind, nice to strangers. The kind of person a predator would go for.

  “Right now? I want her.”

  “Yeah, and I want a promotion,” Vanessa said, slurring her words slightly. “Let’s see which one of us gets a reality check first.”

  “Hey. I’m good at this. Watch me.”

  Vanessa turned on her barstool.

  “I dare you. Fifty bucks if you go home with her.”

  “Fifty bucks? You’re not only depressed, you’re cheap tonight.”

  “Okay, a hundred,” Vanessa grumbled.

  Joanna chuckled.

  “I could use it, but you didn’t think I was that bad, right? This kind of thing is so frat boys. We’re above that, right?”

  Barely, but still.

  “She’s way too high maintenance for you.”

  “She’s too high maintenance for this place, but so are you, and yet you keep coming back. Now pay attention. I’m sure you can learn something.”

  The woman was drinking white wine, and before Joanna got up to join her on the other end of the bar, she asked the waiter to bring her another glass. The woman looked surprised, but she smiled politely when she realized who had paid for her drink.

  “I’m not sure what this is for, but I can use it. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. You’re alone here?”

  “Looks like it. You’re not.”

  “She’s my straight best friend. We all got one of those, don’t we? Okay, now, that was stupid. It’s true though that she’s a friend, and she’s definitely straight. Can we start over? I’m Joanna.”

  “Rue. Nice to meet you, Joanna.” She laid her hand into Joanna’s, the gesture a lot more sensual and promising than a normal handshake.

  “Likewise. So, were you meeting someone here? They must be stupid to stand you up.”

  “That’s what I keep telling myself. That, and no more online dating. Ever.”

  “That’s wise. There are some crazy individuals out there.”

  “Speaking from experience?” Rue asked. She seemed interested. Joanna thought that she might have to call a cab for Vanessa, should this go anywhere.

  “I’ve got experience. You want to know more about that?”

  Rue laughed. “All right, I think that must have been one of the worst lines I’ve ever heard, but go on. I’m intrigued.” A moment later, she added, sounding worried, “Ouch, that didn’t come out too bitchy, did it?”

  “No. I think I deserved it. I never tried online dating, by the way. I did meet some crazy people though.”

  “What do you do?”

  “Currently, I load trucks.” She shrugged at Rue’s surprised expression. “I used to be a cop, in Homicide.”

  There was actually a person in this town who had never heard about her story. Amazing.

  “That must have been tough. What happened?” Rue blushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy.”


  “That’s okay. It didn’t work out for me, and besides, I sat behind a desk for a lot of the time. Now is not so bad, actually. I enjoy the physical work.”

  “I can imagine.” Rue looked her up and down, and this time, she didn’t blush.

  It was Joanna instead who felt the rush of heat in sensitive places. She reached for her glass. “What about you?”

  “Oh, it’s not that interesting. I’m a personal assistant to a CEO, and I think I’m stuck there for the rest of my career. He’s a pretty conservative guy, doesn’t really see much of a leadership potential in women.”

  “That’s too bad. I’m sure you’re good at taking the lead.”

  “I’m flexible,” Rue said, her gaze lingering. She shook her head. “Now listen to me, I have no idea where that came from. I’m sorry. All of a sudden I’m kind of nervous.”

  “Why?” Joanna hoped she was at least partly responsible. The more time she spent in Rue’s presence, the more she felt optimistic she could be The One. Not what Kira had in mind, of course, just to take her mind off Christina, the slasher and the memory of her disastrous encounter with Grace. Come to think of it, that was a lot to expect of someone.

  “I wonder where you think this is going.”

  “Do you want it to go anywhere? I’m flexible too, you know.”

  “I’m glad. Would you think I’m a slut if I invited you to my place tonight?”

  There was no way in hell Joanna would think that. First of all, she had no talking room at all, and second, she was already imagining them together, naked.

  “Hell, no. I love the idea.”

  “I can’t, though,” Rue said with honest regret. “I’m not going to lie, I had forgotten about this douche from the Internet the moment I saw you. I was pretty sure you were with your friend over there, but since you aren’t…I kind of feel the need to slow down. I mean, would you even be interested to have dinner, a real date? I don’t do one-night-stands, at least I haven’t so far, and this is…I’m not making any sense, am I?”

  “You are. I understand.”

  “Or maybe I blew it and I’ll never see you again.”

  “Not going to happen,” Joanna promised. “I’m pretty easy to find. The drunk lady over there and I are here all the time.” The problem was, in the meantime Rue could find out the truth. What was happening anyway, seeing the same woman twice, again? That had not been the plan.