His Scarlet Stare

A/N: Thank you all for your lovely reviews. I really enjoyed reading them all and am encouraged by your positive feedback. Now, chapter three…

Chapter three

The phone calls continued throughout the night and into the next morning. Lisbon had eventually shoved her cell phone under the sofa in her living room at around three in the morning out of a sheer lack of anything else to do with it. She was becoming very frustrated with Steven. Lisbon pulled her cell phone out after making her coffee. Fifty missed calls and twenty-seven text messages. She got herself dressed and drove to work, ignoring her constantly ringing phone. At the elevator, she met up with Cho. "Any new leads?"

Cho shook his head. "We're still trying to trace the boyfriend…" his voice trailed off as Lisbon's phone rang again. She ignored it. "Boss, is there something wrong?"

Lisbon sighed. "Steven hasn't stopped calling yet."

Cho raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He sensed more to the story, but didn't ask for any additional information. He knew that his long-time colleague and friend would reveal only what was necessary at the time. He wouldn't press for more they way he knew Jane would. The doors opened, and they stepped together into the bullpen. Van Pelt looked up as they walked in. "Boss," she said, standing up. "We got a hit on the boyfriend's car. It was found abandoned about three miles south of the town border."

Lisbon turned to Cho. "Take Rigsby and go check it out."

"On it, Boss."

The two agents left the room as Lisbon headed to her office. She opened her door, and heard her desk phone begin to ring. She walked around her desk and reluctantly answered it. "Lisbon,"

"Teresa…"

She put the phone down immediately, and only then realised that it had been reconnected. 'It was probably a cleaning lady,' mused Lisbon, sitting down at her desk.

She pulled out a file, and began to fill in her paperwork. The phone rang again, and she reached over to press the button that activated speaker phone. "Lisbon."

"Teresa, listen to me."

Lisbon rolled her eyes as Steven began to ramble on and on about how sorry he was and that things would be different the next time around. Lisbon had heard this all before over the last two days, and tried to ignore it. Eventually, Steven's rambling began to get irritating, so she cut the call. She pulled out the cable again, and took no notice of her cell phone as it began to ring.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Up in the attic, Jane sat at his desk. He thought about Lisbon, and her problem. He suspected that the calls were still coming in, and he worried. He had encountered people like Steven before – something that inevitably happened in his line of work – and he worried for Lisbon's safety. Jane had a sick feeling that things weren't going to stop, but only progressively get worse. He had never imagined that something like this would happen to Teresa Lisbon, but anything was possible in this situation. His phone rang in his pocket, cutting his thoughts, and he pulled it out. It was Cho. "Cho," he said. "What do you need?"

"Lisbon won't answer her cell, and her desk phone won't even connect."

Jane stood up. "I'll take my phone down to her so she can speak with you."

"Thanks, Jane."

Jane made his way down the stairs to Lisbon's office. She was still busy with her paperwork when he peered around her door. "Lisbon," he said. "Cho wants to talk to you."

Lisbon took the offered phone from Jane and pressed it to her ear. "Lisbon."

"Boss," said Cho. "We found the car abandoned, no signs of where the boyfriend could be. There was no blood in the car that we could see. Forensics is looking for more while we wait for the car to be towed back to town."

"Have a look in the immediate area for anything else."

"Will do, Boss."

Cho cut the call, and Lisbon handed the phone back to Jane. "Cho said you weren't answering his calls," said Jane, taking a seat opposite her.

Lisbon sighed and pulled her cell phone from the bottom drawer of her desk. The screen showed twenty missed calls from Steven. "It's not even nine o'clock yet," noted Lisbon.

Jane shook his head. His hypothesis was looking disturbingly accurate. "He still hasn't given up yet?"

Lisbon put the phone back into the drawer, and pushed it shut. Van Pelt poked her head around the door. "Cho just called. They found another body."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

The SUV pulled up next to the abandoned car. The two agents and one consultant got out and walked over to where their colleagues stood. Rigsby glanced down at a body, about forty feet away from the car. There was a neat hole in the back of his head, as well as two in his back. "It's the boyfriend, Justin Marques. The two shots in his back appear to be through-and-through," noted Cho. "They were enough to disable him, but not to kill him."

"The 9mm to the head did that," observed Jane, taking in the remote surroundings. "Looks like an execution gone wrong."

Van Pelt strode over to them. "SacPD found tyre tracks heading away from the scene. They're making a cast now."

Lisbon nodded and turned to face the road. She spotted an approaching sedan, and scowled in disbelief. The grey sedan cruised past the scene, and vanished around a corner. Jane and Cho exchanged a glance, but said nothing. They were both thinking the same thing. Steven had followed them again. Just then, Lisbon's cell phone rang again. She answered it. "Lisbon."

"Teresa."

Lisbon walked a little way away from her team. "What do you want, Steven?"

"I want to know what you're doing in the middle of nowhere. It's not safe out here, what with killers on the loose."

"Steven," said Lisbon, struggling to remain calm. "This is official police business, and a crime scene. I will go where I want to, with whoever I want to."

"I don't like you being with that Patrick Jane."

"You can't tell me what to do. Or who to be friends with. You can't control me, and we are not dating anymore. You need to move on and leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that, Teresa." The tone of his voice sent a chill down her spine, even in the heat of the day. "I need you, you can't leave me. I won't let you."

Lisbon was stunned into silence. It was clear that Steven wasn't going to leave her alone, not anytime soon. She cut the call before he could say anything else to her, and made her way back to her team. Jane had heard her side of the conversation, and noted that she had turned a curious shade of pale. Lisbon refused to make eye contact with him, and continued to assess the scene.

Jane watched as the grey sedan appeared from the opposite direction about ten minutes later and cruised slowly past the scene again. Lisbon ignored it, but Jane wandered closer to the road. Steven was gazing earnestly over to where Lisbon was standing, and then turned his attention to Jane. The two locked eyes, and Steven scowled in fury at the smiling consultant. Jane waved, but Steven hit the accelerator and sped off. Lisbon came over to where Jane was. "We're on our way back to the office."

Jane nodded and went to the SUV to wait for the rest of the team.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Jane followed Lisbon into her office. He shut the door as Lisbon sat down. "Lisbon," he said. "Steven is not going to stop."

Lisbon rested her head in her hands, frustrated with her ex. "he has called non-stop since we left the scene. It's very frustrating. I can't function normally at work without my cell phone, and I can't use it with him constantly calling me."

Jane nodded, and then a thought occurred to him. "I'll be right back."

Lisbon nodded, and Jane vanished into the bullpen. She watched him leave, and wondered what he was up to. She then decided it was better not to ask when it came to Jane. He returned about five minutes later carrying an unfamiliar cell phone. "What's that for?" Lisbon was curious.

Jane handed it to her. "It's a burner phone I managed to get from the Undercover Unit. The number is untraceable. I have given it to the rest of the team and told them to contact you on that. This way, you will be able to continue with work without worrying about Steven."

Lisbon smiled as she put the phone down on her desk. She knew that Malory from Undercover was a sucker for Jane's charms. "You shouldn't use Malory to your advantage like that."

"I never bribed anyone for that phone. I just asked nicely."

"Who said anything about bribing? Or do you have something to hide, Mr Jane?" Lisbon smiled at Jane's unsure expression.

Jane smiled at Lisbon's small victory. She needed every good moment she could get. He was still secretly worried for her safety. Steven wasn't going to let her go. This could only mean trouble for Lisbon, and quite possibly the rest of the team too. Jane left Lisbon's office, still mulling over any possible way to help Lisbon out of her problem.

A/N2: Please leave a review and let me know what you think of my story. I really do appreciate and enjoy reading what you have to say. Thanks.