FBI - BOSTON FIELD DIVISION - ONE CENTER PLAZA
Four weeks later
When Jack approached her desk, she made no effort to ignore him this time. He was her boss and she had vowed to herself after her conversation with Juliet to ease up a little. It wasn't like her to break rank and file, to be disrespectful. She was walking a fine line here and knew she would have to rein in the attitude if she hoped to have a future with the Bureau. His responsibilities kept him away from the office most of the time, so how hard could it be to be civil?
"Afternoon, Austen. Can I have a word with you in my office?"
Kate turned to him, she responded yes. He felt his shoulders stiffen from the cool precision of her receptiveness to his request. And for a fleeting moment, for the first time he could remember since high school, a woman made him feel sexually irrelevant.
He gestured for her to take a seat and she did. Kate kept her face still as she looked at him, her expression not exactly hostile, but not friendly either. As was his habit now, he looked straight at her, very politely, as if meeting her for the first time. Kate hated this. She wanted to find some hint in his face. She would even settle for that mocking grin she thought she saw in the office kitchen pantry. That seemed so long ago now. She had even wildly thought that he was leaning in to kiss her then, that the seeds of attraction between them were a force too strong to deny. But … he didn't, yet Kate couldn't help but sense that he was forcing himself to pull away, even with Alpert walking in.
Jack stood behind his desk and leaned his head back against the bookcases lined against the wall. His arms were folded across his chest. Kate tried not to look at his groin which was now eye-level to her seated position. What the hell was she doing?
"Alpert told me that you both were in Fitchburg the last two days - another homicide. Similar pattern to the victim in Haverhill?"
"Yes, the victim, female, mid-twenties, brown hair, she -"
He gave an impatient shrug, "She shares the same physical characteristics of the prior victim. I understand. Next item, Austen."
Kate rolled her eyes at his rude interruption. Shephard was not in good humor today, obviously.
But she continued speaking anyway, "I think the killer had her under surveillance, maybe even approached her under the guise of someone with authority, perhaps posing as law enforcement -"
"And what makes you assume that?"
"I'm not assuming anything," Kate snapped. She knew that making assumptions in the agency was an open invitation to be rebuked.
Don't let him get under your skin. "Unlike the previous victim, this one was living with her fiancé who was out of town on business. She … Miss Saunders, had just come home from her evening shift at the hospital when the murder occurred. I interviewed the fiancé, her friends and family. For the last few months, she had been taking on extra shifts at the hospital …." Kate paused then, a subtle feeling of emotion seemed to bubble in her throat, but she pushed it back. "The victim needed the added income to save for her wedding expenses." That added bit of knowledge affected her for some reason. It made her feel like these girls could have easily been her.
Jack nodded slowly and then took his seat, "The news reports are calling it random and with no apparent motive." Yeah, he was testing her now.
She squinted, trying to read him. "We both know that mass murderers and serial murderers do not select their victims at random. There are differences in the crimes, of course. This time, instead of a hand, he removed her foot. He strangled this victim instead of using a knife. The killer may have known them, or he might not have known his victims at all. But I'm certain … certain that he saw them … studied them for a while before he killed them. There is something about these women. A reason why he wants his victims to look alike." She paused, her mind working hard to find a common factor.
"Did Vi-CAP turn up anything, Austen?"
"Yes and … no. There were two murders that occurred six and eight months ago, but they happened in California. The physical profile of the victims is different too. With the west coast murders, the women were five feet, seven inches tall, blond, blue eyed. But the killer kept the same trophies - a hand and a foot -"
"Do you think they're connected?"
"I don't know. Maybe the change was intentional? Certainly, the cooling off period between each set of murders is different. Back then it was about two months in between, here in Massachusetts it's been one month." She didn't know what to make of it, but continued to think out loud, "Perhaps it's a copycat? And our east coast killer just decided to slightly customize his murders?"
She looked down at her lap and Jack could see that she was pensive, deep in thought. He asked, "So what's next?"
Kate looked up and sighed,"I'm driving back tomorrow to interview the hospital staff and review employment records. Special Agent Alpert will not be accompanying me though. He said I was ready to go on my own."
Jack nodded, this was routine, standard protocol, the investigation hadn't escalated to the point where she needed constant direct supervision.
There was an awkward silence, so Kate asked, "Is there anything else?"
Jack shook his head,"No. I'm satisfied so far. When will you have the profile ready to give me?"
"Give you or Alpert?" She asked quizzically, not understanding his sudden involvement in her case.
He shook his head slightly as if he were correcting himself, "Send it to Alpert and copy me. I do expect you to finish it by the end of the week."
"Yes sir." She stood up, straightened out the front of her dress.
"Austen, actually, there is another item." There was a hint of trepidation in his voice and she caught it. Kate slowly sat down. A pulsing sensation was running through her veins. Why did she feel that his real intentions for calling her into his office was about to be revealed?
He cleared his throat, "There is … uhm… something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Yes! Bingo! Finally!
Kate may have even rubbed her palms in anticipation. They were finally going to talk about the giant elephant in the room. A smile and then a sigh of relief came out of her lips. She felt restless and shifted her hips in a way that looked as if she had to go pee.
"The last time we spoke, I brought up something personal that I shouldn't have. It was inappropriate for me to discuss your personnel file that way. I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable."
That's it?! Heat traveled up her neck and her fingers shook with anger. THIS? This is what he wanted to talk about? A sinking feeling was pulling her down to the sunken vessel that was her heart. There would be no talk. She saw it now.
"Is that it? Is that all you have to say?" She was prodding, holding out hope. This couldn't be it. No.
Hurt. Disappointment. Anger. It was all there for her.
"Yes, that's it. Is there something else you were expecting?" He asked cautiously, not really wanting an honest answer.
Kate stood up, her voice choking slightly, "No. That's it. And it's all fine. Thank you for the apology." She left in a blur, didn't even give him the opportunity to add anything else. He knew what she wanted to hear. But he couldn't give it to her. And why was he such an asshole?
That evening Kate sat curled up on her sofa, flipping through the channels on her tv and abruptly stopped on one program. The local Boston news was on. And there was Jack, standing next to the U.S. Attorney and some other officials. It was footage from a press conference held earlier today, the Boston Field Office had cracked down on a large health care fraud scheme. She studied him and hated herself for admiring how handsome he looked. He was so photogenic, his expensive suit tailored just so. But she saw something else too. He looked different, not at ease, not his usual self.
That made her curious.
She watched him then take a spot behind the microphone, clear his throat and begin to speak, "Imagine receiving a diagnosis of cancer and then having to go through chemotherapy or other intensive treatments. Then imagine finding out that you never had cancer in the first place and that your doctor—whom you trusted implicitly—merely used you in his scheme to fraudulently bill the federal Medicare program and private insurance companies for hundreds of millions of dollars. That's exactly what happened to patients of Dr. Romanov, a Rhode Island-area hematologist and oncologist. And it was not only cancer diagnoses. Some patients were told, wrongly, that they had other conditions which required expensive intravenous therapies, medications, and diagnostic tests...all of which jeopardized their health and well-being. But after a thorough investigation by the FBI, Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations …."
Kate stopped listening and began to cry. This man was torturing her.
FBI - BOSTON FIELD DIVISION - ONE CENTER PLAZA
Three weeks later
Kate rubbed her tired eyes. Hours spent on Vi-CAP, digging through the database trying to find that one common link the victims share. She was spending too much time on this case, one that was turning cold with each passing day, but she couldn't let it go ... she wouldn't let it go. But it was late, her vision was getting blurry from the glow of the screen and she looked at the clock on her computer monitor. It was late. Time to go home, get some sleep. She rose from her seat and began to gather her things. The evening cleaning staff had turned off most of the lights, but Kate noticed some light emanating down the corridor. Curious to see who was also working so late, she put down her things and followed the light's direction. As she turned the corner, she shouldn't have been so surprised that it was coming from Jack's office.
Now that her nosiness was satisfied, she should have turned around, picked up her bag and left for the evening. But she frowned instead. A certain bitterness began to billow, he was playing with her head and she knew it. Anger, pure and simple swept over her. Months of pent up frustration and hurt suddenly moved her feet forward so that she was marching in her fashionable pumps.
She stepped in his office and kicked the door shut behind her, the loud sound causing Jack to jolt back into his chair in surprise. The startled 'What the hell's the matter with you? Are you crazy?' look was plastered to his face. And that enraged her further, because she was NOT the crazy one here.
And ... and ... she's been profiling him, she even has his file saved on her laptop at home to prove it! Goddammit! He's the nut job. She wondered if she even had the self-control to stop herself from throwing a punch at him.
Kate watched him slowly fold his arms across his chest as he settled further back into his chair, looking cool and collected now. She tried to ignore his muscular forearms that were exposed below his rolled up shirt sleeves. She still remembered how they felt under her hands. Kate swatted away at some errant hair on her cheek and tried to not notice how it felt like someone had turned up the thermostat in his office.
A faint grin played across his face as he studied her with a certain amused contentment. He wasn't expecting this hot-blooded, feisty and ... beautiful intrusion, green eyes flared hotly and her nose wrinkling in displeasure. But he didn't mind the disruption. Didn't mind it at all. He watched Kate slowly make her way around his desk towards him, each step more tantalizing than the previous one - he tried to keep his eyes off her shapely calves. He swiveled his seat and rolled it back so that his knees were directly facing her.
Placing her hands on her hips, she asked him, "Do you remember me?" Kate made sure to enunciate each word carefully. His eyes squinted slightly, a small smirk followed. Kate nodded and offered a squint in return that read: 'I thought so.'
Kate then got an idea. She licked her lips.
She leaned over him, her palms resting on the armrests of his chair now, their faces inches apart. Allowing him to be sharply aware of how close her body was to his.
She gritted out the words, "I asked you a question. Do you remember me?"
This was getting very ... interesting, he thought.
He was actually intending to have this conversation with her tomorrow. He was forced to now because of the new circumstances with her case, there would be no more avoiding their complicated history. Jack felt the heat coming off of her and he had to admit that he was preferring her approach to this discussion more than what he had planned.
Kate's way was definitely more intriguing and ... exciting. Especially, since he was just able to get a tiny glimpse down her blouse.
Jack raised his hand to stroke his jaw and nodded very slowly. Yeah, he was going to play along with her. Their eyes were now locking.
And Kate recognized that wicked grin of his, the way he squinted his eyes before he answered. "You know what Agent Austen? You do look a bit more familiar to me now that you mention it."
Kate made the tiniest gasp, but her insides grew bolder and she felt the blood beating in her throat. So … he wanted to play this game - fine. But she was determined to be the one to win it. Yet, she hesitated, blinked even at the bold way his eyes travelled over her, making her feel as if she had nothing on. She shuddered.
She was in over her head with this one, that was for sure.
Fuck it. He was barely in the office anyway. It would probably be weeks until she saw him again. It would just all go back to that 'normal' state of awkwardness. But, at this moment, she just needed this bit of satisfaction.
Thoughtlessly, she lifted the hem of her skirt, just enough so she could rest her knee on the seat cushion just outside his thigh. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but his glance drifted down to her thigh. She then carefully, placed her other knee so she was now straddling him and providing just the right pressure. He may have released a groan, he wasn't sure because he was so attracted to this woman. A woman who obviously was still able to heat his skin up. Kate was determined to stick to the plan and not think about the fact that part of her was fighting against the urge to wiggle out of her panties and have her way with him - enjoy this man for all he's worth.
Kate felt Jack stiffen ever so slightly at her encroachment and she brought her face closer, so that their noses were brushing, their mouths only a breath apart. They could both hear their hearts thumping wildly now and Kate got a sudden thrill from the look of stoicism on his face and the loud sound of the gulp he swallowed.
Kate's eyes drifted to his lips, then breathily she told him, "Maybe this can help jog that memory of yours."
Slowly … slowly, she pressed her body against his. He noticed that she was trembling, how tiny her waist felt under his hands, how firm her small breasts were as they grazed his chest.
The dull ache of his desire was throbbing between them now. He wanted her. There was no denying it.
He watched her close her eyes and run the tip of her tongue across her lips before tickling it against his. He grinned, accepted her challenge and slowly drew her soft tongue against his.
With a groan of mingled passion and frustration, he let her kiss him full on the mouth - it was a slow and greedy kiss. Designed to draw him in and make him want more. And he did. Their lips, their tongues pulled and sucked hungrily and she reached for his tie and then began to wind the silk fabric around her hand and then jerked him closer to her. Kate rotated her hips against his arousal and he bucked up against her. She enjoyed the feel of his taut thigh muscles, maybe too much so. His hands were itching to touch her soft skin again and the scent and heat of he aroused center was all he could take.
Jack took a furtive look from the corner of his eye, wondering if there was a way to lock the door without interrupting … without … stopping whatever the hell it was they were doing.
His hands roamed up her skirt, his fingers playing at the elastic band of her tights. Yeah. He was going to do this. Fuck her senseless on his desk, on this chair, on every available surface in this room. Who was he kidding? It was always only a matter of time.
Kate saw that he was about to hook his thumbs around and tug the fabric down. And the fact that he took it for granted that she would succumb and let him take her like this, in his office, like she was some overawed schoolgirl left a bitter trace in her mouth.
But she was determined to stick with the plan. So she pulled her face away, looking at him, the way his eyes were blurry with lust. "You like this?" She breathed, mustering up the sexiest voice she had and then pressed herself against his groin for emphasis.
A pained groan came from him. Yes. He didn't need to say it. But the answer was clearly yes.
His sounds were breathy and inarticulate against her cheek. That made Kate smile impishly. Gotcha. She finally had this little sucker just where she wanted. Who's the boss now, Special Agent in Charge Shephard?
She slowly lifted herself off his lap, but he seized her hips in resistance, trying to plant her right back where she belonged. Kate shook her head in a teasing nuh uh uh, taking his hands and forcefully removing them. And then, harshly, she added, "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it? Because you can't have it. You had your chance. And now it's too late because I hate you, Jack."
There was a flash of vulnerability and hurt in his eyes, which he quickly masked, but not before she saw it though. Her heart bowed under the weight of the part that still wanted to understand him. But then she remembered what he has put her through over the past few months and the anger crawled back.
But he recovered soon enough, the familiar, cool facade returned, "I take it, that you didn't have a chance to read my email, Kate?"
'Kate.' He finally said her name. And she was ready to pounce on him for holding it back so long. Wait … email?
"What email?" Her heart plummeted into her stomach now. This wasn't going to be good. She could tell.
"The one that notified you that I've assumed direct supervision of your case. You and I are traveling to Maine tomorrow. Another victim that matches your profile turned up this evening, I got the call couple of hours ago. Alpert will be interim SAIC - effective immediately."
Kate's heart plunged into her stomach. What did she just do? Again?
Her little frame was shaking, unable to contain the fury. "You … you set this up." She sputtered, all the while knowing that she sounded like a babbling idiot, of course he didn't. But that didn't stop the stupidity from continuing to flow out of her mouth, "You intentionally … made this happen!" Kate was pointing at his chair now, a direct reference to the location of their make-out session.
"I made that happen? You can't be serious." He chuckled and scoffed with incredulity at her accusation. Yet he thought she was still the most adorable thing he ever set eyes on, even if she looked like she wanted to kill him with her bare hands. Every part of his being was telling him to go to her, to give in, say the right words … but, he wouldn't … he can't.
Kate knew she was talking crazy now, this whole spectacle was her own loony idea. But she hated feeling that he somehow turned the tables on her. That she played right into his hands - literally. Couldn't she finally get some small victory here? She looked at his smug face and saw that he was enjoying her reaction. And that enraged her. This was supposed to be about dangling herself in front of him, making him want her and then yanking it away. Instead, now he was smirking and enjoying seeing what was surely steam coming out of her ears.
"You know Kate, you can barge into my office and give me a lap dance anytime." His voice was lazily indolent and the lusty, sarcastic undertone was about to send her over the edge. But she had no snappy comeback.
"See you at 0800, Austen." He grinned widely at her before looking down at his computer monitor. Her jaw dropped, hands clenched into tiny fists, feeling as if he had given her a dismissive swat on her behind and sent her on her way.
She yanked the door open and the only silver lining she could hope for was that he was left suffering from an excruciating case of blue balls.
A/N - Ha! Kate's revenge. Not quite what she wanted. But the good news is, the two of them will now be working together ... closely.
I had so much fun writing that and I hope their big 'remembrance' scene lives up to the expectation. At first, I was planning to make it sweet and tender. And then I said, fuck it. Bring on the angst.
As always, thank you for the reviews, they are so very appreciated.
