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Chapter 3

"What the hell do you think you were playing at!" Mac yelled at Jo.

They were stood in his office, Mac behind his desk and Jo on the other side. The others were gathered in the lab with their backs to Mac's office so he couldn't see that they were listening instead of working. They could practically hear every word he was saying, loud and clear. They were all desperate to watch but they knew how angry Mac was with Jo so thought it best not to make it obvious.

"He's gonna chew her up and spit her out." Adam said in a sing song voice.

"Shut-up." Lindsay told him.

"Why in God's name did you go there alone in the first place, Jo?" Mac continued yelling.

"I wasn't aware that I needed you permission for where I go when I'm not working, Mac." Jo argued.

"You do when it's relating to this case."

"I'm no longer on this case, remember?" she argued.

"More the reason why you should have called me when you found that note."

"That note was meant for me, it was put under my door. I was the one who was supposed to find that body, not you."

"And you could have gotten yourself killed doing so!" Mac yelled at her.

She glared angrily at him for a moment but then her expression changed, softened, and she slumped down onto the chair behind her. "I'm sorry, Mac. I guess I just didn't think it through. I was just so furious that this psycho had been to my home…. Oh, thank God Ellie's out of town." she said as she hid her face behind her hands.

"I can make sure that there's someone to keep an eye on your place." Mac offered as he sat down, having become less angry.

"No. No, not at all. I want everyone working on this case, not babysitting me. I want this psycho found and that will only happen if everyone's on board here."

"Jo, there's nothing wrong with having someone watching your back."

"Someone's just playing with my head. That's all."

"And what if they decide that they wanna do more than just screw with your head, Jo."

Mac's words made her sit up straight as a shiver shot down her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling suddenly cold. Mac heard his words play back in his head and suddenly wished he'd chose them a little better.

He knew all the victims had been brutally raped and so wished he hadn't said the word "screw." It wasn't what he'd meant, he was thinking more that someone just wanted Jo dead, but as he looked at her he began to think differently. Jo was stunning, even when she looked scared, which he knew she was. It suddenly worried him what thoughts could go through a rapists head about her.

"From now on, anything you receive from this guy you tell me. You don't go searching for bodies on your own. You can come along but you don't move away from my side. Got it?" Mac said.

Jo hated the thought that she would be no more than a puppet on strings by Mac's side but it was better to be involved that way than not at all. She just nodded, accepting of his orders.

~0~0~0~0~

From Jo's office the lab looked like it was swarming with busy CSI's and lab techs. Yet here she was in her office, sat on her ass, doing nothing. She hated it. She felt so useless. She wanted to be helping not just sitting back watching. She was frustrated, angry.

It was only when she heard her cell phone beeping in her bag that her attention was taken away from her colleagues. She reached into her bag that was sat on the floor behind her desk and pulled out her phone. She had to look in wonder at the text message that had come through from some random number she'd never seen before.

She opened the message and began to read it;

Jo,

I've left a little something for you to find.

The parking lot behind your apartment building.

Come alone,

John Curtis.

She sat back and thought about it. Thought about how worried Mac had been after last night. Remembered his words from earlier. She read the text again, "come alone" She shook her head, she knew she couldn't go alone. She had to take the team.

~0~0~0~0~

Mac had allowed Jo to come along with him and Lindsay and two other CSI's. They were all searching the car park. Jo couldn't help but feel like a child, if she tried to take more than two steps away from Mac's side he'd grab her wrist to stop her

"We will find, whatever it is this asshole wants me to find, a lot faster if we split up." Jo said.

"Forget it." Was his reply.

"Hey, over here!" Lindsay shouted from across the car park. "I think I found something!"

Both Jo and Mac raced over to her, quickly followed by the other officers. Lindsay was crouching over a box. They could all see the bottom of it was soaked in blood. They watched as Lindsay reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves. She then carefully and strategically opened up the box.

Jo wasn't the type of person who was even the slightest bit squeamish but she had to turn away, unable to look at the face that seemed to stare up at her from inside the box. The eyes on the dismembered head looked at her with an icy glare.

Jo started to walk away, she couldn't believe how much this case was getting to her, she just couldn't help but feel that these bodies were on her hands. She was halfway across the car park when Mac caught up with her. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking off any further, but she ripped it out of his grasp.

She turned to face him with an angry look on her face. It was an anger that he didn't understand. "Jo, talk to me." he said.

Jo wanted to, she did, but instead she shook her head. She was frightened that if she spoke she may cry. She rolled her eyes and sighed. She felt so pathetic. "I wanna know who that girl is, but what I really want to know is how the hell John Curtis could be the one doing this!" she said before she stormed off. She was going to her apartment, it still felt the next safest place to her, after the lab.

She didn't bother to argue with Mac who was following, she simply let him. She figured he was going to follow her right into her apartment and he did.. So as she walked through the front door she purposely left it open behind her for him to come through.

She flicked the light on and couldn't stop the scream that burst from her throat. Mac saw what had made her scream. It was sitting on her couch, propped up…a headless body.

"Son-uv-a-bitch!" Jo muttered as she pushed past Mac and stepped out into the hall.

Mac couldn't pull his eyes away from the body, it was a beaten mess. It was completely naked and there were 6 evident bullet holes spread across the torso. Across the chest was carved 'sinner' on the stomach was carved 'Jo Danville' and in the woman's lap was a picture of John Curtis.

He took out his phone and rang Lindsay. "Get up to Jo's apartment." he said to her.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"Our crime scene." he told her.

He turned to face the door and looked out into the hallway. Sat there was Jo; her legs tucked up against her body, her elbows resting on her knees, her hands tangled in her hair. She was staring at the body, she couldn't pull her eyes away.

~0~0~0~0~

Mac walked into the lab where Hawkes was finishing up some tests. "What have you found?" Mac asked him.

Hawkes turned to face him with an expression that Mac knew meant he had bad news.

"Give me the bad news first." Mac said.

"I compared the bullets that Sid pulled out of the body, found in Jo's apartment, to a gun and they came up a match."

"Against what gun?" Mac asked.

"Against Jo's service weapon." Hawkes told him, unsure what to do with the information.

"She said it was taken when she was knocked down in central park." Mac informed him.

Hawkes sighed before he said, "Someone's really trying to mess with her head."

"You think?" Mac snapped sarcastically. He saw how Hawke seemed to take a step back, almost offended by his sarcasm. "I'm sorry," Mac offered. "I've never seen Jo like this. She seems almost scared. Its not like her."

"This case is getting to her. Its understandable, considering who's taking the blame for all the murders, which seems mad since its like he's trying to set Jo up for the murders." Hawkes said.

"You and I both know John Curtis has not risen from the dead to torment Jo." Mac said.

"You, I and Jo all know that there is no way John Curtis could have risen from the dead and that's exactly why Jo is so scared. It's hard to stop something, or someone when you don't know who, or what they even are." Hawkes said.

Mac could only look at him, knowing his younger colleague was right.

~0~0~0~0~

Mac made his way to Jo's office. When he got there he found her slumped over her desk, her head resting on her arms. "You're tired." he said knowingly.

"No, I'm exhausted." Jo said honestly as she sat up and brushed her hands over her tired eyes.

"You need to go to bed."

"That would be much easier if my home wasn't a crime scene." she reminded him.

Mac had somehow let that slip his mind, however, a solution quickly entered his head. "Look, why don't you stay at mine tonight? You can take my bed and I will sleep on the couch."

"That's really sweet but I couldn't."

"So then where were you planning on sleeping tonight?" he asked her.

Jo looked at him, then looked at her desk and smiled. All she could do was shrug her shoulders and shake her head.

~0~0~0~0~

Mac was adding the finishing touches to his bed for the night, his couch. He was just fluffing up his pillow when he heard the bathroom door open. He glanced up from the couch and saw a pair of long, tanned and perfectly toned legs in the bathroom doorway. He continued to glance up until his eyes met Jo's.

She was wearing a shirt that he had lent her and although it was far too big she looked amazing in it. It was long enough to cover her ass. He found his gaze dropping back down to her legs. Her skin looked so soft, and it was the colour of caramel and…

"The shirts a little too big." Jo said, feeling slightly uncomfortable and bringing Mac away from his thoughts.

"It looks great on you." he thought out loud. Jo smiled and it was only then that he heard back the words he had just said. He cringed and wanted the world to swallow him up. It was the truth, she looked fantastic but he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"Are you sure you don't mind sleeping on the couch? I really don't mind. I don't wanna put you out of your own bed." she said as she walked over to him.

"Its fine. I wouldn't dream of letting you sleep on this couch. It's about as a comfy as a pile of rocks." he said.

"Exactly why you should let me sleep on that and you take your bed."

"No, Jo." he said firmly.

"Fine." she said with a smile and she pushed her hair back off her face.

He suddenly caught a whiff of her perfume and although he had smelt it on her a dozen times it suddenly smelt so much more enticing. He felt like it was enveloping him in, drawing him closer to Jo.

"Look, thanks again for this Mac, I really appreciate it." Jo said, closing the gap as she placed her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. "It's really kind of you."

"You're welcome." he said as he placed his hand on top of hers.

They both remained still and totally silent for a moment, their hands touching. Jo found herself gazing into Mac's eyes. She's always loved them, always though they were deep as oceans. They were standing so close that each time he exhaled she felt his breath on her skin, it was warm and made her skin tingle.

She smiled as she pulled her hand away and took a step back. She wasn't sure she wouldn't make a stupid move if she stayed so close to him. She knew she had to stay professional, Mac was her boss.

"Come on," he said, snapping her from her thoughts, making her blush a little. "I'll show you to the bedroom." he said.

Jo followed behind him until they came to his room. They both stopped outside it, both feeling as awkward as the other. "I don't think we should really tell anyone about this, me staying here tonight I mean." Jo suggested.

"You mean you don't want to be the talk of the lab?" Mac joked.

"You mean I'm not already." she joked back. Mac just smiled at her. She smiled back as she opened the bedroom door, then said, "Good night, Mac."

"Good night, Jo." he replied as she stepped into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Mac remained by the bedroom door for a moment before he turned and walked back to the couch. He was completely unable to get the image of Jo in his shirt out of his head, or the touch of her hand on his arm, the scent of her perfume. He felt a little guilty. She was here needing his help and support and he was thinking of her in his shirt and less…. "Stop it Mac." he muttered to himself as he sat down on the couch.

He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, hoping some sport would help put some different images in his head.

~0~0~0~0~

Jo rolled over in bed to face the digital clock on the bedside table. 3.10am, she'd been asleep for about four hours. She lay there for a moment before she noticed the chill in the room that hadn't been there when she'd fallen asleep. Her blood ran cold when she heard a creak from behind her.

She shot up in the bed in time to see something fly past her, coming in through the open window. It hit the wall next to the bed with a loud smash. Flames suddenly exploded across the wall and floor. Another loud smash behind her made her jump and scream. More flames exploded beside her. The flames seemed to dance all around the bed, trapping her on it.

"MAC!" she screamed just as the door burst open.

He was there, wide eyed as he stared at the flames. The smoke bellowed around them, choking them both. Mac suddenly ran back out of the bedroom. Jo searched through the flames and smoke, she noticed the window was still open and as the wind blew in it blew the flames closer and closer to her.

The fire alarm began to ring, loud and ear piercingly so. "MAC!" Jo shouted as she began coughing, her lungs felt like they were on fire and she could feel the heat from the flames prickling her skin.

Mac suddenly ran back into the room. He had a tiny fire extinguisher in his hands that he used to try to put out the flames, but it was no good. Another smash rang out and more flames burst to life in the bedroom.

Mac suddenly realised the flames were too much for the tiny extinguisher. "Jo, jump off the bed!" he yelled to her.

Jo thought he was mad, the flames danced high around her like a wall, a wall that suddenly crept onto the bed. Knowing it was jump or burn alive she stood up and looked at Mac.

"Jo, jump! I'll catch you!" Mac yelled.

She was about to jump when more flames burst up around her. Flames that suddenly snapped at her leg. The pain was unreal, nauseating. She almost fell off the bed into the flames but she used the wall behind her to steady herself. Mac saw her struggling and so fought his way closer to the bed, closer to the flames. The heat in the room was almost unbearable and Jo suddenly felt light headed. She knew she was in great danger and so was Mac as he tried to help her. "Mac, get out its not safe!" she yelled to him, thinking of his safety.

"No! I'm not leaving you here, Jo!" he yelled at her as he crept as close to the bed as the flames would allow before they snapped at him, he was quick to dodge them but they were angry and determined and kept snapping out at him. "Jo, come on, jump!" he yelled over the roaring flames.

Jo took as deep a breath as she could before she leapt of the bed. She landed on her feet in front of Mac who wrapped his arms around her. Despite her cries of pain he dragged her from the room, she could only try to limp along with him.

Knowing they needed to get out quick he stopped, reached down and scooped her up. He ran from the apartment and out into the hallway where his neighbours had gathered. Mac placed Jo down but kept his arms wrapped around her waist in order to hold her up. She buried her face against his chest and held onto him as she choked on the smoke in her lungs.

Mac watched as the smoke poured out of his apartment. He could hear sirens from fire engines approaching. He wondered if they'd arrive in time to stop anymore damage being done.

He held onto Jo tighter as he thought about how close he had just come to losing her. He wanted to know who had tried to kill her, he wanted to make them pay.

TBC

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