A Little Harmless Submission(65)
That was interesting since Rome had been the one who had always done the heavy lifting. Jack was always too busy to do the paperwork.
“So you asked him about the panties?”
She nodded and squeezed her eyes. A fresh wave of tears came pouring out.
“He just exploded. I didn’t expect it.”
“Jack hadn’t hit you before?”
She drew in another breath. “No, not really. He wanted to…he wanted to do some stuff while we were having sex that I wasn’t comfortable with, but that was it.”
Rome studied her bent head. “What kind of stuff?”
She glanced up then looked back down. “He wanted to tie me up. That didn’t bother me that much. God, I can’t believe I have to talk about this with you.”
“I didn’t think he was into BDSM.”
“That wouldn’t have been bad, really, but he tried to tie a scarf around my neck.”
Rome’s heart almost stopped beating. Son of a bitch.
“And with the panties, the thing that upset me was the scarf that was there. It was the one he’d used on me. I thought maybe he had been cheating on me while we were still together, and when I accused him of it, that was when he went crazy.”
“Do you know where he is?”
She shook her head. “He left, and I took myself to the hospital. They wanted to call the cops, but I wanted to come to you. He took the bag with him, Rome.”
“You did the right thing. Is your new boyfriend here?”
She shook her head. “And he’s going to be so mad at me for doing this when he wasn’t home, but Jack told me he was leaving tonight, and I wanted to get rid of his things. Mike’s on the Big Island for business.”
“Okay. I want you to come with me, we’re going to go to the department, and you will file a report against him.”
She nodded, and he was thankful for that. If he’d had to fight her on it, he might have lost it then and there. One thing was for certain, he didn’t care what he had to do, he was going to find Maria, and if Jack was still alive, he was going to kill the bastard with his bare hands.
· · · · ·
Maria came awake abruptly, the sharp smell of ammonia assaulting her.
“That’s right, Maria, Ms. FBI Agent. Wake up and show me those baby blues.”
She did and realized that Jack was standing close to her. So close that she could smell the musky scent of his sweat. Jack leaned down closer, bending at the waist. She tried to jerk away, but realized she couldn’t get any further. She tried to move her hands, but they were bound behind her.
“Tsk, tsk.” He shook his head. “Someone would think that you didn’t like me.”
He straightened. “I couldn’t believe it when Carino told me you were an FBI agent. Who would have thought such a luscious piece of ass like you worked for the F…B…I?”
He trailed a finger down her cheek. Inwardly she cringed, but she didn’t show it to him. He would get off on her fear.
“So Rome told you about me?”
Jack pulled away. “Yes. Well, not on purpose. See, he thought you were leaving, was not going to see you again, and his heart was breaking. Poor, poor Rome. He is never lucky in love. The women he’s had never seem to last.”
“Let me guess. You’re Amy’s fiancé. The one nobody could find.”
He offered her a smile that sent a fresh wave of icy fear down her spine. “Guilty. She was really easy to get to. She was feeling lonesome after my old partner dumped her. Rome apparently has an issue with commitment, but you know all about that.”
“Like it matters to me?”
It did, but she would be damned if she would let the bastard know.
“No? Well, women like you are married to your job.” He sniffed. “Very unfeminine.”
She said nothing but kept watching. He was pouring chloroform on a cloth. The sickly sweet smell was easy to detect.
“So you came behind Rome, went after his leftovers.”
“I know what you’re trying to do, agent. I’ve had the training.”
But there was a tremor in his hand. She had gotten to him.
“Oh, okay. I mean, I guess you don’t mind being the ‘sloppy seconds’ guy.”
His smile tightened as he walked back to her, but he said nothing.
“I am sure it doesn’t mean you can’t get your own woman.”
“I’ve had my own woman.”
“Rome split with them, then you came in behind. They’re vulnerable, needy, and you can satisfy a woman like that.”
“Shut the fuck up.” His face was turning red.
“They never seem to stick around with you, though. Is that the problem you had with Amy? Or was it that she started to compare you to Rome? Did they all do that, so you had to go after them? Kill them?”