Joint Investigation. Terri Reed

Drew asked. For some reason the thought of her as a killer didn’t seem right. He shook off the thought. In his experience murderers came in all shapes and sizes. He’d been at this job long enough to not take anyone at face value.

      “No,” she shot back in a tone that implied he was dense. “Of course not. You stopped me from entering the room, so how could I kill anyone inside?”

      Blake shrugged and matched her tone. “Maybe you’re coming back to clean up.”

      “How long have we been sitting on that room?” Drew asked his team.

      Justin answered, “Three hours.”

      Drew stepped toward the window. The view to room 218 was unobstructed. “No one has come or gone?”

      “Nope,” Blake drawled, his American Southern roots echoing through the word. He pointed a finger at the woman. “Only her.”

      Sami pulled against the restraints holding her to the chair. “The killer could still be in there.”

      The agitation in her voice vibrated through the room and settled in Drew’s chest.

      “You have to listen to me. You need to breach the door and capture him before he slips away.” She whipped her gaze to Drew. He sucked in a breath at the pleading look in her eyes. “The victim could be Canadian.” Her gaze slid back to Blake and narrowed her eyes. “Or American.”

      For some reason Drew found himself drawn in by her impassioned plea. He considered his options. They could sit tight and keep watching the room. But his instincts told him this sting was a bust. Either Blake’s intel was bad or they’d been made.

      Or they could move in now. If they did, then they were ensuring this operation was over, time and resources wasted. Although if what the woman—the FBI special agent—said was true...

      He’d been appointed as the lead on the joint binational operation; the choice was his. “We breach the room.”

      Blake pushed away from the wall, his lip curling. “I’m calling this in.”

      “After,” Drew countered, asserting his authority as he met the ICE agent’s intense gaze. This was Drew’s op, his country. They’d proceed as he dictated.

      Blake’s nostrils flared but he conceded with a nod. “Fine. You’re the boss...eh?”

      His tone made it clear he thought Drew was making the wrong move.

      Drew grinned. “That’s the rumor.”

      Blake Fallon scooped up the Glock from the dresser and headed out the door.

      If he was making a mistake, he’d deal with the consequences later. For now, Drew was going with his gut. “Let’s go.”

      “What about me?” Sami cried.

      At the door Drew paused. “You’ll be safe until we return.”

      * * *

      “Wait!” Sami gaped at the men’s retreating backs. “You can’t leave me here!”

      The door shut behind them. Unbelievable. Sami stamped her foot with irritation and let out a growl of frustration. How dare the big Canadian treat her like a criminal!

      She blew out a breath and calmed herself. Well, she’d show him.

      Thankfully, his sidekick had placed the ties far enough up her wrist that she had movement of her hands. She lifted her right foot and set it across her left knee so she could reach her Ka-Bar knife tucked inside a sheath within her boot.

      She drew the knife out and maneuvered the blade in her palm so that the flat side lay against her skin. Then carefully she pushed the knife with her fingers down the inside of her forearm beneath the tie.

      She rotated the head of the knife until the dull edge of the blade dug into her skin while the sharp side pressed against the tie. Bending her palm, she applied pressure and the knife’s sharp edge cut through the plastic tie like butter.

      Exhilarated with her success, she quickly sliced through the tie on her right wrist and then ran from the room.

      A drizzling rain moistened the air. Not a good night to be outside. Her clothes soaked up the moisture, making her skin prickle and a chill slide across her flesh. She raced across the parking lot, her gaze on the dark balcony, her hand clenching her knife tightly.

      Shadows moved along the walkway. The Canadian and his cohorts—ICE and US Border Patrol. Their presence didn’t make sense. Was it a coincidence that a joint task force team was staking out the exact place Birdman had led her to? Was Birdman toying with other agencies, as well?

      Hurrying up the staircase, she stumbled on the steps. It was hard to see in the darkness, but she didn’t dare use the flashlight tucked in one of her pants pockets. As she reached the end of the balcony, the sound of wood splintering echoed through the quiet night. They’d breached the door.

      “Halt!” A cry broke through the hushed silence.

      A loud thud followed by a yelp of pain revved Sami’s blood. Anticipation grabbed her by the throat. Would they catch the killer? Would her nightmare finally come to an end?

      “Suspect escaping through the bathroom window!”

      She recognized the voice as the younger Canadian Mountie.

      The ICE agent doubled back, nearly knocking Sami over as he ran down the stairs in hot pursuit of their quarry.

      A light winked on in the room. The bright garish glow should have been welcoming. It wasn’t.

      She hurried forward; the scent of death assaulted her senses. She gagged but forced herself to step inside the motel room. Would she ever grow accustomed to the smell? She prayed not.

      She nudged aside the men. Their bleak expressions made dread twist in her gut. She followed their gazes to the bed. Though she knew what to expect because she’d seen other corpses, including that of her childhood best friend, the sight of the mutilated woman lying atop the multicolored bedspread made her breath catch and tears burn the backs of her eyes. Her heart sank. Would she ever be able to stop this madman?

      Justin stumbled out of the bathroom doorway, holding his bleeding nose. “A guy was hiding in the bathtub. He dived out the open bathroom window.”

      “And dropped two stories?” the man in charge, Inspector Drew Kelley, questioned. He stood well over six feet, with massive shoulders that filled out the midnight blue uniform beneath his flak vest. He wore his dark hair shorn in a classic clean cut. His hazel eyes reminded her of the leaves in fall.

      Justin shrugged, clearly as perplexed as Drew.

      “Agent Fallon is in pursuit,” Justin supplied.

      Drew spoke into a radio attached to his shoulder, his commands sending others on the hunt, as well.

      Fury erupted in Sami’s chest. If the Canadian hadn’t stopped her... She still had a chance to catch Birdman. Sami ran toward the busted hotel room door. Her gaze hit the wall over the bed. Her feet skidded to an abrupt halt.

      Defacing the plain white wall was a rudimentary depiction of a set of eyes drawn in bright red. In blood.

      The world tilted. Shivers of fear slid along her limbs. She almost dropped her knife. This was an ambush. The killer had anticipated her arrival. He’d wanted her to see that he was in control.

      “Out with you,” Drew said to Justin. “We don’t need your blood contaminating the scene.” Justin left the room.

      Drew turned his attention to Luke. “Secure the perimeter. This is a crime scene.”

      The fresh-faced agent nodded grimly and left to do the big guy’s bidding.

      Sami met Drew’s gaze. He watched her with an intensity that would have unnerved her but she was too freaked out to be fazed.

      “How