It was part of the reason he’d stopped at kissing her; he wanted her to understand what it was he was offering. He’d be a complete asshole if he took advantage when she was upset and exhausted.
The vibration of his phone pulled him from his thoughts, and he slid it from his pocket with his free hand and read the text from Liam.
Liam: Have a sitrep on the dead woman and the dog.
Fuck, it was time to stop acting like a lovesick sap and do his job, and that job was to keep her safe. Slowly, he extracted his body from beneath hers and slipped a pillow in his place, smiling as she immediately snuggled closer to it.
This woman made him feel things he’d never felt before, the tight band in his chest as he watched her sleep was unexpected and unfamiliar. With one last glance across the room, he left, closing the door on her sleeping form.
Liam was in the kitchen making tea, turning when Reid walked in. “Hey, how is she?”
Liam flirted and joked with everyone, but deep down he was a trustworthy operator and a damn good man. The shit that went down with Gunner had shaken them all, but he didn’t doubt Liam.
“She’s sleeping,” he answered simply, and Liam nodded.
“Coffee?”
Reid didn’t drink tea so nodded at the offer. “What info do you have on the dead woman and Bono?”
Liam handed him a cup, and they took a seat at the small round kitchen table. Liam sipped the strong, dark tea. “The woman was her housekeeper, Tina Pugh. From what we can tell, she was beaten and then her throat was slit on Callie’s bed. No sign of sexual assault, but we need to wait for the autopsy results. Detective Brant has said he’ll keep us in the loop because of his friendship with Mitch.”
Reid nodded. “Fuck, Callie will be devastated. She really liked the woman and will blame herself.”
“Whoever this stalker is, my guess is they knew she was due home today.”
Reid agreed with Liam’s statement. “I agree, which means it’s someone close to her. We need to tighten her circle and have her cancel all but the most important engagements until we can catch them.” Reid sipped his coffee. “Bono?”
“He was found wandering outside, a passer-by handed him into a local vet. Mitch is bringing him over now.”
“Thank fuck. She loves that dog.”
“So, what are you thinking moving forward?”
Liam and Mitch knew London better than he did but still deferred to him on this Op. It was as if by some unspoken understanding they’d decided he’d take the lead because of his relationship to her, or more over, her brother.
“I know you and Mitch know London well, but I’d prefer to get her to Hereford where we have the home advantage. I keep feeling we’re playing catch up on this and I don’t like it.”
“I agree, plus we have back-up if we need it.”
“I’m going to give Jack a call and hear his thoughts on it.”
“Good idea. I’m going to rustle up some food, best to eat while we can.”
Reid stepped outside into the overgrown back yard and hit dial.
Jack picked up almost immediately. “Reid, give me an update.” Jack was always brisk and to the point, but he was also a good man who cared about his men.
“We got back and found Callie’s housekeeper murdered in her bed. We think it happened just moments before she arrived home, so suspect someone close to her.”
“Yes, that would be my thoughts too. What are your plans?”
“If it’s okay, I’ll bring her to Hereford. I want the home advantage.”
“Good call. She’ll be safe here, and you’ll have back-up if you need it.” Jack paused.
He instantly knew something had happened with Gunner. “What’s happened?”
Jack sighed, and Reid pictured him pacing his office. “We heard through a contact of Blake’s that Gunner might be working for someone close to the Royal Household, but we don’t know more than that.”
“That makes no sense. We protect the Royal Household. Why would they want us out of the way?”
“I don’t know yet, but I will find out.”
“Any idea where Gunner is yet?”
“No, not yet. The last sighting was in Egypt but nothing since then.”
“I still can’t believe he betrayed us like that,” Reid mused out loud.
“Yeah, neither can I. Anyway, come in when you get back, and we’ll make a plan for Calista Lundholm and her stalker.”
“Thanks, boss, but you need the manpower to find Gunner and the threat. I can do this alone if I’m on home turf.”
“No, I won’t have my men working alone when we can help. We can spare Liam and Mitch on this for a few weeks. Waggs may need to step in if Liam is needed elsewhere but other than that, we have you covered. Blake and Alex are chasing a lead in Kandahar and Lopez is looking into a few things too, so we have the time. Concentrate on finding this fucker. I hate assholes that terrorise innocent woman.”
Reid smiled at his boss’ overly long and unexpected tirade. Jack, as a rule, was a man of few words so this was a long one for him.
“Will do, Jack.”
Reid hung up and walked back inside to the smell of bacon frying and his stomach grumbled. One thing he loved about living in the UK was their ability to see a full English breakfast as food at any time of the day.
He stole a rasher off the plate and Liam pinned him with a glare which made him smirk. He turned his head at the sound of someone outside the front door, his senses immediately on guard. He moved to the foot of the stairs and drew his weapon ready to defend Callie if need be.
He grinned when he heard Mitch swear from outside and then a clatter. Checking the window beside the door, he saw Mitch on his ass with Bono licking his face. It was quite the sight and definitely camera-worthy, although he resisted the temptation. Instead, he pulled open the door and looked down at Mitch as Bono barrelled past him towards the smell of bacon.
Mitch glared after the dog as he stood. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” he said, pushing past Reid, who did a sweep of the area with his eyes and then satisfied, closed the door.
He headed back to the kitchen but stopped when he heard noise from upstairs. He reversed his direction and went to see if Callie was awake. He knocked gently, not wanting to catch her half-naked, more for his own self-preservation than anything else though. Any more of Callie half-naked and his good intentions would be shot to shit.
He entered when she called out softly and smiled at the sight of her sitting on the bed looking rumpled and delicious. Her sleepy eyes made him think of what it would be like to wake up with her. His body responded instantly, his dick hardening, and he had to try and think of anything else except the vision she made.
“Hey.” Her voice was gentle and slightly husky from her crying jag, and he had to start reciting the phonetic alphabet to keep himself in check.
He moved closer and knelt by her knees. “I have a surprise for you.”
Her head tilted and she smiled at him, making him feel ten feet tall. That was what she did to him, made him feel as if pleasing her was the most crucial mission of his life and one he would willingly do.
“You do? What is it?”
“I think it’s best I show you. But first, we have to talk.” He had to tell her about the housekeeper and the plan to go to Hereford for a while.