Casanova Killer Read Free Page B

male counterparts. He wondered briefly which part of his person the surly man sitting across from him objected to the most.
Ignoring Dylan’s continued assessment, Ethan prepared his coffee with three sugars and two creams. The man would come around eventually. Or not. At the moment, he couldn’t care less about Dylan Dawes’ opinion; he only wanted to solve this case before another woman was killed.
The driver eased away from the curve before lowering the privacy glass between the front and back seats. Ethan, eyebrows raised, looked questionably at Dylan.
“That’s Rodney, he’s one of us. He’ll be one of your drivers as well as part of your back-up team.”
“Nice to meet you Rodney.” Ethan nodded at the man wearing the chauffer’s cap. “Any news on the case?” He asked both men.
“No news on the unsub and no new victims. Jerry’s set up at the condo, she’s your undercover partner. We have a video conference scheduled with Nate and the team in thirty minutes.”
“Is Jerry local FBI, or is she SSCD?”
“SSCD, one of the best.” Dylan’s scowl deepened as he leveled his eyes at Ethan.
Ethan read the warning shot from Dawes’ eyes. So that was the problem, he thought. They were a couple and Dawes’ didn’t like the idea of Ethan barging in on his territory. So it was jealousy that prompted his mistrust.
“Good to know. She’ll have to be, to catch this guy. He’s slick.” Ethan sipped his coffee and glanced out the window at the majestic span of orange metal in the distance. He’d always planned to visit San Francisco, but for pleasure, not business. Still, the city made a good first impression.
“We’re anxious to hear what you know about him, the file was pretty slim.” Dylan studied the ease with which Barnes lounged on the plush leather as he surveyed the city. Slick was exactly the word he would use, and not just for the unsub.
“That’s because there’s not much to report. The guy’s a ghost.” Ethan preferred to give the details to everyone at once, no need to repeat himself just to satisfy Dylan Dawes.
“And you’re sure that we’re after the same unsub.” Dylan’s statement was more of a question.
“Looks like. The signature is the same. His trail went cold in Italy two months ago.” Ethan settled back into his seat. “Tell me about Jerry. What does she look like?”
Son of a bitch, Dylan thought, we’re chasing a serial and this one wants a little something on the side. Not if he had anything to say about it. The last thing Jerry needed was Pretty Boy Slick to mess with her head. Holding his tongue, but determined to warn Jerry, he simply responded, “She fits the profile.”
“Tall, brunette, gorgeous? Hard to imagine an FBI agent that looks like that. No offense, but all of the blokes I’ve met from your agency are more nondescript. By blokes, I mean female agents as well.” Ethan enjoyed the anger that flitted across Dylan’s face, but he couldn’t say why.
“You won’t have to imagine it for long. We’re nearly there.” Dylan did not rise to the other man’s bait. Hiding a smirk, he thought that he probably wouldn’t have to say anything to Jerry; she would see straight through this asshole.

 
Chapter Four
     
 
 
Jerry snapped the laptop shut after perusing Ethan Barnes’s profile for the tenth time. The man’s background gave her confidence in his abilities, but there was much more to being a partner than the blurbs and highlights captured in a personnel file. If he looked anything like his profile picture, Jerry knew she would have no trouble pretending to be enamored with him.
Pictures and recommendations aside, Jerry’s biggest concern was that he would not respect her as an equal. Without fail, every male the agency had partnered her with had assumed that her biggest asset was her looks. She invariably spent the first few weeks proving that her appearance took a backseat to her sharp mind and her skills in the field. Trouble was, she