Serial Games (Virginia Justice Book One) Read Free Page B

Maggie knew all too well he wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.

 
     
     
Chapter Two
     
     
    Brandon’s head hurt. The pain had started at the base of his neck and crawled its way to the front. He stifled a groan as reality settled in. Burrows was this profiler’s first and most dangerous case. He would prove to be a challenge. Although Brandon relished the chance of sparring with an intelligent fugitive — unlike the few idiots he had caught recently — if his determination waned in the slightest, he would lose Burrows. Brandon possessed the most stellar fugitive recovery record in the DC office, and he aimed to keep it that way. Crazy, brilliant serial killer or not. Any man he tracked, he captured. And this one won’t be any different .
    Brandon cast a curious glance at Maggie. Something about the woman who sat beside him put him on edge. Pretty women without much substance used to sway him, but not anymore. Heart and character, as well as beauty, appealed to him most. Brandon smirked as he put the car into gear and drove out of the parking garage. Earlier in her office, she’d blushed. His neck heated, and with a set of his jaw, he stilled his emotional reaction to the memory. Never did a woman so instantly attract him. At least not since…
    He pushed aside the thought, and sighed. This Burrows better slip up soon or this is going to be a long trip .
    “Is Sally Mayes there?” Maggie spoke into her cell phone. “Yes, this is Agent Weston with the FBI. She knows who I am.” Maggie paused slightly. “Um, yes, that’s correct,” she stated more softly.
    Brandon gave her a side-glance. Who is Sally Mayes? That name wasn’t listed in any paperwork he’d received about Burrows. If there’s anything else about this case I don’t know about … The rays from the bright sun hit the windshield and he grunted. His eyes adjusted from the darkness of the parking garage.
    “Sally? It’s Maggie Weston. Where are you right now? At work? Good. Whatever you do, stay there, where someone can see you. I’m calling a uniform to come by and escort you… Sally, Burrows didn’t make it to prison and he is um, well…” Maggie put a few fingers to her temple. “He’s escaped.”
    Brandon caught sight of her cringing; he imagined the woman on the other line in hysterics. “Sally, please calm down. He’s closer to me here in DC than he is to you. We can’t be sure of his plans just yet but we’re going to take every precaution to ensure your safety. Just let me get on the phone with the county sheriff’s department and we’ll have round-the-clock surveillance on you. You will be safe .”
    “Who is Sally Mayes?” Brandon asked when Maggie ended her call.
    “Hold on.” She put a hand up and spoke again, this time to a sheriff’s office. After she explained the situation, he heard her thank the person on the line for dispatching a patrol car. She disconnected the call and breathed a sigh too content for Brandon’s liking. She settled back in her seat. The hunt had just begun. She couldn’t take a break now.
    “Mayes?” Brandon asked again.
    “Oh, right. Well—”
    “Just a minute.” He felt a slight buzz, so he dug into the back right pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cell. “Marshal Worth.” He turned his head slightly toward Maggie, as if he felt her gaze. Maggie quickly looked away. He saw her nervousness in the reflection of the window. Brandon fought a grin. She’s attracted to me . “I’m with her now and we’re heading your way. Is the bus available for another run-through? Great. What’s the word on the rest of the transfers? Fantastic, we’ll see you in fifteen.” Brandon ended the call. “Okay, I’m sorry.”
    Maggie looked up from her notes. “Mayes was Burrows’s last victim.”
    “Last? She survived?”
    “Thankfully. When we put the pieces together, she had just been kidnapped. He was about to—” She struggled to steady her voice. “We raided his residence and