Justice for Mackenzie (8 page)

Dax knew he’d never tire of Mack’s rambling way of talking to him. It was cute as hell. She had no idea how much information she gave him with her seemingly unrelated ramblings. He loved it. “So, I take it you’re not sorry you took the chance on me?”

“Uh, no.” Mack said it as if she was saying “duh”. “I was a bit freaked that I didn’t even really know you. I mean, I saw you at the charity event and thought you were hot as hell, but I didn’t
know
you. I’ve only been on one blind date before, and it was a disaster. And you know, some cops are assholes. I would’ve been so disappointed if you were one of those, but so far, you’ve been cool. I’ve never really liked the whole cowboy-hat thing; I mean a cowboy hat is just funny looking. A lot of men can’t pull it off, but on you? I’ll just say, you can pull it off just fine. And you’re in shape. I’m sure you know that, I mean, you see yourself naked all the time, and I haven’t, but seriously, I can tell you’re muscular as hell and don’t have a beer belly. Why don’t you? I mean, you drink beer, you had one tonight, but you’re not fat at all.”

Dax’s lips twitched as he tried to keep his laughter inside. They’d arrived at Mackenzie’s door. He turned her so her back was to the door and he was towering over her. He caught Mack’s hands in his and brought them up to his chest. He placed her palms flat on his shirt and pressed, indicating she should keep them there. He then framed her face with his hands and tilted her head up.

“You approve of my body, Mack?” He was amused to note that she seemed speechless for the first time tonight. “Because I sure as hell approve of yours.”

At the roll of her eyes, Dax continued.

“You fit me perfectly. You’re a little thing next to me, and all I can think about is caging you in my arms and having my way with you.” He watched Mack swallow.

“Uh…”

“And your curves have been driving me crazy all night. There’s nothing sexier than a woman with curves. When I stood behind you tonight and helped with your form as you tried to throw that damn dart, you have no idea how hard it was for me not to push myself up against you to show you how I felt about your hips, and legs, and tits.”

“Uh, seriously, Daxton…”

“And your mouth. Hell, woman. Watching you talk to me tonight, watching you lick your lips when they were dry…it took all my willpower not to haul you over the table and into my lap and lick your lips myself.”

Dax paused, enjoying the flush that came over Mack’s face and her shifting movements against him, before continuing.

“I’ve had a wonderful time. Not only do I like your delectable little body, I like what’s inside it. I’ve enjoyed talking to you. You’re refreshing, especially compared to my friends and the criminals I talk to day in and day out. Don’t ever change.”

“Uh. Okay.”

“And I want to see you again. I’m going to give you my number so you can call me—not to blow me off, but because you want to talk to me. Because you want to know when I’m taking you out again. Because that’s what you do with the man you’re dating. You good with that?”

“We’re dating?”

“Yeah, we’re dating.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Good. So first things first. I’m going to kiss you. I’m going to taste those lips again. That one taste I got before we left wasn’t enough, and I’m going to make it the best kiss you’ve ever received. After that, I’m going to let you go, because I know if I don’t, I’ll haul you inside and take you in your hallway until I empty myself inside you and can’t stand up anymore. You good with
that
?”

Mackenzie stared up at the man in front of her in bewilderment. He’d been fairly easygoing all night. He was certainly an alpha man, but he hadn’t really let it show until just now. Mack flexed her hands until her fingernails were digging into the shirt over his rock-hard chest.

“I’m not sure why you see all that in me, but I’d be an idiot to disagree with you. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want the same thing. Please, Daxton. Kiss me before I have to tackle you to the ground and have my wicked way with you.”

Dax smiled. “You’ve managed to keep me on my toes all night tonight, Mack. Hold on to me.”

He leaned down, tilting Mack’s head back even more as she tried to keep eye contact. She really was tiny compared to him. Liking the power he had over her, just because of his height, Dax swooped down and took her lips with his, without any preliminaries. He plunged his tongue inside her mouth and loved it when Mack immediately countered his thrust with her own. There was no way she’d ever just lie under him and take whatever he wanted to give her. She’d fight to give it right back.

Dax moved one hand from the side of her head to the small of her back and hefted her up against him until her feet left the ground and they were touching from groin to chest. He felt her wrap both hands around his neck to help hold herself up. She tilted her head to the side to give him greater access as he continued his onslaught on her mouth.

He sucked her tongue into his mouth and bit down gently. Dax could feel Mack shift against him restlessly and one of her legs came up hesitantly beside his hip. She couldn’t hold it there, but tightened her hold on his neck.

Dax thrust his tongue back into Mack’s mouth and took his time learning each and every contour and memorizing the taste and feel of her. Finally, knowing he had to stop, or he wouldn’t be
able
to stop, Dax drew back and leaned over to put Mack back on her feet. He moved to lick at the corner of her mouth, he nipped at the side of her jaw, then sucked on her earlobe before moving down to her sensitive neck. Dax felt goose bumps rise against her skin as he licked and nibbled at a sensitive spot.

“Uh, Daxton, I’ve never had a one-night stand in my life, I’m just not the kind of girl who can imagine something so intimate with someone I don’t really even know. But I think you should be aware; I’m seriously reconsidering the type of girl I am right now.” Mackenzie’s voice quivered with the intensity of her lust.

Dax smiled against Mackenzie’s skin, running his hands up and down her spine and backside. He finally lifted his head to look down into Mack’s eyes. “We aren’t rushing this, Mack. There’s no need for a one-night stand. This is gonna last a hell of a lot longer than one night anyway. Let go of me and let me give you my number.”

Mackenzie realized she hadn’t let go of him since he’d put her on her feet and she reluctantly forced her fingers to unclench at the back of his shirt, and to lower her arms. She licked her lips, liking how Daxton’s eyes followed her movements.

“Give me your phone, Mack.”

Mackenzie reached into her purse and pulled out her cell. She entered the password and put it into Daxton’s hand. She watched as he clicked buttons as he added his contact information.

“I programmed in my cell, my work number, as well as the number at Company F…which is my Ranger Company. If you can’t reach me, leave a message. If it’s an emergency, call the company and tell them it’s you. I’ll make sure the admins know you’re with me and if you call, they can interrupt me. They can get in touch with me no matter what I’m doing. Okay?”

“Wow. Okay, but I’m not the kind of woman who needs to call if she runs out of milk or something, Daxton. I can go and get the damn milk myself. You should get that about me.”

“And I’m not the kind of man who expects or wants you to call me if you’ve lost your purse. But I
do
expect if you truly need me, that you’ll call. I won’t be happy to find out you’ve driven yourself to the emergency room or clinic if you fell and broke something.”

“Really? That’s the example you have to give me?”

Dax liked her spunk. “Yeah. You were the one who told me you were clumsy, remember?”

“Okay, okay, you’re right.”

“Good. So you’ll call.”

“Yeah. I’ll call if I need something. But, Daxton, you should know something.”

“What’s that?” Dax fingered the hair by Mack’s ear that had come loose from her clip and was wisping around her face.

“I’m a text kinda girl. I have the unlimited package. I like texting, sending and receiving. Is that a problem?”

Dax smiled and leaned down and kissed her hard, and way too briefly, before pulling back. “It’s not a problem. I’ll get used to it.”

The smile he got in return was worth his response. Dax knew he’d do what he could to see it again and again. “Okay, I’m really going now. Lock your door and stay safe.”

“You’ll…” She paused, not sure if she’d sound too needy if she asked what she was thinking.

“What, Mack?”

“You’ll call? We’ll go out again?”

“Fuck yeah. I said we were dating, I didn’t lie. We’re going out again.”

When he didn’t say when, Mackenzie mentally shrugged. “Okay.”

“Okay. Inside. Lock the door.”

“Thanks for a fun night. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yes, you will. Good night, Mack.”

The last thing Mackenzie saw when she shut the door was Daxton’s upward chin lift as he stood and watched, making sure she barricaded herself inside her apartment. She slid down with her back to the door. Her butt landed on the floor and she wrapped her arms around her drawn up knees. She smiled. Holy freaking hell she was in trouble.

“Don’t be nervous, ma’am. Just tell me what you remember seeing that afternoon.” Dax tried to sound calm and reassuring. Interviewing witnesses was a delicate balance between being sympathetic, but pushy, when it came to trying to pry the right information out of them.

“I’d gone to the cemetery to lay flowers on my dear Harold’s grave and I saw a big tractor digging a hole in the back corner of the lot. I thought it was odd because that part of the cemetery hadn’t had a funeral held in it in a long time, but what do I know about how cemeteries do business? Maybe they were starting a new plot.”

“What color was the tractor?”

“Yellow.”

“Did it look old? New? Did you see anyone?”

“Well, I don’t know my tractors, but it was very shiny. There was someone in the cab, but I couldn’t see him at all. The windows were tinted and it was so far away.”

“What time was it?”

“It was around three in the afternoon. I remember because I had a hair appointment at three thirty and I didn’t want to be late.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Sutton. You’ve been a big help.” And she had. They knew the killer used a yellow tractor and the time he buried his victim. Dax would check with the cemetery staff and see if it was theirs. If they were lucky, it wasn’t, and they could do a check of the Department of Motor Vehicles on anyone that owned a yellow tractor. He’d also be sure to tell Cruz to alert the caretakers of the local cemeteries to be on the lookout for any unusual activity in their areas. The local police agencies could also increase patrols around the rural cemeteries as well. It wasn’t full-proof, after all they hadn’t been able to catch this guy yet, but it was something. The killer hadn’t called in to brag about this victim until apparently a week after he’d put the coffin in the ground. The timeline fit what Conor had said about time of death.

“Do you think you’ll catch him? What a terrible man, to do those things.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll catch him. We’re doing everything possible to catch him sooner rather than later.”

“Well, thank you for what you do, young man. The world needs more people like you in it.”

Dax helped the woman out of the chair and to the door. “I advise you to keep your visits to Harold at a minimum, at least until we catch whoever this is. If you need to visit, don’t go alone.”

“I can do that. I’ll have my son, David, come with me next time.”

“You do that. Thanks again, Mrs. Sutton.” Dax nodded at the woman as she left his office. He sighed and sat back down in his chair and looked over the pictures strewn in front of him. Dax had heard back from Cruz. The FBI analysts hadn’t found anything useful on the note the killer had sent. There weren’t any usable fingerprints and the only trace evidence that had been on the note was a single hair, which seemed to have come from a cat.

So Dax had a lot of information, but it was all disjointed. Their killer was a man who owned, or had come into contact with, a cat, he either owned a yellow tractor or had the know-how to hotwire one. The coffins were a dead end because they were homemade. They could try to track the hardware used to assemble them, but that was a long shot. Fuck. They had information, but it still seemed like they were still at square one.

The phone on his desk rang; it was Quint from the San Antonio Police Department.

“Hey, Dax. Got time for lunch today?”

“Actually, Mack is supposed to come to my office today for a quick lunch, want to join us? I can ask her to pick up an extra sandwich on her way in.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, I’ve actually been wanting you to meet her anyway. I know it’s soon, but I really like her.”

“You seem serious about this one. How long have you been seeing her?”

“I
am
serious about her. It’s been about two weeks.”

“Great, what time then?”

“How about twelve fifteen?”

“See you then.”

Dax put the phone back in its cradle and leaned back with his arms behind his head. He knew Quint probably wanted to talk about the Reaper investigation, but Dax needed some Mack time before he’d be able to dive back into the horror that was the case. Burying women alive was some sick shit and Mack helped him keep everything in perspective.

The two weeks since they’d been dating had been great. They’d met up several times for dinner and had advanced their kissing at her door to kissing in his car, and even once on her couch while they were watching a movie.

Dax was trying to take things slow, but the more time he spent with Mack, the more he knew in his gut she was the woman for him. He’d been instantly attracted to her, but it wasn’t just that he wanted her sexually. She was funny. She was polite. She didn’t get riled up when something went wrong, it just rolled off her back. During one of their dinners, she’d bumped the plate the waitress was clearing from their table and a full cup of ranch had spilled down the front of Mack’s shirt. Mack had merely laughed. Dax shook his head remembering. Mack had almost bent double guffawing at herself and how clumsy she was as she dabbed at her shirt trying to mop up the mess. She’d been more concerned about the waitress, who’d been absolutely mortified. Mack had smiled and told the poor waitress it was an accident and it was fine. Of course they’d gotten their meal free, along with a complimentary T-shirt from the restaurant, but Mack hadn’t been upset in the least.