Free Borderline by Chase T. A.

can get a witness or some other break in the case, we’ll have more deaths.”
    “Fuck!” Billingsley rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I know it’s not your fault, Mac, or yours either, Wallace. It drives me crazy knowing the sick fuck walks the streets of Houston and gets off on killing women.”
    “We’re with you, James.” MacLaughlin stood and clapped Billingsley on the shoulder while glancing over at Tanner and Mac. “We should leave and let them discuss things. I don’t know about you, but I have some other cases I need to look over.”
    “You’re right. Mac, I’ll expect you in my office first thing tomorrow with an update.”
    “Yes, sir.” Mac didn’t look too upset about pulling an all-nighter.
    Of course he’d probably pulled quite a few since the murders started happening.
    “Tanner, you’ll work directly with Detective Guzman until the case is solved.”
    Tanner nodded. “Yes, sir.”
    Mac and Tanner watched their bosses leave. After the door shut behind them, they looked at each other.
    “Guess we’re having a working dinner tonight.”
    “I’m pretty used to those. I tend to take my work home with me.” Tanner gestured to the pile of folders on his desk. He checked his watch. “It’s close to five. Why don’t we grab some takeout and head over to my place? We can work from there.”
    “I’ll meet you there in an hour. What do you want for dinner?” Mac grabbed his hat from where he’d hung it on Tanner’s coat tree in the corner.
    “Surprise me. I’m not very picky when it comes to food. Oh, except for mac ’n cheese. Ate too much of it growing up because it was cheap and easy to make. At times it was the only thing Mama could afford.” Tanner started to gather up all the files and copies of the photos. “If you hang on a minute, I’ll walk out with you.”
    As they walked out of the office, he stopped to let MacLaughlin know he was working from home the rest of the night. His boss didn’t care where Tanner worked as long as the files were secure and the work got done. Mac tipped his hat toward Tanner when they parted in the parking garage.
    Tanner put his briefcase on the floor of the passenger seat before walking over to his side of the car. After sliding behind the wheel, he rested his head back against the seat and breathed deep. Christ ! It was going to be hard to focus on the case with Mac in the same room with him, especially after having tasted the man the night before. Yet he could be professional when he needed to be, and the case came first, no matter what Tanner’s body demanded.

Chapter Five

    He watched as she strolled down the sidewalk, window-shopping like women seemed to enjoy doing. He never understood the urge, but hell, he’d never understood a woman yet. He checked his watch as she ducked into one of the shops. Yes, it was time for her daily cup of caramel latte. He’d followed her into the coffee shop one day, simply to see if she noticed.
    The woman had smiled at him, but she never once acted like she spotted him following her, and that was important. To achieve his goal, she couldn’t know he stalked her. He lounged on a bench down the street from where she got her coffee. He opened the newspaper he’d bought earlier and read the article about the Knife Killer. A smirk crossed his face as he read the shit the reporter had written about him.
    The police knew nothing, though reading how the rangers were taking over the murder cases from HPD did cause him to hesitate for a moment. Then he shook his worry off. It didn’t matter. They could get a psychic to work the case and he would still outthink them. It said they were bringing in a profiler from the FBI. The man wouldn’t be able to catch him. He grinned at a sudden thought. He’d write the fucking Fed. Maybe even threaten him. It would be a fun game, and it might throw the bastard off a little. He had no real interest in killing the man. He’d write a letter after he got back from