Read Online Criminal Minds (Fox Meridian Book 4) by Niall Teasdale - Free Book Online Page A

wall of the corridor, and held up her hands to keep him back.
    ‘Just… Just give me a minute. Give me… a minute, just a minute.’
    ‘Fox, what’s wrong? Did I say something–’
    ‘It’s not you,’ she said quickly. ‘Give me a minute.’
    He nodded and backed into the bathroom. Fox kept a robe hanging on the door and he took it, holding it out at arm’s length for her. His face was neutral. She knew he was doing his best to keep it that way: she could see the strain, what it was costing him to give her room, to keep what she suspected might be pity but knew was concern off his face. She pulled on the robe. It was short and she wished it was longer, and at the same time did not. Jason had done nothing wrong, would not do anything wrong, and she was safe with him. She was safe…
    ‘C-could you go downstairs? Sam has whiskey a-and I could use one. I’ll be in the lounge.’
    Jason nodded once and turned for the back of the house where the stairs were. When he returned holding a bottle and two glasses, Fox was curled up on the sofa, holding a cushion in her lap like a life preserver.
    ‘Sit beside me,’ Fox said. Her voice was calm now, but she waited until he had taken a seat, poured her a glass of whiskey, which she downed immediately, and then poured another before she went on. ‘There was a man. Josh Sandoval.’
    ‘The cop you shot in self-defence. There were reports and I read them.’
    Fox nodded. ‘I’d expect you to check up on me. What’s not in the report is that he was NIX and we had sex a couple of times. We were up at a resort on that UA case. Wolfeboro, high-end place. MarTech has a suite there for corporate retreats and such. Terri said we could use it since we were late finishing up there. Sandoval cooked and then… It just happened. I was hot. I went for a swim, naked, and he was watching me when I got out. I wanted him to…’ She shook her head. ‘It just wasn’t like me. It was wild. Insane. We went at it like… like dogs. I figured it was just stress relief. The case was tough, people were dying, there was nothing I could do until the morning…’
    She flicked a glance at him and saw something, some sort of recognition. Jason thought he knew where the story was going, but he was letting her tell it. ‘I figured it was a one-off, but then he came to my apartment one evening. I cooked and then… I threw myself at him. I wanted him so bad it almost hurt. When I woke up, I was hyper, distracted, couldn’t remember exactly what had happened. Kit didn’t think it was right and she took the wine glasses, got them sent to Jackson for analysis.’
    ‘There is a drug which leaked onto the streets a few years back. They call it Cupie.’
    ‘Jackson explained. A dopamine agonist combined with a CB-one agonist. It hypes the libido, and inhibits inhibitions, critical thinking, and long-term memory function. Side effects include increased body temperature. He doped the food the first time. We were both on it. He knew he was going to kill me after the second dose and he wanted me suffering the after effects, so he dosed my wine. Hyperactivity, mood swings, memory loss… Everything you don’t need in a gun fight. Jackson was able to counter them.’
    ‘And you shot him when he came for you.’
    ‘I did.’ She paused. ‘The first time, when he came to me after the swim. I stopped in the doorway and he came up behind me. He said… He said…’
    ‘Here or in the bedroom?’
    ‘A-and I got down on my… my knees…’ Fox could feel herself folding again and pulled in a deep breath to steady herself.
    ‘I am so sorry, Fox.’
    She reached out, cupping his cheek. ‘ You have nothing to apologise for. And he paid with his life for r- For what he did. You couldn’t have known. It’s not your fault.’
    Jason gave a slow nod. ‘I can leave or stay. If you’d prefer to be alone, I’d understand.’
    ‘No, I want you to stay. I want to have another drink and I want you to make love