Page 7 of Let Her Live

The thought of coming face-to-face with this man ate at her, igniting her fear, but she reminded herself that she had come a long way. She'd have Jake by her side. Even if things got dangerous, they'd have each other's backs. But as she gazed out the window at the view of Portland as it disappeared, she wondered when she'd see home again.

CHAPTER FOUR

Jake hadn't been to Florida in years.

As the plane descended over the Everglades, the sun was sinking lower in the sky; it had been a long, restless flight that had taken all day, but luckily, they still had some sun left in the day. The view of the Everglades was breathtaking through the window of the plane, a lush landscape of dense forests and winding rivers. The sun cast orange and pink hues over the swampy landscape, giving the water a golden glow. In the distance, Jake could make out clusters of trees and grasses swaying in the breeze. Off on the horizon, he could see a vast expanse of blue water glimmering in the fading light of day.

The last time he'd been to Florida was when he was a teenager, back when his mom was alive—before she was murdered. It was strange to think of his family; there was his dad and older brother, then his mom, all firefighters, then Jake, who had planned to follow in his family's footsteps—until what happened to his mom.

After she was murdered by a serial killer who was never found, and Jake was the one who found her body, he'd been obsessed with crime and law. That was how he ended up in the FBI. Even now, at only thirty, he was sure he'd picked the right path.

Still, these memories haunted him. He tried not to let it show.

Beside him, Fiona nervously looked over him out the window, biting her lip. Her dark red hair was frazzled and tied back, her amber eyes large and beautiful behind her glasses. When she caught him looking, Jake's face flushed, and he turned away, trying not to think about when he'd kissed her only days ago. It was a mistake. She was dating someone, and he knew that. But the chemistry between them was undeniable, especially now as they faced this challenging case together.

The case had been dropped on Jake's lap by Whittaker suddenly that morning, and he'd had to hurry straight to the airport to meet Fiona and get here before the sun went down.

As the plane touched down, Jake couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The sun was almost down, and they still had a ways to go to get to the crime scene. He knew the Everglades were dangerous, with alligators, venomous snakes, and other wildlife lurking around every corner. But he also knew that they were walking into something far more dangerous—a serial killer who had been able to evade capture for far too long. There were three murders in total—the FBI had been put on the case after the second, but it was being passed off to Fiona and Jake now. It was a long way to travel, but apparently, Fiona's reputation preceded her.

Jake had to admit, he was proud of her. Her hard work was paying off, and she was earning respect in the bureau faster than he'd ever seen anyone earn respect. It was impressive, especially for a lab rat with little to no physical training. They'd been working on that over the past several days, and as Jake had been training her, he had to force the kiss from his mind. But truthfully, it didn't matter what they were doing; he couldn't stop thinking about it whenever she was around.

Once the plane settled, the passengers began to stand and collect their things, so Jake grabbed their bags from the overhead department. He caught Fiona's eyes as he handed over her luggage, and her eyes quickly flitted away, her cheeks scarlet red. It would be easier for him to get over her if she didn't look so adorable all the time.

Stop it,he chastised himself.Be professional.The last thing he needed was to date another partner. He'd already dated his last partner, Lauren Price, in secret for years, and that ended in disaster when Jake couldn't commit. He wasn't about to repeat the same mistakes. This attraction for Fiona had to stop. She was his friend, and he admired her intelligence and worth as his partner. That was where it had to end.

As they stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac, Jake took a deep breath and looked around.

The airport was seemingly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but swampy water and dense forests. The rest of the plane's passengers made their way toward cabs and cars waiting for them, and Jake checked his phone. A message in his inbox said a driver was waiting for them. Jake looked around for a black car, then spotted it: a man with sunglasses sat behind the wheel, holding up a hand.

"Over here," Jake said to Fiona.

Jake led the way, and Fiona followed closely behind him. As they approached the car, the driver popped the trunk and loaded their bags.

"Agents Tucker and Red, right?" the driver said.

"That's us," Jake said.

The driver nodded. "I'm Jamie. Here to take you to the crime scene, Chief's orders."

"Good to meet you, Jamie," Jake said.

Jamie nodded, not saying much else, and opened the back door for them to climb in. Fiona went first, and Jake followed, settling in next to her.

The car was silent for a few minutes as they drove through the Everglades, with Jamie navigating the winding roads with ease. Jake couldn't help but feel uneasy, and he knew that Fiona was feeling the same way. He could sense it in the tense set of her shoulders and the way she nibbled nervously on her bottom lip. They were both thinking about what lay ahead, about the gruesome murders and the killer still on the loose.

"You okay?" Jake asked, his voice low and gentle.

Fiona nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'm okay. We can do this."

The silence descended again, but this time, it was broken by Jamie's voice.

"We're here," he said, pulling up to a clearing in the forest.

They got out of the car andmetat the sight of a river with a boat docked on it. They were truly alone now, and the sky was getting darker. Jake's nerves set in; the darker it was, the harder it would be for them to see. Not only that—but there were a lot of creatures lurking in the night here.

"Here," Jamie said, handing them each amosquito net hat. "You're gonna want these."

Jake swallowed hard. Unlike Fiona, he hated bugs. The thought of getting eaten alive out here made his skin crawl.

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