He saw the tears in her eyes and the concern for her friends’ safety, especially Paula’s.
“We can’t all go somewhere else. We have guns, we know how to use them, and we’ll take precautions. Monte can get done what we need once I work out the details with him.”
He gave her an exasperated, angry look.
“Monte will stay here with you tonight. I’ll be up trying to help Louis and his men. Baby, I’m worried, and Monte and I care about you so much, baby, I—”
“Please don’t say it BJ, not now, not during this situation.” She cut him off right before he wanted to tell her that he loved her. She was fighting those words. But he and Monte had never fallen in love before, and this was it for them. He would make her understand that this was real and not some fling.
He lowered his mouth and kissed her deeply, and she clung to him, hugging him to her. When he released her lips, he pulled her into his arms again before taking a step back. They both heard someone clear their throat. Turning toward the doorway, Detective Louis was there.
“Well?” BJ asked.
“The team is still going over the place from top to bottom. We’ve got the other ladies’ rooms cleared, no sign of any devices or cameras there. Everything seemed to be wired in Paula’s bedroom, including her bathroom.”
“Fuck. Are you fucking serious?” BJ asked as Susanna squeezed his hand tightly.
Just then Monte entered the doorway. He walked toward Susanna and pulled her into his arms, kissed her, then hugged her to him.
“You okay, baby?” he asked, and she nodded her head.
“What kind of setup did he use? I mean were there recordings where he had to come back here to get the tapes?” BJ asked as Monte now listened in, holding Susanna against his side. She had her arms wrapped around his waist.
“No. No tapes, just some high-tech device where he could stream the images immediately to his location. Kind of looks like a home surveillance system that he altered to work from a long distance,” Louis told them.
“You mean like the kind you can watch from any computer, like a vacation home surveillance system?” Monte asked, and Louis nodded.
“The guys think so.”
“You haven’t moved anything or disconnected it, have you?” Monte asked.
“No. Everything is still active.”
“Do you mind if I check it out?” Monte asked as he released Susanna. “I kind of know a bit about this stuff.”
“My brother knows his shit. He does this for a living,” BJ told him.
“Be my guest. We can use all the help we can get to catch this guy. I can’t believe he sent that letter to her and the pictures.”
“No one else has seen them, right?” Susanna asked with obvious concern over her friend.
“Just BJ and me. We’ll have forensics examine the photos and paperwork at the lab and compare them with the other letters. It’s all evidence for when we nail this guy,” Louis stated.
“Let’s go take a look. I may be able to track this guy’s location with the right tools.”
“That would be great.”
BJ pulled Susanna against his chest again and held her.
“We’re going to find this guy, so don’t you worry. Paula will be okay.”
“I can’t help but worry BJ. She’s been through a lot, and seeing her today so scared and so embarrassed by those photos was heart wrenching. She’s more than a friend. She’s like a sister. We’re all family now, and we look out for one another.”
“I understand that. At least she’s with Tyler and Matt. Those two will keep her safe. They’re good men.”
“They have quite the reputations, though. I hope they won’t hurt her.”
“Why would you think that?” he asked.