Broken

by Cynthia Eden

  Wade must have seen the fear on her face. He shook his head. “Easy. Gabe just wanted me to keep guard until he got here.”

  Now she had two guards.

  “You should be out there, helping to find that woman,” Eve said. The missing woman—she was the one who mattered right then.

  But Wade shook his head. “Sarah’s joining the team out there. They’ve got things covered.”

  He sounded confident. Good for him—she wasn’t confident. She kept picturing a woman being swallowed alive by sand.

  Only the woman I picture is me.

  “Let’s go inside.” Wade cast a quick glance around the area. “I don’t like staying out in the open like this.”

  The night air wasn’t cold, but Eve still shivered as they made their way inside and up to the seventh floor. As soon as she entered the condo, she saw the paint supplies that Trey had brought to her. Gabe had set them up near the balcony. Her hand flexed, almost as if by instinct when she saw the brushes.

  Eve walked toward the supplies then stopped, staring at the blank canvas.

  “You okay?” Victoria asked her. The woman had crept up behind her.

  Wade was securing the door. Checking in the closets. Eve was pretty sure she even saw the guy peak under the bed. Overkill.

  Or was it?

  “I don’t like being helpless.” She hated the thought that another woman could be out there, hurting, while she was safe in here.

  Pauley had already been hurt by this sadistic bastard, Eve was sure of it. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer.

  I’m sorry, Pauley. His death would haunt her for the rest of her life.

  Wade opened the balcony doors—the doors that led out from her bedroom, not the den, and he stepped outside.

  “Whether we like it or not, we’re all helpless sometime.” Victoria’s voice was low, sad.

  Eve glanced over at her.

  Victoria smiled, but the smile appeared forced. “Everything will be fine.”

  “Stop,” Eve told her. Wade was outside. He couldn’t hear them. “You don’t have to . . . to pretend with me.” And it was very clear to Eve that Victoria was pretending. Giving a fake smile, trying to act as if they were totally safe.

  They weren’t.

  Victoria’s smile slipped as Eve turned back to her.

  “Why did you join LOST?”

  Victoria’s stare darted toward the balcony. Toward Wade? “Gabe made me an offer that I couldn’t resist.”

  “Money?”

  Victoria shook her head. “That’s not why I do it. That’s not why any of us do it. I mean, Gabe’s got money to burn, but that came from his family. We charge our clients as little as possible for our services.”

  Gabe hadn’t even charged her. He’d just . . . helped her.

  The balcony doors squeaked open as Wade returned.

  “We’ve all lost someone,” Victoria told her softly. “It’s not like I woke up when I was six and thought, ‘Hey, studying the bones of the dead would be fun.’ ”

  “No, I didn’t think you did.”

  Wade was in the room with them now, but he was a silent, watchful shadow.

  “It took them a year to identify my mother’s body,” Victoria said. There was no smile on her face. And behind the lenses of her glasses, her eyes just reflected her sadness. “No family should ever have to wait that long.” She swallowed. “The not knowing . . . it can be the worst part, right?”

  “Right.” It sure as hell was for her.

  Victoria blanched. “Oh, jeez, I’m an idiot, that’s not what I meant to say—”

  Eve hugged her. Just pulled the other woman close and gave her a quick hug. “I’m sorry about your mother.”

  Then she stepped back, a little shocked by her own display. It was just that—Victoria had seemed to need someone.

  And I wanted to help someone.

  Victoria blinked. Her lips pressed together, as if she were trying to hide their tremble. “Thank you. And I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry for everything that happened to you.”

  Eve studied her a moment longer. “Did you find the person who killed your mother?”

  Victoria’s shoulders stiffened. “He was pretty easy to find. I . . . always knew where my father was.”

  Wade swore, and there was surprise in that vicious curse. “Viki, you never said—”

  She held up her hand, warding him off. “He’s dead now, so he can’t hurt anyone.”

  But Eve could see that she was still hurting.

  “I think I’ll check in with Gabe,” Victoria mumbled as she turned away. “See if he’s found the missing woman or got any new leads for me to follow.”

  Eve watched her flee. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

  “You didn’t.” Wade’s voice was flat. “But you did get her to open up more than I ever have.”

  Eve glanced at him. Victoria had said, We’ve all lost someone. As she stared at Wade—

  He shook his head. “Not happening, blondie. One soul-baring is all you’ll get tonight.”

  “I didn’t mean . . .” Wait, she had. Eve exhaled on a long sigh. “I think I’ll get some air.”

  She headed outside. Put her hands up on the railing that surrounded the balcony and stared out at the darkness.

  We’ve all lost someone.

  Yes, Victoria was right about that.

  I want to find the woman I was. The woman who is lost.

  The moon’s light hit the water, and Eve saw a boat racing away into the darkness.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ALEXA . . .”

  Her name came to her. Soft. Low.

  She whimpered as she tried to lift a hand to her throbbing head, but . . . she couldn’t lift it. Something rough and thick was wrapped around her wrists.

  She pushed out with her feet and hit something hard. A door? Where the hell was she? What was happening?

  “We’re here, Alexa.”

  Darkness was all around her. She couldn’t see anything. “Help me!” She shoved against covers that were on top of her. Where had they come from? The last thing she remembered was—

  Something creaked—the door?

  Light hit her.

  He was there. The handsome cop.

  Relief flooded through her. Ridiculous relief that turned to confusion in an instant as she realized—

  I’m tied up.

  And he’s holding a knife.

  Alexa shook her head. This whole scene was wrong. The handsome guy in front of her—wait, what had his name been?—he wasn’t going to hurt her.

  “Wh-What’s happening?

  He crouched down so that they were on eye level, and Alexa realized she was crumpled in some sort of closet.

  “We’re here.”

  Here?

  “Let me help you.” And he put the knife back in a sheath on his side. Then he reached for her, pulling her up by the rope that bound her wrists and he—he slung her over his shoulder.

  Alexa grunted because that move hurt. Her head was throbbing and nausea rolled through her stomach.

  What was his name? She normally didn’t hook up with strangers. But Mark—that jerk Mark—had left her two months ago for his ex. She’d just wanted some payback. No . . .

  I just needed someone to want me. She’d wanted to feel desired again.

  “L-Let me go . . .”

  They were climbing upstairs, and a few seconds later fresh air hit her, air carried on the wind and the waves.

  We’re on a boat.

  “It’s just us out here, Alexa.” He jumped off the boat, still carrying her, and then he dumped her onto the sand. Alexa scrambled back.

  This is wrong.

  “Just you and me . . . for miles and miles.” He pulled that knife out. Only the glow of the moon shone down on them, seeming to reflect off the sand. “So no one will hear you when you scream, and, believe me, Alexa, you will scream.” A brief pause, “They always do.”

  This was a nightmare. It had to be. She was
not on some little strip of sand with a man holding a knife. She was Vince Chambers’s daughter. She’d gone to Stanford. She had a trust fund. She had a cheating ex-fiancé back in Texas.

  She had . . . a life.

  A home.

  And he was coming at her with the knife. “Please . . .” she whispered.

  He stilled. “Sometimes they beg first, but that doesn’t do any good . . .”

  Her hands fisted in the sand.

  “They beg and they scream, but, Jessica, you know that doesn’t change anything.”

  “M-My name’s not Jessica.”

  His body stiffened.

  “Y-You have the wrong woman.” Right. That was what had happened. This whole thing was a mistake. Every single bit of it—a mistake. “Let me go. Just let me go and I—”

  “You wanted to see the lighthouse.”

  He was closing in on her again.

  “Look behind you. The lighthouse is right there. I brought you out, just like you wanted.”

  She risked a fast glance over her shoulder. Saw the shadowy outline of the lighthouse.

  And then she felt the slice of a knife across her side.

  Alexa screamed.

  EVE PROPPED THE canvas against the wall. She’d already spread out a sheet to cover the floor. Sleeping wasn’t an option for her—yes, big surprise—so maybe . . . maybe she’d just see if Trey had been right.

  Jessica could paint anything. I’m Jessica. I can do this.

  Victoria was asleep on the couch. Wade, ever watchful, sat just a few feet away. She’d learned fast that the guy wasn’t much for conversation. He’d meant it when he said that he wasn’t baring his soul. He’d told her pretty much nothing.

  Eve reached for a paintbrush. Her fingers trembled. Was she seriously trembling just from holding the thing? She pulled in a deep breath and tried to steady herself.

  The brush kept trembling. She had the paint ready, but—

  I can’t even hold the brush steady.

  “Your fingers were broken.” Wade’s voice made her jump. Mostly because he wasn’t sitting in the overstuffed chair any longer. He was right beside her. “Maybe you just need some time for the strength to come back to them.”

  Eve dropped the brush on the table. “The strength is fine. I just don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” She looked up and got caught by his stare. “Suspicion,” she whispered.

  One brow lifted.

  “That’s what I see when I look at your face, in your eyes. You don’t trust me.”

  He shrugged. “Don’t take it personally. I can count the people I trust on one hand.”

  She waited.

  “Gabe. Sarah. Viki. And Dean.”

  “Your team.”

  “My team.”

  “And you think I’m—what? Scamming Gabe? Scamming you all?”

  “There’s a lot of money at stake with your case. Just look around you.” He waved to indicate the lush condo. “The Montgomerys know how to live in style.”

  “And I was living in a homeless shelter when I first went to Gabe.” The guy thought she was some gold-digging schemer?

  “Gabe believes you’re legit.” He exhaled. “But then, Gabe wants to fuck you, too.”

  She backed up a step. “You don’t pull your punches, do you?”

  “Don’t see the point in pulling them. Polite lies are still lies.”

  Well, yes. “But at least they’re polite,” she mumbled, rubbing the side of her neck. “A little politeness won’t kill you.”

  His lips twitched. “Don’t be too sure about that.”

  Eve didn’t understand him. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Schemer, my ass. You try waking up to nothing. “What time is it?”

  He glanced at his watch. “Two A.M.”

  “And they still haven’t found her.” That hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach told Eve they wouldn’t be finding Alexa. Alexa Chambers. Viki had learned the missing woman’s full name and shared it with her.

  “There were no signs of a struggle at her condo . . .”

  A condo in that building. She swallowed.

  “And no one can remember seeing her at the West End. She was just another blonde in a crowd. It’s so easy to vanish in a crowd.”

  And it’s easy to die alone.

  “You should try and get some sleep.”

  She almost laughed at that. “I don’t sleep much.” But she would retreat to the bedroom so that she didn’t constantly feel his watchful stare.

  She’d taken five steps when she heard him say, “I don’t sleep much, either. The damn nightmares just won’t stop.”

  We all lost someone. Viki had been right, after all.

  Eve pushed open the door to the bedroom. She changed quickly, putting on her sweatpants and a T-shirt before she slipped into the bed.

  Then she froze.

  Why do I do that? She glanced down at herself.

  She . . . always dressed before getting into the bed. She always had to be covered underneath the bedding.

  Biting her lip, Eve eased off the mattress. She took off her shirt. Her sweats. Just in her panties, she slid back into the bed.

  Her body was as tense as a board.

  Wrong. Wrong. Wrong!

  She yanked the covers up to her chin. This was ridiculous. Why would she be—

  Shuddering, trembling . . . crying?

  He’ll see, he’ll see . . .

  Eve jumped up and put her clothes back on.

  When she crawled back into the bed again, she wasn’t shuddering. But her skin felt iced and her stomach was twisting.

  What is wrong with me?

  Gabe kept saying that she was strong, that he wasn’t worried about her breaking apart. He didn’t seem to realize the truth.

  She already was broken.

  GABE OPENED THE condo door, his steps slow, fury the main force keeping him moving.

  The light fell on Victoria’s sleeping form. Viki—she’d always been able to sleep anywhere, anytime. Despite her past, the nightmares didn’t plague her.

  Or maybe . . . because of her past they didn’t.

  “Your lady’s in the bedroom, but I don’t think she’s sleeping.” Wade’s voice was low. He was in the chair near Viki, and, being Wade, of course the guy was wide-awake.

  Gabe rolled back his shoulders. “We didn’t find her.”

  Wade rose. “You think she vanished on her own or do you think—”

  “She fits his profile. Sarah said that Alexa Chambers fit the killer’s profile to a perfect T.” Dammit. “And he took her—right under our noses.” His hands fisted. “The guy wanted to prove that he could do it, and that there wasn’t a thing we could do to stop him.”

  Wade rose and marched toward him. “Victoria said that he doesn’t kill his prey right away.”

  No, he didn’t. “Torture is part of his M.O.”

  “So Alexa—if he has her—she could still be alive.”

  Gabe nodded. “And that’s why the FBI agents are swarming. They’ve taken over the investigation and . . . officially . . . asked us to back the hell off.” So much for cooperation.

  Wade grunted at that. “And you’re backing off?”

  “Hell, no. Dean is going to learn everything he can about them, and Sarah’s interviewing Alexa’s friend Sydney. We can’t keep searching in the dark, but as soon as the sun rises, I’ll be out there again.” The FBI agents could screw off. This wasn’t a pissing match about turf dominance. This was a woman’s life.

  “If it is the Lady Killer,” Wade spoke slowly, “we have an ace to use against him.”

  The fuck they did. “Don’t go there.”

  “She’s remembering—that’s what you told me when you called and told me to haul ass down here. She remembered the bakery. She remembered the drinks she used to like. The more she’s here, the more she sees of the island, hell, she could lead us right to him.” Wade glowered at him. “Are you seriously not going to use her? A woman is missing. This isn’t j
ust about Eve—”

  The bedroom door opened. “No, it’s not just about me.”

  He should have known she’d overheard. It wasn’t like Wade had been whispering. Could the guy whisper? Victoria was still asleep, but that woman had slept through a near-explosion on one of their previous cases.

  “I have to help, Gabe. I need to do this.”

  She wore a white T-shirt and a pair of jogging pants that hugged her hips. He’d seen her in those clothes before. She looked tousled and sexy and he wanted her in his arms. He also wanted her far, far away from the killer’s reach.

  Alexa Chambers is out there.

  And Eve was the key.

  “Tell me what to do,” Eve said.

  He exhaled . . . and knew that he was giving in.

  “THE FBI IS searching the marina and the beaches,” Gabe said, “so we’re going off the beaten path.”

  And their path was taking them to . . . “A fort?” Eve asked as she stared at the looming wooden structure. A large sign welcomed them to Historic Fort Gaines.

  The sun had risen, and with the new day, Gabe had taken her out to search. Only she hadn’t expected this place to be their first stop. It was a little after eight A.M., and the place appeared deserted.

  Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! Eve read the text beneath the fort’s name. General James Farragut. The Battle of Mobile Bay.

  Gabe led the way into the fort. They crossed over what looked like an old moat, then made their way into the shop to pay the fort’s admission fee. Eve thought the door to the shop might be locked because the place looked so deserted, but Gabe easily swung it open and led the way inside.

  “You be careful out there,” the man behind the counter said after Gabe had paid their admission fee and he was handing back some change. “This here fort is one of the most haunted in the U.S. Our ghosts walk in the day and the night.”

  Eve’s eyes widened. Was that guy serious?

  Gabe caught her hand, his fingers threading through with hers. “We’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

  The guy behind the counter gave them another grin. “They’ll be firing the cannon out there later this morning. You don’t want to miss the show.”

  A cannon? Was he for real? Eve kept glancing back over her shoulder at him as Gabe led her out of the shop and into the heart of the fort.