by Apryl Baker
“Bailey,” he corrected her.
She shot him a glare. “Whatever.”
“Angel, if you just calm down…”
“Oh, I am calm.” She tossed the empty bottle on the desk. “And right now, if I have to look at you a second longer, I am going to do you serious physical harm.” She turned and pushed past Nikoli and Viktor, who were staring at them, open-mouthed.
“You’re fucked,” Viktor said as he watched her disappear down the hall toward the main room.
Kade sank back down in the desk chair. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“She’s a firecracker.” Viktor sat in one of the chairs facing the desk, and Nik took the other. “So, you want to tell us what’s going on?”
Kade snorted at Viktor’s mild tone. The man was dying of curiosity and trying to conceal it to weasel information out of Kade. He knew his tricks.
“Met a girl. Knocked her up. Married the girl. Busted her brother on drug charges, and it all went downhill from there.”
“She lost the baby?” Kade’s attention swiveled to Nikoli. He was frowning.
“Yeah. I thought she’d be out of the house, but she hadn’t left yet. When they broke down the door, she got startled and fell down the stairs. The doctors did what they could, but it was too late. She was only twenty weeks along. The baby was too little to survive a torn placenta.”
“I’m sorry, brat.” Viktor shifted in his seat. “Why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped you.”
“It’s a long story.”
“We got the time.”
Kade sighed. There was no getting around this, and they might actually be able to help him. So he settled himself and launched into the whole story.
***
Angel paced back and forth across the living room, her anger hitting new heights. Sleeping? He’d been sleeping! While she sat out here and agonized over every minute of the last six years, the what ifs torturing her. And he’d been sleeping!
Bastard.
“Are you okay?” Lily asked.
“Hell fucking no, I’m not okay. That…that…”
“If he’s even a tenth as bad as Nikoli, you probably want to wring his neck.”
“More like cut off his balls and feed them to him,” she muttered.
“Ouch.”
“Why are men so stupid?” She flopped down on the dry section of the couch. “Are they born with a stupid gene, or is it a learned trait?”
“I have no idea, but it would make for a great study.” Lily walked over and sat on the coffee table. “Or a good book.”
“Maybe we should have Dimitri write it.” Angel huffed out a long breath, trying to calm her temper.
“Dimitri?”
“The brother who writes romance novels.” She sat up and looked over at Lily. “Nikoli didn’t tell you?”
Lily shook her head, frowning. “No, he never said a word.”
“Kade said they all like to torment him for his chosen profession. He should be here sometime today.”
“Really?” Lily started twisting her fingers. She sounded anxious.
“You okay?”
“Me? Yes.”
“Then why are you mistreating your poor fingers?”
Lily looked down and let out a small chuckle. “I didn’t realize. I get anxious meeting new people, especially people who might want to touch me.”
Touch her? What was she talking about?
“I have a phobia of being touched,” she explained. “It used to be really bad until Nikoli. He helped me learn to deal with it. Before he came along, I couldn’t even hug my mom. I’m not cured, but at least I can handle my family touching me.”
That would explain the way Nikoli had come up behind her yesterday and waited a moment before he touched her.
“So, meeting his family has you nervous because they might want to hug you?”
“Yes.”
“Then talk to Nik about it. Have him explain it to them.”
“But I don’t want them to think I’m weird.”
“They won’t. You’re a good person, Lily. I barely know you, and I can see that. Anyone who doesn’t, well, they can just fuck off. They aren’t worth your time.”
“I see why Nikoli likes you so much. You’re blunt and to the point.”
“He’s a good kid. I’m happy for you both.”
Lily blushed and stared at the ring on her finger. “I don’t know if agreeing to marry him was the right thing to do. It was spur of the moment right after the car crash.”
“Do you love him?”
“More than anything.”
“Then it’s the right thing to do. If he makes you happy, don’t worry about anything else. Life is short, Lily, and love is rare. That boy loves you. I see it every time he looks at you. Don’t doubt it. Just be happy.”
“What about you and Kade?” Lily leaned forward.
“The man who forgot he was married?”
“What?” Lily gasped. “He forgot?”
“Yup.” Angel snorted. “He forgot. Now he says he loves me, always loved me. But if he did, how did he forget he was married?”
“Yeah, I’d be pissed too.” Lily looked so indignant it made Angel giggle. “So, what, he just expects you to forgive and forget?”
“In a nutshell, I think so. It’s not that simple, though. There’s a lot of pain there, on both sides.”
“I don’t know what happened between you two, but I’ll ask you the same question you asked me. Do you love him?”
She wished she could say no. It would be so much easier if she could say no, but she couldn’t. “Sadly, yes.”
“Then is it worth trying to sort through the pain to see if there’s something left?”
“I don’t know.” It was a question she’d asked herself all night.
“My mom is a huge believer in fate and true love. She says sometimes fate sets us down a path that will lead to what makes us the happiest, but that being human, we tend to fall off the road or sometimes get enticed down a side path. When we do stupid things like that, fate usually kicks us in the ass hard enough to land back on the right path.”
Was Lily really trying wise old lady wisdom on her?
“Look at me and Nikoli. We almost lost each other. He was a manwhore. Plain and simple. He threw women away like most people did leftovers. He didn’t respect them, and he had serious commitment issues. I made the mistake of falling in love with the manwhore. He broke up with me, and it nearly killed me. We stayed away from each other. If it hadn’t been for me walking in on him at a party and seeing him groping some blonde, I would never have run away from him and gotten kidnapped. His fear made him realize how much I meant to him. We fell off the path. Whether his kick in the ass was me seeing him making out with another woman or the crazy guy who threw me in a trunk, I don’t know. But fate got what she wanted.” Lily waved her ring finger at me. “We ended up on the right path.”
“So, you’re saying me seeing a serial killer is fate’s way of kicking me and Kade in the ass and putting us back on the path we fell off?” Oddly, it made sense. Weird and bizarre, but it made sense.
Lily shrugged. “Maybe. If you love him, then maybe give fate a chance. Would you be so upset and angry right now if there wasn’t anything left worth saving?”
“I should just forgive him and move on?”
“I didn’t say that.” She looked affronted. “You’re right. Men are stupid and need to be taught a lesson sometimes. Make him work for it. You deserve some serious romancing. He did forget he was married, after all.”
He definitely deserved some payback.
Nikoli strolled out, and the smile that graced Lily’s face was all Angel needed to know how much the girl loved him. It was the same smile she used to give Kade when he walked into the room.
“We’re gonna take off, Angel. You and Kade need to talk, and then he said something about taking you Christmas shopping. I did get him to agree to go out to dinner. Joe’s is a little Cu
ban place Lily and I go to a lot. Do you like Cuban food?”
“Yeah. We had some really good places down in Miami.”
“Great. I’ll see you and my brother at about eight?” He held out his hand to help Lily up. “Viktor. Get your ass out here and let’s go!”
Lily leaned down so only Angel would hear. “Feel free to use the closet to make him suffer.” When she pulled back, Angel laughed at the wicked glint in her eyes. She and this girl were going to be very good friends.
“What’s so funny?” Nikoli asked.
“Nothing.” Lily slipped on her coat. “We’ll pick you guys up at eight.”
Angel locked the door behind them then leaned against it, staring at Kade, who had followed Viktor out to say goodbye to his brothers.
They stared each other down, one burning question on both their minds.
What the hell were they going to do?
Chapter Seventeen
He paced back and forth, muttering.
This had never happened before. He wasn’t done!
The girl died on him. She fucking died.
Her heart. It had to be. He’d inflicted no mortal wounds.
He’d fed her, bathed her.
Yet she’d died.
He punched the wall, his anger only growing.
There was no choice. No more waiting. He had to replace the girl. Had to complete his masterpiece.
But how? She was surrounded by guards. Men trained in detecting the smallest disturbance.
He would need to open his arsenal, his special blends that guaranteed success.
There was no other choice. His hands fisted in his hair and he pulled, the pain bringing some focus back to his thoughts.
She would leave the apartment. They would think she was safe surrounded by so many.
He would be watching.
He would take her when their guard slipped.
His masterpiece would be completed.
Chapter Eighteen
“Hi.”
Angel took a deep breath. He reminded her of the boy who’d uttered that one word to her on the beach. The same smile adorned his face, only his eyes weren’t all bright and shiny. They were wary, unsure.
“Hi,” she whispered, grateful for the solid door behind her back.
Kade moved into the kitchen and picked up the same dish towel she’d thrown earlier and used it to get some of the water out of his hair. His shirt was soaked, as were his pants. A twinge of guilt tried to fester, but he’d deserved it. Sleeping when he’d just steamrolled her.
But he hadn’t really slept for days, had he? He’d been up making sure she was safe. Was it so bad that he’d dozed off when he was probably dead tired?
He tossed the towel in the sink and walked toward her, stopping by the couch. “I need to change clothes, but can we talk?”
She chewed on her lip, hesitant. “I thought you wanted to go shopping?”
“We’ll go shopping, pick out a tree, get some ornaments, but we need to talk first, Angel. Not just about us, about the unsub.”
“What happened?”
“Let me get a shower and change. Then we’ll talk, okay?”
She nodded woodenly, her mind running through every conceivable scenario she could think of, thanks to her Criminal Minds marathons. So many possibilities. Kade was serious. It had to be bad, whatever it was.
Standing here worrying about it wasn’t doing her a bit of good. She needed to call Pops and check to make sure he was good for the next few days. She’d had to call in yesterday because of the package. This was her first weekend off in almost two months, but she’d go in if Pops needed her. Serial killer be damned. A mindless night serving drinks might help settle her nerves down a bit too.
Upstairs, she found her phone plugged into its charger. She could hear the shower, and her eyes flickered to Nikoli’s forbidden closet. Lily’s whispered words mocked her. Like Kade would ever let her tie him up and do whatever she wanted. She could imagine the look on his face if she even suggested it, and the thought made her laugh out loud. He was such a prude.
She powered up her phone and saw several missed text messages and three new emails. She checked the text messages first. All from Jessie, freaking out, wanting to know if she knew anything. She texted her to stay calm and let the police do their work. The girl was a paranoia magnet. Anything could send her spiraling.
Next, she opened her email. A message from her lab partner reminding her that their paper was due for final grade next week, and she needed to get her part done and sent over. That, at least, she didn’t have to worry about. She’d finished it a few days ago, so it was as easy as booting up her laptop and sending the file over.
The next email made her pause. Its subject line read“Foreplay,” and there were files attached. The thing gave her a hinky feeling, especially since she didn’t recognize the sender. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the email.
Soon, my angel.
It was him. How did he get her email?
What was in the attachments?
Should she look?
Looking would be a bad idea.
But she found herself tapping the first image.
And immediately wished she hadn’t.
It was the girl, the one who looked like her.
She looked away, gagging. What he’d done to her…her mind shied away from it.
“Kade!”
The word was barely a whisper even though she thought she’d shouted at the top of her lungs. That poor girl. Was this what he planned for her? Was that why he sent her this email? Would she end up in this position? Burned, cut, and God only knew what else?
Her hand shook so badly the phone tumbled from her fingers and hit the floor. He sent her a blueprint for what was going to happen to her.
The shower stopped.
“Kade!”
Again, she barely managed more than a whisper, that poor girl’s mutilated body all she could see. The image of herself covered in burns, her flesh cut and bruised, played like a movie in her head. What kind of person could do something like this to another human being? Bile rose in her throat and she gagged, running for the ensuite bathroom. She barely made the toilet before it came spewing out. God, why had she opened that email?
“Angel?”
She saw Kade standing in the doorway in just a pair of jeans, his hair still wet.
“What’s wrong?” Concern filled his eyes as he wet a washcloth and bathed her face. “I heard you running for the bathroom. Did you eat something that upset your stomach?”
“No,” she whispered. “My phone.”
“Your phone?”
She pointed in the general direction of the bedroom as another wave of nausea struck. Kade frowned, but went out and picked the phone up off the floor before returning to her. “What’s your password?”
“Oh, four twenty-two.”
“Matthew’s birthday.”
He remembered the nugget’s birthday and the name she’d wanted to give him? She didn’t have time to respond to that tidbit of information before he started cussing. He’d seen the photos. Thankfully, she’d only looked at the first one. The rest were probably worse.
“Are you okay by yourself for a minute?” His face was hard, angry, but it wasn’t directed at her. She nodded, and he all but ran from the room.
Angel sat up and leaned against the cool surface of the bathtub. A headache started right behind her eyes. She sat there for what felt like forever, staring blindly at the white tile flooring, that poor girl’s bloody body playing like a broken record in her mind. The image wouldn’t go away. He took her because she looked like Angel. How was that even fair?
Something had to be done before this sick son of a bitch did this to another girl because he couldn’t get at her.
She blinked, and Kade was kneeling in front of her, all full of concern and sympathy. “Hey, baby. You okay?”
“No.” How could she be okay as long as the sicko was out there torturing wo
men who looked like her?
“I have Jeremy working on it. He’s going to try to trace the email, figure out who sent it and from where. It’s going to be okay.”
“No, Kade, it’s not. That poor girl…all because she looked like me. We have to stop this.”
“We’re working on it.”
“No. That’s not good enough. He wants me. So put me out there, let him try to take me. Set up a sting at the bar, give him the chance to make his move in a controlled situation. Nobody else should have to suffer because of me.”
“Hell fucking no.” Concerned Kade morphed into mad as hell Kade. “You’re out of your damn mind if you think I’m letting you get anywhere near that sick bastard.”
“How would you feel if he was out there taking people who looked like you?” She stared in him straight in his eyes. “You’d go do something about it.”
“Because I’m trained to do something about it, first as a police officer, and then as an FBI agent. Catching these guys is what I do.”
“You’re not having very much luck with that, are you?” Angel regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. He was doing everything he could, and she knew that. She was just frustrated. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“We are doing everything we can. He’s making mistakes, and that’s how we catch him.”
“What mistakes?”
Kade stood and reached a hand down to her. “I have a lot to tell you, and I’d rather do it someplace other than a bathroom reeking of vomit.”
She curled her nose and took his hand, but stopped long enough to flush the toilet and rinse out her mouth. Stinky breath was not on the agenda. Angel assumed they’d go downstairs, but he dropped down on the bed and motioned for her to join him. She hesitated. Maybe being on the bed wasn’t such a good idea. Especially with him half naked.
“I’m not going to jump you, moye serdtse.” Kade scooted all the way to the bottom of the bed and flashed her an infectious smile. “I’ll be down here, well out of bone jumping distance.”