“Rory?” she whispered.
He turned back with a growl. “Don’t speak to her. She was a means to an end, nothing more. A way of getting my dear Lacey here.” He reached out and brushed his fingers gently down her cheek. She pulled away, and his gaze narrowed. “Soon, you’ll beg me for my touch.”
Like hell.
She glanced around. She seemed to be in some sort of cabin. The windows were covered so she couldn’t tell what time it was or how long she’d been unconscious. She was lying on the bare metal base of a single bed.
“Victor did well to find you, even if he did decide to contact you without my permission. It was then I knew he needed to go. He was starting to think for himself, and I didn’t appreciate that. So when he was dumping lovely Carlie, I sent an anonymous tip to the police and boom, he was gone. Problem solved.”
“How did you know they would kill him? That they wouldn’t capture him and he would tell them about you?”
“He had a deep fear of jail. He’d been in jail as a juvenile, and I knew he’d do whatever was necessary to stay out of jail. Including running. The idiot. If he wasn’t killed, well, I had ensured he would never talk. If he did, I told him his dear mother would be my next victim.”
“Dear God, it’s a wonder he didn’t kill you.”
He smiled. “He didn’t kill me because he got to have fun with my girls before they died. Victor went to juvie for raping one of his teachers.”
She swallowed heavily. “What do you mean, I’ll make an excellent victim for your next book?”
“I’m an author,” he told her proudly. “The killer in my next novel is going to stalk and kill an FBI agent. I won’t use all the material I’ve gathered in my next book, of course. No need to make it too obvious for all those law enforcement officers who read my books. Not that any of them are smart enough to figure it out.”
“So, this is all research for a book? All the women you’ve kidnapped and killed? Kidnapping me? It’s all for a book?”
“No,” he answered smugly. “It’s for several books. After my first kill years ago, I couldn’t settle down at night. It kept playing over and over in my head like a delicious movie. I needed to get it down for all eternity. To have others appreciate my work. So, I started to write. Of course, my writing was atrocious to start with, and I had to perfect my art. But the story itself was amazing. How could it not be? I decided to move to Connecticut. I couldn’t risk another murder in the small town where I lived. I wrote another book, but it just didn’t have the same authenticity as the first one. That’s when I realized I needed another kill.”
“So, you’ve murdered before?” She glanced over at Rory who sat staring at the man before them as though he were a monster. And he was.
She felt sick to her stomach over his revelations. But at the same time, she wanted to keep him talking. If he was talking he wasn’t hurting Rory. Or her.
“I think I’m up to fifteen in total. I keep moving around and changing things up. Stops people from connecting the dots. In Connecticut, I murdered older, single women. I put a pillow over their faces as they slept.”
“I remember those murders.”
God, she had to get them out of here. But how?
He stood and pulled out some rope. “Now, I’m afraid I have to leave you, darling. I need to check my traps in case anyone thinks of coming up this way. But don’t worry, I know you’ll be here waiting when I return.”
When she saw the ropes, she actually felt a flicker of hope. Because she wasn’t afraid of rope. Lacey had dealt with her love of being bound like she did everything else in her life, with a lot of research. And part of that research had entailed how to get free if you were ever bound against your will. Not that she’d thought Gray would do that, but she’d felt she needed to be thorough.
“Place your hands above your head.” Pretending to be compliant, she raised her hands over her head, twisting her wrists and placing the knuckles of each hand together. She prayed he wouldn’t wonder at the odd position. But he didn’t say a word, just bound her wrists together.
He moved back to stare down at her. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight.”
“I don’t want you to hurt me. Or Rory.”
He snorted as he glared over at the other girl. “That useless piece of shit doesn’t deserve your consideration. A waste of air.”
Rory whimpered, and Lacey cringed. He moved down to her feet and she tensed, trying to keep as much room between her ankles as she could as he bound them.
When he stood, he was smiling. “Now, you wait right here. I’ll be back soon.”
She couldn’t wait.
***
“Here. There she is.” Gray pointed at the screen in front of him, watching as Lacey ran through the park. It was clear she was upset, even from a distance. The cameras that were placed throughout the park followed her until she came to a complete stop and bent over. Someone approached her, dressed in a large coat and holding out a cup as though begging for money. Then he reached out his hand and she slumped forward.
“Bastard drugged her,” Travis muttered.
The guy pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her from head to toe.
“It’s him,” Gray said. “Fuck, he took her in the middle of a public park. He obviously isn’t afraid of us figuring out who he is.”
“Or he thinks we won’t,” Alexa said. “Alan Stone, forty-four, is the reclusive, anonymous author of several books. Guess what genre he writes?”
“About serial killers?” Travis asked darkly.
“Bingo. Murder mysteries, usually involving serial killers. Writes under a pseudonym which he probably thinks keeps him safe. However, the IRS knows his real name, and now so do we.”
Had she hacked the IRS? Gray decided he didn’t want to know. Besides, he had more pressing things to worry about right now.
“Other than that one photo in a newspaper ten years ago, I haven’t found any other photos of him. Not even a drivers license.”
“Okay, so the guy thinks we can’t find him.” Travis paced back and forth. “That could work in our favor. Anything else?”
“Yeah.” She glanced up at him with a smug grin. “I did a search around for property under his name, nothing popped up. So, I did a search under a few of his characters. In his first book, the serial killer is called Angus Arthur. Stupid name. But guess who owns a cabin in the Harriman area? You guessed it, Angus Arthur.” Now, Gray just had to pray like hell they got to this guy before he killed his sister or Lacey. Just the thought of it made his stomach roll.
“Let’s go,” he said grimly.
***
When he was gone, she leaned back, her whole body shaking with relief and racing adrenaline. Her breath was coming too fast, and she forced herself to take a deep breath in and then let it out slowly. She didn’t know how much time she had, and they had to be gone before he got back.
She began with her wrists, turning them, creating some space so she could hopefully slip her hand free. Then she started moving her ankles. Not as much room there. Damn it.
She turned her head. “Rory.”
The other girl didn’t move.
“Rory, listen to me.”
Still nothing. Fuck. The other woman sat still. The only light was the one he’d left on in the corner, but it was enough for her to make out the other woman. She looked very different than she had in the pictures Lacey had seen of her. She was stark naked and covered in dirt, bruises, and scabbed-over wounds. Her bedraggled hair lay around her shoulders, big chunks missing. Her face was bruised, one eye swollen shut.
“Rory, are you all right?”
Still nothing. Lacey moved her wrists back and forth. The rope dug into her skin, ripping apart the skin until she could feel the slickness of blood. But they seemed to be loosening.
Faster. Faster.
Panic threatened to overwhelm her. But she couldn’t give up now. She wasn’t ready to die. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her li
Don’t think like that. He had to care. Otherwise what was the point of struggling to live?
“Rory, damn it, listen to me.” She turned to the other woman. “You can’t give up. You can’t let him win.”
Nothing. “Gray is looking for you. Do you hear me? Your brother is looking for you.”
Rory blinked at Gray’s name, or was it her imagination?
“How do you know my brother?”
Thank God. She’d thought she was going to have to carry the other woman out of here.
“Because I live with him.” Or she had. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. She had to work on getting them out of here. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“Gray said he was dating some chick called Lacey who sounds all holier-than-thou, good at everything. A saint, like my dear brother.”
“That’s me,” she said as cheerfully as she could manage. “Saint Lacey. Nice to meet you.”
Rory stared at her for a moment. “You’re really Gray’s girlfriend? Wow, normally he dates stuck-up snobs who are after his money. You just seem normal, you know, average.”
“Gee, thanks. Stop, or your flattery will go to my head.”
She tugged at her left hand and felt it slip part of the way out of the binding. Just a bit more. A bit more. She bit her lip, holding in her cry of pain as she wrenched her wrist free. Thank God.
***
“Looks like he’s set traps all through the woods,” Travis said. “Jace and Tyler did a surveillance run and encountered a few. It will slow us down.”
And anything that slowed them down at this point was unacceptable to Gray. He couldn’t believe his last words to Lacey had been so harsh. Accusatory. Guilt ate at him.
“We need to get to them.”
“We will,” Travis replied. “We could go in by chopper, but he could easily slit their throats before we land. So, we’ll split up and go up by foot. Just keep your eyes peeled and stay on alert.
Gray nodded. “Got it.” He lowered the night vision goggles he’d been supplied and started to move his way up the steep incline.
It was tough going. An hour later, they’d managed to get within fifty yards of the cabin. He’d had to avoid three booby traps. This guy must have spent months if not longer setting this all up. Suddenly, something pinged off the tree, and he slid to the ground, adrenaline pumping through him.
“Bastard’s shooting at us,” Travis’s voice came through the ear piece Gray was wearing.
“He’s ahead and to my right,” Gray told them, sliding his hand down to the small of his back to grab his gun.
“I’m on it,” Rusty replied.
Gray held himself tightly in check, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
“I can’t pinpoint his exact location,” Rusty said. “Travis, want to draw his fire?”
“You got it.”
About twenty feet away, something rustled, then Travis shot up, and ran a few feet before falling once more. Gun fire followed, then a pain-filled scream filled the air
“Got the bastard,” Rusty said with satisfaction.
Gray cautiously stood then moved forward. He followed the sound of the pain-filled cries. As he drew closer, he spotted someone the ground, rolling around. He moved over to him, then crouched and ripped off the mask the man wore.
“Is it him?” Travis asked, coming up next to him.
Gray pulled off his night-vision goggles and glared down at the bastard. “Yeah, it is.”
Alan Stone yelled with pain. Gray stared down at him in disgust. “Asshole.” He kicked his side. The man groaned.
“Go on,” Marc said, striding towards them. “Find Lacey and Rory. I’ll take care of this fucker.”
***
Lacey pulled at the cuff around Rory’s ankle. No movement. The other woman winced and she knew she was causing her pain. She looked at the other end of the chain but it was attached to the floor with a solid-looking bolt.
How the hell was she going to undo that?
“You should just go without me,” Rory said tiredly.
“I’m not leaving you,” she told her fiercely. She wasn’t going to fail again.
“If I can’t get you free then I need to find some way to protect us until help can get here.” She started searching through the sparse cabin. This room had probably been the living room once. Now it was dark and damp, reeking of pain and suffering.
She moved into the rundown kitchen. She pulled open drawers, searching for a weapon. Finally, she found a large carving knife. It looked a little dull but would have to do.
She rushed back into the room and stood in front of Rory. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you.”
The other woman wrapped her hand around Lacey’s ankle and gently squeezed. It gave her an added boost of confidence, which she badly needed.
The door to the cabin started to open, and she tensed, adrenaline pumping through her. This was it. It was up to her. As a large figure appeared in the doorway, she didn’t think, she charged.
Gray stared as Lacey charged towards him with a furious yell, a huge knife held high in her hand.
“Lacey! Lacey, its me.” He dodged to the side to avoid her as she swung out. “Lacey! Stop!”
She froze, staring at him, and he wasn’t sure she actually saw him. Then she dropped the knife with a clang.
“Gray?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.” He moved towards her slowly, not wanting to scare her. Fury filled him at the terrified look in her eyes. “You’re okay now. You’re okay.” He reached out and touched her arm, and she crumpled against him.
“You’re okay. I’m here now.”
***
An hour later, Gray held his sister’s hand as she was loaded into an ambulance. “Don’t leave me,” she said tearfully, looking smaller and more vulnerable than she had in a long, long time.
“I won’t,” he told her. “I’m coming in with you. Just let me check on Lacey first.”
Her good eye widened, and she nodded before wincing. That asshole, Stone, had done a real number on her. She’d been beaten, starved, and abused. Gray curled his hands into fists. He should have done more than just kick him. He hoped the bullet wound Rusty had inflicted was damn painful.
“She saved me. She wouldn’t leave me, you know,” Rory whispered. “I was ready to give up, but she wouldn’t let me. I told her to leave, to save herself but she wouldn’t go.”
What? She’d stayed when she could have gotten free? A mix of anger and gratitude filled him. He didn’t like that she’d stayed and risked herself but at the same time he appreciated that she’d taken care of his sister.
“I’ll be back.” He nodded at the ambulance driver and quickly raced over to where Lacey sat in the back of another ambulance, her cousins all stood outside, speaking to her.
“Lacey,” he called out when none of them moved. Asses.
“Gray? How’s Rory?”
He managed to shove Tyler aside and stepped closer. Lacey stared around at her cousins. “Could you guys give us a minute?”
None of them moved until Travis gave a nod. Then they all frowned at Gray as they moved past, Jace bumping his shoulder into him. Nice. Real classy.
“Sorry about that,” she told him.
He shrugged. “It’s okay. They’re just protective of you. I get it. Are you okay?”
She looked pale and exhausted and she had bandages wrapped around her wrists, but she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“I’m okay. Just really tired.”
“Good.” He wanted to touch her, to pull her close but there were things he needed to say to her first. “I wanted to tell you I’m riding with Rory in the ambulance, she’s scared to have me out of her sight for too long. But I want you to wait for me at the hospital. We need to talk. Rory told me what you did for her.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she protested.
“You didn’t leave.” He leaned over and squeezed her hand. “You stayed when you could have gotten to safety. That means a lot. So, I’ll find you at the hospital, okay?” He turned away before she could answer, not wanting to leave Rory for long.
Travis approached, glancing over to where Gray climbed into the ambulance with his sister. “He’s going with Rory?”
“Yes.” Which was how it should be. Rory needed him. Lacey, well, she needed him but she wasn’t certain he still wanted her. It could be that the only reason he wanted to talk to her was to break things off completely. She swallowed. If that was the case, she didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“Still want to come home with me?” Travis asked.
Physically, there was nothing wrong with her past a few bruises. Mentally, it was another story.
“Yes.”
Chapter Nineteen
He was exhausted. He was hungry. He hadn’t washed in more than forty-eight hours. And he was grumpy as fuck. It wasn’t a good combination.
As he stared at the door to Travis’s apartment building, he could feel the anger building. She’d run from him. Again. He’d told her he’d see her at the hospital, and she’d blatantly ignored him, instead coming here to hide.
Well, he wasn’t putting up with it.
And as soon as she was feeling like herself again, he was going to make it abundantly clear that she wasn’t to run away from him again.
He pressed Travis’s buzzer. It had taken a lot of bribery to get his address. He now owed a few favors to several people. Not that he cared. All that was important was finding Lacey and bringing her home with him.
“Go away,” the male voice bit at him through the speaker.
“I’m not leaving. I’ll camp out here on the doorstep if I have to, but I’m not leaving.”
“I’ll call the cops.”
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