Girl Left Behind (Dana Gray Book 1)

by C. J. Cross

  “Thank you.”

  Nodding, Jake walked toward the door. Something made him pause and turn back. Dana was still sitting on the bed, looking small and helpless, though he knew better than to tell her that. He’d meant it when he’d said her will was stronger than some of the men he’d trained.

  Jake knew Dana could take care of herself, but that didn’t stop him from worrying about her. And it didn’t stop the dread from taking up more space in his gut. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the victims weren’t random. And now that he knew Dana’s parents had been targeted, it was possible she was a target.

  Working this case with him only increased those odds.

  Jake knew he wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t warn her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d feel better if we shared a room tonight.”

  Dana stood, eyes incredulous. Before she could bite his head off, Jake lifted his hands in surrender. “Just for your protection. I’d sleep on the floor, of course.”

  “Yes, you would, but it’s not necessary. I’ll be fine in my own room.”

  “For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I’ve seen this before. Serial killers go dormant for decades and then something triggers the urge to kill again. The temptation to go after the same type of victim is too much to ignore. That makes you an aphrodisiac to this guy.”

  “You’re sure it’s a man?”

  “More than eighty percent of serial murderers are male.”

  Satisfied by the statistic, she mulled it over. “The only similarities in the victims are that they were all in committed relationships. Lucky for me, I’m not.”

  Jake heard Claire’s voice in his head. Know when to pick your battles. “Fine. But make sure you lock the door behind me. Use the security bolt too.”

  Dana followed him to the door. “Always do.”

  He gave her one last look, his fingers aching to reach out and hold onto her. He wanted to protect her from the cruelness of the world. But one thing life had taught him was that there were some forces of nature even he couldn’t fight.

  As the door shut behind him, he felt the fissures in his armor fusing back together. It was better that way. Letting Dana in would be a mistake, and mistakes were deadly in his business.

  36

  Thunder startled Dana awake.

  Disoriented, it took her a moment to get her bearings. Lightning flashed, lighting up her hotel room. When she’d crawled under the covers, she’d thought the storm was over, but it must’ve started up again.

  She sat up in bed, surprised that she’d actually slept sound enough to feel so groggy. She’d tossed and turned for hours after Shepard left, unable to get his words out of her head. The bedside clock read 4:11 AM, its bright red numbers washing the walls with an eerie glow in the darkness.

  Untangling herself from her sheets, Dana hung her feet over the side of the bed and reached for her water on the nightstand. The bottle was empty. Parched, she stood and padded barefoot to the bathroom. The cold tile floor woke her further, dragging the cobwebs of sleep from her mind as she turned on the faucet to refill her water bottle. A scraping sound made her pause. She turned the water off and listened.

  Shepard’s words had wormed their way into her mind and were now playing tricks on her. She was not a target in this case. In a world with seven billion people, the odds of this killer coming after her were insurmountable. Her analytical mind argued against that blind logic. She knew Shepard wouldn’t be worried without reason. There were statistics to support his theory, but she didn’t want to know them. Not if she ever hoped to get any sleep.

  Turning the faucet back on, she finished filling her water bottle and returned to the bedroom. Before climbing into bed, her eyes darted to the locked door, just to appease her paranoia. And that’s when she saw it. The security bolt. It was no longer latched.

  A split second of panic was all she was afforded before the shadow near the curtain came alive. That split second gave her the advantage she needed. When the large man in a ski mask lunged for her, Dana was ready. Her fight-or-flight default had always been fight, and after the crash course of real world combat she’d just been through with Barnes, she was ready to redeem herself.

  Refusing to be an easy target, Dana struck fast.

  Her first kick landing true, her second taking him down. Not wanting to give up her gain, she slammed a knee into her attacker’s back, using her full weight to keep him down, but he wasn’t having it. The man scrambled for purchase, his arms and legs flailing as he tried to buck Dana off his back.

  She needed something to restrain him.

  Scanning the dark room, there weren’t many options within reach. The lamp would have to do. Dana lunged for it, yanking it off the nightstand and toward her attacker’s head in one powerful arc. Moments before the ceramic base made impact, the man rolled.

  The sounds of shattering pottery rose above their struggle as the storm raged on, drowning out any hope that Shepard would hear the melee and come to her rescue.

  No, Dana would have to do this herself; like everything else in her life.

  She grabbed the base of the smashed lamp, clutching the power cord between her fists, her self-defense instructor’s voice loud and clear in her mind. Anything can be a weapon.

  The problem was, Dana’s attacker knew this, too. And he’d come prepared.

  As she rushed toward him with the cord, he pulled his own weapon and it was more deadly. Dana stopped in her tracks, the metallic gleam of the taser warning her not to get too close. It looked menacing as a flash of lightning lit the room.

  The man wielded it toward her.

  Images of what this monster could do to her if he rendered her unconscious flipped through Dana’s mind like a horror movie. Keeping her distance, she did her best to study him as they made a slow waltz around the room. All the while Dana was committing every detail of her attacker to memory.

  She was no match for a taser.

  His weapon was a game changer, shifting the advantage back to him. Now, her only chance of self-preservation was escape. But she was going to take all the details of this masked man with her if she got the chance to run.

  He was tall, approximately 6’3”, broad shouldered, probably weighed two-twenty, and he was smart. He was wearing gloves and a full mask. His dark clothing was nondescript and covered all his skin. Dana wished she could hear his voice. Height and weight wouldn’t be enough to go on.

  “What do you want?” she yelled, continuing to keep her distance as she tried to edge her way toward the door.

  The man said nothing, but he read her move, countering it with his own. He stood with his back to the door, blocking her only escape.

  “Are you here because of the Romeo and Juliet murders?”

  No response.

  Dana’s lips trembled. “Did … did you do it? Did you kill my parents?”

  She swore she saw his lips twitch beneath the mask.

  Was that a smile?

  There was no way of knowing. No way of finding out the truth, unless … If she sacrificed herself, if she let him take her, then maybe she’d get to the bottom of this. Of course, there was no guarantee, and even if she found what she was looking for, there was little chance she’d be able to do anything with it.

  Death tended to silence the truth. But did she care?

  Dana wanted answers more than anything.

  She’d always known there would be a price to pay. Maybe this man was finally here to collect. The only question that remained was whether she was willing to go all in.

  She knew her answer. And it made her glad she hadn’t let Jake share her room tonight. This man was here for Dana. There was no reason to make Jake a target, too. She refused to drag him any further into this mess. That’s why she didn’t call out to him. She wouldn’t be the reason he died.

  She squared her shoulders and spoke clearly. “If you tell me the truth, I’ll go with you.
”

  The masked man seemed to ponder her offer. Was she really doing this? Willingly submitting to the man who may have killed her parents? Before Dana had time to let her decision sink in, it was taken off the table. The masked man made his move, but so did someone else.

  The door to Dana’s room splintered open and Agent Shepard burst in, gun drawn. “Freeze, FBI!”

  The commotion was enough to distract Dana’s attacker. He stopped his advance on her and changed direction with astonishing speed.

  “I said freeze!” Shepard shouted, widening his stance as he took aim, but the man didn’t stop. He barreled into Shepard sending them both tumbling into the hall.

  Dana raced after them, her eyes meeting Shepard’s for a fraction of a second before the masked man jammed the taser into Shepard’s torso, holding it there as an agonizing pain tore through the downed agent. Dana watched in horror as Shepard’s body helplessly spasmed, the gun dropping from his hand. She had a split second to decide whether to go for the attacker’s mask or Shepard’s gun.

  Instinct took over, and she body checked the man off Shepard and away from the gun. The move gave her the time she needed to recover the gun, but it also gave the masked man time to get away. He was on his feet, his long legs eating up the hallway when Dana brought the gun eye level to take aim. She had him in her sights. There was no way she didn’t take the shot.

  Her heart hammered as she squeezed the trigger. Unprepared for the kickback, her shot went high. The next two were even worse. Plaster dust rained down from the ceiling as the man rocketed his way through the metal exit door to the stairwell. A quick glance back at Shepard’s rising chest told Dana he’d pull through. It was the only go ahead she needed to take off down the hall.

  Racing after her assailant, Dana burst through the cold metal door, gun still drawn. She had no idea how many bullets she had left, but she planned to use every last one if that’s what it took to bring this guy down.

  Glancing between the three flights of railings, Dana caught a dark blur and fired. The shot ricocheted off the concrete steps, sparking as it missed her intended target.

  Dana kept moving.

  She raced down the stairs, her heart sinking when she heard another exit door fall shut. The sound echoed through the stairwell with the finality of a tomb. In her heart, she knew she’d lost him—her only chance at finding out who killed her parents—but she couldn’t convince the rest of her to stop moving.

  Panting, Dana pushed the emergency exit door open and stumbled out into the night. The pounding rain cooled her flesh, but it brought her no relief. Just like she’d expected, all traces of the masked man were gone. She stared into the empty darkness as disappointment brought her to her knees.

  37

  “No, I told you, Shepard, I’m done. Just take me off the case.”

  Jake stood in Dana’s hotel room, watching her pack. Her hair was still wet, but at least she’d stopped shivering. He was pissed as hell and doing his best to hold it all inside. Now that he knew she was okay, he wanted to throttle her for taking on their attacker on her own.

  He’d found her outside, crumpled on her knees and trembling almost as violently as he’d been from the taser. Fearing the worst, he’d started checking her for injuries. That’s when she’d surprised the hell out of him by standing up, calmly handing him back his gun and walking back into the hotel without saying a word.

  That had only infuriated him more. He knew his anger was misguided, but he was worried about her. They were supposed to be partners. She should’ve called out to him the moment that asshole broke into her room, not tried to handle it on her own. He was a part of this, whether she liked it or not. Jake had half a mind to tell her that right now, but he had a feeling it would fall on deaf ears. Dana was spiraling, and he didn’t want to make things worse.

  “Dana, you’re shaken. It’s understandable. You don’t need to make any decisions right now.”

  “But I have. I’ve decided I’m done with this investigation.” She continued angrily throwing things into her suitcase on the bed. “You were right from the beginning. I have no business being in the field. I never should’ve agreed to take this on. My personal interest is a liability.”

  “I don’t agree.”

  “Well, you should. I’ve done nothing but screw everything up.”

  Jake sighed, ignoring his pounding headache as he bided his time. He’d been waiting for Dana to crack, and she was almost there. She’d held it together all night, or morning rather.

  Dana answered his questions and the local PD’s when they showed up to take her statement. But even the most seasoned agents could break under this kind of pressure, and Dana wasn’t even an agent. She was a librarian, for Christ’s sake.

  Jake noted the way her hands began trembling as she tried to zip her suitcase shut. With the haphazard way she’d thrown her things inside, it had no chance of closing. Her shaking hands only made the task even more impossible. With the zipper jammed and the suitcase only halfway closed, Dana gave up, shoving it off the bed and onto the floor with a scream of frustration.

  That final defeat did her in. Her dam burst. When Jake saw the first tear trickle down her cheek, he moved around the bed and pulled Dana to his chest, holding her even when she resisted. Her arms were tucked in tight, her elbow pressing against the sore spot on his abdomen courtesy of the taser, but Jake forced himself not to wince. Dana needed to let the traumatic events of tonight out now or they’d come out some other harmful way later.

  Relief spread through him like a nip of bourbon when Dana finally gave in. Her arms relaxed to her sides as the tears kept coming. Her hands fisted his shirt as Dana let him hold her while she sobbed into his chest. Jake tucked her head beneath his chin, noting how fragile she felt. In a morbid way, it was a relief to him to know she could break. It made her feel more real, more like him.

  Jake pushed the errant thought away. He stroked his hand down Dana’s wet hair as she gasped and trembled in his arms. It was hard for him to believe she’d fended off an attacker, saved his ass, and then chased the perp down like Robocop.

  Robocop with bad aim . . . but still.

  “I lost him,” she sobbed. “He showed up at my door, and I let him go.”

  “He showed up once, he’ll show up again.”

  Dana leaned back just enough to look up at him, her big brown eyes spearing him. “You don’t know that.”

  He shrugged. “No, but I have a pretty good hunch. And I’m usually right.”

  Jake meant to lighten the mood, but he could see Dana took his words to heart.

  She pulled away from him. “I should’ve listened to you.”

  “You couldn’t have known this would happen.”

  “You knew.”

  “Not definitively.”

  “If I’d listened to you, we could’ve caught him.”

  “Not necessarily.” Jake knew how badly things could’ve gone. “We’re lucky to both be standing right now. Speaking of, I think I need to take you to the shooting range when we get back to DC.”

  Dana crossed her arms. “I meant it, Jake. You’re not going to change my mind. I’m done with this case. It’s time I move on with my life.”

  Jake hid his grin. She wasn’t done the same way he wasn’t done. People like them, they couldn’t walk away from unfinished business. But some things were better left unsaid. “Whatever you think is best.” Jake leaned down and finished zipping her suitcase before standing it up and grabbing the handle. “You ready to head back to the city?”

  Dana nodded. Halfway to the door, Jake felt her hand on his forearm. He paused, looking back. Her gaze was full of sorrow. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For letting you down.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “But I did. And when he kills again, it’ll be my fault.”

  Jake let go of the suitcase and turned to face her. Without thinking, he took her face in his hands. “Dana, if he kills agai
n, it’s on him. Do you understand? He’s the bad guy in this, not us. We do the best we can to stop this kind of violence, to protect people, but we’re human. Some things aren’t up to us.”

  “I know. That’s the part I hate most.”

  “Me too.”

  “How do you keep doing this?”

  “It’s the job. I do what I can. And what I can’t … well I pray there’s a special kind of hell reserved for the monsters who escape justice in this life.”

  Dana’s shallow inhale reminded Jake just how close they were, her full lips a breath away from his. He let go before he did something stupid. “Come on. We need to leave now if we don’t want to be stuck in DC traffic.”

  38

  Two days later Dana sat outside SSA Cramer’s office, waiting to be summoned inside. She didn’t care how much the relentless FBI agent called her, she was not changing her mind about working the Romeo and Juliet case, and she was here to tell him so to his face.

  Apparently, Jake had gone to bat for her, telling Cramer he’d been mistaken to think she was involved in the case and now the two-faced agent was begging her to stay on.

  That wasn’t going to happen. The only reason she’d showed up today was to tell Cramer where he could shove it.

  Dana’s gaze moved around the bland space, taking in the generic artwork and harsh lights. It was strange how familiar the J. Edgar Hoover Building had become to her in such a short time. So was the fact that she suspected she was going to miss her time with the FBI, or perhaps just one agent in particular.

  She hadn’t seen Jake since they returned from Maryland. He’d called twice to check in on her and let her know he was still following up on getting her access to her parents’ old case file. She wasn’t sure it would give her the peace of mind or closure she’d hoped for, but at this point, she was beginning to think such things didn’t exist. At least not for people like her.

  The deep blue door to Cramer’s office opened, and he poked his head out. Spotting her, the aging agent smiled. “Dr. Gray, sorry to keep you waiting.”