by Mia Taylor
He was appealing to her sense of commerce.
Madison nodded more firmly this time and he exhaled.
“Okay,” she agreed. “But keep me posted. Wouldn’t it be great if this had a happy ending?”
He didn’t answer as he turned to hurry out of the room, his head spinning dangerously. Suddenly, Magnus knew that finding Rochelle wasn’t just a matter of a man finding his mate. It was something much more urgent—and quite possibly a matter of life and death.
Chapter Seven
Billings, Montana
Rochelle stood at the train station, her weight shifting from one foot to the other as she stared up at the departures. She was feeling very conspicuous, even as she hid her face from the cameras, her hood embracing her face.
Why did I ever stay in Minot? It’s far too close to Surrey and I should have known I’d be found here.
Rochelle knew why—because his words endlessly echoed in her ears.
“No matter where you go, I will find you. There’s nowhere on this earth you can go that I can’t track you down. But the harder you make me work, the angrier I’ll be when I do.”
So she had come as close to home as she could without being recognized by friends or family. She’d kept a relatively low profile since returning there, only venturing out when completely essential, but in the age of the internet, she had managed to hide away.
Or so she’d thought.
She thought of the day of her escape from him, how easy it had been for her to open the usually locked door to her cellar prison. At first, she’d thought it was a trick and had hurried back into the place where she’d been held captive, waiting for him to return and punish her. But when he didn’t materialize, not even to feed her, she again tried the door and found it unlocked. When she stepped into the sunshine beyond, no one had tried to stop her. In fact, there hadn’t been a soul anywhere. It was as if he had expected her to leave.
Did he just get tired of me? Was he testing me?
It wasn’t the first time he’d allowed her to flee, giving her the illusion of freedom. Oh, how naïve she’d been those first couple of times it had happened. For reasons she still didn’t understand, she didn’t go home, nor did she reach out to any of her friends. It was as if she had inherently known that he wasn’t done with her yet and she would sooner die than bring him near her family. Instead, Rochelle had started over in a different town, cautiously believing that the nightmare was over. She’d dared to think she could live normally and eventually, she had permitted herself to get close to Samantha. To have friendship again was unbelievable and she wondered how she had survived the two years without a confidante.
When Rochelle had finally been brave enough to confess her kidnapping to Samantha, the very next day, her friend was in a terrible car accident which rendered her in a coma.
The day after that, he had taken Rochelle back to the cellar.
“You belong to no one but me, Jennica,” he told her. “You only exist because I let you. You will always belong to me. No one else.”
It was a year before he let her go again and this time he didn’t need a reason to snatch her back, but Rochelle suspected he had been watching her flirt with a regular customer at the diner where she worked, a man who up and vanished one day.
This was the third such time she had been left on her own and this time, Rochelle vowed to maintain her distance between herself and anyone else. She was glad she hadn’t reached out to her family. God only knew what he would do if she had. She had no doubt now that he was always watching.
But if that were true, why didn’t he come for her already?
She had run into the night, the walls of her apartment closing in on her for no reason, and found herself directly in Magnus’ arms. She had been with Magnus three days ago and she still hadn’t been taken again.
Had he given up? Was he really letting her go this time?
Automatically, she thought of finding Magnus, of begging him to help her out of this endless nightmare, but the image of Samantha lying in a hospital bed was too much for her to bear.
I won’t let anything happen to Magnus, she told herself firmly, even though every part of her was itching to run to the police station and hide. Her body ached to be near him again, like he had genuinely become a part of her body and soul in the very short time they’d known one another.
But you won’t. Right now, you might have a window to run, to get out of here before it’s too late.
Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she again shifted her attention toward the bulletin, her mouth pursing as she tried to decide how far the hundred dollars might take her. Making decisions was not easy for her, not when she hadn’t had that option since she was twenty years old.
Is anyone even looking for me anymore? she wondered. Or do they all think I’m dead now?
In some ways, Rochelle Hepburn was dead. She’d died the day she’d been snatched while jogging in Silver Spring Park.
It was difficult for her to remember those early days, mostly because she’d blocked it from her mind, but also because she liked to believe she had become smarter.
With gritty determination, Rochelle threw her head back and inhaled sharply.
Billings. I’m going to Montana.
But as she stepped up to the counter, her heart racing in her chest, the unmistakable feeling of someone staring at her caused her to turn. She knew the sensation too well, the feeling snaking down her spine like cold ice water.
She couldn’t see him, but as surely as she stood in the train station, she knew he was there too.
Just biding his time until he grabbed her again.
Chapter Eight
Skating on Thin Ice
Magnus knew he was already skating on paper-thin ice but that didn’t stop him from cracking it more.
Go big or go home, I guess, he thought grimly. It’s all or nothing now.
“You need to inform someone about this,” Madison hissed, her eyes darting around the otherwise empty tech lab. “You have information on a missing person.”
“I have nothing,” Magnus said flatly, his gaze trained on the montage of faces slipping by on facial recognition. “That’s why I’m doing this.”
Madison paused and looked at him defiantly.
“Still, Mags, if she’s out there—”
“She’s out there,” he growled. “I just have to find her.”
He wished Madison would stop talking so he could concentrate on the video before him. For most of the day, he had been trying to think of ways to track Rochelle down, but after coming up empty canvassing the park and surrounding area, he realized that he only had one last hope.
Something picked her up somewhere, he thought grimly. A traffic cam, a bodega cam. Something…
Which had brought him back to Maddy’s lab and lecture. For over twenty minutes, the software had been scanning and each minute that ticked by wore thinner on Magnus’ nerves.
“I don’t like this,” Madison mumbled but he ignored her again.
“I’m running home for a minute,” he told her flatly. “The second you get a hit, call me. Don’t take your eyes off this screen.”
“Mags!”
“Madison, a woman’s life is possibly at risk here. If that is Rochelle Hepburn, why isn’t she reaching out to her family? Probably because someone has her captive. You need to keep an eye out, please.”
The techy didn’t seem impressed and Magnus stifled a sigh, trying a different tactic.
“Think about what will happen if you have a hand in blowing this case wide open?” he said instead, a placating note creeping into his voice. “I’d say your days of being stuck in the basement are limited, wouldn’t you? You’ll be hailed a hero. You’ll get interviews with Dateline…”
Madison’s eyes lit up slightly and Magnus realized he’d won this battle.
Nothing like appealing to a country girl’s desire for fame.
“I’m only asking you to keep this quiet one night,” he con
tinued. “Then we’ll call in all the reinforcements if anything pans out.”
Madison nodded, sighing in resignation.
“Fine,” she replied. “Hurry back.”
But as Magnus shuffled out of the tech lab, he hoped he wouldn’t have to return to the station that night. In his gut, he felt like the facial recognition software would find Rochelle somewhere close. He could feel her in his bones.
In the parking lot, he pulled open the door to his F150 but before he could climb in, he heard his name being called.
“You’re here late,” Forester jeered at him. “Don’t tell me you’ve been drinking here now. That’s a big no-no, Magnus.”
Magnus’ jaw tightened but somehow, he managed to keep his composure.
“What’s the matter? Are you losing money now that I’m not lining your pocket at Sirens?”
Forester scowled.
“Barris should have kept his mouth shut about my role in the business,” he muttered, his steely eyes flashing. “Anyway, you owe a tab. Over a hundred bucks.”
Magnus wasn’t in the mood to engage with his superior.
“I have things to do, Adam. Is there something you need?”
Forester’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, a slight smirk on his face.
“Where are you off to?” he asked slowly.
None of your damned business, Magnus wanted to bark but managed to keep his snapping down.
“I have a lead on a missing person,” he answered truthfully. For a long moment, Forester only stared at him like he was weighing his words.
“Well,” he finally said, seeming to relent. “Don’t let me keep you.”
Magnus didn’t give him a chance to change his mind and hopped into the driver’s seat, starting the truck before Forester could speak again.
He was home in less than five minutes, leaving the vehicle in visitors’ parking as he sprinted up to his apartment. He’d only gone home to change his clothes. He hadn’t bothered to shower or change since Rochelle had left him and suddenly, he didn’t want to find her looking like a homeless person.
I’ll be in and out in two minutes. She’s close. I can feel her.
But as he darted into the hallway, he froze as his foot hit the stairwell, and Magnus inhaled sharply as his blood ran cold.
On his doorstep was a mass of red-streaked fur. Instinctively, Magnus touched his sidearm as he approached the dead animal slowly. He could make out the deep, deathly teeth marks in the cat’s neck. It was only then that he saw the note pinned to his door in an uneven, eerie scrawl.
“Curiosity killed the cat. Don’t let it kill you too.”
Magnus’ heart was ready to pop from his throat as he looked about wildly for any suspect, but whoever it was had long since left.
Magnus stared at the mangled pet, shaking his head in disbelief. He had no doubt in his mind that this had something to do with Rochelle Hepburn. The implications were worse than he had imagined. A bear was somehow involved in this mess too. He wondered if Rochelle was in danger because she knew their secrets.
A cell phone notification chimed in Magnus’ breast pocket and he snatched at it.
“Galvin,” he muttered, barely finding his breath.
“I found her. She’s at the train station ticket booth,” Madison cried into his ear. “But you better hurry. It looks like she’s already bought a ticket somewhere.”
“I’m on my way,” Magnus growled, spinning away from the gruesome scene before him. If he had found Rochelle, he wondered how long it would be before the psycho who had mangled the cat found her too.
Chapter Nine
Rescued?
Rochelle swallowed her nervousness, trying not to look conspicuous as she gazed at the analogue clock hanging on the wall. She would be able to board her train in less than ten minutes but the seconds were ticking by at an excruciatingly slow pace.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched but she didn’t see him anywhere, no matter where she looked.
He’ll surface when he’s good and ready, she thought, closing her eyes as tears of misery threatened to spill from her eyes. I’ll never be truly free. He’s loving the way he plays me like a puppet on a string.
The question she’d asked herself a million times again resurfaced in her mind.
Why me? Who is he? What does he want with me?
“Rochelle.”
A small scream escaped her lips and she was on her feet, ready to flee, but as her eyes flew open, she gaped in surprise at the unexpected man standing in front of her.
“Shh,” Magnus said softly, reaching for her arm to steady her, and confusion overwhelmed her.
“Magnus!” she gasped, her eyes widening in fear. “W-what are you doing here?”
“I know who you are,” he said quietly. “I’ve come to help you.”
Emotion burned through her eyes and down her throat as she tried not to cry. Rochelle shook her head vehemently.
“You need to get out of here,” she told him urgently. “He’s watching us right now. He doesn’t like it when I get close to people. You’re in danger by being here.”
Magnus frowned.
“He can’t hurt you,” he assured her, pulling her closer. “And he sure as hell can’t hurt me.”
Their eyes met and Rochelle was overcome by the same rush of security she’d felt the first night they’d met.
God, I want that to be true but it’s not. I can’t risk it!
“Come with me,” he urged. “I’m going to take you to the police station and you can tell me everything. You’ve been through enough these past ten years. You can stop running now.”
She started to shake her head again but before she could follow through, Rochelle felt her legs buckle with relief as the honesty of his words struck her full force.
He knows! He knows the truth! People have been looking for me! I’m safe now.
She wanted to feel freed from the umbra that had been chasing her for ten years but it was so hard to trust when she knew what he was capable of.
“Please, Rochelle, let’s get you out of here,” he insisted. “I promise, no one is ever going to hurt you again, but you need to stay with me, all right?”
She looked up, her face twisted in gratitude as she nodded through her tears.
“All right,” she whispered. “I’ll go with you.”
~ ~ ~
Magnus snuck her in through the back door, carefully avoiding the few sets of eyes he encountered when he ushered Rochelle into Forester’s office. He knew the sergeant wouldn’t be back, having seen him on the way out, and he sat Rochelle on the comfortable oxblood sofa. They were guaranteed privacy until he could fully understand what had happened.
“Can I get you something to eat or drink?” he asked her, leaning against the desk to study her with concern.
“No,” she sighed. “I-I just need to rest. I feel like I haven’t slept in ten years.”
“I can think of one place where you slept,” he said quietly, remembering how peaceful she’d looked in his bed. Their eyes locked and Rochelle visibly swallowed.
“What happened to you, Rochelle? You’ve been presumed dead.”
Her head whipped up and she stared at him blankly.
“I was kidnapped,” she explained. “Jogging in Silver Spring Park in Surrey.”
“That’s what everyone thought,” Magnus agreed. “But here you are…”
Rochelle grimaced and Magnus immediately changed his tone.
“I mean, what happened?” he continued quickly, not wanting to lose her. “Clearly you were running from something the other night.”
Rochelle took a deep breath and nodded.
“It’s a weird story,” she confessed. “I-I’m not sure I even understand it.”
“Try me,” Magnus said, pushing himself off the desk to join her side. Carefully, he took her hand and she didn’t resist.
“For four years, he kept me in a cellar, barely feeding me. He beat me then
he’d coddle me.”
Disgust and anger overcame Magnus but he managed to keep his fury under control.
“He was trying to break you,” Magnus muttered. “Make you dependent on him.”
“Then one day, he just let me go. I-I didn’t know what to do with myself but after a couple weeks, I got too confident that I was free and I made friends with a girl, Sam. She was so kind to me, helping me get on my feet…”
Rochelle choked slightly.
“He was watching. Sam was involved in a horrible hit and run accident and the following day, he reclaimed me. I spent another year in the basement, starved and beaten…”
She stopped to catch her breath.
“Did you know this man? Did he have a name?”
Rochelle shook her head.
“I didn’t call him anything. Just him.”
Magnus couldn’t imagine the horrors she must have endured and his rage bubbled in his gut. Magnus wanted to find this man and wring the life from his body with his bare hands.
“Why didn’t you go to the police when you were free? Why…” He trailed off, not wanting to sound as if he was blaming the victim.
“He warned me,” Rochelle mumbled. “I didn’t trust anyone…”
“I understand,” he interjected. “I’m sorry I asked, but I need to know everything.”
“He let me go again,” Rochelle continued. “I met a man and he disappeared without a trace. Again, he brought me back. I stayed in the cellar for another three years and this time…”
“That’s why you left,” Magnus understood now. “You were afraid for me.”
She nodded miserably, raising her head to meet his eyes.
“I didn’t want to leave you but he’s going to come for you, Magnus. He always does.”
“He can try,” Magnus growled, thinking of the deceased cat he’d left on his front stoop. It was going to take more than that to stop him from finding this bastard and bringing him to the full extent of justice.
“You’ll come home with me,” Magnus told her, thinking of how to get the cat corpse away before they arrived. “In the morning, you can come and give a proper statement and we’ll conduct a proper interview to find this psychopath.”