by Roxie Rivera
Kostya didn’t bother with small talk. “What did Kyle have access to while you were in the hospital?”
Not wanting to irritate him by taking too long to answer, I quickly said, “My backpack, car, apartment, phone and laptop. He had my keys so he could have gotten into all of my stuff.”
“That backpack?” Kostya gestured to the bag Hagen had carried in for me.
“Yes.”
“May I?”
“Of course.”
While he took my backpack to the nearby island, I ate quietly at the table and watched him work. Hagen sat next to me, his gaze never leaving Kostya and his hand resting comfortingly on my thigh. The Russian went through my backpack, taking everything out and placing it on the marble counter. He retrieved a small device from the black bag he had brought with him and used it to scan my phone and laptop. He frowned and then waved the device over my backpack.
My eyes widened when he set aside the device and whipped out a knife. Before I could tell him not to cut my backpack, he flicked his wrist in a practiced motion that had the knife’s blade sliding out and made a slit in the lining of the smallest front pocket. He used the tip of the blade to poke around and finally found something. He held up a thin black rectangle. “This is an active GPS tracker.”
Suddenly, slicing open my backpack didn’t seem like such a big deal. “Oh my God. How long has that been in there?”
“Hard to say,” Kostya replied as he studied the device. “The battery on this might last a week.” He examined my backpack more closely. “I think he’s probably been putting a tracker on you for a long time. There are small, mended slits here and here…and here.” He pointed them out to us and then scratched at the fabric in a few spots. “Superglue.”
Feeling violated, I asked, “If he’s been following me with a GPS tracker, could he have been watching me in other ways? Like cameras in my apartment?”
“It’s possible.” Kostya set down the tracker. “I’ll need to take your phone and laptop with me to my tech person.”
“We’ll get a new phone and laptop tomorrow,” Hagen interjected, his jaw tight and his voice hard. “I don’t want anything that asshole touched near you ever again.”
“My tech can transfer everything onto your new devices. She runs a security firm so she has laptops and phones in stock. She can give you something similar or better than what you have now.”
“Yes. Have her do that,” Hagen decided.
“I’ll make sure you get the new ones back in the morning.” He glanced toward the garage. “Your SUV unlocked?”
“No.” Hagen got up and kissed the top of my head before taking Kostya out to the garage.
Alone in the kitchen, I finished my last few bites and threw away my trash. When I was done, I stared at my backpack, wondering what in the hell possessed Kyle to do something so bizarre and violating. Why hadn’t I been able to see that he wasn’t my real friend? Was I the only woman he had done this to or were there others?
Kostya and Hagen walked back into the kitchen a few minutes later. Kostya had another GPS tracking device in his hand. He tossed it into his black bag along with the other tracker, my phone and laptop. He touched the keys he had taken out of my backpack earlier. “Are these to your apartment and car?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the address?” After I gave it to him, he nodded and turned his attention to Hagen. “Do you want me to sweep your businesses?”
“Can’t hurt,” Hagen replied.
“I’ll get on it tomorrow.” Kostya picked up his bag. “I’ll text you with any updates.”
“Thank you,” Hagen said and walked Kostya to the front door. When he came back, he held out his hand, and I gratefully went to him, melting into his warm embrace. He pressed his lips to the top of my head again. “I’m sorry this has happened to you.”
“I’m sorry you got dragged into it.”
“I’m not. I’m glad you’re not trying to handle this alone.” His big hand rubbed my back, and I relaxed under his touch. “You ready for bed?”
Realizing just how late it was, I nodded. “Do you mind if I shower first?”
“Do you mind if I join you?” He stroked my face. “No expectations,” he added hastily. “I’m not trying to—”
“I know,” I interrupted, turning my head to kiss his palm. This close to him, warmed by his body heat and surrounded by his scent, I began to feel the stirrings of desire low in my belly. “You can have expectations tomorrow.”
The corners of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Great expectations?”
I groaned at his horrible pun. “It’s been a while so I’m rusty. Let’s go with lowered expectations.”
He laughed and lowered his mouth to mine. Hand in hand, we moved through the house, turning off lights and checking the doors. He carried my small suitcase upstairs and helped me unpack it before leading me to the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. He sat and beckoned me closer.
As if unwrapping a gift, he took his time peeling away my clothing. When I was naked, he let his hands settle on my waist. Even sitting, he was taller than me, but it was easier to stare into each other’s eyes this way. He leaned forward and began dotting featherlight kisses along my hairline and down each cheek before gently pressing his lips to the tip of my nose and then my mouth. His kisses traveled lower, dusting my jaw and neck and then even lower to the swell of each breast.
With his forehead resting against my chest, he exhaled roughly and confessed, “I was fucking lost without you.”
I slid my arms around his broad shoulders and hugged him close. The hands on my waist moved toward my hips and then to my bottom. Grasping me with both strong hands, he lifted me into his lap and I wrapped my legs around him, savoring the closeness we had been denied for so many weeks.
“I’m here now.” I kissed his temple and combed my fingers through his short hair. “It will take more than Kyle to send me away again.”
His arms tightened around me. “I want to throttle him. I want to make him hurt.” He nuzzled into my neck. “But I won’t. I won’t risk losing you again.”
Knowing how hard it was for him to take a step back and not go after Kyle in the way he wanted, I held his face between my smaller hands and tenderly kissed him. “I love you, John.”
“I don’t deserve it,” he whispered against my lips, “but I’ll do whatever I can to keep it.”
He sealed his vow with a loving kiss before tucking a few stands of loose hair behind my ear. Believing he would, I reached for the top button of his shirt. What should have been an easy task wasn’t so simple anymore, but I took my time and managed all of them. When I glanced at Hagen expecting to see pity, I only saw encouragement.
I pushed the shirt off his shoulders, and he shrugged out of it before standing to rid himself of the rest of his clothing. Once we were both naked, he took my hand, and I followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and kept hold of my hand when I stepped in after him, as if he knew I would be unsteady on my feet.
With movements that were almost reverent, he washed my body and carefully shampooed my hair. He hesitated when his fingers neared my still healing scar. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” I glanced back at him over my shoulder. “Just don’t touch the center of it. It’s kind of soft, and it feels weird.”
“Duly noted.” He took his time, cautiously skirting the edges of the wound as he washed and conditioned my hair. When he was done, I thanked him and kissed his chest before leaning back against the tile wall for support. I enjoyed the view, watching the suds rush down his incredible body and swirl around his feet.
After we were both clean, we stepped out onto the bath mats. He wrapped a towel low around his hips before taking a fluffy towel in hand to dry me. I could have done it myself, and it would have been faster, but there was something so incredibly beautiful about the silent apology he was making to me. His actions tonight were his way of showing me that he was serious a
bout doing whatever it took to earn back my trust. He was serious about taking care of me and being there for me. He wanted to atone for his mistakes, and I let him, relishing the feel of his hands gently drying my hair.
As we stood side-by-side at the double vanity brushing our teeth, it was if we had never been apart. Watching him in the mirror, realizing how much we had missed each other and how close we came to never reuniting, I was suddenly gripped with anger at Kyle. If we were right in suspecting he had been the one behind the fatal attack on Travis, he had been the cause of my injury. He had tried to take everything from me—my life, my sight, my education, my future career and my life with Hagen. Somehow, some way, he would pay for what he had done to all of us.
“You look mad as hell,” Hagen remarked as I adjusted the pillows to an angle that would help keep my head lifted and comfortable.
“Not at you,” I assured him as he snuggled in close, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head against my chest. I reveled in the heat of his bare skin on mine, of his lips brushing against my throat and his fingertips trailing down my arm.
“What time do you need to be on campus?”
“I’m not going to campus in the morning. I have a neuro appointment.”
“Can I come with you?”
“Yes.” I ran my fingers through his still damp hair. Feeling sleepy and relaxed, I yawned and let my eyes close. Exhaustion took its toll, but I felt so safe with Hagen that I didn’t mind. I was finally right back where I belonged.
Chapter Thirteen
“You want me to walk you into the building?” Hagen asked as he pulled to the curb and parked.
“I can handle it,” I assured him, reaching out to adjust my new glasses. After my neuro appointment on Friday morning, I had been sent to see the ophthalmologist for special lenses to help with my double vision. I had spent the weekend getting used to them but still had moments where I stumbled or lost my balance.
“If you get a headache, call me.”
“I will.” I grabbed my new backpack from the floorboard and slid my arms through the straps.
“And if you need anything, call me.”
“Okay,” I promised with laugh. He was almost too overprotective since we had gotten back together. Almost.
“And if you see Kyle—”
“Mace and brass knuckles?”
He frowned. “Please tell me that you are joking and that crazy Fox girl didn’t set you up with those.”
Fox was the security tech Kostya had introduced us to the morning after his late-night visit. She owned a local security company that focused on women’s security needs and had been very helpful. She was a bit quirky, though, and Hagen hadn’t been sold on her as quickly as I was.
“No, she didn’t.” I leaned over and pecked his cheek. “But Taylor did!”
“Cassie!” He called after me as I escaped the SUV with a grin and a laugh. “Be careful!”
“I will be.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I said before closing the door and stepping onto the sidewalk. I returned his wave before hiking my backpack a little higher on my shoulders. Replacing my old and well-loved bag had been easier once I had become aware that Kyle had been hiding tracking devices in it. I had put it away in a box, not quite ready to throw it away just yet.
“Hey, Cass,” Kunal greeted as I took the seat next to him. He grinned mischievously and said, “I like the glasses. Very Hillary Clinton circa 2013.”
I snorted. “Wow. Thanks? I guess.”
He laughed and clicked his pen a few times. “Do they help?”
“Immensely.” I opened my notebook and picked out the green pen I preferred for my class notes. “I can actually read text on paper, and my peripheral vision is a lot better.”
“What about screens? Can you use your phone? Laptop?”
“For short bursts of time,” I confirmed with a nod. “I think it will get better the more I practice.”
Our professor walked in, and the discussions around the room faded to nothing. When the lecture started, I felt absolute relief at being able to see and read the whiteboard and my own notes. For the first time in weeks, I was able to follow a lecture without feeling lost and take notes that were legible. By the time class ended, I could feel my confidence starting to rebuild.
“Did you see the front page of the Thresher today?” Kunal asked as we packed up our things.
I shook my head. “I haven’t read the paper in weeks.”
“You should check it out. It’s an in-depth report on the missing students.” He made a face. “It doesn’t paint the administration or the police in a very good light.”
“They probably deserve it. It’s been years and none of them have been found.”
He made an agreeing sound as we walked out of the classroom. “How are you set on meals? Mom wanted me to ask if you need another delivery.”
“I’m good, but I’ll be sure to let you know when I get low.” I smiled at him. “How are my notes from last semester working out for you?”
“They’re great. Exactly what I needed,” he assured me. “You want me to walk with you to the Taylor and Minnie’s lab?”
“No, I think I’m good today.” I gestured to my glasses. “Thanks for offering, though.”
“Anytime.” He smiled before heading off in a different direction.
Mindful of the sidewalk cracks, I enjoyed my unhurried walk to the lab where Taylor and Minnie were running their neuro research project. It was strange being on the other side of the research equation but also enjoyable to see the progress I was making with my memory recall.
When I reached the lab, the door was closed with the privacy sign turned out toward the hall. Knowing that was Minh’s way of keeping their participants protected, I took a seat in one of the chairs down the hall and waited for my turn. Remembering Kunal’s comment about the school paper, I retrieved my phone from the thigh pocket of my leggings and navigated to the site.
The entire front page was dedicated to the missing students. There were long stories on each one of them as well as timelines of their last days before disappearing and interviews with their families and friends. One detail stuck out to me. All of the students had used the on campus counseling center.
Even with my glasses, I had to take breaks from staring at the screen. I had just glanced back and started to scroll to the story about Anna, a freshman and international student from Russia, when my gaze fell on a sickeningly familiar piece of jewelry.
There on her wrist, clear and bright and easy to recognize, was a blue enamel bead bracelet. I pinched the screen and zoomed in to the bracelet, looking carefully at the beads to be sure. One of the beads had a small defect, a little nick near the center of a black dot. Just like the bracelet Kyle gifted me.
It wasn’t just a similar bracelet.
It was the bracelet.
My heart raced, and my stomach swirled. Was it possible? Was Kyle the person responsible for the disappearances of all these women? Had he met them at the counseling center where he volunteered? Had he picked them because they were struggling and desperate for friendship and help?
The details of the case, his odd behavior and the bracelet left no doubt. He was the monster who had done something terrible to these women. Was that what he had planned for me? To separate me from Hagen and make me weak and vulnerable so he could strike?
Thinking of Travis and Janine, the collateral damage in Kyle’s twisted plan, made me absolutely sick. Who else had he hurt? What would happen when the police started following the trail of clues? Would they find things even worse than kidnapping and murder?
Panicked, I shot up out of the chair and grabbed my backpack. For a second, I considered busting in on the research session for Taylor’s help, but I remembered that there was a campus police outpost not far from here. There was always a bike cop hanging around, ready to help if needed. I didn’t bother waiting for the elevator to take me down to the ground floor. I us
ed the stairs instead, my mind racing as I moved as quickly but cautiously as possible.
When I stepped out of the building, I dialed Hagen’s number and cursed when it went to voicemail. “John, it’s me. Please call me back as soon as you can. Come back to campus. I need you. It’s about Kyle. He’s the one who took those girls. I can prove it. The bracelet he—”
I gasped as a hand gripped my backpack and dragged me backwards into a bit of overgrown trees and shrubs that hugged the edge of the building. A hand slapped over my mouth, quieting me and making it impossible for me to call for help.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but your loan shark isn’t going to save you this time,” Kyle whispered harshly against my ear. He tugged the phone out of my hand and carelessly threw it behind him. “Those nosy fucking amateurs at the Thrasher just had to run that story today. I knew you’d get spooked, knew I had to get to you as quickly as possible. It was supposed to be easier than this. Gentler,” he added before burying his face in my neck. He breathed in deeply, and I shuddered with disgust. “You’re my special girl. I was mad at you after the park. I wanted to hurt you, but I’ve changed my mind,” he explained magnanimously. “I’m going to take you to my special place and worship you.”
It was clear that his idea of worship meant something terrible. I struggled to get free, and he hissed, “Don’t fight me, Cassie.”
Like hell was I going to listen this psycho! I threw back my elbow but missed. His hand moved to my neck, his fingers cruelly biting into my skin as he started to squeeze. Unable to shove him away with my elbows, I used my feet instead, stomping on his toes as hard as I could. He grunted in pain and loosened up just enough for me to get one arm out of my backpack straps.
“You fucking psycho creep!” Screaming like a banshee, I swung my backpack and walloped him right upside the head. “Help! Help me!”
Kyle rushed toward me, his eyes wild and desperate, but I was done being a victim. I wasn’t going to let anyone else hurt me. Never fucking again.
I swung at him again, enjoying the thud of the backpack slamming into his ribcage. I screamed for help while battering him with the bag and kicking out at him. He managed to grab my ankle before I could connect with his calf and yanked hard enough to make me lose my balance.