He nods.
I scoff as I wrap my arms around my chest, pacing toward the window on the other side of the room. “Do you know how many creeps there are out there doing the same thing he was?” I ask as I look at the streets below. “How many victims go under the radar? In my experience, that agency doesn’t give a damn about people like us. I don’t trust an agency—who’s supposed to protect us—who sits back and watches shit like this happen all across the country, then doesn’t get involved unless the caliber of client is to their liking—and yes, I sayclientbecause equality is bullshit in this country, most especially when it comes to things like this. When’s the last time you saw a marginalized person’s story on the news?”
“Preach,” he says.
My jaw is so tight that I feel like I’m about to break my teeth.
“Did anyone find him yet?” I ask.
“Only been twelve hours,” Kade says. “Loner guy like that… He could rot in there for days.”
I wrinkle my nose. “That’s a little sad and gross.”
I don’t regret what I did to him.
I can still see the faces of those underage girls and know that he could have continued his charade and targeted more. And as for what he could have possibly done for Damien…
“There was nothing on his computer that linked him to Damien or his victims?” I ask as I come back toward him.
Kade shakes his head. “Doesn’t mean there wasn’t. But nothing within the last couple of years. I’ll keep digging.”
I flop onto the couch, my shoulders slumping. Bonnie’s terrified face breaks behind my eyes. The way she began thrashing, the way she was sobbing… Five minutes and one voice triggered her entire body into panic mode. Five minutes ripped down her safety net.
Vomit-laced combat boots and a ripped tulle skirt.
Blood dripping from a broken sink.
Her unconscious body in my passenger seat.
“They’re after her,” I say numbly, staring at my hands, something wet trickling down my face.“What am I supposed to do if she doesn’t tell me about the call today?” I ask, wiping away the tear. “Am I supposed to just walk with her and pretend I’m not losing my mind? Or like she isn’t losing her mind?”
Because I know she has to be.
Kade doesn’t speak for a moment, and I claw at my skin to get another tear off my face.
“You just walk with her,” he eventually says.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
BONNIE
UNKNOWN
Are you okay, rockstar?
It’sthe first text I’ve ever gotten from my stalker that felt genuine, and it catches me off guard.
At least the question is an easy one.
I’m not.
I’m not okay at all. I had nightmares every time I closed my eyes last night, and I ended up playing video games on my computer while binge-watching a paranormal television show instead of sleeping. I can’t even count the number of times I tapped over to Zeb’s messages to send a few memes back and forth or hope the conversation geared toward something unimportant and completely random.
Thankfully, Reed had been awake and online to game with me, and I’d clung to his company until he’d decided to go to the studio to work on some things.
I’m okay.
Don’t worry about them.
