Maybe they weren’t as powerless as it seemed.
Andi knew that Duke was right.
This man wasn’t chaotic or impulsive.
He was obsessively organized and focused.
And for some reason, part of that focus was on Andi and her team.
But Duke’s idea was intriguing.
Every new city where this man struck meant new logistics. A place to keep a woman hidden. A place to play his game. A place to leave her behind.
That kind of operation required time.
It required paying attention to every detail.
If Andi and her team added a stop—just one—something unexpected, something not advertised . . .
It would rattle this guy.
It would show him thathewasn’t the only one who could move the pieces.
“He needs predictability,” Andi said. “And right now, our tour is giving it to him. Cities, dates, venues—all public. Easy to track.”
“So we stop being predictable,” Matthew said.
Mariella leaned forward. “I can talk to Rupert. He can help us.”
Everyone blinked at her.
“I’m serious,” she said. “I know he seems like a control freak—well, he is a control freak—but he’s not a bad guy. He’ll help us. I’ll sell the idea to him as an opportunity for bonus engagement.”
“I think you should see if you can get him on board,” Andi agreed. “He has the connections to make this work—but we also need to keep it quiet. We also need him not to freak out.”
Mariella smiled. “If someone is hurting women and trying to frame us for it? Rupert can survive a scheduling migraine.”
“Meanwhile, we keep pulling threads,” Ranger said. “Fake Pam. The rival podcast. The pattern.”
Andi looked around at them—her team. Tired. Stressed. Still standing.
Their careers were at risk. Their reputations. Maybe even their freedom.
But if Duke was right—and she believed he was—then this was the first real chance they had to disrupt the game.
Not by chasing the killer.
But by forcing him to react.
And Andi had the distinct feeling that once that happened . . .
Everything would change.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-ONE
Kate must have driftedto sleep again. She came to with the taste of dust in her mouth and pain radiating through her wrists.
