“I heard about your recent case.”
Autumn rolled her eyes. Her boss, Mick, must have told him. Mick had once worked for the FBI with Braeden in the hostage unit, but after an accident in the field, he’d been forced into early retirement.
“I’m fine,” came her fast reply as she cradled the cell phone between her shoulder and neck. She turned off the stove and picked up Dune’s metal bowl. The cat had his face in the food before Autumn could set it on the floor.
“The unsub left you something?”
Autumn was used to FBI terminology for what they called the suspect. Braeden wasn’t referring to the newspaper clipping, no one except Hererra and Regan had seen it. He had to be talking about Catarina Casale’s eyeballs the suspect left. “It doesn’t matter if he did or didn’t.” She gritted through her teeth. Autumn blew out a deep breath and started again, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“Are you sure you’re okay, sweetheart?” At her silence, Braeden gave an inaudible sigh. “Are you sure you’re up for this? Whoever the unsub is… they obviously know something about your past.”
“It’s too soon to make that assumption.” Even as she said those words, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Something was nagging her, and she couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Autumn.”
Autumn gripped the cell phone so hard she could feel the heat emanating from the device into her skin.
“… not your fault. Are you listening?”
She loosened her hold on the phone. “I know.” The words Braeden spoke were the same every time a victim died. A person she could have protected.
“I wish we were closer to help you. Lilli misses you like crazy.”
Autumn closed her eyes, “I know—I miss her too.”
Her adoptive mother was the kindest woman she’d ever met. Lilliana was like the fairy godmother, Glinda, except she didn’t wear one of those poofy dresses with cap sleeves. Instead, she dressed like a flower child with all those billowy shirts with the wide bell-sleeves.
“Maybe we should come visit.”
“Now is not a good time, Braeden.” Alarm bells clanged in her ears. She didn’t want them anywhere nearby with this monster running around.
Not to mention I have someone trying to blackmail me.
Her lips pursed. She did not want to think about Nico Scala right now.
There was a hesitation on Braeden’s side. “Why not?” Amusement laced his tone as he asked, “Are you seeing someone?”
“Har, har, har,” Autumn rolled her eyes. “Of course not, you know better than that.” She wasn’t a virgin, but with her line of work, it didn’t allow time for a social life.
“Well…”
“I think it’s safer if you both stayed in Washington, out of danger.”
“You’re such a worry-wart, kid,” even as he said the words, Autumn heard the unease in his tone.
“You know me,” she said with an anxious laugh. “I promise, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if there are any updates.”
She could hear the displeasure in his tone, “You do that. Goodnight, Autumn, we love you.”
“Love you too.”
Autumn ended the call. She rolled her shoulders, but the foreboding feeling persisted.
Voices from the past screamed in her ears as memories surged to the present.
Autumn held down the woman as she screamed. Fox held a bloody eyeball in his hand. Autumn averted her gaze from the scene. She pretended she wasn’t there, but in a hellish fantasy. It was a nightmare where she witnessed everything.
“You took my eye…” The young woman continued to writhe after the fact. Autumn looked away even as her own eyes welled with tears.
