“Itismy fault?—”
“It’s HIS fault. He’s the killer. He’s the monster. And you’re letting him win by drowning in guilt instead of fighting back.”
Claire’s hands curled into fists. “I am fighting back.”
“Are you? Because from where I’m standing, you’re falling apart.”
Sh sucked in a breath. Her nails bit into her palms. “I’m doing everything I can. I came here. I gave you everything. I’m following your protocols and your plans and?—”
“And you’re still blaming yourself.” Wolf leaned against the desk. “For Lily. For the three women in D.C. For tonight’s victim. How much blood are you going to let him put onyourhands before you get angry enough to stop him?”
“Don’t talk to me like that.”
His eyes were intense, unyielding. “You’re doing the same thing now that you did fifteen years ago. Taking responsibility for something a monster did. Making his crimes about your failures instead of his choices.”
“I should have saved Lily! These other innocent women!” The words tore out of her throat. “I should have been stronger. Faster. Better. I should have?—”
“This is not your fault.”
She was on her feet now, chest heaving. “I should have figured out the Countdown Killer before he killed three women. I should have caught him. I should have stopped him before he followed me here. Before he killed that woman tonight. I should have?—”
“What? Been perfect?” Wolf’s voice was quieter now. “Never made a mistake? Solved every case before anyone died? That’s not how this works, Claire. You’re human. You can’t save everyone.”
“Then what’s the point?” Her voice broke. Something inside her broke along with it. Just…snap. “What’s the point of any of this if I can’t stop him? If people keep dying because I’m not good enough at my job?”
“Stop.” Wolf’s hands found her shoulders. “Youaregood enough. You’re one of the best agents the Bureau has. You’ve caught seven serial killers and saved God knows how many lives. But you can’t save everyone. No one can.”
Tears burned behind Claire’s eyes. She blinked them back. “That woman?—”
“Is dead because the Countdown Killer murdered her. Not because you failed. Because he’s a predator and that’s what predators do.” Wolf’s grip tightened on her. “Get angry. Because anger is what’s going to help you catch him. Not guilt. Not shame.Rage.”
Claire’s breath was coming faster now. But not from panic. From fury. Building in her chest like a wildfire. “He killed her to hurt me,” she said.
“Yes.”
“He killed three other women because I wasn’t fast enough.”
“No, he killed them because he wanted to. Because he’s evil. You didn’t wield the knife. He did.”
“But—”
“No buts. He’s the killer.But you’re the hunter.And right now, you need to decide which one you’re going to be—the victim drowning in guilt, or the agent who takes him down.”
Claire’s hands were shaking from a rage so intense it felt like it might consume her. “I want to kill him,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“I want to make him suffer. Make him pay for every life he’s taken.”
“Good.” Something fierce flickered in Wolf’s eyes. “Use that. Channel it. Let it fuel you instead of destroying you.”
Claire took a shuddering breath. Then another. The tightness in her chest was still there, but different now. Not panic.Power.
“That’s it,” Wolf said. “There’s the agent I need. Not the one who falls apart. The one who fights back.”
Claire looked up at him. This man, who barely knew her but somehow understood exactly what she needed. Who pushed her when she needed pushing. Who didn’t let her drown in guilt. “Thank you,” she said.
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to catch him.”
