With a gentle touch, he brushed his knuckles against the side of my face. “Copycat or not. If he dares try and touch you, he’ll need to get through me first.”
The moment shared was different than either I’d expected or what I’d wanted to happen. I’d read enough about the man to realize he was set in his ways, difficult when an agent. There were enough stories depicting his lackluster appreciation of rules and hierarchy. As an author, the rumor mill had touched on him being particular about contracts, promotion, and appearances, his surprise visit to a local bookstore the reason I’d dropped everything, making time to attend the signing.
Now here we were, the gruff and still dangerous man acting as if he was the hero in his own story, prepared to take on a savage killer.
“You’re one man, Maverick. Your stance on protecting me is adorable, but ill-advised.”
“Ill-advised? You sound like my editor.” He pulled his hand away, the slow drop of his head and the tickling sound of his gruff mumble creating yet another tingle of electricity.
“I’m being serious.”
“Then how do you suggest we handle the possibility that there’s another killer out in the wild, whether copycat or the man who kidnapped you thirteen years ago?”
After a few seconds, I exhaled. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Exactly. While I’m very concerned about your contact information being breached, not only is there not enough evidence for anyone to consider overturning the case, but there also isn’t a single thing that would even suggest looking into the possibility.”
While the voice inside my head screamed he was right, my mental attitude was such I was furious with both him and the situation. “Then what am I supposed to do? Just change my number and hope that the bastard won’t contact me again?”
“Yes.”
“O-kay. Fine.” His answer was too quick, too intentional, an answer I just didn’t want to hear. “Then what happens when the girls begin to disappear? What then? I contact the police and let them handle the bastard?” I backed away, needing air and space and…
Maybe a CAT scan. My mind was all over the place. I hadn’t thought this through at all. I’d gone to see him on a whim, not the way I acted when protecting my clients. Or myself.
“Exactly.” A single step was taken, deliberate and without hesitation.
One word. No explanation, but none was needed. I’d taken something on myself that had no decent conclusion.
“They did nothing the last time.”
He wasn’t arguing with me. “The process doesn’t always work.”
“Which is why you quit the FBI.”
Laughing, he took a deep breath. “Don’t read between every line, Alexia. There’s a chance you’ll be disappointed.”
A quiet settled in, only the soft whispers of the ocean breeze providing an indication I was even breathing. I lowered my head, studying the dark liquid in the glass, images popping into my mind. “He brought a hose into the shed once. I’ll never forget that. I had no idea where he’d gotten the water source. Maybe the swamp. The odor was ungodly, but not nearly as repulsive as the overwhelming stench of rotting meat and sour milk, a cloying perfume mixed with decay. He hosed down the walls, the floor, Even the ceiling. Every inch had been caked in blood, strings running down from the rafters. I’ll never forget how he laughed. The sound vibrated in my ears long after he’d finished.”
“Jesus.”
Lifting my head, there was a change in the connection we’d shared. Even closer. A tether based on horror and memories that would never fade, never cease to exist. “When the monster left that day, he told us to be good little girls and maybe we’d live another day. Our master. Our salvation. That night he came back. We heard the screams. Even today, the sharp cries lingerin my mind. Nightmares plague me. Night. Day. I see the faces of those girls in every victim I assist.”
Maverick shook his head, the shadows encroaching the deck unable to hide the same rage noted on the stormy night when he’d saved me. Just as he took another step closer, I backed away, shoving out my arm palm up.
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have gone to your signing. You have nothing to do with this and it was thoughtless of me to try and wrangle you into a nightmare that might not exist.” I placed my wineglass down on the table, immediately heading to the door. “Thank you for listening to me.”
A sob stuck in my throat that I refused to acknowledge.
Just before I walked inside, words were blurted out. “You’ll always be my hero.”
“I’m no one’s hero, Alexia. I’m just a man.”
His statement was chilling for no other reason than that he had no clue how he’d made me feel all those years ago. I’d been a desperate, frightened girl with no hope for the future until he’d carried me from the scene of horror. Spinning around, my fists were clenched by my sides and I issued the words quickly before I changed my mind.
“You were more than my hero. You were my only safe haven.”
The word reserved didn’t do him justice. Maybe cautious or even brooding. When he said nothing, I accepted that my actions had been foolish. So, I walked away.
