“Maverick,” she whispered as she gripped my arm.
“Fuck.”
“Another woman was taken. What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”
The room was filled with a quiet that I hadn’t known existed.
Cold and bleak, ripping at what was left of my soul. I stood staring out at the ocean, hoping for some insight or at least a way of calming the anger that had finally leveled out after seeing the photographs of the two women.
One had been taken prior to the girl’s kidnapping, a woman being stalked. The killer was fucking with my mind on purpose.
I’d gotten to him and he was repaying me with like kindness.
I shuddered from the thought and brought the glass to my lips. While I needed to keep a clear head, at this point I doubted a shot or two of scotch was going to have any effect on me.
With Alexia suffering after learning of another disappearance, I had no intention of leaving her alone.
We’d connected even more than before. Not only because of the intense passion we’d shared, which had continued for several hours, but also just being able to enjoy the time spent together. She’d trusted me enough to talk about her diary, thoughts that she’d had over the years.
Nightmares.
Bouts of anger.
Periods of barely being able to function. Where I’d seen a strong woman, she’d fought to keep from falling apart.
On the flipside, where I’d projected a tough guy who couldn’t care less about anyone else, a playboy with luxurious tastes, I’d been reliving what I’d considered my failures several times over.
The incredible woman with a heart of gold and a need for justice for everyone around her had shown me what I was missing.
I’d be damned if I wasn’t falling hard for the girl. I had no business doing so, not really, although I’d begun to believe that karma had put us together thirteen years ago to save both our lives. She’d done so again for the very same reason. We needed each other.
I’d just replayed the audio of my conversation and my buddies were staring at me.
I hadn’t realized I’d laughed out loud until I noticed Chase staring at me. “What?”
“You stalked your own partner?”
“It’s my greatest regret. I felt I had to do something to see inside his mind. The killer was winning at every turn.” Which had been true.
Hudson shook his head. “He’s just getting started. You’ve obviously egged him on.”
“We need to find out if another girl was taken.” Kendrick was right.
“Yeah, I know. Alexia is not taking this very well.” I was more worried than I’d been earlier.
Chase’s grin widened. “Do we get to meet her?”
“She’s resting. It’s not every day you’re sent pictures about a woman who’s about to be abducted.”
“While there’s very little to go on, the police are on high alert for anyone resembling the woman in the picture.” Gabriel had strong ties to members of the Miami-Dade police department. Sadly, I doubted there was anything they could fucking do. The fucker had been smart, taking the picture as a stalker would. From a distance. And from behind. Yes, you could tell the girl had long, dark, curly hair, just like the first victim who’d gone missing a week before.
Long, dark, curly hair. Just like Alexia.
Unfortunately, the suit the girl was wearing was nondescript. So was the briefcase she was carrying. She could be anyone heading to work on a bright sunny day.
Another dead end because that was part of the sick game.
“As if it will matter.” I scrubbed my jaw, easily able to tell everyone was eager to meet my lovely house guest. I’d all but forbidden her from going to work.
