Chapter 9
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Riley stood on thebeach home’s back deck. The wind rustled through her hair as she listened to the water’s rhythmic waves.
The afternoon sun had long-since reached its peak, the day making its slow descent into what looked to be a stormy night.
Any other time, she would’ve been thrilled to be here. Excited that Eric had invited her to such a personal place. One filled with memories from his childhood.
But this wasn’t another time, and they weren’t on some sort of romantic vacation.
The killer was out there somewhere, probably planning his next kill this very minute. And she was here, with her hands tied and nothing to do but stare at the water and sand.
“Thought you might be thirsty.”
Eric’s deep voice traveled over the sound of the gentle waves. Riley turned to see him standing a few feet away, holding two glasses of wine in his hands.
“Maybe it would help us relax.” He shrugged questioningly.
“Relax?” She huffed a soft breath. “I don’t need to relax, Eric. I need to be out there, looking for this guy.”
Covering the distance between them, he stopped inches from where she was and held out one of the glasses.
“You need sleep, Riles. We both do.”
She took the offered drink, swallowing some of the sweet, red wine. The slight burn was comforting after the day, or ratherdays, they’d had.
“He could’ve killed her, Eric.” Her eyes burned with tears as she thought of what Maggie had gone through. “He had her right there, in that horrible place, and he could’ve...”
Riley’s voice cracked and her chin began to tremble.
Without a word, Eric took the drink back out of her hand and set both glasses down onto the deck’s wide, wooden railing.
“Come here.” He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her close.”
“Don’t.” She pushed against his chest, his comforting embrace bringing her closer to a total breakdown.
But he refused to let her go.
“Shhh...” Eric kept his hold steady. “Stop fighting me, baby.”
A sob broke free, and no matter how hard Riley tried to hold them back, she couldn’t keep the tears from flowing.
Eric cupped the back of her head as he guided it to his shoulder. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” Her damp cheek brushed against his shirt. “Maggie almost died last night, Eric. We still don’t know if she’s going to be okay.”
“She is,” he assured her. “The doctors are doing everything they can to make sure of that, and Noah’s keeping her safe.”
“But what if she’s not okay?” The what-ifs had been spinning round and round in her mind. “What if whatever drug he gave her has some sort of horrible, long-term effect? And what about that poor woman he killed?” The tears fell in waves, now. “God, Eric. He murdered her because of me. Maggie was abducted and held in that awful room because his has some sick obsession withme, and I—”
“Nope.” He cupped her face and forced her to look at him. “We’re not going there, you hear me? You arenotto blame for this. Not for any of it.”
“I know I’m not the reason he started killing, but...” God, she felt crushed inside. “He tookMaggie. And then he left that woman , like...like she was some sort of sick gift.”
