Page 5 of Coordinates of Death

The Canadian Watchers Squad member who specialized in mountain and wilderness survival. Her childhood friend.

Kordell Greene.

A final question stormed her thoughts.

Would he agree to help her after all these years?

I chuckled and resisted the urge to pump my fist into the air. She found my present. I skulked through the gathering crowd to catch a better view of the beautiful Corporal Aurora Hunt. I have to get closer. To smell her, touch her ivory skin. But that’s not possible. I can’t expose my identity. My game has restarted. This time I’ll win. You won’t stop me, Rory.

I massaged my back where she’d shot me two years ago. It flared up in the cold and rainy conditions. For eighteen months, I stayed hidden, needing constant care. I chewed on my lip as I pictured my annoying nurse. I wanted to add her to my list of kills, but the woman wasn’t on the roster for my game. The women were all chosen for a reason—for her. I must make things right. I had failed to protect her, but no longer.

I tugged my toque farther onto my head to not only hide from Rory but to block out the frigid wind. I normally played my game in the warmer months, but winter was perfect for Corporal Hunt. She hates the cold. I discovered lots about her from my deep dive into her past. Even though I can’t see her eyes from my position, I picture the color. I had studied her images, zooming in. Eyes were my obsession, and hers were perfect. Green with hazel flecks. They accented her long copper hair and light complexion. What’s going through that beautiful mind of yours, Rory? Have I scared you yet?

She should be feeling the effects of my taunt. From here, I can see her tightened body language.

Good.

It was working.

I spent the past two years waiting to get my revenge. Planning. Repurposing the shadow boxes to fit the kills. Choosing the girls. Studying their lifestyles, routines, friends, habits. Everything. It was time.

My stepmother’s abusive hand fueled my lust for killing. She had to pay for the damage she’d done. She was my first kill, and I made it look like suicide, fooling the police. Suckers. Even at eighteen, I knew how to deceive. Knew how to play the game.

For her.

For me.

With more years of experience behind me, I’m better at trickery. Better at blending in. Better at manipulating to get what I want. No one suspects anything.

Not even her.

Now the rest of those who had wronged her will pay. They’re all part of my game now. Once again, I observed Rory’s stance. She glanced over her shoulder.

I duck behind the unsuspecting lady beside me.

Rory knows. Knows I’m watching.

Good. Let this be a lesson. You can run, but you can’t hide. Not from me. I’m everywhere, and I’m good at disguises.

Corporal Hunt, the game’s afoot.

Time to put the players into place.

Yes, the Shadow Box Killer is back.

Stronger than ever.

And it’s time to play.

Watcher Kordell Greene jumped at the sound of the seat-belt light indicator. Seconds later, the crew announced their descent into the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport. Kordell shifted in the plush leather seat of his adoptive father’s jet. Billionaire Maxwell Greene only had the best of the best to transport his now two-year-old Canadian Watchers Squad—a highly skilled civilian team tasked with helping law enforcement—from place to place. Kordell didn’t think he’d ever be able to go back to a commercial airline, let alone coach seats. Yes, that made him sound snobbish, even for someone who was used to surviving in the extreme and barren conditions of Canada’s mountainous wilderness. Kordell would take the luxury wherever and whenever possible.

And that time was now. He rested his head back and recalled his conversation with his childhood friend. He hadn’t recognized the number and almost didn’t answer the call. Until he heard her state her name over the answering machine at his Banff condo in the Rocky Mountains.

“Kordell, it’s Aurora Hunt. Remember me?”

It was then that Kordell snatched the landline receiver. “Rory?”

“Good, you’re there. Kord, I need your help.”