36. Bait
BAIT
CUTTER
My boots crunch over gravel as I walk to the SUV, and I pound my fist against the window. Monster wakes with a start, pulling his gun from his hip and aiming at the window. “It’s me, asshole,” I snap, rounding the truck to lean against the hood.
Climbing out, he pulls his jeans up and stretches.
His shirt rides up, showing a glint of the silver scar that stretches from hip to hip.
He’s never told any of us how he got it, but he patched in young and had it before that.
Fuck knows this guy’s background. “I nearly shot your pretty face off.” He smirks, stroking a hand down his beard.
“Callan might shoot yours off if he hears what the fuck you’re doing here with his fiancée and sister.”
The moon casts an ominous glow over his face, making him look extra fucking scary. “Rogue needs closure.” He licks the pad of his thumb then stomps his boot up on the grill next to me, wiping at a scuff on the leather.
“This fucker you have them out here looking for isn’t responsible for her sister,” I seethe, crossing my arms over my chest.
“But he is responsible for many like her,” he reasons, placing his boot back on the gravel.
A light turns on in one of the other rooms, and the drapes twitch.
“This is bad fucking news.” I don’t like hiding this kind of secret from Callan—especially after everything with Kitty.
“We have a solid lead. We lay bait then hook the fucker. I’ve done it a million times.”
“And what if it doesn’t work and something happens to one of them?” I flit my gaze to the motel room I left Kitty in. I’d tear the world apart if something happened to her.
“It won’t,” he says confidently.
The idea of them coming here without me leaves an unwanted chill in my chest.
Rubbing my eyes, I push off the hood and point toward the motel. “I need to know the plan down to the last detail.”
“Fair enough.” He engages the locks on the SUV and strides to room two, rapping his knuckles on the door.
A heartbeat later, Rogue opens it with a smile on her lips. Her gaze moves to me over his shoulder, and her face falls. “She told you, didn’t she?” she summarizes, blowing out a frustrated breath.
“Fucking right, she did,” I say, pushing past Monster into the room.
“By all means, please, come in,” she scoffs sarcastically. Her room is a replica of ours. Only her duvet is purple and covered with papers and images of women. Each one is blond, young, and has a medium to slim build. I finger through them, my muscles tightening. They could all be Kitty.
“We believe he may have killed more, but what we know for sure is these girls went missing in the same manner and within a couple hours’ drive from each other.
” Rogue frowns down at the pictures, her stance rigid.
“We managed to find him on the dark web. He openly boasts about his kills—what he does to them and how long he keeps each one.” Rogue’s eye twitches.
“He was in a chat with another sicko talking about their likes and dislikes and how they should meet up and find a girl together, but they decided to take their conversation over to phone calls.” Rogue blows out a breath and looks at Monster, her lips turning down at the corners.
“The man he was talking to isn’t as skilled as our killer with security, and I managed to track him into the real world, getting into his email and tracing his IP address,” Monster informs me.
“So, you know where he lives?” I cross my arms, studying Monster.
“He doesn’t live anywhere anymore,” Monster grunts. “I did get information on a meet he had planned with our killer, though, and that’s why we’re here.”
“Where is the meet?” If he says this motel, I’m going to explode.
“A twenty-four-hour dive bar three miles from here.”
“So, you’re going to go in this other guy’s stead?” I conclude. I’d do the same thing. It’s a good plan but fucking reckless to bring Kit and Rogue and not any brothers for backup.
“They didn’t exchange pictures, so I’ll be Trevor, and Kitty will be the bait.”
Boom. Boom. Boom.
“What?” I balk, almost knocking into Rogue. Has he lost his mind? “No fucking way.”
“She’s perfect, Cutter. She looks exactly like the girls in the photos.” Rogue waves a hand toward the bed.
“I don’t give a fuck.” Is she forgetting her sister’s death? Putting Kitty at risk is unacceptable.
“She won’t be alone. I’ll be there as bait too. Plus, you’ll be there. And all she has to do is walk out of the bar, luring Trevor—a.k.a Monster—and him with her.”
“No,” I say more firmly, swiping a hand through the air for emphasis.
“You don’t get to decide this for her. If she doesn’t want to do it, I’ll be the bait alone.”
Yeah, because Callan won’t kill us all if something happens to you.
“Why aren’t you the bait alone anyway? Less risk if there’s only one of you we have to keep an eye on,” I rationalize.
Callan is going to cut my head off.
“Kitty fits the profile better.”
“Because she’s blonde? Wear a wig,” I snap.
“Fine.” Rogue places her hands on her hips. “I’ll be the bait alone.”
A knock comes at the door, and Monster swings it open, keeping his arm braced on it for Kitty to duck under. “What the hell is going on? These walls are like paper.”
“We’re just getting Cutter caught up on the plan.” Rogue smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Without me?” Kitty’s eyes slice to mine. “I thought you were getting snacks.”
“Cutter wants you to sit this out,” Monster informs her before I can open my mouth. Prick.
“Is that right? I don’t remember saying Cutter can speak for me.” The room is too small to contain so many attitudes.
“It’s too dangerous, Kit.” I state, feeling all the heat leave my body. She’s not going to listen to reason. It’s part of what makes me so fucking crazy about her.
“You weren’t even part of this. You should be grateful we’re including you at all.” Kitty squares her shoulders, glaring at me.
Fucking stubborn woman. “Fine.” I rake a hand through my hair. “When’s the meet?”
“Two in the morning,” Monster states.
Grabbing his wrist, I twist to look at the time on his watch. “That’s an hour from now.”
“Good job—you can tell time,” Rogue retorts.
“Typically, I’d prefer more time to get things in order, but I got tripped up on the date thinking it would be tomorrow night, not the morning,” Monster says.
“Do we know the layout of this bar—all the exits and routes out of there?” I ask, not liking how rushed this feels.
“I got all of that off the internet and did a drive-by while you were fucking,” he informs so casually, it takes me a second to catch the last bit.
Kitty bites her lip to stifle a laugh, and Rogue turns up her nose like she smells something rotten. “Paper-thin walls,” Monster clarifies when I frown at him.
“Let’s go over the plan again,” I snap, changing the subject back to what’s important.
Dive bar is right. Half the sign is missing, and the parking lot is a mud field with sawdust thrown over it.
There’s a main entrance and a back exit where the staff takes the trash out.
Monster said there’s also a basement door where they take in deliveries, but I don’t see it.
He helped himself to one of the other motel guests’ cars and said we should travel in pairs so we don’t raise any suspicion if the killer is watching the entrance.
Squelching through a mud puddle, I cuss into the bitter air.
The heat of the day has been snuffed out by the clear dark night, and I have no fucking clue where we are.
I don’t like being underprepared, especially with so much at risk.
I’ve already had a missed call from Callan and a voicemail asking where the fuck I am.
Pushing through the entrance door, the smell of stale sweat and beer hits me in the face.
Country music plays through the speakers, and a couple middle-aged women are line dancing on a makeshift dancefloor made from old wood pallets painted black.
Booths run along every wall, and bar tables and stools are dotted around in every available space.
To the left of the room, there’s a raised platform with a couple stairs leading to pool tables occupied by a crowd of people laughing and joking.
Slipping onto a stool at the bar, I scan the room for Rogue. Her auburn hair and pretty face stand out amongst some of the other women in here. She’s by the jukebox, taking her time picking a song.
“What can I get you, darlin’?” the bartender asks, her tits spilling out of the strip of material she calls a shirt straining to contain them.
“Whatever you have on tap,” I say, pulling out a twenty and dropping it on the bar. Her dark hair is streaked with red, catching in the pink light flashing CASH ONLY behind her. Lines web around her eyes and mouth, not from age but a hard life.
I survey the room for Monster. He’s at the far end of the room in a booth, his eyes trained on the entryway. My phone buzzes from my pocket, and Rogue’s name lights up the screen.
Rogue: Where is Kitty?
Me: She couldn’t make it. You’re up.
Rogue: What did you do?
Without replying, I stuff my phone back in my pocket and keep Rogue in my view at all times.
I want to get this over as quickly as possible to get back to untie Kitty.
She thought I was being kinky when I ripped the pillowcase into four strips and wrapped one around her wrist and then to the bedpost. It sunk in when I shoved one of the pieces into her mouth.
“Paper-thin walls,” I teased, before tying her other wrist, knowing by the look of pure white fury in her eyes I was going to have to make this up to her with more than just sexual favors.
There was no way I was having both of them here as bait. We can’t watch two of them.