Chapter Twenty-One
Two Weeks Later…
Grace adjusted the moist heat wrap around her patient’s shoulder, making sure it sat snugly before jotting down a few progress notes in the chart balanced against her hip.
Across the room, Tim moved an ultrasound wand over another patient’s knee while calmly explaining the next phase of treatment.
Near the reception desk, Dana greeted a new arrival with cheerful efficiency.
The quiet rhythm of the clinic filled Grace with satisfaction.
When she’d signed the lease and poured her savings into opening Pro-Care, she had braced herself for a slow start.
She’d expected long days and plenty of waiting while local physicians got comfortable sending referrals her way.
Instead, the practice had been open barely more than a week, and they were already building momentum faster than she’d dared hope.
At this rate, they would be close to full capacity before long, and if things continued that way, she might even be able to hire a third therapist within six months.
The thought filled her with no small amount of pride.
She was still finishing her notes when Dana, the new receptionist she’d hired, greeted someone at the front desk. A moment later, Sean’s voice drifted back.
It caught Grace’s attention at once. It wasn’t even noon, and she hadn’t expected to see him until later.
Peering around the half-wall, she smiled. “Hey, come on back.”
The sight of him crossing the clinic toward her sent her pulse fluttering.
They had spent nearly every night together since their first official date, and somehow each evening only deepened what she already felt for him.
Falling asleep in his arms had become the best part of her day, and waking beside him each morning felt so natural it still gave her pause.
Sean Malone was everything she remembered and more—strong and steady, sharp-witted and kind, easy to laugh with and impossible not to want.
The connection between them had deepened with startling speed, but it didn’t feel reckless. It felt right.
They had history, even if years had passed since those summer memories. Rebuilding something new together had only strengthened the bond. Lately, whenever her thoughts drifted toward the future, he was in it.
As he reached her, he bent to brush a quick kiss across her lips, mindful of the patients nearby.
The touch was brief, but she noticed at once that his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
The strain of the case was beginning to show.
Yesterday’s discovery of another victim had left shadows beneath his eyes that no amount of rest could erase.
Grace knew only what had been released to the media—that the victim had disappeared after leaving her job at a local strip club and had been found near a dog park—but the look she’d seen in Sean’s face last night had told her enough.
Whatever he had witnessed at the crime scene had followed him.
“Hi.” He kept his voice low as he leaned against the treatment table beside her. “I just needed to get out of headquarters for a bit. My car sort of steered itself over here. Must’ve known how much I needed to see your pretty face.”
The teasing note in his voice coaxed a laugh from her, and some of the strain eased from his expression.
“Remind me to treat it to a premium oil change next time it’s due.”
A hint of a smile appeared. “I’m sure my car will appreciate it.”
The familiar spark between them warmed her even as concern lingered.
He glanced at the files beside her. “I spoke to Suki earlier. She said to tell you hello.”
“Did she have any new insight for you?”
Sean shook his head. “Other than thinking he’ll keep shortening the time between kills, no.
We’ve got another press conference this afternoon.
Since the reporter was killed, every major news outlet in the country seems to have descended on Dare County.
My office sent two more agents, and the state bureau added a few more too.
We’ve got hundreds of hotline tips pouring in, but aside from a handful of possibilities, none of them have amounted to much.
” He exhaled, the weariness in the sound impossible to miss.
“And the few promising leads we did have went nowhere.”
Grace rested her hand over his forearm, feeling the tension there beneath her touch.“You’ll catch him. I have faith in you.”
His gaze dropped to her hand before lifting to meet her eyes. “I hope it’s sooner rather than later. Now the politicians are breathing down everyone’s necks, as if we’ve all been sitting around wasting time instead of working this case.”
He shifted his arm, turning his hand so their fingers slipped together. The simple contact sent a quiet thrill through her, and when his expression softened, some of the worry weighing on her eased.
“Enough about that. How’s business?”
A smile spread across her face. “Great. We had two more referrals today.”
Tim must have caught Sean’s eye because he lifted a hand in brief greeting over Grace’s shoulder before turning his attention back to her. “That’s fantastic. I think you’re going to do really well here.”
His fingers found one of her curls and gave it a playful tug. “Sweet and spicy… gorgeous and intelligent. That’s a dangerous combination.”
The compliment sent a pleasant flutter through her, though she hid it behind a teasing smile before lowering her voice. “You’re just saying that to get invited back into my bed tonight.”
The reaction was exactly what she’d hoped for.
The weariness shadowing his features eased at once, replaced by a spark that made her heart rate jump.
His gaze dipped down her body for the briefest moment before lifting back to hers, and the way his mouth curved sent a now familiar stirring low in her belly.
His voice dropped, low and smooth. “I kind of thought that was already understood after the way you called my name last night. Poor Rico probably thinks his new owner has lost her mind.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. Thank goodness her back was to the rest of the clinic, and the nearest patient was far enough away not to overhear a word.
Desire bloomed, and Grace had to remind herself they were standing in the middle of her business in broad daylight. Still, she couldn’t resist firing back. “I seem to remember hearing my name shouted more than once, too, along with a few enthusiastic declarations.”
The laugh that burst from him was genuine, and relief washed through her at the sight of the first real smile she’d seen from him all day. Some of the strain in his face eased.
“Well, I guess my car knew what it was doing.” His fingers brushed lightly along her hand where it rested on the treatment table. “Seeing you was exactly what I needed.”
The affection in his voice wrapped around her. Then his expression shifted again, turning mischievous. “Think anyone would notice if we disappeared into the laundry room for a while?”
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. “Yes, I think they would. We’ve already established that neither of us is exactly quiet.”
His grin widened. “Fair point. Then it’ll have to wait until later.” The scorching look he gave her sent anticipation skittering through her. “But be warned, sweetheart. I fully intend to rock your world later.”
“Promises, promises.”
His thumb brushed across her knuckles. “That’s not a promise. That’s a guarantee.”
He leaned in for another kiss, this one lingering just long enough to leave her wishing they were anywhere but standing in the middle of Pro-Care.
“I’ll call when I have a better idea of what time I’m getting off. How does Chinese takeout sound? I’m not in the mood to cook or deal with dishes.”
The practical suggestion, paired with the teasing glint still lingering in his eyes, made her smile. “Chinese sounds perfect.” She gave him a playful look. “And I suppose we can figure out the rest of the evening after dinner.”
The answering gleam in his eyes told her he had every intention of doing exactly that.
An hour later, anger and frustration had returned and simmered beneath Sean’s calm exterior as he studied the photographs pinned across the wall of the sheriff department’s training room.
With the task force expanded to accommodate the flood of additional personnel, they had outgrown the smaller conference room upstairs.
This larger space had become command central, though no amount of square footage made the mounting evidence any easier to look at.
Five women stared back at him.
Becky Travis. Shannon Emerson. Daphne Jones. Jessica Daly. Whitney Wells.
Five lives cut short.
Five faces frozen in smiling photographs that had once belonged to families and friends, now reduced to evidence in a hunt growing colder with every passing day.
Add the three victims from Philadelphia, and the killer was climbing into territory occupied by some of the most prolific serial offenders in recent history.
The media had turned the whole thing into a spectacle. Every outlet in the country seemed determined to wring every ounce of drama from the case, especially after one of their own had become victim number four.
The only real breakthrough they’d managed so far had been identifying the source of Jessica Daly’s inside information.
Phone records had told the story plainly enough.
Deputy Larry Cumberland’s number had appeared multiple times a week on both her personal and work call logs.
The man had been feeding details to Daly and other reporters in exchange for money and favors.
Thirteen years on the job, gone in an instant. Matt had stripped him of his badge and sidearm on the spot, pending formal charges, but it brought Sean little satisfaction. Cumberland’s betrayal hadn’t just compromised the investigation. It had cost lives.
The sound of footsteps drew Sean’s attention, and when Brian and Rafe entered the room, he glanced at the clock mounted above the whiteboard.
They had only a few minutes before the hastily scheduled afternoon press conference—an unscheduled briefing called in response to the latest killing and the media frenzy surrounding it.
Brian studied him for a moment. “You sure about this?”
Sean frowned but nodded. “Yeah. Daly angered him, and he broke the pattern because of it. Suki thinks that if I push hard enough, he might slip again. Unless you’ve got a better idea, I’m out of options.
We’ve exhausted every tip worth chasing, and the DNA sample from under Daphne Jones’s fingernails doesn’t help us if he’s not in the system.
Whether we provoke him or not, he’s already planning his next move.
If this rattles him enough to make a mistake, it’s worth the risk. ”
Leaning against the table, Brian crossed his arms. “If you want, I’ll do it.”
Sean’s brow lifted. “What?”
“If this guy decides to make it personal, you’ve got Grace to think about now. I don’t.”
The mention of her sent an immediate knot of concern through him.
Since Easter dinner with the family, there had been no pretending anymore.
Everyone knew what was happening between him and Grace, and no one had been subtle about their approval.
In the span of only a few weeks, she had become woven into his daily life so completely that imagining his days without her had grown difficult.
The thought of placing her in danger turned his stomach. He had already considered the possibility and would do everything in his power to protect her.
He shook his head. “No. I’ll talk to Grace tonight and make sure she understands the precautions.
Dan can keep an eye on the clinic from across the street, and Tim’s there with her during business hours.
Besides, it won’t matter whether you’re seeing someone or not.
If he wants leverage, any woman connected to us would do.
And if this comes from anyone but the FBI, it loses impact. ”
A knock on the doorframe interrupted them. Matt stood there with Brad just behind him. “Ready?”
Sean straightened and picked up the pages of his carefully prepared statement. “Yeah. I went over every word with Suki. She reviewed all of Daly’s broadcasts and thinks the language is what set him off. Barbarian. Savage. Sadist. Those are the buttons she thinks we need to push.”
Matt gave a grim nod. “All right then. Let’s go poke a rabid psychopath.”
They followed him into the hallway. As they neared the lobby, Rafe fell into step beside Sean and cleared his throat. “So… how was Suki when you talked to her? Is she coming back to update the profile?”
The detective was not nearly as subtle as he imagined, and Sean shot him an amused look. “She’s doing fine. And no, she can update everything from Quantico.” He let the answer hang for half a beat before adding, “Want me to pass her a note for you?”
Rafe shot him a glare. “Very funny. She’s attractive and interesting—that’s all.”
Sean hid his grin. “Sure.”
The moment they reached the front doors, his focus snapped back to the task at hand.
The parking lot beyond was packed shoulder to shoulder with reporters jockeying for position.
Satellite vans lined the curb. Camera crews from every major American network had shown up, along with at least one from overseas.
Dare County’s Seaside Strangler had become international news.
Matt stepped to the podium first and delivered the standard update, releasing Whitney Wells’s name along with the carefully limited details they had already approved for public release. Then he turned toward Sean. “And now, FBI Special Agent Sean Malone.”
As Sean stepped forward and placed his prepared statement on the podium, he drew a slow breath.
Time to bait the trap.