Chapter 14 #2
When Carson returned to the car, Nora took one look at his face and knew.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He got in and started the engine. “I’m taking you back to the safe house.”
“Carson—”
“Please.” He looked at her. “Just...trust me on this. You don’t need to see what’s in there.”
“Is it photos? Of me?”
His silence was answer enough.
Nora’s face paled. “How many?”
“A lot. Years’ worth.” He reached over and took her hand. “But we have them now. We know what we’re dealing with. And Finn’s already working on tracing Eugene’s movements, figuring out where he might go next.”
“He’s not going to stop, is he? Not until one of us is dead.”
The blunt assessment was accurate. And terrifying.
“I won’t let it get that far,” Carson said.
“You can’t promise that.”
“Watch me.”
***
Back at the safe house, Carson showed Nora the photos he’d taken—carefully curated to avoid the most disturbing images. But even the edited version was bad enough.
“He’s been watching me for at least three years,” Nora said quietly, staring at a photo of herself from what looked like her old apartment. “Maybe longer.”
“Looks that way.”
“And Dan knew. They were coordinating the whole time.”
“We think so. Finn’s going through Dan’s interrogation transcripts now, seeing if we missed any clues about Eugene’s backup plans.”
Nora set down Carson’s phone and wrapped her arms around herself. “I want this to be over. I want to stop feeling like prey.”
“I know.” Carson pulled her against his chest. “And it will be. Soon. We’ll catch him, and this time, he won’t escape.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I won’t make the same mistake twice. Because every cop in the state is looking for him. Because I won’t stop until he’s behind bars and you’re safe.”
His phone buzzed. Another text from Finn: Got a lead. Eugene was spotted at a gas station fifty miles north. Heading toward the Canadian border.
Carson showed Nora the message.
“He’s running,” she said.
“Maybe. Or he’s drawing us out.” Carson typed back to Finn: On my way.
“I’m coming too,” Nora said immediately.
“Absolutely not. If this is a trap—”
“Then you need backup. And I’m not staying here alone while you chase Eugene. We already know how that tends to turn out.” She held his gaze. “We’re in this together, remember? You promised.”
Carson wanted to argue. Wanted to lock her in the safe house and go after Eugene alone.
But she was right. And he’d promised to trust her. To stop shutting her out.
“You stay in the car,” he said finally. “In a secure location with officers guarding you. You don’t get out for any reason. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“And if something happens to me—”
“Don’t.” She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Don’t talk like that.”
“If something happens,” Carson continued, moving her hand, “Finn knows to get you out. To keep you safe. You listen to him, okay?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“Promise me, Nora.”
She looked like she wanted to argue. But finally, she nodded. “I promise.”
“Good.” He kissed her hard and fast. “Let’s end this.”
***
The drive north was tense and silent, Carson’s mind running through scenarios.
If Eugene really was heading for the border, that meant he was running. Giving up on his revenge. Choosing freedom over obsession.
But something about that didn’t sit right. Eugene had spent years planning this. Years watching Nora, waiting, preparing. He wouldn’t give up now.
Which meant the gas station sighting was a trap.
Carson’s phone rang. Captain Holloway.
“We’ve got a problem,” Holloway said. “The gas station footage? It’s not Eugene. It’s someone wearing a mask. A decoy.”
Carson’s blood ran cold. “Where is he really?”
“We don’t know. But, Carson—the safe house. We just got a silent alarm. Someone triggered the perimeter sensors.”
“When?”
“Three minutes ago.”
No. Nonono.
Carson had brought Nora with him. The safe house was empty except for the two officers on guard.
Officers who hadn’t checked in.
“Get units there now,” Carson ordered, already turning the car around.
“Already done. But—”
“What?”
“Eugene left another message. Spray-painted on the side of the house.” Holloway’s voice was grim. “It says ‘CHECKMATE.’”
Carson’s hands tightened on the wheel. Eugene had known. Had known Carson would take the bait, would leave the safe house vulnerable.
And now—
“We need to move to a new location,” Carson said, glancing at Nora. “Eugene knows about the safe house. He’s tracking us somehow.”
“How?” Nora asked. “We’ve been careful. No phones, no—”
She stopped. Looked down at her purse.
“What?” Carson demanded.
With shaking hands, Nora pulled out her phone and opened the back. A small device was wedged inside—a GPS tracker.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “He’s been tracking me this whole time. Since before. Since—”
“Since you first reported him,” Carson finished. “He put a tracker in your phone months ago. That’s how he always knew where you were.”
Which meant Eugene knew exactly where they were right now.
Carson’s eyes went to the rearview mirror, and his stomach dropped.
A dark sedan three cars back. Following at a steady distance.
The same sedan from Nora’s first night in the parking garage.
Eugene had found them.
And the hunt was far from over.