Chapter 12
Twelve
T he key slid into her front door lock with no resistance. Sloane’s body immediately reacted as if a cold bucket of water had been dumped over her head, which was an image and a feeling she absolutely hated. She turned the knob, her heart pounding as the door slowly pushed open and revealed her house.
That was the second time she’d come home to find her door unlocked since her accident. The first time, she had been distracted. She was sure of it. But Sloane was meticulous about locking her doors. Not that she felt she needed to because the community of Silver Springs was unsafe. In fact, she did it despite how safe her little town felt. There was no way she would have forgotten to lock it twice.
She waited, trying to decide if she should call Gage and ask him to come look things over for her. But that would mean she needed to admit that she wasn’t truly safe. And he’d be either moving her into his apartment or refusing to leave her home after he heard those words come out of her mouth.
But maybe it had just been an innocent mistake again. Her whole day had started off frazzled when she woke up to Lily calling her from the office. Somehow, her alarm hadn’t gone off, and Sloane’s body took the opportunity to oversleep. Then she’d rushed out the door so quickly she’d forgotten her notebook and her laptop. Not her finest moment showing up late to a session with none of the necessary materials.
Which was why she was back home at lunchtime in the first place. Because she needed to grab her equipment and hightail it back to the office. She pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“Hey, Red. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked as she walked through her living room, trying to remember the last place she’d set her laptop down. She’d done some work the night before in bed. It was probably on her nightstand.
“No. And even if you were, I wouldn’t mind. What’s going on?”
“I, uh, oh, thank god.” Her laptop was right where she left it.
“You sound a little frazzled, Sloane. Are you at work?”
“No. I had to run home. It’s been a weird morning. Uh, I wanted to ask…”
“Yes. The answer is yes.”
She laughed. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”
“Oh, I definitely assumed you were going to ask me out.”
“Hate to burst your bubble…”
“Damn. Well, in that case, do you want to go to dinner with me tonight? We can go after you’re done working out.”
She smiled. There was something ridiculously adorable about him knowing her schedule.
“I’ll be all sweaty.”
“You can shower here before we go.”
She mulled it over for a few seconds. It would be nice to spend some more time with Gage. She knew he’d absolutely want to hold hands again… “Yeah, okay. I’ll grab an extra change of clothes while I’m home.”
His hum of approval came across the phone.
“Sloane?”
“Yeah?”
“What did you actually call me about?”
“Oh. Don’t freak out when I ask this question, okay? Everything is fine.”
“Not the best start, but shoot.”
“Will you come out some time to see about putting a security system in at my place?”
“Did something happen?”
She swallowed thickly, looking around at her house which looked exactly the same as when she left it. She tried to get out the words, but couldn’t before Gage reacted.
“Sloane, if you don’t feel safe there, get out right now. It’ll take me ten minutes, probably less. I’m on my way.”
“No!”
“No?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m really fine. I just left my door unlocked this morning and it freaked me out. But I was in a rush and I know no one else has been in here. I just thought if I had an alarm, it would stop me from forgetting to lock the door again.”
“You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Yes. I’m actually just going to grab my lunch out of the fridge and then I’m coming right back into town. We’ll talk after I get done in the gym.”
“Or I could join you for training today. Work some more on touch exposure.”
Her whole body ignited. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Okay. Send me a text to let me know you make it back to work.”
“Can’t you just look at my tracker?”
“I could, but I know how much you trust me to keep that private. So I won’t, unless I have to.”
“Thanks, Gage.”
“See you this afternoon, Red.”
“Can’t wait.”
Sloane finally released the breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. The room spun as the adrenaline made its way out of her body. She needed to get back to the office, but first, she really did need to grab something to eat.
Which is how she ended up with her head in the fridge while her phone sat ringing on the counter. Juggling her prepped meal in her hands, Sloane let the container fall on the counter as she reached for her phone.
KL Rescue and Crew.
Shit.
“Kimi. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you!” Sloane braced herself against her counter.
“We found her.”
She reached for the glass of water she’d left out that morning before work, and forced herself to take a drink. “The missing girl?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry, Sloane. There is no easy way to say it, so I’m just going to tell you. It’s him. He’s back.”
The glass fell out of her hand, water splashing her bare feet before a thousand shards of glass scattered on the floor around her. Sloane bent over, wrapping her arms across her stomach as dread washed over her like a tidal wave.
“Sloane? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” she choked out. “How do you know? How do you know it’s him?”
“He left a picture with the body this time.”
Shit. They hadn’t found the girl alive.
And it was all her fault. If she had been able to identify him, if she’d been able to collect evidence before she ran, if she’d been able to lead them back to the cave, something would have helped. But she didn’t. Another girl was dead because of her.
“What picture?”
“It doesn’t matter. We know it’s him.”
“Don’t tell me it doesn’t matter, Kimi! This is my life! He’s going to come for me, isn’t he? Everything about this is so messed up.” She slid down the cabinets until glass crunched beneath her bottom.
“I know. Look, I don’t want to upset you, but if you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
“I want to know. I want to know everything. Anything you can tell me, please.”
“Are you sitting down?”
“Yes.”
There was silence.
“Kimi? Tell me.”
“It was a picture of you. In the cave.”
Her heart slammed in her chest as her stomach heaved. She scrambled to her feet, slamming her hand over her mouth until she was over the sink. Sloane barely felt the sting of glass pressing into her bare feet as her stomach emptied.
“I’m coming there, Sloane. We’re going to figure out the next step, together. Just like we did last time. Okay?”
“Okay.” Sloane ran her hand over her mouth, sinking down to the floor once more. Her whole body felt numb, but something in the back of her mind was shouting at her to move. To go to Gage.
“I’m about to go into a meeting, but I need to know. Do you have someone you can call now? Someone you trust?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Call them. Tell them, or don’t. That’s up to you. But you need to at least let them know you are in danger. It’s probably best if you don’t stay at your house at all, but if you have to, don’t stay alone.”
“Okay.”
“I see the man I’m meeting with, so I have to run. I’ll be in touch.”
She stared at her phone for so long that it turned off, the screen going as blank as her mind. There was a reason she’d gone home between clients, but she couldn’t seem to place why. And when she forced herself to stand, to try and put one foot in front of the other to move, the overwhelming sense of someone watching her froze her to the spot.
It was all in her imagination, just like in the woods. He wouldn’t just go from killing someone in Virginia to coming after her in Texas. If he even knew where she was. Kimi had said they would figure things out together, but that didn’t stop Sloane’s mind from trying to cover every possible path in one split second.
Would she have to leave Silver Springs? Would she have to change her name and start all over again? Would he make a mistake? Could they catch him after all this time? Why was he still obsessed with her?
Somehow, she made it to her closet. As her eyes landed on her suitcase shoved all the way in the back, Sloane knew there was only one option she was going to be okay with. For fourteen years the threat had lived in the back of her mind. Fourteen years she’d worked to shove him into the shadows, to never be more than a dusty, old secret that never saw the light of day. She couldn’t stay in her house. If he found out her name, nothing would stop him.
Her office was safe. There were so many safety measures put in place that she’d be safe sleeping there. She’d shift her workouts to the morning so she could shower at Montgomery Defense before she started seeing her clients.
Deep down, she knew she needed to lean on her friends. But she wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks. She was going to leave her house. At least until Kimi could debrief her on everything.
The suitcase was light in her hands, and she tossed it on her bed before turning back to the closet. Forty minutes later, she had everything she should need. Someone could probably bring her back to the house if she needed, but for now, she just wanted to have things that would make her feel settled.
She wanted to call Gage. His name bounced through her mind like a beacon of safety, but everything felt too raw. He would want to know what was happening. And she wasn’t ready to tell him. To have him look at her any differently. So Sloane grabbed her phone, ignoring all the missed messages from Lily, and scrolled through her contacts.
It rang three times before Mae finally answered, and Sloane’s heart went into overdrive.
“Sloane! You better not be calling me trying to get out of girls’ night this weekend!”
“Mae…” Shit. Her voice cracked and the tears she’d been working so hard to stuff down burst out of her.
“Whoa. What’s wrong? Where are you right now?”
“I need your help.”
* * *
“Who’s the fed parked out front?”
Gage’s head whipped from his computer screen to look out the window.
“You didn’t fucking notice them?” Hawk scoffed. “Losing your touch there, Tracker?”
“I’ve been busy trying to find the error in this code. Something, somewhere is wrong with this fucking simulation and I need to know before we run it at The Trident…”
“Hey,” Gunner cleared his throat as he walked down the hall. “We have a team meeting in five minutes. Meet in Conference Room One and bring your laptop, Track.”
“Is that why the fed is sitting out front?”
“Christ.” Gunner ran his hand down his face. “She’s here already? I just got off the phone with her.”
“Oh, it’s a her…” Hawk’s eyebrows wiggled.
“Just… get to the meeting room. I’ll go walk her in.”
“What’s she here about?” Gage asked right as Gunner turned to walk away.
“Someone in Silver Springs is connected to a case she’s working on.”
“Connected how?” Hawk winked at Gage, both of them knowing the question was going to throw Gunner over the edge.
“Christ, Phoenix. I’m short on the details, but a victim of a similar crime. Could be related. Wants us to jump in for protection but didn’t explain any further. Now shut the fuck up and wait for me in the conference room.”
Hawk shrugged his shoulders at Gage with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face as he walked out of the office. Fuck. Gage picked up his laptop, stopping in the kitchen to grab a glass of water before he made his way to the briefing room. Stone, Hawk, and Nash were already sitting at the table, but no one said a thing. They all seemed lost in their thoughts.
Gunner walked in with a tall, slender woman, who looked to be in her mid-forties. She was pure polished professional, giving each man a curt nod as Gunner introduced them.
“This is FBI Lead Investigator Kimi Liu. Agent Liu is here to ask for our help in a case she is currently working on.”
“Just Kimi is fine.” She nodded at Gunner.
“Okay, Kimi. We’re all ears.” Gunner took his seat as the federal agent started talking.
“I appreciate you all meeting with me on such short notice. I flew directly here from the field this morning. With your past involvement with the Bureau, and the fact that the case I’m working on has direct ties to this community, I thought it would be best to loop you in.”
“We lost our credentials when we ended our last contract, didn’t we?” Nash asked.
Kimi smiled. “The Bureau isn’t as complicated as you would think. Agent Wilson is a close friend, and he was happy to help me push through your clearance credentials. I can give you basic details of the case, and should you decide you want to take on the protection I’m here to ask from you, then we can dive into the classified information.”
“So, something’s happening here in Silver Springs?” Stone’s face was a blank slate, but Gage noticed the tension around his buddy’s eyes.
“I promise I’ll answer all your questions at the end. I just find it’s more effective to run a briefing this way. And unfortunately, gentlemen, I fear this is time sensitive.”
The room went silent as Agent Liu pulled a thick folder from her bag.
“Fourteen years ago, I was a junior investigator with the Bureau assigned to my first case. A missing sophomore from Colgate College in Washington State which we were able to tie to the Lover’s Eyes Killer. Have you heard of him?”
Gage looked around the table at his friends as they all shook their heads. He hadn’t either, but then again, fourteen years ago put them all in the Navy, deploying for missions, and not all that concerned with the news back home.
“Nineteen-year-old Sierra Park went missing on August eleventh, after leaving her shift at a local diner with her boyfriend. They were walking back to her rental when it appeared Sierra was taken. Her boyfriend, also a nineteen-year-old studying at Colgate College, was found on the sidewalk just a few houses down from Sierra’s. He’d been stabbed eight times before his throat was cut.”
“Christ,” Gunner mumbled.
“Crime of passion? He was sneaking around with Sierra and his real girlfriend found out? Freaked out and killed him?” Hawk threw out.
“That’s a very profiler way to think, Mr. Morgan. And you’re somewhat correct. In most cases with these parameters, deemed a ‘crime of passion’ killing, it would lead us to believe the suspect is likely female. But we don’t believe that’s the case here,” Kimi sighed.
“Why not?” Gage asked.
“Look. There were no traces of Sierra. We had local, state, and federal task forces combing through the college campus and surrounding neighborhoods. There was nothing. Not a single witness came forward who could tell us what had happened. Until a father and son walked into our mobile operations headquarters sixteen days after she went missing.”
“They found her?” Nash interrupted.
“Unfortunately, no. But they were out walking a trail and spotted a man hiking through the woods on his own. When they called out to him, the man ran from them, which they thought was suspicious. The college and community Sierra was taken from is surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest. It was our sixth day searching the forest when I found her.”
Twenty-two days. Fuck. That poor kid.
By the time Gage focused back on Kimi, all the color drained from her face. “Actually, she found me. I can still remember how shocked I was to see her stumbling through the trees, coming right for me. Her body was riddled with bloody cuts and dark bruises, and she was so weak. Sierra just kept telling me, screaming over and over again, that ‘he’ was still following her. I remember her crying, saying ‘You have to help me. He’s right there. He’s going to take me again.’ That was all she would say.”
Gage’s eyes shot over to look at Stone. His friend must have had the same thought as him. It was so similar to what Sloane had said to the both of them in the woods. The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
“When I interviewed her at the hospital later, she thought she’d been running for two days. She’d barely had food or water in the time she was held, but she still kept going. Her physical injuries took a while to heal, but from my interviews with her, his endgame was always something psychological. From the other cases we’ve tied to the Lover’s Eyes Killer, he’s never held the victim for an extended time. It had always been quick. But with Sierra, he was different. By her account, he didn’t want to break her physically. He fixated everything on keeping her long term.”
“What’s up with that moniker? Why’s he called that?” Hawk asked.
“All of his victims… they’ve all had one rare, and very distinct, physical feature. They’ve all had heterochromia.”
“What is that?” Gunner crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“That’s the eyes thingy.” Hawk started to explain. “Where the eyes are two different colors.”
“That’s exactly correct. In the first two cases we tied to the Lover’s Eyes Killer, the victims have had complete heterochromia, that is to say, one of their eyes has been blue, and the other either green or brown. In the most recent case, and the reason why I’m here, the victim had central heterochromia, where the color around her pupils were gold while the rest of her irises were light blue.”
Gage flipped through every person he could think of that he’d met or interacted with since coming to Silver Springs. He hadn’t noticed a single person with different colored eyes.
“So, this fucking weirdo has an eye fetish? And decided to… what? Make Sierra his wife?” Stone grumbled.
Kimi sighed. “We don’t really know, because there are no other survivors to question about his motives. Sierra didn’t initially fight back like the others. Something about that seemed to trigger him into this new obsession with her. For the other victims, and for Sierra, it started out the same. He stalked them. Leaving notes that started out tender and sweet, almost caring and concerned about their safety or well being. He called them ‘pure of heart’ and talked about them being a worthy replacement. But they slowly grew more unhinged as he moved through the fantasy of them being exactly what he was looking for. When he kidnapped the other women, and they fought back, we believe this act broke the spell for him and sent him into a rage.”
“And he murdered them,” Hawk concluded.
“Right. This changed when Sierra didn’t fight back. He initially deprived her of water, food, and sleep. He took her clothes and left her to freeze for hours. Then he tested her. Asked her if she would cuddle him for some warmth. Tried to get her to submit to him for something to eat or drink. She told me that she was so weak, she knew she’d never be able to physically overpower him. He drugged her water and food so she was never in a mental state to fight back.
“She tried to exploit the connection he was working to build with her. Sierra let him think that she was changing. And when she finally had the chance to escape, she took it.”
“I don’t understand.” Nash scratched at his chin. “If they spent so much time together, how was she not able to identify him? If he touched her, how was there not DNA to collect? Why are there not sketches of this guy up on every news broadcast right now?”
“The only details she was able to give us was a possible height and body type. He wasn’t in the cave with her the entire time. From everything she told us, we know Sierra was shackled to the wall for the majority of the time. When he came into the cave, he was wearing a mask and clothing over his entire body. He was covered, so she could never see any identifying details. He even modified his voice around her, using some sort of electronic sound distorter. With the drugs, Sierra said it was beyond terrifying. She was pretty sure she hallucinated him being there more times than he actually was.”
“It’s very impressive that she survived, but what does this have to do with us, now?” Gage asked.
“That case you came from this morning was the first one you’ve tied back to him since Sierra,” Nash said.
Kimi nodded. “There was one case, about five years ago, that pointed to his resurfacing, but the Bureau was never able to confirm it. We think it may have just been flagged based on a few similar facts in both cases. Unfortunately, we do know that the case from Virginia is the Lover’s Eyes Killer’s doing.”
“How?”
“Aside from the fact that Azalea Johnson had all the same physical features as Sierra, and the fact that her boyfriend was stabbed exactly eight times before his throat was cut on the same night that she disappeared, the killer left a picture of Sierra from her time in the cave on Azalea's body.”
“Shit. Am I wrong in assuming that Sierra now lives in Silver Springs? That’s why you’re wanting to work with us, isn’t it? To protect her from this guy?” Gunner’s eyes narrowed as he asked Agent Liu the same question Gage was dying to know.
“Yes. I helped Sierra relocate here after she physically healed from her injuries. From what you’ve heard, is this something your team would feel comfortable helping out on?”
Gage looked at each one of his buddies. Gunner was the leader of their team now, so he took stock of everyone’s silent answers. A simple nod from Gage sealed the deal. The team cared deeply for the community and would do what they could to keep this person safe.
“We’re in,” was the only answer Gunner gave.
“Sierra’s location has only been known to me and the other FBI Agent assigned to her case. He retired two years ago. The fact that I am about to share this information is a very big deal, one that I ask you approach with the utmost respect for confidentiality.” Kimi pulled her phone out of her pocket and started typing away on it. “I’ve just sent along the case file. I apologize for only having your contact information, Gunner. I’ll be sure to get the rest of the team's info before I leave today so that communication is cleaner that way.”
“It’s no problem.” He looked down at his phone for a minute before his eyes met Gage’s. “Track, I just shot you the email. Can you put the information on the wall?”
“Affirmative.” Gage opened his laptop and brought up the email. The file was hundreds of pages long. He scrolled through, his eyes bouncing over the details of everything Agent Liu had already gone over with them. Then, he moved to a page with Sierra’s picture.
His heart stopped as he stared at a face that he knew. The face of someone he cared about. The face of the woman he was falling in love with. “What the fuck is this? Some sort of joke? What does this have to do with Sloane?”
The room went silent. Gage didn’t even look down at his keyboard as he broadcast the picture onto the wall in front of them. Staring back into the room was a picture of Sloane, with strawberry blonde hair and an incredibly vibrant smile, standing outside what looked like some lecture hall at a college.
“Sierra Park, the woman in that picture, changed her identity to Sloane Donovan when she relocated to Silver Springs.”
“Her eyes are brown…” he whispered.
“Gage–”
“You’re saying what he did… this animal you’re hunting… he did that to her? He did those things to Sloane? To my Sloane?”
Gage’s stomach twisted painfully as his fingers scrolled, his eyes locked on the pictures in the file. Pictures of Sloane’s injuries. Pictures of her naked. Gage slammed the laptop closed and looked around the room. His friend’s all had their eyes locked on him, but he could barely see them through the rage filled haze in his own eyes.
“You and Sloane… I’m so sorry. I realized her office is next door, but I didn’t know if you’d ever interacted before.”
“Interacted before?!” Gage was about to lose his fucking mind.
“Track—” Nash’s hand clamped down on his shoulder. He pulled back, shaking off his friend.
“He took her? He kept her in a fucking cave?! HE TORTURED HER FOR TWENTY-TWO DAYS!” Gage stood, setting the glass in his hand down before it shattered under the pressure of his grasp. “And you’re telling me, my fucking girlfriend is at her house, all by herself, while you think this guy is coming after her again?”
Gunner looked at his phone. “Shit. Lily’s worried. Sloane hasn’t made it back to the office yet.”
“I’m so sorry. There is no reason to believe he has any idea where Sloane is now. I’m here out of an abundance of caution.”
“Fuck this. None of you look at that file until I come back with her.” Gage pulled his keys from his pocket and stormed out of the meeting room. He had almost made it to reception when Mae popped out from the kitchen. They bumped right into each other, her hot coffee flying out of her hand, the mug shattering on the floor.
“God, Gage. Where’s the fire?”
“Sorry. You okay?”
“Are you? You look like shit.”
Gage shook his head. “I have to go. I have to see Sloane.”
“Okay, yeah, sure. I’ll just be here, cleaning this up.”
“Thanks, Mae. I owe you.”
Her brows furrowed, but Gage didn’t want to wait any longer. He vaguely registered a phone ringing in the background as he turned to head out the door.
“Sloane! You better not be calling me trying to get out of girls’ night this weekend. Your boyfriend is?—”
He turned and watched as Mae’s smile dropped away. His stomach lurched.
“Whoa. What’s wrong? Where are you right now?”
Gage held out his hand and stomped back towards her. Mae immediately slapped his hand away as he tried to grab the phone.
“Okay. Yeah, I’ll be right there. You’re sure you don’t need to stay on the phone?” Mae paused for a moment, staring him down with a haunted expression on her face. “Okay. Take a deep breath and call me back if you need me. I’m leaving right now.”
“What’s wrong?” Gage grabbed Mae’s arm as she went to walk past him.
“She’s crying. Said she needs my help.”
He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number. “Is she hurt?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m trying to get out of here. To get to her.”
“Shit… she’s not picking up. I was already on my way to see her. I’m going.”
“She’s expecting me!”
“Then fucking call her back or send her a message and tell her I’m on my way. And don’t follow me. Go ask your brother why!”
Gage opened the door and scanned the area. Somehow his mind was both hyperactive and numb at the same time. His training was screaming at him to clear his mind, and focus on the one task at hand: getting to Sloane as fast as possible.
A fucking serial killer.
Targeting her.
Wanting her.
Obsessed with her.
Rage built in his body as he turned onto the road that would take him to Sloane’s house.
How could she not tell him? His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Was that why she hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about that asshole client of hers? Fear that putting her name into a police report would somehow alert this guy to where she was? He had so many fucking questions that his head felt dizzy as he flipped on his blinker.
He pulled into Sloane’s driveway, not missing the way the curtains swished in the front window. She was watching for Mae to get there. His worry eased up, but Gage knew he wouldn’t be able to breathe until they were back at his place.
And she was going back to his place. It was time Sloane learned to lean on someone, and that someone sure as hell was going to be him.