32. Thorn
CHAPTER 32
THORN
“Dammit!”
I spin around toward Jez and Fort. As soon as I returned to the clubhouse, they put a trap and trace on my phone just in case.
“You didn’t get him?” I bark.
“Not his precise location,” Fort admits. “But he’s in Glendale, Arizona.”
“That’s my hometown.”
“Any idea why he’d take Delaney there?” Soul asks.
“To fuck with me,” I reply sardonically. “Shit, Pres, I don’t—” My phone rings, and I glance at the screen. Groaning, I answer. “Mom, this isn’t a good time.”
“Sorry, honey, but I wanted to let you know that a friend of yours stopped by the house earlier.”
My blood runs cold. “Who, Mom?”
“Shawn something,” she says. “Shawn, Shawn… Williams. Shawn Williams.”
I search my brain for the name, and when it registers, rage slithers through me like a Black Mamba ready to burst from a basket.
“Thanks, Mom,” I say before disconnecting the call. I turn to Fort and Jez. “Shawn Williams was a kid in my high school. Real loser but harmless.”
“I’m searching property records now,” Jez says as she taps away at her keyboard.
“And I’m searching records with any anagrammed version of the Phantom Strangler in case he decided to get cute,” Fort sneers.
“I’m hitting the road,” I state, striding toward the door. “Text me an address when you have it.”
“Thorn, stop,” Soul orders, and I slowly turn to face him. “I know you wanna get to her as quickly as you can, but we need to be smart about this.”
“Smart?” I snarl. “My woman is being held by a goddamn serial killer, and you’re worried about how I approach the situation?”
“Is that what you think?” he retorts.
“It’s what you said.”
“I’ve got something,” Fort interjects. “And you’re not gonna like it.”
“What is it?” Malice asks, moving from Soul’s side to stand behind Fort.
“A name popped,” Fort explains, his expression solemn. “Morgan Ralph Stent, the writer of the blog that was sent to Delaney, is an anagram of The Phantom Strangler.”
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter.
“I’m using that pseudonym on property records now,” Fort adds.
“Already ahead of you,” Jez states. “And I got an address for a house he purchased back in twenty-sixteen.”
She rattles off a street number and name, and I freeze.
“That’s where Tamara lived,” I say numbly.
All eyes turn to me.
“You’re sure?” Grim signs.
“Of course. I spent a lot of time there when we were dating, and it was the last place I saw her alive. Not likely to forget that.”
“It looks like her parents moved out a year and a half after her murder, and Morgan Ralph Stent purchased it.”
“So, Shawn Williams, the Phantom Strangler, and this Stent guy are the same person?” Spike asks.
“Looks like it,” Abyss confirms.
I level my gaze on Soul. “Can I go now, Pres?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “Yeah, you can. But I’m sending Mark, Grim, Spike, and Abyss with you.”
I frantically shake my head. “No. I need to go alone. I won’t put anyone else I love at risk.”
“This isn’t up for debate, Thorn,” Soul snaps. “They either go with you, or you don’t go.”
I heave a sigh. “Fine, I’ll take Mark and Abyss. Delaney’s comfortable with Mark, and that’s important because we don’t know what he’s putting her through. And Abyss can take care of any medical issues.”
Soul exchanges a look with Malice who gives a curt nod.
“Okay, go. But I want you to check in the moment you get to the house, before you go in.”
“I’ll make sure we do,” Abyss states.
“Be safe,” Soul says. “Bring your girl home, Thorn.”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do.”