Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
I wanted him to loop me in, but now I’m torn. I’m afraid for Rex, for what comes next. I’m afraid I’ve allowed things to go too far.
“Mission accomplished. Ending transmission.” As one, all the screens go dark.
“No, wait,” I say. “Mina, what’s happening?”
“We lost the feed,” Mina says.
“Mr. Roy ended the transmission,” Hamish says quietly. I jump, not realizing he was standing so close.
“Can you get it back?”
He hesitates, and I get the sense he’s wondering whether to lie to me. “I think it’s better if we allow Rex to go dark.”
“He doesn’t want me to see what’s next.” I clench my fists hard enough to drive my nails into my palms. “He can’t hurt him. He gave me his word.”
“He won’t injure him. Those weren’t real grenades. Merely smoke bombs. Shock and awe go a long way to breaking a person.”
Oh gods. Am I really allowing this?
“This is the best way,” Hamish says. “He’ll be ready to talk. We have less red tape than the police. They wouldn’t have a reason to hold him.”
“Hold him?”
“He’ll be questioned,” Hamish says. “We’ll get to the bottom of why the Bondage Killer is using him as a delivery boy.”
My stomach lurches with that sick feeling that overcame me when Ted first approached me.
“He’s right, Inara, this is the best way to go,” Mina says. “I’ve already looked into this guy. He’s a sleazeball. Been in trouble before for trying to pick up underage girls.”
“He still deserves due process.” I press my fist to my mouth, biting the knuckle.
Mina snorts, but Hamish assures me, “Rex will handle him with care. He’s our best lead in the case.”
“And the sooner we get answers, the sooner we can catch BK,” Mina says.
I hope she’s right. This will get us closer to our goal. But I’m not okay with crossing this line. I wanted Rex’s help, and I’m grateful for it, but that means doing things his way. I know how far he’s willing to go. I don’t want him to kill anymore, but in the heat of the moment, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop him.
“I’ll message Rex for an update,” Hamish says and heads off to his own computer console, leaving me alone with Mina on the line.
“How was the party?” she asks. “Other than the whole getting-another-letter-from-a-serial-killer thing.”
“Fine. I’m glad it’s over.” She’s trying to distract me, but I need to focus on the case. “What have you found out about Ted?”
“He’s not a reporter. He freelances as a photographer for the New Rome Post. You know, the sort of paper that publishes stories about alligators in the sewers.”
I close my eyes. “Great.”
“The Post is a sensational rag that barely rates being called a newspaper, and Ted isn’t exactly a model employee, but it was enough to get him a press badge tonight.”
Exhaustion hits me, and I sink into a swivel chair. I’m still in my gold dress but wrapped in Rex’s suit jacket. I didn’t take the time to change, claiming I wanted to get down to HQ right away. In truth, I wanted to keep wearing Rex’s jacket. His scent surrounds me and might be the only thing holding me together. I couldn’t think of a better excuse to keep wearing it and couldn’t bear to give it up.
So much for me being a brilliant detective. I’m unraveling, barely able to do my job. I let my serial killer husband hunt down a prime witness while I clutch his suit jacket like a safety blanket.
Mina’s still talking, giving me the rundown on Ted. “—a ton of debt. It’d be easy to bribe this guy or threaten him. He might not know anything. But then again, he might.”
“Guess we’ll find out.” I can’t stifle a yawn.
Mina hears it. “You should sleep. It’s late.”
“I’m good.” I don’t know if I can fall asleep. I miss Rex like a phantom limb. He’s the only one who can comfort me. Not sure when that happened, but it has and it frightens me. It’s not safe for me to need anyone. How did I get in so deep?
“I’ll keep you company,” Mina says. “You still haven’t told me the whole story about why you got married.”
I rub my eyes. “It was a spur-of-a-moment thing. He thought it would keep me safe.”
“Huh. Ted still got close to you.”
“Yeah, but it probably was a lot harder than it would have been a week ago.” I hate having my movements constricted, but Rex has gone all out to make me safe. And I do feel safer. For the first time in my life, I’m able to fall asleep without checking the locks and security system twice.
“True. And now you have more resources to follow up on leads.”
“A little-known perk of being a billionaire’s wife.”
“Speaking of perks, I have to thank you for my new digs.”