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)
“They couldn’t stop me,” she says.
Now that I’m not tied to the bed, I should be able to rise. But I’m still feeling weak, like my limbs aren’t mine to control. I should be familiar with this from watching my victims struggle with this partial paralysis enough times.
“Rex.” Inara stoops so I have to look at her. “It’s okay. It’s over, and it’s going to be okay.”
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“What, you can save me, but I can’t save you? I only did what you would do.”
She has a point, but I hate it. I’m too disoriented to argue my position, so I’m reduced to threats. “There aren’t enough whips in the world,” I grind out and stop when Victor’s head snaps in our direction.
“Don’t mind me,” he says with glee. “Please continue.”
“Later,” I grumble to Inara. Victor is kinky as hell. I’m pretty sure he tied his bride up in his own private dungeon and tortured her as part of their courtship. He doesn’t need any ideas, and I don’t want to hash this out in front of a would-be voyeur.
I try to rise, but my legs don’t hold me. I stagger. Luckily, Jaeger and Kaiser are on either side of me to prop me up, and I allow them so we get out of here faster.
Inara spins in a slow circle in the middle of the darkroom. There’s a sink in the corner and photographs papering the wall. “Exactly as I envisioned,” she murmurs. “He took pictures of his victims as trophies.” She heads to the freezer chest beside the sink and opens it. “And here are the dead birds.”
I don’t want her to linger too long in such macabre surroundings. “Inara,” I call. The twins pause so I can turn to her.
She’s still studying the room, a slight frown on her face. She’s in detective mode.
But I don’t want to leave her. I want her with me. I need her, I realize. Leaving her behind feels like ripping my heart in half.
I stretch out my hand and let vulnerability bleed into my voice. “Please.”
It’s all I can bear to say, but she understands. Her eyes light up, and her expression softens. She joins me, taking my hand, and I’m able to breathe again.
Inara
For the first time ever, I’m giddy. It must be the after-effects of adrenaline and a combination of relief and excitement at finding Rex and solving the case. Bubbles fill my chest like I’ve been sipping champagne. I can’t stop touching Rex, which is good because he’s kept hold of me since we left Ted’s dark room. It’s almost as if he’s afraid I’ll run away.
When we get a moment alone, I’ll have to tell him there’s nothing to fear. From now on, I only run toward him.
“What I don’t understand is how Ted incapacitated you,” I ask Rex. We’re back at Roy Manor, doing a post-op debrief with Mina and Hamish.
Rex’s face is stony. He hates this conversation. He hates any weakness. “It was a gas. Laughing gas, actually. He flooded the morgue room with it, then was able to inject me with a paralysis agent,” Rex says.
“We think Ted used gas on the Walker family, too. He might have even gotten the idea from you.” I would poke Rex, but he’s already holding my hand in both of his. He frowns down at it now.
“We spoke to the morgue attendant—” Hamish says.
“He was in on it,” Mina interrupts. “The morgue attendant was working with Ted. He helped Ted steal the victim’s remains from the morgue to lure you out. And once you were incapacitated, they loaded you onto a gurney and into an ambulance. Ted used that to get you to his place.”
I shake my head.
“We’ve also found evidence that Ted was blackmailing a number of people, threatening to release incriminating photos,” Hamish reports. “One of his targets gave him access to the helicopter.”
“This was his endgame,” Rex says. “He called in every favor and exhausted all his resources. He must have been planning it for some time.”
He and Mina start comparing notes on all of Ted’s movements. My body starts to droop as the last of the adrenaline leaves my system.
I don’t want to know every detail of Ted or BK’s final days. For once, I don’t care about building a body of evidence so the DA can prosecute the perp. The case is over. The two men who haunted my dreams are dead.
“You okay?” Rex murmurs to me. He’s looking a lot better than he did a few hours ago, and I’m probably looking worse.
“Yeah.” I let myself lean into him. “I’m glad it’s over.”
He pulls me into his lap and into a hug. I melt into him, letting his scent ground me.
I don’t remember closing my eyes, but the next thing I know, I’m waking up, still in Rex’s arms. I sit up slowly, blinking, and check the corners of my mouth for drool. “I must have dozed off.”