Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I mulled over what Finn and Niall had told me earlier. I wasn’t sure I was ready to share with her what they had confided in me. I wasn’t certain she was ready to hear it. I would one day, when she was stronger—removed from all of this. And if she asked.
The girls sat with Autumn, Anna brushing out her hair and Una rubbing some lotion on her bruises. They chatted and fussed, Autumn happy to let them. I wolfed down some food, starving, then sat back, looking at my cousins.
“You have something to tell me. I can see it.”
Finn glanced over at the girls, then slid his chair closer.
“Is he dead?” I asked.
“Very,” Niall confirmed. “We made sure of it. Satan was waiting to greet him long before the night was over.”
“You both look…rattled.”
Finn and Niall shared a look then Finn spoke. “After you left, we let the bastard roll around moaning and whimpering for a while. It seemed odd he’d have a cabin but not keep it updated, if you know what I mean. He inherited it years ago. He could have sold it. So we poked around.”
“What did you find?” I asked, knowing it was something big.
“A box hidden in the kitchen. With treasures.”
I swallowed. “Treasures?”
“Mementos of, ah, other women. We knew Autumn wasn’t the first woman he’d kidnapped. The one who got away wasn’t either. There were others.”
“Jesus,” I muttered, the food I’d eaten suddenly feeling like cement in my stomach. “A serial killer, then? Not just a stalker?”
Niall nodded. “Three others. We checked out their names from the IDs he’d kept. All listed as missing.”
I scrubbed my face. “Holy feck. It could have been four.”
Finn grabbed my shoulder, pressing down. “It wasn’t. She is fine.”
“What did you do?”
“Questioned the bastard until he talked,” Niall said. “Me and my bullets. By the time we were finished, there wasn’t much left of his toes.” He smiled coldly. “Or his voice.”
“Ouch,” I muttered. “That would have hurt, but if anyone deserved it, it was him.”
“Aye. I was going to use his prick as target practice, but there wasn’t much to it.”
“What?” I asked. “How the feck did you know that?”
“I made him strip before he went into the root cellar. Hard not to notice. Barely enough to grab onto to piss.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” I muttered.
“We added his DNA to the box for the cops to do testing.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “DNA? As in…”
“A couple of fingers. He wasn’t going to need them where he was going.”
Finn shook his head. “Enough, Niall.” He met my gaze. “We took the evidence and his information to our guy at the police. He said it was going to solve some cold cases. Bring the families some closure. I asked him to get me the names. We’ll help with some sort of funding. A scholarship in the women’s names. Aid the families with something they need.”
I nodded. “I’ll contribute.”
Finn grinned. “Fecking right you will.”
“So you left him to die in the root cellar?”
“Hell no,” Finn said. “I finished him off. I was tired of his whining. A final bullet to the head shut him up. Then we closed the trapdoor. The cold will preserve the body nicely until someone shows up to investigate. And don’t worry, Autumn will never be involved or questioned. That was part of the deal.”
“Good. Thanks.”
Finn nodded and Niall grinned. “It was fun to turn loose on someone so deserving,” he said with a chuckle. “Been a long time.”
Finn sat back and rubbed his eyes. “Let’s hope it’s the last time.”
I followed his gaze to where our women sat together.
“I agree.”
I looked down at Autumn, asleep and safe where she belonged. In my arms. Where she always would be.
Autumn was released the next morning, and she insisted on going to see Lynn. She wore a high-necked sweater, and the sleeves had thumb holes so she didn’t worry about them riding up and Lynn seeing those bruises.
She became anxious as we pulled up to the building, even though we were going in a different door. I leaned over, stilling her wringing hands.
“He’s gone,” I reassured her. “You’re safe.”
“I know.”
“The other unit is empty and vacant. You never have to go back there. Lynn’s new spot is on the opposite side of the building. He was never there.”
She nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“I’ll be right with you.”
“I know.”
Then my brave girl drew back her shoulders and took my hand. “I’m ready.”
Upstairs, Lynn was delighted to see her. She tutted over the bruises, fussing over Autumn as she sat across from her.
“Thank God you weren’t seriously injured! Anna says someone pushed you out of the way, so you only glanced off the car.” She clucked her tongue. “Careless arse.”
Autumn shook her head in amusement. “You’re spending too much time with the Irishmen.”