Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“We don’t at this time. Right now, we are working the case backward, trying to find out who he is.”
“Jesus fucking Christ!” I close my eyes. How the fuck can this be happening, and who the fuck would do this to Ashlyn? “Does this have anything to do with someone trying to run my wife down?” I ask, opening my eyes to look at them.
“We’re not aware of that situation.” He frowns, looking at Agent Kace then me. “We haven’t had a chance to be fully briefed by the investigators working the case. Our priority this morning was getting to your wife, making sure she was okay, and letting you know you need to take precautions until we apprehended the assailant.”
“What do you suggest we do? Do we need to leave town until you find this guy?”
“We don’t know at this point if he’s after your wife, but—”
“But he could be,” I fill in the blank, and he nods.
“Yes, he could be, which is why we’re here.”
“Who is he?” I question, feeling fire course through my veins. “What does he look like? Where is he from? What the hell do you know about him?”
“We promise you that as soon as we have a suspect, we will contact you. Until then, we ask that you stay vigilant.”
“So basically, you know not one goddamn thing besides the fact he’s already murdered four women and could be after my wife?”
“We understand this situation is a difficult one—”
“Do you understand that?” I cut him off, seeing Cash stand and Jax come into the room with Nico. “Fuck me. I’m so fucking thrilled you understand how difficult it is having you tell me women have been murdered after being on a website, where a person pretending to be my wife set up a fake profile asking that she be raped. And now you are telling me you have no fucking suspects and are working the case backward.”
“Dillon.” Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I look up and see my brother standing over me with worry in his eyes. “Calm, man,” he says quietly, looking at Ashlyn, who has curled herself into a tight ball against me. “You need to take care of your wife and trust these men do their job.”
Fuck, he’s right. Me raging isn’t going to help Ashlyn, who is freaking the fuck out and crying so hard my shirt is now soaked through, but the panic sweeping over me is making it hard to think rationally. Swallowing, I nod once at him then look at the agents sitting in front of me.
“If I were you, I’d be reacting the same way you are right now,” Agent Kace assures, speaking for the first time then stands, and Agent Torres does the same. “Get a gun if you have to. Put in extra security if you think you need it, but trust me when I tell you that we will find this guy and bury him so deep he won’t breathe for years.” Lifting my chin at him, he pulls out a card from his pocket and hands it to me. “If you see anything out of the ordinary, get weird vibes from someone, or just have a question, call. My cell is on there.”
“Thanks.”
“Save the thanks for when I find this guy,” he mutters, walking out of the room with Nico following behind him.
“Like he said, get a gun,” Agent Torres inserts, lifting his chin before leaving the library. Meeting Cash’s gaze, I hold his stare then watch his eyes close as he tucks Lilly against his chest. Seeing the look of devastation on both their faces, my stomach tightens and anger sweeps through me once more.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I vow against Ashlyn’s ear, feeling her nod against my chest, making me more determined than ever to keep her safe.
Chapter 13
Ashlyn
“I really wish you guys could stay longer,” I murmur with my arms wrapped around Cara, and my face tucked into her neck.
“Me too.” She leans back smiling, and then pulls me close once more to rock me from side to side. “Christmas will be here before we know it.” She hugs me tighter, reminding me of the plans we made yesterday evening.
“I’ll be counting down the days.” I pull away from her and look at Parker as he holds his arms out to me. Walking straight to him, his arms envelop me and I tuck my face into his chest. “Thank you for everything,” I whisper as tears sting my nose, and his hold on me tightens. Without him the last few days, I have no doubt Dillon would still be in a rage. And without the distraction of Cara, him, and the boys, I don’t know what I would have done. “I love you guys,” I blubber against his shirt, then step back and wipe my face and eyes.