Hunted (Killer Instinct 5)

He caught her fingers in his hand. “Casey.”

She blinked at him.

“What truth?” The gnawing in his gut told him this was bad.

“I should call Katrina,” she said again. “Just to check in. I don’t have any family members who will worry, but I need to tell her—”

His hold tightened on her hand. “She knows you’re okay. But I’ll make sure you talk to her, okay? Right after we finish with Tucker, you can call her.”

She pulled in a deep breath. “Thank you.”

His chest felt too tight. “Casey—”

But there was a sharp knock at the door. She stiffened, and he wanted to pull her against him. Wanted to hold her tight and tell her that everything was all right.

It wasn’t all right, though. Not with the killer still out there.

“Stay here.” He headed for the door, and his gaze swept to the laptop he’d opened on the table near the entrance. He’d already set up a feed so that he could see the security cameras in the building. There were four images displayed on his screen, and in one of those images, he saw a man standing just outside the penthouse.

The guy turned toward the camera and inclined his dark head.

“Tucker.” Josh unlocked the door and offered his hand to the other agent. “Good to see you again.”

Tucker’s shake was firm. “Wish it were under better circumstances.” His bright blue stare held Josh’s. “I’ve got a key to the place, but I thought the vic might appreciate a heads-up before I came in.”

Josh heard the faint tread of footsteps behind him. “The vic,” Casey said, her voice flat and her emotions once more seemingly locked down, “has a name.”

Tucker’s brows climbed. “Casey Quinn, I presume.”

Josh backed away so that Tucker could march past him. Josh shut and locked the door and his gaze swept to the security feed. No other activity.

Tucker offered his hand to Casey. “I’m FBI Special Agent Tucker Frost.”

She backed up a step and didn’t take his offered hand. “Frost.” Casey seemed to taste the name, and Josh knew it instantly clicked for her when her gaze sharpened. “I remember you...and your brother.” Her head cocked and then her hand was rising. Her delicate fingers were swallowed by Tucker’s much bigger hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Tucker murmured. He didn’t let her hand go. “That’s not the response most people have to me—or to my brother.”

“I’m not most people.”

The guy could let go of her hand at any point. Josh cleared his throat. They were just standing there, staring at each other. “Casey’s been through a hell of a lot—why don’t we let her sit down while she tells you what happened? The doc warned me to keep an eye on her.”

Tucker finally let go of her hand. About time, Josh figured. Concern shadowed Tucker’s eyes as his gaze swept over her. “I’m sorry about the attack.” His fingers lifted to brush her cheek. “Are you—”

Josh pulled Casey back. “No, she’s not okay. She’s not going to be okay until we catch the jerk who’s out there.” He normally liked Tucker. The guy was a good agent. But right then...

I’m jealous. The emotion caught him by surprise. He was never jealous—and he and Casey had just met. She was a witness. A victim. Nothing more.

Maybe I just feel protective of her. Maybe that’s it.

He steered her toward the couch. She sat down, but didn’t relax. Instead, Casey perched on the edge of the sofa.

Tucker looked at her, then at Josh. “Something I need to know about?”

“Yeah.” Josh kept standing at her side. “You need to know about the freak who came into her hotel room, knocked her out and dragged her away to kill her. Let’s focus on him for a bit.” The anger in him was getting worse. Josh raked a hand through his hair. “Because he’s still out there. I need something to guide the team toward him. We need to stop him because he got away clean at the scene.”

“Not completely clean,” Casey said, her voice husky. “I stabbed him. He was coming at me, and I had to stop him.”

Right. She’d told him that back at the beach house. “The evidence unit collected the blade—they’ll be running checks on the blood. Maybe we’ll get a hit on him in the system.”

“You stabbed him?” Admiration deepened Tucker’s voice. “I’m impressed.”

“I wasn’t going to die in that room. He’d set the stage, but that wasn’t how things were going to end for me.” Her hands fisted in her lap. “Where do you want me to start? When I woke up on the plastic or—”

“Your hotel room.” Tucker sat down next to her. “Start there. Tell me everything you remember, big and small. Those pieces will help me to understand the man we’re after.”

They already did understand him, to a certain degree. They were after what the behavioral analysts called an “organized” killer—a killer who carefully planned his crimes. Who didn’t leave evidence behind. Casey had already told Josh that the man had worn gloves and a mask to cover his face. He’d had the plastic spread out beneath her—a clever touch—so that the scene would be easy to contain.

She let out a low sigh. “I was on my balcony and when I turned to go back inside, I noticed that the lights were out. I—I’d left one light on before I went outside—”

“You’re sure about that?” Tucker broke in.

“Yes.” Her voice was certain. “But I just thought maybe the bulb had blown or there was a problem with the fuse. Something like that. I was going to call the front desk when he grabbed me and slammed my head into the wall.”

“How did he grab you?” Tucker asked.

She swallowed. “From behind. I didn’t even see him, didn’t hear him. He was suddenly just there and he shoved me forward into the wall.”

The fury was still thickening in Josh’s blood. “You told me you heard his laughter.”

She glanced toward him. “I did. I remember him laughing right before I passed out.”

His muscles were tight, his body thick with tension.

“When I woke up, my hands were tied behind me and my feet were tied.” Her gaze slid back to Tucker. “I was lying on the plastic, and I could smell the ocean. I could hear it. There was just enough light for me to see the room around me, and I realized I was in one of the houses under construction. Katrina and I had recorded some footage near them just the week before.” She licked her lips. Once more, her gaze darted to Josh. “Did he kill them all in that beach house?”

“The techs used luminol and found traces of latent blood.” So, yes...he thought the other victims had been killed there but it would be a while before they received any sort of conclusive results on the blood evidence that had been collected at the scene. The homes under construction were isolated, and on the weekend, no workers came out to them. It would have been an ideal spot for a killer and his victim. “We’ll know more once we get additional reports.” Once the samples collected had been compared to their victims. “There wasn’t a lot of blood found. The guy was probably trying to keep the scene clean with his plastic, but with these kinds of attacks, there can be a great deal of—” He stopped, hating to say more.

“Blood spatter?” Casey asked softly. “Yes, I know.”

Of course, she would. Casey wasn’t an ordinary civilian. So why was he treating her with kid gloves?

Because she’s wounded. She’s fragile. She’s frightened.

She’s...different. Something about her was calling to him.

“Where was he, when you woke up?” Tucker asked.

“Outside the room. I didn’t see him at all and I screamed for help.” Her breath whispered out. “My scream brought him to me.”

“Describe every detail of him that you remember.” Tucker was focused completely on her. He’d taken his laptop from his

bag and he had it open in his lap as he listened to her.

“He was...tall, like you and Josh. Probably almost the same height, I would guess a little over six feet. Muscled. Broad shoulders.” Again, she nodded toward Josh. “He had on a ski mask with some kind of mesh over the eyes, so I don’t know his eye color. I can’t describe his face. But he was Caucasian, I know that. He was wearing gloves, but I saw his wrist. It was tanned, like he’d spent time outdoors.”

The town of Hope was right on the beach. Nearly every Caucasian male in the area was sporting at least a light tan.

“When he came in...he said he’d heard me screaming. And that meant it was time to get started.”

Bastard. “Did he have any accent?” Josh demanded. “Did anything about his voice stand out to you?”

She shook her head. “He was...rasping. I don’t think that was his normal voice.”

Tucker shot Josh a fast, hard glance. Josh nodded. The guy is hiding his identity. Odd, since he planned to kill Casey. Usually when the perps think there is no hope for their prey, they’ll show their faces.

But this time...

“He...he said I was going to tell him all of my secrets.” She licked her lips. “And that if I didn’t, he would cut me open.”

Josh surged away from the couch. I will find you. I will make you pay.

“I don’t think...he expected me to fight back. I mean, I was tied up, so maybe he thought I’d be helpless. Or too afraid to fight back. But I wasn’t going to die there.”

She’s strong. Strong and brave. He locked his legs and stared down at her.

“I kicked him with my bound feet. He fell back and lost his knife. I got it and used it on the ropes around my wrists, but he hit me before I could get free.” Her hand rose to her dark cheek.

He will pay.

“H-he said he had to do step one.”

Silence. Josh’s heavy heartbeat drummed in his ears.

“What was step one?” Tucker asked.

“Making a phone call. To Sheriff Black. The guy said...he said we had to let people know who had the power.” Her hand fell back to her lap. “But the sheriff wanted proof of life, and when the guy in the mask turned back to me—I think he was going to try to make me scream—I shouted at the sheriff, telling him where I thought I was. I was hoping he’d come for me in time.”

Josh rolled back his shoulders. Casey had told him this story before, at the crime scene. She’d told him how, after the phone call, she’d stabbed the attacker. He’d fled and she’d been left alone in that house.

“I forgot.” Her voice was low. “I forgot what he said...”

Josh stalked toward her.

Her head snapped up and she stared straight at him. “I didn’t tell you before... I forgot...but he said, I’ve waited too long to get you, Casey. Those were his words. As if he’d always intended to take me.”

Tucker had gone still beside her.

“But he was just talking, just scaring me, right?” Her gaze swung between the two men. “I mean, he picked me after his last victim was dead. It’s not like the guy has been after me for a long time or anything.”

The killings started after all the reporters came to town to cover Theodore Anderson’s case and sentencing.

“Josh?” She rose to her feet and came toward him. “He hasn’t been after me for a long time. I was just—just his next victim, right? Like you said, I fit the victim profile. Right age, right sex. From out of town. No close ties here...”

Tucker cleared his throat when Josh remained silent. “There could be more to our profile,” he said carefully. “It changes and adjusts as we gather additional information about our perp.”

She was standing in front of Josh. Her body trembled. He’d never forget seeing her in that beach house, holding that bloody knife.

“Was there anything about him that seemed familiar to you?” Josh asked her because the knot in his stomach told him where Tucker’s profile was heading. He didn’t like getting into the heads of killers but in this case...with her...for her, he’d do it.

“Familiar?” Her laughter was bitter. “No, a man in a black ski mask who wants to cut me up and learn my secrets isn’t exactly familiar to me.”

Tucker had risen, too. “Since you’ve been in town, have you been seeing anyone romantically, started dating any locals or any other reporters or—”

She didn’t look away from Josh. “I’m not dating anyone.”

“What about in the past...maybe when you were in New York?” Tucker added. “Could you give us a list of the men you were seeing back home?”

Her chin notched up. “You want a list of my lovers, is that what you’re saying?”

Tucker cleared his throat. “I think that might be helpful, yes.”

Her eyes were on Josh. “Because you think one of them—one of the men I’ve slept with in the past—came all the way down here, killed three other women, dumped their bodies in the ocean and then came after me. That’s what you think?”

Josh wanted to touch her. To smooth away the line between her brows. “Based on what he said, it seems that this perp was focusing on you, Casey. By looking at those close to you, we may be able to find out why.”

“Maybe he said the same thing to every woman he took.” Now she glanced over at Tucker. “That’s what killers like him do, right? They follow their rituals, their rules. Like step one...calling the sheriff—taunting him. Then step two...was learning the secrets of his victims. Maybe he said the same crap to us all. There’s nothing personal there between us. I don’t know him.”

“He had on a mask,” Tucker pointed out. “And you said he even disguised his voice. Maybe you do know him. And...you’re a celebrity, Casey. Even if you don’t personally know him, he may feel that he knows you. You’re on his TV every week. That could have led to a fixation. It could have led—”

“To him kidnapping me and trying to kill me? To killing all of those other women?”

Tucker just stared at her. “I’ll need the names of your lovers, ma’am. I need the names of any close friends you have down here and back in New York. On a case like this, every angle must be explored.”

Her cheeks had flushed a dark pink. “The list is short, okay? I haven’t had a boyfriend in two years, so there isn’t anyone back home who needs to make your list. As far as friends—yes, I have a lot of those, but they’re mostly superficial. I don’t exactly let a lot of people close.” She exhaled. “But I’ll still make you the list. I just... Can I rest first? My head is aching again and I just—I need a minute.” She brushed past Josh.

No, she tried to brush past him. He caught her arms and forced her to look at him. “You okay?”

Her laugh sounded bitter and rough. “I am very far from okay.” Her eyes were filled with moisture but, just like before, she blinked before any teardrops could fall. “Where’s my room?”

“Down the hallway. Second door on the right.” His was the first door. He let her go. Josh watched as she hurried down the hallway and slipped into the second room on the right. When the door closed behind her, he turned back to focus on Tucker.

Tucker Frost. Like Josh, the guy had a dangerous past. When it came to killers, things were very, very personal for Tucker. No wonder his name had clicked for Casey. Being a reporter, there would have been no way for her to miss the sensational story that had been Tucker’s life, even if that bloody hell had made the news years ago. Some stories were never forgotten.

“She has secrets,” Josh said flatly. For some reason, when he said those words, he felt as if he were almost betraying her. Ridiculous, of course. He was just doing his job. But...

Tucker lifted a brow. “You seem to be very close to our victim.”

She’s more than a victim. “I’m the one who took her to the hotel right before she was abd

ucted.” I’m the one who will never leave her alone like that again.

“And here I thought Ms. Quinn said she didn’t have a lover in the area.”

He took a step toward the other agent, but caught himself. “Not like that,” he gritted out. He’d known Tucker for a long time...way before they’d joined the FBI. Back when they’d been two lost men trying to save the world, one bloody battle at a time. Tucker had been the one to actually convince him to join the FBI. Tucker had been the one to tell him that there was a place for Josh at the Bureau.

Tucker had wanted to focus on the killers. He’d been obsessed with finding out how to get in their heads. With Tucker’s past, Josh certainly understood why. But...

For me, it’s always been about the victims.

“She was waiting outside the sheriff’s station. I gave her a ride back to her place. That is all.”

Tucker rolled back his shoulders. “Then how do you know about the secrets?”

“I can tell when a woman is hiding something. She admitted it herself—no close friends, no lovers that she lets in. She’s protecting herself.”

“Which one of us is building the profile?” Tucker mused.

Josh raked a hand through his hair. “You know I don’t go for that. I don’t want in their heads.” Too much darkness lived there. Once, the darkness had tried to swallow him alive. After a mission gone horribly wrong. “I’m going to dig into her past. I’ll find out what she’s hiding.”

“Her past could be tied to the killer.”

That was what he feared. “We both know that two killers of this caliber—Theodore Anderson and the perp who attacked her—there is no way they should both have been hunting in this town.” The odds were just against that ever occurring.

Only it had occurred.

“We need to talk with Theodore Anderson,” Tucker said. The faint lines near his mouth deepened. “Right now, Sheriff Black is operating under the assumption that Anderson committed his crimes alone. But maybe that’s not the case. Maybe there was always someone else in the background.”