Way of the Shadows (Shadow Agents 8)
Noelle’s arms were crossed over her chest. “Those girls were all taken that long ago? Then they—”
“I don’t believe any of those girls are still alive.”
Noelle’s shoulders sagged.
Thomas narrowed his gaze on Mercer. “Since when does the EOD get involved on a serial’s crime?” They didn’t, not unless...
“The girls were taken from different states and different countries.” It was Aaron who spoke. His voice was low and devoid of accent. “The techs at the EOD matched all of those abductions with ports of call that Senator Lawrence Duncan visited while he was enlisted in the navy.”
Noelle shook her head. “He didn’t do this! He’s dead, and Jenny Tucker was abducted after Duncan’s body had already been found. Her mother saw her leave the house that morning, and we know Duncan was killed during the night.”
“Our mistake before,” Mercer said, cutting through her words but sending a sympathetic glance her way, or at least, as sympathetic as Mercer got, “was thinking there was only one killer involved. Obviously, there were two.”
Red flashed on Noelle’s high cheekbones. “Justin Hardin is dead.”
“Hardin was hunting you,” Aaron said. His gaze slid to Thomas. “We, um, learned that from Agent Anthony. He was the man after you in those Alabama woods.”
He wanted to cross to Noelle’s side. This situation was so messed up.
“But Hardin had a partner.” Aaron’s head inclined toward Noelle. “One we missed.”
“You’re still missing the truth!” The red grew darker on her cheeks. “If there was a second killer, there would be more victims.” She pointed at Mercer. “You said the girls were all taken before me. The killer wouldn’t just stop after my abduction. He wouldn’t simply quit killing. It d
oesn’t work like that. Killing would be a compulsion for him. He’d keep taking victims because he had to. If we’re dealing with a serial, he’d have a ritual that he followed and—” Noelle broke off as her eyes widened. “Hunting.”
“Yes,” Mercer said softly.
Thomas was lost. His stare drifted between Mercer and Noelle. What was he missing?
“He kept killing, but he changed his prey.” Noelle’s gaze seemed unfocused, and Thomas knew she was trying to profile the man they were after. “He was hunting girls before, teenagers, but... Something changed.”
“Maybe the fact that his partner died?” Aaron tossed out. “Maybe that sent the guy into a tailspin.”
Noelle rubbed her temples. “He’s hunting. Last night, when he lured Thomas and me outside of this place, he was hunting us.”
Mercer frowned. “He was here? What the hell? Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Because they hadn’t exactly had the chance. Thomas locked gazes with the director. “We pursued him in the storm last night. Noelle shot him, but he got away.”
“He got away because of me.” Noelle’s chin came up. “The attacker threw me onto weak ice and I fell through. Thomas had to pull me to safety.”
Aaron lifted a brow. “Uh, you went through the ice?”
“I survived.” Her voice was cold. Noelle started to pace. “He’s a hunter, and he knows this area.” Noelle’s gaze snapped toward Thomas. “He started by hunting girls—they both did—but... After the partner died, maybe our guy realized he needed more of a challenge. He had to go for tougher game.”
“And that’s precisely what he did.” Mercer nodded grimly. “I got Sydney to pull up every piece of intel we had on the late Senator Duncan.”
Thomas knew Mercer was referring to Sydney Ortez. The woman was a genius with computers and information retrieval.
Mercer continued, “It seems that the senator’s enemies—a few in the U.S. but particularly abroad—had a tendency to vanish.”
“They were hunted,” Thomas surmised. “By the senator?”
Mercer hesitated.
“He didn’t get his hands dirty,” Noelle said, and her words sounded so certain. “Not in the attack in D.C. and not when we were pushed off the road that first night. Duncan was a background guy. A puppeteer...”
Just like Mercer?