Kyle locked his arms around her. “Reinforcements are coming. We’ll search the tunnels. Every damn space in here, I swear.” He breathed the words against her ear.
She didn’t stop struggling. “He’s getting away! Dammit, you wanted to stop him.”
He shook her. Hard. “I want you.” Fuck, didn’t she get that? “I want you safe. I want you out of here.”
She didn’t even have a gun. She was going to run blindly through the darkness? Where the killer could be waiting with his booby traps any moment?
No.
He wanted the bastard. But…
Not at the price of her life.
Footsteps rushed toward them in the darkness.
Keeping a tight hold on Cadence, he whirled, shining his light on their company.
Heather. Randall. They were both out of breath. Both gasping.
His hold tightened on Cadence. “You did your job, baby. You found another lair.”
The tricky bastard. This made three kill sites. Three. Talk about confidence.
“This place connects with the other tunnels,” Cadence whispered. “Fiona said it all connected.”
Then they’d search until they’d covered every possible inch in the caverns. But they weren’t going in blind. It was what the killer wanted. For them to chase after him so he could spring another trap.
Not happening.
“Get Cadence out of here,” he said as he forced his hands to release her. He didn’t want to release her. He wanted to hold her tight. To make sure she was okay.
She needed to be checked out. She’d been in a car crash. Who the hell knew what that bastard had done to her after that?
“I don’t want to go,” Cadence said as she dug in her heels. “I can help.”
“You already have.” They’d set up guards at the entrance to that hell. No one would get out that way. “We’re going to send teams searching through here. We’re going to find every secret the bastard has.”
So many of those secrets were right there. Their bones laid out in a macabre grave.
Is Maria there?
He slammed the door on that thought. He wouldn’t go there.
Not yet.
He had to hold onto his control. Not let the rage and fear break through.
Cadence needed him.
He needed her.
“Come with me,” Heather said softly. “It’s okay, Agent Hollow.” Her voice was low, soothing.
“Fuck that,” Cadence snapped back. “Nothing’s okay. You’ve got a sick, twisted SOB out here. He’s been hunting his victims for over fifteen years. Nothing’s going to be okay until we have him tossed in a cage, because he won’t stop, not until then. He won’t stop!”
“Cadence…”
She choked back a sob. “I couldn’t save Fiona.” She lifted her hands. The cuffs glinted. “If I took the knife out, she would’ve bled out faster. He left me with her, and there was nothing I could do.”
She was breaking him. Cadence backed away.
“I can get the cuffs off you, ma’am,” Heather said, still in the soothing voice. “Come with me. I have something we can use in my car.”
“I was supposed to save her,” Cadence whispered.
“Please, ma’am,” Heather pushed softly.
Cadence moved toward her. Her steps were wooden. Slow. But she left Kyle.
Cadence glanced back. “Screw his rules,” she said. “Screw him.”
Kyle didn’t move. He just stared after her until she vanished with Heather. Then he forced himself to speak. “There are bodies here,” he said to Hollings. “We’re gonna need an evidence-and-retrieval team down here.” Not just local guys. Ben would make sure they had the best team they could get. He’d fly them in.
“Is he here?” Hollings whispered.
Kyle stared down the darkened tunnel. “Get the ropes because we’re about to f**king find out.”
There were too many lights outside. Bright lights flashing from the police cruisers. Headlights turned on high. Searchlights. Local county officers were running around, desperately trying to secure the scene as the rain continued to pound them.
“Chaos,” Cadence whispered as she rubbed at the goose bumps on her arms. This would be just the type of scene the perp wanted. He could slip right out with all these people here. All he’d need was a cop uniform. Or maybe even the clothes of an EMT.
“Agent Hollow?” The EMT frowned at her as Heather pushed her toward the ambulance. Heather had gotten the handcuffs off, as promised, then she’d started yelling for medical help.
I don’t need help.
“Agent Hollow,” the EMT insisted, “I need to examine you.”
“I’ve got a concussion. I don’t have blurry vision, no memory loss. No shaking. I’m fine.”
His gaze slid to Heather.
“We understand why you did it,” Heather said softly. “It’s okay, Agent Hollow. She came at you, you must have needed to defend yourself.”
Cadence blinked. “What are you talking about?”
Heather licked her lips. “The woman in the room with you. The woman you killed.”
“I didn’t kill her!”
“You were alone with her. The knife was in her chest. Her blood was on you.”
Oh, hell. “My fingerprints are going to be on that knife, too,” Cadence threw out as her head throbbed. “Just mine because the SOB was smart enough to wear gloves.” He was so much smarter than the average predator and that was why he’d been able to get away with his kills for so long. “But I didn’t kill her. I tried to save Fiona!”
“Fiona?” Heather’s voice trembled and her eyes widened. “You mean Fiona Slater?”
“She was working with him.” She raised a hand, rubbing her eyes. “No, not working with him. That’s not what happened. She thought if she helped him bring me in, she’d be free. That I’d take her place.” Only that hadn’t been the killer’s plan.
If Fiona had killed Cadence, then the SOB would have kept her alive. Because he would have proven he had ultimate control over her.
But when Fiona had refused…he took her life away.
“That’s why you stabbed her?” Heather asked, her face solemn. “She was working with—”
“He stabbed her because she wouldn’t kill me.” Her voice was brittle. “Fiona was desperate to be free. Desperate to get her life back, but she wasn’t going to kill another person, no matter what he wanted. When she didn’t do it, he drove the knife into her heart and left her there with me. Left her to die.” She looked down at her hands and realized they were covered with blood. No wonder Heather’s eyes held so much suspicion. “I thought I might be able to keep her alive long enough for help to arrive.”