Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 75193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Oh, God,” she whispered. “That’s terrible.”
“Daisy…” I started. “Was the same done to her?”
Both agents nodded. “Yes.”
“And you think that he’ll be coming back here…for us.” It was a statement, not a question, meaning that I already knew the answer. I just wanted to know what they were thinking, too.
“So we’re not being brought upon any charges?” he asked.
Both agents shook their heads.
“No,” Agent Fork answered. “All we need from you is your cooperation. We’d like you to go into protective custody until we can find Coller. He’s being linked to well over thirty murders across three states with similar nuances.”
“So you’re thinking he’s a serial killer?” I asked.
Agent Coldwater confirmed my suspicions.
“Did you question the man that he brought into the ER, the one who had his foot chewed on by the alligator?” Freya asked suddenly.
Both men turned to her.
“What man?” I asked her softly.
“The day that you came, two days ago?” she said. “That’s why he was there. He brought in a man who was bitten by an alligator. Both of them were similar in looks now that I think about it.”
“His brother,” I said, turning to the two agents. “There’s a third brother, one that was a little slow. Everyone always thought he had autism or something, but Hanson kept him secluded at his house about ten minutes from here, directly on the river.”
“Will you show us the house?” Coldwater asked.
I nodded.
“She’s not coming with me, though,” I pointed at Freya. “I’ll have to get some men up here to watch her.”
“I’ll do it, son,” Sheriff Leslie said as he came into the room.
Leffron, the other deputy that’d been on the Coller case, followed him.
“We’ve had a sighting of Coller, and he’s not at his house. He’s at The Uncertain Saints’ clubhouse.”
Mother. Fucker.
***
Agent Fork and Coldwater, along with Griffin, Wolf, Casten and Mig followed me as I rode my bike down the long winding road that led to the clubhouse.
Once we’d reached the last turn in the road that led to a long stretch of pavement just before the clubhouse turnoff, I stopped, pulling over and shutting the bike off.
The others followed suit, and the silence that stood stagnant around us was nearly deafening.
“Peek is there with his wife, Alison,” I said to the group as a whole. “They were the ones to call it in. Someone pulled up on a boat and started shooting the place up from the river. Peek was the one to recognize Coller.”
“I don’t understand why he would do this now,” Wolf said with confusion. “He would know, just as well as everyone, that the place is reinforced. He’s trying to lure you there.”
I shrugged. “Then I’ll let him lure me there.”
“There’s got to be another reason,” Wolf said with confusion.
I’d had the same feeling, but Peek was the one to call and tell me that Coller was there. I would trust him to know.
“I’m going in anyway,” I said, swinging my leg over the bike.
“You need to stop and think about this,” Wolf said as he tried to stop me.
I pulled away from him.
“Let the past go. Think this through. Why would he do this?” Wolf asked again.
I tugged my arm free of his grip.
“I’m trying to let the past go. Get the fuck off of me. Either help me or get out of my way.”
Wolf got out of my way.
It was the biggest mistake of my life.
Chapter 20
I wake up awesome.
-Coffee Cup
Freya
I was doodling my fourth heart on the desk calendar covering nearly all of Ridley’s desktop when a commotion from the other side of the door took my attention away from making Ridley’s desk pretty.
I heard the Sheriff’s voice, all gruff and guttural, yell out for someone to ‘stop’ and a gunshot sounded.
The bang of the gun reverberated around the small office I was in, and I stood up, hastily getting out from behind the desk as I reacted on pure instinct.
Objects in my way didn’t make it conducive for me to run.
“Freeze!” someone else roared.
Another gunshot sounded.
By this time, I had Ridley’s number dialed and the phone ringing before I’d even realized I’d done it.
“Hello?” Ridley’s tight voice answered, sounding distracted.
The door slammed open and a shotgun pumped.
The sound, no matter where you heard it, was always distinct.
It didn’t matter if it was on the TV, in real life, or on the phone, the sound never strayed from being known instinctively.
Meaning Ridley knew—without me saying—what was going on. I was in big trouble.
My whole body froze as I saw the man in the hallway.
It was Ridley…but the beard wasn’t right.
Where Ridley’s had a touch of red in it, this man’s was more brown than blonde.
“Ahhh,” the man drawled. “My brother’s whore.”
My blood froze in my veins.
“You’re…Connor?” I asked, trying for nice.
The man’s smile was evil.
“You got it in one,” he confirmed, moving forward until he was in the room with me.