Billy Ray had yet to appear.
The steady ticking of the clock on the wall drew his attention. Eight o’clock. Anger and desperation warred inside him as the air around him chilled.
She’s alive.
He stared at the sleeping woman and sighed. So beautiful, so passionate. She would have been the perfect partner for him. Until Arnold messed everything up and forced his hand.
In hindsight, he might have been too impulsive in taking her. Maybe he should leave her somewhere for them to find. Cut his losses. Do better the next time. No. He’d come too far to stop now. Besides, he was rather enjoying the game.
Desire surged as he ran long fingers through the ebony curls lying against her cheek, tracing the red mark above the rough rag tied over her mouth. It hurt him to do that, but, for now, it could not be helped.
When he watched Arnold drive out of town with Sam, his anger was immediate and intense. His careful plans to win her ruined. Arnold would pay dearly for that as well. Soon. For now, though, he must wait. However, he did appreciate the grocer’s foresight in getting rid of the bothersome dog. He’d wondered how that could be accomplished when the time came, but Arnold took care of it for him. True, it interfered with his meticulous plans, but he would adjust.
A moment of unease rippled over him as he considered how close the grocer came to discovering him this morning. He barely managed to leave the rose and scurry out of sight, then watched from the shadows as Frank dumped something in the dog’s water bowl. It was funny to watch how Arnold paled when Jack came around the house and growled at him. He had backed away slowly, then vanished from view.
The huge mutt watched Arnold leave, then scanned the yard, ears pricked forward.
The man held his breath when those watchful eyes skimmed past his hiding place, only to return. He had expected the dog to be inside as before. Cold hands gripped the deadly knife as he waited and silently cursed his foolishness. The second rose should come later, but for reasons he could not explain, he felt compelled to do it now. And it nearly cost him everything.
Jack scanned the yard once more, then trotted over to the water bowl.
The man snickered at the noisy lapping sound. Drink up, you worthless piece of shit. Drink up. While the dog drank, the man slipped away into the pre-dawn darkness.
When Sam stirred, he stepped behind the sofa where she lay. It wasn’t time to reveal himself yet.
Considering how deep she slept, he assumed Arnold had heavily drugged her, and she would be out for a while yet. She hadn’t even stirred when he put her in the trunk. He really hated to leave her there as long as he did, but things change and plans must be altered. Thankfully, she was still out when he got here. The next phase of his plan needed some tweaks, so he didn’t mind.
Arnold was a fool and nowhere near good enough for her. And the sheriff as well. So cocky and full of himself. Thought he was better, and smarter than everyone else. But he wasn’t nearly as smart as he thought he was.
The evidence slept on his couch, and rested on slabs at the morgue.
Euphoria danced inside him, making him light-headed. “I am the master,” he whispered. “I cannot be caught.” Chest puffed out, back straight, he checked his reflection in the mirror behind him. “What a shame no one knows.”
Muted light glistened off cold, dead eyes as he snipped a lock of Sam’s hair.
A welcoming light glowed through the kitchen window as Coop pulled up to the house and saw Jason’s truck parked in his usual spot. The heavy weight centered on his chest lifted.
I won’t have to face this night alone.
Jay dumped scrambled eggs onto a plate as Coop walked in the kitchen.
“Just in time.” His son nodded toward the coffee pot on the counter. “Hot and fresh.”
“Thanks, Son.” Coop filled his mug and sank into a chair at the table, worry and exhaustion sapping the last reserves of energy.
“I figured you probably didn’t take time to eat,” said Jason as he put a plate of bacon and eggs on the table.
Coop’s hand trembled as he gulped coffee, then white knuckled a forkful of eggs. “I didn’t.” The gooey intrusion made his stomach roll, as images of what Sam might be enduring tormented him. By sheer force of will, he kept eating.
Jason rolled and unrolled a kitchen towel, his gaze locked on Coop. “Jack gonna be okay?”
A nod sufficed for an answer.
“What can you tell me, Dad?”
It took a long swallow of coffee for the last bite of eggs to go down. Fear constricted his chest to the point that getting enough air bordered on impossible. The constant, terrifying what-ifs wouldn’t stop. Even a just-the-facts rundown threatened to unhinge him.
Never had he ever felt so helpless and afraid.
Jason remained silent until the end. “Okay, so some douchebag snatched her from Frank’s place. Which means he had to have seen him leave with her, right?”
Coop sat back in his chair. “In theory, yes. But we found nothing out of the ordinary here. The shoe prints at the farmhouse were lousy at best and could belong to half the men in the county.”
“What about here?”
Dark brows pinched together, and he exhaled long and slow. “Too much grass and gravel. Not to mention the in and out traffic.” His voice trailed off. He had nothing.
Nervous energy made him fidget in the chair, then push back from the table. “I can’t sit here doing nothing. I’m going back to the office. Look over everything again. I’m missing something. I can feel it.”
“Is Eva still being released tomorrow?”
“Yeah. No idea what time.”
