by Kerry Taylor
“It’s fine.” I hurried to assure him as I stopped before him, looking up the great distance to his face, not failing to appreciate his toned abs and chest beneath his shirt as I moved past them. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s been another body found.” He replied. “The same killer.”
“That’s awful Kade. I’m sorry.” I whispered as I stepped forward, needing to comfort him. I knew he took the weight of every crime he handled heavily on his own shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him as tight as I could.
“I thought Livy gave you dates and locations of the next four murders?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, she did, but I think when he found out we deciphered that message and were onto him, he changed his plans. He never expected anyone to understand that message. He thought he was smarter than all of us when he sent it.”
“But he wasn’t. Not smarter than Livy anyway.” Matt smiled at me and I blushed at his compliment.
“What now then? Can you stop him this time?” I asked as I pulled back from Kade’s arms enough to look up at him.
“Maybe.” Kade sighed as he sat on the sofa and buried his face in his hands, rubbing hard at his eyes with the heels of his hands.
“Kade? What is it man? Just talk to us.” Matt implored as he too looked to his brother with concern.
I sat down beside him and rubbed a hand up and down his back, trying to calm him. Eventually he looked up at me and the worry and fear in his eyes panicked me.
“There was another message.” He sighed. “You don’t have to get involved again, Love. I hate even asking you.” He hurried to add.
“Can your techs unravel it this time?” I asked, already knowing the answer. The math in the last message had been like nothing I had seen before. I didn’t understand why, but it had just spoken to me and I had been able to solve it pretty easily, but maybe that was just because I was made as dark and twisted by my time in captivity, as the killer. Could that be true?
“No. So far they have nothing. This message is really different from the last. It was left at the crime scene.”
“But if I can solve it…..work out what it says, you think it will help you stop him, right?”
“I’m hoping so, yes.” Kade nodded and I knew from the tense expression on his face, he hated me having to be involved at all.
“Then I need to try. Do you have it with you?” I asked confidently. I needed to do this, for Kade and for the next innocent victim. If there was some way to stop it all then I had to try.
“I have photos of it. On my laptop.”
“Photos?”
“It was all over the walls of the crime scene. I tried to photograph just the walls for you, but there are a few where the body is partly visible. I would have waited until they moved it, but I wanted to get started incase the next murder is soon.”
“Jesus. You can’t show her crime scene pictures Kade! What are you thinking?” Matt gasped.
“No! It’s fine. I can handle it. I need to solve this as soon as possible. Show me Kade.”
Kade studied my face hard, as if trying to decide if I could actually handle it all. He obviously saw whatever he needed to in my determined look, because he nodded and stood, leaving the room.
“Kade! I mean it! You can’t do this. It’s too much for her after what she’s been through!” Matt yelled as he too jumped up and followed Kade out of the room.
I took a moment just to sit and breathe. I told myself whatever was in those photos I needed to keep it together long enough to solve the math and help Kade stop this crazy from killing more innocent people. It was just photos. How much could a picture really affect me when I had spent eight years of my life living something similar for real?
Kade returned a few minutes later, followed not just by Matt, but now Kyle too.
“I get it bro, you need answers, but just give the techs a little longer first. They could solve it and Liv never needs to be involved.” Kyle argued.
“They won’t solve it Ky! They couldn’t last time and this is worse, more complicated. I hate mixing her up in this, but I need this solved, to stop this fucker and I don’t know where else to turn!” Kade snapped and more than anything I wanted to calm his fear and indecision.
“Kyle, it’s fine. I can deal with a few pictures. Trust me, after what I’ve been through blood is not an issue for me. I have a strong stomach.” I cut in as loud as I could, needing all of them to hear me.
“I know you’re strong Carina, but you’re also tired and struggling today. You told me yourself. We don’t want you having an anxiety attack and draining yourself even more. You’re not strong enough physically to deal with that.” Matt was right before me as he finished up, holding both of my hands in his as he looked at me imploringly, I understood his fears. He was right, I was a mess that day, even more than usual, and there was a possibility the photos would trigger my dark memories, but none of it mattered. I wasn’t important. There were innocent people facing a brutal death if I didn’t woman up and do what Kade needed me to do.
“I know you guys are worried, but I have to do this. Nothing you say will change my mind, so let’s stop wasting time and just get it done.” I said firmly, ending the debate completely. There wasn’t time. I sat back down and nodded to Kade when he looked unsure. He hesitated for just a moment before he hurried over and sat beside me.
“If this is too much, you have to tell me Love. I’ll find another way.” He whispered as his laptop fired up.
“What other way?” I knew there was no alternative. If there was, he wouldn’t be there with me.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. You come first. If this is going to hurt you in any way, then I will end your involvement.”
“You won’t need to do that Kade. I can deal with this.” I pushed as much confidence into my voice as I could.
“Princess….” Kyle started, but I stopped him with a glare.
“No Kyle. Enough now. I’m not as fragile as you all think. You have to just let me get on with this now.” I stared him down hard, until he eventually gave in and nodded just once. He and Matt then moved to the other sofa and took seats opposite where Kade and I were looking at the laptop.
All I could think as Kade started loading up the images was, I can do this, I can do this. I have to do this. I really hoped I was right.
CHAPTER 15
COLE
It was almost one AM and the four of us were all sitting in the media room, pretending to watch a movie, but all really worried sick about Olivia who worked in the office next door.
I had found out about the situation when I went to find her after my afternoon workout. Matt had filled me in and ranted about how mad he was with Kade for showing her the images at all. I got it, I didn’t like it either, but Kade was a police detective. He had a duty to do all he could to protect the public. He needed Olivia’s brain to stop this new killer, and if it was the only way, he had little choice but to ask her. I knew for Kade to involve her as he had, he must have been desperate.
From what Kyle and Kade had told me, she had reacted well when she looked through the images, blocking out the gruesome parts and focusing on what she needed to, the message. She had disappeared into the office with the laptop just before 2PM and now, eleven hours later she was still holed up, having only left once in that whole time, for two minutes to pee. We had all been in, trying to persuade her to take a break, even Grant trying when we all sat for dinner, but there was no moving her.
When I had been in, she had been so deep in whatever she was working on, it took me a good five minutes just to gain her attention. It was like she got sucked into the numbers she was so focussed on, pulling herself away from reality. It was kind of scary to see, like she wasn’t really there anymore. We wanted to pull her away and make her sleep. Kyle had been in at ten and tried being more pushy, demanding she got to bed and rest, but she had flat out refused and when Kyle said he’d carry her, she told him she’d fight him
all the way, and come back to the office as soon as she could.
We knew she wasn’t bluffing. The determination was clear to see in her eyes, so we had let her be, staying close so we could constantly check on her and get her to bed when she inevitably crashed. So far though, despite the fact she was obviously wiped out, she showed no sign of slowing down. She was hunched over that desk, frantically writing sheet after sheet of numbers and flicking between them and the images on the laptop.
“This is crazy. We need to stop her. She’s been woring non stop for eleven fucking hours!” Kyle growled
“How? You can’t drag her away screaming and I have a feeling that’s what it will take.” I said, knowing how stubborn Livy could be.
“She’s gonna wind up making herself sick!”
“We have to let her be. She’s been eating and drinking what we took her. She’ll just drop off eventually when the exhaustion gets too much. All we can do is wait. Even Mom and Dad said it’s best to leave her to it.”
“One more hour!” Kyle declared. “One more hour and she’s getting some sleep. Whether she wants to or fucking not!”
***
A loud cry, followed by a thud had me jumping awake. I looked around and realised I was still in the media room. We all were and judging by the three other confused faces, we all fell asleep.
“What time is it?” Kyle barked.
“Seven AM. We fell asleep.” Matt answered. We all looked at each other then and it sank in.
“Livy!” I cried as I leapt up. The others were Right behind me. I reached the office door first and opened it quietly, hoping she was sleeping, but she wasn’t. She was slumped over the desk, her head in her hands on the top and she was crying. There was one of Dad’s paperweights on the floor by the door, and I realised that must have been the thud. She’d thrown it down in anger.
“Livy? You ok, beautiful?” I asked quietly. I approached her and crouched at her side. She was crying so hard her shoulders shook violently and I placed a hand on her back, desperate to comfort her in some way.
“I….I c-can’t do it Cole!” She cried between sobs.
“You’re exhausted, Love. You need to rest.” Kade said. They were all standing around her, Kade behind me and Matt and Kyle at her other side. We all knew we had seriously fucked up falling asleep and leaving her to get in this state.
“I c-can’t Kade! I got the f-first section. It’s a date.” She finally looked up and terrified me by how pale and exhausted she looked. Her eyes were red and swollen and she was squinting, like her eyes hurt. “It’s t-ommorrow. He has something p-planned for tomorrow, and I can’t…..don’t know anymore to stop it.”
“Ok, enough now.” Kade said firmly as he stepped forward and slammed his laptop shut. “I said I’d end it, if it hurt you, and it’s hurting you Livy. No more looking at this until you’ve had something to eat and drink and slept for at least a few hours. You can’t carry on like this.” He started trying to gather the pages Livy had scattered all over the desk in piles, covered in scrawls, But she slammed her hands down on top of them.
“No! We could have less than twenty four hours Kade! I have to solve this now!” She cried, her voice breaking into a croak half way through, just another sign of her exhaustion.
“I don’t care, Livy, about this , about tomorrow, about anything or anyone except you right now!” Kade barked and I knew it was because he was worried sick about the manic state she was in, we all were. “You’re going to go up to your room with Cole and let him help you get cleaned up and changed. Matt’s going to bring you something to eat and drink and then we will all sit with you while you close your eyes and get some damned sleep.” He used his ‘cop’ voice and it worked, Livy released the pages under her hands and sat back quietly sobbing. Thank God, she’d given in.
“Fine.” She whimpered. “But please don’t move anything Kade. I’m coming right back as soon as I sleep, to figure this out.”
“No way!” Kyle cut in, sounding angry, but I knew it was really because of his worry for her.
“Yes I am and none of you will stop me or I swear to God I will run out of this house and figure it all out in peace somewhere, alone!” Livy threw back, with a fierceness I had never seen from her.
“Liv….” Kyle tried to be softer, but she stood, scowling at him and stopping him instantly.
“Some poor innocent person is going to be murdered Kyle, sometime tomorrow. Somebody’s daughter or sister, or husband or father. I can stop it. If I can work this out Kade and the police can catch him so no one else has to suffer because of this monster. I am not giving up on that, no matter what you do. I will find a way to work this out and give Kade what he needs.” I saw the fire in her eyes and knew for sure she meant every word. I considered us lucky that she had agreed to Kade’s demands to rest for a while. I figured we should be grateful and just take what we could get. There was no way she was backing down any further.
“Come on, Brains. Kade’s going to leave everything where it is, and after you rest, you can come back and try for a few more hours, ok?” I offered her a hand and she took it, her own shaking violently. She looked to Kade and he nodded his agreement.
“I’ll make you some breakfast and bring it up with some tea.” Matt told her, then headed out.
“I will solve this in time, Kade.” Livy said as she walked past him.
“I know you will, Love, but please, just turn that crazy brain of yours off for a few hours, and rest. We have time.”
She just nodded and I pulled her shaking body into my side, knowing she was likely feeling unsteady. She grabbed handfuls of my t-shirt and held onto me tightly. I knew it was a terrible thing to think when she was clearly in a bad way, but it felt so damned good to have her need me as she did in that moment, and she felt so good against me too, like she fit there just perfectly. I knew no matter what, I would never want to let her go.
OLIVIA
I jumped awake with a start. I looked at the clock beside my bed and saw it was almost two PM. I had slept for far too long! I hadn’t even thought I would be able to sleep, my mind running wild with all of the numbers, trying to work out that damned message, but I had eventually dropped off in Kyle’s arms.
He had been a mess, worried and stressing himself out, getting angrier and angrier as he stood watching me eat the omelette Matt had cooked for me. By the time I finished, he was twitchy, constantly running a hand through his hair and unable to stand still. I knew he was beating himself up in some way. I had put an end to it by asking him to lie with me. As soon as he wrapped his arms around me he seemed to settle, and as a result, the others, who were all with me in my room, settled too. I had drifted off quickly and dreamed about the numbers, over and over until I jumped awake with a realisation.
I looked around and found Kyle asleep on the bed beside me. Matt and Cole were propped up against each other against the door, obviously not trusting me to stay in the room. I rolled my eyes and continued my search.
Kade was sitting at my desk, hunched over some paperwork and working hard, as always.
“Kade?” I spoke softly, trying not to wake the others, but Kyle jumped awake instantly beside me.
“Hey Love. How are you feeling?” Kade asked as he stood and strode toward me in that cocky way he always moved. His confidence was very sexy.
“I figured it out. I’m missing some numbers. I need to see the crime scene.” It had come to me as I ran and reran the numbers in my head. I was missing some key parts of the equations, which was why I couldn’t work them out. My brain had been too tired to work it out before.
“Not happening Livy. I can send the techs back. They’ll look for any parts of the message we missed.”
“They won’t find them. I think it has to do with the shapes he drew. They don’t mean anything to the equations so far, but he must have put them there for a reason. I need to see them Kade, I need it all in front of me.”
“You cannot handle seeing that Liv.” Kyle argued
from my other side and again I rolled my eyes. I was sick of them all thinking I was so fucking fragile. I had lived through hell. I could handle more than they realised.
“Yes I can and I have to. I’m going to get dressed and then we’re going, Kade. That’s final. I will stop this monster.” I failed to stop my own, or at least I think I did, but I wouldn’t fail this time. No one else would suffer as those people he already killed had. I would not let it happen.
I jumped out of bed with a new energy and hurried to grab clothes from the closet. Time to be as strong as I knew I could be and do something productive.
***
An hour later Kade and I were in his SUV, on our way to the crime scene. The guys had all wanted to come, but Kade told them he couldn’t have them all tramping over an active crime scene. Kyle had been most pissed, but they all agreed in the end.
I knew none of them were happy about me doing this, but I needed to, and they knew it, so they didn’t try to talk me out of it further.
“This motel room isn’t pretty Livy. You need to prepare yourself. The body has obviously been removed, but there will be blood and there are signs of a struggle.” Kade explained as he glanced from the road to me a few times.
“I’m not expecting kittens and Daisies.” I said sarcastically and he looked over to me with surprise. “You need to remember I lived in a torture chamber for eight years Kade. I laid in my own blood night after night. I’m not squeamish. No one who went through what I did, could be. I can handle whatever I’m about to see. I don’t care as long as I can do what needs to be done to catch this monster.”
“I fucking hate what you’ve had to endure, Love. I wish there was something I could do to change it all.” Kade sighed as he reached over and took my hand. “I will catch them though, this guy, and the one who hurt you. I’ll make sure they never hurt anyone else ever again,”
“I know you will.” I had every faith in him, in all my guys. “Have you or Kyle found anything yet…..about The Shadow?” I had wanted to ask for days, but had also been scared to hear the answer. If they told me they’d tracked him to the city I’d never sleep, terrified he was coming for me again.
