by Rita Herron
Macey was shaking, crying, bleeding. But she’d gotten away. The elevator began to move. Gentle instrumental music filled the air.
The doors opened again, spitting her out on the lobby level. She heard the din of voices, phones ringing and a baby crying somewhere in the distance. She walked out of the elevator, naked and bloody.
Silence. Everything just stopped as she staggered down the corridor.
“H-help me...”
A wide-eyed nurse rose from the check-in desk. “Dr. Night?”
Macey looked down at her bloody body. “H-help me...”
* * *
“I’VE FOUND HIM.” Macey Night exhaled slowly as she faced her team at the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. All eyes were on her, and she knew just how important this meeting was. She’d spent five years hunting, searching, never giving up, and now, finally... “I believe that I know the location of Daniel Haddox.” She cleared her throat and let her gaze drift around the conference room table. “Daniel...the serial killer otherwise known as ‘The Doctor’ thanks to the media.”
A low whistle came from her right—from FBI special agent Bowen Murphy. “I thought he was dead.”
Macey had wanted him to be dead. “I never believed that he died from his injuries. That was just a story that circulated in the news. Daniel was the best surgeon I ever met. He knew how to survive.”
“And how to vanish,” said Samantha Dark. Samantha Dark was in charge of their team. The group had been her brainchild. Samantha had hand selected every member of their unit. The FBI didn’t have official profilers—actually, “profiler” wasn’t even a title that they used. Instead, Samantha and her team were called “behavioral analysis experts.” But the people in that conference room were different from the BAU members who worked typical cases in the violent crimes division.
Each person in that small conference room—each person there—had an intimate connection to a serial killer.
Her gaze slid over her team members.
Samantha Dark...so fragile in appearance with her pale skin, dark hair and delicate build, but so strong inside. Samantha’s lover had been a killer, but she had brought him down. She’d been the one to realize that personal connections to serial perpetrators weren’t a weakness...they could be a strength.
Tucker Frost. The FBI agent’s bright blue stare held Macey’s. Tucker’s brother had been a serial killer. The infamous Iceman who’d taken too many victims in New Orleans. His exploits were legendary—scary stories that children whispered late at night.
Her hands fisted as her gaze slid to the next member of their team. Bowen Murphy. His blond hair was disheveled, and his dark gaze was intense as it rested upon her. Bowen had hunted down a serial killer, a man who the local authorities had sworn didn’t exist. But Bowen had known the perp was out there. A civilian, he’d gone on the hunt and killed the monster in the shadows.
And then...then there was Macey herself. She’d worked side by side with a serial killer. She’d been his victim. She’d been the only “patient” to escape his care alive.
Now she’d found him. After five years of always looking over her shoulder and wondering if he’d come for her again. She’d. Found. Him. “You’re right, Samantha,” Macey acknowledged with a tilt of her head. “Daniel Haddox did know how to vanish.” Her voice was quiet. Flat. “But I knew he wouldn’t turn away from medicine. I knew he would have to return to his patients. He would have to pick up a scalpel again.” But there had been so many places he could have gone. He could have easily stayed under the radar, opening up a clinic that dealt only in cash. One that didn’t have any government oversight because it wasn’t legitimate. One that catered to the poorest of communities.
Where he would have even greater control over his victims.
“I also knew that he wouldn’t stop killing,” Macey said. Once more, her gaze slid back to Bowen. She often found herself doing that—looking to Bowen. She wasn’t even sure why, not really. They’d been partners on a few cases, but...
His gaze held hers. Bowen looked angry. That was odd. Bowen usually controlled his emotions so well. It was often hard to figure out just what the guy was truly thinking. He would present a relaxed, casual front to the world, but beneath the surface, he could be boiling with intensity.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were hunting him?” Bowen’s words were rough, rumbling. He had a deep voice, strong, and she sucked in a breath as she realized that his anger was fully directed at her.
“The Doctor isn’t an active case for our group,” Macey said. They had more than enough current crimes to keep them busy. “We have other killers that we have been hunting and I didn’t want to distract from—”
“Bullshit.” His voice had turned into a rasp. “You forgot you were on a team, Macey. What impacts you impacts us all.”
She licked her lips. He was right. Her news did impact them all. “That’s why I called this meeting. Why I am talking to you all now.” Even though her instincts had screamed for her to act. For her to race up to the small town of Hiddlewood, North Carolina, and confront the man she believed to be Daniel Haddox. But... “I want backup on this case.” Because the dark truth was that Macey didn’t trust herself to face Daniel alone.
Samantha’s fingers tapped on the table. “How can you be so sure you’ve found him?”
Macey fumbled a bit and hit her laptop. Immediately, her files projected onto the screen to the right. “This victim was discovered twenty-four hours ago.” Her words came a little too fast, so she sucked in another breath, trying to slow herself down. “A victim who is currently in the Hiddlewood ME’s office. The autopsy hasn’t even begun, but the medical examiner was struck by what she felt was a ritualistic pattern on the victim.” She licked her lips. “Look at the victim’s arms. The slices, from wrist to elbow. The Doctor always made those marks first on his victims. Those are his test wounds. He makes them to be sure his victims can feel the pain of their injuries, but still not fight him.”
Silence. Macey clasped her hands together. “We got lucky on this one because we have a medical examiner who pays close attention to detail—and who seems very familiar with the work of Daniel Haddox. Dr. Sofia Lopez sent those files to the FBI, and I’ve got... I’ve got a friend here who knows what I’ve been looking for in terms of victim pathology.” When she’d seen those wounds, Macey had known she’d found the bastard who’d tormented her. “I think the man who killed this victim is Daniel Haddox, and I think we need to get a team up to Hiddlewood right away.”
Tucker leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the screen. “You think this perp will kill again? You’re so sure we’re not dealing with some copycat who just heard about Daniel Haddox’s crimes and thought he could imitate the murders?” Tucker pressed.
No, she wasn’t sure. How could she be? “I think we need to get up there.” Her hands twisted in front of her. She wasn’t supposed to let cases get personal, Macey knew that, but...how could this case not be personal? Haddox had marked her, literally. He’d changed her whole life. She’d left medicine. She’d joined the FBI. She’d hunted killers because...
Because deep down, I’m always hunting him. The one who got away. The one I have to stop.
Samantha stared at her in silence for a moment. A far-too-long moment. Macey realized she was holding her breath. And then—
“Get on a plane and get up there,” Samantha directed curtly. Then she pointed to Bowen. “You, too, Bowen. I want you and Macey working together on this one. Get up there, take a look at the crime scene, and...” Her gaze cut back to Macey. “You work with the ME. If Daniel Haddox really committed this homicide, then you’ll know. You know his work better than anyone.”
Because she still carried his “work” on her body. And in her mind. In the dark chambers that she fought so hard to keep closed.
But now I’ve found you, Daniel. You w
on’t get away again.
Tucker rose and came around the table toward her as she fumbled with her laptop. “Macey...” His voice was pitched low so that only she could hear him. “Are you sure you want to be the one going after him? Believe me on this...sometimes confronting the demons from your past doesn’t free you. It just pulls you deeper into the darkness.”
Her hands stilled on her laptop. She looked into Tucker’s eyes and saw the sympathy that filled his stare. If anyone would know about darkness, it would be Tucker. She lifted her chin, hoping she looked confident. “I want to put this particular darkness in a cell and make sure he never gets out.”
He nodded, but the heaviness never left his expression. “If you and Bowen hit trouble, call in the rest of the team, got it? We always watch out for each other.”
Yes, they did.
She put her laptop into her bag. Tucker filed out of the room, but Samantha lingered near the doorway. Bowen wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Macey figured that he must have slipped away while she was talking to Tucker. Clutching her bag, she headed toward Samantha.
“How many victims do you think he’s claimed?” Samantha’s voice was quiet as she asked the question that haunted Macey.
Every single night...when she wondered where Daniel was...when she wondered if he had another patient trapped on his table. How many? “We know he killed five patients before he took me.” They’d found their remains in that hospital, hidden behind a makeshift wall in the basement. Daniel had made his own crypt for those poor people. He’d killed them, and then he’d sealed them away.
“He’s been missing for several years,” Macey continued. Her heart drummed too fast in her chest.
“And serial killers don’t just stop, not cold turkey.” Samantha tilted her head as she studied Macey. “He might have experienced a cooling-off period, but he wouldn’t have been able to give up committing the murders. He would have needed the rush that he got when he took a life.”
How many victims? “I don’t know how many,” Macey whispered. And, because she trusted Samantha, because Samantha was more than just her boss—she was her friend—Macey said, “I’m afraid to find out.”
Because every one of those victims would be on her. After all, Macey was the one who hadn’t stopped him. She’d run away from him, so terrified, and when she’d fled, he’d escaped.
And lived to kill another day.
Samantha’s hand rose and she squeezed Macey’s shoulder. “You didn’t hurt those people—none of those people.”
“I ran away.” She licked her lips.
“You survived. You were a victim then. That’s what you were supposed to do—survive.”
She wasn’t a victim any longer. “I’m an FBI agent now.”
“Yes.” Samantha held her gaze. “And he won’t get away again.”
No, he damn well wouldn’t.
After a quick planning talk with Samantha, Macey slipped into the hallway and hurried toward her small office. As always, their floor was busy, a hum of activity, and she could hear the rise and fall of voices in the background. She kept her head down and soon she was in her office, shutting that door behind her—
“I would have helped you.”
Macey sucked in a sharp breath. Bowen stood next to the sole window in the small room, his gaze on the city below. His hands were clasped behind his back, and she could see the bulk of his weapon and holster beneath the suit jacket he wore.
She put her laptop down on the desk. “Samantha said we should be ready to fly in an hour. She’s giving us the FBI’s jet to use—”
He turned toward her. “Do you trust me, Mace?”
Mace. That was the nickname he’d adopted for her, and half the time, she wasn’t even sure that he realized he was changing her name. But...it was softer when he said “Mace” and not “Macey.” For some reason, she usually felt good when he used that nickname.
She didn’t feel good right then. Do you trust me? Was that a trick question? She frowned at him. “You’re my partner. I have to trust you.” Or else they’d both be screwed. She was supposed to watch his back, and he was supposed to watch hers. It was pretty much the only way the FBI worked.
He crossed his arms over his chest as he considered her. “I have to ask... What will happen if you come face-to-face with Daniel Haddox?”
She stared up at him, but for a moment, she didn’t see Bowen. She saw Daniel. Smiling. His eyes gleaming. And a scalpel in his hand. The scalpel was covered in her blood.
Don’t miss
INTO THE NIGHT
available December 2017
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Copyright © 2017 by Cindy Roussos
ISBN-13: 9781488033025
Safe at Hawk’s Landing
Copyright © 2017 by Rita B. Herron
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