Page 104 of Reclaimed

“A child?” Lee asks, his face twisting into an ugly mask.

Sutton shakes his head. Sorrow deepens the lines on his face. “An adult. A twenty-one-year-old college student on the way to a house party.”

“That’s still nearly a child,” Lee rages. “Where?”

“About two blocks from here,” Silas imparts.

“Is-Is it connected?” My voice is barely above a whisper as a torrent of fear sweeps through me. “To the other murders?”

Seven pairs of eyes swing in my direction. Aiden yanks me into his torso. Sutton’s voice is gentle, softening when he says, “We don’t think so. The scene’s totally different.”

My throat cinches tight. The feeling of loss suffocating me. I don’t know this woman, but I don’t have to. I’ve heard enough stories of women dying at the hands of a deranged killer over the last two months.

“I want to go home.” I grip Aiden’s shirt and bury my face in his chest. His strong arms wrap around me like an anchor. “Please take me home.”

27

Aiden

“This is a good idea.”

The apprehension in Isla’s voice stops me in my tracks. Last night was rough. Despite Silas and Sutton’s reassurance that the murders aren’t related, Isla couldn’t settle down. We read a chapter of the baby book together, and once the lights went out, I spent the rest of the night holding her as she drifted in and out of a restless sleep.

“I think taking Remy for a walk is the perfect distraction.” The tired purple rings around her eyes have me second guessing, though. “But if you’d rather nap, we can stay home.”

She shakes herself out of it. “No. I want to take my boy for a walk. I just can’t let it get into my head.” Her soft smile doesn’t reach her eyes.

Stepping forward, I cup her cheeks. Her flowery scent swirls between us as I tuck her hair behind her ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you, starshine. I promise.”

Water wells on her lash line. “I just can’t stop thinking about that poor girl.” She covers my hands with her own, putting up an admirable fight to stay strong.

“I know.”

“How can they be sure?” She searches my eyes for answers.

“Sutton said the girl didn’t fit the profile. The girl was only twenty-one. She had a boyfriend. She had brown hair. She was attacked outside. From what they could tell, he used his hands to take her life rather than a cord. But the biggest sign is there was no calling card.”

“Show me the paper again?”

My shoulders tense as I dig out the piece of ripped lined paper Silas gave me that day at the bar from my coat pocket. She studies the symbol for the second time. “I feel like I should know what this is.”

“No you shouldn’t. You have nothing to do with what’s happening to those women.” I speak the words as if I’m willing them into existence.

Isla jams the heels of her palms into her eyes. “This is making me feel crazy. I shouldn’t be this scared.”

She doesn’t fight as I circle her wrists and pull her hands from her face. “Don’t judge yourself for your feelings. They’re valid and normal.”

“Then why aren’t you freaking out?”

“You think I’m not freaking out?” I run a hand through my hair, tension spilling out. “Fuck, Isla, I feel like I’m replaying the scenario from a few months ago except now the person I’m trying to protect is the person I love.”

I don’t immediately register the way her face changes. How the self-judgment transforms into confusion, and then hope.

“You love me?”

A breath escapes me, sharp and unexpected. The words tumbled out, liberating me. A weight floats off my shoulders.I drop my forehead against hers and lace our fingers. Bracing. Hoping along with her.

“Didn’t you notice I was falling?”

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