Page 3 of His Witness To Protect

“Likewise,” he said, pulling out the chair and taking a seat across the table.

“I’m Agent Mack Finbar,” he said without extending his hand and continued staring at her.

“Brie Miller,” Brie replied and squirmed a little under his scrutinizing gaze, noting that he looked extremely familiar. She saw the trace of a smile danced at the corners of his lips, and she wondered what it was he found so amusing about her. She smiled nervously to cover up her awkwardness.

The agent sat down and immediately got to work, thoroughly questioning her about her attacker.

She told him the same thing she told the police and watched the blood drain from his face when she mentioned the snake tattoo.

“My team and I have been tracking a serial killer and his syndicate for months now. Your description is consistent with thethings we’ve heard,” he said ominously. “If he is the same person, you have no idea how lucky you are to have escaped.”

Brie’s face went pale, and her stomach churned. She clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking.

Mack continued speaking, “I just want to be sure that the man you’re describing is the same one I’ve been tracking for months. I strongly suggest that you describe the suspect to our top sketch artist so we can get to work immediately.”

Brie was frightened. She kept thinking about the brief moment she was in the same room with a serial killer who even pulled a gun on her, and the thought of ending up as one of his victims nearly made her throw up, but she agreed to Mack’s request.

Mack also suggested that she be put under protective custody, but she turned it down, saying she’d feel safer at home than anywhere else. Replying with disapproving nods while trying to convince her, he eventually bowed to her request and told her she could stay at home under the condition that he’d stay with her at least until the sketch artist arrived. Brie declined at first, but after Mack firmly insisted, she had no choice but to agree to his terms.

CHAPTER FOUR

Night fell, and Brie became extremely restless. She couldn’t sleep, so she went down to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk. It turned out her “guest” was in the same dilemma she wasbecause she saw a shirtless Mack in the kitchen, holding a steaming cup of coffee to his lips.

He cast a warm smile in her direction, but she walked past him to get a carton of milk from the fridge. Pouring it out into acup, she walked past him again and placed the cup in the microwave, all without glancing at him. Mack didn’t leave where he stood, but there was something about this man she was drawn to, even though they were now at opposite ends of the kitchen.

“Brianna Miller,” Mack said, breaking the silence. “I never knew you’d be so…” he said before his voice trailed off.

Brie stared in shock. Did he know her last name? How? Maybe the police had handed her written statement over to him during the interrogation, but before she could completely answer her question, he continued. “Ah, Destiny Falls, it’s been ages,” he said, ending with a sigh.

“You lived in Destiny Falls?” she questioned. No wonder he looked so familiar.

“You bet I did. Attended Oakwood Memorial High. I was already in my final year when you entered high school.”

It all came back now. Mack Finbar, the high school senior with a passion for crime and murder documentaries. He was always watching them with a stern look on his face anytime she passed him down the hall, and he never seemed to fancy anything—or anyone else.

He grinned when she started blushing. Setting down the now empty cup on the counter, he walked closer to her and leaned on the wall with his hands buried in his pockets.

“I didn’t know you’d actually end up being a cop,” Brie teased.

“FBI agent,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”

He moved a little bit closer to her until she caught a quick whiff of the coffee on his breath. It was strange because ever since her ex-fiancé broke up with her a few years back, she had never really been this close to any man.

“Remember when I kept staring at you during the Spring Dance? You made me feel like a loser,” he said with a little bit of humor in his voice. “You must be so happy with Bryan now. How is he?”

“We split a few years back,” she said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. “He cheated on me, told me I was an unattractive, fat nerd who was only good for taking care of kids and animals. He went with a model instead. I guess she had what I didn’t.”

Brie struggled and failed to keep her emotions from showing. She didn’t realize her lips had been quivering until he placed a finger on them.

“I’m sorry but not sorry,” he started. “The asshole didn’t deserve you anyway,” he continued, slowly taking his fingers off her lips.They felt soft…really soft.

Brie looked up and saw Mack staring down at her, and her heart started beating fast. He bent down, looked into her eyes, and gradually lowered his lips to her left ear as if to whisper something, but before he could say anything, the microwave beat him to it and sounded a loudding!

Brie squeezed past him and went to take out the cup of milk she had totally forgotten she placed in the microwave. Feeling the warmth of the cup between her hands, she raised it and hurriedly gulped down the milk until the last drop went down her throat. Mack stood where he was and kept looking at her as if she were putting on a show for him, but his fascination quickly turned to a look of panic as he began to smell something burning in her room. He moved closer to the stairway, and he could indeed see smoke coming out of her room.

He quickly dashed toward her and grabbed her hand, leading her to the front door, but he realized the doors were locked from the outside. He ran toward the back door, but it was locked, too. The first thought that came to his head was that this was the serial killer’s attempt to get rid of Brie since she had seen his face.

The fire had started to spread toward the stairway, and he ran back to the front door, where Brie stood frozen solid. With all the strength he could muster, he launched himself at the door like a battering ram, and on the fourth try, the door broke open. He quickly led Brie outside and alerted the neighbors to call the fire department while he kept trying to convince Brie to leave the town altogether for the nearest safe house.

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