Page 150 of Sunrise

I’ve refused medical treatment. The shakes are nearly gone now. The drugs are out of my system and I’m… well, I feel inhuman. There’s no emotion in my voice when I retell everything for the fifth time. There’s also a detective here and though they insist on taking me inside, I refuse to budge from the old lady’s lawn. And I’m not going to the station either. Not today.

I can’t do anything else today.

“Do you recognize any of these women?” the detective asks, pulling out a stack of photos.

I stare at unknown faces, shaking my head as I shuffle through brunette, after brunette, after…

“Her.” My heart sinks as the redheaded woman in the picture smiles at me. “I saw her with him once. At the Monarch Club.”

“You’re a member there?”

“Employee.”

“And what type of work do you do at the Monarch?”

“I teach couples how to play safely together in the bedroom. I’m a dominatrix.” My confession feels hollow. No pride, no fear, no… nothing. “What happened to her?”

“She was found dead in a dumpster last week. Drug overdose. We believe it was the same kind he used on you. Toxicology will verify it.”

They took my blood already.

The detective’s tone softens as they explain the rest of the photos in my lap. “They were all Dommes, Sophie,” she says, folding her arms. “All except her. She was taking classes to become one, though.”

Were. As in… no longer.

“Did he kill them?”

“Yes.” She shows no hint of sorrow. Maybe she has to hide those emotions as part of her job. I know I would if I was chasing sick murderers around for a living. I’d have to be cold to survive it. “We believe he uses online forums to find new victims. Travels to their location and stalks them while simultaneously fostering a Dom/sub relationship with them. He earns their trust and then...” The rest of her words trail off because it’s clear what the outcome is.

“And it’s taken you this long to find him?” Vault seethes beside me.

“We’ve been hunting him down for three years. He’s a ghost. We’ve tracked his movements across thecountry but were always too late. He’s changed his name at least a dozen times, never leaves a paper trail, and only uses cash. He’s smart enough to keep his head down and covered, so we’ve only managed to find him a couple of times on surveillance cameras. He’s gone before we can catch him.”

I cover my mouth and stare at the woman smiling in the photo again. “What was her name?”

“Meredith Ricci.” With graceful movements, she flips the photo over and recites every woman’s name, as if she’s done this a million times, over and over and over again.

Every face that looks up at me is a life that monster took.

“This is Samantha,” the detective says softly. “We believe she was his first victim.”

I’m going to pass out. “Her name is tattooed on his arm.”

“Yes. That was one of the first details we found to connect him to her murder.”

“And you’re sure he’s dead?” I’m too scared to believe it. Even though I saw his body with my own eyes, I don’t trust it. What if there are still drugs in my system and it’s making me hallucinate?

“Yes. He’s not going to hurt anyone else ever again. You were lucky.”

“She wasn’t fucking lucky. She was brave and strong and smart,” Knox snaps at her. “She fought her way out of there by herself.”

He sounds devastated about it.

The detective nods, acknowledging everything Knox throws out there. “Do you mind if I stop by in a couple days to ask you more questions? I’d like to wrap this case up swiftly if possible.”

“Sure.”

“We’ve got her from here,” Vault says, getting extra protective of me again. He takes the detective’s card, and my eyes lift to Ryker. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper to him.

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