Page 31 of Deadline for Love

He interrupted and took a few deep breaths. “I didn’t take it seriously. Although she called me every night to tell me about it. I was too focused on myself. Even my parents thought it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Nathan let go of my hand and clenched them into fists. “One day, my sister disappeared…” He had to collect himself for a moment. “We thought she was throwing a tantrum because we didn’t think anything bad would happen…”

His eyes mourned as did his features. “Yet after days, she still hasn’t appeared. My parents involved the police, and we started a search... I was the first to find her.” His voice became hushed, like a lump sticking in his throat. Even when he tried to remove the block, he still sounded dejected. “She was adorned like a trophy. And her body was lying there as if it had been specially made so that anyone could see it as a work of art.”

His head drooped, and he rubbed his temples. “I can’t shake the feeling that it’s the same person involved with the new case.”

I had a lot of questions in my head, but I swallowed them because I realized that Nathan was still suffering. His face turned chalky white as he briefly described how he found his sister; if I went into it now, it might be too much for him—it seemed as if he had considered telling me this for a long time.

Without much thought, I got up and kneeled before him so he could look into my eyes.

Then I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

It took a moment, but then his arms snaked around me, and he pulled me tightly closer—I comforted him for a long time, and we both listened to our breathing.

“Thank you.”

“Nathan, are you sure you want me to do an article on this?”

“Your boss—”

“Screw my boss. It’s about you and your family, so I’m asking again, are you sure you want me to write an article about this?”

I looked into his eyes to ensure I didn’t see any signs of him not intending to. But his gaze was firm and sure.

“Yes, please. I’ve been looking for clues myself for so long, searching for traces, the police haven’t been able to find anything yet. If you mention it, the police will be put under pressure.’’

“All right, if you still have the letters, we can publish them; any information we can get is important. Do you think you can have everything ready by tomorrow? Then I can interview you about that.” I wasn’t sure if he had everything, but it would be beneficial if he did.

“Yes, I have everything...”

“Then we can deal with it after the interview with Fernando,” I mumbled.

The idea that we could make a connection out of this would be shocking news because it would already be four bodies, not just three. A serial killer...

Another thought crossed my mind, and I said, “Do you want to use me to track down the killer?”

The question was without ulterior motive because if you look at it that way, the sender was linked to the killer, and he was writing to me and getting close to me, so it would be logical if— “Absolutely not!”

His harsh tone made me flinch, and before I knew it, he was holding me at arm's length so he was looking into my eyes. His expression had been shocked, his eyes so wide I thought I had said something terrible.

“I didn’t approach you because of the letters. It was a coincidence that you were involved. I didn’t even know you were involved until you called.”

His hands gripped my hips tightly, and then he dropped his head to my shoulder. “I never want to lose another person or put them in danger again.”

I awkwardly placed my hands around his shoulders and sighed, “I didn’t mean any offense. I just thought that maybe we could get to him quicker by using me as bait.”

“No! That’s not going to happen. I'm going to keep you safe.’’

“I can’t stay with you all the time. We both still have to work and have a life,” I said, to which he couldn’t object. “Besides, I’m not going on a date with a killer. I’m trying to be careful.”

But Nathan couldn’t really be convinced. He was still of the opinion that I was in great danger, especially when I was alone.

“Do you want to stay with me for a while?”

The words stuck in my mouth. His eyes sparkled, and he appeared to be concerned yet honest.

“I think—I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I almost stuttered.

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