Page 100 of Fragile Sanctuary

Each time a note had been delivered to us, we’d known what it meant. Someone, somewhere, had lost their life. But I hadn’t let that truly register. Not really. I’d been too caught up in the unsub and trying to put together all the clues.

I’d always had a thing for word games, so my boss had set me loose on each and every note. I could untangle the web the quickest. Each hint gave us a letter of the location, and every clue was branded in my brain. But it was all a game to him. A fucked-up version of hangman.

But I’d gotten a charge out of being the one to figure out the riddles the fastest. I felt a surge of pride in leading the team toward the next piece of the puzzle. I’d been so determined to be the one to stop his reign of terror that I hadn’t realized he was weaving me into his web.

“Do they have any idea where?” Shep asked, breaking into my memories.

I shook my head. “I didn’t ask.”

I didn’t want to know. I knew too much already. Someone, somewhere, had lost the person who meant the most to them. A daughter, wife, mother, sister. And they would be tormented by that loss compounded by notes from the bastard who’d taken her.

Just thinking the wordsisterhad agony shredding my chest. God, I missed Greta. The way she’d give me shit on our weekly phone calls.“How’s the nerd squad doing this week?”Always laughing at herbig brother. But she’d also been proud of my work and the life I was building.

It was just that neither of us knew how empty that life could be. Not until it was too late.

Shep studied me carefully. “Does your team think you’re at risk?”

“Not sure. They were asking me to come back.” Just saying the words aloud was like spitting acid.

Shep’s brows just about hit his hairline. “You thinking about it?”

“No.” The answer was instant. Final. “I don’t want that life anymore. Wouldn’t be able to handle it even if I did.”

Empathy swept over Shep’s face, making me want to look anywhere but at him. “It wasn’t your fault, Anson.”

“Don’t,” I clipped.

Something in my tone had Shep backing off. “Okay. Why don’t we get some takeout? Bring it back to my place.”

I was about to open my mouth to decline, but the ringing of Shep’s phone cut me off.

He pulled it out of his back pocket and swiped his finger over the screen. “Yep?”

Everything slowed as I watched the color drain from Shep’s face.

“Where?” he barked.

There was a brief pause.

“On the way.”

Shep was already moving, but I was at his side, some part of me taking on his panic. “What?”

He glanced over at me. “It’s Rho. She was in an accident.”

31

RHODES

I wincedas the EMT swiped something that felt very much like an alcohol pad over the gash on my forehead. Biscuit growled from his place on the gurney. He’d refused to leave my side since they’d pulled us from the now-trashed SUV.

“Sorry,” the young EMT said, her face sympathetic. “Gotta make sure it’s clean.”

“It’s okay, Susie,” I assured her. The other EMT, Shawn, hadn’t been able to get close, thanks to Biscuit’s defensiveness.

“You need to go to the hospital,” Trace gritted out.

Biscuit let out another low growl at my brother’s tone.

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