Page 72 of Nora
Surprising him, she answered without hesitation. “I agree. And I texted her that same message earlier tonight. The home he was in? It wasn’t good, Lucian. It was run by the Church, as many orphanages are, but this one was also run by a pedophile. There’s no hard evidence, but I believe Angelo was abused by at least one priest while he was there.”
The pieces clicked into place. “Which explains why he goes after people connected to the Church,” he said.
“As well as those in a position of authority who could have helped, but didn’t,” Violetta added. The only thing that didn’t fit was Angelo’s ongoing faith in a religion that had so let him down. But that was something Lucian would ponder another day. Because now, he wascertainNora was in danger.
“She’s with him.” The words were torn from someplace deep inside him, and he heard Violetta gasp.
“Her phone is on the grounds—”
“I have someone checking on it now,” he said.
“Lucian…”
“I know,” he said. “I’m not going to let anything happen to her.” It was a stupid promise. One he shouldn’t make, but it was more for himself than for his cousin.
“I’ll call Franklin, and then we’ll all head out. If we leave in ten minutes, we should be there in a few hours.” The drive was longer than that, but Violetta and her friends had extensive training in both defensive and offensive driving. They probably also had radar detectors.
“I will keep you posted,” he said, then ended the call with nothing more said.
“Care to tell us what’s going on and what Angelo has to do with it?” Jonah asked. Lucian considered waiting, but realized that if he told this group, then they could tell the others. Leaving him to start looking as soon as they returned to the grounds.
“Nora isn’t just a vet. She is an exceptional one, but she also has…certain government responsibilities.” Everyone in the car except Willa was military, and he was grateful that they didn’t ask him to elaborate on that statement. “Last month, it came to the attention of NATO that several murders had taken place during our training sessions. All within a fifteen-mile radius of our location.”
“Holy fuck, Angelo is akiller,” Craig asked.
Lucian’s lips tightened, but he nodded. “We weren’t certain. But as of fifteen minutes ago, yes, it’s safe to say Angelo is the killer Nora was sent to find.”
The silence that fell over the car at his statement was interrupted by a call. “Sergeant Markley,” Lucian answered. “What can you tell me?”
“There’s no one there, sir,” she replied. Cold dread curled inside him. “There’s a dog. He was awake, but he looked sick, and the private who checked didn’t want to do anything that might harm him, so he let him be.”
Lucian managed to say thank you and tell the sergeant they’d be back shortly. She offered to help, but he turned it down. Between the dogs and their handlers, he’d have all the help he needed.
“How many people?” Willa asked after he’d ended to call.
“Eleven total. Three at each spot where we’ve been and two since we arrived here,” he answered.
“And you think Nora is his next victim?” Jonah asked.
“She doesn’t fit the profile,” he said. “But if he discovered her true purpose in joining the session, then yes, it’s possible he’d want to…to kill her.” From behind him, Willa’s hand came up and rested on his shoulder.
“What happened to make you think it might be happeningnow?” Craig asked. Lucian told them about the texts from Nora letting him know where she was going and with whom. And the fact that he hadn’t been able to reach her since. Nor, apparently, had his cousin. Or Markley.
“You had someone on base check the clinic?” Willa asked. “That was that call?”
Lucian gave a jerky nod. Fear coursed through him, but he refused to let his mind consider anything except finding Nora safe and alive. And he’d need help to do that.
“I want Willa and Hagen and Craig and Miles with me,” Lucian ordered. Hagen was the best search-and-rescue dog they had, and Miles adored Nora and wouldn’t give up until he found her. “Jonah, I want you to organize the rest of the team. Willa and Craig, are you up for this?” Their response was immediate, and it took a small weight off his shoulders. The three of them could start off straightaway while Jonah organized everyone else.
“I haven’t been able to reach Ingrid or James, either. I don’t know if that’s because something has happened to them or because they’ve both turned their ringers off,” he said as they pulled onto the base.
“I’ll take care of it,” Jonah said, and again, a little weight lifted.
Five minutes after passing through the gates of the grounds, he was headed toward the clinic with Willa, Craig, and their dogs. They jogged the distance and made it in no time. When they reached the door, Lucian paused and listened. Nothing…but then there was something. He leaned closer. A whine. Cesare.
He knew no one was inside, but he remained cautious as he opened the door, then stepped in, his small team following. The room didn’t look disrupted, but Cesare stared at them from his position on the exam table. He’d risen and blood dripped from his leg, where he looked to have dislodged an IV. His eyes were dull and confused, but he didn’t look otherwise ill or hurt.
Scanning the room for any sign of what might have happened to Nora, he paused when he saw her phone and gun sitting on the table. No way would she just leave either there. He started toward them, then stopped. He didn’t need to touch either. Whatever information they might hold wouldn’t help him now.
