Page 98 of Right Number, Wrong Man
Of all the scumbags in this world, my Spitfire caught the attention of a serial killer?!
I grab her by the shoulders, my eyes racing across her body and face, searching for injuries a second time. “Did he hurt you?”
“Thanks to you, he didn’t get that far.” Her brows furrow. “But he hurtyou.”
She reaches out and runs a tender finger along my cheek, sending a sharp throb through my flesh. Jacked up on adrenaline I forgot about the gash. Now the pain is back in full force, though it ain’t all I feel.
I feelher, too. How her cold fingers stroke my face, her palm resting against my jaw. She’s never touched me so gently before.
And I see her, too. I see the worry on her face. The care.
I blush. “It’s fine. I’ve had much worse.”
“You should get that cut looked at. You might need stitches,” Hailey says, but I shake my head and she sighs. “At least let me clean it?”
“Maybe later. Tell me what happened, from the start. How did you meet this guy?”
“I met with Andrea for drinks and he was at the bar, too. He gave me his number, but I didn’t think much of it.”
Sudden coldness hits my gut. Does she mean the night I first ambushed her as Jax?
“When I came home from the store earlier, I didn’t lock the door because I had my hands full,” Hailey continues. “I was going to do it after I put away the groceries, but Justin surprised me in the kitchen. He must have waited for me and slipped into the apartment.” Her eyes drop. “I feel stupid. If I locked the door right away, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I reckon his original plan was to kidnap you on thestreet outside your house and that would’ve been much worse. Strange as it sounds, it was good you left the door unlocked. Attacking you in your apartment was his biggest mistake. It would’ve taken me much longer to find you if he took you elsewhere. He might’ve?—”
My throat closes up. I don’t want to think about what could’ve happened.
“He talked a lot,” Hailey says. “Mostly, he rambled about his mom cheating on his dad, blaming her for his suicide. He was totally delusional, thinking that I’m his girlfriend and I’m cheating on him, too. Said he can see the lies in my eyes. Guess that’s why he wanted to take them.”
I take the rope from the floor to tie up Justin and he groans when I pull his arms behind his back. What a fucking baby. If this hurts him, he’s in for hell later. He’s a lousy fighter, too, which explains why he stalks and surprises his targets.
Frankly, it’s embarrassing that he got me with the knife, but my relief to see Hailey alive distracted me.
“The movies get it all wrong,” she says suddenly. “When you barged in, everything happened so fast. On the big screen, they drag out the fights, but in real life, it was over in a flash.”
I smile. “Yeah, I know.”
I take out my phone and text Cody.
Me
Situation under control. Need a pickup. Live one. Park out front and come upstairs.
Cody
I’m around the block in my rental car. Be there in a minute.
I give Hailey a confident nod. “Let me take care of everything, but the less you know, the better. Cody’s coming to help me. Are you okay to stay alone for a few hours while we deal with The Eyesnatcher?”
“I think so.” She wraps her arms around herself. “Can I watch Gracie while you’re gone?”
“Of course. I’ll get the lights back on and then I’ll bring her over.”
I gently unfold her arms, taking her trembling hands into mine as our eyes lock. My fingers tingle and I want to hold her close, but if I give in now, I won’t let go again.
“You can’t tell anybody about what happened tonight. Not even Andrea. Do you understand?” I ask.
“Yes, of course. I won’t tell a soul. And…” Hailey swallows, giving me a tiny smile. “Thank you for saving my life. You’re kind of my hero now, you know? Just don’t let it go to your head or your ego will swell to the size of a small planet and develop its own gravity.”
