Page 38 of In Her Eyes

I’m frozen in place. I don’t know what to do.

Ava drags in a deep breath and straightens her shoulders. “I’m good,” she whispers, then closes her eyes.

“The man is gone. She’s still unsettled, but she’s relieved he’s not there. The place is empty. She turns off all the lights, steps outside, and locks the door. Stays by the locked door for a moment. She scans the parking lot.”

Ava pauses, eyes still closed, breathing a little shallower now. “It’s cold and starting to rain. Her breath condenses in the air. Her heart is beating so fast. She tucks the bottle inside her jacket and zips it up. Car keys in her hand, a key between her fingers like a weapon.”

Ava tilts her head and moves it to the side as if she’s watching a movie behind her closed eyelids. “The parking lot is empty. She speed-walks to her car. Someone calls her name and startles her. She looks over her shoulder. The outline of a man in the shadows. She runs to her car and opens the door. Something shoves at her back. It’s him. The car door closes before she has a chance to get in. She screams.”

Ava opens her eyes—they’re rimmed with tears. “Can I have the watch again?”

I hand the watch back to her, and she holds one object in each hand. Closes her eyes.

“His arms go around her middle, trapping her to his chest. She stomps on his foot. Her feet leave the ground. He picks her up. She slams the back of her head into his face. He drops her. She tries to run. A bloody hand grabs her arm. She head-butted him hard enough to make him bleed. She turns, then tries to impale his face with the key in her hand. He blocks it. It’s raining harder now—it’s hard to see. She tries to get away. He grabs her again. Yanks her back and punches her in the stomach. She doubles over. The bottle slips out of her jacket, hits the top of her foot, and rolls under the car. She screams again. A hand covers her mouth. She bites it. He slaps her. She claws at his face. Her head slams against the car. She drops to the ground. Cold, rough asphalt abrades her face. Her vision blurs. She tries to push herself up. The watch comes undone. Hidden by her body. No fear now. Only rage. She pushes herself up on her knees and shaky hands. Scraped fingers. Chipped pink nail polish. She reaches for the watch. Slides it under the car, fills her lungs with air, and screams. Blinding, burning pain to the side of her head. Darkness.”

Ava flinches, opens her eyes, blinks a few times, and sets both objects on the desk. “I think he kicked her in the head, and she passed out.” She rubs her hands on her legs and then wipes her eyes with the heel of her palms. “He didn’t notice the watch or water bottle. He’s too careful and meticulous to leave anything behind. He didn’t expect her to put up such a fight. He lost control. He didn’t seem well prepared. Maybe this wasn’t a planned abduction.”

I may be standing still, but my heart is running a marathon. I can’t catch my breath. Every muscle in my body is locked and rigid, and the bones in my spine grind with tension. As much as I want to deny everything Ava said, she has again confirmed something I already knew. And now she’s giving me some insight into how this guy’s mind works. If the disappearances are related, as I suspect, and these women are indeed dead, I might have a serial killer on my hands.

She curls her hands into fists and presses them to her lap. “That sick bastard. We have to stop him. Did you check the bowling place where she worked? Do they have security cameras?”

We.My stomach flips.Ava’s made herself a part of this investigation. At my invitation, I know. This is temporary, a one-time thing. But Ava’s a sliver of hope. The only hope I have right now. I’ve exhausted every other option. “No cameras in the parking lot. And the only cameras inside were over the cashiers. It’s an old place. And the owner is more concerned about an employee pocketing some money than any other safety measure. No prints other than hers were on the car, and if anything else was on the ground, the rain washed it away. Nothing to go by except the watch and the bottle.”

“Tell me about her now.”

I know the information by heart but grab the file, so I have an excuse to do something with my hands. “Her name is Lena Greer. She’s twenty-five. She has worked at the bowling alley for the last two years. She lives with her family. They went looking for her when she didn’t make it home and didn’t answer calls. Found her car and called the police. Every avenue I’ve tried failed. I have nothing. Just like the other two.”

She brushes a trembling hand through her hair and drops to the chair behind her. Her face is pale, and a sheen of sweat beads on her forehead. She swallows and closes her eyes. A shiver runs through her body.

I don’t know what to do, but I need to do something. I sink to my knees in front of Ava and take both her hands between mine. She’s shaking. I thought what I witnessed Ava do before, with my rock and the car at the impound, prepared me for whatever else she had coming. I was wrong. This is way more intense than I imagined.

I rub the back of Ava’s hands with my thumbs, trying to soothe her. Her face is hidden behind a curtain of loose curls. I want to wrap my fingers in those curls and tug, tilt her face up to mine, and . . . Jesus! What am I doing? There’s no excuse for behaving this way. I need to stop this line of thought. Get myself under control. Nothing good can come from allowing my attraction to her to take over.

Ava tilts her head up. Her lips are inches away from mine. Big hazel eyes look up at me, wet with unshed tears. Shades of green, brown, and gold flecks in her irises. I drag in a breath and with it the scent of apples. Her scent. I lean a little closer and her lips part. A soft, nearly inaudible gasp escapes.

The phone rings, the sound like an alarm going off inside my head and asking me what the hell I’m doing. I pull back and let go of her hands. Then, straighten up as the ringer goes silent. I clear my throat. Search for something to say. “Apples . . .” What the fuck! What am I saying?

Ava stands up. “Apples?”

“Hm, yes. I smell apples.” I’m an idiot.

“Oh.” She smooths her hair, fingers combing through those curls I admired a second ago. “It’s my shampoo. Green apple scented.”

“It smells nice.” Shut up.

She smiles. Her cheeks go pink. “Thank you.”

The phone rings again. I walk around my desk. “I have to take this. Call you later?”

She nods and lets herself out of my office. I stare at the closed door while the phone continues to ring.

I answer the call. “Knox?” My boss’s voice comes through. His usually unflappable tone is more urgent than I’ve ever heard. “There’s another report of a woman gone missing.”

Chapter16

Avalon

“Hey, you’re back!”Lynn’s smiling face greets me as I enter our apartment and kick off my shoes by the door. I walk to the sofa, sit down, sigh.

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