Page 43 of All He Takes
They rushed out of the motel, a determined energy between them, and got into Nicky's car. As Nicky started it up, Ken called about the other two Harolds. Nicky could hear the officer on the other end agree to send people to look into both suspects, just to be safe--but Nicky had a feeling the one they were looking for, they were about to come eye-to-eye with.
She belted down the dark back-road highway, the night sky clear above.
She could see stars glittering like jewels above her. The lights of oncoming traffic flashed upon her face and trees rustled. She drove in silence, the seatbelt holding her tight, the windows shut tight to keep out the world. In that moment, everything in her life felt purposeful--she was here, with Ken, on their way to make what she hoped would be a successful arrest.
She hoped she could save whoever he had his eye on next.
Until then, they were on the open road. As they drove, Nicky couldn't help but imagine what this man's victims went through. She imagined the fear, the feeling of the unknown, because it was exactly what Nicky had felt when she'd been kidnapped all those years ago. The difference was, these girls were killed, and Nicky had been able to get away.
Rosie slinked back into her mind. Her sister, who never got away either.
Nicky's stomach twisted as she imagined a possibility in which, maybe, she was too late to save Rosie too. Rosie's body had never been found, but that didn't mean there wasn't one.
Still... Nicky had to hold onto hope. She had to believe her sister was alive out there.
She had to hope that she would be able to give her sister justice.
Nicky gripped the steering wheel tighter and focused on the road. She thought about her sister, and how she was going to find her.
She glanced at Ken, who was looking out the window, lost in thought. Ever since she'd met Ken, she'd felt a bond with him, but now she felt something that went beyond that.
She wondered if he felt it too, if he felt the energy between them the same way she did. It was more than feelings, more than liking each other... she felt connected to him, like he was in this with her.
He turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and she felt a moment of pause.
The air between them seemed to get thicker and she felt her heart beating faster. It was as if they were a static charge, attracted to each other. She pushed her feelings aside and turned to face the road, remembering that earlier, they'd had a bit of a tiff over how to handle Charles Dumond. Ken had gotten snappy with her, and in turn, Nicky had to activate the side of her that was in charge. They hadn't talked about Charles yet.
"Hey, Ken," Nicky said. "Are you still upset about the Dumond thing earlier?"
"What?" Ken said. "No... you were right, Lyons, he wasn't our guy."
"Yeah, but I..." She bit her lip. This wasn't easy. "I know I got a little stern with you."
He laughed once. "You mean when you said 'this is my task force.'"
"Yeah," she said. "I mean, it is."
"I know it is." He sighed. "No hard feelings. I get it. I wanted to do something else, but in the end, you call the shots. It was professional, not personal. I get it, Lyons." He turned away with a grin. "Besides, it's kind of hot when you put me in my place."
Nicky felt her cheeks flush, and all she could do was laugh. "If you say so, Walker."
She turned back to the road, but relief flowed through her. Things were going to work out. Mr. Dumond was getting the care he needed, and this Harold Smith guy--he was going to get caught.
Nicky would make sure of it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A few minutes later, Nicky pulled up to the curb in front of a small, two-story house in Green Valley. It was a quaint neighborhood with small houses nestled cozily in the rolling green hills. The soft glow of street lamps illuminated the trees and houses, casting a warm yellow light over everything, and creating a country feel. Nicky could see a driveway, which wound around to the back of the house, and there, was a Hana Kuma.
"Looks like we've found our guy," Nicky said, her heart racing. But she'd been in situations like this before. They had to expect the worst--when caught, this guy could totally flip his switch... he might even be armed.
"I'm ready," Ken said. "Hopefully he doesn't mind being taken down this late."
Nicky stepped out of her car and Ken followed. They approached the house, and as they did, Nicky noticed a dimness to the lights inside. It was as if the lights were off, but some were on in the very corners of the rooms.
"Strange," Ken said.
"Yeah," Nicky said. "But it's after midnight. Maybe Mr. Smith went to bed."
