Page 91 of The Eleventh Hour
I suck in another breath, and it’s like a train rumbling in my chest.
“This punishment is for you.” The man in the video laughs. “Say hello to the camera, Martha, love.”
I recoil from the dead, hopeless look in her eyes. Those dead eyes are an accusation. Why didn’t you save me? Why didn’t you stop him? Why can’t you find him? Not smart enough, not fast enough, not enough.
Dane rips the phone out of my hands and passes it to Rafe, and then I’m in his arms, pressed up against his chest, those strong, broad arms wrapped around me so tight.
“You’re more than enough. You’re enough. Don’t let him win. Not in this.”
I curl myself closer to him. My body is shaking.
“I don’t know where to look.”
Dane strokes my back in long, soothing movements.
“I have no idea how to find them. Terrance, Martha. I don’t know.”
“It’s okay, it’s not your job,” Dane says firmly.
“I’m the only one who can.”
“Enough,” Dane snaps and pulls away. He only goes so far before he drags me to the counter and pushes me into a seat. “Louis made his own choices, and him taking these people now is not your responsibility or job. You’re as much a victim as anyone else.”
“You almost sound like you believe that.” The words slip out bitterly.
Dane stops and stares into space. “I do. I do believe that.”
I wasn’t aware of how cold I was until that warm spark lit to life inside me, warming from the inside out.
“It’s not Louis,” I say faintly.
Dane ignores me and pulls out several packages and starts putting something together. I watch him absently until Rafe returns, walking up to me and leaning against my side.
“I called Jacob back. He’s refusing to alert the police. Martha was taken from their home last night when she put the garbage cans out. No one saw anything. That video was sent to his phone at 11:11pm.”
I shudder. “Evil son of a bitch.”
“You aren’t wrong. So, what do we do?”
I deflate. “I don’t even know. We need to know more about Louis and his habits, I guess.”
Dane grunts. “He went to the library during hours. It was open, but where was he the rest of the time?”
“Grandfather’s house?”
“No, I checked it. Cecil’s house mysteriously caught fire three months after he died, just before it sold. The block is empty land.”
“Fine, so there’s somewhere else.” Rafe shrugs and rests his chin on my shoulder.
Dane slides a bowl of ice-cream towards me. I stare down at it, and my eyebrows raise. I have never, ever seen anything as decadent as this. Choc chips, chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, over ice-cream with strawberries, blackberries, and real cream.
“Are you trying to kill me?” I ask him.
He blinks and looks at the bowl. “Shut up and try it.”
I do as he suggests and fall into a new form of heaven. Rafe snags a spoon and helps me eat it.
“Wow, that was superb.”