Fear For Me: A Novel of the Bayou Butcher (For Me #2)(51)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Anthony stepped closer to her. “That’s because the bastard gets off on hurting women. He enjoys their pain.”

She flinched. He’d sure enjoyed her pain.

“The guard at the prison—the man he murdered—Walker killed him quickly,” Anthony said. “The judge won’t have as much time as you did. Hell, Hamilton could already be dead.”

“What?”

Oh, hell. Julia had come back into the room. Lauren hadn’t even heard her footsteps. She glanced over her shoulder.

Julia was frowning at them. “Did you just say Hamilton is dead?” Her face had turned a stark white.

Lauren took a steadying breath as she faced her.

“Where’s Detective Voyt? What’s happening?” Julia seemed a whole lot less enraged now, and much more afraid.

“Detective Voyt received a call,” Lauren told her, fighting to keep her voice level. “Pierce’s car was found at a gas station near Pontraine Lake.”

“What?” Then Julia smiled. “Oh, Pierce must have just been going to the old fishing cabin.” The tension seemed to leave her shoulders. “I knew he wouldn’t leave me, of course. I’m the one constant he always has. He needs me, you see. We’re a team, we’re—”

“The car was abandoned,” Lauren said softly. “The judge wasn’t there.”

Julia trembled. Her smile faded.

Lauren had to tell her the rest. Julia deserved the truth. “There was blood found on the passenger-side window.”

“Pierce’s blood?”

“It’s too early to tell that.” Anthony’s voice was a low rumble. “The crime techs will have to test the blood before we can determine that for sure.”

The hope had vanished from the woman’s face. Julia’s knees seemed to give way as she collapsed onto the lush leather couch. “I didn’t mean what I said.” Her voice was a whisper.

Lauren sat next to her and reached for her hand.

Julia’s lower lip quivered. “I loved him once¸ but somewhere along the way, we both got lost.” Her lashes lowered. “I was the first to cheat,” she confessed in a voice heavy with emotion. Pain. “He worked so much, all the time, and I just wanted someone to notice me. Maybe I wanted him to notice.”

“We don’t know anything for certain about Pierce right now,” Lauren said, trying to keep her voice reassuring. “I got away. Even if Walker has him—”

“We were broken after I cheated. Going through the motions. Hurting each other, but never letting go.” Julia’s lips pressed together into a thin line. It took her a few moments to say, “Maybe we should have let go.”

“Julia.” Lauren injected command in her voice.

Julia looked up at her.

“He isn’t dead yet. You’ve got to keep hope going, okay?”

“I haven’t had hope in a very long time.”

Lauren glanced over at Anthony. His gaze was so watchful as it weighed Julia.

“The reporters…” Julia whispered. “They’re going to find out, aren’t they?”

“Don’t worry about them.” Lauren had already scheduled a press conference to talk about Walker. She could handle any questions the reporters had about Pierce, too. “I’ll talk to them. I can—” She broke off as an idea formed in her mind. “Maybe we can even use them.”

A big maybe. A tricky gamble, but what did they have to lose? “The abduction is still new.” She faced Anthony. “We know the spot Walker took him from. We’ve got the general area. If we get the word out now, maybe someone will see Walker or even Hamilton. Maybe we can get a witness to help save the judge.”

Julia’s nails bit into Lauren’s arm. Lauren glanced at her. Tears streaked down Julia’s cheeks. “We truly loved each other once.”

“He isn’t dead yet,” Lauren told her again. Please God, maybe he wouldn’t be. She yanked out her phone and called the lead reporter for Channel Six. She had Caroline Kramer on her speed dial. The woman answered on the second ring.

“We’re moving up the press conference,” Lauren told her. “I’ve got a story I want you to cover now.”

Taking a judge in daylight when so many people were out and about was a ballsy move—one that just might prove to be a fatal mistake for Walker.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I’ve got money!” the judge said, his face ashen, “I can pay you anything you want!”

“I already took the big bag of cash you had in the back of your car.” Walker grinned at the jerk. That much cash would sure come in handy, once he’d finished his business in Baton Rouge. He’d disappear with the money, start fresh. “I figure I don’t need a whole lot more.”

The judge strained against his bonds.

Walker’s smile faded. The judge was a big guy, a couple of inches taller than Walker, and the man had about fifty pounds on him. Hamilton might even be able to get out of the bonds if he struggled hard enough.

Walker glanced toward the door. His partner should have been here by now. He’d waited, only using the knife on the guy a little bit.

His skin isn’t like a woman’s. It doesn’t tear like silk. It’s too rough. Ugly.

It was time to kill the judge. Time to shut him up and watch him die.

“Let me go, and I can give you anything.”

He liked it when the guy begged, though. Power rushed through him with every plea. Once upon a time, this rich fool had been the one with the power. Sitting up on that fancy bench, wearing a big, black robe. Slamming down his gavel.

Sending me to rot.

His fingers tightened around the knife. He wanted to shove the blade deep into Hamilton’s chest. But he could use the guy first. Get some information from him. “Tell me what you know about Lauren.”

“The DA?”

Who the f**k else would it be?

“She’s not staying at her house.” Which made hunting her so much harder. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know—”

Wrong answer. He shoved the knife into Hamilton’s shoulder. Blood spurted as he twisted the blade. Not the same. The blade didn’t cut right on the man. In a woman, it would have sliced deep, and the pulse of pleasure from the slice would have traveled all the way through him.

The normal pleasure didn’t come. He twisted the knife again, jerking it hard to the left. “You’re a f**king judge! You should know where the DA is!”