Scream For Me: A Novel of the Night Hunter (For Me #3)(30)
Author: Cynthia Eden

A tear leaked down Lily’s cheek.

“Lily, baby, it’s okay,” her mother murmured, voice cracking.

“I don’t know who took me.” Lily wet her lips. “He could be anyone. He could come for me again.”

“You’re going to have a guard with you,” Cadence said. She’d used some favors to call this one in. She didn’t want someone local watching Lily. A local man would know those caverns. A local man could be their killer. A local cop? Despite the interviews and alibis, she wasn’t ready to rule that one out. Not yet.

“What kind of guard?” Lily asked as her eyes darted to the door.

“A US marshal is out there right now. He’s going to be staying with you, twenty-four-seven, while we keep investigating this case.” He’d be coming in the room soon enough; she’d just asked Malcolm Williams to stay outside while she and Kyle spoke with Lily first. “Marshal Williams will make sure you stay safe.” Alive.

Lily’s mother turned her head to look at Cadence. “Are you going to be able to catch the bastard?”

“We’ll do everything we can,” Cadence said.

“Yes,” Kyle swore. “We’re going to catch him.”

Her stare cut to him. Don’t make promises we may not be able to keep. He knew they weren’t supposed to promise victims.

The machines near Lily were beeping too quickly. The doctor had warned them not to stress Lily too much. Cadence pulled out her card. Placed it on the small nightstand. “Your memory might come back to you.” With the drug dose she’d been given, there was no guarantee of that. The perp had known exactly what he was doing when he gave her the lethal mix of Rohypnol and chloroform. “If you remember anything about the killer or your ordeal, call me.”

A weak nod from Lily.

Cadence rose. Kyle followed behind her as they advanced toward the door.

“I didn’t scream.”

Cadence felt goose bumps rise on her arms. She looked back at Lily.

She seemed so small in the hospital bed.

Lily shook her head. “You found me,” Lily whispered. “But I didn’t scream.”

“No,” Cadence said. “You didn’t. We heard the thuds from where you were hitting the bed.” She’d had a gag in her mouth, so, of course, Lily hadn’t screamed.

There’s something more here.

“I didn’t scream,” Lily repeated. Another tear tracked down her cheek. She gave a slow nod, as if reaffirming she’d done the right thing.

Done as she’d been told?

Cadence pushed open the hospital room door. US Marshal Malcolm Williams waited outside.

“How is she?” he asked, dark eyes glinting.

“Breakable.” That was the word that came to mind. No—broken. “Protect her, Malcolm. If anything happens, if anything makes you nervous…”

His eyes held hers. She’d known Malcolm for years. He was a good man, a great marshal. “I’ll take care of her.”

She knew he would.

Kyle shook his hand.

Malcolm entered the hospital room.

“She’s not going to be able to help us,” Kyle said, voice rough as they walked down the hospital corridor.

“He made sure she couldn’t.” Actually, he’d tried to make sure Lily died. The dosage of Rohypnol and chloroform hadn’t been intended to knock her out. He’d wanted to kill her.

A very near thing.

They hurried into the elevator. The doors slid closed, sealing them inside.

Cadence was too conscious of Kyle next to her. She glanced at him and found his bright gaze on her. “Are you all right?” Cadence had to ask him.

A grim nod. “I know he’s f**king with me. We can use that, Cadence.”

She didn’t want to use him. “I don’t—”

“As far as we know, he’s never reached out to any of the victims’ families before.”

He was right. They’d had Dani check in with the families—nothing.

“He called me,” Kyle continued as his eyes stared deeply into hers. “He let me hear Maria.”

He wasn’t giving up on the idea that he’d actually talked with his sister. And right then, she couldn’t push him to see the truth. Not when she hadn’t heard the call herself. Maybe I’m wrong. For him, she wanted to be. Cadence cleared her throat. “What does he hope to gain by contacting you?”

“Attention,” Kyle’s curt response. “He wants us to know who he is—and what he’s done.”

She didn’t think it was just about attention. Not with Kyle’s sister being so directly involved. It almost seemed more like a competition to her. A challenge, the killer versus Kyle. But she didn’t say that, not yet, because she needed to learn more about her victims first. Instead, Cadence told him, “I’ve got a profile developing. You and I need to compare notes and see what we have on this guy.”

“He’s going to take someone else.”

Cadence narrowed her eyes as she studied Kyle. “Another abduction so soon doesn’t seem to fit. From what I can tell, he’s taken a victim once a year.” Except…he started the one-a-year pattern three years after Maria vanished. Why the gap? Cadence didn’t know, not yet, but she would figure it out. Just as she would figure out the killer.

“And he’s kept the victim. We messed up his schedule. We changed his rules.” He ran a hard hand through his hair. “I’ve been building a profile, too.”

Kyle had his own background in behavioral science. He was good—damn good—at developing profiles. Only he didn’t work like Cadence. He focused on the killer from the word go.

She started with the victims.

“He’ll need to take another woman.” Kyle was adamant. “He won’t let a year pass before another abduction. He can’t. You saw that cave. The total darkness. The way he bound Lily. The guy is all about control. When we took Lily, we took his control away. He’s gonna need that control back. Want it back.” A hard pause. “The best way to get it back will be to take another woman.”

She didn’t want Kyle to be right.

The elevator doors opened with a ding. The dark parking garage waited for them.

Cadence’s shoes tapped over the concrete. She headed for the SUV.

Kyle caught her hand, stopping her. “Trust me.”

She frowned. “I do.” He was her partner. She had to trust him with her life.