Page 108 of Compulsion
“You did not kill her.”
“No, I just gave him her address.”
He would not let her carry this guilt.“He stole the address.”
“He has all of their addresses.”Breathless.“I worry he is just getting started.”And she spun away, whirling toward Gage and Sharon again.“If we don’t act, now, hewillbe killing someone else.And it will befast.Not three weeks from now.Not three days.In fact, I think he is hunting right this minute.”
Sharon swiped a hand over her forehead.“You…you ever wrong about stuff like this?”
“She knows killers,” Gage said.A quiet confidence.
“I amnotwrong.”Lily was adamant.“But…I-I don’t know which vic he’s going after next.There are two immediate options.Two.I figure he has to be going after the one closest but…I don’t know if he came back here to Dallas, a spot that I thinkishis home based on the initial kills…or if he went after the vic by driving straight out from Shreveport…which would put him going to New Orleans and?—”
“Lily, slow down.”Gage rocked forward onto the balls of his feet.“I can’t keep up.”
She sucked in a deep breath.“Two potential victims are at the top of my list.One is in Oklahoma City.His name is Hatch Davis.Hatch is the son of the Spring Break Strangler.”
Sharon’s eyes widened.“I remember that vicious bastard.I didn’t know he had any kids!”
Desmond climbed silently down the stairs.He stopped when he reached the landing.
“Hatch isn’t like his father.He’s never hurt anyone in his life.He doesn’t even know who his father is.”Lily edged away from Atlas.“The second option is Westin Blanchard.He’s in New Orleans.The son of?—”
Gage swore.“Fuck.Blanchard the Butcher.Yeah, I know about his dad.”
“Me, too.”Sharon backed up a step.
“Westin was just paroled.He served time for the armed robbery charge, and he’s out on good behavior.He’ll be walking the streets of the Big Easy.”Lily’s words still came a bit too quickly, but she had slowed down.Some.“We need protection for both men, but…Hatch really has no idea who his father is.If we reveal it, when he finds out the truth…”
He’ll spend the rest of his days wondering if he will become a monster, too.
Yeah, Atlas had been there.Done that for his whole freaking life.
“We need guards on them.”Lily was adamant.“They need protection, immediately.”
But Gage shook his head.“That’s not how it works.I can’t send in federal agents when you have a hunch.No way Brass will go for that.Not to just cover random people.”
She surged to stand toe to toe with him.“They arenotrandom!They are targets!They are potentialvictims.And if you want to stop this killer, if you want to catch him, I am telling you how to do it.Hewillbe going after one of these individuals.Catch him before he kills.Help me to save them.”
Unless it was already too late.Unless the bastard was already hunting, right then.And, hell, yes, Atlas believed that he was.
But Gage shook his head.“I’ll have to pick one as priority for my supervisors, Lily.Tell me, who is he more likely to go after?”
“They arebothpriority!You don’t have to pick!That’s bullshit!”Lily snapped.
Yes, Atlas rather thought it was.
“That’s federal bureaucracy,” Gage retorted.“They are already gonna fight me because you are asking me to institute full protection for two individuals in separate states based entirely on ahunch.”
“It’s not a hunch.”Ice dripped from her words.“It’s years of expertise.”Once more, she spun toward Atlas.Lily locked her dark eyes on him.The gold in the depths gleamed.“Youhave pull at the Bureau.”
“Who…me?”Atlas modestly touched his chest.
“Atlas, don’t.Not with me.”
He stared straight at her.
“You could probably blackmail all the top leaders at the Bureau to do whatever you want.You snap your fingers, and people jump.”
