Page 174 of Rags's Awakening
Rags didn’t answer, his face a stoic mask.
“No, he’s not,” Casey said. “I’m the one Devin was after. He’s the strangler. He came here to kill me.” Her voice hitched.
“Why’re you here?” Bridges asked Rags.
No answer.
“He’s my boyfriend,” Casey said. “He was worried when I didn’t answer the phone.”
Bridges darted his gaze from Rags to Casey, then back to Rags. “Is that true?”
“She’s my woman,” Rags growled.
“All right. Why don’t the two of you come to my office and I’ll take your statements.”
Nodding, Casey asked, “Can I get my coat?”
Ten minutes later, she and Rags followed the patrol car to the sheriff’s office.
“You’ll do fine. Don’t worry. Just tell them what happened,” Rags said.
“I will. I don’t want them pulling you into this.”
“The badge is okay.”
“Why did you think I was in trouble when I didn’t answer the phone? I have the alarm system.”
“I had a vibe,” Rags said. “Hawk sent me a list, and I spotted the fucker’s last name on it. The first name was a woman, so that threw me for a second.”
“I bet he’s been renewing his mother’s registration tags for years. I still can’t believe it was Devin.”
“I know, babe. I’m sorry it turned out to be a friend of yours.”
“I thought it was that weirdo Curtis. A friend of mine’s husband.”
“A lot of times it’s the ones we least suspect. Just tell the badge everything that happened.”
“Okay.”
They pulled in front of the three-story building. As she reached for the door handle, Rags cupped her chin and kissed her hard. “I love you, Case.”
“I love you too, Rags.”
They stepped out of her SUV, and the cold air bit into their lungs. Heavy flakes pelted them in the wind, stinging their eyes. Rags looped his arm around her and she moved in closer to him as they crunched across the concrete toward the glowing glass doors of the building, their breath pluming in the dark.
Casey sighed when Rags opened the door, a wave of heat encasing her.
This is going to be a long night.
Chapter Thirty-Two
One month later
“Ican’t believewhat you’ve been through,” Raven said, pulling Casey into a strong hug. “When I saw your picture while I was scrolling, I about died. Why didn’t you call me?”
Casey sat back down and pushed the plate with her half-eaten sandwich away. “I couldn’t talk about it. I’m still reeling from the fact that Devin was the strangler all this time.” She picked up her iced tea and took a sip. “I didn’t want to distract you from getting the part in that off Broadway play.”
“If something ever happens like this again,call me.”
