Page 77 of Keeping Collette

“Maybe, but have faith. You know Cass won’t give up until she has something concrete that we can work with.”

“I know.” Deal sighed, and paced around the small kitchen.

“Hound, I think you need to see this.” Cass looked up, and from where Deal stood, the concern in her eyes meant that nothing good was going to come of this.

“What have you got?”

“What the fuck?!”

Deal and Hound spoke at the same time.

“Is that who I think it is?” Deal asked, looking at the image frozen on the screen. The time stamp showed the image was captured thirty minutes before he arrived at Collette’s. He had a head start on them. “What the fuck is Jim doing here? And how did he know this is where Collette lives?” He directed his questions to Hound.

“I don’t know.” Hound shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Deal tried to process what the sight of Jim entering the building could possibly mean. Had he known that they were going to hit that warehouse tonight?

Did they have a leak in the company? Or the FBI? Someone who fed him information about the raid happening that evening, but even if that was the case, why had he come and taken Collette?

“Your guess is as good as mine, but we have something to go on now,” Cass responded, and Deal worked out he’d muttered his questions out loud.

“He played us,” Hound muttered. “That’s the only thing that makes sense. Somehow, he knows more about me than we thought. He gave us that information because he knew we’d use it. I don’t know his end game, but he’s using Collette to bring us to play.”

Deal was beginning to think that was the case, and Collette was in even more danger than they’d first thought.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Having a gun pressed into her side wasn’t something Collette had ever thought she’d experience, yet it was happening to her right now.

They were walking down the street to goodness knows where. The girl who’d knocked on her door was on the other side of Jim. He gripped her wrist so that she couldn’t escape if she wanted to.

“Where are you taking us?” Collette asked. Maybe if she could get him talking, he might loosen his hold on the other girl and she might be able to get away.

Collette had no idea what time Deal was going to get home. He’d see that the door was left open, something she’d done on purpose so that he would be aware that something was wrong. He would then call his friends, and they could start searching. But that may not happen for hours.

It wasn’t like she could leave behind a trail of stones for him to follow. She had nothing on her to be able to do that, anyway.

“You don’t need to worry.” He stopped in front of a nondescript sedan, and opened the back door, encouraging her to go inside with a wave of the gun. For half a heartbeat, she thought about refusing and trying to make a dash for it, but as if he could read her intentions, he grabbed the other girl tight against his chest. “Guns are so messy, but effective,” he said conversationally.

It was all Collette needed to get in the car. She didn’t want to be responsible for the young girl’s death. She had as much life to live for as Collette did.

“I’m getting in,” she stated, before stepping in the vehicle. She expected Jim to shove the other girl in as well, but instead he put the gun into the waistband of his trousers, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out something else. With a flick of his wrist, a silver blade glinted in the night.

“As I said, guns are so messy. I prefer knives.” He smiled evilly at the young twenty something woman and Collette held her breath, hoping that he wasn’t going to do what she suspected he was. “You’ve served your purpose, sweetheart.” He buried the knife in the girl’s stomach, and she cried out before he stabbed her a couple more times and left her on the ground.

Collette covered her mouth to muffle her scream. The woman had done nothing wrong. It didn’t matter that she’d lured Collette to answering her door, she still didn’t deserve to die.

“I like the throat the best, but I needed something thing different this time.” Jim said conversationally, as he got in the car and started the engine. “I usually have more fun with them too, though I think I’ll save that for later… with you.”

Shock from what she witnessed engulfed her, making speech impossible. Her mind was locked on how casually Jim had killed the girl.

How long would it be before someone found her?

There was nothing to connect her with Collette’s disappearance.

What Jim said finally sunk in.

I like the throat the best. I usually have more fun with them.