A choked sob came from the woman.
You knew her.
“We found Judith’s body,” Cadence said. “I don’t want you to wind up like her. Let me help you.”
“Can’t…” The barest of whispers. “He’s here.”
She realized the scrapes she’d heard in the tunnel hadn’t come from the woman’s shoes.
They were farther back. Closing in on them.
They were coming from him.
Cadence started to turn around, but the woman shoved her in the back, sending Cadence stumbling toward the light.
The light was a candle, barely an inch high. The flame was sputtering because it was about to go out, and when it did, she’d be in the darkness again.
“Give me your hands,” the woman said.
Cadence lifted her hands. The watch was a reassuring weight. He’s coming.
Metal clicked around her wrists. Handcuffs.
“Don’t scream,” was the whisper once more.
Then the woman was backing away.
A creak of sound reached Cadence’s ears. Like a door opening. Or closing.
The flame sputtered out. Darkness.
“Hello?” Cadence called. The drumming of her heart was so loud. She lifted her hands, testing those cuffs. The woman had put them on too tightly. They bit into her wrists.
A familiar scraping sound reached her ears.
A sound that was very, very close.
He’s here.
Just as she had that thought, a bright light hit her right in the face, temporarily blinding her.
“Hello, Agent Hollow.”
She didn’t recognize his voice. It was low, rumbling. Almost mocking.
She squinted against the light. She wanted to see him, but the light was on top of his head. A headlamp. Just like the caving light she’d used before. No, not just a headlamp. She could just make out the bulk of the helmet on his head. Because of the helmet, no light actually fell on him. He was a shadow. Cadence saw the rough outline of his body, but little else.
About six foot three.
Wide shoulders.
“You know, of course, Agent Hollow, that you won’t get out of this place alive.”
His words chilled her.
“Actually, I’m planning to walk right out pretty soon,” she said.
He laughed. Her goose bumps got worse.
“It’s a maze down here,” he told her, still in the same voice. “You probably thought you were walking straight ahead, but my girl was guiding you. I trained her well. She knew just where to walk. I taught her the path. One wrong step could have led to your death. If you were to run out, you’d just get lost. You’d die in the dark.”
“Sounds like you plan for that to happen anyway.”
Keep him talking.
“Why are you so interested in the victims?”
His quiet words caught her off guard. He hadn’t moved. That bright light kept blaring on her.
“Why do you want to know what they feel—what they think—so badly?” he said.
“It’s the victims who matter.” If she ran for him, would she be able to take him out? Her body tensed as she prepared to attack. “They’re always the key.”
“You want to know so much about them.” His words were considering.
I’m here with him. Actually here with him. Kyle, hurry the hell up! She could feel the man’s evil in the room.
This place seemed to hold the taint of evil and death in the air.
“You want to know what it’s like to be the victim, and now you will.”
The light came closer.
Cadence didn’t back up. Where would she go? “Where’s Maria?” she demanded. “Where’s Bridgette? Where’s Fiona?”
“Fiona.” He drew out the name softly, with relish. “You just met her.”
The light vanished.
She blinked, seeing red spots dance in the darkness.
Hard hands grabbed her. Yanked at her. She was shoved back. Her body slammed into rocks. Her cuffed hands were yanked up. Pounded into the side of the cavern.
She heard her watch shatter at the impact.
“We lost the initial signal.”
Kyle felt his heart stop. “You’ve got three transmitters on her. Use the other two.”
Silence.
Silence wasn’t f**king good. “Dani?”
“The other two stopped sending signals about ten minutes ago. I’m sorry. They were linked to a different satellite system, and she must be in an area they can’t reach.”
The thick mud tried to suck the wheels down into its greedy grasp. He shoved down the gas pedal and the vehicle surged forward. “She hadn’t moved?” As long as she hadn’t moved after the last transmission, they’d find her.
Coming, baby. Coming…
“No. She was stationary.”
Stationary. As in not moving. But she couldn’t be dead. Not dead. Not. Dead.
“ETA?” he demanded.
“Ten minutes.”
Stay alive ten minutes, Cadence. Stay f**king alive. Just ten more minutes.
“You didn’t scream.” His breath blew against her cheek. “You know better than that, don’t you? You were the girl under the bed. The one who knew not to make a sound.”
How does he know about that? Cadence’s stomach clenched as the worst memory of her life was shoved back at her. Her chest ached, pain swelling within her as she remembered her own silence.
And her mother’s cries.
“Let’s see if you can keep quiet now. The longer you stay quiet, the longer you get to live.”
One hand held her wrists pinned. The other hand was around her throat. She thought of Valerie Tate, just tossed away at the old diner.
Valerie hadn’t stayed quiet.
His fingers squeezed lightly. That was when she realized her captor was wearing gloves. Thick, rough gloves that chafed against her skin.
“Remember, not a sound,” he whispered.
He let her go.
Cadence slowly lowered her hands.
The bastard dug into my life. He found out about my mother.
The killer had profiled her.
“Fiona!” he called softly.
There was a faint rustle from about four feet away.
The light came on again. Only this time, it fell right on Fiona. She didn’t even blink when the light hit her. Her face was blank, empty. Just like a lifeless doll.
“Fiona, you did a very good job,” he said.
She gave the faintest of nods.
“It would have been easier if she’d just gotten into your car, but having her follow you worked just as well.” A pause. “How did you get her to chase after you so quickly?”