“I need to get my keys.”
He sighed. “You have my approval. Your keys and nothing more.”
Careful to keep her face in the screen, Ellie grabbed her purse, then dropped her keys to the floor to give herself a reason to bend down and pick up her go-bag too. It was a terrible risk, but she needed the item inside.
“I’ve got them.”
“Go to your car.”
Sam was at the front door when Ellie’s hand wrapped around the knob. The dog whimpered, as if she knew that Jillian was in danger, and gazed up into Ellie’s eyes, her tail motionless, her mouth held tight. Despite her goofy nature, Sam knew when her favorite humans were stressed, and she was ready to act. Chuffing softly so her cheeks puffed out, she nosed Ellie’s leg urgently and stared at the door as if willing it to open.
Ellie gently pushed her away. “You can’t go, Sam. We’ll be back, I promise. I’ll bring Jillian home to you.”
Sam whimpered, trying to slip out when Ellie opened the door.
Ellie backed out of the apartment, making sure Sam didn’t sneak out behind her and locked the deadbolt. A single bark of protest was the only sound Sam made, then she was quiet, resigned to being left behind. The apartment door was cold against Ellie’s hand as she gathered her courage, wondering if she’d just lied to Sam.
No. She could do this.
She took a deep breath and hurried through the hallway past her neighbors’ apartments, careful to keep her face in the phone’s screen. Music floated out from beneath the door at the end of the corridor, accompanied by the scent of fresh cookies in the oven. It seemed cruel that life continued, while Ellie’s world was crumbling around her. How could someone be baking cookies at a time like this?
Grimacing, she pushed the grim thoughts away. This man, the master as Katerina had called him, was a human and not invincible. Letting him get in her head wasn’t helping. Channeling her fear into anger, she shoved the heavy, fireproof door that led to the stairs so hard it slammed against the wall.
Sweat dripped down her spine as she ran to her car. Once again careful to keep her face in the screen, she tossed the bag and purse into the passenger seat, then got in and placed the phone in the holder located on her dashboard, turning it up until only her face was showing.
“Now what?” she asked as she pushed the button to start the car.
“Turn right out of your parking lot. I’m tracking you, and I’ll know if you try to trick me.”
“What if I lose you?”
“That would be very unfortunate. If you follow my directions to the letter, you’ll have no trouble finding the place. Besides, it should be familiar to you. You’ve been there before.” He gave a delicate snort of laughter. “Sadly, this will probably be my last time using this particular building. I imagine Charleston PD will leave no stone unturned to solve the murder of two of its own. It’s a shame, really. So much history here.”
Ellie closed her eyes, the faces of several of the women she’d manage to connect to her own case floating through her head. How many more were there? “How many women have you killed?”
“Here? Dozens.”
The pride in his tone sent a fresh ripple of dread through her. Dozens? They must have been buried somewhere secluded, still waiting to be found, their families wondering what had happened to their loved ones.
Her stomach roiled, sending waves of nausea through her at the reality of what he’d done to so many innocent women. What she’d witnessed him do. Taking the victims in pairs, he tortured one until the other broke and shouted the order for him to kill her friend. Here was a man who not only showed no remorse for what he’d done but seemed to enjoy it.
And he had Jillian.
Unable to curb her curiosity, she blurted the question out before she thought better of it. “Did you stay in Charleston because of me?”
He was silent for so long, she thought he’d hung up. But then he gave a small hum, as if he’d decided there was no harm in telling her the truth. It wasn’t like he had any intention of letting either her or Jillian live. He’d made that much abundantly clear.
“Yesss.” The word was breathless, heavy with meaning. A single syllable that was so much more.
“And you’ve been watching me.”
“I had to right the wrong and finish what I started. So, yes, you’re the only reason I’ve stayed in Charleston this long. I could have broadened my horizons, but I was reluctant to leave my puppet.”
“Was I your first? Is that why my escape bothers you so much?” The longer she kept him talking, the less time he had to torture Jillian.
He laughed, the sound booming through the phone’s speaker. “Hardly. But you were the only one who ever got away, and it won’t happen again.” There was another long pause, followed by a deep inhalation of breath. “As much as I’ve enjoyed catching up with you, the clock is ticking. If you want to see your friend alive, I suggest you turn left at the light.”
With no other choice, Ellie did exactly what he said.
With movements as careful as she could make them, Ellie reached over to the passenger seat and unzipped her go-bag, removing a Glock 19, her personal weapon. She hadn’t taken off the service weapon at her hip nor the ankle holster she’d strapped to her lower leg before leaving Nick’s cabin. She also still wore the bulletproof vest Flynn had encouraged her to wear as well.
She’d almost balked at the caution, but she was glad now that she had listened to the experienced bodyguard.
The kidnapper would likely frisk her and demand she remove the service weapons on her hip and ankle, but he might miss the Glock she would tuck under her vest. Any upper
