Chapter 21
Anna
Spending almost every hour of the day with Boston for the last few days was starting to show. I sipped my coffee from one side of the table, watching as he mirrored my actions. Drink for drink—narrowing eyes for narrowing eyes—grin for grin. We studied each other, staying silent, but not regarding our expressions. It was almost a game the way one of us acted and the other followed suit.
Boston crinkled his nose, took a drink, and I followed. My eyes went to my phone for the millionth time since Braden left, and Boston glanced across the room, returning his gaze to me. Not a word left him. Whether he knew what was going on, I didn’t know. I stayed true to my promise to Braden and had no intention of telling Boston about the suspicions.
“I’m okay now. It’s late, and I have work in a few hours. I think you can go back to your hotel and get some sleep if you want.”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“I’m not. I’m tired.”
Another twist of his lips, and I was a fool to repeat it. It had him smiling, which, in turn, had me smiling.
“Are you asking me to leave? I really don’t want to go.”
“And I really should be worried about this obsession thing you have going on.” I paused. “Oddly, I’m not. But I do need you to go for a few hours.”
A wince. “I like your house. The hotel is so…suffocating. It’s just…can’t I just…”
“Boston.”
“Please. Pretty Please. I’m begging you.”
“B—”
“Please.”
“Jesus. Fine. You can watch TV or sleep on the couch. Under no circumstances can you come into my room and watch me sleep. None.”
“No?”
At my eyebrows lifting, a big smile stretched across his face. Even though his happiness was evident, I knew the smile wasn’t his real one. Not like he’d have if I were Lucy and he were genuinely happy. Would I ever see that smile? I sort of liked having Boston around. Even if he was glued to my side, we connected on so many levels. And I could talk to him about anything. Everything. And he was the same. He spoke of the men he had killed—tortured—because of their backgrounds. They’d beaten women, and he couldn’t allow that to happen. He had told me every detail he could remember about his past.
Was I shocked at who he really was? No. I was fascinated. Aroused even. Not for him, but for the picture I conjured of him committing the act. Never had I spoken about such an intimate topic with anyone, and I was starting to see the appeal of it. In its own way, it was healing. Like a weight being lifted. In other ways, it left my own killer with a friend.
“TV. No watching you sleep. Got it.”
“Good. I’ll be out for a few hours. If Braden returns…” Shit. He would never understand why I was sleeping and allowing Boston to hang out at my house unattended. Should I tell him? No. I couldn’t do that. Besides, I promised Boston I wouldn’t tell his secret, just as he promised he’d keep mine.
“If Braden comes back, I’ll tell him I convinced you to let me stay. I really am worried that bastard will show up. In a way, I hope he fucking does. I want Lucy. I want to go home,” he said, his voice cracking. “I miss my life. I miss her. I…”
Tears clouded his eyes, and he was on the edge of some cliff. The longer time went by, the worse he became. I met him halfway, wrapping my arms around him as he crushed me into his body. My feet left the floor like they always did when we embraced, and all I could do was hold on as I tried to show my support.
“My brain keeps fucking saying this isn’t happening. It’s not real, Anna. It can’t be. After everything I did to get Lucy…after how close and safe I’ve kept her…it doesn’t make sense. She should have been the hardest person in the world to take. This is all my fault. I failed her. I fucking failed to protect her, and if something happens—”
“No,” I said softly. “You did what you could. There was no way you could keep your eyes on her every moment of the day. No one could do that.”
Tighter, he hugged, sniffling, before putting my feet back on the ground.
“I used to think the person I had to protect her against the most was myself. I was wrong.”
“We’re going to find her. At any time, things could change. Do you understand me? Every second is a second she could escape. Be rescued. We’ll just keep looking until we find her.”
“Thank you, Anna. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the both of us. I don’t know what I would do without you. Probably be in jail. I’m not counting it out if I don’t get her back soon. When we’re not looking, I can feel myself getting closer and closer to taking this into my own hands.”
“You can’t do that. Being behind bars will not bring her home any faster. If anything, it puts you two farther away.”
“I know.”
“Okay, good. I’m here if it starts to become too much. You know this. No matter what it is, I’m here for you.” He nodded, and I grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze before I stepped back. Boston headed toward the living room at my gesture while I stopped at the hall closet, taking him out a pillow and blanket.
“In case you get tired. The remote’s over there if you want to see what’s on.”
Pointing to the end table, he nodded, but took a seat on the sofa. When he unfolded the blanket and removed his shoes, I gave a wave, grabbing my phone from the counter. I headed to my room, shutting the door behind me. How was I going to get out of here without Boston knowing? He would hear my car start and want to know where I was going. Worse, he would want to come along. This was not what I was expecting. Or…maybe I had had an inkling he’d try to stay over. The obsession was growing. I couldn’t deny how obvious it was.
“I couldn’t convince you to leave your door open, could I?”
The yell traveled through, and I peeked my head out to see him peering over the back end of the sofa. Eyes, it was only his eyes, and I knew he had put himself like that intentionally. I tried not to smile, even though I wanted to laugh at him making fun of himself.
“Next you’re going to be asking if you can sleep on my floor.”
Higher, he rose, a seriousness coming over him. “Can I? You mentioned he came to your window first. He knows where you sleep.”
“Absolutely not. I’m fully prepared if he returns. Goodnight, Boston.”
A sigh turned into a frown. “Goodnight, Anna.”
I shut my door, hitting Braden’s number as I headed deeper into my room. At the voicemail, I frowned, surging into my closet. “Hey, it’s me. I was wondering if you got an address yet. I’m still awake, so don’t worry about waking me up. I’ll be waiting.”
Hanging up, I grabbed a pair of dark jeans and a long sleeve black turtleneck. For the life of me, I couldn’t stop the deep-seeded excitement. He needed to call. I needed that address. Lucy was within reach. She had to be. If this was our guy, and he was removed from the situation, I could slip right in and set the girls free. No. Braden would never help me again if I did that. It was imperative I make sure they were there and call in the screams, like I’d told him.
I grabbed my running shoes and slipped them on before turning off the bedroom light. From the glow of the bathroom, I sat on the edge of the bed for what felt like hours. I was back in No One’s house again. I could still feel the restraints around my wrists…still smell the distinct shower gel he’d bathed us in. The food. He thought I carried his child. In his own way, perhaps he tried to do right by the enemy captive he viewed me as, but he couldn’t control the beatings or torture. The hate he had for me knew no bounds.
Heaviness took over my eyes, and I let the top half of my body fall back to the mattress as my feet dangled over the side. Was Lucy currently going through something similar? Was she still alive? Braden wasn’t sure, and I didn’t blame him. Was this even our guy? If…Boston. My heart ached as I imagined him discovering bad news. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop reality from pushing in. Boston was a killer. I was a killer. The statistics were all too clear. Although neither of us targeted random, innocent people, I wasn’t naïve that some psychopaths didn’t care either way. I was praying for a miracle. Praying for a victim who could have easily been mine or Boston’s if the make-up of our killers were reversed.
****
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Heavily, my lids opened, closing almost immediately. It was Boston’s face that had them shooting back open. I flew to a sitting position, almost sliding from my bed in the process.
“What is it? What happened?”
I was already turning for the clock. Work. I had to go to work. But something was off. My brain wouldn’t focus.
Six a.m.
“You were screaming. The first time, I let you stop on your own since you didn’t want me to come in, but only ten minutes passed, and you started screaming again. You weren’t stopping. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“What is this?” he asked, gesturing with his hand. “Did you go somewhere? Plan to?”
A groan left me as I crawled to the middle of my bed, collapsing and pulling the pillow to cover my face. “Sleep.”
“Anna? Why are you dressed?”
Lifting the pillow enough to see his worry, I made another sound, forcing myself to sit. Two hours was not enough sleep after the long days and nights we had been putting in.
“It makes me feel safe. If I’m dressed, I can run at a moment’s notice. Boston, please. I’m tired. You must be tired too. Sleep.”
The sadness grew as he turned and began heading out. Falling back, I hugged my pillow tight as I tried not to let it affect me. Boston would be fine. Lucy would be fine. A few more hours and Braden would call. He would definitely call.
****
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Each loud thunk had my body jolting through a mix of slumber and bewilderment. My pulse was drumming into my chest. What was happening? Was that the door? Someone trying to break it down? What time was it?
I spun off the bed on numb legs and tried to sprint to see what the commotion was. Nothing on me was working right. Adrenaline ruled my movements, making it impossible to control my actions. My shoe hooked on the previous day’s shirt, and I flew forward. Air exploded from my lungs, and I tried to scramble back up as the loud sounds pounded outside my door again.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
I barely had it open before the sound of the blender began to grind loudly. I stared at Boston, completely lost on what was going on. I wasn’t used to this. To…having someone here besides Braden. And he would have never awoken me like this.
“There you are. Good morning. Smoothie?”
“W-What?”
“Your bananas were starting to go bad. Lucy couldn’t stand letting food go to waste. I also noticed last night you had strawberries in the freezer. It was perfect. I decided to make smoothies. Lucy loved those. You want one?”
“But…banging…you’re joking, right?”
“They’re really good.”
“It’s seven-oh-four,” I said, glancing at the clock.
“Perfecting timing. Didn’t you say you had to go to work? You can take one with you. Or drink one with me before you leave. Either way, win-win.”
“Boston…I go in today at ten. Ten. What are you doing?”
“Hold on. Almost done.”
The loud hum filled the small space of my home again. Sleep was gone. With it, patience. I headed to the coffee maker, going through my routine in a daze. Grounds spilled over the counter as my hands stumbled at the ring of my phone. I raced through the living room, jerking the cell from my bed and almost dropping it in the process.
“H-Hello? Hello? Braden?”
“You wish. This is Carl. You know, your cameraman. Thirty-fifth and Williams. We have another body. I can pick you up in fifteen if you’d like.”
“Shit. Yes, that would be great. I’ll be ready.” My stomach dropped, and air would barely come as I hung up. Kicking off my running shoes, I stumbled to the closet, pulling the turtleneck off in the process. Another body? So, the man wasn’t our killer? No wonder Braden hadn’t called me. Unless…the body was disposed before he came to my house.
“Anna, everything okay?”
I ripped a blouse from the hanger and pulled it on. Boston stayed out, which I was thankful for as I pushed down my pants and grabbed my slacks.
“No. It’s not. I’ll explain in a minute. I have to get dressed. I’m going in early.”
Silence lasted all of two seconds. Just as I was buttoning my pants, he barged in.
“Did they find another girl?”
“Privacy!”
“Anna…”
Hazel eyes pleaded with mine.
“Yeah…I’m sorry. They did.” Pulling the belt free, I didn’t miss the tsunami of terror and fear that washed over his face. Deep swallows followed a hard shake of his head. The next thing I knew, he was running for my bathroom. My lids closed, and my head went back as I let the darkness cover me. I felt his fear concerning this new body. Dread was making me a nervous wreck too. This wasn’t good. Not for the victim, not for the family, and not for Boston.
Slowly, I finished getting dressed. My heels were already on as the sink turned off and a pale Boston emerged.
“Where’s the body? Did they say what she looked like?”
“No,” I said softly. “They didn’t give a description.”
“Where?” Words wouldn’t come as tears clouded in his angry eyes. “I can’t take this another second. I…Anna…if this is her…if it’s not…fucking shit. I may need help. Before I…I—”
“Whoa, whoa. Breathe. Slow down and talk to me. Before you what?”
Repeatedly, he pushed his fingers through his hair as he tried to slow the pants.
“I’ll kill them all. I’ll go house to house until I find her, and no one will stop me. I don’t care anymore. If I lose her, I’m as good as dead anyway.”
“Don’t say that. You haven’t lost her, and you’re not going to. Get that through your head right this minute. Lucy needs you. Needs you, Boston. I know how hard this is, but you have to think of her. Think of how much she’s going to need you. Hold on a little longer. I’ll call Dr. Patron. He’ll make you better.”