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GOLDIE: Night Rebels Motorcycle Club (Night Rebels MC Romance Book 4) by Chiah Wilder (32)

Chapter Forty

I can’t move! What the hell’s going on? Hailey blinked several times, trying to clear her bleary eyes as she regained consciousness. Her nose tingled and she went to scratch it, but her wrist was secured to something. She craned her neck. I’m tied to the bedpost! She tried moving her other arm and legs, but they were secured tightly. Goose bumps pebbled her skin as she raised her head and saw that her clothes had been cut down the middle. Eyes bulging, she looked around the room.

Her mind was in a fog as she tried to remember the series of events that brought her to being tied spread-eagle on her bed. Then he walked in.

Dr. Daniels! That’s right. He came over and then he… struck me with a hard object. When he did it the second time, I blacked out. This doesn’t make sense. Why is he—

“I’m glad you finally came to. It’s no fun when the woman’s knocked out.”

“Why are you doing this, Dr. Daniels? I don’t understand.”

He came over and trailed the tip of the knife gently over her forehead, then down to the base of her throat. “I love the way fear is creeping into your eyes. You have no idea what I’m going to do to you. The unknown is your enemy, but it’s my best friend.” He leaned over and tried to kiss her, but she thrust her head against his face and he jerked back. Surprise replaced cockiness.

“Don’t touch me. Untie me and stop this right now!”

Taken aback, he stepped away, his wide gaze beginning to narrow.

I’m supposed to meet Goldie. When I’m not there, he’s going to freak. He’ll come here. I just know he will. I have to stall.

“You’ve caused me many sleepless nights, Hailey. I’d planned to take you a couple of months ago, but Goldie butted his low-life nose into your life and my plans had to go on hold. But now you and I have all the time in the world. I checked Goldie’s schedule at the tattoo place and he’s busy all night, so it’s just you and me.”

“Are you the one who’s been raping all the women? Did you murder Nadine?” She couldn’t stop the icy shivers strangling her nerves. When he smiled wide, she knew he was getting off on her fear. I have to try and calm down. Goldie will be here. I’m going to be fine. It’s all good. I can’t act afraid. But I am. I’m scared to death. She forced herself to think of the sun setting over the mountains.

“She pulled off my mask. I didn’t want to kill her, but I’ll let you in on a secret.” His dead eyes stared at her as he leaned down close to her ear. “When I slit her throat while she looked at me, I fucking loved it. And then I was hooked.” He bit down hard on her earlobe and she yelled out, but he wouldn’t let go. Afraid he was going to bite it off, she raised her head again and hit him in the jaw.

Whack! Her head turned from the force of his slap. Tears rolled down her stinging face as he leaned close once more, watching her intently. “Yes, we’re going to have a lot of fun,” he muttered under his breath.

Keep talking. Stall! “Everyone thought Dan Krutcher did the rapes.”

Sitting on the side of the bed, he smirked. “That was just luck. I was surprised at the ineptness of the police department, but then we’re in a small town. I can’t believe Dan killed the patients. He was supposed to care for them. They trusted him. When it occurred to me that someone might be killing the patients, I was horrified. The medical staff is there to care for, comfort, and prolong life, not destroy it.” He shook his head.

He’s fucking nuts! “Why do you hurt women?” she asked in a soft voice.

“I have a monster in me that needs to be fed. And you have been tempting me for a long time.” He ran his hands over her breasts and she bit her inner cheek hard.

“If you’re a real good girl, I’ll let you live.”

“No you won’t. You didn’t even try and conceal your face. You decided to kill me when you drove over to Main Street and hid in the bushes waiting for me.”

He laughed without mirth. “You got me. Such a smart, pretty one.” He trailed his fingers down her body and she closed her eyes, bracing for his touch in her most private parts.

“Keep your fucking eyes open, bitch. I want to see them. Now!”

Her eyelids flew open and the man she saw before her wasn’t the Dr. Daniels she knew—he was a menacing, evil man. His features had darkened, his eyebrows were narrowed, and his lips were tightly closed, forming a thin line. She arched her body and pulled on her ties in a vain attempt to get away from him. He stood and unzipped his pants, and she turned her head away.

Pop! Pop! The killer’s eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open. With the sound of her heartbeat thrashing in her ears, she screamed as red soaked Dr. Daniels’s T-shirt, then splattered over her. His face froze and he fell over, his head hitting the nightstand. She shut her watering eyes tight, flinching when fingers touched her wrists.

“Hailey, it’s okay. You’re safe.” Goldie’s voice filtered through her brain.

“Is that you, Goldie?”

“It’s me, babe.” He pulled her sore body to him and held her tight. The fear she’d been holding back broke through and tears flowed freely down her face.

“It was Dr. Daniels all along. I can’t believe it. He wanted to kill me. I can’t believe it,” she said over and over again like a mantra.

“You’re safe now. I’m here.”

Sirens wailing in the distance eerily filled the room. Still clinging to him, she moved her head up and down in rhythm with his deep breathing.

“You guys better get out of here. I’ll handle it with the damn badges.”

Low grunts, shuffling feet, and then quiet except for the sirens, which sounded closer now. Goldie pulled on the sheet, yanking it from the mattress as she still clung to him, moving with him as though they were glued together. Pushing her back a little, he wrapped the sheet around her exposed body, then pressed her close again and waited. When the blue and red flashing bounced off the bedroom walls, she knew what he was waiting for.

Heavy clumping up the stairs unnerved her and she whimpered, but his soothing hand on her hair calmed her as the footsteps came closer. Peeking through her semi-shut eyelids, she saw Sheriff Wexler walk into the room. I bet I spoiled his date. I wonder how she liked the flowers. That was all she could think of: Wexler’s date.

“What happened here?” the sheriff asked as his glance went from her to Goldie to Dr. Daniels’s dead body.

“He’s your rapist and murderer. He came after my woman. The fucker had a knife in his hand, ready to cut her, so I shot him.”

“Did you yell out to him?” Barnard asked, coming closer to the body.

“Yeah.”

Barnard looked at Hailey. “Do you have anything to add about what happened?”

She shook her head. “It was awful. He’d unzipped his pants, and he had a knife in his hand. I was petrified. He’d tied me up and cut open my clothes. I heard Goldie tell him to stop but he didn’t. He just kept coming closer to me.” When she glanced at Goldie, pride shone in his gaze. She rested her head against his shoulder.

“We’ll need your full statement, Ms. Shilley. You can do it downstairs or at the station. It looks like a justified shooting,” the sheriff said, nodding at Goldie.

“We’re going to have to investigate a little further before we can rule it justified. How’d you know he was here with Ms. Shilley?” Barnard asked Goldie.

“I didn’t. I went to meet her for dinner, and when she didn’t show and I couldn’t get her on the phone, I got worried and came over to her house.”

“So you had no idea the rapist was here?”

Stone-faced, Goldie said, “I just answered that.”

“Do you always bring a weapon when you come over to your girlfriend’s?” Barnard folded his arms over his chest.

“Yeah.”

Wexler cleared his throat. “I issued the permit for it. It’s all good. We got the DNA results a few days ago ruling out Dan Krutcher as the rapist-murderer. We’ll do a DNA comparison on Daniels, then wrap up the case. Do you want to come down with Ms. Shilley and give your statement?” Wexler asked Goldie.

He grasped Hailey’s hand and went out into the hallway. Wexler’s voice drifted over the low murmurings of the deputies. “We’ve got a handle on it, Jack. Thanks for helping us out.”

“You believe the load of shit that outlaw told us?”

“I do. You can head back to Durango tomorrow morning. I’ll wrap this one up.”

Hailey and Goldie walked down the stairs and waited for the lawmen in the family room. Goldie stroked her hair. “You’re gonna need to talk with someone about all this shit that went down. Breanna can get you in touch with some counselors.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, but Daniels’s face jumped into her mind and she shuddered.

“Just talk to whoever Breanna recommends. Do it for me, okay?”

“Okay.” Wetness coated her eyelashes, cheeks, and chin.

The two lawmen came into the room then and sat down. She sat up straight and waited for the questions to begin.

This is going to be a long night.