“No way will I risk Ramie by taking her somewhere the killer is likely close by,” Caleb said, shaking his head vehemently. “Not only that but if she has a link to both killer and victim, think what that would do to her! She’d suffer everything the victim is subjected to but then she would also experience torture, pain and death through the killer’s eyes and it would be as if she murdered the victim herself. We can’t put that kind of burden on her. It may well push her over the edge.”
How calmly they discussed her sanity, or rather the lack of. She knew Caleb had her best interests—her absolute protection—at heart, but she also knew that this could very well be their only real shot to take a monster down.
Instead of fear, anticipation—a sense of excitement—coursed through her veins.
Her voice, when she spoke, was strong and convincing, a spark for the first time she could remember in forever. She was suddenly imbued by hope that she’d refused to allow herself to even consider until now.
“Caleb, it could work.”
Caleb jerked his head around in obvious surprise. She winced at just how shocked he was that she would entertain anything but avoidance or running away. An art she’d perfected over the last year and a half. It was a testament to just how much of a coward she was that he now stared at her in disbelief.
“No,” he finally said. “Don’t even think about it, Ramie. There are a million things that could go wrong in a scenario like this. I won’t chance it. I won’t risk your life or trade it for another.”
“It’s a good idea and you know it,” she argued. “If it were anyone else but me, if your security firm had been hired to protect someone like me, you wouldn’t hesitate because you’d know that you were providing top-notch protection. Ever hear the saying that the best defense is a good offense? It’s time for me to stop running and start hunting him like he’s hunted me all these months. He’d hardly expect it. He’s certainly become well acquainted with my MO. As long as he sticks to his, we have the upper hand.”
“This is insane,” Caleb bit out.
“I think it’s better that we don’t bring up my mental status or lack thereof,” she said dryly.
Caleb winced, apology reflected in his expression.
“She wouldn’t be alone or unguarded,” Dane interjected from the doorway to the living room. He walked toward where the others were seated and stood next to Caleb, his stare gauging Caleb’s temperament. “The killer would be a fool to return to the crime scene. Besides that, he’ll have no way of knowing that she’ll be there.”
Caleb shook his head, his eyes shooting sparks. “The hell he won’t know. If he has an open line into Ramie’s mind and can see her surroundings then he’ll know exactly where she is and what she’s doing. We may as well paint a bull’s-eye on her forehead and tie her to a tree.”
“And that’s where we come in,” Eliza said in a calm, placating voice. “We put our best team on this. Make sure we have all the bases covered. She goes in, sees if she can pick up on anything and then we get out and hope we nail the bastard before he murders another innocent woman.”
“I agree,” Ramie said firmly.
She rose from her perch on the couch but went still when she swayed precariously. She let out a frustrated curse because everything had shifted around her the moment she stood. The effects of the medication Dane had given her hadn’t been pronounced until now. She was light-headed and the jackhammer in her head had subsided to a dull ache at the base of her skull.
“Are you okay?” Caleb asked anxiously.
“I’m fine, Caleb,” she confirmed. “I think the medication is kicking in, that’s all.”
Caleb’s expression was worried and grim. “I think you should go lie down for a while. God knows you’re going to need all the rest you can get if we’re even considering this f**ked-up plan to let you go after a monster.”
She locked gazes with him and then she closed the distance separating them, taking the few steps to where Caleb had ended his last pacing session. She laced her fingers through his and squeezed in an effort to give him some reassurance.
Tension radiated from him in waves. His mind was a jumbled mass of chaotic thoughts and fears. She could feel how terrified he was that something would go wrong and that she would pay the ultimate price.
“I have to do this, Caleb, and you know it. I don’t relish the idea of immersing myself in a myriad of fear, pain, blood and violence, but if I don’t stop him, who will? Police always say eventually he’ll mess up and make a mistake but this guy hasn’t and won’t make that mistake. He’s too good. He’s the most dangerous sort of killer. Cold, calculating, patient and methodical in everything he does. If it takes the next five years, or even ten, he’ll wait for the time when I screw up and make a mistake or let my guard down. And I don’t want to live the next five to ten years constantly looking over my shoulder and allowing fear to control me. I’m ashamed it took me this long to come to this conclusion. A lot of women had to die to get me to this point but that’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life. Taking him down for good will go a long way in easing some of the burden I bear.”
Caleb’s expression softened, his eyes losing some of the harsh glint. “Baby, you can’t save them all.”
He smoothed her hair back, framing her face in his hands. His eyes were such a rich shade of blue that it felt as though she were drowning in an ocean. They were warm with love but there was also a trace of fear. For her. That he would lose her.