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Dr. Miller nodded. “I’m feeling even better about a full recovery.” He glanced at her in the bed. “At least physically.”
Kade didn’t ask what sort of horrors she might’ve endured that she’d be reliving for the rest of her life.
“I’ll take a look at her X-ray and see you in a few minutes with hopefully more good news.” Dr. Miller excused himself after Kade thanked the man for the update. He truly appreciated being briefed so quickly on the situation. He texted his sister with the good news. He also needed to call Bree’s father before the sheriff did. Kade was just thankful he’d shown up to the Hollow when he had. The alternative sent more of that fiery anger racing through his veins.
Kade texted Travis with a request the deputy be the one to call Bree’s father.
Travis responded almost immediately.Planned on it.Good. Travis knew Bree and her father personally. The news would come across better from him than Carr.
Kade texted back with an update about the labs. Afterward, he reclaimed the seat next to Bree’s bed and took her hand in his. Her index finger twitched against his palm. It probably wasn’t more than a reflex. Still, his heart beat a little faster, and warmth spread through his chest. “I’m here, sweetheart.”
There was no more movement from Bree after that twitch.
For the next few hours, he kept a vigilant watch on the door as he fought the urge to sleep. When it opened, he sat up straighter, keeping Bree’s hand safely in his.
Travis walked in, his expression grim.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Seeing that look on his friend’s face meant bad news.
“I’ve been digging into the case.” Travis rubbed the day-old stubble on his chin. He glanced at Bree before nodding his head toward the door. “You want to take a walk?”
“I’d rather be here when she wakes.” She would wake. She would be fine. There was no other option in his mind.
“Mind if I sit?” Travis motioned toward the chair close to Kade.
“Go ahead.” Whatever news was coming, Travis seemed like he needed to give Kade a minute to brace himself for it. Or maybe Travis was trying to find the right words. Either way, Kade didn’t figure this was going to be good news.
Travis nodded and took a seat close to Kade. He leaned forward and dropped his shoulders down.
“Tell me what’s going on.” Travis didn’t look like he’d slept either.
“The carving in Bree’s shoulder kept bugging me. The area had to be a choice, and why carve into it? Did this guy like a souvenir? Did he like to mark his victims? Did he leave a signature? Plus, there has been a guy who fits the profile. He took five victims before disappearing two years ago. We believed he was arrested on a different charge and that’s why the killings stopped. I didn’t say anything about it before because I wanted to be certain. So, I input the information into a Department of Homeland Security database.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I input her description—blond hair, brown eyes.” Travis studied his hands. “The fact that she lives in Texas. Is pregnant.”
“I’m guessing it was a match.”
Travis looked up. “How did you know?”
“Chloe put two-and-two together and was afraid the Reaper had resurfaced,” Kade said.
“Sure enough, I got a call from a friend of mine with the San Antonio Police Department. I told him what we knew, and he immediately asked how long she’d been missing before she was found. Then, he asked if it was a rescue or recovery. I told him she was still alive. My friend said, if this is the same guy he’s thinking about, she’s damn lucky.”
“How many victims?” Kade cocked a brow at his longtime friend.
“There’ve been five others, all blonds, all from Texas in a triangle between Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. All the victims were close to the same age as Bree. Similar physical descriptions. One other was pregnant.”
“Jesus.” Kade stabbed his fingers through his hair. “And what about the others? Were they able to give a description—”
Travis was already shaking his head. “There are no other survivors. She’s the only one.” Travis mumbled a few choice words before continuing. “One of the vics escaped only to be hunted down and punished twice as much.” He stopped for a few silent moments like he needed to gather his strength before continuing. Travis cared. What he’d just said confirmed Chloe’s suspicion and told Kade the killer would come back for Bree. And keep coming back until she was “punished.”
“Usually, the victims go missing for six or seven days before he kills them. He has a ritual the FBI has been trying to piece together. Suffice it to say that no one has figured out the pattern in the carvings. This goes back at least eight years. The task force, including the FBI and all three major police departments, dubbed him the Razorblade Reaper for the carvings and…”
“Go on,” Kade urged.
“The moniker ‘Reaper’ comes from the way he likes to deliver the fatal blow.”
At the same time Travis spoke, Bree’s index finger twitched. Kade muttered a few choice words as he focused on her, and her eyes blinked open.
Travis hopped to his feet. “I’ll get the nurse.”
