Page 101 of Long Past Deadly

“Did he attack young girls in Iraq, too?” She kept her voice soft, trying to convey how much she knew. Information was power, and cooperation could be gained many times with confidence in the expertise.

His lips tightened. “I tried to tell command what I suspected. They didn’t believe me. We weren’t there to support the civilian population. We were there to kill terrorists.”

“That’s a yes.” She kept her jubilant reaction to herself because it was one more confirmation. They had dozens of places to search for victims. But what would it tell her? Nothing helpful here.

She knew what prompt she’d given Quaid in the night. You missed me before. Come and get this sweet honey. If you can. It didn’t provoke, challenge – not enough to guarantee he’d act.

Whit was protecting her. She was protecting him. That needed to stop. He needed to be part of the dangerous team who acted. “We have two places we’ve engaged him. Downtown area. And here at QM. The plan is for me to spread a message through the neighborhoods. We have a manhunt in progress with all the law agencies. We’re using them as a funnel to flush him out. Make him move or be caught. We want him to come here. Well, next door. It’s a new building to QM but hasn’t been renovated. A kill zone if you will. Close quarters combat.”

He listened quietly. Finally, the temper faded. “It reeks of trap, but he might be persuaded.”

“He’s devolving, Whit. He can’t maintain his discipline in his kills anymore. He’s acting more on impulse.”

Whit nodded. “He should never have tried for me again. There was no point to it.”

“Unfinished business. Both you and me.”

“I got away. Crawled into the bunk at the church. He tried for you because it would draw me out.”

“That isn’t all of it. I was there for one of his kills. I could never figure out why he left me behind. He chose the one who was dead to hide the body, and figured he had time to finish and get back to toy with me some more. He didn’t. You found me. You protected me.”

“A mistake. He made more than you think.”

“I have gaps in what I’ve found. What do I use?”

“Keep it simple: You keep missing us. Let’s end this. Face-to-face. We’re waiting for you.”

She assessed the change. They’d have to risk Whit being there.

“Are you strong enough? No lies.”

“I won’t be a liability.”

“You’re bait, too. The difference is me as bait comes with a whole lot of people who will be at my back. Using you leaves you vulnerable until we spring the full trap.”

“I don’t care. God, I’m tired of the threat, too. I goad him, then you sweep in with your team and take him.”

Oh, she hated this. Understanding dawned. Quaid tensed last night over this whole discussion. Could she kick herself? Their lovemaking this morning had a tinge of desperate to it. Crap.

Alanna eyed Whit, trying to outthink, outsmart whatever would come their way. “I have an ace in the hole, so to speak.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve spent six years studying criminal psychology, and while I don’t have all his details, I have enough to manipulate his state of mind.”

“Enough to make him doubt himself?”

“Enough to twist him sideways, make him believe he’s got the upper hand.”

“How good is this team?” The gruffness in his voice took her back to the street arguments with him over where she slept at night. He never had liked her in unsafe territory. The feeling was mutual.

“Quaid – Marines/CIA, Mackey – Tier 1 Counterterrorism Delta, Frank – Marines/Police, my boss, FBI, and one other unnamed man who is a SEAL.”

Whit whistled. “Puts me the low man on the totem pole.”

“And yet you’d be the linchpin to the whole operation. Can you pull it off?”

“It’ll be a test to figure out who he wants worse – you or me.”