Page 95 of Until Joy

“The best.” Graham's voice carried absolute certainty. “Most of Jax’s guys have law enforcement, security or military backgrounds. If anyone can figure out what we're dealing with, it's them.”

“Military, huh? By the way, what did you do in the Navy?” Seth asked.

I held my breath to see if he would say that thing about logistics, but he didn’t.

“I was in the Navy for twelve years. SEAL teams.”

The silence that followed was loaded with new respect. Both my brothers had tried to enlist after high school, but Randy had been turned away for a heart murmur and Seth had blown out his knee in a training accident before he could ship out.

“Twelve years.” Randy whistled low. “You must have seen some action.”

“Some.” Graham's tone made it clear the subject wasn't open for discussion.

I watched my brothers absorb this information, seeing the shift in their perception of the man sitting across from them. Whatever they'd been expecting, it hadn't been this.

The doorbell rang, breaking the moment.

“That'll be Jax.” Graham stood, squeezing my shoulder as he passed. “I'll get it.”

Voices carried from the front hall, then Graham returned with everybody.

“Seth, Randy, this is Jax Mayson and Evan Barrister.” Graham made the introductions as I cleared plates from the table.

“Coffee?” I offered.

“That'd be great, thanks.” Jax settled into the chair Graham had vacated.

I poured coffee while the men arranged themselves around the patio/dining room table. The shift in atmosphere was palpable, conversation time was over.

“What did you find?” Graham got straight to the point.

Jax opened a manila folder, spreading papers across the table. “Evan's contact at Interpol came through. We've got confirmation that Joy's stalker from London has struck again.”

My hands stilled on the coffee pot. “What do you mean, struck again?”

Evan leaned forward. “Six months ago, a woman in Dublin reported the same pattern Joy experienced in London. Flowers, notes, escalation to physical contact. Same MO, same psychological profile, and he matched the physical description Joy gave them.”

“Did they catch him?” Seth's voice was tight.

“No.” Evan shook his head. “But this time, he escalated further than he did with Joy.”

My stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

Jax and Evan exchanged a look.

“He kidnapped her.” Jax's voice was gentle but matter-of-fact. “Held her for ten days before releasing her in a park outside the city.”

The coffee pot slipped from my nerveless fingers, hitting the table with a sharp crack. Coffee splashed across the tabletop, but I couldn't seem to move to clean it up.

“Joy.” Graham was beside me in an instant, righting the coffeepot and pulling napkins to stop the running coffee from spilling over the side of the table.

“Ten days.” My voice came out as a whisper.

“The victim sustained multiple injuries during captivity.” Evan's clinical tone didn't soften the horror of his words. “Physical and psychological trauma. She moved back in with her parents after her release and hasn't been able to return to work.”

Randy pushed back from the table so hard his chair scraped against the floor. “You're telling us this psycho tortured some woman for ten days and just let her go?”

“That's exactly what I'm telling you.” Evan pulled out a photograph and slid it across the table. “This is the Dublin victim. The similarities to Joy are unmistakable.”