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Joy’s Homecoming

Page 105

by Caitlyn O’Leary

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

Simon bent over the table and opened a manila folder, spreading papers across the table. “Hart'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?”

Simon stood up so he could look at me. “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.” Simon shook his head. “But this time, he escalated further than he did with Joy.”

My stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

Nash and Simon exchanged a look.

“He kidnapped her.” Nash'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.” Nash'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.” Nash pulled out a photograph and slid it across the table. “This is the Dublin victim. The similarities to Joy are unmistakable.”

Graham tossed the last round of soggy napkins to the center of the table and pulled me into his arms. It helped, but only a little.

I couldn't bring myself to look at the photo. The room felt like it was closing in around me.

“We need constant surveillance.” Graham's voice cut through the buzzing in my ears. “Around-the-clock protection until we catch this guy.”

“Agreed.” Simon nodded. “I can provide personnel, but we'll need to coordinate schedules and locations.”

“I can help with that.” Seth spoke up for the first time since the revelations began. “Randy and I can take shifts.”

All eyes turned to him.

“We're not going back to our jobs until this is resolved.” Seth's jaw was set in the stubborn line I knew well. “Joy's our sister. We protect our own.”

I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. Despite all the attitude and overprotection, when it mattered, my brothers showed up.

“What about you, Randy?” I looked at my other brother, who'd been unusually quiet.

“What Seth said. You think I'm going to leave you to deal with this alone? What kind of brother do you think I am?”

The hurt in his voice made my chest ache. I pulled out of Graham’s arms and reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

“The best kind, Randy. Both of you are the best kind of brothers a girl could have.” I squeezed his fingers. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened in London. You should have known.”

“Yeah, well.” Randy cleared his throat. “Water under the bridge. Right now, we focus on keeping you safe.”

After that exchange, I found myself sitting on Graham’s lap while he sat in the recliner and spent the next hour working out logistics with the other men. Schedules, check-in times, emergency contacts. I half-listened, my mind still reeling from the revelation that my stalker had escalated to kidnapping.

Ten days.