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I have a feeling this might be tied to the bitch that’s after my woman. I thought for sure I knew who it was, but now I don’t even know anymore. I thought maybe, just maybe, it was the whack job that went to school with my sister, but when I checked out her place, it looked as if she hadn’t lived there in years.

I also haven’t seen her around since I went off to the academy for police training, so maybe I’m wrong. So who the fuck could this cunt be? I know it’s a woman, because the shit this killer does is not something a man would do, same with the damn notes I keep finding around Delaney. It’s definitely women’s handwriting.

“Pike?” Sam asks. I notice numb nuts left, and it’s just the two of us.

“You shouldn’t have stopped me all those years ago, man,” I grind out.

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Fuck, I know, okay, I know, but we were just starting our jobs, and I didn’t want this to fuck shit up for you. I know you wanted to protect Delaney. It’s all you’ve ever done. I. Shit. I’m sorry, man. I thought it was for the best at the time. If I could go back in time, I’d have helped you do it.”

I know he’s being serious, even so, I’m fucking pissed off. “What are we gonna fucking do? I’m gonna need to put eyes on Delaney at all times. Without her knowing.” I’m worried about what will happen if she finds out her stepfather has escaped prison. She’s finally gotten better, but this will set her back. And I know she’ll think those notes and shit are coming from him.

This is something I’ve tried to protect her from. Always. Taking out assholes and bitches that messed with her. Or tried to anyway. May have gone overboard in taking out innocent men that were really just interested in her, but no way in hell was anyone else having her, anyone but me.

The only person who knows the shit I’ve done is my sister. And she’ll protect my secret until death. Fuck, even after I’m gone, I know she’d still never tell a soul.

“What about Talia? Have her on Delaney watch? When I’m off shift, I can take over. I’m sure I can get my old lady to keep a lookout, too.”

“No. That’s too much. Talia is a smart choice. Between the three of us, we should be fine. Though, I got a buddy, he works in a private sector. I can tag him in if need be. No one knows about him or even who he is. The guy is like fucking smoke, swear to God. No one ever knows he’s watching them until it’s too late.”

Sam looks at me wide eyed. “How you know a guy like that?”

“Met him by accident once. We were on a case. Remember that butcher guy we were after a few years back? He was on it. I literally fell into one of his traps.” I chuckle, remembering that. To say I was shocked someone got one over on me would be an understatement. Though the guy just laughed, saying he never expected to catch a cop. Since then, we’ve had a beer together a handful of times. He’s not too bad.

Sam shakes his head and blows out a breath. “All right. Well, tag him in if needed, too. I’m here for you. Always, man. You know that. We’ll find the fucker and protect your girl.” he claps me on the shoulder and heads out.

Moving my neck side to side to work out some kinks and a few deep breaths, I head out. I need eyes on Delaney right now, and I hope to fuck Horace is caught soon. Hopefully, I’m the one that catches him, though. I sure as shit won’t call it in. Instead, I’ll be the one to end his miserable existence.

I’ll set things right for my girl once and for all.

Hours later, I’m sitting at my desk. Our station is so small, everyone does everything here. I’ve tried telling our chief we needed to expand more, but since we’re a small town, he keeps saying no. He’s a fucking idiot, honestly. Small towns don’t have as many serial killers as ours has.

I’m supposed to be a simple traffic cop, but instead, we’re all on every duty there is. You’d think we’d get paid more since we do it all, but no. Damn small towns. If it wasn’t for Delaney, I would have moved on to the big city and worked my way up the ranks.

Looking over all the shit we have on Horace, I can’t help but feel as if we’ve missed something over the years.

“Oh, fuck!” I hear Sam shout out from the other side of the room at his own desk. “Pike, man, you ain’t gonna believe this shit.” He gets up, running his hands through his hair.

Jumping out of my seat, I rush over to him and glimpse at his computer screen. “What the fuck?” I snarl out. “How’d the fuck did we miss this?”

Sam shakes his head. “Fuck me, I don’t know. But there it is, almost as if it was buried or something. None of us ever found close relatives of his. His parents were dead. He was in foster care. No kids, no other women or exes we could find. But I had my brother, who works for the FBI, go deeper. He ran DNA and shit, and boom, fucker sent me this.”

It’s her, the bitch I always was convinced was my stalker. The bitch who wants Delaney dead is the motherfucker’s biological daughter. “How did an ex-wife never get found out before?”

There it fucking is. Penelope Forester and Horace were married just months before he went off with Loretta in the city an hour away. Looks like they never even really got divorced actually, from the date on this shit, and there doesn’t seem to be a divorce decree. He married Loretta, Delaney’s mother, here in town.

Hope fucking Forester is his daughter. This all makes so much fucking sense now. That bitch was a nut job. Always staring at me, trying to befriend Talia. Never spoke much to Delaney. Hell, she’s been alone with Delaney in the library many times over the years.

I thought she moved away, though. When I searched her place, it was empty. Bitch must have figured out I would know it was her though, someday at least, and made sure to not stay there if I came around.

I knew my gut instinct on this shit was right the first time.

I need to call Talia now, because there is no way in hell this bitch is touching what’s mine.

Chapter Twenty

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Talia jabs me in the ribs with her elbow.