Page 34 of Second Chance Serenity

Reyna.

Her bruises have begun to fade, though they’re currently in the stage of being a nasty yellow. Every time I see them, it makes me even angrier that I hadn’t been able to run her attacker down with my truck.

Would I have felt bad about it?

Probably not.

“You’re more pent-up than I’ve ever seen you,” Elijah comments. “Honestly, it’s refreshing to not be the grumpy one of the group anymore.”

I glare at him. “You’re happy and in love. Congratulations. Great for you.”

Elijah laughs. “You sound so happy for me. Thrilled, even.” He pushes to his feet. “I thought you should know the sheriff called at the end of my shift this morning. He said that they found an abandoned car a few miles out of town. It had been wiped clean of prints and reported stolen two weeks before.”

“From where?”

“Boston,” he says. “They’re having it towed to the station as we speak.”

“Boston. So whoever was after her is from Boston?”

“It’s a big city,” Elijah says. “It’s entirely possible whoever came here wasn’t even targeting her specifically. But rather looking for a type.”

His words make me nauseous. “Serial killer?”

“I don’t know,” Elijah replies. “But it would be foolish not to consider every possibility. And the way he’s toying with her—it has all the markings of a cat and mouse game.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” I demand, interrupting. If it’s a serial killer we’re dealing with, things will be a lot more complicated. He’ll be harder to track, and there’s no telling if he’ll move on to someone else before we manage to catch him.

“You would have been even more distracted,” Elijah says. “Besides, there wasn’t much you could do until now.” He stands. “I’m headed back to my apartment to shower and change. See you in an hour at the diner?”

“Yeah. I’ll be there.” I push up from my chair and head down the hall toward my apartment at the back of the gym. When I’d purchased this place, it had been the shell of an old vehicle sales lot run by Mr. Whitaker, a grumpy old man who never let a deal slip through his fingers. Including my offer to buy him out after I’d returned home.

I’ve never seen a man grab at three hundred thousand dollars so fast.

It was the only place big enough for my gym, and since I invested every penny I had into it, I’d needed somewhere I could live too. Thankfully, the gym does well enough that I’ve made back everything I invested and then some. Which made it possible for me to help my sister when her husband left her.

Pushing through the door into my apartment, I strip out of my clothes and step directly into the shower, not turning it on until I’m beneath the spray. Cold water hits me, and I remain where I am, letting it run down my sore body.

I’ve been in the gym every day over the past week.

When I’m not working or with Margot and Matthew or my parents, I’m in the ring or in front of a bag, letting my anger out on whatever willing participant just so happens to be in front of me. It’s been years since I felt this helpless. This lost.

This angry.

As soon as I’ve finished washing, I step out and dress quickly, then drop some flakes into my fish tank before grabbing my wallet, phone, and keys, and heading out of my apartment and into the employee area.

“Morning, boss,” Jennifer, one of the trainers I hired last year, offers me a wave as she sets her stuff in her locker.

“Morning. You have a full schedule today?”

She falls into step beside me, walking out into the main room of the gym. “Yeah. Picked up a couple new self-defense clients. I think you might actually know the first one that’s coming in.”

As soon as she says it, the door opens, and Jaxson walks in, Reyna right behind him. She stops in place. “Reyna?”

“Yeah. She booked with me yesterday.”

“Great.” So now she’s going to be in my gym, too. Protected by my security company, yet I can’t be the one at her side. Here in the gym I own, but I can’t be the one to train her. Does she enjoy tormenting me?

“Is that okay?”

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