Page 14 of Fatal Attraction

His green eyes grew dark, tightening as they gave me a long, head-to-toe sweep. “Spike?”

“Normally, I’d disagree. BUT… After what’s happened to Blaire, it’s not safe for her to be alone, Phoenix. She’s fine now, but what if something were to happen while we’re gone? She may have the security cameras back up and running, but she still doesn’t know how to protect herself.”

“I just don’t want her to get into any more trouble than she’s already in with Harley,” he muttered softly.

“Harley doesn’t have to know,” countered Spike.

Phoenix sighed, and despite the protest stamped around every crease of his face, he leaned back deeper in his seat and pulled out his phone, surveying the screen.

Without breathing another word, I marched upstairs, took a scalding hot shower, and then met them downstairs thirty minutes later, ready to go.

Nine

Phoenix

“This isn’t a good idea,” I muttered to Spike, my anxiety spiking as I watched Charlotte, who was standing among a large group of civilians, holding a giant white sign with Carter’s name written on it, a wobbly smile on her pretty face.

I took mindful note of her wardrobe, memorizing her jeans, her black long sleeve, her shoes, the way her hair was styled, wrapped in a high bun,fucking everything.

Spike twisted in his seat, facing me with a concerned expression marring his face. “What the hell has gotten into you, man? Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?”

“Carter is about to find out that not only is his wife dead, but she was pregnant with another man’s baby. Tell me, if that were you, how would you react?”

He smirked at me. “Why don’t you cut the shit and tell me what’s really bothering you, yeah?”

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. I fucking hated how he could see right through me—read me like I was a walking book. I was stressed the hell out, fucking livid over Blaire’s death and the fact there was now a dead, innocent fetus involved. We’d delt with cases like this before plenty of times in the past. This one, though… It was hitting me a hell of a lot harder than I anticipated.

And then there was Charlotte and everything regarding her safety. If I was right about the perp, then Charlotte had to leave and go far, fara-fucking-way from Seaview Pines, or at least be temporarily placed in WITSEC until we could find what proof we needed to arrest the bastard. When it came down to the people I love, I’d do everything in my power to protect them. Charlotte wasn’t safe being out and open to the public, especially in large crowds like this. What ifhewas here, watching her right this very moment, tracking her every move? This was far too fucking dangerous, and I said as much to Spike.

“You’re right, okay, you are.”

“But?”

“Tell me something,” he demanded. “Look around. Do you really think the fucker would be bold enough to snatch her in the middle of an airport?”

I sighed, shaking my head after I’d taken the time to scope over the dozens of security guards posted around different sectors of the airport. “Honestly, no.”

“Exactly. Charlotte’s fine, Phoenix, so just breathe a little and try to relax.”

“I’m trying to,” I whispered, torn as I peered Charlotte’s way and found she was still waiting. “She hasn’t brought the Peter thing up yet and I don’t know how much longer I can keep this shit to myself.”

Whoever was committing these barbarously heinous crimes, it had to be someone Charlotte knew personally, someone who’d been disregarded and was desperate for attention.

Herattention.

And I couldn’t leave out how—aside from leaving his DNA behind—this guy was insanely good at covering his ass, which immediately led me to believe this guy had experience in the field. If I was right, then it all narrowed down to one person. Someone who’d been right under our noses this entire time, playing us all like fiddles.

“Peter willingly submitted his DNA,” Spike pointed out for the third or fourth fucking time since I first brought it up to him earlier today. “Ifhe was behind these attacks, then don’t you think he would’ve been more reluctant or had outright refused?”

“Peter gave his DNA to rule him out in Blaire’s murder,” I reminded him. “Notfor Amber and Delilah’s cases.”

I felt like such a damned fool. Peter had access to Charlotte’s house, her cameras, and was knowledgeable about where each and every single one of them was located. He clearly despised Karl for all he was worth, and he even had a fucking meltdown right in front of me when Charlotte declined to put Karl away. I thought it was just tough love at first. That Peter’s anger towards Charlotte and the things he’d said were palpable given what he knew about Karl and all the shit he’d done to Charlotte. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

But there was, however, a way to find out.

Spike must have sensed exactly what I had in mind, because he studied me through tight eyes and said, “Don’t even think about—”

His words faltered at Charlotte’s sudden cry, and together we quickly jumped to our feet as she began wailing Carter’s name, her voice cracking as she raised an arm high in the air and flailed it around. We moved closer, apologizing to a few people we’d accidentally bumped into, and spotted a man from afar in an Army uniform with a dark green beret on his head.

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