Page 25 of Stalking His Prey

I smile. “I’m just gonna talk to him, babe.”

“Oh, boy, here we go,” I hear Anna say as I step out from the booth and make my way toward Mack.

My insides are steaming. I’ve always been protective of my sweetheart, but now that we’ve formally begun our relationship, it’s my full-time job to make sure Penelope is safe. And nothing about this Mack guy seems safe.

“Hey!” I bark, tapping the man on the shoulder. “You like eye-balling my girl?”

“What girl?” Mack asks. He’s playing stupid.

“That’s not gonna work, pal,” I tell him, showing my teeth with a threatening grin. “Quit it now. You’re creeping her out–”

“Freeze! Get your hands up!”

Loud voices behind me cause me to whip around, and I find myself staring at four policemen, their guns drawn and aiming straight at me.

The bar is filled with shouts and screams, and I instantly break out in a cold sweat as I stare down a wall of firearms. My heart is pounding in my chest as I look over at Penelope, who looks absolutely terrified.

“Hands up!” the cops shout again. They look serious. I know my life is on the line here if I don’t do what they ask.

“I said, let me see those hands!”

I’m more concerned for her than I am for myself as I raise my hands into the air.

These sons of bitches…

What are they doing, ruining my evening with her? This was supposed to be such a great night out for everybody, and nowthisis happening?

Anna is holding Penelope back now, as she struggles to race to my side. I shoot her a glance as I kneel that tells her firmly,No!

She can’t be involved with this. The last thing I need is for some overzealous, trigger-happy cop to end up putting a hole through her because he can’t control his nerves.

“Down!” they keep shouting at me. “Down on the floor! Hands behind your back!”

I feel the pounding of their boots on the hardwood as I lower myself onto my stomach. Instantly, a cop who stinks like cigarettes snatches my arms roughly and pins them behind my back. I can tell he’s taking great delight in it too.

I could easily break free if I wanted, but there’s too many of them, and the guns change the ballgame.

Besides, I can’t go dragging Penelope into this.

“You’re under arrest!” he shouts, loud enough that everyone in the bar can hear it. Then he leans in close and breathes into my ear, “Thought we wouldn’t catch you? Mr. Tree Saw Killer?”

11

PENELOPE

Anna handsme a warm cup of tea and sits down on the couch beside me. I stare blankly at it, watching the rings in the fluid, the tiny little waves as they slowly settle.

“Hawk…he can’t be…” I finally mutter. “He can’t be a killer…”

Anna wraps me in a comforting hug that I desperately need right now, but it does little to fill the massive hole that I can feel forming in my chest. It feels as though I’ve been speared through the heart with a sword made from ice.

“A serial killer? I don’t believe it…”

The truth is, I don’twantto believe it.

I fell so hard for him and gifted him with my complete trust, and now I’m struggling to come to terms with the fact that the man who changed my life forever was just arrested by half of Pine Grove’s police force and was dragged out of the bar in handcuffs.

“I’m so sorry, Pen,” Anna whispers. She’s doing her best to comfort me, but I’m completely numb to everything right now.

---