Page 14 of Criminology of a Character

A half-hour later, they’d donned their athletic wear and were jogging through the gorgeous jungle paths. It was picturesque andpeaceful,and true to his word, Eamon matched her pace the entire time.

“I know you can’t help it, but it pisses me off that we just ran two miles in this heat, and you haven’t even broken a sweat whileI’m drenched.” Bel swatted his abs as she huffed.

“You look lovely, though.”

“I know. That wasn’t the point. It’sjustannoying that I sound like Cerberus when he plays fetch, and you look like you’re sitting in air conditioning.”

“You do sound like Cerberus,” Eamon burst out laughing, his voice echoing off the mountains, and Bel glared at him until herownlaughter got the best of her. It was embarrassing, but she was breathing like an overheated pitbull.

“Would you feel better if I broke a sweat?” he asked.

“Maybe.”

“As you wish.” Without warning, he scooped her up and threw her onto his back. Bel yelped as he sped up, and she clamped her arms and legs around him to keep from flying off.

“Can I push it, or will that make you nervous?” he asked.

“You can run faster than this?”

“Yes, and before you ask, no, I’m not like the movies. I can’t move at the speed of light. Ijustdon’t want to make you sick.”

“Please, I have to see this.” She tightened her hold, kissing his cheek as she settled into place, and then Eamon picked up his pace, veering off the groomed path to avoid being seen. For a few minutes, Bel was almost too afraid to enjoy herself, butshe eventually acclimated to the speed. Experiencing his truth was exhilarating, and the faster he ran, the more alive she felt.Heclimbed the mountain with ease, leaving the resort far behind to be swallowed by the distance, and while it took longer than expected for him to sweat, his skin eventually grew slick below her.

“See,” he huffed. “I can sound like Cerberus too.”

“So it seems. I misshim.”

“Me too. We’ll be home—” Eamon moved before Bel had time to react. One second, he was talking as he ranandthe next,he’dpulled her off his back so fast that her arms hurt where he’d grabbed her.Her startled voice squeaked, but before the sound could echo off the trees, Eamon clapped his broad palm over her mouth.He captured her surprise as he dragged her behind a massive tree trunk, and as his spine slammed against the bark, Bel’s body flushed cold with understanding. Eamon was afraid.

She stilled in his hold, his hand still covering her mouth, and his body became like stone beneath her.For a long minute,he didn’t so much as breathe, but then his head twitched as he heard something only his senses could detect.The jungle sang around them, but he wasn’t listening to nature. Her ears strained as she listened, but they noticed nothingout of the ordinary. She wondered if his hearing had registered a noise from the resort, but then the sound hit her ears.

Tires.Large ones.

A vehicle was approaching their location, and Bel scanned their surroundings. Eamon had veered off the path, and they’d ventured far into the mountains. She hadn’t seen a road for miles and didn’t understand how a car could maneuver the terrain, but Eamon must have sensed her bewilderment because he finally lowered his hand. He twisted her to face him, bringing his finger to his lips to encourage her silence, and then hegripped her shoulders and guided her until she could see around the thick tree hiding them.

The second her eyes landed on it, she shot Eamon a look, and he nodded as he pulled her back behind the tree.

“Why is there a building in the middle of nowhere?” she silently mouthed, knowing he would understand her, and he ushered her to a dense cluster of branches so they could see the structure without being noticed before brushing his lips against her ear.

“I think you already know why.”

Bel reachedinto her pocket and withdrew her phone, clicking the camera app with trembling fingers. The moment it loaded, she started recording, and within two minutes, a vehicle drove into view. Eamon gripped her hips, readying to drag her away at a moment’s notice, but she barely felt his hands as the driver exited the jeep.

“I don’t recognize him,” she whispered.

“Neither do I,” Eamon said.

“Oh my god.” Bel’s stomach dropped when the driver opened the back door for his passenger. The windows were tinted, so she hadn’t seen who’d sat inside, but as the suited man stepped into the sunlight, fear turned her sweating body icy. “But him… I recognize him.”

“Who is he?” Eamon asked.

“Alex Kinley.” Bel leaned closer to her phone so the microphone would record her whisper. “He was a district attorney until a missing girl showed up at a police station miles from where she was abducted and claimed she’d escaped his basement. The police raided his home and found proof that he’d kept multiple girls there throughout the years, but before the case went to trial, someone mislabeled a key piece of evidence. Some believe the mistake was purposeful since everything became useless after the chain of custody was broken. The case was dismissed, and he walked free. It’s been years now, but new evidence was recently discovered, and they reopened the investigation.”

Eamon swore softly before inching closer to her. “Let me guess. This discovery will destroy him, and his only escape is to change his face.”

“Kinley was all over the news when the story broke. It would be impossible for him to disappear unrecognized unless he became someone else. If this island facilitated Gianni’s transformation, I think you’re right. Alex Kinley is about to erase his recognizable features.” She looked at Eamon. “We have to get inside that building.”

“Slow down, Detective.” He tugged her backward until she collapsed against his chest. “If that’s Kinley, you’re not going in there.”

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