Page 27 of Gage

“Under the house,I found a trap door,” Lori said, her voice steady but haunted. “It was so dark, but then I felt something brush my skin and then a dog lick my face. He showed me how to get out. After that, they found me again, and I was shot in the back. Jasper found Gage and the others and led them to me.”

“It’s all over now,” the man said, his tone heavy with relief. “The guy is dead, and now we can bury my wife. And we’ve got Jasper back. We’re so happy you escaped.”

“Thank you,” Lori replied softly.

Both teenagers hugged Lori goodbye, and Jasper jumped up, licking her face one last time. Lori’s voice wavered as she said, “Goodbye, boy. Thank you for being mine for a short time. I love you.”

When they left, Lori’s composure broke. She sobbed for their mother, for Jasper’s family, and for all the women who had died at the hands of that monster. I wrapped her in my arms, holding her close as she let it all out.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I swear I’m done crying. It’s just so heartbreaking to think about all those poor women.” Her voice cracked, and she shook her head as if trying to clear the horrible images. “I know they suffered. He told me he made sure they felt a lot of pain.”

I cupped her face gently, looking into her tear-filled eyes. “Don’t think about him anymore. You’ve been through enough.He’s gone, and no one will ever hurt you again. I’m here for you—for as long as you want me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Lori exhaled slowly as if letting go of the weight she carried. “I’m ready to go home. The doctor said I could leave today. I need to stop by my house and pack a bag. Can we do that?”

“Of course. Do you need to wait for the doctor to sign you out?”

“He already did while you were out. I was going to get dressed when you came in. I’ll change now, and then we can leave. Sammy brought me some clothes, but I’m not sure where they are—oh, here they are, in the closet. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

“Take your time,” I said, watching as she disappeared into the bathroom.

As I glanced around, I noticed a bag on the floor that hadn’t been there before. Curious, I picked it up and opened it. My breath caught.What the hell?I quickly shut the bag and tucked it under my arm. I needed to hide it from Lori until I figured out what was going on. The contents made my stomach churn—hair stained with what looked like dried blood.

“I’m ready,” Lori said, stepping out of the bathroom. She smiled, the simple act lighting up the room. “It feels good to have my own clothes on again.”

“You look beautiful,” I said, leaning in to kiss her. “Are they bringing a wheelchair for you to leave the hospital?”

“Let’s just sneak out,” she said, laughing lightly. “Maybe they’ll forget about the wheelchair.”

I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her as we walked out of the hospital. But my mind kept returning to the bag. I needed to get it to the team and have it tested. The hair looked real, but who would plant something like that—and why?

“What’s that?” Lori asked, pointing to the bag under my arm.

I hesitated.Should I tell her the truth?Taking a deep breath, I met her gaze. “I found this bag in your room. I think someone left it there for you to find, but I don’t know who.”

“What’s in it?” she asked, her brow furrowing.

“It looks like red hair,” I said carefully.

She stopped abruptly, staring at me. “Red hair? This has to be some sick joke. Who would do that?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Was anyone in your room while I was gone?”

“The nurses changed shifts, and there were a couple of different ones in and out. Maybe when I was in the shower, someone came in. But who would do something like this?”

Her hand shot out, grabbing my arm. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That killer told me he pulled all of his wife’s hair out before he killed her. He said he followed me for two hundred miles because my hair reminded him of hers.”

My chest tightened. “Let’s get in the car,” I said, leading her to the passenger seat. “I’m going to take a few detours to see if anyone’s following us. If someone is watching, we need to know where they’re going.”

Lori’s voice trembled. “If someone is watching, they might go after my sister. We have to figure this out. Were there more of them? Is that his dead wife’s hair? I’m scared, Gage.”

I reached over and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Scoot closer to me,” I said, patting the space next to me. “I won’t let anyone near you. You’re safe with me.”

She slid across the seat, leaning into me.

“We’ll get this to Sean,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “He’ll take it in and see if they can pull DNA. If it’s real, we’ll know more soon.”

“Who’s Sean?” she asked.

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