Page 28 of Gage

“He’s an assistant on our team—brilliant guy. Laney referred him to us. She knew him when they were in the foster care system together. Laney’s married to Gideon.”

Lori frowned. “But what if someone intercepts him? What if they run him off the road or kill him to get it? I don’t want anyone dying because of me.”

“Sean can handle himself,” I said firmly. “We’ll take precautions. Right now, the important thing is keeping you safe. That’s all I care about.”

“Lori, this is our job. We all know how to take care of ourselves and those we are protecting. I don’t want you to worry. I know what we are doing, and we will first get this hair tested.”

“Do you see anyone following us?” Lori asked. I looked in my rearview mirror and didn’t see anything.

“If they follow us, they’ll wait until they see which way we turn onto the freeway. I want you to relax. I’m going to call River.”

“Hello, how’s it going?”

“Something strange came up when we were about to leave the hospital. Lori was changing when I noticed a bag on the floor in her room. I picked it up and looked inside. It looks like hair with blood on it. Red hair. Lori said the serial killer told her he pulled all of his wife’s hair out. His wife had red hair.”

“Bring it here, and we’ll have it tested,” River said.

“Lori is scared that he might go for her sister, who has two girls. She just left here yesterday. Is there anyone who can protect her?”

“Yes, I’ll have Oliver protect her. Where does she live?”

I gave him the address. “Lori will call her sister and tell her what’s going on. Their dad is having a procedure, so if he can get there before that, that would be great. I don’t know who is doing this, but let’s take no chances.”

“I agree. Are you coming here?”

“First, we are going to see if we are being followed. If we are, I’ll lose them; this is so strange because we know the three men who attacked Lori are dead. Are there more than three killers? I’ll see you later today.”

“This really is strange. Did you call the FBI?” River asked.

“No, because I don’t know who brought the bag to her room. I’ll give you a call if we are being followed. If we are, it will be late tonight when we get there. Can you ensure the DNA test on the hair gets done fast?”

“I’ll have everything taken care of on this end. Be careful. Keep your eyes open. I’ll call Oliver now.”

“Thanks, River.” I turned the phone off and felt better, letting my team know what was happening.

“Is there someone always ready to do a job?”

“We have all been busy; sometimes, we do back-to-back jobs. We have others joining us soon. The Army Special Forces has men who have been through everything you can imagine. We have saved so many service people and civilians. Sometimes, when we first get out of the service, it’s hard to return to regular day-to-day life, but it’s something we do. It’s just that our day-to-day job is to protect and rescue people.”

“Tell me about Oliver. Is he nice to kids?”

“Yes, Oliver is nice to everyone and will keep them safe. You don’t have to worry about Sammy and her girls.”

“Good, what a relief. We have to find out who put that bag in my room. This is crazy. Thank you for helping me.”

“This is the only place I want to be.”

16

Lori

I prayedno one was following us. I just wanted everything to go back to normal. I wanted a date with Gage—one without the shadow of a killer looming over me.He’s dead, isn’t he?I hadn’t seen his face when they shot him. What if it was someone else who was killed?

“What if it wasn’t the killer they shot?” I asked, scooting closer to Gage. “I didn’t see his face. I should’ve looked. Made sure it was him.”

“How many men did you see?” Gage asked, his voice steady, as he reached over and took my hand.

“Three,” I replied, anxiety prickling at my skin. But they locked me in that room not long after I woke up. Maybe them knocking me out saved me. What if there are more? What if he’s still alive?”

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