Page 54 of Hunting the Crossbow Killer

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Grace stood at the end of the dock, looking out at the clear blue waters of Mystic Lake. It was beautiful here, and sometimes deadly. But it could be magical and miraculous, too. She was living proof of that.

The investigation into the Crossbow Killer had shown that when he’d abducted her six months ago, he’d first abducted someone else, a tourist passing through. He’d killed her in his usual way, with his crossbow and that showy white and red feather fluttering on the end of an arrow. And he’d laid her out on the ground at the bottom of the falls for the next tourist in the area to discover. His plan had apparently been to place Grace beside the other woman. Two kills in one day. He’d wanted to shock the world and turn all of the attention back to him instead of to Niall.

Thankfully, his plan hadn’t worked. And now the world knew him for what he really was—a twisted sociopath with no excuses for any of the evil he’d done. Twenty-eight-year-old John Smith had a background as vanilla as his name. He was a single man working as a low-level manager in an office supply store. He’dhad an average, uneventful childhood with supportive parents. There was no evidence that he was ever abused. He wasn’t bullied in school. The most the FBI had been able to piece together was that he’d resented being so…average. And that he’d begun his reign of terror to get attention, to make himself appear as something more than he was—just an average forgettable man.

She shivered and shook her head. What a waste of life, both his and all of the people he’d hurt and killed. But it was over now. He’d never hurt anyone else again.

Warm, strong hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against an impressively muscled chest, making her sigh with pleasure. Aidan.

He nuzzled her ear and kissed the side of her neck before straightening. “Are you out here in the hopes that you’ll see Elly again?”

“Do you finally believe me about what happened that day?”

“I believe you believe. Isn’t that enough? You did have a concussion, you know.”

“I like my version better, that Elly stuck around this world long enough to make sure that her little family was taken care of.”

He hugged her tighter and leaned over to give her another kiss, this one along the side of her jaw. “You’re the one who saved our family, Grace Malone O’Brien. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be living in that deep dark shell where I’d been merely existing for so many years. And there’s no telling what would have happened to Niall. He’s doing amazingly well now.” Aidan slid his hand down her slightly rounding belly. “And he’s looking forward to welcoming a new sister or brother in the summer, about the time our cabin is finally finished being rebuilt and we can move out of this rental.”

She smiled and turned around.

He winced and adjusted her shoulder holster. “I like you better without a gun to dig into me when I hug you. Why do you have your uniform on? You don’t start the new job until tomorrow.”

“I wanted to make sure everything fit just right. And when I saw the sparkling water out the window, I couldn’t resist a quick walk down to the dock before changing back into my regular clothes.”

“Are you sure you really want to go back to work? You know you don’t have to. We don’t need the money.”

“I’ve tried the ‘staying at home while my husband is in his office working all day’ routine. That’s not my idea of fun.”

“If you want your job back with the FBI, you know that Nate is confident he can force them to re-hire you.”

“You’re so sweet, always wanting to slay my dragons for me. But the FBI never felt like home, not like Mystic Lake does. Besides, why would I want a job that would take me away from you for large spans of time?”

He gently feathered her hair back from her face. “You shouldn’t have to give up your dreams. Let me fix this for you, give you back your special agent career.”

“Oh, Aidan. You’ve already given me everything I can possibly want. You.” She pressed a soft kiss against his lips. “As for my career, it’s going exactly where I needed it to go. I just didn’t realize it when I started out. I can make a real difference here. Dawson and the team need me. So does Mystic Lake. Our population is growing little by little. The police force has to grow right along with it.”

He grinned. “Our population is definitely growing.” He pressed a hand against her belly again. “By one. For now.”

She slid her arms up his chest. “For now? How many little O’Briens are you wanting, Mr. O’Brien?”

“What I really want right now is you. And since this is our last day of vacation together before you start your new job, I was hoping we could spend most of the day indoors.”

She grinned up at him. “Oh really? And what do you plan to do if we’re both closed up in the cabin all day?”

He gave her an answering smile and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest. “I plan to love you, Grace. Always. Today and every day for the rest of our lives.”

She sighed happily and locked her arms behind his neck. “And I’ll love you right back, Aidan. Forever and always.”

He kissed her, a gentle touch of the lips that told her more than words ever could just how much he cherished her. But the kiss quickly changed, becoming hotter and more wild until they both broke apart, breathless and dazed.

“Aidan, if you don’t get me inside, fast, I’m going to start shedding my clothes right here and completely shock the neighbors.”

He grinned and took off running toward the house with her laughing the whole way there.

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