Page 61 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

Brook forced herself to breathe deeply, methodically, as she had done countless times under the direction of Dr. Swift. In through the nose, count to four. Hold for seven. Out through the mouth for eight.

Mercifully, the rhythm brought her a semblance of order.

Regrettably, clearing her emotions brought to the surface unanswered questions.

Was Russell still alive down there, injured and waiting for rescue? Or had the fall claimed his life instantly, his last act in this world the attempted containment of a killer?

If Russell were here with her at this very moment, she had no doubt he would have assured her that he had understood the stakes involved with this trip. He would have reminded her that he had accepted those risks the day that he had joined the academy. He would have emphasized that taking Jacob off the board had been his final play, and there were far worse ways to close out a career.

She wouldn't mourn her brother’s death.

That grief had been processed long ago, when she had firsthand knowledge of the evil that pumped through his veins. When he stood near Sally’s body in the middle of the cornfield with blood still dripping from the blade of his knife.

No, Jacob's death wouldn't register as a loss. But his survival—that was a terror she could barely contemplate. Russell's sacrifice would be in vain, leaving Jacob to once again be free in the world. His presence, near or far, would be a cancer spreading through her life, metastasizing into every relationship, every moment of peace…just like before.

Brook lowered her hands from her face, flexing her fingers that had grown stiff within the gloves.

Time.

It always came down to time.

Tick-tock.

Like a metronome, measuring out the distance between events.

Between choices.

Between who she had been and who she was becoming.

Brook had spent the majority of her life trying to fix things—to make amends for her brother's actions, to prevent others from suffering as his victims had. Time had been her ally in that endeavor, giving her the opportunity to build a life dedicated to justice. To establish S&E Investigations. To create a team that had become family.

But time was also merciless.

It eroded certainties, revealed new threats, and opened old wounds.

If Jacob survived that fall, he would use whatever time remained to him to continue his perverse mission. And Brook would use hers to stop him—but in a different way now.

There would be no more sacrifices. No more putting herself in harm's way out of some misplaced sense of responsibility for Jacob's actions. Kate, Russell, all the other victims—they deserved a fighter who valued her own life enough to battle effectively.

She would honor the dead by living purposefully, not by joining them in martyrdom.

“I’m ready,” Brook called out to Victor.

She bent down and retrieved the bag, adjusting the weight in her grip. The physical burden seemed lighter now, counterbalanced by her decision to take a different mindset.

It was either adapt or go truly insane.

Another five minutes passed before Victor slowed his pace. He came to a complete stop in front of her, so she had to shift to the side to determine what had caught his attention. There was a distinct glow of artificial light bleeding around the corner ahead, cutting through the primal darkness that had been their only companion for hours.

“This is where Jacob wanted to bring me,” Brook murmured, grateful that her team had taken care of Sally in her absence. “Lead the way.”

Victor didn’t hesitate, and he advanced forward with the intention of securing a rescue team for Russell. As they rounded the corner, powerful floodlights on tripods could be observed in the distance. They bathed the expanded chamber in clinical brightness, highlighting silhouettes of those she assumed to still be processing the scene.

In the distance, she heard someone shout a notification of movement. Adrenaline spiked in her system, allowing for a temporary reprieve from the exhaustion, upon the realization that those silhouettes didn’t belong to a forensics team.

Her team was waiting for them.

Theo, Sylvie, and Bit moved all at once, but it was Graham who covered the remaining ground between them with long, purposeful strides. The passageway narrowed to his approaching figure, everything else receding into a peripheral blur.

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