Page 99 of Touch Me Not

“Yeah, but I fucked it up. If she’ll forgive me, I’m going to marry her.”

“You ever hurt her like that again, and I’ll put the barrel of a shotgun between your eyes and hide the body in one of the countless mining breaks near the coal mines where we grew up. They’ll never find your body. We clear?”

Nikoli nodded, and they both turned their attention back to the clock. What was taking so long?

Thirty minutes later, a tired-looking surgeon waded out into the waiting room and called out Lily’s name. Nikoli and Adam pushed to the front.

“How is she?” Nikoli demanded.

“Is she okay?” Adam asked, his worry plain in his voice.

“Are you family?” the surgeon asked.

“I’m her fiancé,” Nikoli announced then pointed to Adam. “This is her brother.”

“I’m Doctor Kerev. It was a bit touch and go. We had to remove her spleen and repair some damage done to her kidneys and lungs. She’s got four broken ribs, a fracture of her left femur, and a small cranial fracture.”

They all gasped at the extent of her injuries.

“She’ll pull through,” the surgeon hurried to assure them. “We’re going to keep her sedated while her body heals. She needs rest more than anything else right now. She’s being moved to the ICU but only because we need to keep an eye on the skull fracture.”

“We’re staying,” Nikoli said, and his tone brooked no argument.

“Only immediate family,” the surgeon said. “Everyone else should go home. There’s nothing more to be done for her right now except to let her rest.”

After much grumbling, the waiting room cleared out and Mike took Janet home. A nurse led Adam and Nikoli back to the ICU ward and into Lily’s room. She was hooked up to countless machines. She looked helpless and small. They dragged chairs to her bed and stared at each other, just waiting.

The police came and took both their statements about the car chase. It wasn’t long after that before Kade showed up.

“How is she?” he asked.

“Stable,” Nikoli said. “The doc’s keeping her asleep so she can heal.”

Kade nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”

“Has Brian been charged and booked yet?” Adam asked, his voice full of the same rage Nikoli was trying to keep under control.

“He’s in custody but he’s being held for medical overnight. I just came from his room,” Kade replied. “We thought at first he might be our serial killer, but he’s not. He doesn’t fit the profile, and his apartment confirmed his statement. His place is a shrine to Lily. He’s been stalking her for years, and I’m guessing she never knew?”

They both stared at him blankly.

“It’s not uncommon for a stalker to never make contact with his victim until he’s ready to strike. Or to never confess his obsession, in this case, since he claims they were friends. He saw an opportunity and he took it. She was alone and upset, no one was around, and he grabbed her. He was taking her to a small house he’d purchased with the funds from an inheritance left to him by his grandfather. If Lily wasn’t such a smart girl, there’s a very good chance we’d never have found her. He took her in a dead zone—no cameras, no witnesses, nothing.”

Fear gripped Nikoli’s heart so hard, he bent over. He’d almost lost her; he would have lost her if that bastard had managed to get her to his house. His hands shook at the thoughts of what might have happened to her.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Adam asked, his hand clutching Lily’s in a death grip. “He’s not going to get out, is he?”

“With the charges that boy racked up tonight, there’s not a judge in Boston that’ll give him bail. He’s going away for a long, long time. Especially with the atmosphere we’re currently in with women being kidnapped, murdered, and dumped. That boy will be lucky if he sees freedom anytime in the near future.”

“Still no luck on the serial killer?” Adam asked.

“I’m not supposed to discuss an active investigation,” Kade said quietly, “but given what’s happened tonight, and we think he’s going to strike at one of the college campuses soon, I’m warning you. Any female you care about, don’t let her out of your sight.”

“You told me yesterday you guys were wrapping up,” Nikoli said. “When are you leaving?”

“I’m not,” Kade said. “My supervisor asked me to stay here in Boston until we catch this psycho. I’ll be here until the case is solved.”

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Kade left, telling them to call if they needed anything. Adam settled back into his chair, Lily’s hand still clutched in his.

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