Page 70 of The Sinner's Touch

When the kettle was empty, he set it back down and removed his hand. “Look at that.” He traced all the red burn marks on her back. “It’s about patterns, my angel. The water never takes the same path twice. The chaos theory. It never lets me down.” He slapped her ass again. “I think you’re ready to be fucked, my angel. Your skin is all pink, a perfect canvas.”

He stood and unbuckled his belt then undid the fly on his pants. She watched as the pants hit the floor and he kicked them to the side.

No. No. No.

The bed dipped, and he positioned himself behind her. “Eyes open!”

She blinked them open and tried to look anywhere but at the man behind her. She felt the tip of him against her. “Ready, my angel?”

A siren wailed, just loud enough for them to hear it, and he stilled. When it didn’t stop, he jumped up, cursing, and stalked toward the other room. A wave of relief washed over her.Thank you, God.

He was back a moment later, the siren’s low wail gone, and rage flashed like a lighthouse beacon in his eyes. “We have company. Fuckers set off the motion alarm.” He opened the nightstand and pulled out some kind of gag and proceeded to stuff the ball into her mouth and tie it behind her head. “To keep you quiet, love. Can’t have you alerting the cavalry.”

It had to be Kade. He found her.

But how? He hadn’t been able to find any of the other girls.

Maybe it wasn’t him?

Maybe it was some random person looking around, or maybe they had car trouble.

But if it was Kade, he didn’t know the crazy bastard was aware of his presence.

He picked up his knife and stood behind the door. Whoever it was, they were coming inside. He put a finger to his lips and winked. If it was Kade, there was no way the serial killer was getting away. He had to know that. Maybe he did and just didn’t give a fuck. He’d hurt whoever came through the door first.

And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Kade and Viktor hugged the building. A small army of police surrounded it as well, quiet as death. They’d arrived, lights and sirens off so as to not alert the unsub. All the vehicles, including the ambulances, were parked down the road. They’d entered the property through the woods on the south side. A single light shone through a window in the back of the building.

“Everyone’s in place.” Bailey peered around the building. “We’re ready.”

Kade nodded, and Bailey gave the signal. Jeremy led the charge in the front, and officers swarmed the entrance, knocking down the door leading into the garage itself. Kade, Viktor, and Bailey led a second team through the side entrance that housed the stairs leading to the apartment upstairs. Bailey kicked in the door and moved cautiously inside, Kade on his heels.

The front area consisted of a living room and kitchen. Dirty dishes lay piled in the sink. He moved farther into the room, his gun held at the ready.

When his gaze landed on the computer screen, he motioned Bailey over. The guy had hidden security cameras both outside and inside the building, front and back. He had to have seen them coming. He knew they were here.

“Well, there went the element of surprise.” Bailey radioed downstairs to check the status. They’d found no one. “He’s either gone out through a hidden entrance, or he’s here somewhere.”

Kade glanced down the hallway where three closed doors waited. Angel might be behind one of them. Or he might have escaped with her.

He nodded to three of the officers, and together with Bailey, they started down the hall, clearing one room at a time.

It was the third door on the left that nearly caused his heart to stop. She was there, naked and bound on the bed. Her eyes met his, and she shook her head frantically, her gaze shooting to his left. He turned, catching the glint of steel out of the corner of his eye. He had just enough time to raise his arm and block knife thrust. Instead of hitting his throat where it had originally been aimed, the blade sliced through his forearm.

A swift kick to his knee, and Kade went down. The unsub turned, catching the next officer coming through the door with a quick knife thrust to his heart, dropping him instantly. He pulled the blade free as Kade struggled to stand. Bailey entered the room, more cautiously than the young officer. Kade shouted a warning, and the seasoned officer dropped and rolled, coming to his knees, gun up and at the ready, but the unsub disappeared out of his line of sight.

“Now, now, gentlemen, I think you both should drop your weapons.”

Kade whirled. The unsub stood behind him, a knife to the throat of one of the officers who’d rushed in to help. The man couldn’t be older than twenty-five. His eyes pleaded for help.

“It’s over, Donovan.” Bailey kept his gun trained on the unsub, who was slowly backing toward the door where Viktor waited, his eyes narrowed, intent. “This place is surrounded. There’s no escape.”

A chuckle erupted from Donovan. “Ohh, someone’s been doing their homework. Do you really think I would have gone to all the trouble of burning off my fingerprints if I wanted you to know who I was? Wes Donovan is just one of a hundred personas.”

Kade’s gaze shifted to Angel when he heard her whimper. He’d only glanced at her before, but now he could see the burns on her back, her legs. Blisters were bubbling up. A snarl of rage escaped, and he turned back to Donovan. He wasn’t getting out of here. Dead or alive. The man was going to pay for this.

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