Page 12 of Fable Killer

Elbowing past her brothers she looked up at Matthew. He was taller than her five-foot-three frame by close to a foot, so she had to crane her head back to meet his gaze. He was better looking than she remembered from yesterday. She’d been too out of it then to appreciate his chiseled jaw, his warm brown eyes, there was a spark of something in there that touched her inside and she couldn’t not smile at him.

“Good morning, Matthew.”

“How are you feeling today?”

Grace shrugged. “Pretty good, I guess. Still tired, and a few of my wounds were infected, but I’m feeling better than yesterday. What’s in the bag?” she asked, eyeing the bag with the logo for her favorite burger joint on it.

“Chicken burger and fries, I heard that’s your favorite.” Matthew’s smile was warm and genuine as he held the bag out to her. In his eyes there was none of the pain she kept seeing when she looked at her family. There was respect there, admiration, but she didn't kid herself that he wasn’t aching with pain for her, it was just that she seemed to be able to feel it even though she couldn’t see it.

Odd.

“You brought me lunch?” Her eyes lit up and she reached for the bag, opening it and inhaling. A sigh escaped, it smelled delicious. Emmanuel had fed her well enough, but it was always his choice of meals. It had been so long since she’d had any control over even the simplest things in her life, and even though Matthew had chosen this food he’d picked it because it was her favorite. That was sweet.

“You think you can bribe her with lunch?” Elijah asked. He had his arms crossed over his chest and scowled, he looked so ridiculous she rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder.

“It’s not a bribe, he’s a cop, I'm sure he has to ask me questions. I'm happy to talk to you,” she told Matthew. Maybe happy was a bit of an exaggeration. She wasn’thappyto talk about what she’d lived through, but she was more than prepared to do it so that Emmanuel was caught. The last thing she wanted was for him to stay free and be able to hurt more women like he’d hurt her. So, she would do whatever it took to help the cops find him even if it was hard, and her brothers weren’t going to get in the way.

“Gracie,” Jem started in that overly patient psychiatrist tone that had always irked her.

“No, don’tGracieme. I’ve had enough of my power taken away from me and I won't ever allow anyone to tell me what to do ever again. From here on out, I am making all my own choices. So, Matthew, I’ll answer your questions.”

With that, she turned and walked back into her room. There was a chair over by the window and she pulled the tray table over to it and sat, pulling out her food. It smelled so good, and her mouth was watering by the time she lifted the burger and took a bite. A bit of the sauce dribbled down onto her chin, but she didn't even care, this tasted so good, and it was amazing to eat the food she liked again.

“Do we need to give you a bib?” Matthew teased as he sat on the bed.

Grace laughed, and it felt so good that she almost cried.

Almost.

Seemed like she’d somehow lost that ability somewhere along the way.

“It’s so good,” she mumbled through a second mouthful of burger. This was quite possibly the best meal she’d ever had. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

“Love it,” she corrected. “You can ask your questions if you don’t mind me eating while I answer.” Even though she would do this, she wasn’t looking forward to it and wanted it done and over with.

“This is my partner, Rylla Franklin,” he said, indicating a woman with red curls and pretty green eyes.

“Hey, it’s Oakland now,” Rylla said, lightly punching his shoulder.

“Oops.” Matthew looked only marginally apologetic, and from the twinkle in his eyes she knew he was teasing his partner. From the smile on Rylla’s face, she knew it and didn't mind because they both knew they were trying to put her at ease. “Rylla only got married two months ago. Sometimes I forget she changed her name.”

“Congratulations,” she said to Rylla. Before she’d been abducted, she had been excited about falling in love, getting married, and having her own family, but now … now she couldn’t think that far into the future without getting overwhelmed.

So she didn't.

Instead, she took a fry and ate that. “Hey, I don’t think so,” she said when Matthew reached out and snagged one.

He laughed and ate it anyway, but then he sobered, and she knew he was ready to get down to business. “I know this isn’t easy for you and I wish there was another way …”

“But there isn’t,” she reminded him. “I'm the only way you're going to find him, I know that. So go, ask your questions.”

“We’re going to have a sketch artist come by later to work with you on a sketch of Emmanuel. Is that okay?” Matthew asked.

“Of course.”

“You told me yesterday that Emmanuel had tests for you and the others.”

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