Page 28 of The Girl He Wanted

The flicker of movement came and went, sometimes bright, sometimes not there at all, flickering and almost ghostly. Paige tried to fix its location in her mind each time she saw it, but it seemed to be in a slightly different spot every time.

There was a fork in the path ahead, and the movement ahead disappeared once more, giving no clue as to Linus Brink’s location. Paige and Christopher exchanged a look, silently agreeing to split up and take each trail. Paige jogged down the left fork, her hand on her gun just in case.

The path was made dark by the trees pressing in on both sides, the thick trees blocking out most of the moonlight from above. Paige could feel thin beads of sweat running down her skin as she walked, her senses on high alert. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find, but she knew that it wouldn't be good.

The flicker of movement appeared again ahead of her, and Paige quickened her pace. She was getting closer to whoever was there, and she could hear the sound of footsteps now, a breaking twig alerting her to someone's presence in the woods ahead.

"Linus Brink?" Christopher called out, somewhere to Paige's right. "This is the FBI. We just want to talk to you. Come out where we can see you."

There was no response, but the flash of orange ahead of Paige flickered and moved again. Paige could feel worry starting to rise inside her. Worry that she was out there alone, split away from her partner, with a potentially dangerous man somewhere in the dense, half-dark forest, obviously avoiding her and Christopher.

Suddenly, Paige heard a rustling sound coming from behind her. She spun around, her hand on her gun, but she couldn't see anything. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stood there in the trees, listening intently for any sound that might indicate where the person was.

"Christopher?" she called out, hoping that he was still nearby. But there was no answer.

Paige took a deep breath and started to walk slowly forward, carefully scanning the area around her. She was almost at the spot where she had seen the movement before, and she could feel her nerves starting to fray.

Then she heard it again, the sound of someone moving through the forest behind her. Paige spun around, her gun drawn now, and aimed it at the spot she thought the sound had come from, ready for any threat that presented itself.

A flicker of movement came away to her left, there and gone again in a second. Paige approached the source of the movement, trying to make out any shapes in the darkness. Her instincts told her to be careful, to proceed with caution, but she couldn't ignore the need for urgency, the need to find the source of the movement before it was gone again.

More sounds came from her right, and Paige realized what was happening: Linus Brink, who seemed to enjoy the fear of others so much, was trying to make her afraid. He was playing a game of cat and mouse with her in the forest, using her own blundering movements to keep track of which way Paige was looking and staying out of sight.

There was only one thing for it: Paige stood very still, allowing the gloom of the forest to surround her. It was disorienting to be surrounded by the trees, not knowing where Brink was, but Paige knew it was the best way to throw off Brink's game. She moved quietly, her senses heightened, trying to listen for any sounds that would give him away.

She heard it then, a sound that was too close for comfort: the sound of someone breathing. Paige spun around, gun raised, and aimed at the sound. But she couldn't see anything, and the breathing had stopped.

Paige took a step forward, her gun still aimed out in front of her. "Linus Brink," she called out, her voice firm. "We just want to talk to you."

There was no response, and for a moment, Paige thought that maybe he had disappeared into the forest once more. But then she heard it again, the sound of someone breathing. This time, it was coming from her left.

She turned, gun raised, and stepped forward again. The breathing was getting louder now, and Paige could feel her pulse pounding in her ears. She was getting closer, she knew it.

And then, out of nowhere, a figure moved out of the trees ahead, moving across Paige's field of vision. Paige didn’t hesitate as she saw him. She grabbed for him, tripping him, and the two of them tumbled in the dirt of the forest.

"Hey! Get off me!" he yelled, starting to struggle.

Paige didn't let him go, though. She had the advantage now, and she wasn't about to give it up. She wrestled with the figure beneath her, snapping handcuffs on his wrists to restrain him. She stood up and turned her flashlight on him, keeping her gun leveled in case he tried anything.

Paige recognized the figure there in the now dirty ranger's uniform from the pictures that had accompanied his file. He was thin faced and had a short, straggly beard, his dark hair falling around his face in a tangle.

"Linus, we just wanted to talk," Paige said. "Are you going to talk to us, or do we need to arrest you and drag you back to Winterly?"

"What?” he said, as if he’d done nothing wrong, “I was just having some fun with you."

She pulled Brink to his feet, keeping a tight grip on his arm. Christopher had appeared out of the trees now, his own gun drawn, ready for trouble.

"We need to get him back to the ranger's station," Paige said, “I want to find out what he knows as soon as possible.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

They took Linus Brink back to the ranger's station to question him. If they didn't get good answers, Paige had no problem with arresting him and continuing the conversation at the Winterly PD, but for now, it was quicker and easier not to go so far.

They moved Linus over and sat him in a chair in the station. Paige took a seat opposite him, while Christopher stayed standing, keeping between Linus and the door so that he didn't get any ideas about running. If he did, and he made it out into the forest, they might never find him again.

"Alright, Linus," Paige began, "why don't you tell us what you were doing out in the forest with your little scrap of orange cloth?"

Brink shrugged. "Just taking a walk. Enjoying the peace and quiet, you know? It's myjobto be out there. I am the ranger here."

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