Page 21 of The Girl He Claimed

She didn't say anything more, justturned and headed back to Christopher's car.

Christopher must have sensed thatshe didn't want to talk just then, because he didn't say anything. He simplydrove them back to her apartment in silence.

Paige didn't argue as he went withher, helping her to get inside, checking the apartment as they went in as if tomake sure that Adam Riker wasn't lurking somewhere there. The worst part wasthat there was a small chance that he might be.

Christopher took Paige over to thecouch, sitting there with her while Paige's head rested on his shoulder, tearscontinuing to pour out of her.

Paige felt broken by the grief shefelt at that moment, torn apart by anger at Adam over what he'd done. And Paigehad no doubt that he'd been the one to choose the Thorntons as a target. Paigehated him then, more than she ever had. She wished that he were there so thatshe could wrap her hands around his neck and squeeze the life from him. Shewished that she'd shot him in the head back when she'd had the chance. Thatbrought with it a fresh wave of grief, mixed up with guilt.

"I could have stoppedthis," Paige whispered. "I should have stopped this. I should havekilled Adam when I had the chance."

Christopher just held her, solid asa rock while Paige's grief poured over him. Paige clung to him, not knowingwhat else to do. She clung to him while she cried. She clung to him even whenshe ran out of tears and she was just left with the vast feeling of emptiness. Eventually,all she could do was rest her head against his shoulder, exhaustion creeping upover her, all her energy spent on the investigation so far, and on her grief.

Paige half closed her eyes,grateful for Christopher's presence there. Somewhere, her eyes closed fully,and she found herself drifting off to sleep.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Paige was in a maze, one made fromgreen hedges with sharp, stabbing thorns that made it painful to get too close.Every turning looked identical, every path the same.

She was hunting for Adam Riker, forthe Exsanguination Killer, for both. Only she didn't know which way to turn.She had to take turnings at random within the maze, going left, then right inan attempt to get closer to them.

Paige had a gun in her hand. Hergun, the one she'd trained so hard to use at Quantico. The weight of it feltright in her palm. She felt as if she had a purpose with it in her hand.

She knew that she had to face them,had to face them down and bring them to justice, but she had no idea how shecould do that.

Paige turned left, then right, thenleft again. She could feel the panic rising in her chest. She couldn't see anyway out of the spinning maze she was in, couldn't see any way to get closer tothe killers that she wanted to catch.

She was just about to turn and headback the way that she had come when she came across the body of HaleyThornton.

She hung there ahead of Paige, eyeswide open, looking at Paige with obvious accusation. Her mouth opened, andalthough she was obviously still dead, words came out in a hoarse whisper.

"Why didn't you save me?"

"I tried," Paigeinsisted. "I didn't know what he was going to do."

She couldn't stay there, couldn'tlook at Haley any longer. Paige kept moving through the maze, and now there wereother bodies there. Bodies Paige knew from the files she'd looked at, from thecases whose details Paige had learned by heart. Each one looked at Paige withdead eyes. Each one said the same words.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Professor Thornton was there, lyingin a pool of blood.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Paige saw Adam Riker's victims, sawthe Exsanguination Killer's victims, and the two seemed to blur into oneanother, all calling out the same message.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Paige was at the heart of the mazethen, and the tree there was far too familiar. Her father lay at its base, tiedin place, blood staining the ground below.

"Why didn't you save me?"

The pain was too much. Paige turnedand charged forward, pushing back the hedges, ignoring the pain of the thornsas they scraped her skin. She had to catch Adam and the Exsanguination Killer,had to catch them before they were able to do more damage, and had to stop thembefore anyone else was killed.

Paige ignored that pain. Shedeserved it. She had to push through it if she was going to get to Adam or theExsanguination Killer. They were ahead somewhere. She would find them. She hadto find them...

***

Paige woke with a start. Her heartraced, and she was fighting down the rising panic. She was sweating, and herhands were shaking.

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