Page 37 of The Girl He Claimed

Christopher shook his head firmly."They killed two people because they're serial killers. We're going to bethe ones who stop them."

That was easier said than done whenPaige couldn't see a clear path forward. But she couldn't let Christopher down.She nodded, setting her jaw in determination. "Okay, let's start from thebeginning. We need to re-evaluate all of our evidence and start looking for newangles."

Christopher leaned forward, hiseyes brightening. "Okay, we can start with the crime scene photos from thelatest victims. Maybe there's something we missed."

Paige felt a flicker of hope. Maybethere was something they'd overlooked. Maybe there was a microscopic piece ofevidence that could lead them to the killers.

She started to look through it all,but even the initial reports were clear: there was nothing there that mightpoint to a location. Adam and the Exsanguination Killer were both carefulkillers anyway, and working in tandem hadn't changed that. If they got somepiece of forensic evidence, then what would that do? If it pointed to theExsanguination Killer, then maybe it would do some good, but otherwise... theyalready knew who Adam Riker was.

It was where he was that mattered.

The problem was that they had noidea where to even start. Paige felt like they were grasping at straws, tryingto find any lead that might give them a direction to go in.

Paige could feel her frustrationbuilding further. She got up and walked around the library, her eyes futilelyskimming over the shelves simply for the distraction that it offered. Thatquickly proved to be a mistake when her gaze fell on one of Prof. Thornton'sbooks: The Serial Killer's Mind.

The sight of it was a reminder thatwhen she'd been this frustrated before in a case, she would typically go backto the professor, looking for answers. Paige would call him or go to his house,and he would somehow make things simpler for her.

Now though, the sight of his bookjust made Paige think of him lying on the floor of his home, tied down andkilled by the Exsanguination Killer.

Paige felt a wave of grief washover her, realizing that he'd been one of the victims who had been killed becauseof her. She couldn't help but feel guilty, thinking that maybe if she'd beenfaster, smarter, more capable, she could have prevented his death.

Christopher must have noticed herdistress because he got up from his chair and walked over to her. "Are youokay?"

Paige shook her head. "No, I'mnot. I just keep thinking about Prof. Thornton. He was one of the victimsbecause of me. I couldn't protect him."

Christopher put a hand on hershoulder, squeezing gently. "You did everything you could, Paige. We bothdid. We're doing everything we can to catch these killers, and we will catchthem. I promise you that."

Paige looked up at him, seeing thedetermination in his eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe him.Maybe they could catch Adam and the Exsanguination Killer. Maybe they could endthis nightmare once and for all.

Paige clung tightly to Christopherthen, not caring if the two of them were meant to be working or if anyone mightwalk in and see them like this. She needed the comfort, needed to feel like shewasn't alone in this.

At that moment, it was hard not tolook up at him, hard not to draw closer, hard not to move her lips to his, inchby inch. Their lips met, and the kiss deepened, passion igniting between them.

Their kiss was hungry anddesperate, each of them seeking solace in the other. It was a reminder thatlife wasn't just about the case, about chasing killers and trying to solveunsolvable crimes. There was still passion and desire and love in the world,even in the darkest of moments.

Paige felt a sense of release,letting go of all her pent-up emotions and frustrations in that kiss. She feltChristopher's arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to him.

They broke away, gasping for air,their foreheads resting against each other. Paige felt a sense ofvulnerability, realizing that she'd never allowed herself to be this close toanyone before. She'd always kept her distance, putting up walls to protectherself.

But with Christopher, everythingfelt different. She felt safe, protected, and loved.

Right then, all she needed was thecomfort of his embrace. She buried her face in his chest, feeling his arms wrapprotectively around her.

As they pulled away, both of thembreathing heavily, Paige felt a sense of calm settle over her. It was areminder that she wasn't alone in this, that she had Christopher by her side,and that they could and would catch these killers.

"Let's get back to work,"she said firmly.

Christopher nodded, his eyes stilldark with desire. "You're right. We've got a job to do."

At that moment, Paige knew that shecouldn't give up. She had to keep fighting, not just for herself, but for allthe victims who had been killed by these two monsters. Prof. Thornton, SadieZielinski, and all the others deserved justice.

"We managed to narrow down thelist of potential suspects before," Christopher said.

"Yes, to fifteen women. Whatare we meant to do? Bring in all fifteen potential Exsanguination Killers andgrill them until one of them admits it?"

"Maybe if we don't have anybetter ideas, that's all we're left with," Christopher said. He held Paigeat arm's length. "I have faith in you, Paige. I'm convinced that if we canjust get you in a room with the Exsanguination Killer, you'll know it."

Paige wasn't so certain about that.She wasn't sure that it was ever as simple as that, even with all the researchthat she'd done.

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