Page 42 of The Girl He Claimed

"She must be hidingsomewhere," Paige said in a low voice, her eyes roving over theconstruction debris. "We need to be careful."

Christopher nodded, his hand steadyon his gun. "We'll find her. She can't have gone far."

They moved carefully through thebuilding, checking behind piles of bricks and stacks of lumber.

Paige heard a noise then, comingfrom the other side of a wall. They both started running towards it. They foundthemselves in a dimly lit room with building materials stacked high, forming akind of maze. Paige could hear Gia's breathing, and she knew they were gettingclose.

That was when Gia leaped out atthem, throwing herself forward, apparently without any concern for her ownsafety. The speed of it was enough that she slammed into Paige before Paigecould get a shot off. Paige managed to cling to her, though, not wanting togive her a chance to run again.

Gia lashed out at her, punchingher, elbowing her, even trying to bite her. Paige fought back, determined tostop her from getting free but hampered by the need to keep a grip on her gun.Paige used the butt of it to slam into Gia's skull, briefly stunning her.

Christopher was there then,grabbing Gia and hauling her away from Paige. He pinned her to the ground, hisknees on her arms as he handcuffed her. Gia struggled and swore, but she was nomatch for Christopher's strength.

Paige stood up, panting, as shewatched Christopher dragging Gia to her feet. It was over. They had caught her.

"Are you okay?"Christopher asked, looking up at Paige.

Paige nodded, feeling a wave ofrelief wash over her. "Yeah. Thanks."

They walked Gia out of thebuilding. She hung her head in defeat. Paige couldn't help but wonder whatwould have happened if they hadn't caught her. What kind of havoc would shehave wreaked on the city? But now they had her, and justice would be served.

Christopher gave Gia a dark look."Let's get her back to the office, see what she has to say forherself."

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

"Tell us the truth!"Christopher snapped, leaning across the table of the interrogation room.

Paige put a hand on his arm as GiaRamirez started back from him. The fact that her hands were cuffed to the tablestopped her from going more than a few inches, but it was obvious that shewould have gone as far as she could, given the choice.

"I'm telling you the truth. Ididn't have anything to do with this!"

Paige narrowed her eyes, studyingGia closely. She looked nervous, but her eyes held a glint of defiance thatPaige didn't like. "Then why were you running from us?"

Gia shook her head. "I didn'tknow who you were. I thought you were just random people chasing me."

Christopher scoffed. "Thatdoesn't work. You know exactly who we are, and why we were at the St JustInstitute. You left because you heard that we were looking for you."

"I..." Gia looked aroundas if searching for an answer.

To Paige, she seemed a little outof it. Was she high on something? Matteus, the guard they'd spoken to, hadalready said that she cheated on the drug tests for the staff.

Paige searched her face, lookingfor any clue that this was the Exsanguination Killer. Paige had been in theroom with serial killers before and had sat across from Adam Riker. She'd seenhis face empty of emotion, of life, of anything but a predatory gleam.

But Gia's face didn't hold thatsame kind of emptiness. If anything, she looked scared, like a cornered animal.Was she simply that good at acting the part she'd chosen for herself, or was itsomething else?

"Where were you earliertoday?" Christopher asked. "We have security footage that shows youleaving the St Just Institute when you should have been working."

"Is that what this isabout?" Gia replied. "I skip a couple of hours work and the FBI dragsme in?"

"We do when those hourscoincide with the time of a double murder," Paige said.

Gia then froze for a second or two."No, no way. You are not pinning that on me."

"We don't have to pin anythingon anyone," Christopher said. He was on his feet now, and Paige wonderedif she should move to intercept him. She was worried, after the death of hiswife, that he might do something to hurt Gia.

Paige could understand thatinstinct. She even shared it. If Gia was the Exsanguination Killer, then thewoman across from her had murdered her father, then her mentor.

A part of Paige wanted to reachover the table in the interrogation room and strangle Gia for that, but sheknew that she couldn't. She had to do this right.

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