Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
I exhaled a shaky breath. “She’s right. I’ve been so scared that he might find me, I never stopped to think of the next victim.”
Liam’s eyes watered, and I knew he was thinking of Emily.
“We’re pretty sure he’s taken other women…and I need to stop him. We need to stop him.”
“What can we do to help?” Georgia asked.
I looked at Liam, then back to Georgia and Sheila. “Say a few prayers we find out who he is before he finds out where I am.”
They both gave me a soft smile.
“Who feels like taking a drive to find that hotel?”
After driving around the area near the deli, we finally gave up with no luck and took Georgia and Sheila back home since they had taken an Uber to the hotel for drinks. Liam and I said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel where we both passed out from exhaustion.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Liam
“We’re home, finally,” I said as I placed my suitcase and Mallory’s down in the living room. She walked in and looked around as if she was lost.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked as I took her hand and led her over to the sofa.
“I can’t stop thinking about what Sheila said. What if he’s taken another woman already—or worse, a young girl? And I’ve just been sitting here hiding out, afraid? I’d never forgive myself, Liam.”
“Don’t do that, Mallory. Don’t beat yourself up. You just weren’t ready to talk to the police.”
She stood and started to pace. “You told me, Randy told me, MaryAnne told me…everyone told me I should go to the police, and I wouldn’t listen. If someone else is hurt because I was too afraid to face what happened, I’ll hate myself forever.”
“Mallory, take a deep breath, okay? I can call Randy, he’ll come over and take an official statement, report the kidnapping. You don’t have to go anywhere if you’re not ready to go into town.”
“What if he gets into trouble for not reporting it sooner?” she asked.
“First of all, he can’t force you to file a report. And…he did alert his boss that there was a kidnapping, and that the victim was afraid to report it. They’ve been quietly searching the area where we think you might’ve been held.”
Her eyes went wide. “They have? Has anything been found yet?”
“According to Randy, when I spoke to him yesterday, nothing’s been found so far.”
She exhaled. “I don’t know if it will make a difference, filing a report.”
I shrugged. “If you want, I can call Randy and see if he can come over tonight. Unless you’re tired from traveling.”
“No, I’m not tired at all. I have to do something. I can’t sit here for another minute, but if we could still keep my whereabouts anonymous, that would be great.”
“I think they can do that, but I can’t promise anything.”
Mallory sat down. “Okay.”
“Okay? Does that mean you want me to call Randy?”
She slowly nodded, and I could see the tears forming in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. It felt like someone was squeezing my damn heart. I wanted to ease all her fears, but I knew that was impossible until this monster was brought to justice.
I stood, reached for her hands, and gently pulled her up. Cupping her face, I looked into her hazel eyes. When she was worried, the yellow sunbursts seemed to be lighter in color. “Do you remember when I said I wouldn’t let anyone ever hurt you?”
“Yes,” she softly replied.
“I won’t, Mallory. I swear to you, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again.”
Leaning closer, I pressed my lips to hers. The kiss was soft and slow at first, but quickly turned more passionate. Her hands went to my chest, and she gripped my shirt, moaning into my mouth.
When I drew back, I rested my forehead to hers.
“Liam?” Her chest rose and fell with each panted breath.
“Yes?”
“I want you. Desperately.”
Closing my eyes, I fought for the strength to tell her we needed to wait, but it wasn’t there. I wanted her as much as she wanted me. “I want you, too, sweetheart.”
When she drew her head back and looked up at me, she let out a nervous chuckle. “I don’t even know if I’m a virgin or not.”
My brows shot up, and I stared at her for a few moments. “Um, well…I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
She grinned, then looked down at my chest, a nervous expression on that beautiful face. “Will you make love to me?”
Sweeping one arm under her legs, I picked her up and carried her through the house and to my bedroom. We hadn’t picked up Piper from Billy’s house yet, so I could take my time with her. Study every inch of her body and learn what she liked when it came to lovemaking. The idea of her possibly being a virgin only made me harder. Either way, I wanted her. Wanted to make her mine.