Page 100 of Sullivan

He frowned, then bent and lifted me. He lay back and tucked me under his chin. I was draped over his chest and snuggled into his side. It was a tight fit, but perfect. I was surrounded by him.

Exactly where I wanted to be.

Forever.

SULLY

Autumn fell asleep, finally relaxing into my arms. I gazed down at her, brushing her hair away from her face, frowning at the bruises. Wishing I could have inflicted more pain on the man who’d put them there. Caused him the fear that she experienced.

But she had been my priority, and I knew she always would be. I worried about the implications of what had occurred. Her mental health. Her bruises would fade, her injuries gradually heal, but would she be able to get over what had happened?

I knew Finn had a therapist that both Una and Anna had seen after their ordeals. I would talk to him and find out if she had a colleague she could recommend in Scotland. I would do anything to help Autumn heal from this.

I mulled over what Finn and Niall had told me earlier. I wasn’t sure I was ready to share with her what they had confided in me. I wasn’t certain she was ready to hear it. I would one day, when she was stronger—removed from all of this. And if she asked.

The girls sat with Autumn, Anna brushing out her hair and Una rubbing some lotion on her bruises. They chatted and fussed, Autumn happy to let them. I wolfed down some food, starving, then sat back, looking at my cousins.

“You have something to tell me. I can see it.”

Finn glanced over at the girls, then slid his chair closer.

“Is he dead?” I asked.

“Very,” Niall confirmed. “We made sure of it. Satan was waiting to greet him long before the night was over.”

“You both look…rattled.”

Finn and Niall shared a look then Finn spoke. “After you left, we let the bastard roll around moaning and whimpering for a while. It seemed odd he’d have a cabin but not keep it updated, if you know what I mean. He inherited it years ago. He could have sold it. So we poked around.”

“What did you find?” I asked, knowing it was something big.

“A box hidden in the kitchen. With treasures.”

I swallowed. “Treasures?”

“Mementos of, ah, other women. We knew Autumn wasn’t the first woman he’d kidnapped. The one who got away wasn’t either. There were others.”

“Jesus,” I muttered, the food I’d eaten suddenly feeling like cement in my stomach. “A serial killer, then? Not just a stalker?”

Niall nodded. “Three others. We checked out their names from the IDs he’d kept. All listed as missing.”

I scrubbed my face. “Holy feck. It could have been four.”

Finn grabbed my shoulder, pressing down. “It wasn’t. She is fine.”

“What did you do?”

“Questioned the bastard until he talked,” Niall said. “Me and my bullets. By the time we were finished, there wasn’t much left of his toes.” He smiled coldly. “Or his voice.”

“Ouch,” I muttered. “That would have hurt, but if anyone deserved it, it was him.”

“Aye. I was going to use his prick as target practice, but there wasn’t much to it.”

“What?” I asked. “How the feck did you know that?”

“I made him strip before he went into the root cellar. Hard not to notice. Barely enough to grab onto to piss.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” I muttered.