Page 2 of Deadly Alliance

Shane scoffed. “No offence, but I’ve worked with Owen and he is a scary son of a bitch.”

Dee winked at the bearded man now standing immobile in one corner. It was as if he had disappeared altogether and only reappeared when needed.

“My husband is dangerous and can certainly take you down in a fight, but I can make you kneel without even touching you.”

“With what? A gun? A crossbow?”

Wiggling her fingers, as if about to perform a magic trick, she took out her cell phone and typed a few buttons. “Shane Rhodes, former Navy SEAL. Captain and team leader. Decorated and…”

He stopped her. “That’s your superpower, reading my file?”

This time, he heard Owen snort, but Dee ignored him. “You want to know what’s not in your file? I can get the amount in your bank account, the deed to any property you’ve ever owned, if you cheated at exams, who you dated, how many children you’ve fathered, all the missions you went on, your targets, your kills. And if I turn mean, I can turn your life into a living nightmare. Ever wondered what being chased by the IRS feels like? Want me to have you married to three women at the same time, or even change your last name to Dickhead?”

And it dawned on him. “You’re that hacker the team has been talking about. The former cop who now works for Purgatory.”

“I’ve worked for Purgatory for a long time. As for being a hacker, I don’t know what you are talking about.” She winked at him before becoming serious again, pocketing her cell. “But one thing I know is how to handle potential serial killers. My last case in the force was exactly that. And it left a mark on me, in and out, that’s for sure.”

Shane remembered the rumours about Dee, being abducted by the serial killer she was tracking, and being kept prisoner, tortured and scared until she was saved by Beatrice.

“I don’t know you personally, Shane Rhodes, but my husband says you’re a good man, and Beatrice wouldn’t let an asshole join us. You get a free pass; for now.”

“And what about the prodigal son returning home?”

Shane turned with the others to see an imposing man standing by the door, both arms at his side. Blond hair slicked back with a trimmed beard. He looked familiar, although he had never seen him before.

“Lance!”

As Dee ran to the man, Shane connected the dots. He was one of the Sorenson brothers, Lance Sorenson. One of Owen’s brothers and a former Navy SEAL too. They’d never crossed paths, but he remembered the name. Dee kissed the newcomer’s cheek, apparently comfortable with him, and his brother clapped his back. Only offering Shane a quick nod, Lance faced Beatrice.

Arms crossed, the Purgatory boss didn’t move a muscle as Lance stood before her. “You disappeared without a word; you hid on the other end of the world, you fought in illegal cage fights in Chicago and Thailand, and only reappeared in the middle of a mafia war because you were recognised. You’re just trouble.”

Lance shuffled, uncomfortable, almost looking like a little boy. “But you invited me here.”

“I wasn’t sure you would come. But I’m glad you did.”

Lance exhaled as his boss relaxed and smiled, the man looked as if he grew a few inches more if possible. “So that means I can return to Purgatory?”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “As if you ever left…”

Shane had nothing against tearful family reunions, but this was leading nowhere fast. “Has everybody you were waiting for arrived or do we have to lose more daylight before we get started?”

At least his tone brought the attention of everyone gathered there to the heart of the matter.

“Calm down, Shane. We can’t act if we don’t have all the information. Dee was in charge of bringing it to me.”

Everything was going too slow. If he hadn’t requested time off and answered the questions Beatrice had fired at him, he would already be after the killer.

“I shouldn’t have listened to you, Beatrice. I could already be after that fucker now. How many other victims are already dead because he’s still on the loose?”

This time, Dee came to the desk and retrieved an envelope from her coat. “So far, five women have been attacked and killed by this psycho. All servicewomen like your friend Misty Hale.”

Swallowing hard, Shane went to the desk and started sifting through the photographs the hacker had brought with her. It took all his might to look away from the picture of Misty. It was one of her official portraits when she’d enrolled in the Army. It was her dream to become an engineer and actively help her fellow soldiers. A bundle of barely contained energy, her effervescence and joy for life shone from the image. She was like the annoying little sister he’d never had. Family; that was what her and Nicolas were to him.

After a moment of scanning all the pictures, his eyes went back over the other dead women’s faces. He frowned. “They all look alike.”

Dee nodded. “Yeah, physically. But apart from the fact that they all enrolled and were still active duty, their personality, background even specialisation or corps are different.”

Lance checked the summary papers. “Army, Navy, Marines… We can’t protect thousands of women with shoulder-length black hair and a cute, freckled face.”