AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
Fifteen years later
The abandoned amusement park reminded Logan of an aging bride waiting for a bridegroom who never came.
From this vantage point, he and Jeff could see Alex get out of her car and walk toward the entrance of a building that looked like it was ready to collapse at any moment. Why had the FBI given its permission for this to happen? It was too dangerous. With the sun slowly slipping out of sight, the park was beginning to disappear into the dusk.
He glanced at Jeff. If his jaw were set any tighter, his teeth would crack. Jefferson Cole, unit chief of BAU4 at Quantico, wasn’t afraid of much. But he and Logan were more than afraid. They were terrified. What if this went wrong? What if Alex didn’t make it out?
They watched as she hesitated at the entrance to the dilapidated Ghost Shack, then reached into her jacket pocket and removed a small flashlight. She appeared to look up to where they’d parked. She couldn’t have known he and Jeff were there, though. This wasn’t protocol. But Logan’s feelings for Alex had forced him to be here, at this place, with her. If he’d had his way, it would be him walking into the forsaken building that had once caused its riders to shriek in fear. He could almost hear the frightened cries from years ago reverberate around them.
When he first met Alex, he could see her imperfections. A wide mouth. A long nose. High forehead. She wasn’t beauty-queen perfect. But as he got to know her, interest in other women faded away. He could see only her. In his mind, she was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever met. Was that love? He wasn’t sure. He only knew he’d never felt like this before, and a voice inside his heart whispered that he never would again.
“This is a really bad idea,” Jeff said. He sighed. “But Alex insisted she had to try to save the women if they’re still alive. So far this UNSUB’s been one step ahead of us. I just wish Alex hadn’t refused when the SWAT captain tried to get her to wear a wire. I know she was afraid the guy would find it, but...”
Jeff was talking about an unknown subject who had kidnapped several young women. They suspected there were more spread out across the state, although they hadn’t been able to tie him directly to their disappearances. Typically, a serial killer had a narrower comfort zone. A place where he felt safe to hunt. Of course, they couldn’t actually prove he was a killer. There weren’t any bodies ... yet anyway.
“We should have checked this place out first. Placed agents inside.”
“I told you. There wasn’t time.” Jeff shook his head. “As much as I hate to say it, this is our first and maybe our only chance to catch him. Alex is smart and well trained. We have to believe she can handle him.”
“There she goes,” Logan said as Alex stepped through the entrance and disappeared from sight. His whole body tensed, and he silently begged God to bring her back to him. Not that he and Alex were a couple. Not yet.
He’d never known anyone like Alex. She was strong, yet she could also be vulnerable. Sometimes her strength was her greatest weakness. She took too many chances. Could be incredibly stubborn when she thought she was right. That trait had landed her in trouble more than once. He knew where it came from, though. Her commitment to the people she swore to protect burned like an unquenchable fire in her soul.
That devotion was why she was walking into a situation that could easily end her life. The FBI had received a call summoning Alex to this spot, claiming that the location of the missing women would be revealed if his demands were met. The hope that it might be true had brought them all here. There were families who couldn’t give up, who were praying that their loved one would return to them. Logan understood why Alex felt she had no choice, but he still wanted to physically pull her out of there. He tried to ignore the fear that she wouldn’t come back from this attempt, but it clawed at his mind.
Logan reached into his pants pocket and took out the bottle of pills that went everywhere with him now. He opened the lid, shook two into his hand, and managed to swallow them dry. He was taking too many, but the headaches were blinding, the pain unbearable.
“Logan,” Jeff said gently, “you’ve got to take care of—”
“No!” Logan instantly felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to bark at Jeff, but he was determined to be available if Alex needed him. Although she would never admit it, in his heart he knew she depended on him. Yet sometimes all he could do was just be there for her, and he had no intention of letting her down now—even if she didn’t know he was close by.
“I’m sorry, Jeff. But if you hadn’t told me the truth, it would have been really hard for me to forgive you. This is my choice. I had to be here.”
“I know you wanted to stop this,” Jeff said. “But it was out of my hands. We both had to follow orders.”
Once he knew the truth, Logan had thought about calling Alex, begging her not to do it, but he knew she wouldn’t have listened. It would have only distracted her, making it harder for her to concentrate on her mission. And that could get her killed. So even though he hated what she was doing now, he could only watch . . . and pray.
The minutes ticked by like hours. Logan could barely breathe. What was taking so long? HRT and SWAT agents were parked as close to the building as they could get without being seen, waiting for Alex to emerge. They were hidden behind a large sign that promised Magic Land Park would provide “the most fun you’ve ever had.” So far it was failing miserably at living up to its hype.
If Alex received the promised information, she was to exit the structure and wave, letting the SWAT team know it was safe to breach the building. If she didn’t wave, they were to stay where they were until she could get back to them. Maybe the UNSUB hadn’t shown up. This could be a test to see if Alex would follow his instructions.
“It’s been too long. I have a bad feeling about this,” Jeff said.
“I do too.”
Then they saw the SWAT team get out of their vehicle. They were through waiting. Something was wrong. Alex should have been out by now.
“If she was wearing a wire or had her phone, we’d know if she was okay,” Jeff mumbled.
“But besides telling her she had to come alone, he said no gun, no wire, and no phone. Defying him could have gotten her killed. I hope he didn’t find the weapon she does have.”
Alex had a hard nylon knife tucked inside her sock and boot. It wouldn’t show up if the UNSUB had a metal detector. Neither would the specially built tracker they’d hidden in the lining of her jacket. Logan felt better knowing she had a way to defend herself if she needed to.
Jeff cursed. “This is insane. We should have set the parameters, not let this guy do it.”
“Hard to say no when the UNSUB threatens to start killing hostages if you don’t follow orders. He was smart giving Alex only thirty minutes to arrive. I’m just glad SWAT and HRT were also ready to roll.”
