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“Wait…what?” My mind shuts down. Reboots. Then shuts down again. It takes a moment for me to collect the dots. “You mean to fucking tell me that the woman who has been practically begging to get close to me for years at work–the woman who I barely gave a second glance to–is not only the woman who witnessed my car crash but is also my dad’s motherfucking mistress?!” I’m screeching by the time I make it to the end of the sentence. I’m shaking my head as if to deny the truth, but I know it’s not going to change anything. “How fucking old is Andy? I always thought she was like a child!”
“She looks about fifteen or so years older than you,” Kai’s voice is soft as everyone else stays quiet.
I suddenly can’t breathe. I can’t think. I have no idea what to do with that information. Regardless, without my help, the pieces start to fall into place. And the picture isn’t pretty.
The distorted voice, the tight vest, the small frame. Everything now suddenly makes sense. He–she–was damned good at wiping away evidence and even planting some, and Andy’s currently studying forensic science. She knows braille. She has been practically obsessed with me ever since I met her. She’s probably the only person outside of those closest to me who knows how my visions function, because of her work on my cases.
She knew exactly what to do to derail the investigation from every side.
Who was it that confirmed our suspicions about Alan and sent us on a wild-goose chase? Who was the one that had access to not only wipe away evidence of a witness to my car crash, but also has a connection to that nightandto the police department? Who could glide so effortlessly under the radar in so many situations?
“You told this to Alan?” I round on Bass and he flinches back a step.
“Y-yes.”
A familiar feeling begins to build in my chest and spreads outwards, and just like when I saved Nic from that bullet, I know what I need to do.
“Fuck!” I race from behind the table and grab my jacket and cane against the wall in the entryway. The guys are two steps behind me, not hesitating to follow. “Bass! Send us the address. Now!”
I jerk open the front door as Gizmo and Snitch catch up to us and race ahead of me, somehow knowing exactly where I’m intending to go. Luckily, a hand grabs mine and adjusts my course, leading me to the truck and helping me hop in.
No words are spoken, it’s pure silence in the truck, so it makes it very easy to hear the vibration of someone’s phone. “Got the address.” Ezra’s voice is calm, but deadly, as if he too has been putting the pieces of this hellscape picture together and doesn’t like what it looks like. The tires squeal as we take off and I practically bounce in my seat as I urge it to go faster. We don’t have any time to waste.
My stalker has Alan.
36
It takes about ten minutes to reach our destination and we fly out of the car like our asses are on fire. Kai slips his hand into my left one and lets me channel our connection to see, then we’re off, running up to an unassuming house in the suburbs. All the houses on the block look almost identical, with only small differences in shape and color.
Alan’s car is parked right in the driveway.
We make it to the front door and I don’t hesitate before pressing the doorbell two or three times in quick succession. I hear the ringing echo from inside but nothing else. I abandon the doorbell to start pounding on the door with my fist.
“Andy, you crusty twat, you open this door right the fuck now!” I shout as loud as I can, but I still get nothing in response. “Alan?!”
“Ezra, call for back-up. Wicked, can you have Gizmo or Snitch pull their little trick like last time?” Nic takes control of the situation and I crouch down and let out a low whistle, Snitch being the first to jump in my arms. It cuts off my connection with Kai, but it isn’t long before he squeaks that he’s done and I’m grabbing Kai’s hand once more.
Ezra enters the house first, gun drawn, sweeping the room before he steps to the side and lets Nic follow and do the same. Kai hangs back with me and we only enter when they wave us forward. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are all open concept, so it’s easy to see that this floor is clear. There are stairs at the end of the living room that lead up as well as two closed doors to the side of the sliding glass backdoor.
I stay by the front door with Kai, Gizmo, and Snitch as Ezra and Nic both walk softly towards the back of the house. Ezra sweeps his gun to look up the stairs before moving to the closest door and waiting until Nic is in position before swinging it open quickly. It’s a small half bath and completely empty, so they move towards the second door.
They repeat the process, but this time we’re staring at another set of stairs. “Why the fuck is it always a basement?” I whisper with a curse before Kai and I walk to join the guys.
There’s a soft thump somewhere underneath us and my pulse starts to beat a staccato rhythm that sets me on edge. Nic and Ezra both gaze back at us and I nod.
Let’s just fucking do this already.
The stairs are carpeted as we start to make our way down, the soft material muffling the sound of our steps. I’m only slightly relieved that it seems to be a finished basement and not a creepy concrete horror movie one. Though that small bit of relief is quickly obliterated as we make it to the bottom and peer around the corner.
There, standing behind a beaten and bloody Alan on his knees, is Andy.
I’ve never actually seen her before. I’ve never cared enough to try and peer into people’s memories to see what she looks like, and now I’m wishing I had. I would have known right away in Arnold’s vision that this woman and the one from the recording are one and the same.
Lanky blonde hair frames a face that was sure to be exceptionally pretty at some point, but is now aged beyond her years. Her features are contorted and twisted in a sneer as she takes in the guys pointing their weapons at her as they space out into a triangle formation, but she knows they can’t do a damn thing.
Andy has a gun to Alan’s head as he struggles to stay on his knees, one leg is obviously broken, bent out at the wrong angle with a baseball bat lying a few feet away. His face is pale and the growing puddle of blood beneath him tells me that the break isn’t the worst of his injuries. He’s barely staying upright, his eyes slightly out of focus as he finally manages to look up at us.
When he sees me, a panicked groan leaves his lips. I let out a cry as blood trickles from his mouth. “What the fuck did you do to him, you crazy bitch?!” Tears leak from my eyes as I try to rush forward, making everyone in the room stiffen before Kai holds me back in place. I barely notice that Gizmo and Snitch have sneaked over to the back area of the basement behind Andy, and it doesn’t seem as if anyone else has. Their hackles are raised, their teeth bared, but they don’t make a sound.
