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“Do you know her name?” Caden asked.
“No, and I don’t know this for sure, but I suspect the guy she left Russell for worked for the L.A.P.D. I don’t think he does anymore because Russell once said something about how he was working on cleaning out the trash, and then he stopped talking about her. He never referred to her by name, just various swear words.”
Caden huffed out a breath. “Sounds like a regular prince charming. I’ll look into the ex-wife and anyone else he might’ve had a beef with.” Caden looked around at the guys, then back at Orly. “Okay, if that’s all, then let’s get back to the fun stuff. I’m ready for dessert.”
The guys started to shift in their seats, probably relieved the hard part of the day was over, but there was something else Orly needed to tell them. Something she hadn’t even told Luke about, but probably should’ve. “There’s something else,” she spoke up.
All eyes turned back to her.
“Orly?” Luke asked. “You know something else about Russell?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not about him. About a month before leaving Russell for the second time, I connected with a man who I thought was in trouble. He was running through the woods and it felt like he was trying to get away from an attacker.” Orly took a sip of her soda, needing to wet her throat before continuing. She hated even thinking about the jerk who sometimes barged into her head uninvited, but now that she had the attention of six law enforcement officers, maybe they could actually stop him. “He turned out to be the murderer.”
Chapter 16
Orly tensed, expecting the men to somehow blame her or lash out at her for not saying something to them sooner, but they just got really quiet and almost comically, all six men’s jaws dropped.
“You never told me about this,” Luke said.
“I know and I honestly don’t like talking about him or even thinking about him. He’s strong…” Orly drew in a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain what she meant. “He’s stronger than me. Psychically, I mean. When we connect, he easily overpowers me.”
Martin blew out a loud breath.
Garrett let out a low whistle.
Blake and Tanner cursed under their breaths.
Caden stared at her with shock and concern. But Luke was livid. She sensed it coming off of him in waves without even looking at him and she couldn’t blame him. She’d had so many chances to tell Luke about the murderer in her head, but every time she’d chosen not to. With everything that was already going on with her, Orly feared it would just be too much.
“How many times has this guy reached out to you?” Luke asked.
“A few,” Orly admitted. “I try to ignore him. It’s not easy. But, sometimes it feels like he can read my mind even when I’m not open to him.”
“Like a psychic stalker,” Garrett said.
Orly nodded.
“Do you know his name? What he looks like?” Luke asked.
“No. If I knew those things, I would’ve told the police about him right away.”
“Well, I can’t find who I can’t see,” Caden said. “And I’m pretty sure none of us will rest until this guy is found and brought to justice.”
Orly sighed. “I’ve tried talking to him. I’ve asked him to get help. To stop hurting people. But he doesn’t care. I think he likes tormenting me. Sometimes I think he does it for fun.”
“People? As in multiple victims?” Tanner asked. He was a lean guy with soft brown eyes that were shaded by a traditional cowboy hat. The kindOrly had seen in old Western movies. A pair of blue jeans, a red plaid short sleeve shirt, and cowboy boots completed his outfit, and really made Orly want to ask him if he had a ranch. But now wasn’t the time for that. Orly remembered he was the homicide detective in the group.
“Yes,” she said. “Since I’ve known him, he’s killed at least three people. But I never see the victims. He only likes to brag about it after the fact.”
Caden’s expression went black. “How? How is he able to reach out to youif you’re the one that’s telepathic?”
Orly often wondered this herself. “I think some people are more susceptible to telepathy than others. Of the people I’ve connected with, some I could hear clear as a bell, others I barely heard, and still others I wasn’t able to connect with at all because their mind just didn’t work like that. Everyone is different. Most are able to receive my messages and send back a response in a short amount of time, as long as I keep the channel open. That’s how I’m able to help them. Others have what you would call a knack for it. They pick it up easily and it becomes almost second nature to them. People don’t usually know they have this ability because they haven’t had a chance to use it with anyone. And even when they do, it freaks most people out, so they tend to go away or break off from me as soon as possible. But, this guy not only refuses to break away, he’s maintained the channel, solidifying it, making it stronger, and in effect, making me weaker to him.”
Caden clasped the back of his neck. “Okay. Well, our job is to find him. And it sounds like he can attack you from anywhere, but if he’s locked up then at least he’s not out on the street killing innocent people.”
Orly swallowed hard. “I don’t know who he is. I first heard him when he was running from a man who was threatening to kill him. The man had some kind of weapon in his hand. I didn’t get a good look at it.”
“What about the man? Who was he?” Caden asked.
