Caleb’s gaze swept over the interior of the cabin, looking for any clue, any sign to point him in the right direction. He already knew the answer to the question he’d posed to himself. He would go after Ramie and from there she would be in the driver’s seat. Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed, would be at her disposal. If Caleb had his way, she’d never lift a finger for the rest of her life. Nothing was too much or too big in light of the fact that she’d saved Tori at great personal sacrifice.
Hell, she’d probably kick him in the balls if she ever saw him again. He certainly deserved it even if he couldn’t say that he still wouldn’t have forced her compliance if he’d known what it did to her. And that ate at him. Knowing he’d do it all over again if it resulted in the same outcome. Tori alive. Safe.
He checked his cell phone for a signal and grimaced when “no service” glared back at him. He walked back out to his SUV and slowly navigated his way back down the mountain. As soon as he had a reliable signal he punched in Beau’s number and waited for his brother to answer.
“You find her?” Beau said in greeting.
“No,” Caleb said quietly. “How is Tori? Was she okay with me leaving so soon?”
“She’s fine. Quinn and I are with her every minute of the day. She’s not sleeping worth a damn and she refused to take medication until Quinn finally leaned on her and forced the issue. She can’t continue on like this. She’s running on empty and she’s going to suffer an emotional breakdown if she doesn’t rest better and heal.”
Caleb closed his eyes. He should be there, damn it. But Tori had Beau and Quinn. Who did Ramie have? All of his research into her background when he’d turned the world over in his search for her told him she had no family. No close friends or even acquaintances. She had . . . ?nothing.
“I want to move on what we talked about,” Caleb said. “I’m coming home and you and I are going to build this security firm from the ground up. Tori will never be a victim again if I have anything to say about it. And if we can help others in the process, so be it.”
“I’ll get to work on my end,” Beau said. “I want to hire only the best.”
“Agreed.”
“So are you giving up on Ramie?” Beau asked.
Caleb hesitated before finally going with the truth. “No. She wanted to be left alone, in peace, and maybe that’s what I should do. But I can’t let it go. You didn’t see her, Beau. I did. And she has no one. I have to find her and make sure she’s okay. I won’t rest until I do.”
“I understand. We all owe her a huge debt so anything I can do to help find her I’ll do.”
“We start with the new company,” Caleb said. “Then we’ll work our way from there.”
FIVE
ONE YEAR LATER
NEVER let your guard down.
It had always been her mantra, but it was more pertinent than ever now. Fear was her constant companion. He’d found her. Somehow he’d found her and he was determined that she would be his next victim.
Obsession.
He was obsessed with Ramie. The one person who’d come close to bringing him down. But close hadn’t been close enough. The killer had narrowly escaped capture, but Ramie had brought the authorities right to the location where he’d held his current victim.
He’d tortured the young woman for days. Endless days of pain and sorrow. He’d toyed with her, promising her death and then delaying it.
Before Ramie had dropped off the map, he’d called her. He was why she’d run. Because he knew who and what she was and that she was responsible for him losing his prey. In turn she had now become the hunted.
And he was close.
How could he continuously track her every movement?
He was toying with her. Fucking with her for the sake of f**king with her. It had gotten so bad that Ramie didn’t dare sleep at night for fear he’d be there, waiting. She was on the move constantly, never staying in the same place for more than one night.
But she could sense he was closer than ever.
When would he tire of his cat-and-mouse game and make his move? And what would she do when he did?
Ramie pulled up to the roadside hotel and parked her small SUV outside number six, the room she’d rented before going out to get something to eat. And to scope her surroundings. Get a feel for what belonged and what didn’t.
She forced her mind to go silent. Flush out the panic so her awareness of her surroundings could be sharper. With a killer tracking her every move, she had to remain calm and depend on her heightened senses to stay one step ahead of her pursuer.
Slowly she slipped her hand over the knob of the door to her hotel room but was careful to make no sound or to insert the key into the lock so she wouldn’t alert anyone to her presence. She yanked her hand back as though she’d been burned. The sudden flood of evil, hatred and the mocking laugh of her tormenter made her unsteady on her feet. Her knees buckled and she turned desperately, prepared to flee when the door flew open and something dark and ominous grabbed her wrist, hauling her back even as she tried to run.
She struck out violently, fighting back, knowing that if he managed to get her into the room she’d be dead—if she were that fortunate. Because she knew her death wouldn’t be easy, nor would it be quick. She’d seen inside his mind. Knew how he thought. All the sick, twisted fantasies he’d lived out through his victims, and hers would be the worst of all. She opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his free hand over her lips in one bruising motion.