PROLOGUE
Audrey Sinclaire pressed the ignition button to turn her car off, and leaned back in her seat. She’d been to seven cities in the past four weeks for work, which was a personal record. She was so happy to finally be home. She couldn’t wait to take a long, hot shower, put on some comfy clothes, and catch up on all the hours of episodes from her favorite shows she’d missed.
Audrey stood under the shower stream like it was the first time she’d been able to shower in months. All the hotels she’d stayed at on the road had been perfectly fine, but none of them could compare to her deluxe high-pressure rain shower head. She’d special ordered it when she bought the house, and it was the most expensive thing she owned besides the house itself.
She rinsed the world off and watched it go down the drain. Thankfully, she didn’t have any travel dates coming up any time soon. She was looking forward to being in one place for a while, and also to putting the finishing touches on her home office. She’d been away so much she hadn’t been able to put together the rest of her bookshelves or hang anything on the walls.
Audrey wasn’t sure how long she’d been in the shower, but every part of her felt more relaxed than she’d been in months. The hot water and steam had done the trick. She wrapped her hair in a towel, and then she put on a fluffy bathrobe she’d given herself for Christmas. It was made of soft chenille, terry cloth blend and it felt like she was being wrapped in a warm hug.
But as she fastened the tie around her waist, she heard it—a noise, a creaking of floorboards, outside the bathroom.
She cracked the door open and peered out. Nothing. Probably just the settling of the house. Even so, an unwanted chill settled deep into Audrey’s bones, so she pulled the covers back and snuggled under them.
Turning on the television, she started flipping through the channels. As her eyes became heavy with sleep, she noticed something in the periphery of her vision. Something at the bay window, across the room. But when she looked, she saw nothing but the dark shadow of a tree, its branches scraping the glass.
She hugged herself, shaking off the feeling that she was being watched. Then she settled in to watch an episode of a light, fun sitcom to soothe her nerves.
A strange, beeping noise woke Audrey with a start. At first, she wasn’t sure where she was. Then, she remembered she was home.
Audrey looked around to locate the source of the repetitive noise. She realized the sound was coming from her television, some sort of test for the emergency broadcast system. Audrey muted the sound so she could reorient herself. She’d spent too many nights in strange beds. She wasn’t used to being home, but she would be soon enough.
Audrey put on some loose lounge pants and a matching top. She pulled her hair down and
hung the towel over the shower door. Then, she went into the kitchen to make a snack. She wasn’t really hungry for a full meal, but she did have the urge to nibble on something.
Fortunately, Audrey had gotten her brother to come by and stock the fridge and pantry a couple of days before she got home. Otherwise, she would’ve had to order in. She gathered some olives, cheese cubes, deli slices, and red grapes from the refrigerator. Then, she grabbed some almonds from the pantry. She arranged everything on a plate and poured herself a glass of cabernet sauvignon.
Just as Audrey started to sit back down on the couch, her doorbell rang. Audrey checked the time and wondered who might be at her door.
She set her wine and plate down on the coffee table and got up. Audrey looked through the peephole and smiled. She unchained the top lock, twisted the deadbolt, and opened the door.
“Hi!” she smiled warmly. Then, she added, “I’m so glad you stopped by! It’s been far too long since we last saw each other.”
The man smiled at Audrey and nodded in agreement. As he stepped inside, she gave him a half-hug.
“Are you back for a while now or just stopping by?” he asked as he wiped his shoes on the mat.
“I’m back for a few weeks. Or at least I think I am,” she giggled, a little tipsy from the wine.
“May I have a glass of whatever you’re having?” the man asked politely.
“Oh my gosh, of course!” Audrey said. She turned away from the man to head to the kitchen, a little unsure on her feet.
“Audrey…” the man said. Audrey turned around, almost losing her balance.
“Yeah…?” she started to ask, but then stopped. The man she’d known and loved almost all her life was no longer there. Staring back at her were lifeless brown eyes hidden behind a bronze mask. It looked like something she’d seen in a video on ancient Rome in history class.
Audrey couldn’t make sense of the scene unfolding before her. He stepped towards her, making her instinctively step back. She tried to make her mind focus, but it was too foggy from the wine. She noticed he was holding some kind of barbed wire in his right hand.
“What are you doing? What’s happening right now?” she asked, desperate to understand. Then, without warning, his left hand swung across her body, leaving a burning sensation in its wake. Adrenaline shot through her in an instant, and she took off running in the opposite direction.
Audrey dashed towards the garage. If she could just get to her car, she could get away. The door was within sight. She reached out to grab the handle when she felt a sharp blow to her side. She couldn’t tell if it was a punch or something worse.
Clutching her side, Audrey looked around, frantic for someone to help her. She opened her mouth to belt out the loudest scream she could muster when suddenly a large, rough palm covered half her face.
He was still behind her. Hands flying to her face, she pried at the paw, a fleeting thought that she might still be able to get away fluttering in her mind.
Audrey yanked at the hand, scratching and struggling to breathe. She tried kicking, but she couldn’t seem to make the connection with her foot. Nothing worked.
I am going to die. I need to get free, somehow, by… Before she could complete that thought, she felt another razor-sharp slice across her back as her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, her cheek slamming against the hard surface.
No. It couldn’t end like this.
Gathering every ounce of energy she could, she tried to crawl towards freedom. Lifting her head, she saw it, blurry and far away. She reached her fingers out for it, a small ember of hope igniting in her.
Suddenly, the man rolled her onto her back and pinned her down. As he lowered the ring of barbed wire onto her head, she looked directly into the man’s eyes. His brown eyes were filled with tears. And in Audrey Sinclaire’s final moments, before that ember of hope was snuffed out, she saw the man for who he really was.
CHAPTER ONE
FBI Special Agent Ruby Hunter sat in the SUV staring at the brick bungalow. Michael Stephens, a guard at Boone Correctional, was her last lead in figuring out who was helping the Lucky 13 Killer, Vincent Vallejo, communicate with the outside world. Milo Quincy, her tech ops contact in the Tampa Field Office, had sent her everything he could find on guard, but there was nothing that tied him to Vallejo.
Ruby reviewed the information on Michael Stephens that Milo had emailed over. He was twenty-seven and had worked at Boone Correctional for the past six years. Michael Stephens was an only child whose mother passed when he was nineteen. His father was unknown.
Just the kind of guy Vallejo loved, Ruby thought to herself.
Vallejo liked the lost ones. He could position himself as their saving grace, the only one who could truly see and understand them. Ruby wasn’t sure how Vallejo had mastered his manipulation of wounded men so well, but he was certainly an expert at it.
Ruby unlatched her holster and took a couple deep breaths. She didn’t think she had enough information to feel as amped up as she did, but it was always smart to be prepared.
She hopped out of the SUV and briskly walked up the few steps that led to Michael Stephens’ front door. With one hand on her weapon at the ready, she rang the doorbell. Every nerve ending felt electric as she waited for someone to answer.
She heard footsteps approaching as the drumming of her heart increased so loudly, she almost couldn’t hear the click of the latch.
“Can I help you?” a woman asked as she opened the door. She was in the process of pulling her lavender hair into a high ponytail as she stood there expectantly, waiting for Ruby to say something. All of the woman’s curves were on full display in the matching maroon sports bra and leggings. It looked like she was about to go to the gym.
Ruby showed her badge and said, “Yes, my name is FBI Special Agent Ruby Hunter. I was hoping to speak with Michael Stephens. Is he available?”
“Sure, he’s just waking up and I need to get his morning smoothie ready,” the woman said with a rushed tone as she invited Ruby in. Ruby noted the time on the wall clock as she stepped inside. It was closer to when people had dinner, not drink morning smoothies. She wondered if she’d heard the woman correctly.
“Would you like some matcha or green tea?” the woman offered.
“Do you have any coffee?”
“She doesn’t allow it,” a deep, hearty voice croaked from behind Ruby. She did her best not to jump out of her skin. She turned to see a tall, bare-chested man in flannel pajama pants; every muscle was chiseled as if it had been hand-carved. He pulled a white cotton T-shirt over his shoulders and then his head. The man looked like he was still half asleep. ...
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