Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,121

room, so she agreed. Besides, she’d be more help to Kirk and his grandmother than anyone at the kill spot.

Nana greeted them with hugs, warm mugs of hot chocolate and a second lecture on common sense and worrying people you loved by making bad decisions. Brianna had finally curled up on her overstuffed sofa beneath a knitted afghan Nana had made while she tucked her grandson in bed and shuffled off to her own room, clearly more at peace than when she’d called Brianna’s phone hours earlier.

Brianna took the time to call Katie and Paula, letting them know Kirk was safe and Matt would be home later. After seeing the inside of the cold room, he’d decided another set of hands wouldn’t hurt and he’d stayed to help at the crime scene,

Unable to really rest, all the things that happened in the past five days rattled around in Brianna’s head. What would’ve happened to Paula if they hadn’t gone searching for her that first evening? How many more people would Armbruster have gruesomely killed and displayed before they caught him if they hadn’t stumbled onto Art in that old factory? Would Mia have lived if she’d managed to keep in touch and help her more once she left the shelter?

And what about these new changes in her relationship with Aaron? Was it a temporary thing for him? Was it for her? What if he wanted more? What if she did and he didn’t?

Just as she was able to close her eyes and doze off, her phone dinged a message.

I’m outside.

She smiled. Either he didn’t want to wake Nana or he didn’t want to get his butt chewed out like she and Kirk had. After what he’d probably had to deal with inside that meat locker, she’d cut him some slack.

Be right out, she texted back. She grabbed her bag and folded up the afghan. As she opened the door, she heard a sound behind her. Nana stood in the doorway in her robe and slippers.

“You tell that boy thank you for bringing my grandson home,” she said, tears in her old eyes.

Brianna hurried over and hugged the elderly woman tight. “We’re all glad we found him safe and sound.”

“Get on out of here,” Nana said, waving her out the door. “I’ll lock up.”

Aaron looked haggard when she climbed into the SUV.

She leaned in closer and kissed him softly. He cradled her head and indulged in the comfort she was offering. Then he pulled back and stared into her eyes in the pinkish-grey light of early dawn.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I will be now,” he said and released her.

She sat back and buckled in. “How bad was it?”

He didn’t answer and for a moment she thought he hadn’t heard her question. Then he let out a heavy sigh. “There were eight complete corpses in different stages of decomp. Then there were other body parts. Ramos says she thinks he may have buried them a long time ago and then tried to dig them up once he bought the building.”

“Dear God,” Brianna whispered, a sick feeling clawing at her stomach. She laid her hand on his. He turned his over and they twined their fingers together. “Why?”

“Carson says it’s part of his psyche. He wants to relive his kills. Some keep trinkets from their victims. Our guy actually kept the bodies. Except for the ones he decided to put on display.”

“How many?”

“Ramos isn’t sure. She said she thinks there are at least ten more.”

They rode the rest of the way in silence. The gravity of all those lost souls. Dead. No one knowing they were even gone. No one knowing that a predator had been hunting them, killing them.

He parked in front. “I’ll let you out here and head home.”

“Why?” Her heart hurt at the dull tone in his voice. Now that the case was over, was he done being close to her? Had their time together meant more to her than him?

“We both need sleep and I think mine is going to be filled with the gruesome shit I just saw. I don’t want to scare you.”

Suddenly her heart hurt for a different reason. This man, even in his grief and despair over another man’s inhumanity was concerned for her welfare. Concerned for her.

“Pull in the garage, Aaron,” she said, squeezing his hand. “The last thing you need is to be alone right now.”

“You’re sure?”

She stared at him with all the love in her heart. “I’ve never been more sure of