coloring as Reign, and sitting beside each other, the similarities are obvious, but height-wise, Reign drew the short straw. This guy is a beast, and that’s coming from someone who spent years doing nothing but working out.
Watching Reign slap the shit out of him earlier would have been hilarious if it weren't for the croak in her voice or the shaking of her hands, showing how upset she had been.
Tate looks at us warily. I get it, this is his kid sister, but what he doesn’t realize yet is that Reign is also our old lady, and that trumps everything else.
“Trav got the call. Young girl, early 20’s, long black hair, tiny,” he rambles off, pretty much describing Reign to a tee.
She tenses with every word he speaks. I slide a hand over her thigh, feeling her relax slightly, watching with satisfaction as her brother’s eyes flare with anger. I’m a possessive fucker, the sooner he realizes it, the better.
“Where did they find her?” Reign asks quietly, slipping her hand over mine and linking our fingers together.
“She was at home, in her bed. She had an alarm system that the guy somehow bypassed. He left no trace anywhere.” Tate shakes his head, frustrated.
“So you don’t know if it’s the same guy? It could have been a coincidence that this girl looks like Reign,” Bates points out.
“Aside from the fact that I don’t believe in coincidences, he left a note,” Tate says, looking at Reign with remorse.
“Tell me,” she orders, squeezing my hand tighter.
“You don’t need all the details, Reign—”
“Just fucking tell me, Tate, or so help me God—”
He holds up his hand to cut off her rant before pulling out his phone, opening it up and placing it on the table next to her.
I run the pad of my thumb over the back of her hand, trying to offer her some comfort. When the color drains from her face, I feel the overwhelming need to pick her up and get her out of here, knowing whatever is in that letter is going to leave a mark on her.
“Sinners never know they are unworthy until His light touches them,” she reads out loud, sucking in a sharp breath before continuing.
"I am His voice, His Prophet. You are a selfish harlot, a temptress. You have been tested and deemed unworthy.” She pauses and swallows.
"Only those on their knees will find salvation. No one will escape His rapture until the rain falls and washes away their sins."
“Jesus, the guy is a wack-job religious nut,” I curse. I’ve seen and heard some fucked up shit, but this guy is something else.
“You’re not wrong there, but I’m failing to see what it has to do with Reign,” Bates throws in, and I agree. Sure, the physical description is uncanny, but everything else is still all too vague. I can’t see anything else tying this case to Reign. Even so, it doesn’t stop the hairs from rising on the back of my neck.
“You didn’t tell them about the note he left you?” Tate asks, looking at Reign in surprise.
“Not in detail, no, it seemed irrelevant,” she whispers, looking up at me with fear in her eyes.
Christ, the fear swimming in those dark eyes of hers, feels like a sucker punch to the stomach. I wanna rip this guy apart with my bare hands just for putting that expression on her face.
“Note?” Priest snaps out, pulling my attention away from my girl to her brother.
Tate swipes something on his phone and pulls up another photo, spinning it around for the three of us to see as Reign looks away.
Sinners never know they are unworthy until His light touches them.
I am His voice
His Prophet
You are a selfish harlot, a temptress
Ungrateful and sullied
But our God has forgiven you
As He once did me
You will be tested
But the most devout will be reborn, then, and only then will you be a worthy vessel.
“Fuck!” Bates spits.
I try to hold my own temper back, but when Reign squeaks, I notice I’m squeezing the shit out of her hand. I loosen it immediately, lifting our linked hands and placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist, letting her scent calm me. She’s safe, she's here, that’s all that matters.
“There is no doubt in my mind this is the same guy. Even without the obvious similarities between the two notes, the fact that he uses Reign’s name in the victim’s note confirms it for me,” Tate continues. Lifting the phone, he flicks the image