Torn - Cynthia Eden Page 0,62
now!”
BY THE TIME Victoria walked into their B&B at Savannah that night, exhaustion pulled at her. She was covered with sweat and grime, and she’d spent the day looking for the dead.
But there were no other bodies for her to discover on that little stretch of land. Maybe the killer had taken other women, but they weren’t buried near the cottage. They could have been hidden on one of the little islands near Jekyll. They could have been dumped and forgotten at hundreds of other wooded sites along the interstate.
Only the killer knew for sure.
“I’m going to get LOST to pull all the missing persons’ reports from NamUs,” Victoria said. The list from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons system would be their best bet. If anyone else in that system matched up with a victim profile similar to Kennedy or Melissa—or other college-age women who’d vanished in the Savannah area—then they could be looking at more victims taken by the same perp.
Wade shut the door behind them. Then he propped his back against the wood. “Do you think there are more?”
“I hope not.”
“I sure as hell do, too.” He grabbed at the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head.
She blinked, a little surprised that—
Wade gave a rough rumble of laughter. “Are you blushing? After what we’ve shared, I didn’t think you’d blush with me any longer.”
He stalked toward her.
Victoria’s shoulders tensed.
“Relax,” Wade murmured when he was just inches away. “I’m just going to shower.”
Right. Shower.
“Want to join me?”
Actually . . . she wanted more than just a shower. She wanted him. They’d driven back in silence, but there had been a thick, heavy tension between them. Death could do that—wring you out and twist you up. She was exhausted, yes, but she also felt as if she were literally about to jump out of her skin.
She wanted to forget all the blood and death. She just wanted—
Victoria cleared her throat and said, “I’ll join you after I make my call.” Why deny what she wanted? What they both wanted? It seemed so pointless.
Life was short, hard, and brutal. People should grab tight to their pleasures. Take what they wanted.
Before life was ripped away.
His fingers slid under the edge of her jaw. No blood was on his hands now. He’d cleaned up as best he could and been given borrowed clothes after Melissa had been taken away. His other clothes had been taken in as evidence.
So much evidence on that island. Evidence of hell and torture. His touch sent goose bumps rising over her skin. Not because she was afraid of him.
“One day,” he said, “you’ll tell me your secrets.”
“Wade—”
“Until then, I’ll just take what you fucking give me.” His mouth closed over hers. He kissed her hard and deep and her fingers rose to curl around his arms as she held him tight.
Desire beat in her blood. A need that he stirred so effortlessly. She should be collapsing, sleeping off the last terrible twenty-four hours.
But she wanted to be with him.
He eased away. “Don’t make me wait long.”
Then he headed for the bathroom.
She could still taste him. Fumbling, Victoria put in the call to LOST and got Gabe to promise he’d contact NamUs. Any matches would be sent to her immediately.
The call to her boss lasted less than five minutes. She briefed him, assured him that she and Gabe were safe, then ended the call. Her fingers curled around the phone as her gaze slid toward the darkened hallway.
She took a step forward.
Her phone vibrated in her hand.
Victoria glanced down.
I want you . . . Come to me.
Talk about being impatient. Smiling, she texted back. On my way. Stay in control until I get to you.
She hurried to the hallway. Her phone vibrated again.
I’ll lose my control, with you.
Her heart raced faster. This time she didn’t stop to type out a response to him. She went into her bedroom and stripped as quickly as she could. Then, naked, she headed for the bathroom that they shared. As she approached, she heard the roar of water in the shower.
Time to see just how long Wade’s control would last.
She pushed open the bathroom door. The shower was big—easily wide enough to accommodate two. The shower door was made of glass, so she could see Wade standing there, his broad back flexing beneath the pelting stream of water.
Steam slowly rose around him.
For a moment Victoria just stood there, staring at him. Admiring him. Big and strong and sexy. There