The air in the car was thick with frustration and anger as Macy and Nevada drove down the back road furrowed with potholes. Nevada’s jaw was clenched, and when he rounded a final bend, he said, “Speaking to the press like that was stupid. You’ve now made yourself a target.”

“Maybe if I make him mad enough, it will take his mind off Bennett.”

“We’ve already excluded Younger’s DNA. We have Shaw’s DNA, but no results yet. And I will get a sample from Kevin Wyatt.”

“Wyatt is still not answering his phone.”

“You should not have baited this killer.” He pressed the accelerator. The engine roared and the tires spun faster. “The house Younger mentioned should be around the next turn.”

“Let’s park here and walk in so no one hears us coming.”

He pulled to the side and shut off the engine. Macy got out of the car, quietly closing the door before checking her weapon. They moved side by side for the last few hundred yards. Her leg and hip were tightening up the entire way, but she pushed through, knowing Bennett was running out of time.

As the small gray house came into view, she thought about the house in Texas where she’d found the unmarked graves. On the heels of that memory was the sound of a revving truck engine seconds before it plowed into her body. She flinched but shoved the surge of fear aside.

She put one foot in front of the other. She needed to focus and provide cover for Nevada.

As they approached the small house, they detected activity. There were fresh tire treads and footprints. The prints appeared to have been made by a man’s athletic shoe.

Nevada raised his finger to his lips as he moved past her. As much as she wanted to be the one to take this guy down, she had to be practical. They would be most effective if she provided cover while he took point.

He tried the front door and discovered it was locked. She always carried a lockpick set in her kit. Not wasting a moment, she identified the lock as a pin tumbler. After pulling out a wrench and pick, she worked the pair into the lock until all the pins were set and the lock clicked open.

Nevada arched an amused brow before saying, “Stay behind me.”

She nodded, and the two moved into the central living room of the house. Her gaze swept the room, searching each of the closed doors that fed into it. A padlock noticeably secured one door.

While she watched the door, Nevada swept the one-story house for signs of anyone else. When he gave the all clear sign, she moved to the padlock, holstered her weapon, and picked it faster than the first lock. She quickly removed it, flipped open the latch, and pushed open the door.

The room was dark, and the cold air was heavy with the scent of sweat. Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she tightened her hold on the grip of her weapon. She listened for the sound of breathing or movement, but couldn’t hear over her own quick breath.

Nevada cast his light into the room until it rested on Bennett’s body. “Shit.”

Macy holstered her weapon, ran toward her, and knelt beside her. Carefully, she rolled her on her back and pressed her fingertips to the black-and-blue skin of her neck. For a moment, there was only stillness, so she repositioned her fingers and prayed. And then she felt the faint pulse. Tears burned in her eyes.

“She’s alive,” she said.

Nevada was already dialing for assistance.

Macy rode to the hospital with Bennett in the back of the ambulance. The wail of the siren and the rocking rhythm of the ride reminded Macy of her own ordeal as paramedics shouted Brooke’s name and tried to get her to open her eyes. Macy knew Bennett would have a long road ahead of her if she survived this.

They rolled into the university hospital’s parking lot, and personnel were on hand to admit Bennett. As staff quickly pushed the gurney toward the emergency room, the paramedics recited Bennett’s vital signs to the doctors.

Macy hustled behind, following as far as the swinging doors. A nurse dressed in scrubs blocked Macy and informed her she would have to wait in the lobby.

“I need to know who did this to her.” Macy hadn’t been able to stop shaking since they’d found Bennett.

“And I need to save her,” the nurse retorted before she vanished.

Running her hand over her head, Macy turned to a lobby crowded with people filling out forms, reading magazines, and watching televisions mounted on the walls. She replayed her actions since she’d arrived in town. Why hadn’t she been more aggressive with Kevin about the swabs? Could she have pushed Greene even harder?

Unable to sit, she paced, and when her phone rang, she reached for it, thinking it was Nevada. She was surprised to see Faith’s name on the display.

She walked to the window overlooking the parking lot and faced away from the people in the lobby. “How did you know something was wrong? Is this some kind of twin symbiotic thing?”

“Damn right, sis.”

That coaxed a small smile as she watched an ambulance drive off. “I’m standing in the emergency room. Another cop was injured.”

A door clicked closed in the background. “Who?”

“She’s one of the deputies in the county. She was attacked by a guy we’re chasing.” She pressed her fingers to her closed eyes, willing tears to stay in check. “I’m trying, but it might be too little, too late.”

“You’re a good cop, Macy.”

“But was I good enough? If it were another agent in my shoes, would they have gotten to Deputy Bennett sooner? I was so hell bent on getting back to work I didn’t stop to really consider if I should. Maybe I don’t belong in this job.”

“That’s bullshit,” Faith said. “You’re one of the best.”

Images of the bruises ringing Bennett’s pale neck rose to the front of her thoughts. “Jesus, Faith, this guy strangled her multiple times.”

“She’s a cop, Macy. She accepted the risks of the job. It could just as easily have been you.”

“She’s a deputy in a small town. She’s never seen a case like this.”

“Do you think she’d appreciate the fact that you’re underestimating her? Do you think she’d like hearing she’s just Barney Fife from Mayberry?”

Macy pictured Bennett’s stoic expression. “She’d probably kick my ass.”

“Would she want you blaming yourself or going after this guy?”

Macy drew in a breath. “She’d want me to nail him to the wall.”

“Then why are you still on the phone yammering with me? Go kick somebody’s ass and be quick about it. Call me when it’s done.”

Click.

She stared at the phone in disbelief. No goodbye, no good luck. Faith understood her better than she realized. Nevada strode in. The tightly woven coil inside her eased a fraction.

“How is she?” Nevada asked.

“She’s still unconscious.”

“All right,” he said. “We’ll wait for a little bit.”

“I hate waiting.”

“Macy, it sucks being on the outside, but sometimes that’s all you have,” Nevada said.

“Who are we talking about now?” she asked.

“Me, after your accident.” He laid his hand on hers. “I never want to go through that again.”

She had been focused on herself after the accident. All she had wanted to do was get better. She had thought about him. Several times she had felt so alone it was all she could do not to call him, but she had been afraid of showing any kind of weakness. “I didn’t want you to see me that way.”

“I could have dealt with it,” he said. “You didn’t have to fight your way back alone.”

A doctor dressed in green scrubs approached them. “You’re FBI?”

They both stood and she said, “Yes. We brought in Brooke Bennett. Is she awake?”

“Not yet.”

Once Nevada and Macy had spoken to the doctor and learned Bennett wouldn’t likely wake until morning, they returned to the house where they’d found her. Surrounding the house were state and federal officers who were sweeping the structure and grounds for evidence.

Sullivan met them outside. “We were able to locate the clerk from the county land records office. He was not happy to be pulled away from his evening show until I told him about Deputy Bennett.”

“And?” Nevada demanded.

“The clerk ran right into the office and started digging. The land passed through three hands in the last twenty years. It had a reputation for being a party site for the kids at one point. Long story short, a limited partnership called Pocket Inc. purchased the house. I called the attorney of record, and he told me his client was Bruce Shaw.”

“What’s the status of the crime scene?” Nevada asked.

“The technicians are going over the room where they found Deputy Bennett. It’s mostly hair and fiber samples in that room, but in the other bedroom there are journals,” he said.

“What kind of journals?” Nevada asked.

“Apparently this guy liked to make sketches and notes of the women he stalked. There’re notes on hundreds of women from up and down the East Coast.”

“What about Baltimore, Atlanta, and Bluefield, West Virginia?” Macy asked.

“I haven’t been in the room to see,” he said.

“Good work,” Nevada said. “We’ll take it from here.”

“How is Deputy Bennett?” Sullivan asked.

“She’s going to recover with time,” Macy said.

“Thank God for that.”

“Agent Crow, about that Beacon cologne,” Sullivan said. “It’s been bugging me all day.”

“What about it?” she asked.