Hunting (7 page)

He liked the symbolism of
it, of using the knife in the game against their son. The
fingertips he saved in a bag. It would be a small matter of dumping
them in the river on his way home.

He completed his task with
only the smallest bit of impatience, and he had to commend himself
on his efficiency, and his ability to suppress his desire to rush
through the project.

Rushing never accomplished
anything, in his experience.

The last thing he did
before dumping the body in a back alley was shove the black piece
into the boy’s mouth. The bishop had threatened Malachi as the
king, but once again Malachi triumphed.

And he lost.

And that infuriated
him…

Malachi pulled everything
he’d gathered about the UNSUB known as the Chess Master from the
last five years. It wasn’t much but the information Malachi carried
in his head gave a much clearer picture. He knew everything about
the UNSUB but his name and where to find him. How to stop
him.

This particular UNSUB had
stalked Malachi for half a decade, since his days with the Violent
Crimes unit based in New York. Messages had been sent to him via
email, photographs of victims had been left on the hood of his car,
but the UNSUB was always just one step out of Malachi’s reach. This
was the first time he’d physically engaged Malachi personally.
Always before it had been generic means of communication. Almost
bragging about the kills. But nothing that said he was coming after
Malachi at any moment. Not then. But all that had
changed.

The UNSUB had upped the
stakes by involving Julia and Paige. Malachi wasn’t stopping until
he found him. And now he had one of the most powerful divisions of
the FBI to back him. Resources and agents he’d not had before. He’d
find him this time, or he’d simply die trying. Period.

“
There’s been no contact
since my transfer to St. Louis,” he told Dennis and Hellbrook after
explaining the details of his longest running cold case
ever.

“
Probably took that long to
find you,” Hell said. “Do you have any idea?”

“
About my age and has close
to the same level of education. I believe he’s white and reasonably
athletic. Not married. Definitely white collar.” Malachi pinned
another sheet to the bulletin board inside his office. “He doesn’t
pick his victims randomly, but what his pattern is, I can’t
determine. He’s very smart, probably brilliant.”

“
That’s all you’ve gotten
in five years?” Hell asked.

“
Yes. This UNSUB is
extremely meticulous, probably obsessive-compulsive. The crime
scenes are too clean. Little to no forensics found in all this
time.”

“
So why you?” Dennis
asked.

“
I don’t know.” That was
the worst part, having a threat he couldn’t see. “Have either of
you heard from the hospital?”

“
Dehydration, mainly.
They’re giving her intravenous fluids and fever reducers. Keeping
her overnight. Mostly on my say-so,” Dennis said. “Georgia says
she’s sleeping, still. She also has a mild concussion and a nasty
sprained ankle. But all in all, she’s going to be fine.”

“
There were five men.”
Malachi wrote the numbers one through five on the white board. “My
size or larger. Unfortunately, I saw none of their
faces.”

“
Paige had skin scrapings
from three under her nails. But we’ve come up with no matches yet.
We’ll have something to compare to, but it doesn’t help us in this
stage,” Hell pinned the report beside Malachi’s.

“
We’re not stopping until
we get him, son.” Dennis put a hand on Malachi’s
shoulder.

Malachi nodded. He placed
photos of the two new chess pieces on the board. Malachi had once
loved chess; that ended five years ago with the first
body.

“
I’m going to the
hospital.” He’d waited long enough.

***

Jules hurt all over, but at
least she was finally warm again. Now if the nursing staff would
just leave her alone, she could get some freaking sleep.

Whatever they’d pumped her
full of had been some really good stuff. She was aware enough to
know she was in a hospital, but drugged enough to not quite
remember getting there. The last thing she could remember, she and
Malachi were...

Jules muffled a scream with
the hand not attached to an IV.

“
Shh...It’s ok.”

Her eyes flew open and she
stared into familiar blue ones.

“
How?” He was there, then.
Why did that reassure her?

“
Hellbrook found us. How
are you feeling?” Malachi asked.

“
Tired.” Her eyes closed
again. She felt a hand brush over her hair, and for once she didn’t
protest his touch. It was somehow comforting and familiar. They
were both safe, and that’s all that mattered.

“
Thanks for helping me
sneak away,” Paige said as he pushed the button to the hospital
elevator.

He glanced at her for a
quick moment, angered once again by the bruises marring her perfect
porcelain skin. Nothing should mar her skin, and she’d mostly
likely have a scar across her forehead from this. “You know I’d do
anything you ask, my dear.”

He resisted the urge to
cover her hand with his. She didn’t like to be touched by men; he’d
have to get her accustomed to him before they pursued the physical.
He wasn’t one to rush things, and physicality was not something he
highly valued, though he was a healthy man with healthy sexual
responses. He wanted Paige for so many other reasons. And once he
refined her, she would be perfect. And then that was when the
physical side of things would mature between them—he had every
confidence in that.

“
That’s because you’re a
true sweetheart.” The fingers peeking out of that obscene plaster
cast tapped his cheek. Nothing had offended him more than that cast
and the fact that she’d earned it by defending Malachi.

He preferred to think she’d
been defending her friend Dr. Bellows exclusively. He hadn’t meant
to involve another woman. He definitely hadn’t planned on that
occurring. He’d jumped at the chance to accompany Paige to the
hospital, wanting to reassure himself that the doctor would
survive. He’d always chosen his pieces with care and deliberation,
made sure they’d earned the distinction.

He knew nothing about Dr.
Julia Bellows.

But that would
change.

Paige sauntered ahead, her
impatience always getting the best of her. He sighed, adding that
to the growing list of traits they would have to address before she
took her spot beside him. He lost sight of her for a few
moments.

She was leaning against the
information desk, speaking brightly with the woman on the other
side when he caught up after his brief trip to the restroom.
Everyone spoke to Paige, something that had surprised him at first.
Her Goth appearance gave the impression of strength and toughness.
But once she opened her mouth, her sweetness shined through. That
could only be a plus for his ambitions.

“
There you are!” She beamed
at him. “Jules is awake!”

“
That’s good.”

“
Mal’s with her, apparently
he’s stayed all night.” Paige flittered ahead of him.

“
There’s no rush, my dear.
Your friend is not going anywhere.” He hoped his mild tone hid the
bile that filled his stomach when she mentioned Malachi. So he’d
stayed with Dr. Bellows? Unsurprising. Malachi always played the
hero.

He waited outside the room
while Paige peeked her head in. He didn’t want Malachi to focus on
him. But he was insatiably curious to see him interacting with the
doctor. He would just take one look…

Jules was staring at her
sleeping visitor when her door was pushed open and a familiar dark
head popped in. “Paige!”

The younger woman pushed
into the room followed by a man Jules vaguely recognized from the
party. He nodded at her, and then excused himself, telling Paige
he’d wait in the cafeteria.

“
I’ve snuck away from my
room.” Paige sank down on the foot of the bed. “How long has Mal
been here?”

“
I don’t know. He’s been
asleep since I woke up.” Jules frowned at the man in question.
Malachi’s head was thrown back and he’d taken off his glasses. He
wore a sweatshirt and jeans, something she was not used to seeing.
“I’m not even sure why he’s here. I thought he’d be out there,
doing profiler things or something.”

She’d been tempted to wake
him, but from what she remembered of their ordeal, the man hadn’t
slept much, if at all. He’d been there beside her, holding her,
every time she’d opened her eyes. She’d never forget
that.

“
I think he’s hiding.”
Paige grinned around the stitches that had been put in her lip.
“Everyone wants to talk to him. I saw him on the news. Looked
pretty sexy.”

Jules eyed her friend,
taking in the bruises and the cast, the stiff way the girl moved.
Not to mention the hospital gown that had vampires on it, of all
things. Where had Paige found that? “You ok?”

“
Yep. Just glad we found
you guys.”

“
What happened,
after...”

“
I was out for a while, I
think. Mikhail and Al found me, sounded the alarm.” Paige shrugged.
“I’m sorry.”

“
For what?”

“
For letting them take
you.”

“
Don’t be ridiculous. It
was five men, and they even got the jump on Galahad over there. We
couldn’t have stopped them, Paige. Not unarmed the way we were.”
And Jules meant that. “Has anyone said who?”

“
Something about an old
case of Mal’s. He and Hell are taking point.” Paige settled on the
foot of the bed. “That’s all I know. They won’t tell me much of
anything.”

They spoke for a few more
minutes until Jules felt too tired to make much sense. Paige left,
rejoining her friend in the hallway. He’d stuck his head in the
room long enough to say hello and inquire how she was
doing.

Jules pulled the blankets
tighter around herself and flipped onto her side. She stared at the
sleeping man for a long moment. He still had bruises, now a more
livid purple as they aged. He looked dangerous, scruffy, something
she definitely wasn’t used to seeing. Sexy, like Paige had
said?

Yeah, she could kind of see
sexy about him. Until he woke up and opened his mouth. Not that
that mattered to her.

But at least they were both
alive and she knew he would catch the men responsible. Jules didn’t
want to think about the ordeal anymore.

She had other, more
important things to worry about. Like how to explain a kidnapping
that had been plastered all over the national news to the
department of child services in South Dakota.

Jules had been home only an
hour when the phone rang. She grabbed it, then winced when her sore
arm protested. She’d hit one of her attackers hard enough to do
soft tissue damage to her arm. It would take at least a week for
some of the stiffness she felt to lessen. But at least she and
Paige and Malachi had survived the attack.

And now Jules was at home.
Alone. With nothing but the memories of what had happened running
through her head.

She sank on to the couch,
uncertain what she should even do now. It was only noon, and she
was usually at work, halfway through an autopsy by now. The house
was spotless, and she didn’t have the energy to clean
anyway.

But sitting on the couch
remembering what had happened wasn’t something she wanted to do,
either.

But that’s what she did for
at least another hour.

The phone ringing was what
shook her out of her daze.

“
Hello?”

“
Dr. Bellows? This is
Colleen Ashbury, how are you?”

“
I’m fine…” Jules
recognized the name, and her heart rate quickened. The social
worker. From South Dakota. Calling today of all days.

Was she ready for
this?

She’d spoken with her own
case worker, explained the entire situation of the kidnapping as
best she could. Told her that it was only coincidence that she’d
been involved at all. Her caseworker had seemed to accept her word
on it. But this was Ruthie’s caseworker, a woman who held so much
of the power. Jules’ stomach was in knots. “What can I do for you
today?”

“
I wanted to let you know
that we’ve received and approved your homestudy for Ruth Mary
Byrum. Your caseworker knows I’m contacting you today.”

“
I’ve been approved?” She
didn’t want to sound like an idiot, but to be truthful, she hadn’t
really ever expected it to happen. She’d feared something would
fail, someone would decide she wasn’t a good candidate. She’d first
started the process seven months ago, and had been waiting ever
since. And with the last four days’ events, she’d almost lost hope.
“For Ruthie.”