The Heart Of A Killer Part 22

aNo. I wanted to come here first, talk to the two of you. I donat know what to do, you know? Itas Gabe.a Dante dialed Gabeas number and put the phone to his ear. aIt goes to voice mail right away.a aThis doesnat make any sense,a Anna said. aGabe would have no reason to shoot at you.a aThatas what I thought, too. It doesnat make sense.a aWhat if it was a hit?a Anna asked.

Dante frowned. aOn Roman? Why?a She tilted her head. aDid you forget who Gabe works for?a aNo. I just donat think Gabe would do that. And why would he hit Roman? Is there something going on with his job that affects the local P.D.?a Roman shook his head. aNothing I know about.a Anna laid her chin in her hands. aYouare right. Thereas nothing going on with Bertucci and the cops. And head never try to hurt one of you guys.a aWell, I hate to remind you,a Roman said, abut he tried to tonight.a as.h.i.+t.a Dante kicked the back of the chair. This didnat make sense. Why would Gabe take a hit out on Roman? Did Bertucci order it because of Robinson? And if so, why wouldnat Gabe give Anna or him a heads-up? It wasnat like him to blindly follow an order like that. He seemed loyal to his job and to Bertucci, but he wouldnat take down one of his own brothers.

Unlessa No. The possibility wasnat even fathomable.

aWhat are you thinking?a Anna asked him.

aIam thinking I need to go find Gabe and have a talk with him.a She stood. aIall go with you.a aNo. You need to stay here. With Roman. We donat know where Gabe is or why he shot at Roman. For all we know heas out there somewhere looking to finish the job, or hunting the rest of us.a Anna frowned, then recognition dawned in her eyes. aYou donat thinkano, Dante. Not Gabe.a aI donat know what to think right now, and I wonat know until I find him. Roman, you stay here with Anna. Make sure n.o.body gets in here but me.a Roman nodded. aYou got it.a Anna went with Dante to the door. aYou go out there alone, youare a target.a aHe wonat hurt me.a She let out a short laugh. aYeah, Iam sure Roman thought that, too.a aHe wonat hurt me,a he said again. aIall find him and figure out whatas going on.a She laid her palms on his chest. aIf itas Gabe, if heasa Then heas not thinking clearly. You donat know what heall do.a aThen Iall take care of it.a aJust like that?a The look he gave her was lethal. aThis is what I do, Anna.a aI donat want him dead.a aHe wonat be unless itas necessary.a He knew from the look she gave him that she didnat like the situation. aI need to go with you.a aNo. Someoneas already made an attempt to kill you and Roman. I wonat risk bringing both of you along. Enough of us have died already. This is what Iam good at. Let me do it. And if he comes here, then the two of you can handle him and call for backup. Either way we finish this tonight.a She hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. aAll right.a Dante loaded up ammo and an extra gun. Anna wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He kissed her, pouring everything he had into that kiss. aI love you,a he said, and her eyes widened. aI should have said it sooner, and now isnat the right G.o.dd.a.m.n time, but you never know and it needed to be said.a She swept her hand across his jaw and he memorized the feel of her touch. aI love you, too. And it wonat be the last time you hear me say it.a He waited a heartbeat, memorizing her face, the way her eyes seemed to light up whenever she looked at him.

aStay put. Lock the door.a He kissed her again and slid out the door, listening for the lock, then got in his car and headed out, checking around the house before he left.

Everything was secure. Nothing looked out of place, so he slid into his car.

He tried Gabeas cell again, got nothing, figured head go to the condo first. If Gabe was really the killer, he wouldnat be there. Head be hiding out, stalking them now that head missed his target.

When he pulled into the condo complex, Gabeas bike was parked out front.

Pretty b.a.l.l.sy considering Roman could have called in units to track him down. Another thing that made no sense. He pulled his gun out and knocked on the door. No answer. He rang the bell and knocked louder, several times.

Finally, a light came on and the door flew open. Gabe looked rumpled, as if head been asleep.

aWhat the f.u.c.k are you doing here so late?a he asked, then his eyes widened. aDid something happen?a Dante pushed him inside and closed the door, then pointed the gun at him.

aJesus Christ, Dante. What are you doing?a aYou took a shot at Roman tonight. I want to know why.a aA shot atawhat? What the h.e.l.l are you talking about? Someone shot at Roman?a aOn his way home. You shot at him twice, then took off.a Gabe held his hands up, still looking half-asleep. aI have no f.u.c.king idea what youare talking about.a aWhereas your phone?a Gabe blinked. aWhat?a aYour phone. I tried to call you, but it went to voice mail.a aI know. Someone stole my G.o.dd.a.m.n phone when I was at the bar earlier tonight. Went to the bathroom to take a leak, when I came out it was gone.a aHow long have you been home?a aI donat know. What time is it?a aTwo-thirty or so.a aI got home around midnight. Bar was dead tonight.a aGet your pants on and come outside with me.a aWhat? Why?a aJust do as I say.a He held the gun up for emphasis.

aYeah, gimme a minute.a Dante followed Gabe into the bedroom, where he slipped on a pair of jeans. Barefoot, he led Dante outside to his bike. Dante laid his hand on the motor of Gabeas Harley. It was cold.

s.h.i.+t.

aLetas go back inside.a Dante closed the door again. Gabe turned to him.

aWant to tell me what the h.e.l.l youare talking about? Someone took a shot at Roman?a aRoman said you ambushed him a couple blocks from his house and took two shots at him while he was in his car.a aWhen?a aLess than an hour ago.a Gabe crossed his arms. aRoman is full of s.h.i.+t. Why would I do that?a aContract hit?a Gabe snorted. aYeah, right. Bertucci has better things to do than kill cops. You think he wants that kind of attention? And Roman isnat even working us. Heas not on mob stuff.a Dante dragged a hand through his hair, feeling as if head just been set up.

aRoman tell you all this?a Dante shoved his gun in his holster. aYeah. He showed up at Annaas tonight and told us you ambushed him.a aWhere is he now?a aWith Anna at her place. I told him to watch over her.a Gabe frowned, then his shoulders dropped. aFox got himself right into the henhouse.a Dante frowned. aWhat the f.u.c.k are you talking about?a aOh, come on, Dante. Are you blind? Heas in love with her. Heas been in love with her for years.a aHe is not. He has a girlfriend. Tess somebody.a Gabe slid him a disbelieving look. aYou ever meet Tess? You ever see her around anywhere?a aNo. Buta"a aBut nothing. Iave been back for two d.a.m.n years and Iave never met the woman. I donat think she even exists.a aAnna knows her.a aWhen was the last time Anna saw them together? He might have been out with this Tess a few times, but not for a long time. Sheas a front, somebody he made up or went out with just to appease Anna because he doesnat want her to know heas sniffing around her like a lovesick puppy.a aSon of a b.i.t.c.h. I didnat know.a aHe didnat want you to know.a Dante still didnat want to believe it. Not Roman. Head always thought Roman the most innocent out of all the brothers. The straightest one, the one least likely to do anything bad. Maybe that had been his biggest mistake.

He grabbed his phone, punched Annaas number. It went right to voice mail.

aSheas not answering. Shead answer. Shead want to know what was happening.a aWas Roman with you and Anna at any of the times the murders were committed?a Gabe asked.

aNo, but neither were you.a aTrue enough. But I didnat bust in on you and Anna tonight accusing Roman of taking a shot at me in order to get you out of the house.a af.u.c.k. And I fell for it.a Gabe grabbed the rest of his clothes and his gun. aLook, I donat know what kind of game Roman is playing, but we need to get to Anna.a aIn a hurry.a They dashed out the door and into Danteas car.

aYou donat have one of those siren-and-light thingies?a aNo.a aShould have taken Annaas car.a aNo s.h.i.+t.a aJust speed, then. You know how to do that.a Dante hoped he could drive fast enough to get there, because Roman had wanted him out of the house and away from Anna for a reason. He just hoped it wasnat too late.

Anna paced back and forth, watching the phone on the table next to Roman and waiting for that call from Dante. Shead already made both of them coffee, but that had only made her more jittery.

Roman sat on the sofa watching her.

aYouare making me dizzy,a he said. aCome sit down.a She looked down at him and smiled. aSorry. Iam nervous. And worried.a She slid onto the sofa next to him.

He patted her hand. aQuit worrying. Danteas capable and you know heall call as soon as he knows something.a aYouare right.a aIn the meantime, we should check to be sure everythingas secure around here.a aIam certain itas all shut tight. But I should take Rusty out, then lock up.a Roman stood. aOkay. Iall do a window-and-door check in all the rooms while you run him outside.a aThanks.a Gun in hand, she let Rusty out and stood guard over him. Once he finished his business, she brought the dog in and closed and locked the door, then came back to the sofa, laying her gun on the table next to her.

aEverything secure?a she asked Roman.

aYup,a he said, getting up from the sofa. aIam going to get a soda. You want one?a aSure. The coffee didnat help anyway. Any call from Dante yet?a aNo, not yet.a She picked up her phone to check it, then frowned. aHey, itas turned off. What thea"a Something sharp poked into her arm and she tried to jerk away, but hands held her down. She tried to jump off the sofa, but he held her firmly down as she kicked and flailed against his grip, propelling herself forward even as the drug started to take effect. She rolled onto the floor, him on top of her.

Rusty was barking. She heard the dog barking. She saw a blur of activity, then a whimper. Then silence.

Through her hazy, drug-addled vision, she saw Roman rolling her over, smoothing her hair away from her face.

Her entire body felt like a giant weight had been piled on top of it. She couldnat move, couldnat speak as her vision became warped. Romanas face looked like some kind of monster swimming in front of her.

She fought to stay awake, to move her limbs, her fingers, anything. But it was no use.

She couldnat even think straight anymore.

Why was she panicked? She couldnat remember. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep.

She blacked out.

Twenty-Three.

Dante had pushed the accelerator to one-twenty, and it still felt as if he wasnat going fast enough. When he screeched to a halt in front of the house, he already knew it was too late.

aFront dooras ajar,a Gabe said as they threw the car doors open and ran inside, guns drawn.

aAnna!a Dante yelled for her as he pushed the front door open, but he knew with a sinking depth in the pit of his stomach that Roman had taken her.

He heard Rusty barking and ran to the bedroom, opened the door. The dog bounded out, barking, searching the house for Anna, just the way they were.

They searched the entire house, but found nothing. No Anna.

aRoman wonat be at his place. Heall know thatas the first place weall look.a aSo where is he?a af.u.c.k if I know.a Dante found Annaas cell under the sofa, along with the cap from a syringe.

aHe drugged her. f.u.c.k.a Gabe held up her cell. aCanat track her this way, and I imagine Romanas already ditched his.a Pus.h.i.+ng his fear aside, Dante reminded himself to think like he was on a mission, not like a man in love and scared to death he was going to lose his woman. aHeas knocked her out. Where is he going to take her? He has no other family, no other property that we know of. And itas not like he can just throw an unconscious woman over his shoulder and walk her into a hotel, so his choices are going to be limited.a Dante had to try to think like Roman, which was going to be hard. They used to be close asabrothers. He knew his every move. Now? h.e.l.l, the only person head really connected deeply with since head been back was Anna. aHe has no close friends that I know of, but Iave been gone.a Gabe shrugged. aHe works. And he goes home. Thatas all I know about him. Anna would know more.a aThatas not helpful.a aSorry, man. But weall find him.a aWait. His car has a GPS unit. All the detectivesa cars do.a aWe couldnat be that lucky. He wouldnat be that sloppy or forgetful.a aWouldnat he?a Dante grabbed Annaas laptop and logged onto the local system, waited for it to come up. aHeas desperate right now. All his plans have gone to s.h.i.+t. Heas not thinking clearly. If heas got Anna, he probably hasnat had time to change vehicles.a He entered Romanas unit number and waited for it to come up. When it did, he smiled. aBingo. Who lives on the Hill?a aNo one I know,a Gabe said. aOh, wait. Anna told me once that Tess has a house there. Maybe she does exist.a aDo you think sheas in on it with him?a Gabe shot him a look of distaste. aG.o.d, I hope not.a aWhatas her last name?a as.h.i.+t. I donat know. Let me think. Jameson, maybe? No. Jackson. Thatas it. She inherited the house from her parents.a aYou know more about her than you thought.a Gabe shrugged. aBits and pieces. Only because it was unusual for Roman to stick to any one woman for a long period of time.a Dante looked up the address. aGot it.a He didnat want to think about Roman being obsessed with Anna. Why hadnat she told him? Was she even aware of it?

aLetas go. Weall call Pohanski on the way and let him know where she is.a Anna batted away the cobwebs, trying hard to open her eyes. She was so tired, felt as if shead had four or five tequila shots followed by several beers.

Had she partied last night? What time was it, anyway?

She tried to sit up, but she couldnat. Something restrained her.

She blinked to open her eyes. Seeing was a problem, and the room spun. She tried to get a grip, to focus on something, but it was all so blurry.

Whoa. Nausea rose up and she squeezed her eyes shut again, wis.h.i.+ng she could roll over and bring her knees to her chest.

She did not feel good. At. All.

aThe nausea will go away soon. Here, drink some water.a Her eyes shot open at the whisper in her ear.

Roman.

Instant clarity brought it all back to her, the haze disappearing like a sudden gust of wind blowing away the last of the fog.

Roman had come over, said Gabe had shot at him. Dante had gone after Gabe. Then Roman hada"

She tried to speak, but her mouth was full of dry cotton.

aDrink.a She didnat want to drink anything he gave her.

He took a sip. aItas not drugged, honey. I promise. Now, drink.a He put the gla.s.s to her lips.

She was so thirsty. She sipped, water spilling onto the sheets. She didnat care.

aNot too much or youall get sick.a Now that her vision had cleared, she looked around. Her arms were over her head and she was tied to the iron bars of a bed. She glared at Roman.

aYou drugged me.a He looked sad. Regretful. aI know. Iam sorry. I hadnat planned to do it this way, but things got out of control.a aI donat know what youare talking about. And I canat feel my hands. This hurts.a He looked pained. aThey do? Let me untie you. Donat run.a aIam not going to run, Roman. I just want to talk.a He took out a knife and she suppressed a shudder as he slit through the ropes at her wrists, releasing her from the bed. She rubbed her wrists, wincing as the circulation flowed back.

aYouare going to be dizzy and weak for a while until the drug wears off. Donat try to get up.a She s.h.i.+fted to sit and scooted back against the pillows. aI just want to sit.a He backed away and crouched on the floor, rolling the knife around in his hands. He wielded the knife in and out through his fingers like an expert. She expected him to cut himselfa"the blade was sharpa"but he obviously knew what he was doing as he watched her and played with the knife.

She focused on her surroundings. The bedroom was dark, so she couldnat make out much. She was in someoneas house, but whose? This wasnat Romanas place.

aWhere are we?a she asked.

aA house.a aWhose house?a aThatas not important. When youare feeling up to moving around, Iall show you. I want you to like it.a Why was it important to him that she like the house? aI need to know whose house this is, Roman.a The look he gave her was earnest, his expression that of a little boy eager to please. aItas our house.a Oh, s.h.i.+t. aOurs?a aOr it will be as soon as you give your approval.a She wanted to object, to tell him it would never be their house, but she sensed how fragile his grasp on reality was, so she played along. aIam sure itas going to be great if you picked it out for us.a aIave been planning this a long time.a aHave you? Tell me about it.a She inched her feet to the side of the bed, letting her legs slide over the edge.

He watched her and frowned. aWhat are you doing?a aI need to swing my legs back and forth so I can get some circulation going in them. Is that okay with you?a He shrugged. aI guess so.a She moved her legs to show him what she was doing. aTell me about the rest of the house.a aItas a two-bedroom. Not very big, but a nice place to start out. Itas an older housea"itas on the Hilla"nice neighbors and a real friendly place. Iam sure youare going to like it a lot.a aIam sure I will. I like the Hill a lot. Tess has a cute little house on the Hill, as I remember.a He frowned. aYeah, she did.a Did? What did that mean? aWhat happened between you and Tess, Roman? You told me things were going well.a He lifted his gaze to hers. aShe wasnat you. She was in the way.a Goose b.u.mps broke out on her skin at the look he gave her. She s.h.i.+vered at the intensity of his gaze, at the way it bored into her, as if she was everything to hima"everything head ever wanted.

He was insane. Totally and completely gone.

How had she not seen his obsession before? Had he really been that good at hiding it, or had she just not wanted to see it?

He functioned normally. He was a good detective. But she knew a lot of psychopaths functioned as normal productive members of society.

Until they killed.

aRoman, whereas Tess?a He wouldnat meet her gaze, just kept rolling the knife between his fingers.

aRoman,a she said, her voice sharp in command. aTell me where Tess is.a His gaze snapped to hers. aSheasagone.a The man looking at her now wasnat the Roman she thought she knew. His easygoing smile was gone, replaced instead by a heated pa.s.sion shead never seen before. And it was directed at her.

And now she knew. Head killed George, Jeff and her father. She didnat understand why. And where was Tess? Poor Tess, whoad done nothing wrong except for not being Anna.

Hatred for Roman filled her. Head beaten them all to death. Jeff. Her father, who had patiently worked with Roman and gotten him into the police academy. Head killed a fellow police officer, too. And likely a sweet, innocent woman. Head slaughtered them all, killed them all with his bare hands.

Just like she wanted to leap off the bed and kill Roman right now.

She tried not to think about any of that because she needed to get out of this alive.

Because if she got out of this alive, Roman would pay for what head done.

aWhen can we go see the rest of the house, Roman?a He looked around. aYou donat like this room?a aI donat know. Itas kind of dark in here, so I canat see much.a He grinned like a little boy. aOh. Sorry. Let me turn on a light.a He stood and came toward her, the knife held out in front of him. It was the same one shead seen held by her attacker in her backyard.

Her attacker had been Roman. The person whoad left her the flowers and the notes had been Roman.

It had all been Roman. Roman, who had played along with them, shocked and tearful when George and Jeff had died. Compa.s.sionate when her father had been killed. And all this time it had been him.

Shead never seen it coming.

It was going to take everything inside her not to leap at him and dig her fingers in his eyes, to try to wrestle the knife from him and stab him with it. Violent rage filled her, but she had to play it cool, had to keep her anger under control until the time was right.

He turned on the small lamp on the table next to the bed. It cast enough light in the room that she could see him. He crouched next to the bed.

aBetter?a She forced an easy smile. aMuch better. Thanks.a aNeed another drink?a aNo, Iam good right now.a aOkay.a He was quiet, so she sat and tried to get her bearings. With every minute that went by, the fuzziness in her head cleared. But she had no idea how shead feel physically if she needed to run. She had to test it.

aRoman, I need to go to the bathroom.a He chewed on his lower lip, then motioned with his head toward the door at the other end of the room. aThereas one in there. You canat get away. Windowas too small.a aIam not trying to get away. I just have to use the bathroom.a He stood, held the knife out. aGo ahead. Leave the door open.a Great. Shead at least be able to stand up and test her legs. aOkay, thanks.a She slid off the bed. A little wobbly at first, but not dizzy. She took slow steps toward the bathroom and went in, turned on the light. Small bathroom, one vanity. Very feminine.

She eased the shower curtain aside and smothered a gasp as she saw Tess lying in the tub, fully clothed and bloodied, a cut across her throat, her lifeless eyes staring up at Anna. She had ligature marks across her wrists and ankles, dried blood there as if shead been tied up for a long time. There was bruising, too.

Jesus, how long had he kept her prisoner in her own home? Hadnat someone missed her?

How long had she been dead? Not long, from the looks of her.

Hands shaking, Anna realized she was going to have to keep up a normal front or Roman would likely slip into his delusion completely, and then shead be in deep trouble. Her stomach clenched when she thought about Tess.

She came out of the bathroom, startled to find Roman leaning against the doorway just outside.

aOh, hi,a she said, skirting around him to head back toward the bed. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

aAnna.a She closed her eyes for a brief second, praying Dante and Gabe figured out in a hurry what had happened. They were smart. Theyad find her.

She turned to face him. aYes?a aIam in love with you.a She lifted her chin. aI love you, too, Roman. But Iam feeling a little dizzy right now. Is it okay if I sit down?a He frowned, looked as if he didnat believe her. She let her body begin to shake and started to sag. He wrapped an arm around her. aYeah, right. Forgot about the drug. Letas get you back to bed. Maybe you need to lay down again.a aIam okay,a she said as he got her to the edge and she sat. aI just need to sit for a few more minutes.a Long enough for the cops to come. For Dante to get here.

For someone to put a bullet in your head, you sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Fortunately he sat her on the side of the bed facing the window, so he snugged up against the wall underneath it. The shades were closed, but her position gave her a vantage point now. And with the light on, maybe someone would see her silhouette. Maybe. Please.

aRoman.a He lifted a hopeful gaze at her. aYes?a aWhy did you kill George?a He shook his head back and forth. aGeorge. He knew. He suspected something. He came to me, to talk to me, to tell me I needed help. I had to get rid of him. Too smart for his own good, dammit. He had to go before he told.a Thatas why he killed George. George found out something about Roman, and Roman killed him for it.

aWhy did you kill Jeff and my dad?a He frowned and looked away. aI donat want to talk about them.a aI do. Itas important to me. I need to know.a aYouare always thinking about them. About all of them. It was never about you and me and it needed to be about you and me. And then when I found out he was coming back I knew it was time. They all had to die.a aIs that why you killed them?a He finally lifted his gaze to hers. aThey all had to go so it would just be the two of us. You were always stuck in the past, too wrapped up in it. I had to make it go away. I have to make them all go away, so youall focus on me. So youall see me. Me!a He beat his chest.

aIam the one youare supposed to be with, and you never saw it. All you saw was that night twelve years ago. And Dante. When he came back, he brought the past back with him. I saw it in your eyes. I saw the way you looked at him.

aI had to erase the past, which meant they all had to go. Then youad be free to think about the future. Then youad finally see me.a Roman was deeply screwed up. He was teetering so far on the edge of the cliff she could flick her finger at him and head fall off. She was going to have to tread very lightly. aI see you now. Iam sorry it took me so long.a He looked right through her as if he didnat even see her, as if he was looking at something else instead. aYou still love Dante. I have to kill him so youall forget him.a aNow that I know how you feela"a He stood abruptly, anger turning his face red as he pointed the knife at her. aNo. They have to be gone or you wonat forget. I have to make them disappear, or youall keep thinking about them.a aWho told you that?a He pointed the knife at her. aI know. If heas still alive youall love him. Gabe has to go, too. They all have to go.a She stayed silent, pondering a way out. Dante would find her, and theyad both survive this. She had to believe that, had to stay strong and steady so when the time came she could make a move.