Claim - Page 85

BEAU

Istood in the computer room at Phoenix Security Services, my hands on my hips. One of Reath’s guys, Lincoln, was at Hard Burn with Bell. There were two more of Reath’s men outside, keeping an eye out for Carr.

It made me itchy to be away from her. God, I wanted to pummel Carr into a pulp. My anger was a hot, sharp ball in my gut.

Poor Karina. An innocent woman killed for some sicko’s pleasure. And to hurt Bell.

Carr had known this would devastate her.

“Bell blames herself for Karina’s murder,” I said.

Reath made an unhappy sound. “There’s only one person to blame—the man who killed her.”

“Carr wanted to hurt Bell, and he knew this would cut deep.” I shoved a hand through my hair for about the hundredth time. “Karina was sweet. She didn’t deserve this.”

My brothers all looked pissed. Colt leaned against the wall, the image of cool, but radiating energy. Dante sat in a chair, his face dark. Reath was by the computer, his arms crossed. And Kavner was perched against the desk.

“If it’s any consolation at all, Karina Merrick’s death was quick,” Simon said.

The detective had joined us, and wasn’t hiding his anger. I knew he hated losing a woman on his watch, and wanted this serial killer stopped. Probably even more than we did.

A muscle ticked in Simon’s jaw. “Carr broke his MO of spending hours torturing and raping his victim.”

“Maybe something spooked him?” Reath suggested. “Or he’s getting sloppy.”

Which meant he was taking more risks, and getting more dangerous.

“We have to find him,” I said, jaw tight. “Bell is his target. He got too damn close last night.”

“He’s clearly good at blending in,” Reath said. “He looks…normal. Innocuous. He’d also changed his hair and eye color, and used a fake ID last night. That’s how he ended up on the catering staff.” Reath’s jaw worked. “It won’t happen again.”

“He’s not just after Bell.” Dante looked up. “The boxing glove was a threat.”

“Oh, he’s welcome to come at me.” My hands flexed.

“You’ve got to keep your cool, Beau,” Reath said. “Don’t underestimate him.”

I blew out a breath. “I won’t.”

“He wants to hurt Bell,” Dante said. “Hurting you would do that.”

“How do we find the bastard?” I clipped out.

“I’ve given out his description,” Simon said. “If any cop in New Orleans spots him, we’ll know.”

“He’s probably changed his hair color again or is changing his appearance when he’s out in public,” Reath said. “If he changes his facial features enough, we won’t get any hits on facial recognition.”

“And he wears that damn clown mask,” I added.

“We did get a report of a guy matching his description staying at a cheap hotel near the airport,” Simon said. “He paid for three nights with cash, but left. There was no sign of him when my guys got there. The room was wiped clean.”

Colt nodded. “He’s probably hopping around cheap hotels who don’t keep good records. Just a few days, then on to the next place. It’s a common tactic for the guys I track who skip bail.”

“He’ll come at Bell again,” I said.

In my head, I saw her stricken face when she’d learned about Karina. For her, it was like losing her friend Allie all over again.

Then I pictured her trying to pack to leave.