Before the Dawn(92)

She heard footsteps padding behind her, she glanced back-

Anthony was pacing toward her. He slowed when he saw her and Torez. "Did something happen? There a new lead?" Excitement lit his eyes.

But Torez shook his head as he walked away from the lab's entrance. "No, there's nothing. Julia must have stepped out and taken a break. Maybe even gone to her dad's place for a bite to eat." He shuffled toward his partner. "And I... Man, Jinx is in there. I just-I have to get some space, okay? I'll check back in with you later." He hurried down the hallway, not saying another word.

Macey watched him go and then she turned her head, glancing at Anthony.

He was staring straight at her. "I think we need to talk."

Her brows rose. "Then talk."

He glanced down the hallway. The check-in clerk was at his desk. The guy had been on break-he'd gotten back just when Macey arrived. Now the fellow was typing on his computer, not seeming to pay them much attention.

"How about," Anthony murmured, "we go outside? It's always cold as ice down here. And to be honest, the place creeps me out. I'm not as comfortable with the dead as you are."

It wasn't about comfort. "Fine, let's step outside."

Some of the tension eased from his shoulders. Silent now, they walked outside. The day was growing late, but the heat was still as heavy as always in the city. It banished the chill from her skin.

"I need to talk to you about Dawn."

She kept her arms loose at her sides, waiting.

"I'm...worried."

"There's a serial killer loose in this town, a killer who seems to be targeting Dawn. I'm worried about her, too."

He looked away. "That's not what I mean."

She waited.

"I can't go to Tucker with this... Hell, he wouldn't believe me, anyway. He's so tied up in her, I didn't realize just how badly until I started seeing them together."

Her eyes narrowed. She'd been watching Tucker and Dawn together, too. There was a tension in the air between them. And the way Tucker looked at Dawn... He never got over her. He tried, I think. But I don't think he ever let her go. 

"I stepped over the line."

She wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

"Friends don't dig into your past, right? Well, I dug into Dawn's."

Hardly the crime of the century. She'd dug into Dawn's past, too. "Dawn's past is out there for the world to see. Jason Frost took away her anonymity."

"You ever think he might have taken away more than that?"

"I'm not sure I follow you."

Deep lines bracketed either side of his mouth. "You know she was in counseling."

"Considering the nature of her attack, that's only natural." She'd been through her own counseling. During her darkest time, she needed that lifeline to keep her alive. "Most victims seek out counseling so that they can deal with the trauma of their attacks."

His gaze was hooded. "After her counseling, do you know that Dawn immediately started learning how to shoot? She enrolled in martial arts classes? She started studying to be a PI?"

"Sounds as if she gained strength-"

"It sounds as if she wanted to kick someone's ass."

Macey's brows lifted.

He cleared his throat. "I just... Shit, I think I need someone from outside to tell me that I'm being crazy. That the suspicions I'm having can't be the case."

She swept her gaze over him. His body was tense. "What suspicions are you having, exactly?"

"I worry that...Dawn isn't who she appears to be." He thrust back his shoulders, as if preparing himself for some kind of battle. "I don't think she stopped blaming Tucker." His words came out in a fast rush. "I've known her for a while now and I'm telling you...that woman is layered up with secrets and emotions. She doesn't let people get close. She keeps everyone-even the people she calls friends-at a careful distance. But I'm supposed to buy that after just a few days, she's gone back to being intimately involved with the brother of the man who tried to kill her? The brother of the bastard who sadistically tortured her for hours?" He shook his head. "Calling bullshit. That's not what victims do."

"I think we can both agree Dawn isn't a typical victim." She kept her voice measured.

"She's a woman who wants vengeance." Sweat trickled down the side of his face. "She's got a lot of rage inside of her...and she's smart. So much smarter than people seem to realize. Do you know the woman went to LSU on a full scholarship? She was supposed to head to law school, already had her scholarships lined up for that, too, but the attack changed everything. It changed her."

"Why don't you just tell me what it is that you suspect-"