He gurgles once and lifts his hand out to me. I stand frozen, unable to take my eyes off of him. Seeing him on the floor the life draining away from him, it’s like watching a dream come true as the threat of him fades from the world.
It isn’t until the door behind me pushes me forward I begin to scream. A pair of arms locks around me and I panic, struggling to break free.
“Alice,” a voice calls but I push and pull, trying to free myself from its grasp.
“Precious,” the same voice but the word is music to my ears and the fight leaves my body instantly.
Hudson.
I turn borrowing myself into his arms and the screaming stops.
Chapter 34
Hudson
I take a deep breath. My heart beats like a drum in my chest as the adrenaline settles into my veins.
Alice is in my arms and her cold naked body pressed tight against mine, is covered in blood. I run my hands across her body, looking for its source but find none.
“Precious,” I murmur into her hair, shielding her from the men entering behind me. Bear is one of them. He hands me a blanket and I wrap it around her. His eyes look across the room to Erik’s lifeless form. He nods knowingly and I turn, lift Alice into my arms and take her out of the room. Detective Edwards tries to stop me, his eyes questioning mine but I keep moving. All I can think about is getting her away from here and somewhere safe.
“He’s in there,” I call over my shoulder exiting the old warehouse, walking directly to the ambulance. I refuse to let go of her during her examination. They care for the superficial cut on her side and provide her with a pair of sweatpants and a sweater. The clothing drowns her but I know she’s grateful for their warmth and coverage. I try dodging the police for her until she’s ready but Edwards arrives and refuses to give up.
“Hudson,” he shakes his head, stopping before me. “We need to talk to her.”
“She’s not ready,” I reply, ready to stand between her and the world if it meant keeping her safe.
“Hudson,” her voice is scratchy but firm behind me. It’s the first time she’s spoken since she stopped screaming. I turn, facing her. She looks past me to Edwards and then back to me. “I’m fine. I don’t mind.”
She steps forward, her fingers laced with my own. I watch her, seeing the strength flow through her. She’s been drugged, kidnapped, abused, she even stabbed a man, all in less than a day but she’s standing here as if none of it disturbs her. She gives Edwards a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes and waits for him to begin.
“Ms. Michaelson, I know you’ve been through a great deal today but we’re going to need a statement,” he clears his throat, motions for an officer to step forward. “Would you like us to give you a ride to the station?”
“Can Hudson bring me?”
Edwards’ eyes meet mine and he nods, “Sure.”
“Now?” she asks her voice stronger.
“I know you’re going to want to get home as soon as possible, so yes, if you can,” he waves the officer off. “You can follow me over.”
*****
We followed Edwards to the station. Alice sat in the small room with her hand clasped in mine and answered every question they gave her. She confessed to stabbing Erik and she also told them she felt no remorse for her actions. Erik’s security camera recorded everything, his confession and her bravery. Even if he had lived, the police had enough on him he wouldn’t have seen the outside of a jail cell for the rest of his natural born life.
Turns out they placed a tracking device in some Erik’s personal belongings to track him after he was released and Veronica, his new girl, was an undercover agent placed by Edwards to lure Erik in. The undercover operation kept Edwards away from LA for a time, which is why I hadn’t heard back from him. I was only able to get a hold of Edwards before I boarded my flight to Arizona because of his informant, Veronica, reported Erik missing. The tracking device they had on him had somehow malfunctioned and when Veronica hadn’t been able to get him to visit, they knew something was up. It wasn’t until I called everything fell into place.
His confession to the other girls had turned out to be a string of cold cases, young runaways who’d left with their boyfriend or fiancé never to be heard from again. That is until today. Their families were being notified and an investigation was being launched to search for any remains. It was Edwards who’d given me Erik’s real name. While nothing came up in the system for his prints or DNA the first time, Edwards’ team was alerted to a few hits later linking his prints to a few other cold cases. The man was a monster.