Take a Breath(56)

I didn’t know quite how to answer this. Yes, he did go ape. He threw me against the wall, pinned me to the bed and fucked my brains out until I screamed. The thought suddenly had me wanting him again. When will it stop?

I look sheepish at Matthew and say, “Yes sort of. We got talking on Saturday, and things just seemed to have developed quickly since then.”

The noise of Jake’s rumbling voice came bounding through, so we all stopped and listened.

“Wait, when did this happen?”

Matthew and I looked at one another, realising something was up.

“Who’s down there now? Ok, yes. Ana is here with me, she’s fine. I’ll be right there.”

Jake hung up the phone and started cursing. Something was definitely wrong.

“There’s been another murder in Reston. I’ve got to head over there now, but I’ll speak to the boys outside and keep the alarm on the house until I get back okay? Matthew it’s important for you to stay here in the house with Ana please.”

Matthew nods his head. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”

I sit there stunned, rooted to my seat as Jake comes over to me. He places both hands on my arms and kisses my forehead.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can okay, Ana? Ana?”

I nod. “Yes, yes of course, you go. I’ll be fine here with Matthew. I’ll help him unpack and get him something to eat.”

He squeezes my arms and grabs his car keys from the bowl. I hear the alarm go and know that it’s armed. The thought of another girl murdered feels me with horror. What else must we have to endure until we catch this son of a bitch? Matthew gives me a hug and tries to tell me everything will be okay. It amazes me just how much Matthew has grown up in the last few months that I’ve known him.





Chapter 18





The afternoon goes by quickly, making Matthew a sandwich and helping him to put all his stuff away from his trip. I also load up the washing machine and get done with some much needed ironing. It is all done swiftly as he is anxious to get a shower and get on with any last minute homework, and prep for school.

It was 7pm by the time I was sitting down with my feet up, watching Marley and Me. I was so busy crying my eyes out at the part where Jennifer Aniston’s character loses the baby, that I almost didn’t hear Jake’s car pulling into the garage.

I dart up and run to the toilet to grab some tissues, so I can dry my eyes. I don’t like people to see me cry over movies. I run into the kitchen and start putting on some spaghetti, so I can make us all some quick Bolognaise now that Jake is home. He swings the door open to the kitchen and I run and throw my arms around him. He squeezes me into him and inhales the scent of my hair. He has only been away a few hours and it’s frightening just how much I’ve missed him.

“Tell me, Jake. Please. I can handle it, honest.”

He sighs and lets me go. I sit on the bar stool and wait for him to start.

“I won’t lie, Ana, it wasn’t pleasant. The scene I found when I got there was horrific. She wasn’t strangled this time; she was stabbed multiple times, in a frenzied attack. She’s been left there since the early hours of Saturday morning. They say time of death was, somewhere between 1am to 5am.”

This just gets worse. “How do they know it is our killer then?” I ask. He looked pained.

“She fits the right description. Blonde hair, blue eyes, in her twenties, but that wasn’t the most damning part. There was a note. Another note. We know it’s him.”

I braced myself for what he was going to say next. “What did it say, Jake?”

He sighed, “It was only one word, but same paper, same writing. They’re going to examine it for sure, but we’re fairly certain it is the same.”

I waited and nothing was said. “Jake, please, what did it say?”

I grabbed his hand to try and pull him out of it.

“Bitch. It said bitch.”

I looked up startled not knowing what all of this meant. Did he mean I was the bitch, or that poor girl he stabbed to death was a bitch? One thing was definitely certain. He was angry. Why? What has changed to make him so pissed?

“Was that agent there?” I ask.

He nodded. “Yes, along with Tom and Michael.”

“What were his thoughts?”

“He asked after you, then warned me how grim the scene was. Tom and Michael both looked sick. First time I’ve ever seen the smug look wiped off Tom’s face to be honest. The bottom line is he’s pissed, so something has changed. We’re all concerned it has made him more dangerous. He’s changed his M.O. and it has made everyone nervous. We’re having to bring in more men on this to nail him ASAP. He has to be stopped.”