I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. “They’ll know it’s you. They’ll find us.”
He laughed again, a sound that wasn’t right in any way. “Oh, they’ll know I took you. They’ll know I had countless imperfect brides before you. But they’ll never find us here.” His white teeth flashed in the low light. “How long were those bumbling FBI agents looking for this cave? They never found it.”
Another shiver coursed through me. “Why?”
I couldn’t help the question. So many lives lost. And for what?
Damien stalked slowly toward me. “Don’t you think I deserve perfect, Halston? I work hard. I help countless animals. I’m a good steward for my community. But it’s always the whores and traitors who try to catch my eye. How else am I supposed to find a bride? I need to test their merit.”
“Merit?” I croaked.
His mouth curved. “Beauty and brains, but most of all strength. I need to find a woman who won’t give in to temptation. Who won’t break. It’s always been you.”
Another shudder racked me. I’d only broken in secret when I knew he was gone. That was when I’d let the tears of agony come. But never in front ofhim.
“Can’t you see it was meant to be? I never thought you’d come back here. Assumed you’d stay living with that brother of yours forever.”
Bile surged at the knowledge that he’d been keeping tabs on me. Watching from afar.
“And then you walked right up to me andsmiled.”
This was my greatest fear come to life. That I wouldn’t know the man who’d taken me if he walked right across my path.
“You never broke. That’s what makes me know you’re the one. You don’t need to prove yourself anymore, Halston. Now, you can give in to me. I’ll take you away from here. I’ve got fake passports prepared. Mexico? Canada? Wherever you want to go. Just tell me you’ll marry me.” Damien reached out, stroking my face with the backs of his fingers.
I jerked away from his touch.
Even in the low light, I saw his face mottle red. Damien lashed out, his hands going around my throat and shoving me against the wall. “I offer you the world, and this is how you reward me? Fine,” he spat. “I’m happy to make you scream.”
49
LAWSON
“Found something,”Anson said as he looked up from his computer screen.
I spun my chair to face his. My back teeth felt ground down to nubs. The FBI was on their way, but it was too late. Miller already had her. What we needed was a line on where he could be now.
“Talk,” I snapped.
He ignored my tone and looked back at his computer screen. “Damien Miller was married from age twenty-three to twenty-five. He and his wife divorced, and two years later, she went missing. Her body was never found.”
My fingers gripped the edge of the conference table. “What good does that do us now?”
Holt shifted in the chair next to me, gripping my shoulder. “We need to know what makes the guy tick. It will help us figure out where he might go.”
I knew he was right, but hours had already passed. Time that Miller could have been doinganythingto Hallie. Everything inside me trembled as if I might shatter if someone simply breathed wrong.
I knew my family and my team were doing everything they could. The county was crawling with law enforcement. They were checking trailheads and campsites, back roads, and rental cabins. So far, we had absolutely nothing.
Anson cleared his throat. “I found an old friend of the ex-Mrs. Miller on Facebook.”
I blinked at him. “You’re on Facebook?”
He grimaced at me. “I’ve got a fake account for research. Told her I was a true crime blogger.”
“What did she say?” I pressed.
“Reina Miller knew she made a mistake marrying Damien within a couple of months but wasn’t quite sure how to get out of it. She tried to suggest separating, but Damien lost it. Eventually, she started up a relationship with a guy she met at the gym.”
