“You think George gave them to her?”
Samantha nodded. “I think she asked him to, and I think she also asked him to start hurting the other women. She came to the house because she wanted to destroy evidence.”
He gave a low whistle. “Evidence that might have implicated her?”
“That’s what I believe.” She rolled back her shoulders. “But then Blake and I appeared, and her rage took over. It wasn’t just about getting rid of the evidence then.”
“It was about getting rid of you.”
Yes, that was what Samantha believed. “She wanted us to pay for George’s death.” And they almost had paid. The explosion wouldn’t have just destroyed evidence. It would have killed them.
His stare focused on the burned porch frame. “Pity nothing is left for you.”
“She doesn’t know nothing is left.”
He laughed. “Ah, Sam, you have such a fun mind. I love it when you go all twisted on me.” He pushed away from the car. “Going to lie to your prey, are you? Brilliant. Just brilliant.”
“I’m going to lock away a killer,” Samantha corrected. “Because that’s what I do.”
The wind blew against her face, tossing her hair over her cheek. His hand lifted and he brushed that lock aside. “Yes, I guess it is.”
She moved away from Cameron. His touch didn’t feel natural to her any longer. No...it just...
He isn’t Blake. That wasn’t Cameron’s problem. It was hers. She’d deal with it, the way she dealt with all her problems.
“A serial-killing team,” he murmured. “Such an interesting element. I would love to interview her. I bet she’d make for a fantastic paper topic.”
“Maybe you’ll get the chance.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket, signaling she’d just received a text. “If they want any outside experts brought in, I’m sure you’ll be the first on the list.”
He always was.
She looked down at her phone. “I need to head down to the Bureau. Bass wants me to start the interrogation on Nina in an hour.”
“Because you’ve been cleared. A justifiable shooting. Never had any doubt.”
She glanced up at him. “Justifiable or not...” Her voice lowered. “It still gives me nightmares. It made me remember...too much.” The shadows that were in her own mind. The ones she worked to keep so carefully in check.
His stare turned solemn. “You know you can talk to me. I don’t judge you, Samantha. No matter what, I will never judge you.”
She knew that. But... I can’t say the same for Blake. If he learns all my secrets, what will he do? Things would have been so much easier if she could have just loved Cameron. “I need to go,” she said again. “Thanks for the donuts.”
She reached for the door handle.
But his fingers curled over hers. “It’s natural to feel guilt after taking a life.”
Yes, she got that. A normal, human reaction. That doesn’t make it any easier.
His breath whispered over her cheek. “What else do you feel?”
Her gaze cut toward him. There were some things that she couldn’t say, not even to Cameron.
But...
In his stare, she swore that...he knew.
“There was a rush, wasn’t there, Samantha?” he asked. “When you pulled that trigger... When you stopped that very, very bad man... You felt a surge of power, didn’t you? He wasn’t in control any longer. You were.”
Yes, she’d been in control.
“If you want to talk, I hope you know my door is always open to you.”
She did know that. She also knew she didn’t want to explore the darkness of her own feelings, not then. She understood killers.
Anyone had the potential to kill, under the right circumstances.
But liking the kill? That wasn’t something just anyone would experience. “Thank you, Cameron.”
He backed away. Samantha slid into her car and, a few moments later, she was driving away from the cul-de-sac.
She glanced in her rearview mirror.
Cameron stood in front of the burned house.
It’s just a house, on a street. Just a house...
*
CAMERON WATCHED SAMANTHA drive away. He had no doubt that she’d get a confession. After all, Samantha was very good at her job.
Very, very good.
But he was worried about her. This had been her first kill as an agent and the shooting had stirred up her memories. She couldn’t keep her feelings bottled up. She needed to talk and to share.
She needs to tell me all the dark details.
He’d always known that Samantha Dark was like her name. She wasn’t meant for a normal life, that fake life of smiles and perfect days. There was more inside of her, a twisting, snaking dark, an understanding, even a need to explore the tainted side of life.
She hunted killers because her mind understood their motivations far too well. But on this case, she’d crossed a line. Not just thinking like a killer but finally...
Becoming one.
CHAPTER SEVEN