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“I’m fine, just a bump on my head and a scratch on my side, but it feels like Mike Tyson landed a couple of punches on me. What happened, Lynn?”

She smiles, and a bead of blood forms on her cracked lip. I take a tissue, wet it in the water glass, and dab at her lip.

She winces and takes the tissue from me. Presses it into her mouth. “He had a master key to the apartment. I fell asleep on the couch, heard a noise, and when I looked up, there he was.”

“Oh my God.”

“I knew it had to be him, but I tried to play along. I asked him if he came in with you and Jake, but he didn’t buy it. The next thing I knew, he took a syringe and injected me with something. I don’t remember much after that, except going down into a cellar, I think.”

“It was a bunker. The bastard had a bunker under his garage.”

“Did the police get him?” Her voice is hoarse.

Jake steps to my side. “He won’t be hurting anyone else.”

Her eyes flutter closed. “That’s good.”

I brush a lock of hair away from her temple, and she flinches. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t—”

“No, if we start blaming anyone, then it’s me for insisting you go into that antique store. We aren’t doing this. Not today, not ever. The only person we can blame is that asshole.”

I nod, my gaze lingering on the ugly bruise on her face. “He hit you.”

She smiles, and it’s crooked because of her swollen face and lip. “He did that after I took a chunk of his hand.”

I frown. “How?”

“He grabbed my face, told me how pretty I was and how ugly I would be once he was done with me. His hand got too close to my teeth. I bit him as hard as I could and held on until he hit me. Then, I spat at him.”

I pat her arm. “You got him good. He had a bandage around his hand.”

A look of disgust distorts her face. “I tasted his blood. I’ve brushed my teeth a dozen times and used half a bottle of Listerine to wash out my mouth.”

Jake smiles at her. “It’s over. He won’t hurt you or anyone else ever again.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and she rubs at the corners. “I guess you want to ask me questions for your report.”

“I do, but not today. You need to rest and recover. We can talk in a couple of days.”

I snort. “The chief will love that.”

Jake shoves his hands in his pockets. “It’s my case and the chief can kiss my—”

“The chief doesn’t want to hear the rest of that sentence,” says the man in question as he gives Jake the keys to his cruiser. “It’s parked in lot B, row eleven.”

Lynn squints at him. “I remember you. You’re the one who cut off the zip ties. You got me out of that place.”

“Not me alone. It was a team effort, and you can thank Miss Ava. We searched the entire place and were about to leave when she called. We’d never have imagined he built a bunker under his garage.”

She looks at me, her eyes drooping. “Best friends forever.”

A nurse comes in then. “Our patient needs to rest. Everyone must go. Say your goodbyes. You can come back in the morning. Visiting hours start at nine.”

I kiss Lynn’s forehead. “I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Love you right back,” she mumbles as she falls asleep.

Chapter62