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She said, “You don’t know anything about him or what he’s been through.”
“I’m not gonna let him kill me. I’ll kill him first.”
She dragged Three out of the room, giving him no choice but to come with her. “That man in there can hear you.”
“So?”
Kenna let out an exasperated breath. “Don’t get me started. Go back to your other friends or something. Jax and I don’t need you here.”
He lifted his chin, a defiant expression barely visible on his face. “I’ll go tell them you know this guy.” He practically shoved her away, then ate up the distance to the door with long strides.
Alone in the master bedroom, filled with medical bays, she let out a long breath. Turned to the open closet door and Jax…
Heard something.
“Who’s there?” Kenna froze, listening for movement in the room. No one had come in the door. Was there another panel?
She breathed in, almost silently. Stretching out with her awareness, ready to notice some kind of anomaly. Just the slightest disturbance.
Someone trying to hide.
“We aren’t here to hurt you. We want to help.”
She’d told that to the kids at the medical center. The protective older brother and the little girl with the broken arm. She’d reassured them that the police were there to help.
Lie.
She hadn’t known it at the time. She’d been naïve, and those kids would never trust her now. They would never believe anything she said.
“Kenna.”
She turned to Jax, and the man still seated on the chair inside the closet.
Jax crouched. “Special Agent Collins?”
“Don’t call me that.” His voice sounded rusty, as if he hadn’t used it in decades.
“I can call you Walter?” Jax kept his tone easy and soft. “I’m Oliver Jaxton. I’m the Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office. My wife is with me. Her name is Kenna. My job is how I know who you are, Walter, and why I know you’ve been missing for decades.”
“I’m not missing. I’m right here.”
Kenna set her hand on Jax’s shoulder, then leaned down and touched Walter’s hand. “Mr. Collins, would you like to leave this closet?”
“Is that where I am?” His fingers shifted under hers. Papery skin, loose with age.
Why wouldn’t he know he was in a closet? “Can you stand?”
“I’m not an invalid, girl.”
She ignored that. “I can help you up. We all have rough days, don’t we?”
Jax held the guy under his elbows.
He straightened, bones cracking and creaking. She turned to Jax and mouthed,How long has he been sitting here?
He shook his head, a considerable amount of disbelief on his face when he mouthed back,Who knows?
“Enough talking.”