Page 90 of Deathtoll

“Except for the five minutes I was in the bathroom. Maggie let me in, so I didn’t have to go far. I can’t pee in a cup.” Her voice thickened with apology and self-recrimination, with a good dose of frustration.

“Not your fault. Hunter was in the house with her. I was circling the freaking block.” Murph was so mad at himself, he was ready to blow, so he left Gabi and ran through the backyards again, back to his pickup.

He’d underestimated Asael. They all had. They’d thought, sure, the bastard always got his target, but his targets were unsuspecting civilians who weren’t expecting him and didn’t have an entire police team for protection.

If it were physically possible, Murph would have kicked his own ass. Thesecondhe knew Asael was in the US, he should have taken Kate and they should have disappeared again.

Hunter and Harper were still outside, up front, Hunter on his cell phone.

“Captain is checking traffic cam footage,” Harper told Murph.

Yes, yes, yes.

The intersection two blocks down had a camera. If they could identify Asael’s vehicle, they might be able to get a license plate reading, then put an APB out, have State Police, and everyone else, looking.

Murph jumped into his truck, yelling to Harper before he closed the door. “Tell the captain I’ll be there in ten!”

* * *

Kate

“I thought I was so freaking smart.” Kate teetered on the ragged edge of despair, keeping a tight rein on her emotions to prevent tumbling over. “Have you checked for cameras in here?”

Emma didn’t respond.

Kate glanced at her, found her eyes closed, body slack against the wall, dozing. Probably hadn’t gotten any sleep since she’d been abducted.

Kate yanked at the plastic tie that held her to the pipe behind her. It held her just as securely as it had before.

Murph would know what to do.

Murph could have taken Asael out in Mr. Mauro’s laundry room. The second the hitman had been within reach.

The sad truth was, while Murph had trained Kate, she was definitely no Murph.

Had his overprotective behavior annoyed her in the past? Yes. But right then, she would have given anything to have him pop up on the staircase.

He was looking for them. When he found out where they were, he would come for them.

Murph came through. Always. That was what he did.

He’d even gone to witness protection with her.

They had made love for the first time ever that day. In his bathroom. While FBI agents were waiting in his kitchen to whisk them away.

He’d lifted her up and onto him, her back against the door. She’d reminded him of the agents.

I’ve been deployed for the past eight months, then titillated by you days on end, he’d said.It’ll only take two seconds.

Words every woman wants to hear.She’d laughed.

He was inside her so deep they weren’t separate entities anymore. They were welded together.

And they stayed together. Until her attachment issues and pregnancy hormones messed with her head and she pushed him away.

Once Kate got herself and her sister out of this damn basement, she and Murph were going to sit down for a long talk.

She nudged Emma. “Do you know if Asael has any cameras set up down here? I can’t see any. Is he watching us?”