Page 133 of Obsession

“I remember.”

His hand slides from my cheek and he cups my chin, tipping it up. “You wrote about your father.”

“I wrote about my own experiences.”

“Yes,” he replies, so close yet far away. “It made me curious. I’ve read your weekly column ever since, hungering for your every word. Every thought.”

I open my mouth to speak, but he shuts me up with a hard kiss, whispering, “I wanted to meet you because of you. Not your dad.”

“Robbie…” The ache in my chest grows and spreads until I struggle to breathe, caught in the wreckage of my bad decisions.

“Yes, baby?” He kisses me again, stealing the last of my oxygen. When he drifts his lips across my cheek toward my earlobe, I choke out, “I’m sorry.”

Stiffening, he eases back, and a frown mars his forehead. He flicks his eyes between mine, and I see the moment realizationdawns on him. He rips my coat and cardigan open with rough hands to reveal the wires strapped to my skin.

His eyes brim with tears, and he stumbles back. “Savannah?”

“I’m sorry,” I rush out, my voice breaking. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t know.”

Pandemonium breaks loose as swat teams of police exit the tree line.

Robbie never looks away, even as voices shout at him to raise his hands in the air and lower himself to his knees.

He complies.

“I had to,” I try to explain. “You… Beatrix… She….” A sob rips from my lips, and I clamp my hand over my mouth as he lies down on the snowy ground.

Armed police run forward to cuff his wrists, and I’m forced to look away, or my heart will crumple to dust.

A big hand lands on my shoulder, and Chapman squeezes gently. His voice is muted against the roaring in my head. “You did the right thing.”

“Then why doesn’t it feel like it?”

When they haul Robbie away, Chapman turns me to look him in the eye. “Think about Beatrix. Time is of the essence. We need to find her.”

“What if she’s already dead?”

Chapman’s jaw clenches. “We owe it to her family to bring her home.” His eyes skate across the field to his tense colleague, and I follow his line of sight as he says, “We owe it to Briem to bring his niece home.”

Then he’s gone to offer emotional support to Detective Briem, who demanded to be present tonight.

I look back out over the dark waters and watch as a ripple disturbs the surface. I’m suddenly frozen to the bone, alone and more scared than I’ve ever been.

“Come on,” a female officer says to my left, guiding me away. “Let’s remove the wires.”

“I’m happy you called me,”Charlotte says, glancing worriedly at my face as she pours coffee into my cup. I haven’t seen her since my father’s death. I never thought to call her, but when I walked downstairs this morning to make myself something to eat, my eyes snagged on her note on the fridge, and I knew I needed to see her.

“I could use a friend,” I whisper, accepting the cup of steaming coffee, relieved that she’s here. “I’m alone.”

The truth hurts. Everything hurts.

She pulls out a chair beside me and sits down. “You’re not alone.”

I didn’t sleep a wink last night. My brain kept replaying the look of betrayal on Robbie’s face when he lowered himself to his knees with his arms behind his head.

I wince at the memory before picking up my cup and blowing the steam away. Charlotte watches me closely, her motherly look soothing the ache inside me. She always had that effect, and I’ve missed it.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” she prompts, placing her cup down and squeezing my hand on the table.