Page 37 of Right Number, Wrong Man

COLT

Like a phantom, I slip through the shadows and into Hailey’s apartment building. Good thing I got the entrance code from Mike.

My heart pounds as I take the stairs two at a time, racing to the third floor. Breathless, I stop at her door. I want to kick it down and storm inside, but I need to keep my nerve.

If I act on impulse, Hailey could get hurt.

Checking the frame and the lock, I can’t find any signs of forced entry. I press my ear to the door, listening for noise, but there’s absolutely nothing.

No footsteps. No voices.

Just silence.

Horrible, deathly silence.

A tingle squeezes my ribs as my mind conjures images of her lifeless body lying in a puddle of her own blood.

What if I’m too late? What if she’s hurt or dea?—

I swat those dark thoughts away like gnats. She’s counting on me.

My fingers wrap around the doorknob and my brows arch as the door clicks open. It’s unlocked? I raise my pistol, step inside and close the door behind me.

First stop is the kitchen. I sneak into the room with adrenaline roaring in my blood, checking the corners. Empty. Two grocery bags sit on the table and a busted tub of salted caramel ice cream melts on the floor. Clearly, she got ambushed.

Next, I patrol the living room. Empty, too . When I creep around the corner toward the bedroom, I notice flickering light coming from under the bathroom door.

Gotcha !

Admittedly, the bathroom is a smart choice. No windows and only one entrance.

My pulse jumps when I draw closer and a male voice reaches my ears. I recognize it instantly.

Justin .

Fuck, I should’ve followed him after the movie and taken care of him then, but I got caught up at work and couldn’t make an excuse without seeming suspicious.

I pause by the door and listen.

Hectic steps thud on the other side like he’s pacing, growing closer and then distant. Closer, then distant. His frantic whispers drift on the air, but I only make out bits and pieces of words.

“Won’t let you… what mother did to… her fault that father… whores like her deserve to die… you deserve… die too… all the same… cheating whores…”

Damn, that bastard is nuttier than squirrel shit. That makes him unpredictable and especially dangerous, yet also susceptible to mistakes. I’d prefer to do this quietly, but I reckon he locked the door and I’ll need brute force to get in.

I count Justin’s steps. Six away. Six back. When he comes closest to the door again I brace myself and kick .

Bang !

My boot hits right by the lock.

The door splinters open, hitting Justin as I planned. He howls, stumbling against the wall with his glasses askew and blood flowing from his nose. Candles on the edge of the tub dip the room into a warm light, and my heart soars as Hailey’s head pops up.

She lets out a muted noise through a gag, wriggling against the rope binding her arms and legs. At first glance, she seems uninjured. A trickle of relief bleeds through me, but I barely get a second to rejoice.

Justin screams, coming at me like a bat out of hell with a knife in his hand. I dodge—and fail.

Pain singes my left cheek and blood streams down my face. It’s a deep cut, but I don’t care if I get hurt.

Hell, I don’t care if I die.

For Hailey, I’d give my life with a smile.

“It’s you! The asshole from the movie theater! Why do you always have to ruin my plans?” Justin shouts and lunges at me again, but I spin out of his way. He only got me the first time because I was distracted. Shame on me.

He stumbles headfirst toward the sink and crashes into the mirror cabinet above, the impact bashing the glasses from his face and scattering toiletries across the floor. Dazed, he braces himself on the wall.

I press the muzzle of my pistol to the back of his head. This would be an easy, safe kill, but he ain’t deserving of a quick death. For what this disgusting waste of skin has done to Hailey, I want him to suffer.

I slam the butt of my pistol into Justin’s temple and he crumples, falling into a pathetic heap on the tiles. I kick him in the ribs twice over. When he doesn’t react, I holster my gun and rush to the tub.

I lift Hailey out, set her down on the floor, and take off the gag. Tears run down her cheeks as she sobs so hard, I can barely understand her.

“You came!” she chokes out. “Oh God, you came! You’re really here!”

My throat tightens as I cup her face and wipe away her tears, leaning my forehead against hers. “I told you I’ll always be there when you need me, Spitfire. Always. No matter where I am, no matter what I do—if you call, I’m on my way.”

Holding her, I realize that I don’t love her like I used to when we were kids. I thought I loved her back then, but that childish emotion pales compared to how much I love her now.

She’s the air that I breathe and the blood pumping through my veins. She’s the sun rising in the morning and the moon shining at night. She’s the rain falling on the withered plains of my heart, making it bloom.

She’s everything to me.

I untie Hailey and she wraps her arms around my neck, squeezing. Without thinking, I haul her close and kiss the crown of her head. Keyed up as I am, I don’t give a damn if this ain’t appropriate.

I need to feel her. Her breath. Her pulse.

I’m just so fucking happy she’s alive.

Hailey presses her face against my chest. “I’m sorry, Colt…” she mumbles into my shirt. “I should’ve had my gun and?—”

“Bullshit.” I tilt her chin up and make her look at me. “This ain’t your fault. It’s Justin’s.”

Her eyes flick to his motionless figure. “Is he dead?”

“Nah. Just knocked out.”

“We should call the police and turn him in,” she says.

“No cops.”

Her head tilts. “What are you going to do with him?”

“Do you trust me?” I ask in turn.

“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have called you for help.”

I smirk. “And here I thought you just didn’t have anybody else for the dirty work.”

“Hey, no teasing the victim! I literally almost got murdered and the guy doing it wasn’t even hot! Plus, I lost my date for Andrea’s wedding and there’s no way in hell I’ll find a replacement fast enough.”

“It coulda been worse.”

Hailey squints. “How?”

“A nutjob like him could’ve brought a pet tarantula.”

“Oh my God, stop it!” She makes a fake gagging noise, slapping my chest, but the tiniest smile tugs on her lips.

“That’s horrible! You’re horrible! But he is the absolute worst!

” She points at Justin and stomps toward him.

With a cry—half scream, half sob—she kicks him in the gut and he groans groggily.

Butterflies rise in my stomach as a very inappropriate erection tents my pants.

Hailey just went through a traumatic event, but she’s still got that fire in her belly. It’s impossible not to want her.

“This fucker didn’t even have the decency to put my ice cream into the freezer before he dragged me in here to scoop out my eyes by candlelight,” she says, voice dripping with outrage as she points to a large spoon by the side of the tub and a thick, curved needle, threaded with black wool.

“He wanted to what ?” I blurt out.

“Oh, that’s right! You don’t know about the big reveal yet. Justin is The Eyesnatcher and that stuff is part of his kill kit. He brought a backpack with other things, too, but I obviously didn’t get to look inside.” Hailey gestures at a black bag tucked into the space by the sink .

Of all the scumbags in this world, my Spitfire caught the attention of a serial killer?!

I grab her by the shoulders, my eyes racing across her body and face, searching for injuries a second time. “Did he hurt you?”

“Thanks to you, he didn’t get that far.” Her brows furrow. “But he hurt you .”

She reaches out and runs a tender finger along my cheek, sending a sharp throb through my flesh. Jacked up on adrenaline I forgot about the gash. Now the pain is back in full force, though it ain’t all I feel.

I feel her , too. How her cold fingers stroke my face, her palm resting against my jaw. She’s never touched me so gently before.

And I see her, too. I see the worry on her face. The care.

I blush. “It’s fine. I’ve had much worse.”

“You should get that cut looked at. You might need stitches,” Hailey says, but I shake my head and she sighs. “At least let me clean it?”

“Maybe later. Tell me what happened, from the start. How did you meet this guy?”

“I met with Andrea for drinks and he was at the bar, too. He gave me his number, but I didn’t think much of it.”

Sudden coldness hits my gut. Does she mean the night I first ambushed her as Jax?

“When I came home from the store earlier, I didn’t lock the door because I had my hands full,” Hailey continues.

“I was going to do it after I put away the groceries, but Justin surprised me in the kitchen. He must have waited for me and slipped into the apartment.” Her eyes drop.

“I feel stupid. If I locked the door right away, this wouldn’t have happened. ”

“I reckon his original plan was to kidnap you on the street outside your house and that would’ve been much worse.

Strange as it sounds, it was good you left the door unlocked.

Attacking you in your apartment was his biggest mistake.

It would’ve taken me much longer to find you if he took you elsewhere. He might’ve?—”

My throat closes up. I don’t want to think about what could’ve happened.

“He talked a lot,” Hailey says. “Mostly, he rambled about his mom cheating on his dad, blaming her for his suicide. He was totally delusional, thinking that I’m his girlfriend and I’m cheating on him, too. Said he can see the lies in my eyes. Guess that’s why he wanted to take them.”

I take the rope from the floor to tie up Justin and he groans when I pull his arms behind his back. What a fucking baby. If this hurts him, he’s in for hell later. He’s a lousy fighter, too, which explains why he stalks and surprises his targets.

Frankly, it’s embarrassing that he got me with the knife, but my relief to see Hailey alive distracted me.

“The movies get it all wrong,” she says suddenly. “When you barged in, everything happened so fast. On the big screen, they drag out the fights, but in real life, it was over in a flash.”

I smile. “Yeah, I know.”

I take out my phone and text Cody.

Me

Situation under control. Need a pickup. Live one. Park out front and come upstairs.

Cody

I’m around the block in my rental car. Be there in a minute .

I give Hailey a confident nod. “Let me take care of everything, but the less you know, the better. Cody’s coming to help me. Are you okay to stay alone for a few hours while we deal with The Eyesnatcher?”

“I think so.” She wraps her arms around herself. “Can I watch Gracie while you’re gone?”

“Of course. I’ll get the lights back on and then I’ll bring her over.”

I gently unfold her arms, taking her trembling hands into mine as our eyes lock. My fingers tingle and I want to hold her close, but if I give in now, I won’t let go again.

“You can’t tell anybody about what happened tonight. Not even Andrea. Do you understand?” I ask.

“Yes, of course. I won’t tell a soul. And…” Hailey swallows, giving me a tiny smile. “Thank you for saving my life. You’re kind of my hero now, you know? Just don’t let it go to your head or your ego will swell to the size of a small planet and develop its own gravity.”

My face heats. “I’ll make him pay, Spitfire. When I’m done with this bastard, he’ll regret the goddamn day he drew his first breath. He wants to play the monster, but he’s got no idea what a real monster can do… and I’ll be the one to show him.”