Free Witness Protection (The Witness Series) by Bec Botefuhr Page B

and Nate leads me away. When we are back in the apartment, I crumble onto the couch. Strong, I have to be strong. He wants me weak, he wants me fragile so he can pounce. I have to be strong.
    “Hey, you want a cup of tea sweetheart?” Nate asks, sitting beside me and stroking back my hair.
    “Please.” I croak, sitting.
    “He is getting closer, more game , we will get him Ari.”
    “Maya, my name is Maya. You have no need to call me Ari anymore.”
    “No, I guess I don’t. Maya, that’s real pretty.”
    “Nate?”
    “Yeah?”
    “That girl, was it her… the missing girl.”
    “Yeah, sorry sweetheart.”
    “Oh God .”
    “Don’t you go blaming yourself, he would have kept killing weather or not you saw him that night, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
    “It still pulls at my heart strings, I saw only briefly what he did and it haunts me to know what he did to them.”
    “We will get him.”
    “What if he gets me first. ”
    “Hey,” He snaps, gripping my face. “No one is coming anywhere near you. Security will go mad around this place now, he won’t dare to come back.”
    “You don’t know that.”
    “I do know that.”
    “Nate, can you just hold onto me for a while, just a while.”
    Nate grips me and pulls me towards his chest. My cheek rests on the hard planes and I breathe in deeply. I close my eyes and just focus on him, on being in his arms, on the comfort it gives. We stay there until the front door opens, then, I am passed onto another chest, Ryder’s . I follow the same process, just breathing in and feeling the comfort.
    “You ok?” He whispers.
    “I don’t know.”
    “You want to hear what we know?” He asks.
    I sit up and rub at my eyes. “Yes.”
    I look over and see James Clancy talking closely with Nate, he has a note in his hands. Oh no, oh no.
    “Another note.” I croak.
    “Yeah.”
    “What…what does it say?”
    “It says you can’t hide, I found you but don’t feel left out, your turn is coming.”
    The tears flow again and I grip hold of Ryder’s hand. “He will get me.”
    “No, he won’t .”
    “We have upped security, guards on every entrance including all the docks, which is how he got in.”
    “He came through the docks?” I ask.
    “Yes, he said he was a delivery driver and had some deliveries to make. He drove right on in and around the back, strung the girl up and left. No one knew better. We now have an officer on guard that will check every damned person, van, car, bike and anything else that comes in through those doors and gates. No-one gets in without being seen.”
    “What if he makes a disguise?”
    “Every person will be checked for weapons, and their vehicles will also be checked.”
    “What if he just takes a damn shot?” I cry, frustrated.
    “He won’t , he is a serial killer, if he just wanted to shoot you he would. He likes games, he likes the hunt. He will stuff up and we WILL get him.”
    “My family?”
    “Under protection.”
    “What about moving her?” Nate asks. “It could be safest option.”
    “NO!” I cry, standing. “No, I am not running and I am not being shoved into someone else’s care. I trust you guys, I don’t want to be moved around to someone I don’t know. Please, don’t move me. Running isn’t going to stop him, he found me once, he will again.”
    “She is right.” Ryder says from the couch.
    I shoot Nate a hurt look, he open s his mouth but closes it again, but he gives me a sorry stare.
    “Alright, we have most of it covered. We are going to take the note and go over it, as well as the body. We will let you know of anything new, meanwhile, you lot stay safe.”
    “You want complete lock down?”
    James Clancy thinks a moment. “No, he is unlikely to come here. He wants to draw her out, go about your usual things, just DON’T and I mean DON’T let her out of your sight, not even for a second. He is going to stuff up and when he does, we will be there, but hiding in here won’t give him a