Free Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) by Morgan Kelley Page A

wanted his next meal to be content and happy. If he scared him or startled him, who knew what the endorphins would do to the meat.
    What if it made it stringy and indigestible?
    That would be nothing but a waste.
    So, he waited.
    That was always the hardest part for him. When it came down to it, he wasn’t very patient, especially when he was incredibly hungry. It was like holding a bone out to a dog and taunting him with it.
    Right now, he was ravenous , and it was past his dinnertime.
    Watching the man through his window, he tried to find a way to get him to come outside. Once he did, he would take him. Spotting his car, he picked up a rock and threw it through the back windshield.
    Suddenly, the alarm went off and the front door opened.
    Well, it achieved what he wanted.
    The older man ran out the door, a look of surprise and astonishment on his face. When he saw the shattered window, he hit the button on his keychain to stop the wailing sound that was shocking the night.
    “What the hell? ” he muttered, staring at the broken glass.
    When he turned to head back inside to call the police, he suddenly heard a sound from behind him. Spinning, he saw the flash and put his hand in front of his face to shield it from what was coming.
    Unfortunately, it wouldn’t matter.
    The meat mallet smashed into his face, and everything began going black.
    The final thing on his mind was that he hoped and prayed that he had left the town sheriff enough of a trail to find the killer.
    Deep in his heart, with that blow, he knew the truth and what it meant.
     
    It looked like he was going to be retiring after all.
    Doc Trudeaux was going to die.
     
     
     
                            *     *     *
     
     
     
    As they drove up the drive, the cheery house loomed in the distance. The old familiarity filled them both as they came to a stop. A part of her missed the place, and their time away was sad, since this was such a big part of her life growing up. This was in essence, who Elizabeth was inside. She was a country girl, who was raised on these back roads.
    Here is where she learned to shoot, cuss , and be bad ass.
    Coming home was going to heal her and the family she loved. This was her last ditch effort to take a man who was so strong and proud, and give him the same thing that the LaRue homestead had given her.
    Healing.
    Once before, she’d made this trek here, hoping to patch up her heart. Even before that, Elizabeth’s mother had died, and Charlie brought them here to regroup and become reborn.
    They were doing the same for Ethan.
    And their relationship…
    As she turned off the ignition, she glanced around. The same white rockers were on the front porch. It’s where they sat when she returned from her run. Reaching over blindly, she found his hand.
    “Welcome home, Ethan my love,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. If what they had was fixable, she knew it would be found here. This was such a happy place, and now Elizabeth was gambling it all on this trip.
    Getting out, they both grabbed their suitcases. As they approached the porch, Elizabeth ran her fingers over the light post that stood welcoming them. As with all good, there was bad too. She found a dead friend here, and that still weighed on her soul. The lamp had been replaced, but the lost soul was gone forever.
    Time couldn’t heal all things. Death still found a way to maintain the upper hand.
    “It still looks the same,” Ethan admitted.
    The flowers were now gone, but there was still greenery. Some of the Myrtle was still thriving.
    “Yeah, it does.”
    Ethan took the keys from her fingers and led her up the stairs. At the top, he opened the door and pushed it open. Reaching inside, he hit the light switch and the place came alive.
    “Wait, I want to do something,” he said, turning to face Elizabeth.
    She couldn’t help but see the hesitation. “Okay, what?” she asked, trying to offer him some reassurance.
    Before she could