Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
“Might help her to start feeling like she’s in control of her own life again,” Cage suggested.
“I’ll bring her down later today,” I finally agreed. “She can walk us through the historical symbolism and whatever else she remembers. Maybe help us piece together exactly what Magnus is trying to accomplish.”
Kane nodded. “Good. We need all the intel we can get.”
Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows as Delaney stepped cautiously into Kane’s office, her strawberry-blond hair loose around her shoulders, framing her face. I saw the nerves tightening her expression, but she lifted her chin slightly, taking a steadying breath before sitting down beside me at the table.
I watched her closely, pride tightening warmly in my chest at her quiet determination. Cage and Hadley had brought her some more clothes, and now she wore simple jeans and a soft sweater that made her look delicate yet steady. A survivor after everything she’d endured. I reached beneath the table, resting my palm on her thigh briefly, anchoring her.
“You good?” I asked quietly.
She nodded, a faint blush warming her cheeks. “Yeah. I want to help.”
“Can you explain about the historical elements?” Kane asked, his voice almost gentle.
She glanced briefly at me before looking around the room, taking a deep breath as she began carefully going over the details and significance of what Magnus had done to her. She laid out each piece with careful precision. As she spoke, something shifted visibly inside her. Her voice grew steadier, her posture straightening slightly as the historian and preservationist in her came forward.
“He was obsessed with authenticity and ritual completion,” she continued thoughtfully, her expression growing distant as she focused on recalling his behavior. “Everything had to be perfect, staged exactly as historical custom dictated. He talked about preserving something beautiful forever, capturing purity before the world corrupted it.”
Every brother was fully attentive in the quiet room. Even Edge had stopped flipping his knife, listening to her with focused intensity. Cage took notes, clearly impressed with Delaney’s detailed recollection, while Jax typed furiously on his tablet, recording everything she described. Apex watched quietly, analytical gears visibly turning as he mentally traced the new information into the financial trails he’d already uncovered. The wheels were clearly turning in Shifter and Nitro’s heads as well.
Delaney shifted slightly, visibly absorbing the seriousness of the conversation. Despite the weight of everything, she didn’t shrink away. Her confidence was flickering steadily back, the strength she carried finally reasserting itself as she shared her knowledge and contributed meaningfully to our efforts.
I leaned back in my seat, my gaze locked on her, pride filling me. Seeing that quiet strength emerge sparked something fierce deep inside me. Magnus hadn’t just failed to take Delaney’s life—he’d failed to take who she was.
When she finished, she looked around at my brothers, her shoulders finally easing as she realized they’d genuinely listened to her. Kane’s expression softened with approval as he met her eyes directly.
“You’re impressive as hell, Delaney. Your knowledge makes a huge difference for us. Thank you.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded slowly. “I just want to help.”
“You have.” His attention shifted toward me, his eyebrows raised slightly. “Rev, you thinking the same thing I am?”
“Magnus has likely done this before.” My voice was rough with barely restrained violence. “This level of organization, fixation, and symbolic detail indicates experience. This isn’t the first time.”
I sat back slowly, my mind already turning over the details she’d shared, piecing together behavioral patterns. “This is someone with a deep-seated obsession, possibly delusions of perfection and purity. Magnus wasn’t random—Delaney was targeted, chosen for specific reasons. Likely stalked long before the abduction occurred.”
Nitro cursed under his breath, shaking his head slightly, disgust clear on his face. Apex’s knuckles cracked as his hands curled into fists, his eyes narrowing darkly.
“What’s your next step?” Cage asked.
“Victimology and behavioral patterns,” I replied. “Choosing Delaney means stalking, selection criteria, and fixation. We need to track prior patterns—locations, missing women, and historical symbolism. Magnus is meticulous, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t left a trail. Nobody is perfect.”
Jax nodded. “I’ll start cross-referencing missing persons reports, focusing on women fitting Delaney’s profile. Same age and background, historical research students, maybe. Anyone matching Magnus’s twisted criteria.”
“Killers like him usually have a type,” I confirmed. “But keep in mind that it might not be physical similarities. They won’t necessarily look like her. Each victim was likely chosen for their resemblance to his latest historical fixation.”
Jax nodded, his head bent over his tablet, still taking notes.
“Dig into past cases matching this MO,” Kane ordered. “Anything similar—staged rituals, historical dress, and symbolic items. Go deep into police reports, including unsolved cases and archived files.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face, suddenly feeling very tired and wanting nothing more than to wrap myself around my woman and pretend nothing existed outside of us. But that would have to wait. “Doubt you’ll find any of his most current victims. He’ll have gotten better and better at hiding the crimes. So I’d dig deeper into his older activities.”