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"Were there any rapes after Kelly?" He asked

"Nothing with the sa shook his head "It’s like the son of a bitch just disappeared I’h," Natches sighed "And we take turns being here at theShe’s retreated so far into herself that soirl she used to be The closest I’ve seen hen you had her backed into the counter this afternoon" Natches’s lips twitched at the memory "She looked real corunted

Rowdy stared at the other two men as he wiped his hand over his face and considered the situation for long hed "I want to believe he is, I really do But I can feel it He’s waiting"

"Are you two free?" He looked at them and knew they would be, whatever it took "We’re free We made sure of it" Natches nodded firmly "How do you want to play it?"

"I need one of you watching our back whenever we’re away fro her I felt it today when she was on the boat, like a da frowned at that "There’s been no sign of hi her every second that we’ve been able to No phone calls, no strange accidents Nothing"

Rowdy clenched his jaw at Dawg’s arguht," Natches , especially since we ca I’ve had a bead on "

"Hell, and here I was hoping it was just runted "But if he’s watching, it’s the first time he’s watched close I’ve only had the willies once or twice since all this hit the fan"

The willies It was the perfect description for that odd, warning tingle at the back of the neck, the knowledge that so, or soht chance

"Dawg and I made sure ere both fairly free this su on the boats We’ll watch for unusualso far, but with crazies like this, who the hell knohat set theht His cousins had already anticipated what he would need

"I’ve been thinking," Dawg said, his voice graveled, suspicious, "whoever he is, he has to know her Kelly’s not a creature of habit She’s impulsive, unpredictable, and never where you expect her to be He knew she would be hoht You can’t tell it’s cracked from the street He had to have known"

"He studies his women," Natches said "Gets to know the about this" He nodded to the others "Playing it out I think he’s local"

"Why?"

"The rapes are in a four-county radius around Somerset Until Kelly, Soirls, though The others he’ll call every now and then from what the detectives on the case told irls,’ but he hasn’t called Kelly The only reason he wouldn’t call her, is because he’s close enough to watch her," Natches pointed out

"The guy lost it when he was interrupted The others"--Dawg cleared his throat, fury flashing in his eyes--"heFirst to live, and then for hi--"

"And he was interrupted--Shit!" Rowdy ran his hands over his head

"But she’s still a ‘good girl,’" Natches pointed out "When she stops being a good girl, ill he do?"

Rowdy felt his stoht of that This hy Ray was so pissed at his son’s return Because he knedy had returned to claiuaranteed to push her stalker over the edge

"The redneck code, cowboys," Natches drawled "You don’t fuck the good girls unless you mean it He doesn’t rape them normally, he takes the to ‘dirty’ a ‘good girl’"

It was sickening, and the truly horrifying part was it all made sense There were unwritten rules soirls versus "bad" girls and the rules of engage thehtood girl

And Kelly gave the iirl He had seen it in her eyes eight years ago; he saw it there now She wasn’t a fool, and she irl was in there, waiting for hi to claim her, love her, protect her