"You're impossible," Heather snarls with an eye roll. "Leave us alone and you'll be out of danger when I untie her."
The man next to Heather must be the Gentleman Killer. The man who took my sister two years ago. He slaps my kidnapper on the shoulder with a laugh.
"Come, let's do what my kitten says before she claws at us."
The men leave the room and close the door behind them. Heather sighs and then hurries towards me.
"Sorry about those idiots. I didn't think the jerk would treat you like a prisoner." She releases the ropes. "Didn't that idiot tell you, you were here for me?"
"No," I reply. "Thank you," I say as the ropes are finally off. "I can't believe you're here. What if you get caught?"
"Don't worry," Heather assures me as we hug. "Come on, let's go over to the couch. We can talk more comfortably there."
She helps me get up, and we go together to the sitting area on the other side of the room.
"I'll get us a drink," Heather says, after I sit down on the couch.
A little later she comes back with two glasses and a bottle of water. She pours us a drink and hands me a glass before she sits down next to me.
"I'm so glad I can finally see you again. I missed you so much," she says and squeezes my hand.
"I've missed you too. And I've been so worried."
"You don't need that. Alic is good to me."
"Alic? Is that his name?"
"Yes, but if you use this to hunt him down, you'll never see me again. We have enough aliases to start over somewhere else, but then I would never contact you again."
"You really love him?"
"Of course I love him! I've told you on the phone so many times."
"I thought maybe he was forcing you to say something like that."
Heather sighs.
"I know it's hard to understand, but Alic and I are happy. And we got a surprise for you."
"What a surprise?"
"Wait a minute."
She fishes her cell phone out of her pocket and dials a number.
"Can you bring her, please? Yes... Okay... Thanks."
She ends the conversation, and I can't help noticing the glow in her eyes as she beams at me. I still find it hard to believe that my little sister is in love with a serial killer. Even if I didn't work for the law enforcement, this would be a hard thing to digest. I'm afraid she suffers from Stockholm Syndrome. Or he's putting some kind of pressure on her and she's lying to me. I dismiss the idea immediately. My sister is not a good actress. The happiness she radiates is not acted out. – Doesn't mean it's real, though. The psychological reactions to imprisonment and the fact that the Gentleman Killer obviously has a special talent in bed, may feel to her like she is really happy with him. Even if I could trust her feelings, I definitely know that I don't trust HIS. Right now he may be attracted to her, but when the attraction wears off? Who can guarantee that he won't kill her at a later time?
The door opens, and a man enters the room with a baby in his arms. Judging by his outfit, it's the same man who was with Heather. Only this time he's not wearing a mask. I would notice how extremely handsome the bastard is, if I wasn't so shocked at the sight of the child. My gaze goes from the man with the child to Heather, who is beaming happily, reaching out for the baby. The killer, Alic, comes closer and gives the baby a kiss on the cheek before passing it on to Heather. He stands behind my sister, hands on her shoulders. Heather, the killer and the baby. I'm having trouble processing what I'm seeing. The three of them look like a normal, young family. But I know they're not. I know that the happy father is an unscrupulous serial killer.
"Susan. This is Paige. Our daughter. I wanted to vivit earlier, but she wasn't old enough to fly. She's six months now, and..."
"A baby," I say, shaking my head in disbelief. "You... You have a... a baby."
"Yes," Heather beams. "Isn't she wonderful? Would you like to hold her? She's a very easygoing girl. Except she didn't like the mask, which is why Alic had to take it off. I urge you once again not to try to track us down. If you want contact with your niece and me, it'll be on our terms. We're a family now, and I'll do everything I can to protect them. Even if it means I never see you again."
"Heather..." I begin, unable to organize my thoughts. I shake my head, and then my eyes go to Alic. A clear warning is written on his face. He won't hesitate to hurt me if I endanger his little family. "May I?" I finally say, reaching out to the child.
Heather is radiant with happiness and hands me the child. A warm feeling spreads in my chest as I hold my niece in my arms. I love her already. If only she didn't have a serial killer for a father.
"I'll leave you two alone again. Anything else you need, kitten?" Alic says.
Heather looks up at him with stars in her eyes.
"No, I don't think so."
"Okay, kitten. See you later," Alic says goodbye and bends over my sister to give her a kiss on the cheek. He is gentle and loving to her, but I simply cannot trust him. He's not only a psychopath and sociopath, he's a killer, too. People like him don't just change overnight.
"So? Isn't she just a cutie?" Heather asks after Alic leaves the room.
"Yes, she's wonderful," I reply. "But that doesn't mean that I suddenly believe in your Happy Family. Alic is a killer. He killed..."
"No more!" My sister interrupts me vehemently. "He hasn't touched another woman since me. He has no interest in... in hunting anymore."
"Hunting? Is that what those poor women meant to him? Hunting?" I am furious.
Heather swallows and shakes her head.
"I know it's not normal, what Alic and I have. But it's real. And it’s strong. Stronger than me. Stronger than Alic. We can’t be without each other. And now that we have Paige, our bond is even stronger than before. Alic would die for Paige and me. He loves us. You have no idea what he's like with us. You see only one thing. That he was a killer. WAS! But no more!"
"I don't want to fight with you, and I want to..." I look down on Paige. "... lose you – lose her. But you have to try to put yourself in my shoes, too. It's bad enough I'm breaking the law by keeping my knowledge to myself. I also have to somehow forget that the man who got my sister knocked up, and lives with her, is a wanted murderer of innocent women. What if he tires of you and...?"
"It'll never happen," Heather says to me.
"How can you be so sure?" I ask, frustrated.
"I just know," Heather replies, furious. "You don't know him. Not like I do. How he is now. What he's become because of our love. You only know the Gentleman Killer. Until today, you didn't even know his name or what he looked like."
I sigh and turn to the baby. While I stroke the baby and speak softly to her, I try to control my feelings. For now, I have to put a good face on the matter. I will not give up trying to free my sister – and my innocent little niece – from this monster. But I can't tell her that. I have to lull her – and this psychopath – into a false sense of security.