Conviction: Book 3 of the Detective Ryan Series by Andrew Hess Read Free Book Online Page B

and that I will check on her in an hour.”
    He’s worse than an overprotective father , I thought. “James, I just want this to be over.” He pulled me to his chest and stroked the curls from my hair. I felt relaxed in his arms, and let the tears break from the damn I built up inside.
    “It’s okay, Ali. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to either of you; I promise.” I glanced into his gorgeous big brown eyes. Damn I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but knew it would only complicate our lives further. I think he felt it too. I could feel him pulling away from me.
    “Please, stay with me until I fall asleep.” I’ve never asked or begged for a man to stay with me, but the nightmares would only continue their onslaught on my mind while I slept. At least if he was there, I would feel safe in his arms.

Chapter 8-PM
     
    The Puppet Master returned home before Detective Ryan found her surprise. He watched from the cameras as she worked her way through the house as if she knew someone was there. He must have unknowingly left evidence of his presence that he did not consider. Before he could consider the options, his eye caught Ali entering the bedroom. His focus zoomed in on her reaction. The expression of horrified fear was etched on every inch of her face.
    She called her sister into the room and showed her the card. He knew his words would get under her skin and shake her to the core. He just needed to find a way to capitalize on the element of surprise.
    For hours he watched the C.S.U. Team sweep the house and collect evidence from the comfort of his home computer.
    “Looks like they didn’t turn up anything,” he mumbled to himself. Turning off the monitors, he decided that night would be perfect to enter the next phase of his plan.
    He had an hour to arrive at his destination, a house that was three miles from his home. Slipping into a navy blue button down shirt, black pants, and dress shoes, he was ready to take the night, and his first victim.
    Something pulled at him to check the cameras one more time. Ali Ryan slept alone in the bedroom, tossing and turning violently. Watching her sleep was of no interest to the Puppet Master, but seeing the bedroom door fly open with Detective Thornton barging in did.
    “How sweet? Her supposed hero is there to protect her from her nightmares. “The Puppet Master let out a cackle of laughter mocking the duo on camera. “Don’t worry Ali, he won’t be there much longer.”
    They were locked in a comforting embrace before Ali started to push away. “Where’s Amanda?”
    “She went out with her friends.” Hearing James admit to letting Ali’s sister out was music to his ears. It was tempting to bring his end-game to a closer realization, but knew that wasn’t the right move. Hearing Thornton’s comments about having his buddies follow Amanda Ryan wherever she went confirmed what he was already thinking.
    “Don’t worry girls; I’ll put you out of your misery soon enough.” The final image he saw before turning off the monitors was Detective Thornton climbing under the covers with Ali Ryan. Pushing the thought from his mind, the Puppet Master walked out to his car and sought out his next victim.
    The drive took him less than twenty minutes, leaving him enough time to park the car a few houses down. He had been watching this one for a few weeks. Her routine was like clockwork despite recently losing her job. It was a sore subject she tried to avoid, yet one she used as her excuse to drown her sorrows at the local bars. She was the perfect person to use for his plan to take down Ali Ryan. He just needed the right moment to take action.
    The tinted windows showed the shadow of a woman walking to her car. He could hear the roar of her engine as she drove off. Taking a moment to let her pull up to the stop sign, the Puppet Master began his pursuit, following the woman to her bar of choice.
    He waited until she walked up to the doors before pulling into