Jack put his hand to my waist. His hand caressed my cheek as my heart began to gallop in my chest.

“You’re going to have to make the first move.”

I wasn’t sure how to do any of this. Where did I start?

“If at any point you change your mind we stop. Okay?”

I nodded, feeling so out of my depth but holding onto the feelings he had stirred inside me when we had kissed before. I wanted that again.

He stood still. If I wanted this I would have to build up the courage to take the next step. I nervously put my hand to his bare chest and raised up onto my tiptoes place my mouth tentatively against his.

Jack’s mouth moved softly against mine. I mirrored his movement, trying to shake off my nervousness and never having done this before. It was something I had not told him for fear he would change his mind. I wanted to embrace this fully, keeping my fears and everything else at bay. For just a short while I wanted to just forget and just feel his body against mine. Peace from the pain, even if it was only temporary.

My hands went up against his chest, against his hard muscles. His hand cupped my nape, his thumb tilting my chin at an angle to deepen the kiss. His tongue entered my mouth and slid against my tongue. This felt wild and exhilarating at the same time.

I slid my hand into the hair on his chest. This was Jack. The boy I had crushed on from a distance. It felt unreal but so good.

I kissed him back, mimicking his movements.

Then he lifted his mouth from mine. His eyes glittered and I swept my tongue against my bottom lip.

His thumb traced where my tongue wet. The look in his eyes made me swallow slowly. I had never felt like this. Alive, my body humming with need.

“Let’s move this to the bedroom.” His breathing heavy.

I could feel his heart beat against the palm of my hand.

A phone began to ring.

Ignore it, I thought as his eyes held mine for a fraction of a second.

“Just a sec,” he murmured, leaving me to disappear from the kitchen.

I leaned my hand against the counter. My heart was still beating deeply and I felt out of breath. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time. A deep breath did nothing to tame the feeling.

“Where?” His tone brisk. The change in his demeanor so sudden I straightened studying him.

There was something wrong. Very wrong. His eyes met mine.

“I’ll be there in five.” And he end the call as he walked to me.

“Where are you going?” I managed to ask.

“I can’t leave you here alone. You’re going to have to come with me.”

It was strange because he had left me alone in the apartment before. What made it different this time?

“Why?” I asked.

“There is another body.”

Body. The word vibrated through me, chilling me to the bone. Jack reached out to take touch my arm.

I swallowed nervously, trying to stave off the panic that was clawing at me inside.

“I can’t leave you alone Hadley. With him out there, I can’t take any chances with you. I won’t be able to concentrate if I’m worrying about leaving you here alone and it’s too late to get someone else to come over to stay with you.”

I nodded slowly, even though it took so much energy to take in what he was saying. It was like my mind had slowed and was struggling to function. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Guilt being the worst of it.

In a trance I pulled on some clothes while he waited for me. When I was ready he steered me to the his truck.

Once inside, he clipped my seatbelt while I stared out the window.

All I could think about was the life that had been taken. Another Alice. Another young girl’s life cut short. The wave of guilt was drowning me. Her family, her parents. It was like losing Alice all over again.

I stared out at the dark night wrestling with the guilt that if I had been brave enough to push myself to remember what happened I would have been able to stop this. I hadn’t been able to save Alice, but this girl I had failed simply because I wasn’t strong enough. I was a coward. It weighed heavily on me as we drew nearer to the scene being blocked off my cops. The red and blue lights danced in the night like beacons.

I held my breath as Jack pulled off to the side of the road, near to the scene.

“You going to be okay in here?” He was watching me.

“Yeah,” I whispered. I didn’t think I was ever going to be okay but I didn’t want to hold him back from doing what was imperative in the hunt for the man responsible for killing his sister.

“You sure?”

I nodded. “Go.”

He got out and closed the door. As fearful as I was to be left alone in his car in the dark I wasn’t going to stop him or reveal how terrified I was. As I watched Jack head closer to the scene, it dawned on me that the man who had put me through a terrifying ordeal had been here. Breathed the same air.

It made me sick to my stomach that I was barely coping and the murderer was out there systematically killing innocent unsuspecting girls. What type of a person would do something like that?

The type of the person that got a kick out of the pain and suffering of others.

I inhaled sharply trying to breathe through sudden nausea that hit me. My fear tangible.. It didn’t matter there was a hoard of cops and activity just a few meters from me. I didn’t feel safe, not when there was a dead body so close.

There was no shaking the feeling that I was responsible for this. If I tried to remember what happened that night and tried everything to help, there was a good possibility this would not have happened.

The blood of the victim was on my hands. There were no excuses. It was difficult to face.

It felt like forever I saw alone with my thoughts before Jack returned. His expression pensive.

I turned to him when he got in.

Our eyes met.

I didn’t want to know what he had discovered but I had to know.

“What happened?” I asked, softly looking away.

He sighed. “The same. Teen girl. They still need to confirm her identify.”

The pain in my chest widened into a vastness.

“Beth says it’s definitely the guy who took you and Alice. Teen girl around the ages of fifteen to sixteen. Brown hair and brown eyes like Alice.”

It brought it all back for me.

“How long was she missing for?” I swallowed, my throat felt suddenly so dry.

“They believe she was only missing for about a day.”

I clasped my hands together, feeling the sharp pain in my chest intensify.

“It doesn’t make sense,” I murmured.

“What doesn’t make sense?”

I looked to him. “Why haven’t found Alice’s body? If he is leaving the bodies to be discovered, could it be a different killer?”

He shook his head. “There are some similarities to indicate it is the same guy.”

I frowned, feeling the pain ease slightly. “Were these girls taken on their own?”

He nodded.

“Then it can’t be the same.” There was hope that this had nothing to do with the monster who had taken Alice and I. “He took both Alice and I at the same time.”

He took my hand in his. “We believe Alice and you were his first victims. He figured out that it was easier and less risky to take one girl at a time. It is not rare for serial killers to make some changes as they become more experienced.”

The hope I had begun to feel vanished leaving me back in the dark emotions of guilt.

The drive home was quiet. It was late by the time we got back to the apartment. I was in no mood for company so I left Jack in the living rooms as he shrugged his jacket off and headed to my room.

What had happened earlier between us forgotten.

Guilt burdened me as I slipped into the bed and pulled the covers to my chin. I left the light on.