The Hunted Girls by Jenna Kernan (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

“Like if he drives a truck.” He made a face, then went on. “I can add one thing. I swung by Arnold’s place this afternoon. He wasn’t there, but I had a walk around. His backyard has about a dozen birdhouses in it.”

“You promised to include me along on your field trips.”

“Whenever possible.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss onto her palm.

“Any hunting or fishing gear?”

“None evident. He lives in a mobile home. Windows were covered. Couldn’t see inside. Outdoors is typical. Chairs. Rusty BBQ grill and junk laying around. Just from the refusal to provide a sample, I’d move him into my suspects list.”

“Skogen has. You know that if Juliette has the timeline right, Rita Karnowski might have been dumped only hours before Arnold found her.”

“Or came back to visit her.”

“It’s possible.”

If she wasn’t so exhausted and so full, she’d pursue that tempting line of dark hair that curled above the collar of his shirt.

Clint took her hand and drew it to his mouth, dropping a kiss there. She leaned in, gave him the sort of kiss reserved for saying good night, and then swept the covers aside.

“Where you going?” he asked.

“I’ve got to look over my notes on Arnold and see if Juliette has the lab results yet.” She moved about the bed, collecting her underthings and dress.

“It’s nearly midnight.”

She slipped into her panties and bra, then hesitated.

He reached. “Stay.”

“Better not.” She backed away, clutching her dress before her.

“Why?”

“Separate rooms for now. Okay?”

“Is it Molly?”

“No! I love your dog. But not so much in the bedroom.”

“Nadine, we’re good together, aren’t we?”

“Great.”

“Then why won’t you spend the night?”

“Last time I did that, your house was surrounded by news crews trying to get a quote from the daughter of a killer.”

“That’s not the reason.”

“I thought we agreed to go slow.”

“It’s been over half a year. That’s pretty slow.”

She gave him an imploring look.

Where did he think they needed to go, exactly?

Although she supposed it didn’t matter. Any next step led to the steps she was unwilling to ever make.

She had no problem with Clint. The problem was her. She knew what she was. Because even if she could hold back the monster, she wasn’t letting that genetic minefield loose in another generation.

She hadn’t allowed them to have the talk about what they wanted, except that she knew Clint wanted them to “move forward” and “take the next step.”

Did that mean he wanted common residence? Marriage? Kids?

What would he do when he discovered she didn’t?

“I could come to your room.”

She shook her head, hoping he didn’t make her say no, yet again.

“Why, Nadine?”

“It’s my private space. I need that.”

“But you enjoy our time together.”

“Very much. But we’re here for a reason. Let’s keep that our priority.”

“My reason is that you’re here.”

That answer tugged at her heart and made her feel guilty all at once.

She kissed him and ducked into the bathroom to dress. When she emerged, he was also dressed.

“You don’t need to walk me to my room.” She was only one floor above him. Her team wasn’t all together because the first floor of this wing was reserved for those traveling with pets.

He gave her a long stare and she said nothing more as he accompanied her in silence.

At her door, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth. When she opened her eyes, she caught only a glimpse of him before the door closed.

“Lock it,” he said from the hall.

So much for their romantic evening, she thought.

Beautiful evening, he thought, returning to her after moonrise. But on seeing the empty cage, he momentarily feared she had somehow escaped. His instinct was to run. A detective had already spoken to his employer.

He waited, there in the brush. Were the FBI watching him right now? His gaze flashed to the black recesses beneath the tree canopy, beyond the reach of the moonlight.

Why hadn’t he worn the forest ranger’s uniform he’d stolen? Then he might succeed in bluffing his way out of here.

And then he saw her, much as he’d left her in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday. He had not meant to be away so long. But he’d been so occupied with watching his real target and capturing the other one.

But she was there. He could see her in the silvery light. A lump of clay in his trap. Beside her was a hollow she’d dug between the bars filled with groundwater.

She’d been clever enough to take advantage of the downpours to make a mixture of mud to protect her skin from sun and the biting insects that hovered about her, searching for tiny cracks in her armor.

“Bibi!” he whispered. “Wake up.”

She startled and rolled upright, shrieking as she clutched her calf. The movement caused the silver shaft of the arrow to glint. The scream made his skin tingle in excitement.

He smiled.

Her eyes went wide and white all the way around as he inched forward. She slid on her bottom in the opposite direction.

Why did they do that? He could reach her from anywhere. She was his plaything.

He circled the cage, lunging into the bars as she screamed and moaned. Delicious.

“You understand me?” he asked.

When she didn’t answer, he reached through the bars and yanked her by her hair.

She screeched and twisted, trying to bite his arm. A cornered animal, trapped, but not helpless.

He shook her. “Do you?”

“Yes,” she said, panting. “Let me go.”

“Yes. I will. I will let you out and you will run.”

He tugged her hair, forcing her up off her seat, and then dropped her.

Her expression registered a flicker of hope and then he lifted his crossbow.

“You understand?”

She gasped. Silvery tears ran down her cheeks. “No. I won’t.”

“Then I’ll shoot you through the bars.” He lifted the bow and aimed at her head.

“No. I run.”

They always chose that, too. He released the locks and opened the cage, stepping back so that she had a clear path in the direction he wanted her to run, toward