Hunting Evil Read Free

what kind of woman he was riding with.
    “You won’t find him here,” she finally said in exasperation.
    One black eyebrow lifted as Vince finally acknowledged someone else was in the car with him. “And you know this how?”
    Lauren shrugged. “Just stands to reason. He rapes and mutilates girls from middle-income families between the ages of fourteen and seventeen.” She looked around the dark street. “It may just be me, but this doesn’t look like a middle-class neighborhood.”
    Vince stepped on the brake and put the car into park. Turning his body, he leaned forward until he was almost nose-to-nose with her. “Who gave you a copy of the file?”
    “I’m damn good at what I do, and what I’ve done is to gather every bit of information on Armand that I could find. You’ve been tracking Armand Dubois for eight months. In that time, he’s killed eight girls, one per month, and if my calendar is correct, he’s due to strike again.”
    She heard a low growl rumble through Vince’s chest. Too bad . “You may not like me, and you might think BVA had no business ordering you to work with a woman, but you’re stuck with me. And unless you want to continue wasting time by trying to scare me, I’d suggest you head east to the more affluent section of town.”
    Lauren couldn’t help but notice the way Vince’s dark eyes zeroed in on her lips as she spoke. When she finished, he leaned a hair closer.
    “Lady, you have no idea what you’re getting into.”
    “I might surprise you.” She smoothed her hair behind her ear. “I’m a third-degree black belt in two different forms of martial arts. I was a United States Marine for six years, and I could probably kick your ass. Now drive.”
    With a half-smile, Vince leaned back and reached for the thick file beside him. Turning on the overhead light, he handed the red folder to Lauren. “You may have seen the official file, but look at mine and tell me you’re still prepared to follow me into the mind of a monster.”
    Accepting the folder, Lauren took a deep breath. Inside were pictures of the deceased girls, close-ups of crime scene photos and morgue shots, one after another. She fought to keep her breathing under control as she carefully looked at each picture. Her arousal that had resulted from her heated exchange with Vince vanished. Armand was getting bolder and more skilled, his cuts more precise. She closed the file and handed it back.
    “Seen enough?” he asked. “Ready for me to take you back to your car?”
    Lauren shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.”
    Vince released a sharp bark of laughter. “Yeah, right. Where, at the movies?”
    Tired of dealing with the gorgeous Neanderthal in front of her, Lauren pulled the bottom of her black T-shirt up to her neck. “No, I see worse every time I look in the mirror. Now, put the car in drive, and let’s get busy.”
    Vince looked at the roadmap of jagged scars spread across Lauren’s torso and chest. Instinctively, he reached out to trace one of the raised areas of puckered skin that disappeared under the lace of her bra. They were old, at least twenty years old, but still seemed to pulse with pain. He looked up into the beautiful face in front of him. “Lauren? That’s your real name, right?”
    “Yes,” she said and removed his hand before pulling her shirt back down.
    “Can I ask?” He gestured toward her chest.
    “Armand Dubois, eighteen years, eight months, twenty-two days ago. And my full name is April Lauren Dubois.”
    Vince felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. No way . He closed his eyes and fought the urge to turn, barely keeping his feral side dormant. He’d read everything about Armand he could get his hands on. He remembered reading about April Dubois, although there was little information about her. He always wondered what had happened to the girl, but after she’d turned eighteen, April had seemed to disappear off the face of the earth.
    “You’re his daughter,” he