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knew if it was him , the chances of her being alive continued to diminish. Because she had no name, no current description . . . nothing. She slowly inhaled and counted to four while holding her breath. When they’d agreed to hire her for their newly expanded missing persons task force, she’d assured herself she could keep her professional and personal worlds separate.
    One, two, three, four.
    She slowly breathed out. Until now, she’d managed to find a way to remove herself from her cases. But she’d feared it would come to this one day. The day when the past collided with the present. She leaned against the stone wall of the building and stared out across the manicured flower beds and wooded area beyond them. But all she could see was Bridget’s photo.
    Sarah’s abductor was back.

6

    â€œNikki?”
    Nikki heard Tyler’s voice and realized he was standing beside her.
    â€œWhat’s going on? You froze back there.”
    She looked up and caught his gaze, battling to come up with an explanation she could give him. “I know. I’m sorry.”
    â€œDon’t be sorry. I don’t know of many officers who don’t get at least somewhat personally involved in their cases, and for you, this hits even closer to home. Tell me what’s going on.”
    She shook her head, not knowing where to begin.
    Not knowing how to process what she’d just seen. Because what she held in her hands had to be nothing more than a coincidence. Or at least that was what she wanted to believe. The alternative was too frightening.
    â€œRemember what they taught you at the academy.” He braced his hands against her shoulders. “Take deep, slow breaths. Count to four. Hold it—”
    â€œI’m trying.”
    She was trying, but her mind couldn’t focus. For ten yearsshe’d looked for the man who’d taken her sister, and somehow she’d stumbled upon him in the middle of the Smoky Mountains on a random case. How was that possible?
    â€œWhy did that photo spook you?”
    â€œIt proves Bridget was here,” she said finally. “And that she was abducted by a predator.”
    â€œOkay, but that’s not all, is it?”
    â€œNo.” She drew in another slow breath, waiting for her mind to clear. “I know who has Bridget.”
    â€œHow can you know that, Nikki?”
    â€œThere hasn’t been any sign of him for years, but he’s back, Tyler.” She took another deep breath, still trying desperately to control the panic mushrooming inside her. “The man who kidnapped Sarah.”
    â€œWhoa . . .” Tyler took a step back and dropped his hands to his sides. “Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions?”
    Nikki shook her head.
    â€œThen tell me how that photo links this case to your sister’s case,” he said.
    â€œHe left Polaroid photos of the girls at his crime scenes. Six times. Six girls from 2002 to 2006. Sarah was the fifth girl he took.”
    â€œDoes anything else about this case seem familiar?”
    â€œHe stalked them before he took them, which was why the police believe they weren’t just random abductions of opportunity. In four out of the six disappearances, people gave similar descriptions of a man who became known as the Angel Abductor.”
    She kneaded the back of her neck with her fingertips, her temples pounding as she spoke.
    â€œHeadache back?”
    She nodded.
    â€œGive me a second.” He returned with a bottle of water anda couple of pain relievers. “I know the basic facts about your sister’s disappearance, but you’ve never shared with me what happened that afternoon.”
    Her hand shook as she took the bottle of water Tyler handed her and nodded her thanks. She’d met Tyler on a double date with Katie eighteen months after Sarah vanished. After weeks of immersing herself in every lead the police turned up,