And Dan…Dan would think she had run off with the lover who had sent her the edible underwear. She almost laughed out loud, but she forced herself not to. Oh, God.

He was sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace. Rafe. Looking like himself now. Legs sprawled out, smile on his handsome face, blond hair only slightly ruffled. He had that beach-boy look about him again.

“Kids asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Come here.”

“Rafe, please…”

“Come here, Kaila. Now.”

She inhaled, swallowed and walked over to him. He stared at her evenly. “Kaila, don’t fuck with me. Don’t turn out to be a bitch and a tease. I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t want to hurt your kids. It’s all up to you. We’ve got a chance here. You’ve just got to love me. Now, come here.”

She was going to break down, Kaila thought. Break down and start crying and screaming. She couldn’t believe she had ever thought him tender, sexy, attractive.

“You’re almost exactly like her.”

“Who?”

“Lainie. Your mother. She was the biggest cock-tease known to man. I look at you sometimes, and you are her. I almost call Madison by her name sometimes. What a bit of irony, huh?”

“I’m not my mother.”

He smiled suddenly. “You’re close enough. So, what would you do to stay alive?” he asked her huskily.

“Anything!” she whispered, feeling sick.

“Start doing it,” he advised. “Convince me that I should let you live.

Through the broken window of the shack, Madison watched her sister strip off her T-shirt and kneel before Rafe, where he sat in the chair.

For the moment his switchblade sat on the rock ledge of the fireplace.

If she could just lure Rafe away for a few minutes, she could get the switchblade, grab the kids and Kaila and get them all out of there. Take the good boat back and sink the other one.

How could she get him out of the house?

Staring through the window, she saw tears streaming down her sister’s face as Rafe stroked her naked torso. She wondered if Kaila was thinking about the amount of blood on those hands. Crouched on the ground, she curled her fingers into the earth. She looked down, realizing she’d picked up a large rock.

She rose swiftly, impulsively, and hurried around to the front of the house. With all her force, she hurtled the rock against the front door of the shack.

She sped back to the window. Rafe had risen. Kaila was still kneeling on the floor, shaking. Madison waited until she saw that Rafe had walked to the front door, opened it and hurried outside, striding toward the edge of the water.

Then she crawled through the window.

Madison looked first for the switchblade. It was gone. Rafe had apparently taken it.

“Kaila!” Madison whispered.

Kaila didn’t even look up. She was slumped with her arms crossed over her breasts.

“Kaila!”

At last her sister saw her. Her eyes widened in astonishment, and her lips began to tremble. “Madison, you have to hide. You have to get out of here, or he’ll kill you, too. I think he’s the killer. I think he killed Mom. Oh, God, Madison, it’s not, I’m not…”

Madison grabbed her, dragging her to her feet, thrusting her T-shirt into her hands. “Put it back on!” she whispered. “Fast. Where are the kids? Where’s Carrie Anne.”

“In the loft. He’ll kill them, Madison. But not Carrie Anne. She isn’t here. Darryl has her. Oh, God, my babies…Maybe it’s better if I just do…what he wants.”

“He’s sick, and he’ll kill us all anyway,” Madison assured her. “So get it together and help me! We’ve got to get them and get back out that window—fast! Come on!”

She dragged Kaila up the loft stairs with her. Justin wasn’t sleeping. He was sitting up, his eyes huge and frightened. Madison motioned him to be quiet, and he nodded, instinctively understanding.

“Come on!” Madison told him, sweeping Shelley into her arms.

Kaila took Anthony. Just as they reached the bottom of the steps, they heard Rafe on the porch.

“Fast!” Madison advised. “To the window.”

She balanced Shelley and Anthony while Kaila crawled out, reaching back first for Justin, then Shelley and Anthony. Just as Madison was handing Anthony out the window, the front door began to open. Rafe was there, standing in the doorway. He could undoubtedly see Madison, but in the shadows, he might not realize who she was. It was late afternoon now, and darkening.

“Get the kids out of here!” Madison whispered.

“Madison! I can’t leave without you!”

“If I leave now, he’ll catch us all. Listen to me, and listen to me good. Get in the boat you came over in and get the hell out of here. Get help!”

“Madison, no!” There were tears streaming down Kaila’s face.

“Go!”

Kaila took the children and ran.

Madison backed away from the window.

Rafe was back.

20

She stared at him for a moment, then turned and headed for the loft, running up the steps.

Rafe stood below her, looking up.

“Kaila?”

“Just checking on the kids!” she called down.

“Hurry up!”

In the loft, she paused, breathing deeply. How long did she have? A matter of seconds. She needed to give Kaila a head start.

She closed her eyes tightly for a minute, praying. Were the keys still in Kaila’s minivan? If not, had she left her own keys in the Cherokee?

“Kaila, hurry up!”

Time, time, she needed time. She couldn’t let Rafe know that she had switched places with her sister, that Kaila and his littlest victims were desperately trying to escape….

Kyle, please, where are you? Do you know that we’re missing? Can you remember where to come? Kyle, I love you….

“Kaila!” Rafe’s voice was rising with fury.

She tousled her hair, letting it cover most of her face. She looked down the steps. Rafe had moved over to the dormant fireplace, leaning against it.

Rafe.

She felt dizzy, remembering how tenderly he had held her after Harry Nore attacked her. Rafe. Who had smiled, teased and joked with them all, year after year. They hadn’t seen it. None of them had seen the other side of the man.

She had to get out of the house and heading in the opposite direction from Kaila, giving her sister and the children a fighting chance.

“Kaila!”

She took a deep breath. “Rafe!” she called back. “Let’s play!” she said gaily, and went running down the stairs. He spun around, but she was already passing him. She burst through the front door and headed for the woods.

“Where, where, where?” Kyle muttered, swearing.

Dan, ashen, set the cell phone down. “Jimmy and the cops are on their way behind us. No sign of Madison or Kaila anywhere. Carrie Anne is with her father.”

“Thank God for that,” Kyle said. Dan was silent, and Kyle winced inwardly, remembering that Dan’s wife and three children were in mortal danger.

“It can’t be,” Dan murmured. “It can’t be your brother, Kyle.”

“God knows, I wish it wasn’t!” Kyle said vehemently.

“He must have been a kid when Lainie was killed.”

“He was twenty-one. Older than lots of killers.”

“But…why?”

“I don’t know.”

Kyle suddenly spun the car in a dangerous circle.

“What the hell?” Dan began.

“I nearly missed it.”

He’d found the road. Overgrown, barely visible. He was amazed that he’d seen it at all. He’d been driving with blind desperation.

But now…

He sped down the road, the wheels sending rocks, grass and gravel flying up around the car.

He nearly slammed into Madison’s Cherokee. As his car jerked to a halt and the dust settled around them, he saw Kaila. Running to them, Anthony clutched to her breast, Justin and Shelley running behind.

“Oh, God!” she threw herself into her husband’s arms, sobbing hysterically.

“Kaila, Kaila…” Dan whispered.