I could feel my heart pounding through my chest as I rushed to Christian's aid. Not that he needed my aid, but I thought I could be useful somehow. Even if I stayed in the shadows. I'd also like to think I learned my lesson from dealing with Iris Lynn. Even though Byron wasn't as mentally unstable as her, I feared he was just as, if not more, dangerous. I wouldn't—no, I couldn't—approach Byron how I approached Iris.

"Tyler, are you still there?" Patty's voice was loud in my ears. My headphones were plugged into my phone so that I could hear her better as I rode my bike to the lake. I had no idea which part of the lake I might find them around, but I figured I'd start near the group home.

My mother was quick to ask questions before I darted out of the house. I told her most of the truth, leaving out the part that I was rushing into danger. All she needed to know was that I'd be with Christian—okay, maybe not with him, but he'd be in the area if anything happened.

"Yeah, I'm still here," I said, trying to catch my breath. The wind whipped my face as I pedaled faster down the street. I hoped that Christian was already there with a team.

Patty responded, panicked and confused, "Why would Joel or Byron be after—what's her name, Yasmine? Yeah, if she tried to stick up for him." No matter how many times I explained, that was the part that confused Patty the most.

Honestly, I understood her confusion. Even if she had witnessed it for herself, she still might have been confused. After all, Nathan was Joel's tormentor. But I had to force myself to look at it from Byron's point of view to really understand his fuel for revenge.

"Patty, I think it was more than just that incident. At the end of the day, Yasmine stood by as Nathan tormented some of the residents. She knew what kind of person he was. Not saying it's her fault, but that's probably why she's a target.

"I mentioned the words hold your tongue to Christian when we first started solving this case together. Hold your tongue was never about people snitching. I think it was about the opposite. He cut their tongues out because they never spoke up."

Patty whistled lowly and I imagined her shaking her head. "Sounds like there's some misdirected anger there too." I nodded though she couldn't see it.

The trees in passing were growing thicker by the trunk. There were less houses, and more roads leading into the open woods territory. In the distance, I could see flashing red and blue lights speeding in from the opposite direction. Damn, we got here about the same time.

"Patty, I need to go. I'm getting close to the lake," I said,

"Okay, be safe!" she said.

I hung up, then pulled up along the edge of the treeline and slammed on the brakes of my bike. Shit, what was my next move? I didn't want to get caught by any of the police officers. Maybe I could avoid them if I kept my distance. I let my bike fall to the ground. The sounds of dogs barking enticed me to move forward. The police were already on the move.

I bolted through the trees, sure to keep low. They couldn't have been too close; the dogs barking were only a faint echo around me. At least I knew we were heading in the same direction though. That meant I was possibly on the right trail.

Five minutes must have passed before I found myself deeper in the woods. The lake should have been closer by now. I could hear yelling, followed by heavy footsteps from somewhere on the other side of the trees. It sounded like several officers running.

"Over here!" one of them yelled.

I skidded to a stop behind one of the trees.

I spotted a few blurry figures running in single file. I had no idea where or what they were running to until I noticed Yasmine standing by the edge of the lake. I could barely see her face but I could hear her. She was crying hysterically.

"Yasmine! Are you okay?" That sounded like Christian's voice.

"He attacked me!" She coughed and grabbed her neck.

"Where did he go?" Christian's tone was firm.

"I don't know. He ran that way!" She pointed in the opposite direction.

Of course. He must have heard the sirens. It was another failed attempt. And yet again, he ran in the direction I was closest to. I bit my bottom lip and turned in that direction.

"Check the area!" Logan started throwing out commands.

I didn't bother waiting for them to spread out. I needed to get a headstart out of here before I managed to get caught in the crossfire. Something in the corner of my eyes caused me to stop though. A black piece of fabric sprawled over the grass. I frowned, then bent down to check the fabric. It was a long, thin ski mask.

I stepped over the mask and continued on until I came across another piece of fabric. This time, I noticed it was a pair of black gloves. As if someone had stripped out of this stuff while heading in this direction. Byron. He was the only person I could think of. I kept moving.

Where did this direction lead anyway?

That thought kept me alert as I ran further away from Yasmine and the police. It wasn't until I noticed the broken house coming into view, that I realized just where he was going.

The group home.

I promised myself I wouldn't step foot back in here the moment I realized Byon had been lurking in the house with me. Yet here I was, chasing him instead. My, how the tables have turned. The same chipped brown wooden walls and the same cracked ceiling peeling with plaster, struck a chill in my spinal cord. It smelled just like the last time too. Hot and moldy.

I walked further in.

A soft creak above me caused me to freeze.

"I thought you'd never find me." His voice didn't sound anything like the voice I'd grown used to in the past two months. Like a stranger was talking. I tilted my head up to the gaping hole in the ceiling. There, Byron hovered from the second floor. He wasn't even trying to hide.

I exhaled a shaky breath. "You wanted to be found?"

"Not necessarily." Byron shook his head. "But I figured you were a smart kid." The fact that he could indulge in casual conversation with me right now made me want to hurl. As if he hadn't just attacked someone mere minutes ago. As if things were the same between us, and he didn't turn my life upside down in a matter of weeks.

"So, you've been watching me since the moment you saw me. . ."

"No." Byron shook his head again. "That would mean I was watching you for the past two months. I wasn't. You were merely a kid on my mailing route. . . But then, I spotted you in this house. And I've been watching you since."

I gulped. "Why?"

"Because why would a kid like you be in a house like this?"

I couldn't form words.

"And then, you were investigating"—he pursed his lips together—"so, I thought . . . what did he find out? And who is he trying to tell?"

I should have commented. But I couldn't bring myself to say anything except one thing. "Why are you giving yourself up?" The words fell off my tongue before I could stop them.

Byron chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? The game's over. I'm surrounded."

"You could have tried to escape," I breathed out.

"This time, there was no point in trying." Byron looked up at the ceiling, blank faced. The faintest, creepiest smile touched his lips when looked back at me. "But I enjoyed our game."

Facing Byron was very different from facing Iris. When I was trapped in Emerald's room with Iris, it felt like trying to diffuse a ticking time bomb as the pressure weighed down my thoughts. But Byron was nothing like a bomb. He wasn't ready to explode. He was just calm. Dare, I say the calm before the storm. Like an ocean wave carrying me into its depths before it drowned me under its rough edges. And I never noticed it before.

That's what made talking to Byron so disturbing. The difference between Byron (or Joel) and Iris, was that Byron felt no remorse or regret towards his actions.

I asked the main question rolling through my head, "How come you never hurt me?"

"I never wanted to hurt you, Tyler." Byron shrugged. "I just wanted someone to understand. When I saw you standing here that day . . . I knew you were the one."

"The one?" I frowned.

He nodded. "You were the one curious enough to learn the truth."

I inhaled a sharp breath. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Do you really want to know?" Did I? I felt crazy for even asking. But that small part of me always craved answers. This was the perfect time to get them before he was arrested. For a person so motivated—so enraged—I'd have thought he would have fought this to the end.

I nodded slowly.

"Since the day I recovered from my injuries. I've had a lot of years to wallow in my self-pity. That pity turned into blind rage. Then, one day . . . I snapped. But now was a perfect time because everyone was back. So, why not get rid of as many as I can while they're all in town?"

Once again, I was speechless. My lips parted, then closed again. However, no words would leave my mouth. How could he casually admit that to a teenager? Among all the things wrong with this conversation, that had to be at the top of my list.

So, it was never about trying to gather all the residents in one place for him. It was about taking advantage while the universe gave him the chance. He saw an opportunity and he took it. It couldn't have been any simpler than that. It'd seem he was always just a mailman before a murderer. However, the intrusive thoughts won.

The dogs barking nearby blended into the haze in my brain. Byron swore through gritted teeth, then said, "Sounds like they're getting closer."

I tensed and ran to the broken windows.

"You better get out of here before you get caught." Hell, I couldn't get over how nonchalant he was acting. Still, I didn't comment.

I groaned under my breath and ran to the backdoor. Before I could slip out of the entrance, Byron's voice grabbed my attention again.

"Oh, and by the way Tyler . . . I'm not giving myself up. I'm merely seeing if they can catch me." The twinkle in Byron's eyes left my mouth ajar. I forced my lips to shut and turned my back to him. Then, I ran out the back entrance without a second glance back.