mentioned something about your coming under suspicion there because you seemed
to know too much.
He sniffs. That was Bradley s doing, I m sure. But yes, a rumor went around
that I had made a deal to extricate myself by turning on Darryl s father. The
truth was, I learned about him the same way I learned about Trish. One of his
victims was a student at my school. She attempted suicide. Her best friend
came to me and told me why. I did some investigating, contacted the Feds and
they got him.
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The same story I heard from Darryl. I glance at Frey. His expression is
harsh. But you leftBoston .
Our school board was very conservative. I didn t have much of a future there
once the rumors started flying. It didn t matter that they were
unsubstantiated. But the one concession they made was to let me resign with
the promise of a good recommendation.It s how I got my job here.
He lapses into silence, but after a moment, he adds softly. You know this is
not going to be the end of it for Trish. Her videos are already out there.
I know it. I just don t want to hear myself say that I know it. I shrug. I
just hope Darryl kept good records. I ll track every scumbag customer if it
takes the rest of my life.
The absurdity of that remark makes Frey laugh. And I know why.
Sometimes I forget what I am.
We re approaching Darryl s street. Frey starts to undress, pulling his shirt
over his head, skimming out of his slacks. He sees me watching and grins.
It s easier on my wardrobe to do this now. And I ll need something to change
into later, right?
Last night I didn t really pay attention to Frey s body, I was too busy
wondering if I was about to become dinner. Today, it s different. I take a
quick, involuntary appraisal. Frey s chest and shoulders are broad, powerful
looking, his arms and thighs well muscled and firm.
Damn, Frey. I m impressed.
He slips Gucci loafers off his feet and flips them into the back seat. The
only thing he has on now is a pair of very brief briefs. When he looks at me,
an intense physical awareness prickles my skin.
I arch an eyebrow and wait.
This is as far as I go on a first date, he says.
I blow out a puff of air and wait for my heartbeat to return to normal and
the heat to dissipate from my skin.
What the hell am I thinking?
I pull over at the corner of Darryl s block, dragging my thoughts back from
the abyss, and tell Frey which house is his. I ll go in through the front,
get him to come outside so you can sneak in the back.
If he caught my momentary lapse into sexual fantasyland, he doesn t show it.
He simply nods and looks around. I won t make the change until I get into his
yard. It s pretty quiet around here. I shouldn t have any trouble.
You can get over these fences?
Like a cat.
He steps out of the car and disappears faster than I would have anticipated.
In a moment, I hear the frantic barking of a dog a few door down.Then a yelp
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of pain and silence. I don t want to know what made it stop.
Chapter Forty-Two
Ipark a few houses down from Darryl s and climb out of the car, pocketing the
keys. It s oddly quiet in the neighborhood for a weekday morning. No commuters
on their way to work, no children waiting for school busses on the corner. I
see the edge of a drape in a living room window rise and fall as I pass by on
the sidewalk, but as long as I keep moving, I don t seem to be attracting any
undue attention.
It s quiet in front of Darryl s place, too. I expect to see the Chevy
Suburban from the cottage parked in front, but it s not here. Darryl s garage
door remains open, though, and the VW inside. I m pleased that we ll find him
at home.
I glance at the gate. It s secured by a heavy chain and an industrial sized
padlock. It doesn t take much effort to kick it free. And the noise produced
when the gate crashes onto the driveway has the desired effect.
Darryl steps out of the front door.
He stares at me. His face reflects neither surprise nor anger, but rather
mild curiosity. His shirt and jeans are spotted with blood that smells damp
even from this distance. Ordinarily, that would be enough to trigger the
hunger. But the cloying stink of garlic overpowers the scent of blood.
Until I see Frey, I know I will have to keep as far away from Darryl as I
can.
He moves, finally, a small half-turn, as though preparing to go back inside.
But instead, when he faces me again, he has a gun in his hand. He looks at it,
then at me.
I know this can t kill you, he says thoughtfully, as if speaking more
tohimself than to me. But I imagine it hurts to get shot. He chambers a
round and aims for my chest.
I dive for the ground as the bullet rips into the concrete. I roll away as
the second shot slams into the ground inches from my head. I m up and at him
before he gets the third shot off.
It s a weak hit, the garlic stops me like an invisible force field. But it s
enough to knock him off balance and into the living room. Unfortunately, it s
not enough to dislodge the gun from his hand. I jump away from him, back into
a corner, crouch to await his next move.
He gets up slowly, smiling. I heard from Bradley a few minutes ago. He was
surprised to see you. Said it was bad luck for me that I let you get away.
Well, maybe I ve got a second chance to make it right. I bet I can shoot you
in a lot of painful places. You might just become cooperative enough to tell
us where you took Trish and that friend of hers.
He raises the gun and takes aim. I tense, ready to leap out of range. Where
the hell is Frey?
The shot reverberateslike a cannon in the small room. But the bullet goes
wide and high, raining a dust storm of ceiling plaster down on my head. Darryl
starts to scream. The dust is thick enough to prevent me from seeing what s
happening, but the sound of bones snapping makes it clear.
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Don t kill him, I tell Frey. At least not yet.
The dust is settling a little, so I step around to the windows and throw back
the drapes. I open the windows, too. There are two besides the one I dove
through earlier. Sunlight and fresh air stream in. There s a ceiling fan
dangling precariously overhead, Darryl s shot loosened the plaster around
it.Can t flip that one on. But there s also a fan sitting on the floor in the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]