Page 121 of Killer Kiss

“Augie! For fuck’s sake, get up!” My scream echoed around the room.

He flinched, but a determination fell down over his expression. “Not until you tell me what’s going on. You’re terrified, and that in itself is scaring me. What the hell happened while you were gone?”

A thump came from the front door, a heavy pounding that sent ice through my blood.

I was too late.

Riddick was here.

34

AUGIE

The thumping from downstairs was the only thing that could stop hurricane Ophelia.

She froze, staring up at me with huge eyes that made me want to kill whoever had put that expression of fear there. If I could just get her to stop and calm down enough to talk to me, I would.

“We’re dead,” she whispered.

I shook my head, moving around her to the bedroom door. “What? It’s probably just one of the neighborhood kids playing ding-dong ditch.”

But another round of thumping from downstairs had her shaking her head.

Until a familiar voice echoed up from outside. “Augie! You in there?”

The fight went out of Ophelia. She dropped her hands to her side, though I didn’t miss the slight tremor that still plagued them.

I picked one up and squeezed it. “It’s just Willa’s son, Colt. I need to go see what he wants.”

She nodded, the color returning to her face a little, but I was still worried about whatever was going on with her. “Stay here, and when I get back, we’re going to talk, okay?”

“I’m coming with you.”

I wasn’t going to argue with her. I didn’t like the idea of leaving her up here alone when I didn’t know what was going on with her. I pulled on a pair of sweats and to the constant banging of Colt’s fist, the two of us jogged down the stairs to open the door.

“Jesus fuck, Colt. You’re buying me a new door if…”

Colt and Lacey stood on the porch, their faces white.

Lacey had clearly been crying.

I looked back at Lia who had worn a similar expression just minutes ago. “Does somebody want to tell me what the fuck is going on here?”

“Banjo’s missing,” Colt said bluntly.

My heart stopped.

All of us stared at each other.

Ophelia was the first to speak up. “Come inside. Quick. Please.”

Colt pushed past me; his fingers wrapped tightly around Lacey’s. I followed them into the living room, while Ophelia closed and locked the door, then peeped out of the broken blinds, watching the street outside.

Maybe she was just trying to give me privacy for a family matter.

But after the state she’d been in just moments earlier, I was pretty sure she was watching for something.

Or someone.

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