Page 115 of Lady Killer

“You wouldn’t!” Everest cried in dismay.

“I absolutely would, and you know it. Final word.”

An angry scoff came through the phone followed by silence. Lucian inclined his head for me to continue.

“As I said, we’re meeting in two nights. I was going to suggest that Gentle Bean coffee place.”

“Too central,” said Alister.

I raised an eyebrow in his direction.

“You want somewhere on the fringes of campus, where it’d be easier for him to lure you away if he is the killer,” he said.

“Why on campus?” pushed Lucian.

“It’s closer than going into town, and it makes the most sense, given we both have classes on Friday,” I said.

“He won’t care about convenience if he thinks he is going to get the chance to fuck you or kill you,” Nixon said dryly.

A tortured sound came from the speaker.

“What would you suggest, a bar then?” I quirked my lips.

Lucian answered, “A quiet one, yes. Someplace on the outskirts of Shady Harbor, on the university side . . . there’s Finnegan’s?”

“No, too crowded on Friday,” said Alister.

“The Old Oak Ale House?” Nixon piped up.

“Too far. Why would she suggest a bar a thirty-minute drive from campus?”

“The Dagger and the Rose?”

Alister furrowed his brows.

“It’s not super popular with students, but still close to campus, and clean enough that the killer would believe the princess would actually go there,” Nixon said with a shrug.

If the killer actually knew me, they would be suspicious of me going to any bar, but like Lucian said, we were counting on Clayton’s desire to either get laid or kill me to compromise his judgment.

“That could work,” said Lucian, stroking his beard as he considered it. “You two could cover the back and frontentrance, and we could pay the bartender off in advance to replace her drinks with water.”

“I’m underage, they shouldn’t be serving me anyways,” I argued.

Nixon and Lucian gave me withering looks while Alister just stared at me.

“You’re a pretty girl in a college town, you can drink whatever you want,” Nixon said.

“So what?” came Everest’s disembodied voice. “We just let her go on a date with this psycho and try to keep him from drugging her while the twins watch from a distance to see what he does?”

I wrinkled my nose. “You could give me a little credit. I managed to kill Aaron, after all.”

“Starbright, my darling, my love, my light, my cheese to my nach—‍”

Lucian hit the Mute button again. “It’s a simple plan because this isn’t rocket science. Luz, you will set up a date with Royal at the Dagger and the Rose. Alister and Nixon, you trail her from a distance and cover the exits, but keep eyes on her. If he makes any attempt to harm or take her, then you move in.”

He turned to me. “When you’re there, be sure to only order clear drinks. Don’t drink anything that’s out of your sight for even a second.”

“And what do we do when he invites her back to his place to check out his art collection or whatever pansy shit someone like Royal does when he’s trying to get his dick wet?”