Page 128 of Lady Killer

“Injecting a boy you’ve already drugged half to death is a far cry from successfully administering an intravenous drug to a madman who wants you dead,” Locke said in atone that suggested he very much hoped the madman was successful.

Luz’s expression darkened, but he wasn’t wrong. “And that is why I have the taser, but we can put some contingencies in place,” she ground out. “The twins and Everest can practice attacking me”—Alister’s eyes went wide, and Everest choked—“and I can demonstrate my technique. Plus, we can set up some kind of alert system, so you know whentheyarrive.”

She had a point. Locke was assuming the killer was male.

“Olanzapine is an antipsychotic,” Alister said.

“Yes, but it’s also used to rapidly sedate violent patients and can be injected intravenouslyorintramuscularly.” She cut a nasty glare at Locke. “Which makes it ideal to take down a violent opponent. And since we aren’t worried about ethics, we can be generous with dosing . . . assuming the all-powerful Blackwells can get some for me.”

I waved a hand. “We can, whatever you need, but I still have questions.”

“Such as?”

My grip tightened on my tumbler. “Let’s start with how you learned how to poison and drug your victims, so . . . skillfully.”

Luz broke out into a dazzling smile.

“My mami taught me everything I know.”

Chapter thirty-six

Luz

Denton, Texas

Two Years Ago

“Ay, mija, let me borrow your blush.” Mami’s head appeared in my door, her long black hair up in Velcro rollers and gel eyepatches under her golden-brown eyes.

“You’re going out with the orthopedic surgeon again?” I said, moving from my desk to grab it for her.

Mami had been stealing my sample of Fenty Cool Berry cream blush ever since I got it. I placed it in hermanicured hand, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, mija.”

“Keep it.”

She clucked like the mother hen she was. “You don’t have to do that.”

I rolled my eyes. “It looks better on you anyways. You have cooler undertones than me.”

Mami squinted at me as she tried to catch me in a lie, but I was telling the truth. After a couple moments, she nodded, before pinching my cheek as she blew me an air-kiss. “You’re an angel.”

“Stop it,” I said, batting her away and returning to my studying.

It was Mami’s fifth date with Dr. Eric Hauserman. Things were getting serious, and I wondered what her plans were this time.

Mami’s job as the new site clinical manager for a large nursing agency had taken us all over Texas. Usually, we would spend six months to a year in a place, while Mami helped new locations recruit, hire, and train new staff. Then it was off to the next job.

“Carajo,” my mother cursed loudly from the bathroom down the hall that we shared.

Doing her makeup was one of the few times my mother could be caught swearing. She may have been a priestess inthe cult of beauty, but she cursed like a sailor anytime she tried to use liquid eyeliner.

“Do you want a hand?” I called out.

Stubborn silence followed, then another muttered curse, before . . .

“Por favor, my love.”

As expected, I entered the bathroom to find her cleaning up a blob of black liner around her eye.

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