Page 136 of Lady Killer

My phone vibrated, pulling me from my thoughts, and I sat down on the empty bed.

Alister: Are you in?

I thumbed a quickyes.

Alister: Anything yet?

A snort escaped me. I had been back for all of ten minutes.

Still, I understood.

It was this part, the waiting, that was the hardest. Without the rush of a life on the line, doubt crept in, and it was far more pernicious than fear.

Autumn was going to die if this didn’t work.

I could die if it did. I could die if it didn’t.

Nasty little thing, doubt.

My stomach did another flip. I checked the time.

It was only five thirty.

I had a long night ahead of me.

The hours passed slowly.

I had been counting on the killer to be reckless, unable to resist the temptation of me alone after the rampage of Valentine’s Day.

But they hadn’t taken advantage of my date with Clayton. Was he innocent?

Or was the killer more restrained than we anticipated?

Why not both?

There had always been the chance that it would take more time to lure them out. That they wouldn’t show tonight.

I could have survived the sleepless nights. The constant paranoia. But every day that Autumn was gone was a day she was suffering.

Plus, I could only hold off Everest for so long.

My phone vibrated next to me.

Alister: Anything?

The same message had arrived every five minutes, on the minute, since I arrived.

Me: Nope.

The five-minute check-in was a precaution Alister had insisted on. It was oddly endearing.

But aside from the occasional chatter of people coming and going, it had been a quiet night. With the miserable weather, I imagined a lot of students were choosing to stay in.

Standing up, I stretched my spine with a crack.

With my taser ready in my hand, I needed to remain alert and focused on sedating anyone who came through the door, but I also needed my body limber enough to move when the time came.

Rolling down through my spine, I planted my hands on the industrial carpet, walked my legs out, and releasedmy back. The blood rushed to my head, and I savored the sensation.

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