Page 138 of Ricochet

“Lady, I have no idea who youare.”

She almost laughed. “Right now, I feel the same about myself. I’m a helper. I lived a shitty life until someone saved me from hell and a life that could’ve been a lot worse.”

“Well, you didn’t come off like a killer.”

Adelia drank in those words, realizing they were exactly what she needed to hear, what she knew about herself. And that was what the fortune cookie had meant. She was asuperstitious believer now too. “You’re right. I’m no killer.”

The woman took a minute to dig out her badge and gave Adelia instructions on where to swipe her in and leave it so that it could be found and turned in as lost. Hotel operations was big enough that they’d never notice if one person melted away this one time, and after an awkward thank you, with Adelia more grateful than the sick woman,she was left holding her access to Gloria Astor and the strong realization that she wouldn’t kill anyone tonight.

The singing-and-dreaming lady hadn’t come back, and Adelia popped open her locker again, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

But a stack of clear children’s blocks caught her eye. Adelia caught the locker door before it shut again, and taking a closer look, realized they were plastic wrappedcassettes. Blank ones.

She had no idea how this would come together. But she didn’t see how her trafficking operation would grow like it had or how she would fall in love with Colin or meet a woman with a bag of rice. Sometimes, she had to take a chance, grab what she might need, and go down the road less—orun–traveled.

Quickly popping out the dream demo tape, Adelia placed it in the lockerand took the mini recorder and a blank tape. “I promise. I’m stealing for a good thing right now.”

Then armed with an employee ID and a voice recorder, Adelia left to stalk her prey.

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