Page 10 of Burning Daylight
“Lucky guy,” he says, unfazed. “Do you yell at him for no reason, too, or am I special?”
“I’m not yelling.”
“Right. My bad.” He grins. “For the record, I think you’re hot, too. Especially when you’re mad.”
His compliment hits me like a shot of dopamine.
I narrow my gaze, biting the inside of my lip. “Yeah, well… Don’t let it give you a big head.”
He leans in. “Too late. You already accused me of attempted murder, and that level of confidence does something to me.”
Okay, now I’m tryingreallyhard to keep the smile off my face. “It’s called being aware of my surroundings.”
“Oh, is that what it is?”
The grin breaks through. I can’t help it. He’s charming, and I don’t remember the last time somebody talked to me without an ulterior motive.
“You really don’t know who I am?” I check again.
He quirks a brow. “Has it crossed your mind that maybeyoushould knowme?”
“Fine. What’s your name?”
He stays silent.
“Seriously? You’re not gonna tell me?”
He just smiles, slow and maddening, and rolls his lips together.
“Okay, see? That’s exactly what a serial killer would do.”
“If I planned to kill you, I’d give you an alias, not keep a name from you altogether.”
“If you killed me, the name wouldn’t matter.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, but what if something went wrong and you got away? Can’t have you name-dropping me to cops. Gotta protect the brand.”
I laugh. “The brand of a serial killer?”
“It goes without saying, I’d be infamous by the end of my reign.”
My eyes narrow, even as my lips twitch. “You’re kind of irritating.”
“I’ve been called worse.” He smirks. “Criminal, for example.”
I wave my hand in his direction like he’s smoke I’m trying to swat away. “Well, if the jumpsuit fits…”
“What happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’?”
“You won’t even tell me your name. You appear out of nowhere, in the middle of the woods, wearing baggy clothes and covered in tattoos.” I give him another once-over. “Youdefinitelylook like you’re hiding something.”
He lifts his arms, palms up, the picture of surrender, and that wicked smile still on his face. “You’re right. Idosound dangerous. Feel free to frisk me.”
My stomach explodes with butterflies.
I cross my arms, trying to look unaffected. “That’s probably how you lure all your victims in.”
“Objection,” he says playfully. “Leading the witness.”
