Deadly Heat (Deadly #2)(57)

Her chin lifted.

“But it’s not all pain, is it? When the fire lances your flesh…” A sigh. “Tell me, Lora, how much heat can you handle?”

Kenton could feel her body trembling in his grasp, but he didn’t speak.

“Why do you care about Lora?” Monica demanded.

A rush of air—no, wind—on the phone line. Then the caller said, “I don’t, but he does.”

Kenton’s gut clenched.

“Don’t you, Agent Lake? She matters to you.”

Monica shook her head, frantic. Don’t speak. She mouthed the words. Because speaking, snapping back, that would be exactly what the prick wanted.

“You want to talk to Agent Lake, then you come in. Come to the police station, and we’ll—”

“Time’s up.” No more rage. He spoke with a tone as flat as Monica’s voice. “And your tracer won’t work, Davenport. I’ll ditch this phone in the next five seconds.”

“You don’t—”

“Get ready. Hell’s coming.”

Another rush of wind, and then, nothing.

Lora’s shoulders slumped, and her body sagged against Kenton.

Over her head, Kenton met Monica’s glittering stare.

Hell’s coming.





CHAPTER Eleven


There was silence in the room. Even Pile seemed stunned. “Did we get a trace?” Kenton asked, easing his grip on her.

The cop glanced up. Kenton recognized him right away. Jess Tyler. He’d retrieved the computer visitor log from Meadows Rehab, a log that had turned up jack shit.

Michael Randall’s mother hadn’t even bothered to visit the kid while he was in rehab.

Jess nodded quickly. “I, uh, we got hits from the cell towers. I think we can correlate it to about two hundred feet.”

“Do it.” Kenton stepped back from Lora. He had to, because the job waited. Dammit. “I heard trains. There’s an old train yard on the west side of town, right?”

Jess gave another fast nod. “Yes, sir, and that’s where the signal seemed to cor—”

That was all Kenton needed to hear. “Ramirez, let’s go.”

Lora grabbed his arm, holding Kenton back. “He’s been watching us. He knew I was here because he’s been watching.”

Kenton nodded grimly. He’d planned to attract the bastard’s attention. He just hadn’t planned on getting the perp to fixate on Lora. But now wasn’t the time for explanations. He needed to move, fast. “Stay with Davenport,” he told Lora as he spun away from her. This time, she let him go.

And though he wanted to, so badly, he didn’t glance back. Not once.

The killer waited.

I’m coming, *.


Her heartbeat wouldn’t slow down. Lora paced the small control room and watched the cops fiddle with their equipment. She watched Davenport call someone, probably Hyde, and tell him that she wanted more tech support, ASAP.

And she heard that bastard’s voice in her head. Over and over.

Do you like the fire, Lora? Do you like the way it burns?

The plan had been to hunt him. To stop him.

But he was watching her? Hunting her and Kenton? Hell, no.

“Do you have family you want to stay with?” Monica asked, her voice breaking the silence.

Lora’s brows rose. “You think this guy is coming for me?” Let him. She’d love to get that bastard in her sights.

Monica gave a small shrug. “He’s brought you into his game, addressed you specifically. If you wish to change your location, no one would—”

“I’m not running from him.” She wouldn’t run when she’d been spending so much time searching for this guy.

Yeah, she had plenty of family. Family who’d love to take her in. Any of her brothers— Oh, damn, but when her brothers found out about this…

She wouldn’t be able to walk down the street without them. They’d want to be with her every minute.

No, no, she couldn’t tell them. They could not find out. Because there was no way that she’d put them at risk. Ryan especially.

She shook her head. “My family is staying out of this.” She really wasn’t the running and hiding type. Besides, she had her dad’s gun. Ryan had given it to her three years ago. She’d be keeping Old Faithful close, too.

Rage burned through Lora. “He’s the one that should be hunted. He’s the one that needs to be put down.”

Not arrested. Not given therapy. Taken out.

Like he’d taken out his victims.

“Do you believe in an eye for an eye, Lora?” Monica asked.

“Yeah, I do.” When it came to the ones she loved—you hurt them, you paid.

“Why do you think he’s focusing on you?” Monica asked as she cocked her head.

“Because he’s a sick freak with nothing better to do?” Because we both know the fire. We know how she feels. Not like a lover but like the devil, biting you, licking you with a tongue that burned your flesh away.

“He knows about you and Kenton,” Monica said.

Lora’s hand trembled as she shoved back her hair. “I picked up on that.” Which explained why Ramirez had been hiding in her bushes. Following Kenton, because he had been the bait. Now it looked as if she’d gotten added to the menu.