Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
He came up behind me and touched my shoulder, his fingertips soft against my bare skin. Even with the space between us, I could feel his warmth against my back. I wanted to lean against his chest, wanted him to wrap his arms around me. He didn’t say anything, his face shrouded by shadows, but he didn’t remove his hand. His warm breath ghosted over my neck, raising the tiny hairs there. Kiss me, I thought. Our eyes met in the mirror and in his I recognized the same longing I felt.
Heat washed through my body.
But then he stepped back and pulled something from his jeans pocket. “I came to give you this.” He handed me a small cell phone and a Taser. “E-mail isn’t a good way to communicate. It’s not fast enough, and it isn’t safe on someone else’s computer. We must be able to reach you at any time. And I want you to keep the Taser with you no matter what.”
I slipped the phone under my pillow and the Taser into my backpack. I’d have to find a better place for it.
“Do you know what time it is?” Alec asked. I could hear a smirk in his voice.
I scanned the room for the clock. Eleven fifty. No wonder I was tired.
“Major’s furious.”
“What? Why?”
Alec raised his eyebrows.
I slapped my palm against my forehead. “Oh, shit. I forgot about the meeting.” Ronald’s gift had clearly distracted me even more than I’d realized.
“Yeah, I thought as much. Major wasn’t happy but I told him there wasn’t anything substantial to tell, so it didn’t matter.”
“Thanks.” The mission had just started and I was already screwing up.
“Don’t worry.”
“So did you find anything?” We asked at the same time. I smiled and so did he, but he quickly stepped over to the window, bringing some distance between us.
“You start,” I said, my smile gone.
“Nothing interesting. Just talk. That guy, Ryan, has been watching you a lot. It seems Madison had some kind of an affair with someone else, but no one seems to know who. Francesca and the second victim, Kristen, spread rumors about it in school.”
“That’s what I heard too. I tried to find out who it is but nobody wants to tell. I think Devon knows but he’s keeping it a secret.”
“Maybe you can pry it out of him.”
“I’ll do my best. What about Ryan?”
“What about him? He doesn’t like me. Probably thinks I’m competition.” That made him grin.
Of course, Alec was competition. Every guy with half a brain could see that. “I found a letter from him stuck in Madison’s locker this morning. He wants to talk. I think he’s really trying to win Madison back.” I propped my butt up on the desk, tired of standing, and leaned back on my palms. “Do you think he could be the murderer?”
Alec leaned against the window frame. His eyes trailed over my naked legs before slowly traveling up. I could almost feel his gaze on my skin and when it reached my chest, goose bumps covered my skin and made my nipples stick out once more. This time I forced myself to not cover myself. I wanted Alec to see me like that, like a woman, and not the girl he saved. A strong sense of desire hit me, one unlike anything I’d ever felt, and heat gathered in the pit of my stomach.
He cleared his throat and met my eyes. “I’m not sure. What reason would he have had for the other murders? I mean, I guess he had a reason to kill Madison, but then why would he try to get back together with her? And what about the janitor or the doctor or that Kristen girl?”
I felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over me. Back to business. I sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe there was some other reason we don’t see. Had he ever dated Kristen?”
“No, he’d been with Madison for over a year and before that he wasn’t serious with anyone.”
“And the pediatrician, Dr. Hansen? Was she Ryan’s doctor?”
Alec laughed darkly. “I don’t know, but probably. Livingston’s a very tiny town. Hansen’s practically treated everyone here at least once in their life.”
We were going nowhere with this.
“I noticed a guy in school today. His name’s Phil Faulkner, have you seen him? He’s got really abnormal eyes.”
“And?”
“I mean, some Variants have strange eyes. Look at my freaky eyes.” I thought it best not to mention Kate’s unsettling amber-copper color.
Alec took a step closer. “Your eyes are just fine.” My body flooded with warmth at the low timbre of his voice.
“So,” I said. “You don’t think Phil could be a Variant.”
“We’re not here to look for Variants, Tess. We’re here to look for motives.”
He looked as tired as I felt. I glanced at my bed, wondering how it would be to fall asleep beside him, cuddled against his chest, encircled by his arms. How it would feel to be with him in every way. My fingers found the pendant again.