Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“Do you think he was paparazzi?”
“Could be, but they don’t normally run. They chase.”
“So we’re back to the beginning, we don’t chase serial killers.”
Without a word, I stood and headed to the door.
Bohannan got there before me and put a hand to it.
Stupid, fast men.
I looked up at him.
“I’m attempting to leave,” I said with forced civility.
“Don’t do that again, baby.”
“I already know it was foolish.”
“I didn’t want to say this, but I also didn’t say it because I thought you knew it.”
“Say what?”
“You are not a queen.”
“What?”
“You are not a queen.”
“Bohannan…what do you mean?”
“Larue…you are not a queen. If you’re used, you’re a pawn. Now, are you understanding me?”
I sucked in breath.
Because yes.
I was understanding him.
“Hawk’s signal from your fob goes two places. To Hawk, and to the house up the hill. They saw you run down the street and head into an alley, where you had no reason to be, and called me before you did, but they’d already rolled out. You’re covered. Celeste is covered. I just need you to be smart.”
The FBI had already rolled out to rescue me.
Ah, hell.
“I didn’t think. I got…I just want this to be done.”
He pulled my stiff body into his arms.
“We all do, baby.”
I wound my arms around him.
“I don’t know who to ask,” I said. “Megan might have noticed if he was there or if he followed us in, but I don’t want to alarm her.” I tipped my head back. “Or you could ask Ray.”
“The guy who chased after him for you?”
“He didn’t chase after him for me, he just chased after him better than me.”
Bohannan’s beard quirked.
But I nodded. “He was in Aromacobana when we got there. He and Shelly were waiting for coffees. He said he didn’t notice him before I went after him, but maybe if someone talks to him, it might jog his memory.”
“Rec center guy.”
I nodded again.
“Harry hit him up before, since he deals with a lot of kids and their parents, as maybe a lead for someone who might know something about Alice. But I’ll get Jace or Jess to stop and have another chat with Ray.”
“So, we’re not going to fight?”
He appeared bemused.
“What?”
“You were getting pissed.”
“So were you.”
“That normally ends in a fight. Is this the way we’re going to fight? We get mildly annoyed and then stand holding each other?”
“It works for me.”
He was a unicorn.
I melted into him.
“It works for me too.”
Forty-Eight
Awake
I lay on my side in the dark, staring at the shadow of Bohannan’s back, which was turned to me.
When we’d called it a night, he’d essentially attacked me, demonstrating what “my bed is a playground” meant with a mind-boggling variety of positions, commands and locational penetrations.
It was back to basics with us, though with Bohannan taking more time—a lot more time—with primal caveman/cavewoman sex.
I was totally there for it.
When he was done with me, I was also spent, not even having it in me to get up and clean up.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t care if I had to sleep in the wet spot.
Fortunately, Bohannan was not in my same state, and he cleaned up for me.
He got that done, and I wasn’t proud of it, I realized cardio was in order, because before he even returned from the bathroom, I’d passed out.
I had no idea how long I was asleep before I woke in the dead of night, and I wasn’t simply awake.
I was awake.
And it didn’t take long for me to realize why Bohannan had put so much effort and creativity into exhausting me.
It just didn’t fully take.
Earlier that day, after we made up from our non-fight, we’d again gone over what I saw and felt, and he’d shown me for the first time the composite sketches they got from the co-eds at Berkeley.
Whoever it was, he was quite attractive.
But since I hadn’t gotten a good look at the guy’s face, I couldn’t say yay or nay.
All the witnesses in California had given a full physical description: lean, around five foot ten, wide shoulders, and chillingly that was the same not only for those who saw him in California, but who I’d chased in Misted Pines.
Bohannan had then shared that, alarming her or not, we had to pull in Megan, and Jess went off with copies of the sketches to track down Ray.
Megan told me on the phone she hadn’t noticed him, but she and Dan came over so she could look at the sketches anyway.
We took that opportunity to order pizza and share a bottle of wine, more than likely so she could give me something normal to do because that was Megan. She was a good person who cared. And when you watch your friend, who was not a cop or a superhero, take off to chase a perp down the street, that would make you worry about said friend.