“She’s not working. She’ll be asking questions.”
A flash of something crossed the woman’s face. She sniffed. “Sorry. Haven’t seen anyone who looks like that.”
I took a step closer. “I think you have.”
“No—”
I grabbed the woman’s arm. “She’s mine. She could be in danger. The killing kind of danger.”
The woman watched me steadily, and I could see the wheels turning in her head.
“Please?”
“We call her Wren. Usually, when she comes around here, she wears a blue wig. She gives us food and money, and asks questions. She was here earlier. No wig this time.” The woman glanced around. “I think Sondra called her. Had info to share. She pays us for good info.”
“Where did she go?”
“There’s a guy. He’s been freaking us all out. He’s creepy as hell. He roughed up Isabel the other day, and tonight, a new girl,Tonya, went with him. Wren went looking for them. He gives me really bad vibes.”
I cursed. Lark must be trying to find the Red Ribbon Killer and thought this was a lead. I pulled out my phone. “Theo? Have you got Lark on screen?”
“She’s in your vicinity. She’s on the move. West of your current location, two blocks.”
“Hey, rich dude,” the woman in blue said. “The asshole Wren is after was driving a beat-up old Cadillac. Brown like mud.”
I nodded my thanks at the woman and handed her a wad of cash. “Thanks.”
Her eyes popped wide. “No, thankyou.” The bills disappeared into her tiny bag. “You say you’re Wren’s man?”
“Yes, I am.” That felt right. I was Lark’s man.
“Then go find her.”
CHAPTER 21
LARK
Icrept through the shadows, watching the old Cadillac drive slowly down the street.
The street was empty. The shops were all locked up for the night. There was probably life here during the day, but at this time of night, it was the perfect place for an evil killer to prey on prostitutes.
The car parked on the side of the road, and I could barely make out the shadows moving inside.
Was this guy the Red Ribbon Killer? Did he kill happy families one day and then down-on-their-luck sex workers the next?
I’d gotten a text message from Sondra, one of the sex workers in my little informant network, about a creepy guy she said had beaten up her friend. She also suspected he might have killed another woman who used to work the Blade but had been missing for a week.
Getting the text had been exactly what I needed. I’d needed to get out of the Avernus and clear my head. It had taken all my skills to slip out without Bastian’s security team spotting me.
He would be pissed, but I’d deal with him later.
I shivered and wished I’d thought to grab a jacket before I’d left. I’d been too focused on getting here as fast as I could. I’d snuck out of the Avernus, then jogged most of the way. It was only about half a mile.
My hand flexed. I wanted the guy in the car to be the RRK. I wanted to know what his connection to Ed was.
Whether this man was or wasn’t the killer I was looking for, he wasn’t hurting anyone tonight.
Suddenly, the passenger door flew open. A woman stumbled out, her short skirt askew. She was tall, with long legs and dark skin. Her black hair was curly, and she had a long, elegant neck.
