It was more yellow.
Like candles.
When they were almost there, that’s when she heard it again. This time, it was laughter, and it wasn’t from any of them.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
She hit her vest com, knowing that they were about to have one hell of a problem.
“Callen and Uriel, abort. Get your asses over here,” she whispered. “The killer has been here,” she said, taking a wild stab at it.
How did she know?
Well, when they got to the location where Steph Lewis was buried, the grave was open.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
On one of the tombstones nearby, there was an ominous little present left for her.
A skull.
Only, it had devil horns, and someone sick, had peeled off a wide swath of skin from that person, and laid it over the face of the skull.
Two mismatched eyes were placed there.
Underneath in red was something scrawled on the stone.
‘Welcome to the game, Deputy Director. You’re next. I’ve been waiting for you.’
Well, holy shit.
This didn’t go well for day one.
Not.
Even.
Close.
Chapter Fifteen
The Hotel
Monday Night
Nine P.M.
While in his new room, Corbin Price was able to calm down. He’d been able to catch his breath, now that there was space between him and his partner—well, his soon to be ex partner, Alex Bartlett.
A little piece of him hated that, but at this very moment, Corbin was at his weakest.
Whenever he was coming out of a nightmare, and dealing with the aftermath, he tended to be more susceptible to bad choices.
Like drinking.
Like going out to have random sex to purge that memory.
Like anything that made him hurt more for living while Will had died.
