Feeling lucky I can easily fix or replace what he damaged, I follow him downstairs, where I find him already waiting by the kitchen door.I punch the code into the keypad by the door before I open it, letting Ragnar bound outside to do his business, while I start picking up the decimated throw pillow and various bits of plastic off the floor.
The garbage can under the sink is close to overflowing by the time I stuff everything in, so I pull out the bag, tie it up, and carry it out the back.
Hugo parks his rolling bins on the side of the deck, so I head down the two steps and drop the bag in the bin.I’m just closing the lid when Ragnar comes out of nowhere and darts past me.He jumps up against the wooden fence separating Hugo’s property and his neighbors, and starts barking his head off.
It’s dark, the only light out here comes from inside the house, and I can’t see what he’s barking at—for all I know the neighbor is out there or some kind of animal—but it’s suddenly making me feel very uneasy.Invisible fingers creep up my back and I’m already retreating up the steps to the back door when I try to call the dog back.
“Come on, boy.Let’s go.Inside!Ragnar, come!”
When he finally turns and comes bounding back, I peer beyond him into the shadows and just catch sight of someone climbing over the fence.Panicked, I rush the dog inside and slam the door, my fingers shaking as I try to throw the lock and arm the alarm.
I jump when Ragnar starts barking again, running for the front door, where someone starts banging on the other side.Fueled by fear and adrenaline, I run after the dog, scoop him up in my arms, and dart up the stairs where I lock us into the bathroom.
Ragnar is still growling from deep in his chest, and I’m shaking so hard, my teeth start to chatter.My hand digs for my phone in my pocket, only to discover I never took it out of my purse, which is still on the hall table by the front door.
At the sound of a loud crash and glass breaking from downstairs, Ragnar immediately wrestles loose and starts barking at the door, but I wedge myself between the toilet and the tub, my heart lodged in my throat.
Hugo
“She was in an impossible situation,you realize that, right?”
I’m surprised that comes from Althof.He never struck me as a particularly sensitive guy but, apparently, he’s picking up on some remaining negative vibes I must be sending out.I really need to check that.
Still, it irks me he feels he needs to defend Bess to me.
“Of course I get that.”
Not what you’d call a gracious response, but I’m trying to fucking roll with the punches here.Give me a break.
“You know what this means,” Mancuso interjects.“She’s in as much danger as her brother is.If Shane Lee knows Ken killed Joon, and why, and he’s aware Bess knew about it the entire time, he’s gonna hold her equally responsible.These guys don’t mess around with people they feel wronged them.”
“But in that case, why this cloak-and-dagger game?Why not put a straight hit out on her instead of lighting a fire when she’s not even there?”Rick puts forward.“Or for that matter, why not shoot Ken right where he stood on the sidewalk instead of going to the effort of having him snatched off the street.”
All good questions, and now I really feel fucking stupid for having walked out on Bess at the hospital.I was so hot under the collar, I never even thought through the implications of the bombshell she dropped.Some fucking protector I am.
Mancuso speaks up, “Because I suspect Shane Lee wants to do the honors himself, and he wanted a chance to have both Ken and Bess in front of him for maximum effect.We were right in thinking they were using Bess to flush out her brother, since he was the more elusive one, and probably counted on being able to pick her up easily once they had him.My guess?He’d have made Ken watch them violate and then kill his sister, before killing him.The ultimate revenge.”
The picture he paints is too vivid in my mind and I slam my fist into the wall in a rage.
“Real sensitive, Mancuso,” Althof observes in a deadpan voice.“You must be a barrel of laughs at parties.”
“Shit.Sorry, man,” the agent apologizes, and then adds, “I’ve gotta take this,” when his phone starts ringing.
“I’m off,” I announce, heading for the door.
The need to get to Bess is burning a hole in my gut.
“Where to?”Rick calls after me.
“To grab Bess at the hospital.”
No way I’m going to leave her in close proximity to her brother and make it too easy for those Lotus Squad fuckers to snatch them both.She’ll be safer the farther I can keep her from Ken.
“The hospital?”Brenda, who was lurking in the hallway, pipes up.“She’s not there anymore.KC just called in; he gave her a ride to your house.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, brushing past her in my hurry to get home.
Just as I push through the door to the parking lot, I hear my name called and running footsteps behind me.
