Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“Not if she knows what’s good for her. Last I heard, she was headed to Texas.”
Stone shifted his stance. “Okay. Well, I knew it was a long-shot, but I had to try.”
“She owe you money, too?”
“No.” Stone glanced at me before meeting Keola’s gaze. “Someone’s trying to kill me. I thought she might have something to do with it.”
“Bro, that’s mental. Don’t they know who you are?”
“Doesn’t seem to matter.”
Keola shook his head. “I’ll ask around. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks man, I appreciate it.”
“No prob. You have time for a game? You could show Serenity your mad skills at the pool table.” He glanced my way. “He’s got his own stick here, but he hardly ever uses it.”
Stone shook his head. “Thanks, but we should go.”
Keola nodded. “Sure. I hope you find your guy.” He glanced at me. “Come back sometime, Serenity. You don’t even need to bring this jughead with you.”
I grinned. “Thanks. Maybe I will.”
“Later.” Stone’s lips twisted, and he turned toward the door without waiting for me. I gave Keola a quick wave and followed him back outside.
Meeting Keola had given me a lift, totally different from the last people Stone had introduced me to. I wanted to ask Stone how they knew each other, but held back, since it was clear he wasn’t in a talking mood.
At his bike, Stone glanced at me. “You got a dazed look when you shook Keola’s hand. Did you see something?”
I slipped my glove back on and shook my head. “No, but I got an impression that Keola is important. You should keep in touch with him.”
Stone’s brows rose. “So you get impressions, too?”
I shrugged. “I guess. That’s never happened before. Well… I take that back. When I shook Vanetti’s hand, it was kind of the same thing… only more powerful.”
“And what about me? What did you get when you shook my hand?”
My eyes widened. I didn’t want to tell him that his touch took my breath away and just about knocked me over. “Um… you know… I can’t remember, so I guess it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Liar.”
I grabbed my helmet and ignored him. “So what should we do now? Go back to the office? Maybe you should check your messages and emails in case the killer’s trying to set you up again.”
Stone’s lips twisted. “I’m beginning to think that baiting him might be the only way to flush him out. Since you saw me get shot, I guess that means he’s not giving up any time soon.”
A chill passed over me. “Yeah… in fact, we should get going. Don’t want to stand around in the sun for too long, you know?” I glanced at the street with different eyes, looking for anyone suspicious. Could the killer be watching us right now?
I glanced at Stone’s chest, remembering the blood that spread over his gray t-shirt. The shirt he wore today was black, so he was fine, right? “Is there somewhere else we could visit? Maybe the other places where he tried to kill you?”
“I go to the gym a lot. You want to try that?”
“Sure. Maybe you could take me up to the roof of the building where the AC unit fell. I might pick up something there.”
Stone shrugged. “I guess it’s worth a try.”
With that decided, I slipped on my helmet and even managed to snap the chin strap all by myself. We motored off, heading closer to the downtown area and the office.
On the way, a shiver ran down my spine. It didn’t help that the sun had gone behind a cloud, but that was a good thing, right? Still, it felt like we were just running around in circles, while the killer just got closer and closer to cornering us.
I was missing something, but what?
We arrived at the gym and I got off the bike. After pulling off my helmet, I waited for Stone to do the same, and couldn’t help admiring how handsome and commanding he looked.
His chiseled jaw and tousled hair sent butterflies through my chest. Then he glanced at me and grinned, like he knew I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I sighed. Why couldn’t he be ugly? He stepped to my side with a raised brow. “What?”
Flustered, I improvised. “We should get out of the sun.”
He rolled his eyes and followed me inside. The smell hit me first, and I tried not to wince, but I hated that locker room scent. Glancing at all the equipment, and people on the machines, my heart sank. “I just realized something. With so many people in and out of the gym, I’m not sure I’ll find anything specific enough to give us a clue.”
His brows rose. “So you don’t want to try?”
My lips drew down. “No… I mean… sure I’ll try, I’m just warning you that it might not work the best. You know?”