Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon (books recommended by bts .TXT) 📕

“What’s up, Mason? Is Lacey okay?”

“I’m fine, Jeremy. Thank you for asking.” She grinned at the silence from the other end of the line. “I know it’s only been a few hours, but…have you made any progress?”

“Not much. We were able to track down the stripper, Irene. A co-worker admitted to witnessing the stabbing, Lacey, but she’s sticking to some crazy hearsay story to keep us from pinning anything related to the murder on her. She said Gina told Irene that Rob was teamed up with Jackson and planned to abduct her in the alley. That he’d hunt her down if she ran so she killed him in self-defense.”

Lacey chewed her fingernails at the news, reminding herself of her purpose.

“What if the woman is telling the truth, Jeremy? What else did she say?”

“You sound like you’re fishing. Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?”

“When Jackson took me…you know…”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I fought him, Jeremy. I kicked, I screamed, I scratched and punched.”

He probably held the phone away when he cursed, but she still heard the scathing phrase.

“What I’m saying is, I remember afterward how bad my hands hurt. How ripped up they were. My fingernails were ragged. Several even tore off part of the way. But, remember when Gina confessed to us, her nails were perfect. If someone attacked her, beat her up, why didn’t she fight back?” Lacey waited for Jeremy to shoot holes in her theory but he didn’t.

“Son of a bitch, Lacey. You’re right. Something’s off here. I’m going to call Razor back to the station. Don’t go anywhere, just hang tight for a second.” The connection clicked as he put her on hold. Her overactive imagination conjured an odd sound from the other room but when she listened harder there was nothing. Probably just one of the guys shifting in their sleep.

“Lacey? You there?” Jeremy sounded frazzled.

“Yeah.”

“Razor’s not answering. Where are Mason and Tyler?” The panic in his tone lifted the hair on her neck.

“They’re sleeping, I’m going to wake them right now.”

“Good, do that. I don’t like this. It’s too quiet. I’m sending someone to fetch that damn rookie. There are four officers staking out your house. There should be chatter. No one’s reporting anything suspicious but you guys better get down here as soon as…”

The unmistakable report of a gun discharging ripped through the house. Though she’d dropped the phone on the bathmat, she heard Jeremy’s frantic yells of “officer down” followed by her address. Her ears rang when the echo died away. The noise had come from the bedroom.

Now her pounding heartbeat made the only sound beside the horrid reverberations in her mind. There had only been a single shot, hadn’t there? Where were the guys, why were they silent? Instinct smothered the curious shout poised on the cusp of her lips.

Lacey dove for Rob’s gun then clutched it in her trembling grip before sliding the safety off. She chambered the first round with a barely audible slide of oiled metal. Terrified of what she’d find, but determined to help them if she could, she flung open the bathroom door.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Gina stood silhouetted in the moonlight from the window as she towered over the crumpled forms of Mason and Ty. Tyler had a clear lump on his forehead which oozed a dark patch of blood. She must have hit him with the butt of the gun.

“Ah, there you are. So sorry to have to kill off your boy toys but this one here…”

She gestured with the barrel to where Mason lay unmoving. From this distance she couldn’t see where he’d been shot or if his chest still rose and fell. Her hopes grew dim when she realized he didn’t make a sound. Horror stunned her as Gina kept talking.

“…ruined everything. I told them my story. They were supposed to forgive me. How could I be held accountable for my actions with a monster after me?” Her insane laughter terrified Lacey. “And he still told the chief. That fucker. I had everything tidied. I got that skanky stripper to get rid of your nosey brother then I helped her get her courage up to fix her mistake when she realized what a freaking saint he’d really been. I even paid some thug to smash my face! No one should have believed that pathetic fool, Jackson, after that!”

Lacey latched onto any excuse to draw Gina’s attention from her men. “You really did use him, didn’t you?”

“Of course, darling. You’ll find it’s quite easy to manipulate men to do your bidding. Looks like you’ve gotten a nice start with this pair. I’m proud of you. Jackson, Rob and now dear sweet Razor are the latest in a long line of dumb men who have served my purposes.”

“What did you do to Razor?” She hated stroking this monster’s ego but when Gina beamed, she took a step away from the bed in her earnest storytelling.

“I seduced him, of course. With tears and a few well-placed faux self-recriminations. Though he’s been quite useful until now, filling me in on the details of the case so I could stay one step ahead, it was nothing to steal his gun and use it to blow him away. Stupid boy. As if I’d want a wimp like him to comfort me! I don’t need any man to fuck me. I’m the one that does the fucking.” She made wild gestures with her pistol though she hadn’t seemed to notice Lacey’s yet.

“Well, it’s no matter now. I’ve already sent word and supplies to Jackson. He’ll hang himself as the ultimate test of his love for me. I can’t have him blabbering on as he did today, he really should have known better. You did meet another of my disciples, yes? The warden can’t wait to get rid of Jackson so he can have me all to himself! Ha! With him out of the