Page 43 of Killer Summer
Tommy stood up from the bed and held out his hand.
Melody took the scrunchie out of her hair and handed it back to him. “It’s probably full of lice anyway.”
“Ew.” Tommy ruffled her hair. “Give us a few more minutes, okay? I’ll play Tomb Raider with you when Dani goes home. We just need to finish studying.”
“I wish she would go home now.” Melody let out a dramatic huff and disappeared down the hall.
Tommy closed the door, hunched down and launched his body onto the bed. Before Dani could react, he wrapped her up in a side hug and proceeded to poke and prod her most sensitive, ticklish spots.
“Stop!” Dani giggled, instantly breathless. “You’re awful!”
“Oh yeah?” Tommy said, tugging at the drawstring on her hoodie.Hishoodie. “At least I don’t go around stealing other people’s stuff.”
“You let me borrow it at assembly!” Dani scoffed. “I’m just taking out an extended loan. Besides, it smells like you. I like it.”
“It’s yours then,” he said, planting a soft kiss on her lips. “You have to give me something that belongs to you though.”
Dani snatched the scrunchie away from him. “How about this?”
“I was thinking of something a little more intimate.” Tommy smirked.
“Gross.” She pushed him away, smiling. “Come on, we’ve gotta study.”
“For what?” He asked, his eyes melting from their sockets.
Dani screamed and glanced around the room, her heart beating fast. The walls were sprayed in wide arcs of red as a low whine pierced her ears. His braided rug was gone, and in its place was a dark, gaping hole in the middle of the bedroom floor. She tried to move, but her arms and legs only tingled as she turned her attention back to Tommy.
“Come on, Dani,” he said, his voice slowed and garbled as if from the audio on a ruined VHS tape. His entire body was on fire. “Let’s mess around.”
Dani gasped and sat up, her head and heart pounding. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest, breathing in and out as she waited for her pulse to return to normal. She glanced down at Tommy’s faded hoodie and ran her fingers along the soft, well-worn fabric. The bloody, battered article of clothing was still doing its job of protecting her and keeping her safe. Even after all these years, Dani knew that as long as she was wearing it, she would be okay.
She leaned back in the driver's seat and glanced at the time on her burner phone. It was late in the afternoon and soon she would need to get back on the road. She had hauled ass out of town and drove until she made it over the state line. She didn’tmean to fall asleep, but her body gave in when she reached a rest stop just outside of Valdosta. Now that she was awake and delirious, Dani needed to go pee, to eat and to refuel. But first, she needed to call Detective Owens.
Dani pulled up her contacts list on the phone, dialed Janet Owens’ number and waited. It occurred to her as she listened to the phone ring that her old friend Detective Owens might be in danger too. What if Matt Vickers had gone after the detective for ratting him out? Even though she was in California, maybe he had sent another one of his goons to enact revenge. Panic flooded her chest as the phone continued to ring.
“C’mon, Janet,” Dani said. “Pick up.”
Finally, after five rings, the Detective’s voice sounded in her ear.
“Dani. You’re alive.”
“Thank god,” Dani said. “So are you.”
“Are you alright?”
“I am for now,” she said. “I saw him. It was Vickers. He went after my friends again. He killed a woman named Missy and attacked my colleague, Ethan Baker. I need you to get some extra security down at the hospital!”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Detective Owens said. “What hospital is your friend at?”
“West Coast Regional,” Dani said.
“I’m on it.”
“Thank you.” Dani held a hand to her chest, her throat tight. “I can’t believe he killed Missy. I froze up. I let him take her body and I ran away.”
“You were right to run,” Detective Owens said. “Dani, the feds think you might be in on it.”
“What?”
