Page 84 of Beautiful Killer

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sunny

“We have to leave,” Zeke said, shot to his feet, grabbed my hand, and started towing me from the restaurant.

Fear snapped at my heels as we rushed for the exit. I’d think he planned on taking me home and ravishing me if it weren’t for the look I’d just seen on his face. “What’s going on?”

“Miller. We have a location. I need to get over there.”

“You’ve found him?” Another spike of fear hit me just at the mention of that man’s name.

Zeke led me outside and to the passenger side of his truck. He opened the door for me. “Yeah, and I don’t have time to take you home first. I’ll drop you at the agency, you’ll be safe there.”

“Okay,” I said, but I wasn’t. I hated the thought of being separated from Zeke. He made me feel safe, protected, and right now, I was kind of terrified.

I climbed into his truck and he did the same. A moment later we tore out into the street.

His phone rang again and he snatched it up. “Yeah.” Zeke listened for bit then cursed. “Tell him I’m on my way.” He glanced at me. “Change of plans. You’ll have to come with me. When we get there, you’re going to lock yourself in this truck and you’re going to stay down. You’ll be safe. The windows are tinted. There’s no way anyone will even know you’re in here. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said, and somehow managed to disguise the relief in my voice at not being separated from him.

He reached over, gave my hand a quick squeeze, then went back to focusing on driving us through back streets at breakneck speed. A short time later, he pulled up behind a car with dark windows. He reached under the seat, pulled out a gun, checked it, then turned to me. “Lock the doors after me and stay down. I promise you I’ll get him. This ends tonight.”

Then he climbed out and shut his door behind him, waiting until I reached over and locked it before he took off into the shadows.

I sank lower in my seat and tried to slow my racing heart.

Zeke

Neco texted on the drive, telling me where he was, and I pulled out my gun at the mouth of the alleyway and moved deeper. I spotted Neco just ahead and moved in beside him.

“He’s in there,” Nec said, pointing his gun toward the vacant building beside us, a now empty restaurant. “I followed him here. He’s been inside about fifteen minutes.”

“Ready?” I said. There were several different ways we could approach this, and right then, my choice was kicking the door in and lighting the place up.

Neco gave me a nod. “I’ll cover the front, while you go in through the back.”

“Let’s go.”

Neco started up the alley to the street, but turned back to me. “Try not to kill him,” he said, then carried on.

In other words, the decision whether Miller lived or died was mine. I didn’t miss. I never missed. Neco knew that. If Miller walked out of here alive, it was because I allowed it.

I gave Neco a few minutes to get into place then strode to the door. I tried the handle. Locked, or something was against it. I didn’t have my lock picks with me, but if the guy who broke into Sunny’s was in there it was more than likely open and barricaded from the inside. I took a step back then slammed my boot into it, once, twice. The door flung open and I ran into a commercial kitchen. I saw a flash of color take off on the other side of a prep table and toward the front. The sounds of a gun going off came next, smashing glass. I tore into the main restaurant. Miller had shot out the front window and kicked through. I raced out and saw him and Neco in a standoff farther down the street. They were only a car length from my truck, from Sunny.

I strode toward them. “Drop your gun. You’re not getting away, not this time,” I said.

His gaze sliced to me, wide and wild. “What the hell do you want with me?”

“You broke into a house on the Upper West Side. Took some jewelry, cut a woman before you took off,” I said.

He paled.

“Put down the fucking gun.”

He took a step back and fired a shot in the air. A muffled scream came from my car.

Fuck.