Page 36 of A Sublime Casualt

“Crap. Miles had better wake up quick. I think you might be right.” Theo hops up and pops his weaponry back into the holster wrapped around his body.

“Where are you going?”

“Neil has a cabin somewhere in the Tennyson Hills, a couple miles north from his house.”

I glance down at my phone. “Where the horses feed.It wouldn’t be a renovated barn, would it?” My blood runs cold.

Theo takes a picture of the text before flying out of the room, and I follow.He pauses mid-flight while putting on his jacket. “That’s exactly what it is.” He races out of the house, and I snatch my jacket off the couch, struggling to step into my boots.

“Wait!” I call after him, only to be met with a patrol car parked in the middle of the street, Fiona and another cop I don’t recognize already speaking with Theo.

“What’s happening?” I race down the walkway, and Theo turns around, wild-eyed, pissed.

“Get back in the house,” he roars my way. “Miles died. I’m being taken in”—his lips twitch a moment—“for murder.”

The ground beneath me quakes. My body slaps with heat right before it goes numb completely, and I can’t see, think, or feel.

“That’s right.” Fiona opens the back door to the cruiser. “You put a damn three-inch gash into the back of his skull. What the hell did you think was going to happen?” She spits the words like a mother reprimanding her son.

“No.” Theo looks to me as the heavyset officer pushes him into the back of the car. “That’s not what happened. I never bashed his skull in.” He strains to lean out and get one last look at me. “I’m being framed, Phoebe. Get Thomas on the phone. This is bullshit. Neil did it,” he shouts into the night. “He took Lizzy!” The heavyset officer slams the door shut as the two of them exchange baffled looks, shaking their heads, and I can only imagine what they must be thinking.

Theo pounds against the glass and points hard at me. He’s charging me to get him help.

“Watch yourself!” His voice comes to me, strangulated and muted.

They speed off, and I stand there with my arms wrapped around my body, shivering in the frozen air before I head back in and grab my phone off the bed.

There’s a brand-new text message, and my heart stops.

Are you ready to play a game?

My heart thumps its way into my throat.

I’m ready, Neil. But this time you have underestimated your opponent.

I’m no coed looking to have a good time with you. I’m a killer hungry for your blood.

* * *

I calledGabby and asked to speak with Jackson about Theo’s arrest. I screamed past all of her angry rants until she settled down long enough to put the phone on speaker.

“Tell Thomas. Theo wants you to. He’ll need help getting out of this one.” I relay all my thoughts about Neil, about Abilene. “Where’s the cabin, Jackson? Do you know where Neil’s cabin is?”

“No,” he barks it out in anger. “Look, I have to help Theo. I don’t have time for this. You’re just causing more damn trouble for everyone. I don’t know what to believe anymore. You might have set Theo up for all we know. Do not, and I repeat do not call or come near Gabby.”

“Gabby”—I shout into the phone—“you have to believe me. I don’t have time to give you all the hows and whys. I’m sorry I stole Lizzy’s ID, but whoever did this to Lizzy is coming after me. I want to find her. It’s the least I can do.”

“Shit,” Jackson howls, and the line goes dead. He’s probably off and running to the police department. He’ll be on the phone with Thomas as well. There’s nothing else I can do for Theo. I glance around and spot the keys to his truck on the counter. But there is something I can do for Lizzy.

I pull an old backpack out of the closet and fill it with a half a dozen knives of various shapes and sizes. I head back to the gun safe in Theo’s room and play with the combination. He specifically mentioned it was Lizzy’s gun safe. That he never screwed with the code. First try—Lizzy—and nothing. Shit. I spot Lizzy’s poster near his nightstand and snatch it up as if looking for clues. “Come on, Lizzy, tell me something.” That showy smile blares off the page like a siren’s song. I input the numbers, careful not to screw up and, sure enough, the light turns green. The door opens with a yawn. Magic. I grab Lizzy’s steely blue gun and admire it a moment. Theo was taking care of his sister when he bought it for her, and now he’s taking care of me.

I take off for the kitchen once again and toss in the flashlight from the junk drawer before heading out.

Theo said Neil has a cabin somewhere in the Tennyson Hills, a couple miles north from his house. I glance down at that acrostic one more time.

Certain are those who know their way.

And on they go to find it.