Page 79 of Cold Threat

“Look, you stay here and keep safe. I’ll make it home to you. You have my word.”

She stared at me for a moment, but then finally, the tension in her face lessened. “Okay. I’m sorry. And it’s not that I don’t trust you, but if something bad happened, what would I do? I couldn’t go on without you.”

“That won’t happen.”

“When are you leaving?” she asked,

I pulled on my black sweatshirt with the hood, and then my thick black coat. After fastening the coat, I put on my gloves and slung my backpack over my back. “Now,” I said, trying to seem completely calm and in control.

The truth was, I wasn’t frightened or even worried. I felt excited. Even though I’d had a hard time taking lives after the first two, now there was a sense of satisfaction when it was done. I still didn’t enjoy the process, but as long as I could put them to sleep before I started the fire, I could get through it just fine.

“But it’s still light outside.”

“We’ve been over this. I told you I need to get inside and hide while the alarm’s off. That only happens during the day.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t get angry with me.”

I couldn’t help the tears that formed in my eyes. “I’m not angry. I love you.”

“I know. I love you too.”

I smiled at her. “I’ll be back before you know it. You stay safe and warm.”

“I will.”

As I walked out the door, I was glad we’d ended on a good note. The last thing I wanted was for her to be upset with me. I’dthink about it all day, and it would make it harder to concentrate on what I had to do. How the guilty had to die.

THEY’D FINISHED BREAKFASTand were listening to his mother talk about their plans for Christmas.

“You’ll come back, right, Smooshy?” Beth asked.

“That was the plan before you called me Smooshy,” Tony replied.

“Okay, that’s it,” River said. She grinned at his mother. “I have to know. Where did he get the nameSmooshy?”

“Don’t you dare,” Tony said. “I mean it.”

His father burst out laughing.

“Wow, this must be good,” River said. “Now you’ve got to tell me.”

Beth shook her head. “I want to, but if Tony says no, I just can’t.”

“Well, I can,” Ray said.

“Dad, no! I mean it!”

Tony saw him wink at River. “I’ll tell you later.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Sure, son. Whatever you say.”

This time, his mother laughed.

Tony started to warn them again when Ray’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked at it. “It’s Duggan,” he said. He got up and carried the phone into the family room.

Although it was hard to not try and overhear the conversation, Tony stood up and picked up the dirty dishes, carrying them over to the sink.