Page 73 of Killer Notes
“That’s easy,” she says, waving the knife around. “I tracked Connor’s cell. That dumbass didn’t know I went into his phone and linked my number. I know exactly where he is at all times.” Laney giggles. “And you too. The entire time you were at the lake house with that idiot bodyguard. I could have taken you at any time, but it was fun watching from across the lake.”
“You what?” It’s as though the oxygen in the car turn to poison and I couldn’t breathe.
“Don’t play stupid, Danny. You saw me—I know you did,” she says with narrowed eyes.
I have to get away from Laney before her twisted mind changes and she kills me. I rotation slightly, my right hand at my back, my fingers tucked under the door handle.
“Then why did Siles—”
“That’s enough questions. Now that you know it’s me who wrote the letters, you know our love is perfect,” she says with another maniacal chuckle. Laney leans slightly back, which gives me the precious seconds I need to flee.
“Not perfect,” I utter before I pull on the handle and fall out of the car. Thank Christ for yoga and my flexibility, because I’m quickly on my feet and hauling ass down the desert road.
Laney is soon running after me, screeching her head off. But I don’t turn around. My focus is on getting back to the guys—back to Tobias. Even if he doesn’t love me, it doesn’t matter. I love him and I’m willing to stick it out to see where this relationship heads.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Laney hisses, her fingers grabbing my long hair and yanking back, causing my feet to falter. But I’m not deterred by the sharp pain on my scalp. Losing a few strands of hair I can deal with, but I won’t risk my life any longer with this crazy bitch.
I whip around to push her away, and she comes at me with the knife. She swipes the blade at my face and arms. Then she tries to jab forward, to plant the knife in my gut.
She misses, but the edge tags the outer part of my thigh when I kick at her. Laney stumbles back and I take off again. I might be fast on my feet, but she’s faster and knocks me down onto the dirt.
With my back to the ground, she straddles my hips and attempts to plunge the knife into my chest, but I buck her off.
My scream tears through the night, as I keep fighting and try to stay alive.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
Tobias
When Connor told me that Danny was with Laney, my world flipped upside down.
John took off back to the bus to tell Dean what was happening while I stood there frozen.
“Tobias.” Connor shouts in my face. “Damn it. You promised to protect him.”
I shove the drummer back. “How long have they been gone?” I demand.
“About ten minutes,” Callum quickly snaps out.
“Grant,” Dean calls to me.
“ETD ten minutes ago,” I relay as I run toward him.
Dean barks out to Pen to call for the authorities, as John and I climb into Dean’s SUV. My heart is a jackhammer in my chest, and my palms are so sweaty that I wipe them on my jeans. From my seat as shotgun, I dart a look back and forth from one side of the road to the other, not wanting to miss Laney’s car.
I have never been so scared in my life, until now. Every horrific scenario is running through my head, from Danny being hurt to worse. But I quickly try to shake off that last thought and focus on seeing Danny alive and well. It’s all I can hope for.
Fuck. Why didn’t I just tell him that I love him? Why does it take a threat to his life to straighten my ass out and make me be brave enough to admit that he’s mine?
“What’s that?” John leans forward from the back seat and points straight ahead.
Lights from a vehicle are shining in the distance. As the SUV rapidly approaches, I see two bodies wrangling in the sandy dirt.
“Danny,” I shout. Fear creeps up my throat as I impatiently watch him fighting a losing battle with Laney, who’s on top of him.
Before the SUV comes to a halt, I jump out and take off toward them. Then I see it, a glint of light, and I realize that the headlights of our SUV are reflecting metal. A knife.
Operating purely on instinct, I pull out my gun and, before Laney plunges the knife into Danny’s chest, I pull the trigger.