Page 115 of Lawton

Chloe's voice rose. "What other guy?"

Shrugging, Bishop gave a quick glance at the car in the driveway. "The guy in the trunk," he said. "Let's just say we intercepted him."

No. It was Bishop who intercepted him. As for me, I was the one he'd be dealing with later.

Chloe looked toward the car. Her voice trembled. "He's not, uh –"

"Dead?" Bishop said. "No." He looked toward to the guy on the lawn. "And we better hope that one's not dead, either."

I felt my jaw tighten. "Speak for yourself. I don't give a shit if he's dead."

"Obviously," Bishop said. "You search him yet?"

I shook my head and made a move toward the guy.

"Hang on," Bishop said. "I'll do it."

Chloe was shaking her head. "Why you?"

"Because given half a chance, Romeo here –" Bishop flicked his chin toward me. "– would probably finish him off. Then we'd haverealtrouble on our hands."

Wrong. The only people in trouble were the two strangers. As for me, I had a shovel. I could dig just fine and keep my mouth shut, too.

Chloe's gaze darted from Bishop to me, and then toward the car that – as she'd just learned – happened to have a body in the trunk.

Hey, at least it was alive.

For now.

In front of me, Chloe's gaze shifted to the guy on the lawn. She gave a small shudder, and then her whole body started to shake.

Slowly, careful not to startle her, I reached out and took her hand. I gave it a soft squeeze. "Come here," I said. "It's gonna be alright." I put an arm around her and nestled her close.

Suddenly, she pushed herself away and gave a bark of laughter. "Alright?" Her voice grew shrill. "Seriously? This is so not alright."

She was losing it. And I couldn't say I blamed her. I leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Shhhh…it's gonna be alright."

But she wasn't listening. She was watching Bishop, who had crouched down near the near the guy on the lawn. Bishop pulled off the ski mask, and I saw the guy's face.

I felt myself go very still.

His face was bloody, and his eyes were shut. But I'd seen the guy before, yesterday in fact. It was the guy from the club, the one who'd been talking to Chloe.

What the hell?

Chapter 51

None of this made sense. Standing in Chloe's darkened front yard, I turned to face her. "Wasn't this the guy from yesterday? At the club?"

She looked down at the guy, but said nothing. Watching, I tried to read her face. What was I seeing? Recognition? Or something else?

Finally, she nodded. "I, uh, think so."

The way it looked, she didn'tthinkso. Sheknewso.

What did that mean?

With a trembling hand, she reached up and touched her throat. With her gaze still on the ground, she gave a little shudder. Her fingers strayed across her skin, as if searching for something she didn't want to find. Cuts? It had to be.