Page 72 of Risk of a Lifetime
“Smells like it.” She looped her arms over his shoulders, nibbling his ear. “Come to bed. Lay by me.”
“We can’t, sugar. Much as I’d like to, we can’t.” He kissed her palm.
“It’s not even close to 10:38.”
“But the psycho’s been searching in the dark all night long. The dark can play with people’s minds. Push them over the line. This guy’s probably standing on the edge.” JB pulled her onto his lap.
She liked sitting there. Safe and warm in his arms. “What makes you say that?”
His overhead stretch pulled his body closer to hers for an instant, and then he relaxed again. She watched his face as his arms loosely folded around her.
“He’s missed you four times now. He lost us in the woods. And something tells me the phone didn’t help him as quickly as he’d hoped, or he’d already be here. Trust me, he’s furious. Furious at us. Furious at himself. That means his breaking point is close. Either the police will nab him or…”
“Or what?” Why had she asked? She knew the answer.
JB winked at her, then shuffled her off his lap and reached for the soaking coffee pot.
“No more coffee.” She pulled on his hand. “Come back to bed.”
He shook his head.
“Staring at the door isn’t going to make the worst happen. Come to bed and wrap your arms around me. Get a couple hours sleep.”
A heavy sigh followed his glance at the door before he followed her to the bedroom. After securing the room, he lay on the covers fully dressed as she snuggled against his side.
He glanced at the clock. Already 4:00 AM. He set the clock for 7:00 AM.
Chapter Twenty-three
JB didn’t need the alarm clock to wake him. Howling wind muffled every sound except for the thunderous rain. He rolled out of bed, leaving Marcy and her warmth. Good sense should have kept him from stretching out on the bed in the first place, but the couple hours of sleep felt good. He clicked off the alarm. Let her sleep awhile longer.
Opening the living room shutters provided nothing but a view of the thick, spooky fog. This looked like the kind of day depicted in scary movies. The cabin in the woods. The fog rolling in. The man, the woman, the killer.
Shake it off, man. Shake it off.He closed the shutters.
All he thought about as he started a fresh pot of coffee was how to lure the shooter into their lair. This stalemate needed to end today. Otherwise, sloppiness might creep in. One sloppy moment could lead to one error. Sometimes, one error ended a successful agent’s career.
Jennings had been a veteran lawman. During their brief time as partners, he’d taught JB everything he could. Would have been even more if the man hadn’t taken the wrong call at the wrong time from the wrong person. He’d probably already have the case solved.
JB ranked the calls he needed to make on his decoy phone, then dialed.
“Deputy Evans here.”
“Hope you got something for me.” JB sat two cups on the table.
“Nothing. Let me shut the door.” The deputy’s footsteps echoed through the phone. “There that’s better.”
JB jogged the coffeepot out and poured. “Last night, Kennett said the sheriff seemed confused on what the guy looked like that attacked him.”
“Maybe not. I got a call from the doc a few minutes ago. He said the sheriff’s awake and talking fine. He still insists the man had brown eyes one second. Then one of his eyes was blue the next.” Evans sighed. “And that partner of yours…Landon.”
JB turned at the sound of Marcy’s footsteps on the floor as she headed to the bathroom. “He’s not my partner. I just worked with him one other time.”
The slam of a folder on the desk rumbled through the phone. “Well, I don’t care who or what he is. In my book, he’s not worth the metal in his shield.”
“Still not answering his calls?” Seemed odd, even for Landon.
“I checked with the phone company to make sure everything’s okay with his line. They said his phone is sitting some place over in Jefferson City.” Deputy Evans voice tensed. “Want me to call Wilson? Your boss? “
