Page 31 of Shadow Angel
She slid her arm through Nate’s and they went out the back door, climbed into his SUV, and headed for his house. “I’ll wait ten minutes and then head out to the cabin. It will take me some time to get there. I’m glad you have GPS. I’m driving blind.”
“Just follow Ryder.” Nate smiled at her. “He’ll keep you in sight, don’t worry. He’s very reliable.”
Nervous tension cramped her belly but she smiled. “That’s good to know. Thanks for lending me your ride. I hope you don’t have any emergencies while I’m gone.”
“It’s all good.” Nate drove into his garage. “I have a backup plan. Just be careful.” He turned in his seat and frowned at her. “Talking about backup plans, I can give you a knockout drug if you get into trouble. You’ll just have to stab him with it.”
Wishing she could use her hatpin to fix the problem permanently, as it was her weapon of choice, she nodded. “Why not? How long does it take to work?”
“I’ll give you fentanyl. So, seconds.” Nate climbed out of the vehicle. “Come into my office.”
The office was an examination room, a sterile environment with glass cabinets and spotless counters. On one side sat a desk and chairs under a frosted-glass window. Across the room against the wall was a sheet-draped examination table. She looked at him. “It sounds like a good idea but uncapping a syringe might be a problem in a fight. Stabbing him with it and depressing the plunger near impossible. I’ll bend the needle or stab myself for sure.”
“Ah, give me a second.” Nate went to a cabinet and took out a vial of milky liquid and an apparatus. Next minute he turned around and held up a pen. “You’ve seen these before, haven’t you?” He frowned. “Officers use them to inject Narcan or naloxone to overdose victims, or maybe you’ve seen them carried for anaphylaxis?”
Beth recognized the pen and smiled. “I hadn’t thought of using one of these for a knockout drug. You fill your own? How come?”
“It’s part of being a doctor in a small town. I’ll explain when we have more time.” He handed her the pen. “This contains five knockout doses. If you panic and give him too many, it will kill him. I’ve made it a substantial dose, taking into consideration his adrenaline will be spiking. Aim for bare skin areas or anywhere where the clothing is thin. The thigh is good, neck better.”
Feeling the time rushing along gave Beth the sensation of dropping down in an out-of-control elevator. She nodded. “Got it. I’d better hit the road. Do you have my things?”
“Yeah.” Nate led the way into his family room. “On the sofa, and here are the keys to my truck. The one with the green tag is to open the cabin door.” He handed them to her.
Beth rummaged through the bags and pulled out her wig. It was all she would need if someone saw her driving through town. She arranged her hair and then fit it on her head. Grabbing up the bag with her costumes and her purse, she smiled at him. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”
“Good luck!” Nate smiled at her. “Or should I say break a leg? Styles mentioned you should be in movies.”
Nerves curled in her belly but she smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
THIRTY-FOUR
The drive to Rainbow had been easy enough the first time. It was still light when she’d left for the cabin, and Ryder kept a good distance but in sight the entire way. Leaving the cabin late at night in the pitch black to drive to Tempters was different. Beth didn’t know the area, and although she had Ryder’s taillights to follow, the horrible feeling of being out of control swamped her. It had taken longer to drive to Rainbow than she’d imagined and although Tempters was only a ten-minute drive from the cabins, she couldn’t risk running late and so decided to change into her costume before leaving. She’d stuffed her change of clothes into a bag, added her makeup, hairbrush, and the injection pen before hurrying out into the dark. The cabins had no garages and outside darkness enveloped her, almost smothering her.
Apprehension gripped her as she scanned the area. What if she’d been seen leaving town and the killer had already followed her? He could be waiting alongside the road in the bushes ready to ambush her. Pushing fanciful ideas from her head, she used her phone’s flashlight, hurried to the SUV, and climbed inside. In the distance, she spotted Ryder reversing from his driveway and slowly moving up the road. She waited and then followed but lost him when he turned onto the highway. She hit the gas in a wave of panic and then sighed with relief when his red taillights bobbed in the distance. It was so dark when clouds covered the tiny slice of moon that, outside of the headlight beams, night enclosed her like an impenetrable wall. Not one house sat alongside the highway, not one reassuring light, nothing. Ahead, heavy white mist spilled from the river to drift across the blacktop, making it glisten in the watery moonlight, and the headlights turned the swirls into ethereal beings reaching out to drag her into the abyss. Maybe they were the ghosts of the victims, waiting for her to join them. She shook her head. “Not tonight. I have an advantage over you. I know he’s coming for me.”
The signs for the Little Gem Saloon shone like a beacon on the outskirts of town. A flashing sign advertising Tempters with a large arrow sat on the roof. Picturing Styles’ map, she headed through the main parking lot and drove around back. The area was lit by pale yellow lights strung around the fence. She parked close to a small area of trees with a path running through it and leading to the stage door. As she reached for the SUV’s door handle, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled a warning so strong Beth reached for her phone to call Styles, but then changed her mind. Panicking now would spoil everything. She pulled her coat closer around her and ran along the pathway. Someone was watching her and he was pure evil.
A security guard stood at the end of a small passageway and waved her inside. She looked up at him and used her husky voice. “Hi, I’m Crystal. Where’s the dressing room?”
“I’ll take you.” The man smiled at her. “I’m Tom. The boss told me to keep an eye on you. He added you to the website as soon as your pictures arrived and got a ton of bookings. The tables are full. I hope you put on a good show. You sure look like something special.”
Beth shrugged. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Nah.” Tom chuckled. “Watching the dancers is like candy. A little is fine but too much gives you a headache.” He waved her to the dressing room door. “There are lockers along the wall and they all have combination locks. Use them. Don’t leave your stuff lying around or it will be gone. The management isn’t responsible for any missing property.”
Nodding, Beth glanced at her phone for the time. “I’ve gotta go. I’m on in a few minutes.” She hurried inside the dressing room, checked her hair, and touched up her makeup before dumping her stuff into a locker. She took in her surroundings as she waited for the time to tick down. The smell of sweat greeted her, mixed with a variety of perfumes, hairspray, and mentholated salve. Tissues overflowed the metal garbage cans alongside candy wrappers. The other dancers nodded but left her alone. They all looked tired and the conversation was about kids and long hours. Some rubbed their feet and chatted as they sipped coffee. Others sat around half-dressed or stared into mirrors as they applied another coat of thick makeup.
Beth shook her head as nerves trembled her fingers. Darn it. She’d walked into life-threatening situations and faced down some of the deadliest serial killers in the country without as much as a second thought, but going onstage and cavorting in front of Styles sent shivers down her spine. She’d noticed his reaction to her, but then he was only human and she had disguised herself to attract men. She gave herself a mental slap in the face. It was just an act to bring down a killer. Nothing would change between her and Styles. He would act professionally and so would she. She made a mental note to be particularly indifferent toward him the following day. Just to make sure he had no doubt about her acting skills.
She made her way along the corridor and the smell of beer and men’s cologne greeted her. Tom smiled at her. “Two minutes.”
Two dancers holding bits of their costumes came toward her. One of them looked at her and blinked. Beth smiled. “How’s the crowd?”
“Noisy and waiting for you.” The woman frowned and wiped sweat from her brow. “The boss has made a big deal about you. I hope you’re good or the guys will boo you off the stage. At this time of night most of them have drunk themselves into a stupor and they turn into animals.”
A tremor of anxiety shivered through Beth and she nodded. “Good to know.”
The music thumped way too loud, and the bass vibrated through her feet as she made her way to the stage. The muscles in her legs trembled as she swung herself around the pole trailing an arm in a welcoming wave to the audience. The moves she’d learned were as familiar as breathing, and she’d danced to this music a million times before. With each slow spin around the pole, she scanned the audience, glad to see her request to have the audience illuminated had been granted. To her surprise, Styles was sitting with Ryder right in the middle of the room. Joseph Crenshaw was sitting with his back propped up against the bar, and along the edge of the room, Rowdy Bright stood with a group of men to one side. Right at the front of the stage, waving dollar bills and grinning like monkeys, sat Steve Smith and Jace Conan. She climbed the pole, wrapped her legs around it, and dropped back, her hair brushing the floor. She met Styles’ gaze with one raised eyebrow before executing another move. As she scanned the onlookers, a shiver slid down her spine and raised goosebumps on her hot flesh. All four suspects were watching her closely and there was no way of distinguishing which one was the killer.
