Page 107 of Drowning in Darkness

Me: All is good. Enjoying your vacation?

Daisy: Always. Hubs is waiting on me hand and foot.

It might be a little unconventional, but Daisy’s husband works security at the club. He has no problem with his wife’s chosen profession so long as he is around to ensure her safety.

Me: Good. You deserve it.

Daisy: I have your usual time reserved for next week. Let me know if that changes.

I hover over the keypad. My first thought is to cancel the appointment. That’s a problem. I can’t find solace with Stephanie. I don’t deserve it.

Me: I’ll confirm in a few days. My plans are fluid right now.

Not entirely untrue.

I flick open the recently called numbers and call Camryn.

“What happened?” she answers by way of greeting.

“Are we secure?” I check.

“Give me a moment.” There’s some shuffling followed by a click of a car door, I believe. “Go ahead.”

“Our girl is plotting to put herself in Burnside’s path. A sting operation with no training or guidance.”

“How the hell has that even become a topic of conversation? Is she planning on walking up to his HQ and offering herself as a sacrifice?”

I sigh. “He’s putting pressure on the Alderidges to throw a party in his honor.”

“And Stephanie wants to attend? To what end?”

“She has the idea that she could slip a tracker into his clothing.”

“She isn’t worried he’ll take her?”

“Of course, but she believes she’ll be safe with us controlling the environment.”

“It would be rather convenient if he were still wearing those clothes to go wherever he keeps his victims.”

I spin in my chair to look at the carnage one man can cause. “That’s what I said, but she thinks she can egg him on enough to go take it out on someone else, someone more convenient when he can’t get his hands on her. But she thinks you can swoop in before there are consequences for anyone else.”

“I don’t have enough to get a search warrant because of an unauthorized tracker dropped by a civilian.”

“I told her that her plan had issues, this being one of them.”

“Unless...” She drags in a long breath. “Unless you deal with him.”

“Yep.”

“You could make it look like an accident, like one of his victims got free and attacked him.”

“That’s where my thoughts are.”

“But then why not just take him out without the fanfare?” she asks.

I click on the most recent folder. A dark-haired beauty who bears an uncanny likeness to the woman I’m protecting. He’s trying to substitute. Sure, I could kill him. Tonight, even. But there’s one problem with that. “If he dies while he has a woman hidden somewhere, one of two things will happen.”

“Security will kill her,” Camryn says.