Page 327 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

Elliot’s jaw tightened. He hated that possibility. Ronan noticed.

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Get possessive about the serial killer stalking us.”

“I’m not.”

“You absolutely are.”

Elliot looked away. Ronan almost laughed. Then his expression changed.

“What if Saint wanted Nathan arrested?”

Elliot looked back.

“Why?”

“Think about it.”

He did. Nathan had escalated. Dylan. The house. The attack. Maybe too far. Maybe Saint had never intended Nathan to enter. Maybe Nathan was another experiment that stopped following instructions.

“Saint gave him up.”

Ronan nodded.

“Maybe.”

Cold moved through Elliot. If true, Nathan wasn’t the climax. He was cleanup. The thought unsettled him. Then a sound came from beneath the stairs. Small. Electronic. Both froze. Elliot stared toward the storage-room door. Ronan straightened.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know.”

The sound came again. A vibration. Inside. Elliot moved. Ronan caught his arm.

“Wait.”

“Something’s in there.”

“No shit.”

Another vibration. Not the mask. A phone. They stared at each other. Elliot’s pulse accelerated.

“There isn’t a phone in there.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Completely?”

“Yes.”

Ronan released him. Together they crossed the kitchen. Elliot opened the storage-room door. Turned on the light. Boxes. Coats. Tools. Black container. The vibration came again. Inside the container. Ronan whispered:

“No.”