Deadly Desire (Carrington-Hill Investigations Book 2) by Kate Allenton Read Free Book Online Page B

address?”
    When h e’d told her, she text Amanda’s name and address to Lexi and asked her to pick Amanda up and move her to a safe house. Maybe they could prevent or at least slow down the killer since they now had somewhat of a reasoning behind why the killer was only choosing some of the exes and not all of them. She threw open the glove box, grabbed her Beretta and hopped out of the SUV and ran up to the building entrance. Collin was right behind her. “Collin, you need to go wait in the SUV.”
    He shook his head. “Not on your life.”
    She reached down and pulled the revolver out of her ankle holster and handed it to him. “There is no safety on this gun, so try not to shoot me.”
    He nodded. She took the stairs two at a time until they reached the second floor , completely bypassing the elevator. She glanced through the little glass window of the exit door, to ensure the coast was clear, before she pulled it open. They hurried down to the door, and she laid her hand on his arm to stop him. She pushed him so his back was pressed against the wall and motioned for him to wait.
    There was no sign of forced entry, no signs of foul play in the hall, so she did the only thing she could. She knocked. No answer. She rang the doorbell. Still no answer.
    Movement at the end of the stairwell caught her eye , and she breathed a sigh of relief. Marco, Vickers, and a blonde woman she hadn’t seen before were headed her way, each with guns drawn. This wasn’t the time to figure out who the woman was. Introductions would have to wait.
    “No one answered ,” she whispered.
    Marco nodded, got down on one knee , pulled a tool from his back pocket, and silently picked the lock. It would have been easier just to kick the damn thing down, which she’d been about to try before Marco arrived. With her luck she’d hurt her leg, the door would have been one of those heavy metal fireproof doors.
    He grabbed his gun , straightened, and pushed the door open. It creaked, and she inwardly cringed. So much for the element of surprise. She and the team moved, using hand signals as they cleared the living room and kitchen and proceeded down the hall.
    The acrid smell of blood and decaying body hit them all at the same time. She glanced back to find Collin had covered his nose and mouth with his shirt. A tear slipped from his lid. He didn’t need to see what she knew was on the other side of the door. She turned and pulled him back out into the open living room while the team advanced.
    Minutes ticked by as Collin and she waited on the couch for confirmation that it was indeed too late. He sat with his elbows propped on his knees, his head in his hands. Her heart ached for him. No one needed to go through this. The self-blame alone would destroy lesser men.
    Sara stood and started to move throughout the room with nervous energy. Boxes had been shoved up against walls, all labeled with room names. She moved to the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. Unopened mail sat on the counter. She noticed the light blinking on the answering machine, a message that would undoubtedly be left unanswered.
    Sara glanced over her shoulder as she pulled her long -sleeve shirt down to cover her fingers and pressed play.
    A sweet voice filled the silent room. “You’ve missed me, so either leave a message or try me on my cell. If you’re a telemarketer, don’t bother.”
    A hand clamped down on Sara’s shoulder , and she jumped. He leaned in closer to the recorder, listening to the silence, waiting to hear a message, trying to find a clue when there wasn’t one to find. The machine recorded nothing but silence until the blaring sound of a disconnected call came on.
    “I got a call like that.”
    She spun around. “When?”
    “The night before last, right before you moved in.”
    “Are you insane? You didn’t think that little bit of information might be important. Do you have a freaking death wish?”
    Sara clenched her hands