Page 108 of Locked In Ice

“I set up the case so I could get close to her.I knew if she saw me as a victim first, it would be harder for her to ever see me as a killer.”

All along, the bastard had planned to eliminate Ophelia.“You set up Beau LeBlanc.”

“He needs to die, too.He’s as guilty as they come.”

Lane shook his head.

“There have been so many that I hunted.Drug dealers like Miles Dodge.I took them out and no one cared.They came to my table after they died.I made sure no one asked questions.The guilty were punished.”

“Lane?”Ophelia’s voice.Far weaker than normal.

Very slowly, he lifted the scalpel off Benedict’s neck.Lane rose to his feet.

Ophelia climbed from the slab.Her knees buckled, and she would have slammed into the floor, but he caught her with his left arm and held tight.

“Newsflash,” Ophelia whispered.“Benedict…killer.”

“Yeah, sweetheart.I got that.”

Benedict rubbed his hand over his throat.He smeared the blood that Lane had left behind when he cut the bastard with the scalpel.“We can hunt together,” Benedict offered.He pushed to his feet.“I would have been partners with Sam.If he’d justtoldme the truth.”

“Sam… killed an innocent woman,” Ophelia gasped out.“You…freak.He isn’t…hero.”

Benedict stared at her with rage gleaming in his eyes.“You have to die for what you did to him.”

Not happening.

“But after Ophelia’s dead, we can work together.”Benedict nodded and angled his head toward Lane.“Told you, Sam talked about duo killers.Rare, but powerful.That’s what we are.”He grabbed a syringe from the table to his left.“We’re rare, but—” He lunged forward with the syringe, going for Ophelia.

Lane stepped into his path.Benedict’s arm was up high, and Lane aimed low.He sliced right through skin and muscle, and he jerked the scalpel to the left and the right.Once upon a time, he’d been able to cut with perfect symmetry in med school.

He didn’t give a damn about symmetry.He was going for maximum damage and immediate impact.And Benedict had been the one to pick the scalpel with a long, curving blade.Perfect for deep incisions.

So Lane went deep.

Blood drenched Benedict’s white lab coat.His body began to shake.

“I already have a partner,” Lane said as he yanked out the scalpel.

Benedict sagged to his knees.

The lab doors flew open.“I heard screams,” Detective Shay O’Brien called out.“What is—Drop the weapon, now!”

Lane let the scalpel clatter to the floor.

“Hands up!”She raced forward.

Lane lifted his blood-stained hands.

“No!”A choked gasp from Ophelia as she stumbled in front of him.Her steps were unsteady, and he wanted to pick up that scalpel and absolutely fillet Benedict.Instead, his bloody hands wrapped around Ophelia’s waist to steady her.“Lane…saved me,” Ophelia cried.

“Oh, sure.”Shay glanced at the hands around Ophelia.“Looks like a real hero.”

Benedict let out a choked cry.“Help…”

“Should have carved out his heart,” Lane said.No, it would have been faster to just slice open Benedict’s jugular.

“Get away from him!”Shay shouted.“Back up, now!”

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