Page 5 of Locked In Ice

And winked once more.Why did he think that wink was the sexiest thing he’d seen in ages?

The cops shoved Thomas Bass toward the door—and toward them since they were standing in the hallway.Thomas’s hands were cuffed behind his back.A female cop read the guy his rights.Fury twisted Thomas’s face as he heaved against the officers pushing him forward.

“You’re gonna pay for this!”Thomas raged at Lane.“You don’t know who I am!You don’t know what I can do—”

“Oh, we know,” Ophelia informed him as she rolled her eyes.“Not like you’re something special.You’re a twisted freak who enjoyed hurting girls.And you are about to enter your own version of hell when you get locked away.”She waved at him.“Give our regards to your cellmates.I am sure they willlovemeeting you.”

He broke from the cops and lunged toward them.

Lane drove his fist into Thomas’s stomach.As the killer doubled over in front of him, Lane grabbed Thomas and whispered into his ear.A private threat.

Thomas reared back.Fear covered his face.“Get me out of here!”he screamed.

The cops had clamped their hands on him once again.Hopefully, a much stronger grip this time.

“Out!Get meawayfrom him!”Thomas’s eyes were huge.“I did it!I started with Patience—she was the first.I-I hurt them!I did it!Get me out!”

The cops pushed him down the hallway.

“My, my,” Ophelia murmured.She nibbled on her lower lip then cast a quick glance toward Lane.“Whatever did you say to him?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Oh, but I assure you, I do.”She pursed her lips.“I do hope you’ll share later.”

Don’t count on it.

Chapter Two

“I owe you, Ophelia,” Memphis Camden said as he slid into the booth across from her.He’d been carrying two cold bottles of beer, and he pushed one toward her.“Drinks are on me.”

She looked at the beer, then back at his handsome face.“Ah, Memphis, I’m afraid you owe me far more than just a cheap beer.”But she was thirsty, so she picked it up.She saluted him with the bottle before taking a vaguely refreshing sip.“I hauled your new recruit from the grip of a serial killer today.Risked life and limb.Saved the day.Became the man’s guardian angel, if you will.”Another sip.“This is the kind of debt that doesn’t vanish easily.Think large bills.Think designer shoes and luxury vacations.”

She’d known Memphis for ages.The manshouldunderstand that she had expensive tastes.A cheap beer as thanks?Ha.Not even close.

Her gaze darted around the busy club and landed on Lane.Or rather, on Lane’s back as he leaned over the bar and ordered his drink.“Why in the world was that man on his own?”The question was a censure directed at Memphis.After all, Memphis was supposed to be training the guy in all things Ice Breaker.

“Lane was following a hunch.”

She grunted and shifted her attention to Memphis.“That hunch almost had him sliced into little pieces.You didn’t see the size of the butcher knife that Thomas was waving around.”

“He saved a high school girl today.Stopped Thomas Bass before the man could grab her.She saw him and Lane in the alley.Lane jumped Thomas when the jerk was trying to tase her.Lane got hit with the volts, and the girl ran to safety.She tried to bring the cops back for Lane, but by the time they arrived, the alley was deserted.”

Her index finger slid down the cold neck of the bottle.“I heard all of this already.During my fabulous four-hour stay at the police station.The girl has quite a case of hero worship for Lane.”She did not look back his way.“Personally, I think the man needs some serious time with a shrink.We are talking some definite anger issues.”She’d seen his face when he fought Thomas.

“Because he attacked Thomas?Thomas struck him first.”

She knew that.She also knew a deep, dark fury when she saw one.

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t exactly regret the ass-kicking Lane gave him.”Memphis thrust back his shoulders.“Not considering how many girls that bastard had killed.”

She took a longer drink from the bottle.“I wanted to kick his ass, too.”

“Lane?”

“No, that freak Thomas.”She glowered.“He wasmytag.I’m the one who hunted him down and linked him to the very first kill.”Patience Mayweather.“Everyone else had forgotten about Patience.Itook her mother’s case.”She didn’t add that she’d done it free of charge because Marjorie’s story had broken the heart Ophelia liked to pretend she didn’t have.That info was need-to-know.

“Looks to me like you and Lane hunted the guy down at the same time.Lane saved the girl in the alley, and you saved him.Win, win.”Memphis lifted his bottle.

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