Page 83 of Locked In Ice

His body snapped to attention.Instantly, he spun and looked across the ballroom.His stare landed on Ophelia.She was talking on her phone as she stood just steps away from Isabelle.

Another text.I’m watching you.

His stare whipped around the room.He saw couples dancing.People talking.The white-uniformed catering staff handing out food and drinks.No one seemed to be looking his way.

Lane’s phone vibrated again.

Gerald is here.

How the fuck did the text sender know about Gerald?Lane fired out a response.Who are you?

He saw the dancing dots on the screen.Then…

Pictures of Ophelia.Ophelia jogging.Ophelia on her phone.Ophelia having dinner.

And his mysterious sender fired him one more text along with the pics.He took these of Ophelia.Gerald isn’t here for Isabelle.He’s here to kill Ophelia.

The fuck that was happening.

He’s out back.Hiding in the rear of a catering truck.Another message.

Lane’s heartbeat thundered faster.

Are you going to stop him…The text popped on his screen.Or am I?

Lane’s head snapped up.He looked to the spot where he’d last seen Ophelia, only she wasn’t there.His gaze swept the crowd.Once, twice.Nowhere did he see a beautiful woman in a red dress.He rushed through the dancers, looking to the left and right.No Ophelia.

His phone vibrated again.

Lane looked down.

You had your chance.Guess it’s my turn.

***

“How can he be missing?You had him locked up!”Ophelia had ducked into the lobby so she could hear the detective better because surely, she’d been mistaken.Shay had not just told her that Royce was missing.

“Bail,” Shay informed her flatly.“Guy comes from money, and he had plenty to throw around.He got out, and I put a cop on him because—look, Iwastaking what you said seriously, all right?I also wanted to make sure Royce didn’t get anywhere near his vics again, so I assigned a uniform to watch him.But the perp vanished.Pulled a straight up Houdini.Went in his condo, and when he hadn’t been seen in hours—hell, when his lawyer couldn’t get Royce to answer his door—we did a welfare check.He wasgone.His place was trashed, like he tore it apart looking for something, and he was in the wind.”A pause.“But you need to know that his computer was still open and on.The last search was on the screen—a search for you.He had your PI office address on the screen.”

“Fantastic.”Come for me, you bastard.“Just make sure that Sylvia Stuart is protected, would you?”After Royce’s arrest, Sylvia and her new boyfriend Derek had gone to the station.Sylvia had given her statement to the cops.She’d wanted Royce locked away.

And now he’s out hunting.

“I’m on it,” Shay assured her.“But you need to watch your ass, Ophelia.”

It was sweet that the detective cared.“And here I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I don’t, but…but,dammit, I remember another one.”

“Another what?”

“Another string.”

Ophelia’s blood iced.“Excuse me?”

“I didn’t think a damn thing about it.It was so small.And it wasn’t a murder.There was no big investigation.It was an overdose.”

“When.Where.”She edged back toward the double doors that led to the ballroom.Her gaze swept over the crowd.One of the security guards caught her eye and nodded.

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