Page 19 of Dangerous Lies

Lucas’ fingers clicked on the other end. “Can'tgetitto go further. You’re going to have to take the stairs, but togetto them you have to go by the guard desk.”

He exited the elevator and stepped up to the guard desk. “I need togetto the basement. Someone is downthere.”

“Nobody is downthere,” the guard said. His name tag read Peter.

“I don't have time to argue. I need togetto the basement. You can either take methereor I’ll force my way down.”

The guard hesitated, sizing up Ginger.

“They don't pay me enough for this shit.” He grabbed a key ring and placed an I'll Be Back sign on the counter. “Let's go.”

The door to the elevator opened behind them and the detective stormed out. Blood streamed from his nose. “Stop him.”

Ginger grabbed the keys from Peter's hand and pushed his way through the door. Theycouldtry and stop him, but all he cared about was getting to Rose.

The door to the stairs was unlocked. Stale air assaulted him as he stepped into the stairwell. Fluorescent lights lit up the old stairwell. When he reached the bottom, the door was locked. Commotion came from above as he tried each key to open the door.

A hand grabbed his shoulder as he unlocked the door.

“Let go.” He shoved the detective’s hand away and stepped into the cold damp basement.

Rose laid in the center of the room, unmoving. Large spiders crawled around her.

Peter jumped back. “What the fuck!”

Ginger would rather head straight into combat than deal with spiders.

“Rose,” he called to her, but she didn’t move.

He took a deep breath as he weaved through the spiders.Therehad to be hundreds of them. From the little heknewabout spiders, they looked like tarantulas. He hoped that was what they were becausehe knew they weren't poisonous.

“Call an ambulance,” he barked into his phone before he clicked the end button and shovedthe phoneinto his pocket.

When he reached her, he brushed the spiders off her body and pressed two fingers to her pulse. She was alive. He gathered her in his arms and marched out of the basement, unsure if a few spiders were still on him.

He kept her close to his chest until they madeitup the stairs. In the lobby, he sat down on a bench with her.

Her eyes fluttered open. “You came?”

Relief flooded his system at the sight of her blue eyes. “I'll always search for you.”

She smiled, and her eyes fluttered shut.

In the distance, ambulance sirens echo and he hoped theycouldpiece together what had happened, because he would makeithis mission to take down whoever had touched her.

8

ROSE

Rose tried to comprehend the fact that the serial killer had actually knocked her out with sleeping gas and put his hands on her.

The tiredness had worn off, but her brain was still foggy. Ginger had made herseea doctor, worried the spiders had poisoned her, but she was more concerned about the gas.

All her results came back clean, and they couldn't find a trace of any drugs in her system.

She leaned back into the sofa, happy to be home. Tyler was next door with Lucas, she wanted to go get him, but Ginger wanted her to discuss what happened more before they brought him home.

“Did anyone happen to grab my stuff from the apartment?”

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