Page 63 of Psycho
“I need coffee,” August countered.
Lucas climbed off of him. “Stop by my place and then visit Cricket?”
“Deal. But first, shower.”
Lucas headed up the stairs of his place on autopilot. He couldn’t think of anything except whatever it was Calliope had found that would somehow explain how the puzzle pieces fit together. Some small part of him was irritated that it took Calliope less than a day to figure out an answer he’d been searching for for months. August kept reminding him that Lucas had no help and limited resources, but it stung just the same. Those women could have been spared.
August was hot on his heels when he reached his door. He went to put his key in the lock when the door swung open an inch or two, like somebody had left without latching it all the way. Lucas frowned over his shoulder at August, who immediately stepped in front of him like a shield, pushing the door open all the way.
Lucas’s gaze swept the room, looking for anything out of place. Nothing appeared to have been touched. Could he have just left the door unlatched? No. Because somebody had disabled his alarm. How would they have done that?Called the alarm company and given their badge number,Lucas realized.
“Is there anything out of place? Something that wasn’t here when you left?”
Lucas shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Don’t touch anything.”
“I’m sure he didn’t leave prints behind,” Lucas muttered.
“Kohn could have imprinted on anything in this apartment. Just don’t touch anything without mentally preparing yourself.”
Shit. Lucas hadn’t even thought of that. “He’s really not even the slightest bit concerned that I’m going to stop him. This is just a game to him. He’s fucking with me.”
“He’s a psychopath. A good one, if he managed to fool an FBI psych evaluation. None of this is on you. And, I promise, when we get him, you can be the one to kill him, as fast or slow as you like.”
Knowing August, that was probably a pretty large romantic gesture. Part of Lucas thought there was no way he could torture another human being, but another part of him thrilled at the idea of hearing Kohn scream. The things he’d done to those women? They deserved their revenge.
August did a quick sweep of the apartment while Lucas stood staring, fantasizing about watching those women rip Kohn apart. When August came back, he pulled Lucas against him briefly, then kissed his temple. “Go get dressed. Keep your guard up. Pack a bag. You’re not coming back here.”
Ever?Lucas found the prospect less daunting than he imagined. He dressed on autopilot, opting for his nicer jeans and loafers, a t-shirt, and a zip front cardigan. The nice thing about being a college professor was the bar was pretty low attire-wise. Last week, one of his students had attended his class in Rick & Morty pajama bottoms and a faded Van Halen t-shirt. Nobody really gave a shit, which was perfect considering Lucas’s current state of mind.
Once dressed, he threw a bunch of clothes into an overnight bag and met August in the living room. “I reprogrammed your alarm with a new code. Kohn will be dead before he catches up with it. Besides, he did what he set out to do. Let you know he could get to you whenever.”
Lucas swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling like he might choke on the rage coursing through him. August took his hand and led him out of the apartment, firmly shutting the door behind him.
Downstairs, Cricket was perched on the back counter, looking at her phone, her now fire engine red hair in two strange buns on either side of her head. She looked up when the bell over the door chimed, perking up when she saw them. “Hi, guys. Your usual?”
August added several more coffees to the order, presumably for his family. Lucas felt a slight shiver of trepidation at the idea of meeting even more of his family members. As she went to work, Lucas perused the pastries behind the glass.
“Enjoy it while you can,” Cricket said wistfully.
“What?” Lucas asked.
“This place is shutting down. We can’t compete with the Starbucks down the street. So…end of the month I’m out of a job.”
Lucas frowned at that, but August nodded. “Can you put a mix of the pastries in a box? We’ll take them to go. Also, call me and I’ll see about finding you a new job. With my family, there’s bound to be somebody looking to hire.”
Cricket’s eyes went wide. “Really? Thank you.”
August nodded, unbothered, but Lucas’s heart did a weird somersault in his chest. How was this man somehow the sweetest person he’d ever met without even trying? Was Lucas just so far gone that everything August did seemed perfect?
He turned around to gaze out the window, his gaze snagging on a lime green Toyota Supra parked a bit farther down the street. “August.” August snapped his head around at the alarm in Lucas’s tone. “Look.”
August followed Lucas’s gaze. “Cricket. How long has that car been parked there?”
Cricket paused what she was doing as if considering his question. “I’m not sure, but there’s been all kinds of tricked out cars parked on the street this week. I think maybe there’s going to be some kind of car show or something.”
Lucas turned on her. “Have any of the drivers come in here?”
