Page 204 of Play Dirty (Brooklyn Dawn 1)

But knowing New York City like I did gave me the advantage. Jamie had obviously been on a bike before, because she leaned into the curves letting me have maximum speed. I spotted a cop car and headed down an alley, crossing a few blocks so I could get back on the straight away.

I headed for Central Park, zig-zagging through traffic.

My pocket buzzed and I handed the phone back to Jamie. “What does it say?”

“It’s a video,” she called out over the swishing wind. “Oh my fucking God, I’m going to kill him.”

I pulled into an alley and twisted around. “Let me see.”

I’d been heading for his studio at Trident. He lived in there for the most part. He took workaholic to another level. He had a small studio that had limited access. It was the only place I could think of. For a man who was supposed to be my best friend, I didn’t know much about him lately.

Shame threatened to crawl up into my brain, but I pushed it back ruthlessly. No matter what we’d become to one another—this wasn’t okay.

Ever.

In the limited light of the street lamp above us, I could see the wash of angry tears in her eyes. Part of me didn’t want to see the video. If he hurt her…

I took the phone. It was another compilation of us. This time it was in the street outside one of the arenas in Connecticut, then another in her brownstone, and yet one more in the hotel. Jesus, had he been following us all this time?

Then the last was her hair. I knew it anywhere. I dreamed about it when she curled into me in sleep. The angel-bright blond curls that spread across my navy sheets, tickling my ruined flesh. The same hair I fisted to get her closer to me, hold her tighter.

Now it was on the floor.

On the ground?

No, they were tiles.

Her hand so still beside it.

Then Kyle’s face, filled the screen. Only it wasn’t the Kyle I knew. It was distorted with makeup. Even his dark eyes were now blue.

“Jesus.”

“Tick tock, brother.” Then the screen went black.

I wanted to hurl the phone away from me. To make it not be true. I didn’t want to be right. My fingers clenched around it and Jamie belted me in the shoulder.

“No. Find us something to use in there. You know him. Twisted fuck that he is, but you know him.”

“I don’t. Not anymore. The Kyle I knew would never do this.”

But I clicked the video again. Forced myself to watch it.

To look for any clues.

When it got to the end, I braced myself. Her fingers were so fucking still.

I rewound and looked again. Ignoring that it was her hand, her hair. To the tile. Tile I’d laid myself.

“Jesus.”

“What?”

I kicked on the engine. “I know where she is. I think.”

“Do we dial 911? Not that I think a bunch of cops storming the castle is a good idea. Not if he’s as fucking psycho as it seems.”

“Even if we could call the cops, it wouldn’t matter. My place doesn’t exist.”

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