Page 106 of The Murder Club
Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Wait.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you saying you can put yourself in danger, but I can’t?”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t intend to put myself in danger, but if this is a trap, it would be foolish for both of us to get caught in it, wouldn’t it?” He held her gaze. “One of us needs to stay here in case things go sideways. You’re going to have to rush to my rescue.”
“You’re just saying that to get rid of me,” she ground out.
“And because it’s true,” he insisted, his body tensing as he glanced toward the car that was pulling out of the lot. “Bailey.”
Bailey removed her seat belt, her movements jerky. As much as she wanted to argue that she deserved to be there when the killer was finally cornered, she wasn’t willing to risk having him disappear. Nothing was more important than ending this nightmare.
“Don’t die,” she muttered.
“I’ll be back for you.” He leaned across the console to swipe a quick kiss over her lips. “I promise.”
Dom waited until Bailey disappeared into the nursing home before backing out of the lot with a spray of gravel.
He hadn’t been lying when he warned Bailey that the silver BMW was probably a ploy to attract his attention. His luck hadn’t been good enough to randomly stumble across the killer. He genuinely needed someone in a position to call for help if he got caught in a trap. But it was also true that if this was the person stalking Bailey, he didn’t want her anywhere near the bastard. Not until he was behind bars.
Shoving the SUV into Drive, Dom scanned the road, cursing at the realization the BMW had disappeared.
No. It couldn’t have gone far, he silently reassured himself, driving at a crawl as he glanced from side to side. Pike wasn’t big enough for anyone to hide for long.
Less than five minutes later his confidence was rewarded as he caught a glimpse of silver through the neat row of homes. Turning at the next block, Dom halted at the stop sign. If this wasn’t a trap, he didn’t want the killer to realize he was being followed.
He waited until the BMW had reached the end of the street and was making another turn before he released the brake and rolled forward. Once he reached the corner he stopped again, his brows snapping together. The car had disappeared. If the killer was hoping Dom would shadow him, he wasn’t making it easy. Of course, if he made it too easy, Dom would know it was a trap.
Dom muttered a curse.
There was no way to guess the motive of the driver. Not until he had an opportunity to beat the truth out of him.
Turning in the direction he’d last seen the car, Dom zigzagged his way through town, resisting the urge to pick up speed. Not only did he not want to miss the car in case it’d pulled into a parking lot or driveway, he’d discovered since arriving in Pike that the locals had a habit of stopping in the middle of the street to chat with their neighbors. Or even randomly leaving their cars in the road if they were running into one of the stores and didn’t intend to be there for long.
Dom didn’t want to plow into a couple of old men catching up on the latest gossip.
He made another turn, his brows snapping together when he realized he’d reached the outer road. He’d run out of real estate to search. Dammit. Had the driver doubled back? Was he returning to the nursing home?
Dom’s heart squeezed with a sudden fear. It hadn’t occurred to him that the killer might try to lure him away from Bailey.
Pulling out his phone, Dom intended to call Bailey and warn her to stay in a public area of the nursing home when he was distracted by a flash of light. It was the glint of the setting sun against a vehicle speeding away from town.
The BMW.
Dom hit the accelerator; he wasn’t going to let the car disappear again. Concentrating on the fading glint of silver, he failed to notice where they were headed until they reached the familiar dirt road. This was the way to Kaden’s house.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. This was no coincidence. He was deliberately being led away from town and back to the house he was sharing with Bailey. But why?
Only one way to find out.
Maintaining a speed that allowed him to keep the dust trail from the moving vehicle in sight but far enough away to stop if he sensed something sketchy, Dom clutched the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He wasn’t like Kaden, who got a thrill out of dangerous situations. He didn’t drive his cars at breakneck speed and jump off high buildings. In truth, he wouldn’t be chasing the damned vehicle unless it was to end the threat against Bailey. He’d walk into the fiery pits of hell to protect her.
Slowing as he reached the sharp curve, Dom frowned as he pulled into the narrow driveway. There was no sign of the silver car, but there was a dark pile of junk tossed next to the closed security gates.
Dom cursed as he rolled to a halt, realizing the car must have turned off the road and headed into the dense trees on the opposite side. He was going to have to turn back and look for the tire tracks he’d missed....
His thoughts shattered as his gaze absently skimmed over the pile next to the gate. It was only then that he realized it wasn’t a bundle of clothes that had been tossed out. It was a body.