Page 4 of Rattlin' Bones
“You give me thirty minutes to get you settled, and I’ll hand over my cell.”
“Deal,” I agreed.
As the garage door began to close, I followed Skel inside his house, wondering what kind of man wore a mask and rescued a kidnapped, injured woman abandoned in a cemetery in the middle of the night.
It occurred to me that he said he was visiting a grave. A family member, if I recall correctly. Well, shit. I had something in common with my masked savior.
We both lost a parent, specifically our mother.
“Come on, Sweet Girl. I don’t bite.”
The door shut behind me with a click as I stepped inside, curious about the man behind the mask and hoping he planned to remove it.
Chapter 2 Skel
Present—
“Where the hell are you, man?” Maddog growled as I swiped across my cell to answer his call. “We got shit to discuss in church.”
“I’ll be there.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
He snorted. “What are you doin’? Stalking that blonde again?”
Maybe. “Something ain’t sittin’ right.”
“Tell me you’re not late for church because of pussy.”
“Pres,” I began, knowing he wouldn’t understand. It was Lacey. If there were any woman I’d risk Maddog’s wrath for, it was her.
“For fuck’s sake, Skel. Get your ass here. Now.”
He hung up.
Shit.
Like the bastard I was, I dialed him back, not giving him a chance to talk as he answered. “Flint, this is important. I need to talk to Lacey.”
“So is church,” he growled.
“It is. Just got to handle this first.”
“Creature is countin’ on you. Don’t keep us waitin’.”
“I won’t,” I relented. This wasn’t about getting my dick wet. I had other reasons for needing to see Lacey.
“Good. Be here by noon.”
When he hung up the second time, I knew I had to make this quick. My bike idled across the street from the ritzy high-rise building where Lacey lived with her father. She’d stayed there through college graduation and never moved out.
I shut down the engine and approached the entrance, slipping inside when a couple exited and left the door open wide. There was a doorman and a guard on duty, so the security wasn’t awful, but there were too many goddamn windows. I knew from experience how easy it could be to watch someone and learn their routine. The elevators were easy to access, but the penthouse? It had its own elevator down the hall, partially hidden by a plant with obscenely large fronds.
James, the doorman, greeted me as I entered. “You’ve come for another visit, Mr. Myers?”
Yeah, he remembered me. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. I guess I was about to find out.