Before I could decide how to ambush McCallum, something hit me solidly from behind.
CHAPTER TWO
I grunted,rolling forward and away, trying to give myself some space, but whoever had hit me knew their stuff and had my arms pulled behind my back before I could manage anything. I heard a metallic sound and felt cuffs around my wrists.
“You’re under arrest for breaking and entering,” a familiar voice said behind me. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say and do —”
“King?”
I hadn’t seen the cop since our adventure in a haunted house together. I’d meant to call him, but every time I got up the courage I remembered he was probably too good for me and mixing my business with police business was going to be bad news. The sort of news that got me either arrested or carted off to some secret government lab.
On the other hand, he hadn’t called me either, so I supposed we were even.
“Ferro?” He rolled me over, and while the feeling wasn’t comfortable with my arms pinned behind my back, it allowed me a pretty clear view of his face hovering over mine.
In the ambient light of the house, I could just barely make him out. High cheekbones, a slight stubble, and the sort ofmouth that gave me ideas. The pale light stained his amber skin blue. His eyes were dark and impossible for me to read. I doubted even if he was excited for our second meeting that it would change the fact that he had arrested me.
“What are you doing here?” King asked.
“Well, you’re going to feel really dumb when I tell you,” I said, stalling for a moment. He was still hovering over me, and he smelled like warm spices. “This house is for lease, and my real estate agent gave me a key so I could check it out. See if I wanted to rent it.”
“I saw you break in,” King said. “You didn’t have a key. You used a rock.”
“They said they left a spare key under the rock.”
“And then you used the rock to smash the window.”
“I wanted to check the security,” I said. “They told me the windows were unbreakable.”
“You decided to check on this place at night?” King helped me up, tugging my arm so I was sitting more comfortably. “Really. Where’s your real estate agent?”
“Last minute cancellation. She said to go in by myself.”
“Really.” King’s voice was dry. “You know this is Derek McCallum’s house?”
“It is?” I said, feigning surprise. “You’re kidding. I should fire my agent. McCallum would kill me if he found out I broke his window.”
“Yeah,” King agreed. “He would.”
His tone made it clear that he didn’t believe a word I was saying, but he did know that McCallum was going to be furious at me. Crouching in front of me, he said, “What happened, Ferro?”
“I guess my real estate agent made a mistake,” I said. “If this is McCallum’s house.”
I felt something in my chest go tight and hot as I realized that no matter what the outcome here — even if King let me go — I wasn’t going to get my revenge tonight. If McCallum came home while I was still here, he would know I was alive and the element of surprise would be gone.
I tried to reassure myself that revenge was a dish best served when your dinner guests knew it was poisoned, but it was the sort of pep talk you had to give yourself when you were a second string basketball player who had just lost the game by passing the ball to the opposing team.
Helping me to my feet, King seemed to be checking me for injuries and stopped when he got to my head. He pulled out a flashlight and aimed it directly at my face. I winced back, the light so bright it blinded me. King’s free hand was on my face and he touched the edges of the bruise carefully.
“Did you hit your head when you fell?” He brought the light closer, and his touch was gentle as he seemed to be mapping the injury. “Any loss of consciousness? Any problems with your vision?”
“You mean other than the giant bright light I see? Should I go into the light? I’m not ready to die.” My tone was so dry it could grow succulents.
King immediately clicked the light off and walked over to the switch on the wall. When he flicked it on, I saw something that I hadn’t noticed when I’d initially cased the house. Things were missing.
It was obvious to me now, because I had just walked through the house five hours prior, and I had been so anxious, that I’d automatically cataloged everything. With the lights on, I could tell that there were knickknacks missing from the hallway table. A painting at the end of the hall had been removed. Glancing at King to see if he’d stop me, I strode towards the back office where I’d last met Derek McCallum.
“Ferro…” But King didn’t move to stop me, trailing behind as I sped down the hallway, my movements only slightly awkward because of the handcuffs. “You know, I wasn’t kidding. Youareunder arrest.”
