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“It’s Lunceford,” Kaylyn whispered.
“Pleasure, Miss Anderson. I guess you’ve seen pictures of me. No wonder. I am the most notable person in your crummy little town.”
Reaching into his pocket for his gun, Jaris heard Chance pull Kaylyn closer to him. He gently tugged on Sugar’s lead, sending the silent command to remain on guard.
“It’s good to finally see you in person, Mr. Simmons. I’m sorry you can’t return the favor.” Lunceford’s voice had a sickening tone. “No pun intended.”
“How do you know me? We’ve never met.” Jaris wanted to keep him talking to stall the psycho. Every tick of the clock he could gain from the bastard might prove to be an advantage.
“I knew your former partner, Patti. We met through a mutual business partner who is now deceased.”
“Niklaus Mitrofanov.”
“You know of him?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, of course you do. I must apologize for Patti’s mistake. She was supposed to take out Nicole Flowers, not you.”
“You’re behind that shooting?” Jaris felt rage roll through him. “I’m blind because of you.”
“In a roundabout way, Detective, I’m behind everything that goes on in Destiny. That’s part of my game. I love games, don’t you?”
The shooting outside wasn’t letting up. They needed more time.
Keep him talking. Build trust. “Why do you hate Destiny so much, Kip?”
“Actually, I really love the town. They’re such good players. With the tiniest of effort, I’ve built a global organization that has revenues surpassing that of many a third-world country’s entire wealth. The only real fun I’ve ever had is playing with the citizens here. But of course, games must all come to an end sometime. Enough of this chitchat. I’ve come to get Belle White. She’s my salvation. She’s my big win. My checkmate.”
“You’ll never get her, Lunceford.” Kaylyn’s defiance burned hot in every word.
The monster laughed. “I love Destiny women. They have so much sass. Megan, my ex, must fit in really nice.”
“That’s why you started attacking Destiny, isn’t it? You wanted to punish your ex-wife?”
&nbs
p; “No. The Knight brothers were the reason in the beginning. But now it’s only about the game.”
Jaris listened intently, trying to figure out where the fucker was standing. Holding on to his gun, he kept it in his pocket. Being blind, he hadn’t shot it in over a year. But if he could empty all its bullets in Lunceford and Bayless’s direction, there was a slim chance he might hit one or both of them.
Keep the bastard talking. “What’s your next move, Kip?”
“No more moves after today. God, I will hate to see this game end. It has been so much fun. One more move left, and then it is good-bye to Destiny forever. Bayless, let’s go get Miss White.”
“No. She’s one of ours,” Kaylyn spat. “We’ll never let you take her.”
“I like your fire, Miss Anderson, but it is wasted on me. I want Belle, not the two other donor matches my sister has caged up for me. I want to win. You must understand that. Besides, what can one woman and two blind men do to stop me? Nothing.”
“Don’t be so sure about that, Lunceford.” Chance was doing exactly what Jaris needed him to do. God, he’s got good instincts.
“Could you elaborate?” Kip’s arrogance came through his singsong tone.
“Like you said, they are good players.”
With Chance trying to get Lunceford’s attention away from him, he would be able to fire on the bastard and his sidekick creep at the perfect moment.
“Mr. Reynolds. You’ve been so quiet I forgot you were here. Pleasure, but you’re wrong. I have my men creating the distractions that will keep all the players out of my way. By the sounds of things outside, I’m certain most of the Destiny men have left the Stone house to chase the poor disposable pawns.”
