Lucky Like Us

chapter Twenty-Eight

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THE QUIET, NEARLY deserted streets in this part of town made it easy to get close to her home. Or at least what she called home. He should buy several blocks of the dilapidated warehouses, level them, and build high-priced condos. He’d make a fortune. He always did in every venture, but the prospect didn’t hold any appeal. Not when his future hinged on Elizabeth and making sure she never testified against him. He needed her silence and one way or another; he’d have it.

Due home from the hospital soon based on his sources, he circled her block in the innocuous white sedan he’d rented under a false name. He slowed at the approach to the alley behind her home. In the distance near the trash bins, he spotted a man stumble out her back door when a cat rushed through his feet.

“Stupid f*cking cat,” the guy yelled, oblivious to everything around him.

The cat crouched, hissing and growling. One paw swatted out at the man’s leg, claws catching on denim before ripping clear. The guy slammed his boot down on the cat. His screech echoed between the buildings, and the cat tore off to hide under the dumpster. The man pulled out a knife and worked in deliberate scratching motions, carving something into the door. In unrestrained fury, he worked at the task. “Take that, bitch.”

“That guy is a nut.” Someone else had it out for her. If he got in his way, he’d eliminate him too. The Fox drove on, shaking his head, and let go of the idea of getting close to her today. Always at his best when presented with a challenge. Elizabeth intrigued him, but a second player in their game raised the stakes.