Fatally Yours

Chapter 12

•INDIANA•

Three days had passed since the last time I saw Lee, and he hadn't called me once. I spent every hour of the day staring at my phone, waiting for it to ring, hoping he'd tell me he had another job for me.

At this point, I was willing to cover up another murder case for him if it meant getting closer to him again and getting a glimpse of how their operations ran on the inside.

I slept, ate, went for a run every morning, watched a movie—I did everything according to the profile of how Nova West lived her life. If this were just another normal day for me, I'd probably be in my office trying to solve another case or chasing down bad guys downtown.

The images on the flat-screen TV flashed vividly across my eyes, my mind losing focus as it wandered back to the phone that lay in silence on the nightstand. I was hoping any second now it would finally ring.

And it did.

I startled on the bed and immediately reached for the phone, but to my surprise, the screen was blank. The vibrating sound was coming from my burner phone inside the drawer. Much to my disappointment.

I pulled out the burner phone, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips when I saw the familiar number on the screen. I sat up and answered the call.

"You're still alive. I'm glad," Mel teased, making me smile.

"Good to hear your voice too."

"How's the undercover work going?" My eyes shifted to the TV as I pulled the pillow from behind my back and placed it on my lap.

"Slow," I replied. "Lee hasn't called in three days, and I'm starting to think something's up."

"Nah," Mel drawled. "Keith and his team are constantly monitoring his movements, and so far, he hasn't made a move. Other than his regular visits to his favorite restaurants and clubs, nothing seems out of place. He's keeping a low profile."

I frowned, the wheels in my head spinning. I'd studied Lee's profile—he's never stayed low to avoid casualties. That meant something was definitely going on, and he was being subtle about it to avoid attention.

"Keep me updated," I told Mel. "I'll have Keith—"

The rest of the words died in my mouth the minute I spotted a shadow walk by outside my window. I sat up straight, my instincts immediately on high alert.

"Mel, I'll call you back," I said quickly, ending the call without waiting for her response and powering off the phone.

I quietly slipped off the bed and slowly pulled the top drawer open, stuffing the burner phone under the files before pulling out my gun that lay right on top.

I clicked off the safety and turned toward the door, my eyes scanning for the shadow again. I paused in the middle of the room when I saw not one, but two more figures appear outside, their shadows visible behind the curtains as they quickly walked by.

The doorknob jiggled, and my heart skipped a beat. I tiptoed across the room and pressed myself against the wall behind the door. The doorknob jiggled again, but this time more slowly and carefully, as if they were using a tool to unlock it from the outside.

I pressed my gun to my chest and waited.

Since they were trying to break into my house not so subtly, they were a threat. And I was undercover, so I had to take out any threats that could jeopardize this mission.

Finally, the door slowly creaked open. I held my breath and watched as they pushed the door fully open, the first thing I saw was the barrel of their gun, visible behind the door.