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Laney’s hand grabbed his and yanked. “Run!” He caught a split-second look at Be
But even as he ran, his mind was racing faster. What the hell is going on?
5
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Be
Only morons play a losing hand. Killing them wouldn’t get him paid. But it might get him caught. He tucked the gun away. Laney and Daniel disappeared into the crowd, bobbing heads in a sea of frightened humanity.
You’ve gotten smarter, little girl. You’re not the wide-eyed kid I remember.
He turned and sprinted down the maintenance hallway.
5
They’d fought their way to the edge of the market, one of the gates in sight, the river of people now moving mostly in one direction. A woman fell, and Daniel bent to haul her to her feet before she was trampled. A man behind him shoved past, his knee co
“This way!” Laney slid past, quicksilvering through the crowd. He followed, and then they were through the gate and into the western parking lot, a lane of cars backing onto Fairfax.
Laney turned to make sure he’d made it. The neck of her shirt was torn, and she’d lost the ball cap. She still held the gun in one hand, like she’d forgotten it was there.
“Put that away,” he said, and she looked startled, then hid it under her shirt.
“Let’s go.” She turned toward the north lot.
He grabbed her arm. “No. This way.”
“What? Why?”
“Just trust me.”
For a moment he thought she would argue, but she nodded again. They ran south, away from their cars, the space opening as people spread out. Hit Third at a sprint, the street a mess, cars spun the wrong direction, a collision in the center lane, ru
They were in a huge apartment complex. It seemed strangely familiar, tall towers surrounded by town houses, the whole thing landscaped and organized. Curious children stared from the playground at the corner.
Laney was ru
“I know,” gasp, “me too.”
“So why did we come this way?”
He stopped, laced his fingers over his head. “Be
Laney narrowed her eyes. “He went for our cars.”
“That’s what a smart bad guy would do.”
She stepped forward, put her hands on his cheek. “That’s my brilliant writer husband.” Then she kissed him, and everything else—the horns in the distance, the police sirens drawing closer, the crack of gunfire, the sun in the sky, and the ground below—went away.
A long moment later, when he could breathe again, he said, “I’m so glad you’re not dead.”
“Me too. You, I mean. I thought Be
Daniel shook his head. “No. I wasn’t in L.A.”
“Huh? Where were you?”
“That’s . . . a long story.” He was about to explain when a thought struck him. “Oh, shit.” He dug for his disposable cell phone. “Sophie.”
Laney’s eyes widened. “You think—”
“I’ve got to warn her.” He powered up the phone. “Shit.”
“What?”
“Her number. I don’t have it.”
“You don’t have—” She gave him a strange look. “You’ve been friends for fifteen years.”
“It’s complicated. I’ll explain later.” It was on his laptop, but that was in the BMW. Four-one-one, maybe? But Sophie was a high-powered entertainment lawyer. Her home number would be unlisted. Well, maybe they could call a cab, race over there, hope to beat him. Or better yet, call the police—
“310-274-6611,” Laney said, reading the number off her own cell phone.
Daniel looked up. Felt a lightness run through him. Such a little thing, her having the answer to a question, but somehow it was almost as good as finding out she was alive. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had a partner.
Sophie answered on the third ring. “Yes?”
“It’s me, you have to—”
“Are you okay? I don’t have anything new from Jen yet—”
“Sophie, listen to me. You have to get out of there.”
“What?”
“You have to get out of your house. He’s on his way over.”
“Who is?”
“Be
“What?”
“There’s no time. You have to get out right now. Go somewhere safe, a friend, or a hotel. Don’t go into work, he’ll look for you there.”
“You’re serious?”
“I swear.”
The sound that came over the line was almost a whimper. It was the last thing he wanted to hear from this woman, this strong, capable woman. “Listen, you don’t have a lot of time, but you should have enough. He’s coming from the Farmers Market, it will take him a little while. But seriously, right now, get going.” Silence. “Sophie!”
“What?”
“You can’t freeze up right now—”
“Who froze? I’m packing.”
He smiled. “That’s my girl. Don’t bother with much. Just grab your purse and get the hell out.”