Panic

The VIP room at Suave was not like your average club. People didn’t come here to dance, they came to be seen and they came to drink. Usually by the bottle. The music was played loud and the lights were kept low; nobody wanted conversation and everybody wanted to look their best. Christina felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to the girlfriend to her right – Candice, the one with the sharp nails.

“That guy is totally into you!” Candice shouted over the thrumming music, nodding at the muscular guy as he drew closer.

“He’s cute!” Dakota chimed in from the left. “But what about your boyfriend?”

“Hank?” replied Christina. “He’s not really my boyfriend. Just some guy I’m seeing. Besides, he’s been acting a little weird recently. He said he didn’t want me going out tonight. He still thinks I’m back at the dorm.”

“Good move,” said Candice. “He never has to know. You just concentrate on having fun!”

Christina gri

“Hey, you ladies having a good night? The name’s Fi

“Christina,” she beamed and looked down, fiddling with the cocktail stick in her now olive-free Martini. She saw Dakota bobbing up and down on the stool, trying to look over Fi

“You in college? You look like a student. Isn’t it a little late to be out on a school night?” Fi

“We’re all Columbia Law. Nobody works much on a Friday, so we can sleep in. You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Christina said coyly, biting her bottom lip.

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

“So, what do you do for a living?” said Christina, wanting to know just how many drinks she could expect him to pay for.

“Oh, you know; this and that. Mostly private equity investments, that kinda thing.”

“Sounds interesting, I’d love to hear more, but we’re ru

Fi

“Ladies, it’s been an absolute pleasure, but I’m afraid I have to be leaving soon. I’ve got other places to be tonight.”

Christina pulled a face in disappointment, a trick that always worked on her father. This guy wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m sorry, I really do! But how about this: I’ve got a friend who works the doors at Halo downtown. My driver’s outside; you guys are welcome to take a ride down to the club and I’ll meet you there later. I’ll call ahead and have the champagne waiting.”

Christina looked to her girlfriends, all of whom seemed impressed, and nodded enthusiastically at Fi

Fi

“My hero!”

Christina grabbed onto his thick arm with both hands and let him carry most of her weight out of the club and onto the streets. She was looking forward to getting him home later.

The four party-goers spilled out onto the sidewalk, and Christina immediately felt the brisk midnight air around her bare legs; this was not the weather for short skirts, but looking good came with a price and cold legs were part of the bargain. Christina found her footing despite the clawing numbness brought on by the vodka, and unhanded Fi

“It’s just up here,” Fi

Dakota and Candice disappeared from view, and Fi

“I did what you wanted. I couldn’t get her alone.”

Christina didn’t realize until it was too late. Fi

“I’m in the mood for some exercise.”

The voice was deep and raspy, but strangely quiet and calm. The man dropped his gun to the floor. What happened next was a blur; the man brought his fist hard against Candice’s nose, forcing her to stumble back as her nasal bridge collapsed with a wet crunch. A palm edge co

Two huge hands grasped Dakota’s head, an arm as thick as a tree trunk across her throat. Christina knew what was going to happen next. With a savage jerk, the man broke Dakota’s neck before she could take another ragged breath. He dropped the lifeless body and moved toward Candice, who held one hand to her bloody face, blindly flailing the other in an attempt to work out where she was. The attacker grabbed her loose arm and pulled her in toward him, bringing his knee to her stomach and knocking the wind out of her. He put both hands around her neck and squeezed. Christina could see Candice’s eyes bulge in surprise and horror and heard the cartilage and muscle in her neck popping and tearing as the man’s grip collapsed her larynx. She quickly fell still.

Christina felt her legs begin to move. Just a little more, she willed them, desperate to get away. The man walked toward her; he was only a couple of feet away. That’s it! Christina regained control of her legs and brought her right foot up fast, using the left to pivot, and aimed her instep at the weak point behind the knee joint. The man blocked her attack effortlessly, and countered by spi

Chapter 3

Police Sergeant Mary Jordan was tired. Damned tired. The call had come in about an hour before, a triple homicide outside a mid-town club. Not her favorite way to start a Friday, especially not at one thirty in the morning and on only two hours’ sleep. The gas station coffee in her hand just wasn’t cutting it, and she hoped she didn’t look as bad as she felt. Mary was attractive enough not to need makeup, but she had thrown on a cursory dash of lipstick and tied back her unruly dark hair just in case she didn’t get a chance later, which was becoming more and more likely as she contemplated the scene in front of her.