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.“Um…”Emily laughed.“Never mind.We don’t have time.Any second now my friends will finish their drinks and come outside.I’ve got a proposition for you.”Missy frowned.“Um…”“It involves killing the fucking asshole who insulted you.” She reached into her little handbag and pulled out a notepad and a ballpoint pen.She flipped the pad open and began to write.“You’re probably wondering why I’d want you to kill him.I should clarify.It’s not just him.I want you to kill them all.”Emily tore off the sheet of paper and gave it to her.Missy frowned at the very neat handwriting.The note included a street address, some basic directions, a phone number, and another series of numbers.“I don’t get it.Why would you want me to kill your friends?”Emily smiled.“Friends.Well, I guess some of them think of me as a friend.But I don’t have friends, Missy.Just people I spend time with because that’s what people do.I want you to kill them all, preferably as violently as possible.When the story hits the media, it’ll be big.Bigger than big.These are sons and daughters of important people.As the only survivor, I’ll be in demand.I’ll be fucking famous.” Her smile broadened, becoming almost beatific as her eyes twinkled in the sunlight.“And, Missy, fame is what I want more than anything else.”Missy grunted.“That’s fucking crazy.”“Maybe.But it’s what I want.”“So, what…? You recognized me in there and came up with this insane scheme on the spot?”“Yes.”“Like I said…fucking crazy.”“Will you do it?”Missy thought about it.Crazy though it was, the scheme did sort of appeal to her.She started to get excited.She hadn’t killed anyone in months and she missed it.What was she doing in this town anyway? The idea that she could live a normal person’s life, at least for a while, had been exposed as a delusion.She was an instigator of chaos, pain, and terror.She’d burned herself out on these things for a time, that’s all.She shrugged.“Yeah.I’ll do it.”Emily grinned.“Thank you, Missy.You have no idea how much this means to me.Now get moving before my so-called friends see you talking to me.Take a good look at that big blue and white Chevy van on your way out.That’s our ride.”Missy heard the coffee shop’s glass door open.She turned away from Emily and set off at a brisk pace across the strip mall’s parking lot.She scanned the lot, looking for something she hadn’t needed in a while—wheels.She noted the Chevrolet Express and kept moving.She saw a few possibilities, but nothing very appealing.Then she saw the Galaxie parked at a gas pump across the street.She smiled.And started moving that way, knowing these were the first steps in a great and wondrous journey.CHAPTER FORTYMarch 27Joe was surfing gay porn sites on his laptop when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the first floor.He heard voices, too.Shushed whispers.Though he couldn’t make out any words, the timbre of one of those voices was unmistakable.He took a hand out of his shorts, clicked away from the current site, cleared his browser history and cache, and flipped the laptop shut.His heart was pounding when the door to the second-floor room he was sharing with Emily opened and she stumbled inside with tears in her eyes.“Joe…I’m sorry…they…j-jumped me…”He was on his feet in an instant.“Honey, what’s—?”Then the others came in behind her.Two chicks and a guy.The barrel of a gun was thrust into his face.The bald girl holding it beamed like a prom queen posing for a yearbook photo.“Hi.Get on your fucking knees.”It was them.Terror slammed into him and stole his breath.He dropped to his knees and began to pray.Annalisa sat cross-legged on the bed with her hands clasped around her iPhone.She smiled as she sent identical status updates to Facebook and Twitter:Vacay a total wash.Drama drama drama.But I’m in love w/Sean & somehow happier than ever.:)She heard the voices in the hallway as she finished sending the update.She recognized Emily’s voice right away.No mistaking that sultry tone.It made her think of that afternoon and she felt a reflexive tingle of arousal.She felt bad about that.But she couldn’t dwell on it.She had a great guy and a bright future ahead of her.The thing with Emily she could chalk up as just another of life’s experiences.She frowned.The other voices were very soft.She sensed an obvious effort to be quiet.Despite the low volume, she was certain these were the voices of strangers.Her mind flashed instantly to the news reports of the Walgreens massacre.She sighed.Ridiculous.You’re just being paranoid.The door to the bathroom opened, making her gasp and jump.Sean came out wearing only khaki shorts and a grin.“Whoa.Nervous much?”She laughed.“I—”The bedroom door flew open and there they were.Tears sprang to Annalisa’s eyes.She knew her bright future no longer existed.Chuck had just gone back to the bar when he heard the footsteps coming up the stairs.There had been no sign of Annalisa and Sean for hours.It wasn’t Zoe.She was down at the beach and always returned via the balcony staircase.The only other possibility was the one he dreaded most.He was still sort of baffled by how badly he’d misjudged Joe over the years.He knew the guy was wild and liked to have a good time.And that was fine.He was the same way.But there was a world of difference between that and being a total fucking sleazebag.Emily was even worse [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]