wasn’t another appointment she didn’t know about. Whoever it was she had every intention of letting him or her know that the office was now closed.
When she would have backed from under the desk an odd sort of pop hissed through the air. Rubbing her throbbing skull, Kelly stilled. What the hell?
Something plunked against the top of her desk and then struck her in the small of the back, sending her scooting fully under the desk to escape whatever had fallen. Irritation and impatience vying for equal footing she turned so she could see what had hit her. Before she could demand an explanation from Ann the sight of the phone receiver dangling over the edge of her desk silenced her.
Why was…
A blur of movement captured her attention, derailing her thoughts, as something else hit the floor.
It took three full seconds for Kelly to realize it was Ann. An ever-expanding circle of crimson engulfed her white blouse starting in the center of her chest.
Confusion obliterating all else, Kelly leaned forward for a closer look and her heart stalled in her chest.
Blood.
Her gaze jerked upward, to her friend’s face. Her brown eyes were open, unblinking, staring at the ceiling.
When Kelly would have scrambled from under the desk to help her friend, the sound of purposeful footsteps stopped her.
The thud of those heavy steps moved closer and closer to her desk. Kelly held her breath as booted feet and dark clad legs came into view. Big. Male. One black boot nudged Ann’s motionless body but she didn’t move, didn’t react…those unblinking eyes glued to the ceiling.
Ann was dead.
The realization hit Kelly like a bullet between her eyes, straight into the brain. Dead. Ann was dead.
If you’d like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again.
The automated voice seemed to scream from the dangling telephone receiver. Kelly’s eyes widened as fear mushroomed inside her. If he reached for the phone…would he see her? Every instinct urged her to draw more fully into herself, to press against the modesty panel in an attempt to get farther away from the threat.
But she didn’t dare move.
A gloved hand reached for the receiver. The audible click told her he’d placed it in its cradle.
For two endless beats she waited for him to bend down and see her…to drag her from her hiding place. She didn’t move, didn’t even breathe.
And then he moved away. By the sound of his steps she knew he was moving toward Ray’s office. A scream welled in her throat. She had to warn him! But if she moved…if she uttered a single word.
The door opened…banged against the wall.
More of those hissing pops.
Not a single protest was uttered.
Only the muffled sound of something falling to the carpeted floor of her boss’s office. Ray…his client.
Then the stranger was moving about again.
Still in Ray’s office.
She should run.
If she made it out onto the street she could scream for help.
But everyone else in the complex was already gone.
No one would hear her.
He—the man wearing the boots—would kill her, too.
As if he’d heard her thoughts he moved back into the corridor outside Ray’s office…came closer to her desk.
She could feel her heart pounding against her sternum. Please God, she prayed, don’t let him know I’m here. The blood roared so loudly in her ears she felt certain he could hear it…could feel the fear swelling inside her.
“It’s done.”
She cocked her head and listened. Who was he talking to? He hadn’t picked up the phone on her desk. No one else had come in. A cell phone…maybe.
“Jarvis and the assistant.” Pause. “Him, too. No survivors.”
Oh God. He had killed Ray and the client in his office. Her eyes glazed with tears as her gaze settled on her friend. Ann. He thought Ann was…her. The assistant.
“I have the disk.” Pause. “No. There are too many possibilities to assume this would be his only copy. I suggest you send in a team to tear this place apart.”
Her fingers tightened around the disk in her hand.
“I’m doing that now.” The whir of the blinds being lowered punctuated his statement. The lights went out next. “I’ll be waiting out front.”
In the eternity that followed, he moved through the entire suite, Ray’s office, the lounge and rest room, the conference room, and then back into the lobby. The bob of a flashlight’s beam accompanied his movements. He’d turned off all the lights and lowered all blinds. Her heart thundered so hard she wondered if a heart attack was imminent. Then she heard the whoosh of the front door as he exited the lobby.
That’s when she started to shake.
He was gone. Outside. He’d told the man on the phone that he’d wait out front. A team was coming to tear the place apart.
She had to get out of here.
But how?
He was watching.
She licked her lips and gave her body the order to move. Yet it took several seconds before her muscles reacted.
Slowly, one inch at a time, she eased out from under the desk. She bumped into Ann’s body and a moan tore from her lips. Kelly clamped a hand over her mouth and resisted the urge to heave. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks and over her hand.
Ann was dead.
Ray was dead.
So was the unidentified client.
She had to get out…to run!
Slowly, careful not to make a sound, Kelly crawled away from the desk…huddled against the wall behind her chair.
What should she do now?
She couldn’t go out the front. Wouldn’t risk going out the back. He could be watching there, too. But she had to hide somewhere before the others arrived.
Her mind whirled with confusion. One escape scenario after the other tumbled through her mind, each one less feasible than the last. She squeezed her eyes shut in the darkness and forced her thoughts to slow. She had to think clearly here. Had to have a strategy.
There was no place to hide that they wouldn’t look.
A whimper escaped her brutal hold on
