Lakewood: The Copycat Killer

Dinner, problems, and a killer

Malia

I went home to shower and change my clothes. Then, I left and drove to Abby's house. On the drive over to her house, Luka's words floated through my mind. What did I expect?

I pulled into her driveway and got out of the car. I strolled up to the front door and knocked. Abby whipped open the door and jerked me inside. Well, okay.

"You're in time." Abby pushed me towards the kitchen.

We entered as Luka and Simon turned to face us. I glanced at Abby as she smiled.

"Is anyone home?" Damon asked.

"In the kitchen!" Abby said.

Damon and Niko entered the kitchen.

"Well, everyone is here. Let's mingle!" Abby said.

What?

Abby dragged Damon and Niko towards Simon, then shoved them out of the kitchen. Luka stood in the kitchen and drank a beer.

"Well, that wasn't subtle." I walked over and grabbed a beer.

"Abby isn't known for her subtly."

"Yeah." I twisted the cap and tossed it into the trash can. "I thought you had dinner plans." I took a sip of my drink.

"I did with Abby and Simon. Simon wanted me to meet a friend of theirs."

I arched a brow.

"What about you?"

"Abby said that she wanted to have dinner with friends."

"Why does this feel like a setup?"

"Because it is." I rolled my eyes.

We laughed.

"I'm guessing that Abby tried to set you up a lot."

"Yeah, but the guys were duds. What about you? Did you date while you lived in Chicago?"

"I was busy working on a case. It didn't leave me much time for dating."

"Oh." I shifted from foot to foot while drinking my beer.

Luka crept around the counter and stood next to me. "So, are you dating anyone?"

I glanced at Luka. "Not at the moment."

"Oh."

I leaned on the kitchen counter with my palm. Luka inched closer to me. My heart pounded.

Luka leaned into me. "I never stopped thinking about you."

"Then why didn't you call me?" My brows furrowed.

"Because I was dealing with a case."

"What case?"

Before Luka answered, we heard shouting from the other room. I set my bottle down as we hurried through the house and outside. Luka and I stopped. What the hell?

"Are you kidding me?" Abby asked.

We walked towards everyone as a body dangling from a tree limb.

"Can we have one night without a body interrupting it?"

"I doubt the victim wanted to ruin our night," Damon said.