Breaking Steele (Sarah Steele Legal Thriller)

Chapter 49

HE DROVE ON AND didn't look toward me. I sucked in a breath and groaned. Was it Hank, or was it Glen? Adrenaline rushed through me, and I felt energized and tired all at the same time. But I was determined to see this through to the end. For Angela's sake. For Heather's sake. For Tracy's sake. For my sake.

Starting the car, I pulled out after him, making sure to stay back.

Was he visiting Hannah, or did he live at the house? I kept on following him. It was a sure bet that he was up to no good.

The Lexus made a right on Hill Road and I turned on my blinker and followed. Traffic was lighter and it wasn't until we turned down Whitehead Street that I knew where he was going.

He was driving to my best friend's house, the place where I was supposed to be staying tonight. Rick and Mandy's.

I had to get there before him. Taking a shortcut, I gunned it. Tires squealed and streets sped by. I turned corners so fast, I almost flipped the car, and disregarded stop signs. My heart pumped in my ears, but I'd never felt so charged up. All the car-racing video games I'd played as a kid paid off because I reached the house before the Lexus.

They'd given me a garage door opener as a gift for Christmas a few years back. I pulled into the garage and hit the button to lower the large metal door. I entered, slammed the door, entered in the alarm code on the keypad, and took the stairs two at a time. The guest room where I would sleep was on the second floor.

I dumped my purse out on the bed, searching for my gun. My hands trembled as I loaded the clip with bullets from my pocket. There was no calm exterior anymore, just a raw need to protect my friends.

The cool metal felt good in my hands, but as I loaded the clip I had a sinking feeling about how alone I was in all this.  There would be no one to come. No one to have my back. It was just me against the killer.

Bring it.

As I sat on the edge of the bed, I worked out a plan. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing I could think of in such a short time. Letting my anger build, I made myself remember the crime scene photos, the blood, the hanging body, Heather's hollow eyes and rotting teeth, Angela's limp, blood-soaked body, and then ... my mind roved deeper, to what had happened in the past.

I felt a fire grow within me, and I didn't squelch it this time.