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Chapters (68)
  1. Biding Time
  2. Dedication
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. Chapter Twenty-Six
  32. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  33. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  34. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  35. Chapter Thirty
  36. Chapter Thirty-One
  37. Chapter Thirty-Two
  38. Chapter Thirty-Three
  39. Chapter Thirty-Four
  40. Chapter Thirty-Five
  41. Chapter Thirty-Six
  42. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  43. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  44. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  45. Chapter Forty
  46. Chapter Forty-One
  47. Chapter Forty-Two
  48. Chapter Forty-Three
  49. Chapter Forty-Four
  50. Chapter Forty-Five
  51. Chapter Forty-Six
  52. Chapter Forty-Seven
  53. Chapter Forty-Eight
  54. Chapter Forty-Nine
  55. Chapter Fifty
  56. Chapter Fifty-One
  57. Chapter Fifty-Two
  58. Chapter Fifty-Three
  59. Chapter Fifty-Four
  60. Chapter Fifty-Five
  61. Chapter Fifty-Six
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. Other Titles by Lyn Gardner
  64. Going on Red
  65. Choices
  66. Born Out of Wedlock
  67. Give Me A Reason
  68. Mistletoe

His words were hushed, meant for only her ears, and she concentrated on them as they slipped from his lips. His voice was refined, and crisp and clear, it held the accent of the wealthy in its timbre. She was surprised. The ones she had beheaded were slovenly and stank of blood and sweat, yet this man, this monster, smelled of leather and cloves.

A wave of smoke washed over them, and she blinked away the sting as she considered what the man had said, but there was nothing to consider. She couldn’t best them all, and if his words were lies, what would it matter? Either way…sooner or later, she was going to die.

Chapter One

Chapter One

“I hope you know, if I didn’t hate to cook, you’d be doing this by yourself.”

It was a misty night, and Ruby Miller kept her head down as she climbed the nine steps leading to the brownstone entrance. “You say that every time you come over,” she said, struggling to hold all the cloth grocery bags in one hand as she unlocked the front door. “So, stop your bitching and get in here.”

Doreen Thomas followed her friend into the vestibule and waited while Ruby opened the next set of doors. “Do you need to check your mail?” Doreen said as she walked past the row of mail slots on the wall.

“No, I’ll do it later,” Ruby said, closing the second door behind them. “Come on. I’ll race you.”

Doreen flicked her gaze upward and, taking a deep breath, began following Ruby up the first of three flights of steps. “I will never in my life understand why you couldn’t find a place on the ground floor, or better yet, one that has an elevator.”

“And you also say that every time, too,” Ruby said, continuing her ascent. “You really need to get some new material.”

Ruby waited at the top of the first flight while Doreen slogged her way up the steps. “Are you going to make it?” she said with a laugh, seeing her friend’s reddened face.

“That depends,” Doreen said, sizing up the next set of seventeen steps. “You got beer in the fridge?”

“Always.”

“Then I’m going to make it,” Doreen said, motioning for Ruby to continue the climb. “Keep moving.”

As Ruby went up the steps, she heard a door open, and the old oak flooring above her head began creaking under the weight of someone moving down the hall. A few seconds later, a shadow fell over Ruby. She raised her eyes, smiling apologetically before hugging the wall so the person could pass. “Sorry,” she said, knowing full well they would not acknowledge her apology.