Share
Chapter 577
The door swung open. Alexa greeted him with a smile.
Conner felt his pulse quicken. She was wearing only a simple, over-sized blue and gold UCLA T-shirt that barely reached half way down her shapely thighs. Her auburn hair curled loosely over her shoulders, and her face was scrubbed clean of any make-up, giving her a fetching, innocent look. Despite the hour, she didn’t appear at all surprised to see him.
“Hi, Case. You’re out late.”
Conner shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to the other. “I was driving around,” he explained, “and I, uh, sort of ended up here.” He grinned sheepishly. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
Alexa frowned, feigning hurt. “Do I look like I was asleep?”
“Definitely not,” he said, shaking his head. “You look great.”
Alexa smiled. She reached up and tenderly stroked Conner’s cheek with her fingertips. “You,
Related chapters
Leesa's Advent Chapter 578
Weber rolled out of bed shortly after ten, rested and ready to go. He’d gone to bed late and slept well, not at all disturbed by what he was about to do. Through his bedroom window, he heard a dog yelping and a stereo pumping hip-hop tunes somewhere down the street. Despite the open windows and the dark curtains keeping the sun’s rays at bay, the heat was already building in his apartment, a sure sign the Santa Ana would broil the basin for at least another day. Weber didn’t much care. No matter how hot it got, it would never rival the torrid, steamy days in Southeast Asia. Naked, he padded to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, washing the last vestiges of sticky sleep from his eyes, then went to the kitchen and chugged half a bottle of Pepsi from the refrigerator before returning to the bathroom and turning on the shower. While the water warmed, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror, proud of the taut muscles that sheathed his body. He had been working out
Leesa's Advent Chapter 579
As he strolled across the grounds, he spied a few studious kids sitting or lying on the grass with books or laptops propped open on their laps or under their chins, but most were simply out having a good time, hanging with friends or noisily tossing footballs and Frisbees back and forth. Near the edge of one long, grassy plaza, he passed a tall, thin black man in a purple and orange tie-dyed T-shirt banging rhythmically on a set of four wooden drums. A crowd of listeners surrounded the drummer, many of them clapping joyously to his driving island beat, while two scantily clad blondes at the front of the group twisted their bodies in frantic, impossible gyrations. Weber slowed slightly, admiring the dancers and the music. He sniffed the familiar, acrid odor of marijuana, and wondered whether anyone was actually attending class today. He felt a brief tinge of envy toward the frolicking young students—his youth had been spent slogging through the rice paddies and jungles of Southeast A
Leesa's Advent Chapter 580
A few miles away, Weber guided the Accord into an open spot along the curb on a quiet side street two blocks north of Hollywood Boulevard. The familiar tingle in his muscles ratcheted up a notch. The most dangerous part of his mission was about to begin. Finding and taking his victim would put him at the highest risk of being discovered. He had thought this part out carefully, using another stratagem taught him by his Uncle Sam—put yourself in your enemy’s place, think like he thinks, anticipate his actions and reactions. He had spent hours doing just that. Not thinking what he would do if he were a cop—that was the most basic and most fatal error you could make, believing your enemy thought the same way you did. Remembering that lesson had kept Weber alive all those years in Vietnam. He was not about to forget it now.The cops knew he needed a kid to carry out his plan. They would be watching every place they could think of where he might find one. And beca
Leesa's Advent Chapter 581
Crystal stared speechlessly down at the money, imagining how much delicious junk it would buy. “I get it,” she said after a moment. “Some kind of mother-son thing, huh?”The phrase almost made Weber blow his disguise, but he manage to control himself and nodded shyly.“Kinky,” Crystal said, flashing her crooked smile. “What d’ya want me to do?”She listened closely while Weber explained it to her.Weber felt the nervous anticipation flow through his limbs while he waited on the sidewalk fifty yards down the street from where he had parked the Accord. He kept the energy locked inside him—anyone watching would see a man standing calmly with his hands clasped behind his back, rocking slightly on his heels under the meager shade of a skinny, mostly leafless tree that did little to block the sun. Only a few cars cruised by on the quiet, apartment-lined street, and for the moment at least, no pedestria
Leesa's Advent Chapter 582
Trying to keep his growing excitement under control, Weber turned on a mellow rock station and hummed softly to Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” his fingers drumming in rhythm atop the steering wheel as he cruised slowly through the wide, eucalyptus and maple lined streets on the eastern edge of the campus. The windows were down, letting the hot, dry air wash over him as his eyes flicked back and forth behind his amber shades, observing and recording every detail of the area. This section of the campus had a village feel to it, lined with tall, broad trees and sloping lawns in front of large wooden clapboard houses that served as offices for various academic departments. Today’s venture would leave him more vulnerable than any of his previous killings, so despite his impatience and the incriminating cargo in his trunk, he forced himself to take his time, to be thorough with his reconnaissance, to make certain he was completely familiar with the area in case some
Leesa's Advent Chapter 583
The boy was still unconscious when Weber unzipped the bag and rolled his limp body out onto the smooth brown tile, but Weber was unconcerned. The boy would awaken shortly. Moving quickly now, Weber emptied his spare clothes from the bag onto the floor beside him and dropped his straw hat onto the tiles beside the clothes. Leaving his running shoes on, he pulled off his shorts and hastily slipped into the gym shorts, then took off the Hawaiian shirt and donned the old T-shirt. When he was done, he put his original outfit on over the new clothes. Originally, he’d planned to wear the T-shirt and shorts under his clothes when he left his apartment, but the unseasonable heat made him decide otherwise. He shoved his gun back into place under the Hawaiian shirt and finished by folding the baseball cap and stuffing it into his rear pocket.The boy’s eyes were open now, staring up at Weber with the same detached curiosity as before. The look didn’t change when Weber
Leesa's Advent Chapter 584
Weber strode swiftly out of the building, exiting beneath the opposite tower from the one where he had thrown the boy. A small crowd was already beginning to gather around the costumed body, and more students were scampering in that direction, eager to see what was going on. A couple of kids glanced Weber’s way as he hurried away, but he resisted the temptation to break into a trot. He wanted to be noticed, but as an afterthought, not as someone running from a crime scene. His hat and sunglasses would prevent anyone from giving much more than a description of his clothes and his build.Suddenly, a siren wailed from surprisingly close by, and he saw a campus security cruiser rushing up the plaza, its rooftop light bar flashing red and blue. Damn cell phones, he thought as he quickly shifted his path away from the oncoming car. Someone had already called in the killing, and the cop had obviously been very nearby. Weber had not expected the cops to be here quite so swiftly
Leesa's Advent Chapter 585
He inched his hand toward the gun under his shirt as he considered his options. How many were back there? He had seen only one guy when he stepped onto the sidewalk, but maybe there were more now. Why were they stopping him? Could he play dumb and bluff his way out? In his new outfit, he thought he might, as long as they didn’t frisk him or ask to look inside his backpack. If they did either, he was cooked. His fingers wrapped around the butt of the Browning, his decision made. Surprise was his best chance.Conner took a few steps toward the waiting man, then stopped. Something about the guy’s reaction pricked at his brain. Most people would have looked back at the sound of his voice. This guy had stopped, sure, but he hadn’t turned around. Instinctively, Conner sensed danger. Suddenly, the man began to spin, his hand holding something dark, but Conner had already launched himself to the side, flinging himself to the ground behind a pair of sturdy blue U.S.
Latest chapter
