He tilted his head, and only then did he give away the smile he’d been hiding. “I suppose it’s possible. We can discuss the terms.”
She leaned up and gave him a kiss. “We can start with a kiss. Maybe a nibble on the neck.” She scraped her teeth across his skin, breathing in the scent of him. “Then I could move down…”
He caught her face in his hands and kissed her. She felt that jolt through her body. Now they could kiss without his worrying about seeing the awful vision. She leaned into him, rubbing her hands over his chest, soaking in the feel of him.
With a gasp, he stepped back. “No, can’t be.” His face was white with fear and confusion.
“You saw…the vision again?”
“Yes.” He rubbed his temples. “Maybe it’s stuck in my head.”
“But you don’t really think so.”
“No. The murder this morning could be a copycat. I’m not taking any chances. I’m going out to the car to get the rope and hammer. I told the driver to wait for me. I’ll be right back.” He took the stairs as though he were flying down them. “Close the door!”
A few minutes later she heard a knock on the door. She opened it but stopped short. Dale stood there, breathing heavily.
“Oh, I forgot you were coming. Look, it’s okay. Owen isn’t Kiss and Kill Cupid.”
“I know.” He shoved his way in and locked the door, dropping his backpack on the floor. He pulled his BlackBerry out of his pocket and punched in some numbers. “I want to report an attempted murder. It’s Kiss and Kill Cupid…” He gave her address. “Yes, I’ll stand by until the police arrive.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s out in the hall. I saw him coming up the stairs with a hammer and rope.”
She let out a hysterical laugh. “That was Adrian. He’s not the killer.”
Dale leaned into her face. “Yes, he is.”
“He was bringing up those items to keep me safe from the killer.”
“No, he was coming to kill you. I’ve been watching him, too, though I didn’t want to alarm you until I had something concrete. You were so convinced he couldn’t be the killer. All day I’ve worked on matching up his locations with the crimes in the last few years. I talked to his driver. Adrian was in the vicinity of the crime this morning. He had the driver drop him off two blocks away, and the driver saw him go not into the building he was supposed to be going into but around the corner.”
“That’s…no, that’s just wrong.” She knew absolutely it was wrong. “Where’s Adrian? You said you saw him on the stairs. Why isn’t he here?”
“I took care of him.”
“Took…care?”
She started to run to the door, but he grabbed her by the shoulder and swung her around. She nearly careened into him, and the BlackBerry dropped to the floor. His hair was stiff with the hairspray he smelled strongly of.
“You can’t go out there. It’s dangerous. Wait until the police get here.”
“He’s not a killer. He’s…” She looked down at the phone. The line wasn’t open as he’d told the operator he was going to do.
Oh, my God. It’s Dale. He’s Kiss and Kill Cupid. She’d never given him her address. She had to keep her cool, even though her heart was about to shoot out of her chest.
He put his arm around her shoulder. “I know it’s a shock. These guys can be cunning, seductive. But the important thing is, you’re safe.”
“Th-thank you. I can’t believe it. What did you do to him?”
“I tripped him on the stairs, then grabbed the hammer he was about to use on you and hit him with it. Then I tied him up with the rope he was going to tie you up with. There’s a storage room off the lobby. I pulled him in there so no one would freak out if they came in and saw him. He won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”
Her throat tightened in fear. What had Dale done to him? And what would he do to her?
“That was very brave of you,” she said, hoping she sounded convincing. “Where did you hit him?”
“In the head. It’s going to be a hell of a story.” He gave her a wide grin, which disappeared when his nose twitched. “Hey, smells like something’s burning.”
The aroma of burnt cheese filled the room.
“Maybe we should go down there, make sure he doesn’t get away.” She started to head to the door again, but he pulled her back. Her voice sounded tight when she said, “He’s tied up, right? So he can’t do anything to us. We really should—”