When Twilight Comes - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,52

any more trouble, I’ll give you some candy. Chocolate. You like chocolate, don’t you?”

Lexi turned to look back down the hall. “You hurt my mommy.”

“No, she just fell down. She’ll be fine once she rests a little. We’ll get some chocolate out of my car and then we’ll see if she’s ready to go with us, how would that be?”

The kid was giving her a suspicious look. Lexi had always been too bright for her own good.

Lexi had to run to keep up as Charlene half dragged her down the hall. The box under her arm was a lot heavier than it looked. Papers, my behind. There was something good in this box, something Lorenzo Dante would pay anything for. Charlene would bet on that.

But just to even the odds, there was always dear little Alexandria as a bargaining chip if Lorenzo tried to cheat Charlene out of what she had coming. She was no fool. She liked having all the odds on her side.

They reached the elevator and she pushed the button. She could feel the spirits. She jabbed at the elevator button. Come on.

Lexi was waving at someone down the opposite hall from where they’d just come—an odd bat in a purple hat with feathers. No one better try to help Lexi or stop Charlene.

The elevator doors opened and Charlene lurched in, jerking Lexi after her. She punched the close button three times before the doors shut. Then she leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Nervous sweat poured into her eyes. She wiped it with her sleeve.

Just a few more minutes and she would be out of this place. She looked across the elevator. She couldn’t see them now, but she knew they were there watching her. The arm holding the heavy box began to tremble. She wanted to put it down but she couldn’t. She leaned against the elevator wall, chilled and sweating, fighting for her next breath.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened. Charlene practically dived out, dragging Lexi with her.

The lobby was just yards away. She could see the door that opened onto the wide porch. Once she was through it…

LORENZO LOOKED AROUND, surprised to realize the hotel didn’t even look open for business. There was only one old pickup parked across the lot, other than Charlene’s red car and Alfredo’s vehicle back in the trees.

Odd. Was it possible Jenna wasn’t even here?

No. Charlene had gotten a call from her. Charlene wouldn’t try to double-cross him until she got her twenty grand. The woman was a lot of things, but she wasn’t that stupid.

But what could Jenna be doing here?

He knew the smartest thing would be to wait in his car for Charlene. She’d eventually come back out with the money, and when she did, he’d be waiting.

But not only did he hate waiting, he couldn’t stand the thought that Jenna had to be close by. What if she somehow got away?

During the whole trip up here he’d been imagining the look on her face when she saw him. He smiled to himself, enjoying the terror he would see there. Killing her was going to make all this worthwhile.

Then he would take Alexandria. The thought didn’t please him as much as he’d imagined it would. Before, he’d known that Jenna would suffer, knowing he had their daughter. But if she was dead…

He realized he was having second thoughts about taking Alexandria with him when he left the country. If she’d been a boy, a male heir, it would be different. But he had a feeling she would be more trouble than she was worth.

And she was a strange child. He’d seen her studying him sometimes, and there were moments when he thought she could see beyond his veneer, see things he didn’t want anyone seeing.

Yes, the more he thought about it, the more he didn’t think he would take her. After all, she’d probably grow up to give him as much grief as her mother had. Maybe he’d just leave her here. She was cute enough that someone might want her.

He glanced toward the hotel.

Where the hell was Charlene?

He couldn’t wait any longer. He’d just started to open his door when a Jeep came roaring up to the front door.

Lorenzo couldn’t believe his eyes as Rose Garcia jumped out and ran toward the lobby of the hotel, followed by the man who’d been driving.

What the hell was she doing here? And who was the guy? Hell, they both looked like cops, now that he thought about