Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game

always ready to smile.But when she really examined him, it occurred to her that those boyish good looks could be hiding something much more sinister beneath. Goose bumps raised along her skin.
    She did another short broadcast, talking about nothing she could remember, her mind suddenly consumed with the reality that Brian moved with grace and carried himself like a man who could handle himself. And what did she really know about him? He’d arrived in town right before she had. And he saw Patsy occasionally. Her pulse thundered in her ears and her mouth went dry.
    Had he said that to subtly warn her that he could hurt Patsy anytime he wanted? When had she let her guard down enough to stop being suspicious of everyone around her? She snuck another look at him—the set of his shoulders, the smooth way he moved. He was good at his work, easy to work with, he fit in.

    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    What was she thinking? Where was she going with this and why was she suddenly tense and apprehensive? She bit down hard on her lip, distracted enough that she nearly missed her cue. At Brian’s frantic signals, she sent her soft, whispery siren’s voice out over the airwaves, gave a little commentary, and introduced the next run of songs. All the while her mind was turning over the puzzle, trying to piece together an answer.
    Feeling Brian’s gaze on her, she turned and glared at him through the glass. She signaled him to come into the booth. Brian sauntered in, looking cockier than ever.
    “I want to hear your theory.”
    “What’s yours?” he countered.
    “If I know him, obviously he’d have to disguise his voice.”
    Brian nodded. “My feelings exactly.” He leaned one hip lazily against the console and regarded her from his lofty height.
    Saber leaned close to him, moving her hand until it rested close to his arm right above his wrist. She drummed her fingers beside his arm, using her nervous habit to cover her movement. “And if he used a recorder, is it possible that he wants to be in two places at the same time?”
    She tuned her heartbeat to his, listening to the rhythm, allowing her body to sync with his. If he was nervous, it didn’t show in his body rhythm. His heartbeat and pulse were steady. Her fingertips very lightly slid against his skin. “Like if it was you, Brian, you could call and still be here to take the call.”She made certain as she made the suggestion that even as she sounded casual, she checked to see if there was even a slight abnormality in his pulse.
    He grinned at her. “Me? I like you, honey, but not that much. It’s a lot of trouble to go to, and I’m kinda on the lazy side.”
    Absolutely no change in his rhythm. If Brian was lying, he would be able to beat a lie detector with no trouble at all. She didn’t believe he was that good. She slipped her fingers back to the surface of the console and resumed the “nervous” drumming. “It was a wild idea, but actually not a bad one. If the person is someone I know, wouldn’t it be a great way to keep suspicion from them? They could be with me when a call came in.”
    “If you’re thinking Jess, I just can’t go there. I’m sure the man’s a perv, but if he wanted to get all freaky with your things, he’d have done it long before now.”
    Everything in her stilled, but she hung on to her smile and the cool mask that was her face. Young.
    Innocent. So sweet and vulnerable. How had he known that the intruder had gotten into her things? No matter what he said to cover his tracks, Brian knew about the intruder, and no one should have that information. It hadn’t gone outside the GhostWalker circle at all.
    “Not Jess, you dope.” She injected the right touch of humor.
    She caught a glimpse of her face reflected in the glass surrounding her, and it was her heart that jumped.
    She was wearing her death mask. The innocent teenage one. Guileless. Little white teeth gleaming in a smile, eyes shining and friendly. She despised that mask, but there it was, an automatic reaction. She glanced down and found the pads of her fingers against his pulse, her body already syncing their rhythms.

    Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    Even knowing from the easy relaxed rate of his pulse that he wasn’t the stalker, she instinctively had prepared to kill him to eliminate a threat, if she’d been wrong.
    She jumped up so fast she knocked over her