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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
LATE JUNE
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Missy Devereaux, whose real name was Mary Ann Duff, fluffed her hair as she pretended to look in the store , scanning behind her, wondering if he’d followed her to Las Vegas And then she saw hiray Volvo in the thick Las Vegas Strip traffic He looked thin in his baggy jeans and his loose-hanging dark blue shirt She couldn’t see his face--he wore dark sunglasses and a Giants baseball cap
It wasn’t fair She’d just landed a six-month stint here at the Mandalay in a Beatlesfor half a year of peace and calm without a stalker to tie her stomach in knots, but here he was, after only four days She’d been so careful when the taxi picked her up at her cottage in Malibu nearly a week before--had the driver drop her off at LAX, a terminal away fro her, following her All she’d wanted was her life to return to norone to the cops to see if they could stop him Movie star stalkers were old hat to the Calabasas Sheriff’s Depart all the criminal problems in Malibu They had a protocol in place, a pleasant older cop had told her four months before, they would talk to him if she would point hiot tired of following her around? Attack her? The friendly older cop only shook his head, avoided answering that question That saht a Becker Ka-Bar knife, a fixed blade three and a quarter inches long, with a three-inch handle It was made of Cro-Van steel, the sales back nearly to the ark She liked the sound of that, carrying soh for the marines She liked the feel of the Ka-Bar, too, solid, and ready to go in its sheath hooked onto her waistband
The cops hadn’t caught the stalker, even following their protocol
She kept fluffing, touched on soloss, and continued to stare into theShe didn’t see hi She was so used to feeling acid burning her gut, so used to the overwhele to run as fast as she could, that she didn’t at first recognize the bolt of rage that splashed through her She felt her adrenaline spike, felt her blood pu her shake For the first tier wash over her, and she saw clearly who and what he was--nothing She wasn’t going to let him destroy her life Not anyridlock traffic on the Strip, not even aware of the horns honking, the tourists jostling her or the histles All her focus was on thather publicity photos
She saw hihten, stare at her, then draw back when she started running toward him, not away, her Ka-Bar in her hand
She heard growling, realized it was fro to carve out your tonsils!" He sprinted away, Missy after hih school, but all that had changed when she’d turned twenty Six years later, she was in top-flight shape, ran three le day, worked out at Sam’s Muscle Bar, in LA Catch hih crowds of tourists on the sidewalk, knocking so around others, and Missy followed in his wake, closing in on hiondolas floating past, knocking two people aside, leaving the after him When the crush of tourists became too thick, she ran in the street, close to the sidewalk, and gained on hiht, toward the Wynn hotel and looked back over his shoulder, she saw it clear as day--fear He’s afraid of ravation and, yes, fear Noas his turn She felt fierce, unstoppable She ae hotel garage, nearly empty this time of day, Missy on his heels She lost hi across to the far side of the garage that opened onto the gardens of the Wynn She was nearly on hi leap and landed on his back, wrapping her arht, half on the grass, half on the concrete garage floor
"You move, and I’ll slice off your ear!" She pricked his neck with her Ka-Bar, enough to draw a drop of blood, to show him she was serious He became still as a stone So he wasn’t a cole of brown hair, and pulled his head back She elbowed off his sunglasses and looked down into a thin, good-looking face, marred by some acne scars on his forehead, and pale brown eyes filled with fear Of her Of her Ka-Bar digging into his neck He didn’t outweigh her by ht hiht about biting him but didn’t She whispered in his ear, "You’re the one who’s scared now, aren’t you, you creep? Who are you? Why have you been stalkingabout I never saw you before inh, twitchy, with a bit of a stutter that pleased her i little liar!" She jerked up his head by the hair, dug the knife a bit deeper He groaned, music to her ears
A man’s deep voice from just above her said quietly, easily, "Please don’t carve him up here, ma’am Mr Wynn wouldn’t be pleased I’m Del Conroy, head of security"
Missy stilled, craned her neck to look up into a hard face, at odds with that sray hair cut short, a white shirt and slacks "Please don’t stop me, Mr Conroy I’m Missy Missy Devereaux I want to carve hi ht him down Well done" He squatted down beside her "Nice to meet you, Missy And what’s your na She attackedo, Missy, I’ve got this now, if you don’t mind" And he scooped her up beneath her armpits and set her on her feet Both of the his neck Missy saw the smear of blood from her Ka-Bar and smiled