Next he turned off the security feed completely. Taylor was a genius with computers so it made sense she’d be able to hack in and erase what she’d done. As soon as he was done deleting the files, he tugged off his pants and balled all his clothes together, hurrying back toward his private bathroom.

Shaking, he scrubbed himself raw from head to foot, taking care with his hands and face, the places that had been exposed. He read enough and watched enough television that he knew gunshot residue washed away easily enough. Getting rid of his clothes would be important though. He couldn’t do it now, but he would soon enough. Until then he’d have to stash them… Where?

There was an empty conference room on the floor below. He could stash it up above one of the ceiling tiles. That would work, especially since the security cameras were off.

What else…shit, he had to make sure there wasn’t any blood in the elevator she’d escaped in. He didn’t think he’d hit her, but if he had, he needed to wipe up the evidence.

Hurrying out of his bathroom, he was relieved to find his office still empty. The head of security wouldn’t be in for another hour but he’d need to call him. First, he had another call to make. He grabbed one of his burner cell phones from a hidden compartment in his desk drawer. He glanced at the clock on his wall. He had maybe seven minutes left. At least it would take the police a few minutes to get upstairs once they made it to the building.

His contact picked up on the second ring. “Yeah?”

“Taylor Arenas is on her way to the police station. I need her to disappear quietly. It needs to look like she’s gone on the run. Ten thousand in your bank account today if you do it.” He was going to make sure that she died one way or another. Even if she went to the police, they’d believe him over her. They’d have to. And he’d make sure she ‘killed herself’ over her guilt from taking Hugh’s life. He just hoped it didn’t come to that. It’d be much easier if she simply disappeared.

“I’m on my way. What happens if I can’t get to her in time?”

“Make sure that you do.” Otherwise he was screwed. “Call me when it’s done.” He hung up and turned off the phone before tucking it into the bundle of clothes. He wouldn’t be using it again and would dispose of it along with his gun and clothes. Next he hurriedly got dressed in a spare set of clothes he kept at the office before grabbing Lysol wipes from the bathroom. If there was blood in the elevator he’d clean it. After that he’d call his head of security then go back to Hugh’s office. He needed to bend down near the body and act as if he’d given Hugh CPR, make sure the evidence proved that he was telling the truth.

Once he checked the elevator and found no blood, the weight on his shoulders lifted. If she hadn’t been shot, that made all this easier. It was a classic he-said, she-said situation. He had another throwaway gun he’d planned to leave next to Hugh’s body to make it look as if Hugh had shot Taylor if need be. But it didn’t look like that would be necessary.

Dragging in a deep breath, he realized he could still get away with this. He just needed to remain focused and make sure Taylor Arenas disappeared for good.

Chapter 2

Discomfort slid through Taylor’s side when she shifted slightly against the driver’s seat of Hugh’s vehicle. She thought she’d been shot a lot worse but now realized it was barely a graze. A strip of skin had been ripped away, but she was barely bleeding.

Not that she even cared. She just wanted to get the hell away from work and tell the police. She didn’t have any of her personal belongings with her, like her cell phone. No, unfortunately that was in her car. In the company parking garage. She’d been so damn terrified that Neal would catch up to her that she’d taken Hugh’s SUV since it had been right there when she’d exited the garage.

Programmed with fingerprint software, she’d been able to start it with her thumb print since he’d given her access to all his vehicles. She’d been driving for a couple minutes, but her hands were still shaky and her breathing choppy. Even though she had no control of it, she knew she was in a state of mild shock. She also knew that she had to call the police. She was only a few minutes away from the station anyway, but they needed to catch Neal before he escaped.

With a trembling hand, she pressed the OnStar call button on the rearview mirror. As soon as she told the system to call 9-1-1, some of her panic started to ebb.

She might not trust the police, but in a situation like this she knew they would help. Her mentor had been gunned down right in front of her and that bastard Neal was going to pay for what he’d done. Anger and grief battled inside her, each one wanting dominance. She let her rage take control, needing that emotion in charge because once she let herself grieve, she knew she’d be a useless wreck.

As soon as the 9-1-1 operator answered, asking what her emergency was, Taylor found her voice. “My boss has been shot. Killed. I just saw Neal Lynch murder Hugh Powers!” She didn’t mean to shout, but felt out of control, her entire body still shaking. She gave the address, her heart an erratic drumbeat in her chest. It was hard to breathe past the pain as she thought of Hugh slumping back against his desk, blood pooling everywhere.

“Take a deep breath ma’am. Who am I speaking to?”

“Taylor Arenas. I work at Powers Group.”

There was a slight pause. “What’s the name of the man you saw shot?”

“Hugh Powers. He’s in his office, on the top floor of the Powers Group building. That bastard Neal Lynch just shot him in cold blood.” Her stomach lurched as she remembered everything in vivid, Technicolor detail.

“Where are you now ma’am?”

“I’m on my way to the police station.”

“Why don’t you pull over and I’ll have an officer meet you?” The woman’s voice was calm, and she was sure the woman meant to be reassuring, but something about her tone rubbed Taylor the wrong way. She knew she was just being paranoid though. The woman only wanted to help.

“No, I’ll be there in like, two minutes. Look, who cares about an officer meeting me? Send someone to the Powers Group before Neal gets away!”

“Ma’am, we already have officers there. I need you to tell me exactly where you are.” Now her voice was forceful, demanding.

What the hell? Alarm bells dinged in Taylor’s head. She knew she was likely being paranoid but… She pressed the end button on the phone call. Why were officers already at the building? Someone would have had to call. And the building had been empty except for… Neal. Had he called? But why would he call for a crime he’d committed? Unless he was telling the cops she did it.

She shook her head. No, the evidence wouldn’t lie.

Frowning, she turned left into the parking lot of the local police station. Palm trees waved beautifully under the clear, blue sky. There should be dark, stormy clouds filling the sky, not beauty on a day like this. On a day one of the most important people in her life had died. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back.

She’d break down later. First she needed to talk to the police. The phone rang on the vehicle system, but she ignored it. Driving around the parking lot, she started to park in a spot on the front row but nearly crashed when she saw Gordon Simpson hovering near the front entrance. Wearing black pants and a long, black, dress shirt, he was smoking a cigarette and glancing around. Was he looking for her? If he was he’d probably be looking for her car. Unless he knew she’d taken Hugh’s vehicle…adrenaline punched through her as she gripped the wheel even tighter.

Simpson was part of the security team for the Powers Group and he sometimes worked closely with Neal. What was he doing here? Her heart rate kicked up a notch when he nodded at a man in a suit entering the building. The other man’s badge was clearly visible so he was a cop. Maybe a detective, given the attire. Had Neal sent Simpson here for her? That seemed so insane but she never would have imagined that Neal would shoot Hugh in cold blood, either.