Killer Read Online Free Page A

Ed hurried out and headed across the lobby to the glass doors.
    He nearly fell out of his chair.
    What the hell?
    This was bad. Very bad. Gaia was standing there . . . only for once in her life, she didn’t look heartstoppingly gorgeous. Sure, she still towered over him like some modern-day Amazonian goddess, with her tangled yellow hair tumbling in a sultry mess from beneath a wool cap—but her skin was frighteningly pale. Hanging off her muscular shoulder was a messenger bag, crammed to maximum capacity, with a wrinkled shirtsleeve poking out of the top. Her left wrist was cradled in her right hand. A sticky crimson stream of blood flowed down her fingers. It dribbled into a red puddle around her beat-up sneakers.
    Ed couldn’t speak. He could only gape at her as he opened the doors of his building.
    â€œIs it cool if I come in?” Gaia asked in a stony voice, seemingly oblivious to her injuries.
    In an instant Ed forgot all about the promises he’d just made to himself. Gaia was hurt. Gaia needed help.That was all that mattered. “Uh . . . yeah—sure,” he stammered. “What’s going on?”
    Gaia brushed past him and marched toward the elevators, her head down. “I don’t feel like talking about it,” she said.
    That figured. Of course. Why would she ever feel like talking about it? Anger surged through him, then quickly subsided. He sighed. She played the same freaking scenario over and over again: Shut Ed out as much as possible, then come to him only when you need something. Lather. Rinse. Repeat . . .
    â€œI don’t know why you’re coming to me,” Ed stated, following in her footsteps like some kind of sniveling puppy on wheels.
    Gaia wiped her nose on her sleeve, avoiding his eyes. “I don’t have anywhere else to go, all right? Don’t worry—I’ll stay out of your hair. All I need is a floor to crash on.” Little droplets of blood marked her trail across the lobby. He glanced nervously behind him, just to make sure nobody could see.
    Ed wanted to stay firm, to stand up for himself, but it was too late. She was already entering the elevator. He had no choice but to follow. He nodded at her wrist as the doors slid shut behind them. “Let me guess—a band of nomadic ninjas jumped you on the number-nine train.”
    Gaia looked down absently, as if she didn’t have aclue what he was talking about. “Oh. Right. I got caught on the rain gutter on the way down from my room.”
    â€œOh,” Ed said, nodding. “Of course. The old escape-from-Alcatraz trick. Got it.”
    But Gaia didn’t seem to catch the sarcasm in his voice. Man. This was even worse than it looked. She was seriously out of it.
    The elevator lurched to a stop. The doors opened. They had reached Ed’s floor. Maybe it was time to drop the bomb.
    Ed hesitated in the hall as Gaia walked to his door.
    â€œSo are you going to let me in?” she asked, glancing back over her shoulder. Another drop of blood splattered on the floor.
    â€œUh . . . yeah,” he murmured. “There’s something I should tell you, though.”
    She sighed. “What’s that?”
    He rolled up beside her and put his hand on the doorknob. For a moment his gaze skittered across Gaia’s perfect features. He couldn’t help but wonder what her reaction would be. Disappointment? Or—hope against hope—maybe even a little bit of jealousy?
    â€œWell?” she demanded.
    Ed pushed open the door, bracing himself for the storm that was about to erupt. “Heather’s here,” he said.
    Â 
    GAIA SUDDENLY FOUND HERSELF wishing Ella’s bullet hadn’t missed its mark. Even death seemed like a better alternative than being holed up in Ed’s tiny East Village apartment with
her
.
    The Burning
    Ed slammed the door shut behind them. Gaia found herself staring straight into Miss Heather Gannis’s genetically perfect