Chemical Burn Read Online Free PDF

screaming.
    “Where are we going?” she asked over her shoulder.
    “This way,” I said with a friendly smile on my face. I opened the door and motioned for her to go in.
    “That’s a closet, Mister Case,” she said dryly as she stepped in. I found it interesting that she already knew that, and I stacked the fact on top of the others in my head. She pressed back some dusty ski-jackets and pants, crouching slightly to get under the shelf and clothes-bar inside.
    “Of course it is,” I replied calmly as I stepped in and closed the door behind me. The small closet was pitch-black. I could feel her leaning up against me, bent at an awkward angle. Even sweaty as she was, she smelled fantastic. I raised my hand, accidentally brushing up against her breast as I did.
    “Hey …” she said.
    “Sorry,” I half-apologized as I slid my hand along the top of the doorjamb. I pressed a recessed button hidden there. We heard a loud click, and a seam of pale light appeared at the back of the closet. I shifted around her and pushed open a door.
    “After you,” I said gallantly.
    “How did you know…?” she started.
    “I built it,” I said before she could finish the question. I could feel my conscience slipping back into place as the predator faded back into the depths where I keep him.
    Natalia slid between the jackets and stepped into a passage that looked to be made of smooth, gray plastic. Four florescent lamps were spaced evenly down its hundred-foot length. My foot bumped into something as I stepped through the back door of the closet. I looked down and saw a pair of small running shoes. It occurred to me that Xen and Natalia were about the same size.
    “Hey,” I said, reaching down to pick up the shoes. “These may fit.”
    I held the shoes out to her and pushed the door closed behind me with a click. She leaned the rifle against the wall. “It’s empty,” she said as she stuck the Glock in her belt, dropped the shoes on the floor, and quickly put them on.
    “Leave the rifle. I’ll come back for it later.”
    Natalia finished lacing up the shoes. “A bit loose, but passable,” she said. “Thank you, Mister Case.”
    “After what we just went through … call me Justin.”
    “Justin,” she started, “how could you possibly build this?”
    “I have a lot of tools,” I answered evasively. I strolled down the passage, and Natalia followed close behind, the Glock back in her hand. Another doorway stood at the far end of the hallway. Beyond the door lay a tight, spiral staircase going up. I flipped a light switch on the wall, but nothing happened that Natalia could see.
    We walked up the stairs, and I pushed open a trapdoor in the ceiling. We stepped up into a well-lit laundry room with a wide sink, a washer-dryer set, and a row of paneled closets. I’d bolted a tall laundry basket to the top of the trap door. As I closed the door, the seams of it were partly covered by the edges of the basket.
    “Clever,” Natalia said. “Whose house is this?”
    “It’s one of mine,” I said simply.
    From the laundry room we stepped out into a stone-tiled living room with floor-to-ceiling glass along one wall facing out onto a swimming pool. Widely spaced leather furniture made a wide conversation pit on one side, and a dining area lay beyond. Natalia yawned and stretched her arms out.
    “Adrenaline wearing off?” I asked her.
    “I believe it is,” she said a little tiredly.
    “Do you need to be anywhere tonight? This place is about as safe as it gets. You can stay till morning.”
    “How many bedrooms,” she asked suspiciously.
    “Four,” I said grinning. I knew a closed door when I heard one, although I wasn’t interested in trying to open it. Rachel’s face leapt into my mind, which caught me by surprise. I also had too much respect for Xen to try something like that. Although she didn’t show it, I suspected she was truly grieving over his death.
    “You need anything to eat or drink?” I