One Week To Live Read Online Free PDF Page B

low-rise adobe house clung to a desert slope overlooking Las Vegas. A tall adobe wall surrounded it and towering palm trees added more privacy to the compound. It proved the perfect place to hide an abducted child. The fact that the small house with few windows lay at the end of a rutted desert road pleased him. No one could hear the kid’s cries.
    Smiling, he reached for his battered duffle bag. Time to dig into his trusty suitcase of tricks, tricks that had worked countless times before and should again.
    He thought of Angela Martin and what he’d delivered to her doorstep. It was meant to throw her off balance. He was going to love playing his game with her. Each move should leave her more distracted and upset, bringing him closer to what he yearned for. When he ended his little game, he’d be the winner and she’d be the loser.
    ****
    She leaned against her closed apartment door for several minutes after Brian left. When they first met, she’d been attracted to him. With his charming, easy-going manner, he won her over. It wasn’t long before he’d desired more in their relationship, but she’d kept him at arm’s length for the most part. Considering what happened, she was glad she had. It only proved to her that the wall she’d built around herself after her divorce remained important.
    Sighing, she walked over and picked up the newspaper from the coffee table. A single sheet of paper fluttered out. Probably a promotional flyer, she thought. Curious, she unfolded the 8 ½ by 11 sheet. Staring at the colorful jumble of cutout words pasted on it, she gulped back a dose of fear. It read, “Who gets the clue? Maybe you? Play the game or you’ll be through.”
    Sometime earlier that morning, he’d stood outside her door. She attempted to squash the fear continuing to well up, but she couldn’t. The killer was in Vegas and knew where she lived. No amount of locks would keep him away if he wanted to get to her.
    She’d been privy to the clues in the last case, but the kidnapper never personally delivered them to her. His game had changed. This time he wanted her participating.
    Brian was right. She didn’t have a choice, and she didn’t like it.

Chapter Four
    Sunday night
    Thinking about Angie, Brian made his way across the casino floor to a bank of elevators. He bypassed the cars designated for the lower floors, a mixed-use area of shops, restaurants, and hotel rooms, and took the elevator leading to the upper-floor condo units.
    A writer friend, on the road much of the year, had given him a key to his place and told him he could use it anytime. Unlocking the door, he entered, switched on the light, and emitted a low whistle. He knew his former reporter buddy turned novelist had done well for himself, but he’d never realized how well. He dropped his duffle bag and surveyed the room.
    The spacious corner unit boasted two walls of floor-to-ceiling glass in the living room/dining room area. Beyond these windows, the city’s nighttime skyline glowed in a multi-colored panorama. Crossing to the French doors, he opened them and strolled onto the large corner balcony to see a better view of the Strip’s neon-inspired magic.
    At the far end of Las Vegas Boulevard stood the sky-piercing Stratosphere Tower whose concrete base glowed white against the night sky. The tower pod, lit up in blue, sat atop the 120-story base. He remembered it housing a restaurant, cocktail lounge, and several thrill rides. Red lights illuminated the roller coaster track snaking around the top of the pod.
    Studying the Las Vegas scene further, he spotted the Eiffel Tower replica trimmed in small golden lights. He could also see the top floors of New York, New York’s famed Empire State Building. Emerald green light bathed the outer walls of the nearby MGM Grand.
    Vegas’s drama stood before him. Jaded by his years spent in this town, he still couldn’t help but be impressed. Tonight, however, he didn’t want to savor the view. With it