ust kille

not even the one that pillaged her shabby apartment e

e waited, expecting someone to barge into the exclusive room and disc

ad a silencer, which stifled the sound of

body off her, and it landed

from the club drowned out everything else. She could barely hear her own sobs as she stared down at the lifeles

her. The torn pieces of her stripper clothes were

started hype

to be a one-time thing. Just enough to cover her overdue bills and rent

ail cell. Serena bit her nails nervously as she contemplated her next move

old words when the man had pick

, and I'll ta

but Serena didn't want to find out. T

en ripped during the struggle. Her eyes darted around the room until they fell on the dead man's jacke

, he wouldn't need it

deep breaths, trying to calm he

of his own blood gnawed at her. But she reminded

and turned to leave, she tripped over something and fell onto he

k brie

dropped as the contents stared back at her: it

it her lower lip as she considered her options. Serena g

the vent and removed the lid. Crawling through the vent wasn't exactly

peered down into the toilet through the holes in the vent cover. In

toilet cubicle. Her heart was still racing. What if the guard had already checked the room? The c

en smeared terribly. The image of the dead man pressing her against the couch, one hand on her neck, the other trying to pry her le

the jacket pocket as she stepped out of t

-

ce sneaking home the previous night. She switched from one news channel to another, w

nagement hadn't found the body by now. Maybe they didn't want the police snooping around. She once heard

her down and kill her. That was less

as hyperventi

s, Se

r hand, shattering on the floor. Her sist

was her younger sister-the pretty one, with her slim model body, long blonde hair, and pi

to get it together or she'd expose herself

fifty bucks? I'll

lied quietly as she cleaned up the b

ay you

ever

any money. I thought you ha

e money for something importa

up. She had to stop expecting better.

gig next week. I'll give yo

If she wasn't in jail or murdered by next week,

her puppy dog eyes, "a

kitchen. She couldn't stay home; she feared sh

to avoid being spotted easily. Satisfied w

-

in case. After a few too many turns, she arrived at her best frien

ing and immediately burst into lau

s. Ann loved experimenting with new recipes, and Serena was always her lab rat. Not that Serena complained-it mean

ed, stepping out of the kitch

man," Sere

she set the plate down on the coffee tabl

ries from the previous night flooded back. Tears

embling hands. "Girl, y

ed to r

ho

tight, I couldn't breathe. I tried to push him, but he wouldn't budge." She was

a protective hug.

was far from alrigh

, so it means the police don't know yet

rippers saying the dead guy was very influential. His family

she'd live the rest of her life? Hidi

standing to her feet, "then you and R

to leave her friends and her budding modeling career. Rita would want to know why the rush, and Serena

she goi

n, her p

xchanged panicke

come to the phone right no

stomach. "Who is this, and what have you

e if you're not here in the next te

had enough time to leave the city, but her crime had alread

ed, her face a mixtur

frantically in search of her keys. She found them tucked

d call th

na threw over her shoulder as

se let Rita be fine.* She couldn't live with herself if something happened to Rita. Rita was all

mother again. She had a

ent. The elevator was taking forever, so she turned to the sta

e open, revealing her trashed living room.