Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [572]
He kicked his running shoes off without untying them, leaving them in the middle of the floor. That’s when he saw the icon flashing on his computer screen. He stared at it, approaching slowly. There wasn’t a game scheduled, and any messages usually came through the chat room.
He lowered himself into his desk chair, continuing to stare at the skull-and-bones icon that blinked at him from the corner of the computer screen. Any other time he’d be anxious and excited and ready to play. Instead, he felt his stomach churning again. His finger hesitated, then he double clicked the icon. The screen jumped to life immediately, the words filling the space in bold type.
YOU BROKE THE RULES.
Gibson gripped the chair arms. What the hell was this? Before he could figure it out, the screen came alive with a new message.
I SAW WHAT YOU DID.
CHAPTER 5
Old Ebbitt’s Grill
Washington, D.C.
Maggie waved off the busy hostess. She made her way through the crowded restaurant, trying to ignore the heavenly aromas of grilled beef and something garlic. She was starving.
She found Gwen waiting in their usual corner booth. A large goblet of what Maggie guessed was Gwen’s favorite Shiraz sat untouched in front of her.
“Did you not want to start without me?” Maggie asked, pointing to the glass as she slid into the opposite side of the booth.
“Sorry, just the opposite. This is my second glass.”
Maggie checked her watch. She was ten minutes late, if that. Before she could respond, Marco appeared alongside their table. “Good evening, Ms. O’Dell. May I interest you in a cocktail before dinner?”
Maggie marveled at his ability to make them feel as though they were his only concern in the crowded, noisy restaurant. Despite the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, she thought he still had that youthful, tanned sleek look of an experienced and well-paid cabana boy. One who took pride in knowing his clientele. He sure knew Gwen and Maggie well enough that when they reserved a table he made sure it was this corner booth.
So it was without hesitation or confusion that when Maggie told him she’d have her “usual,” he said, “Of course. I’ll have your Diet Pepsi with a twist of lemon right out.” Just like that. No further questions. No lectures, or worse, sympathetic glances. She liked that.
Marco handed her a menu, “May I suggest some fresh escargots for an appetizer?”
“No,” Maggie said too quickly. “None for me,” she added, hoping she hadn’t already telegraphed her disgust at the very idea. After an afternoon filled with maggots, she wasn’t sure she could stomach a plateful of snails.
“None for me, either,” Gwen agreed.
“But perhaps we could start with an order of stuffed mushroom caps?” Maggie suggested. The scent of garlic had already primed her mouth for the delicious appetizer.
“Excellent choice,” Marco said, rewarding her with a smile. “I’ll have those out to you right away.”
When Maggie glanced at her, Gwen was smiling, sipping her wine.
“What?” Maggie asked. “I’m starving, but I’ll share.”
“I wish you could have seen your face when he recommended the escargots. So it must have been one of those afternoons, I take it?”
“Maggots. Way too many maggots,” she said as she pushed strands of hair off her forehead, surprised to find them still damp. She had gone back home for a quick shower, hoping also to wash away the memory and the feel of the wormy critters even though she hadn’t touched a single one this time. Then she added, “The District PD finally called us in on the decapitated Jane Doe cases.”
“Does that mean