Predatory Game by Christine Feehan Page B

out.
    Brian Hutton, her soundman, waved to her from the other side of the glass, indicating the telephone. When he mouthed Larry’s name, Saber wrinkled her nose in distaste and shook her head. Just the idea of the louse increased the awful pounding in her temples. She was going to have to go home, crawl in bed, and hope she could fall asleep with the lights on.
    She flicked a switch. “Brian, I’m not going to make it tonight,” she said with genuine regret. She had never missed a day of work, had never even been late. It meant something to her to be able to go to work, however brief her stay always was. She liked having a clean record, knew they would think well of her after she left.
    “You look like hell,” Brian informed her.
    “Oh, thanks. I needed to hear that. Would you cover for me so I could go home and get some sleep?”
    “Sure, Saber,” he agreed sympathetically. “It’s just as well, the crazies are calling in tonight.”
    Her fingers wrapped around the microphone, and everything inside of her stilled. “What crazies, Brian?” She had waited too long. She should have left weeks earlier.
    “Don’t worry about it,” he reassured. “We get them all the time, that’s why I’m here, to weed them out. I always make sure I clue you in on the death threats. The nut tonight was very persistent, but he wasn’t out to gun you down or save your soul. He was just another weirdo, probably looking for a date with the owner of that sexy voice.”
    Saber forced a laugh, forced her tense muscles to relax. “If they could only see me now.” But she would have to be more careful than usual. She’d grown too comfortable here. Too comfortable with Jess.
    Brian pulled one of her tapes and found the entrance he wanted. They did a silent countdown and her voice feathered out into the studio.
    Saber breathed a soft sigh of relief, dropping her head into her hands. All she wanted was to crawl into a hole and hide.
    Brian entered the sound booth and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “You’re burning up. You okay to drive? Or do you want me to call you a cab?”
    She patted his hand, shifting out from under him on the pretense of gathering her things together. “I’ll be fine, Brian, thanks. Rest, orange juice, chicken soup, I’ll be here tomorrow night with bells on.” She held up her car keys. “I didn’t lose them this time.”
    He grinned at her. “That’s a shock. Wait for the security guard. You know how Jess is about you wandering around in the parking lot alone this time of night. He’d have my job first, then my head, if I let you.”
    “Poor Jesse.” Saber smiled at the thought of him in spite of the fact that even her teeth hurt. “He really thinks I’m a pack of trouble, doesn’t he?”
    Brian grinned at her. “He’s right too. Come on, I’ll walk you down.”
    “Thanks, I’m fine, really, but next time you want to take a day off, do it on someone else’s shift. The day sound guy, whatever his name is…”
    “Les.”
    She rolled her eyes. “He’s a grump and a bore. Last night was no fun at all working with him.”
    He grinned at her. “I’ll be sure to plan all my future days off around your schedule.”
    She thumped his shoulder, knowing sarcasm when she heard it. “The phones are lighting up all over the place.”
    He shrugged, uncaring. “Probably that nut. He’s called six times already tonight. I don’t want to talk to him.”
    “Might be,” Saber agreed. “But on the other hand it could be our mighty boss. Ever think of that?”
    Brian’s smile faded instantly. He was halfway down the hall by the time Saber lifted a heavy hand to wave before matching her short strides to the security guard’s longer ones.
    The ride home seemed longer than usual. Saber was so sick she could barely keep her head up. She never got sick. She was so used to her body’s natural immunity to illness, it was rather alarming to find she had a high fever. If she wasn’t so