Kinley stood with her back against the stone countertop, gripping the cool granite edge behind her. Easton was pacing the living room, discussing their plans with his boss in a clipped tone. Something about the conversation was grating on his patience. She could no longer lie to herself. Every shred of her being was turned inside out and tangled up by her rapidly developing feelings for Easton. Still, she couldn’t forget the biggest reason he was helping her. She was the means to capture one of the most notorious child predators of the century. Oh, she was intimately aware of how important it was to shield society from her abductor. Part of her had thirsted for vengeance since the moment she slid through the broken basement window of her prison, but she’d locked it down. Eventually, the drive to work in law enforcement had tempered her desire to seek revenge, though it was always there, part of her, like the blood that pulsed through her veins.
Easton abruptly turned, shoving his cell phone into his pocket. She was overwhelmed by his bravery to overcome such a horrific childhood. Her heart ached for him, but she was moved beyond words that he would trust her with the truth of his past. “Everything okay?” she asked.
His lips were pressed together into a thin white slash. “My superior wanted me to report in for an additional brief. She told me to head to the satellite office while you gathered your things at the apartment.”
“Is that the new plan?” Her heartrate sped up, and she hated that she was scared to go inside her own apartment. A seasoned homicide detective rattled at the thought of being alone. Yeesh, what was she turning into?
“No fucking way,” he ground out.
Relief rushed through her, calming frenzied nerves.
“We’ll go to your apartment first, then we’ll make a quick stop at the office. Whatever information is shared with me should be given to you, too. You’ve already been benched from doing your job. I won’t let you be cut out of the investigation, too.”
The conviction in his tone made her heart swell. He was treating her with the same respect as a tested partner. Similar to the bond she had with Gus, only that was where her feelings for Easton’s brother stopped. The man standing in front of her, with his feet planted wide and ire flashing over his face, was a whole other story. Easton’s intense eyes and warm embrace rattled her equilibrium. The rousing surge of lust that careened through her when he so thoroughly kissed her in the downstairs gym was anything but a platonic partnership.
“I appreciate it.” Her words didn’t even begin to explain her gratitude. “We better hit the road, then. Don’t want your ass getting handed to you because of me.”
“Do what you need to do. Let me worry about the rest.”
Together, they walked with purpose to the side door that led to the garage. She rounded Easton’s vehicle and climbed into the passenger side, then secured her seatbelt. Stealing glances at his profile had become a new favorite pastime. The lines and ridges of his face were strong and sure. His midnight eyes were framed by equally dark, thick lashes. Stubble shadowed his jawline. Clean shaven or a day’s worth of scruff didn’t matter—he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on. The SUV droned to life as the garage door cranked open behind them.
“Do you think new information was found at the coffee shop? Or another case that needs your attention?” she asked as they reversed down the driveway and straightened onto the main road.
“This is where my priority has been shifted. It’d be unlikely to get another project, given the magnitude of this case.” His gaze flickered over to her before returning to the road ahead of them, and a tendril of excitement unfurled in her belly. When Easton looked at her, her breath always bottled up in her chest. His eyes were intense, and he did nothing to temper the expression of heat dancing behind the surface of his lids. “The best we can hope for is new leads.”
The next twenty minutes of the ride were spent in silence, both of them scanning the traffic behind them. Nothing stood out as suspicious, but when they neared her apartment building, the white van parked out front with the name of a local nightly news channel splashed across the side made her stomach cramp.
“Dammit.” Easton pounded his fist into the steering wheel. “Is there a back entrance?
“Yeah, take a left up here,” she said.
Easton took the tight corner onto a side street and circled around to the rear of the property. Luck was on their side when they found an open spot near the back door. Tenants could enter the building here but rarely did. At night, the lone source of light was an eerie glow from a shattered street lamp.
“In and out. Okay?” Easton pinned her with his intense gaze.
“As soon as I throw a bag together, we’re out. Not that I think anyone is lying in wait with the news van out front.” She leaned forward and checked the ankle strap concealing her compact pistol and a spare magazine. When she opened the passenger door and stood, the comforting weight of the Glock Easton had loaned her was present on her hip. They both scanned the area, then strode forward. Dumpsters flanked one side of the door, and the scent of decaying fruit mixed with the metallic tang of empty soup cans hung in the air. Door hinges in need of grease squealed as she drew the door open and allowed Easton to step inside before her. The trip up the stairs to the third floor was uneventful, but she wouldn’t underestimate the Kingston Town Killer. He’d taken her from a shopping center in broad daylight. It would be silly to think he wouldn’t enter an apartment building. As they reached her unit, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood, and she slowed her steps, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Easton was either hyperaware of her movements or he’d sensed it too because he stopped moving. His eyes narrowed at the base of her apartment door as he cocked his head to the side, actively listening. Her muscles tensed the longer they stood in the hallway, her heart flapping like a hummingbird caged in her chest. Then came the sound. The audible clap of shoes on the other side of her door. Easton and she exchanged a look. Someone had beat them to her apartment. Training had them each taking one side of the door. Most of the noise sounded like it was coming from the back near her bedroom. She tested the doorknob, and it rotated easily in her hands. She pushed it open, still standing against the wall instead of directly in front of the door. They’d just moved inside when a figure in dark clothing speared forward, pushing past them in an effort to leave the apartment. The intruder hit the stairs, taking them three at a time.
Adrenaline took over, and her body knew just what to do even if her brain wasn’t entirely sure after these past few days. They raced after him, slamming through the glass doors at the front of the building that led to the street. The man made it down the sidewalk and was approximately twenty feet in front of him before he crumpled. They rushed up and looked down at his face where a single bullet hole marred the very center of his forehead. Someone from the news van started shouting, and Easton gripped her upper arm and dragged her into an alley.
“I’m checking for an ID.” She yanked away and took a step back.
“Think about that,” he hissed. “Someone cared enough to silence him, and we’re damned lucky we weren’t the sniper’s next shot. No way you’re sticking your neck out there making someone’s job easy. Plus, do you want your picture on the nightly news next to the body?”
She had to make him understand, even as her throat was closing up. “We need—”
“To leave. Now.” He took her hand and started to move her forward, but she dug in her heels.
Everything was spiraling out of control. Scenarios were racing through her brain, demanding her attention. “My apartment—”
“Was trashed.” His hands came up to her face and stilled on her cheeks, like he was willing her to listen. To hear the words she didn’t want to hear but were right. “Turned inside out. I caught a glimpse before the intruder rushed out. It wasn’t pretty. As for an ID, he’s not going to have one because it’s doubtful he’d want to be identified if shit went south. Which it did. Now, come on. We’re circling back to the car before we’re next. I’ll call Gus to get out here and find out what he can.”
“When did you become the boss?” God, she hated how she jumped right to the defensive. Put back on all that armor when it felt as though she was losing control. It only made things worse that Easton was right about everything, and she still couldn’t shake the burning frustration in her gut at the way he was taking the reins.
“When you started thinking with your emotions instead of your head? Dammit, Kinley, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
Shit. If that wasn’t a sobering thought, she didn’t know what was. Not only was she putting herself in danger, but Easton too. She wanted to apologize, but her jaw was locked in place, so she simply ground her teeth together. A gust of wind sent a crinkled trash bag rustling over the pavement. She drew her jacket more tightly around her and began to walk. Easton had already placed a call and was relaying the past fifteen minutes in a low, dangerous tone.
“A team is coming to secure the scene.” He fell in line beside her. Dammit, he was using that soft cadence in his voice. Tears burned behind her lids, but she refused to let them fall. The wail of sirens echoed in the distance, and a shout was audible from the mouth of the alley. They slipped around the corner and back onto a main road. Easton’s car was a welcome sight. He used his key fob to start the engine, and neither of them wasted time getting inside. The last thing they needed was a good Samaritan chasing them down with the assumption that they’d killed the man lying on the street.
“Are we good?” Easton asked. They were getting further from the city and into the suburbs.
“Depends on why you’re going in the opposite direction of your office.” There was a headache building behind her eyes, and she was sweltering despite the bite in the fall air.
“Plans have changed.” He tapped his fingers impatiently as they slowed to a stop at a red light.
“When were you going to tell me that? I get that I came to you, but I have a problem with you calling all the shots. No, forget that. It’s not just about making decisions, it’s about keeping me in the dark. That’s what pisses me off.” She tugged off one sleeve of her coat, then the other.
He raised a brow at her before his face softened. “Shit. I’m sorry, Kins. You’re right.”
All the fight deflated out of her. She liked that Easton had no problem apologizing. He owned his mistakes. It was something she respected the hell out of because it was a skill she hadn’t honed.
“You have no idea the control it’s taking me not to throw you over my shoulder and run. Disappear where no one can hurt you. I know that makes me a chauvinistic prick, but I can’t stand the thought of that bastard getting close to you. You can hold your own against any threat, but I don’t want you doing it alone.” He drew in a shaky breath, and for the first time, she noticed the stiffness in his shoulders and the tightly corded muscles of his neck. His drawn expression was a kick in the gut. Aside from his brother, it had been a long time since someone cared about her. “That’s why we’re not going to the office. Because I can’t shake the thought that they were the only ones who knew we were going there aside from Gus. My brother would die before he betrayed his family, so that leaves my supervisor. It might be a fluke, but I’m not taking chances with your safety.”
She was quiet for one moment, then two as she processed what he said. Maybe her instincts had been right all along. That the Kingston Town Killer was part of or was being protected by someone in law enforcement. Easton had been honest with her, and she wanted to give him the same respect.
“Ever since the day I resurrected myself from that filthy basement, I’ve kept everyone at arm’s length.” It was easier to look out the window as she spoke, but when the warmth of his right hand enveloped hers, she leaned into his touch and laced her fingers with his. She hated being touched, but not by Easton. It was unsettling how much she craved the contact of his skin against hers. “I have to call the shots, have to be in control of my own situation. If I’m not, I panic. I turn into a raging bitch. My parents got their daughter back, but I wasn’t the same. No wonder they didn’t feel the need to leave their lives behind and join me in New England. I wasn’t mean to them, just indifferent. I couldn’t connect with them. And … and that’s why it’s so confusing that I want you close,” she rushed out.
Heat raced up her cheeks. Yes, Gus was her partner, a friend, and she had his back, but that was where their relationship stopped. They didn’t spend time together after work, nor did she accept any of Merry’s invitations to hang out. Easton was different, and she couldn’t deny that he was becoming important to her. He squeezed her hand. The gesture might be meaningless to some, but to her, it was a source of comfort and encouragement that gave her a surge of something more. Something that felt a lot like hope.