That so fucking figured.
But it wasn’t the first time he’d needed to share lodging with his partner. It wouldn’t be the last, either.
Only I’ve never been this close to Cadence.
So close to what he wanted.
“Are you sure there’s nothing left?” Cadence demanded, voice sharp. “I called earlier and was told that the rooms would be held for us.”
The boy’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “You were supposed to be here sooner. It’s almost midnight. I couldn’t keep holdin’ the rooms—”
“It’s fine.” Kyle cut through the boy’s stumbling words and swiped the key from him. “Just tell me where the room is.”
“Room two-oh-seven. Corner room on the l-left.” He glanced at Cadence, grimacing. “Sorry, ma’am. Those truckers come in heavy some nights.”
He was sure they did. The bell over the door gave a small jingle as they exited the office. Kyle grabbed Cadence’s small overnight bag and his own larger one from the back of the SUV. They headed up the narrow stairs to the second floor. Voices and the whir of traffic drifted in the air.
He opened the door to room 207, then stepped back so Cadence could go in first.
She didn’t go in.
“What’s wrong?” A demon was riding him that night, forcing him to keep pushing her when he knew he should back the hell off. “You aren’t scared of staying alone with me, are you?” A deliberate challenge.
Her head tilted back so she could stare into his eyes. Despite the strength she seemed to project so well in the field, Cadence was a delicate woman, barely five foot five, and built along slender lines.
He was so much bigger, his body rougher, and he’d often thought before—
I’d have to take care with her.
He’d imagined the two of them together many times. Harmless fantasies.
Weren’t they?
“Why would I be scared of you?” Cadence brushed by him. “I mean, sure, there’s the fact you’re acting like a jackass…”
He was. Kyle sucked in a sharp breath. It’s this place. The memories. He was striking out at the person closest to him. Stop.
“I’m trying to make allowances, seeing how personal this is for you.”
He put their bags near the small closet and went back and secured the door. Right. Like that flimsy lock would really keep anyone out.
“But don’t push me much more, Kyle.”
She stood glaring at him, in the middle of the worn motel room, her hands fisted at her hips.
His gaze slid over her. That woman was sexy.
Her left eyebrow rose. Just the one. Only Cadence did that move. “Because you are being such a jackass, you can take the floor.” Her smile held a wicked edge. “Hope you enjoy your sleep.” Then she turned away and marched into the bathroom.
He waited for it. Yes, she slammed the door.
When the shower roared on moments later, he tried real hard not to imagine Cadence naked under the blasting water.
Tried. Failed.
Unable to stop himself, he stalked toward the door.
Cadence.
She was right. He was being a jackass, and he needed to cool off. Only being so close to Cadence didn’t exactly make him feel cool.
More like I’m burning alive.
That had been the problem from the beginning. The awareness between them, an awareness Cadence was determined to ignore.
He wanted her naked. Wanted her screaming in pleasure.
The fleeting glimpses he’d caught, the hints of emotion in her eyes—she wants me, too.
Only she wasn’t acting on that desire, and if she didn’t act, neither could he.
His hand rose. Touched the chipped wood on the door. “Cadence.”
No response. She wouldn’t hear him over the roar of the water.
“Look, I’m sorry.”
His voice was a little louder, but there was still no response from her. Not that he blamed her.
“I want what you can’t give.”
It was for the best she couldn’t hear that.
He turned away. Cleared his throat. “I need some air.” Still talking to a woman who couldn’t hear him. Yeah, he was skirting crazy that night. “Cadence!” Much louder now. “I’ll be right back.”
He wanted something to take the edge off for him.
Maybe a trip to Striker’s would be just what he needed.
Cadence stood in the bathroom, her hands gripping the edge of the sink. The shower blasted beside her as she stared at her reflection.
Kyle’s words echoed in her ears.
I want what you can’t give.
Her chest ached.
Story of her life.
Two hours had passed, and there was still no sign of Kyle. Cadence glanced outside through the small blinds, making sure she didn’t see their rented SUV below. Since the vehicle wasn’t in the lot, it meant she had a little more time.
She reached for her phone and quickly pressed the number for her contact.
“I know there are clocks in Alabama,” came Danielle Burton’s annoyed voice about two seconds later.
Cadence almost smiled. “There are, Dani, but we both know you weren’t sleeping.”
Danielle Burton was the source for intel at the bureau. The agent hadn’t been cut out for fieldwork—at least, that was Dani’s story—but no one could deny she was a master when it came to information retrieval.
“Okay, fine, I don’t sleep,” Dani said. True. Dani had suffered from insomnia for as long as Cadence had known her. Our FBI training days. “But you do. Or you should be sleeping.”
“I need information, Dani.”
“Of course, you do. Why else would you be calling me at almost two in the morning?” A long-suffering sigh. “I’m already running those missing-persons reports for you. If Ben hadn’t pulled me away to track a serial in Connecticut, I would’ve had ’em already.”
Cadence’s fingers pressed into the side of the phone. “There’s one specific report I need right now.”
Silence. “I know where this is going, but are you sure you want to go there?” Dani would know exactly what Cadence was talking about.
Cadence glanced through the blinds once more. “It relates to the case. I’m not just digging through his past.”
More silence. Dani could say far too much with silence.
Cadence let the blinds snap back into place. “E-mail me the case file, okay? I need to read it. All of it.” She’d only read the case summary before—gotten the bare bones of his sister’s abduction. Now, she needed to know all of the dark details.
“It’s already on the way.” Dani was nothing if not fast. If the file was coming, then she was also still at their main office in Virginia. Not at home. Working—at two a.m.
Ghosts chased Dani, too. They chase us all.
“But be careful, Cadence.” Dani’s voice was more subdued than normal. “When you dig into someone’s past, you won’t always like what you find.”
That was why she buried her own past.
“His sister vanished here, Dani, and he’s…” Different. Harder. She didn’t say that. “He needs closure.” That was true enough. Maybe there was something in the file—something, anything—that could help them.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Cadence could easily picture Dani in her mind’s eye, and she was sure her friend was sitting back in her chair, shaking her head. Maybe rolling her eyes. “You warned me.”
“I’m still working on gathering the intel on other missing persons. I’ll send you everything I’ve got ASAP.”
Ah, now she was back to business. That was Dani.
“I narrowed the search just like you told me. Females, traveling alone, no bodies ever recovered.”
Those had been her search specifications, and because of Kyle, she had made sure the search went back fifteen years.
She believed in being thorough.
She ended the call, opened her laptop, a
nd found Dani’s e-mail waiting for her.
Maria McKenzie. Cadence opened the file with a click. Date of birth—May 17. Cadence hunched over the laptop.
Maria had been so young.
Cadence clicked on the attached images. Maria’s face filled her screen. A beautiful girl, with hair a shade lighter than her brother’s but with eyes just as blue.
Beautiful, and lost.
Cadence started clicking through the file.
Date of disappearance—August 23.
She’d seen the date before, back when she’d been vetting her new partner. But that date hadn’t meant anything to her, not over a year ago.
The date certainly meant something now.
Her breath froze in her lungs. What. The. Hell.
He should have told me.
No wonder Kyle was reacting this way. Going hard-core on her in the field. His sister had vanished fifteen years ago, exactly fifteen years ago, to the date of Lily’s own abduction. Two a.m. Cadence’s gaze slid to the clock as a shiver went over her. Lily had been abducted at two a.m. on August 23.
What are the odds? Kyle had asked her that question.
Now she knew…no odds are that high.
She also understood just why her partner seemed to be breaking apart on her.
He was reliving the nightmare from his past.
As soon as he’d found out about Lily’s disappearance, it must have made Kyle relive the nightmare of his sister’s abduction. He was still reliving that nightmare, and she wanted to help him. Wanted to give him some peace.
But there was no peace to offer. Only another victim, one who could still be alive…or who could already be dead by the perp’s hand.
The FBI was in Paradox. Little Paradox. And that FBI agent, the one leaning over the bar and glaring at those around him—
I know you.
Kyle McKenzie was back in town. The guy must think he was some kind of big shot. His face was sure splashed in the papers often enough. A profiler, hunting dangerous killers.
But you’ve never caught me. All these years, and you’ve never even come close.
Sharon handed the agent another beer. She was talking with him. Crying.
Like the bitch really cared about Lily. No one had cared about her. No one but me.
He eased toward the back door. The FBI agent wasn’t even looking his way. He wanted to smile. Wanted to laugh.
But he held it back, because he didn’t need to draw any attention to himself.
Then he was outside. The hot night air hit him as he glanced toward the back of the building. Lily’s parking spot was empty.
It would stay that way.
He headed for his own vehicle. The cops weren’t out hunting through the woods then, so it meant he had time to go and visit his favorite girl.
He knew Lily would be happy to see him.
She’d better be.
If she wasn’t, then he’d hurt her. Sometimes, even good girls had to be punished.
He climbed into his car, then saw the agent come out of Striker’s. The man’s body was tense. Angry.
Emotion seemed to roll from McKenzie.
The agent jumped into his SUV. Hurried from the lot. Never even glanced over at him as he waited in the dark.
I’m right here.
The FBI agents thought they were something special. They weren’t. They had no clue about what was happening in this town. What had been happening, for so long.
It’s time they knew. It was time the whole world knew.
The Bayou Butcher. The Valentine Killer. Those bastards were the ones getting the attention. They couldn’t even come close to his power. They were in his shadow. Always would be.
McKenzie pulled away.
He hesitated. Lily was waiting. He needed to go to her. Touch her. Remind her that he was there for her.
But the agent with all the rage boiling just below his surface…I need to watch him.
He cranked his car. Followed behind McKenzie.
Lily had never realized he was behind her. So many hadn’t. Folks just didn’t bother to look back. Would the agent be any more aware?
He turned on his radio and got ready to enjoy the hunt.
Kyle braked in front of the motel. The No Vacancy sign flashed. He stared up at their room, trying to see if the light was still on. He’d thought the beer might take the edge off for him.
It hadn’t.
And to make his mood even worse, he’d run into Marsh at the bar. The cop had seemed a little too interested in Cadence and her dating status.
Hell. Now he had that cop sniffing around Cadence. Not that she’d be interested in a guy like that. Marsh was too rough. Not her type at all.
But what the hell is her type?
He headed up the stairs.
The blare of a car’s radio reached his ears. He turned, frowning, but all he could see were taillights as they disappeared down the road. Taillights and the lingering beat of hard, driving music.
He finished climbing the stairs and hesitated when he reached room 207. He lifted his hand, thought about knocking, then realized—hell, it’s my room, too. He’d been gone plenty long enough. Cadence should have been finished with her shower and dressed by that point.
Though she really hadn’t needed to dress on his account.
He unlocked the door and found the room dark inside. The only light spilling in came from the weak bulb just outside the door.
He eased into the room, trying to be quiet. For her. A quick twist of his wrist locked the door. Then he stood a moment, trying to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, before realizing a small glow drifted from her laptop. She’d left the laptop open, just a few inches, and it sat on the small desk near the TV.
As for Cadence—he could see the outline of her body in the narrow bed.
I want to be in that bed with her.
But she sure hadn’t been issuing any invitations to him.
He eyed the floor. There was a pillow down there and what looked like the lump of a blanket. Talk about giving a guy a hint. His lips hitched up in a grim smile.
He’d take the hint. For now. But one day Cadence might just be asking for more.
Begging for it.
Ah, nice fantasy.
Kyle headed into the bathroom. When the door shut behind him, he flipped on the light and looked at his reflection. Stubble covered his cheeks, the lines near his mouth seemed deeper. But his eyes—
Rage.
He knew he had it inside. Building, twisting him. But he would contain the fury. He’d kept it contained for years.
He could keep doing it.
Being back in this place, fifteen years to the fucking day—his hands fisted.
Fifteen years.
I don’t need a babysitter.
His sister’s voice drifted through his mind as Kyle squeezed his eyes closed.
His response played through his head just as easily. Yeah, well, Mom says you can’t take a trip like that by yourself. So guess who’s going shotgun?
She’d rolled her eyes even as her fingers had toyed with her necklace. The half-moon necklace that he’d given Maria on her birthday. She’d loved that necklace. Worn it everywhere. Not you, bro. I’m eighteen. This is my chance to do what I want. I have to start college in a few weeks. I need this, okay?
She’d wanted her chance at freedom. He understood that. He’d even understood when she said—
You know what they’re like. They suffocate me. You.
They had. His parents had always kept tight tabs on their children. Because of who they were. Rich, powerful, one of the most influential families in Boston.
I’m eighteen now, and I can do what I want.
He’d just shook his head at her.
It’s not like I’ll really be alone anyway. A sly twist of her lips. She’d dropped the necklace and the charm fell back to her sternum. Frowned at him. My boyfriend’s gonna meet me on the trip. Trust me, if you come, you’ll only get in my way.
/> Only there hadn’t been a boyfriend. She’d just been telling him that story.
There’d just been Maria.
Then there’d been…nothing.
“I’ll kill you…”
Cadence’s eyes flew open at the low snarl. Her heart was racing, and battle-ready tension had slipped instantly through her whole body as adrenaline spiked her blood.
“I know what you did.”
She was reaching for the gun she’d placed on the nightstand when she realized the low snarl she heard was Kyle’s voice.
“I’ll kill you…”
Instead of grabbing the gun, she flipped on the lamp. A small pool of light spilled into the room, and she saw Kyle’s tense body.
He was on the floor. Chest bare, the blanket she’d given him shoved to the side. His eyes were closed and his body twisted, shaking.
Nightmare.
Apparently, Kyle killed people in his nightmares.
That’s a lot better than what happens to me.
Cadence slipped from the bed. Eased down onto her knees next to him. “Kyle, wake up.” She made sure to keep her voice low and soothing.
He didn’t wake up.
But his movements seemed to become even more frantic.
“I know,” Kyle growled. “You’ll pay.”
“Kyle, it’s just a dream.” Sweat covered his broad shoulders. Dampened his hair. “Wake up.” Her voice was louder.
When he still didn’t respond, Cadence reached out to him.
Mistake.
He grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him. Kyle rolled, twisting their bodies, and when Cadence sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, she found herself flat on her back, with Kyle above her, holding her down with his body.
His fingers were chained around her wrists, pinning them to the floor.
His eyes were open. Blazing. On her.
“What the hell? Cadence?”
His lower body was pressed to hers, his legs between hers as his hips thrust against her.
She stared into his glittering eyes, too aware she only had on a thin pair of jogging pants and a loose T-shirt. Not sexy, but…