"i'm sorry, deputy. i wish i had something for you, but the residents of that town gave up nothing. that case still haunts me. what was done to the victim...she was so young and pretty. a vet, for god's sake. lived in lion's bay her whole-"

"a veterinarian?" the sounds of the traffic and conversations faded from jared's perception, leaving a stunned silence. "michaels?"

"yes. dr. danielle michaels."

chapter nine

darcy slid behind the wheel of her car and tucked her legs in as jared closed the door behind her. he rounded the trunk and reached through the open top to set his camera on the backseat, then climbed in beside her.

"wanna stop by your sister's place?" he asked, looking out the windshield. "she's in seattle, right?"

she took a deep breath, then let it out. "okay."

backing out of the parking garage spot, she hit the road. her grip was too tight on the steering wheel, but she couldn't ease up. there was a block of ice in her gut and her throat was tight. it didn't matter how many times she saw dani's headstone, it still had the power to break something inside her.

when they drove through the open wrought iron gates of the cemetery, jared reached over and set his hand on her thigh. the knot inside her loosened. she set her hand over his and squeezed. "you're not surprised."

"i was when i found out." he glanced at her, pushing up his shades so she could see his eyes. "now i'm just glad you're letting me in."

"that's why we're here."

his fingers linked with hers. "is it so bad? letting someone in?"

"no. i'm...grateful. it's just...i can't come here with my parents. they need me to be okay. and i try to be. for them."

"but you're not."

"dani was half of me."

she followed the road for a couple miles, then pulled over to the side and parked. they got out and she led him across the lawn to the michaels family plot. jared didn't say anything as she stood over dani's grave and felt her eyes burn. he just came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his chin on her shoulder. they were there a long time, long enough for her to find her voice and tell him about the early-morning call that had irrevocably changed her life.

"there was talk of a boyfriend," he said softly. "you didn't know who he was?"

"oh, i know him," she said grimly. "i just don't know his name. when dani made it clear his identity was a secret, i knew he was someone familiar to me and she didn't want me razzing her about him. that's a big reason why i moved back to lion's bay after she died. i wanted to figure out who he was and what he might know. i thought he'd come forward by now...that just looking at me every day would shake him up."

"do you know how fucking dangerous that is?" his voice was rough with fury. he turned her around to face his glare. "after what was done to her?"

she'd identified her sister's body, although everyone in town had known who dani was and one look at darcy's identical face proved it. the coroner had draped dani's body in a sheet from the neck down, but darcy was aware of what the prophet was known for...the sick mutilations he did to his victims' bodies. "i can't let dani go while her killer's still out there, jared. and honestly, with her gone, i'm half dead anyway."

"bullshit. i've been inside you. when i'm touching you...fucking you...you're so alive you burn me up with it. i see you trying to get out of this shell you're just surviving in, living a life that doesn't suit you one damn bit." he cupped her face in his hands. "i'm going to get him, darcy. he's going to pay for putting that look in your eyes. i promise you that. let me do my job. let me keep you safe."

her breathing picked up. "you think he's in lion's bay, too?"

"i think it's likely, yes. the candy shop-your sister have any connection with that?"

darcy frowned. "she was a customer. dani had a sweet tooth. she stopped by there almost every day to buy a dollar or two of candy to carry around in her lab coat. and we celebrated our twelfth birthdays there. why?"

"every place our torch has hit has been tied to your sister in some way. you being in lion's bay is shaking this guy up, sweetheart. he's systematically wiping your sister off the map. first by taking her out, then by taking out places associated with her."

she caught him by the wrists. "if he wants dani gone, why not take out the woman who looks like her?"

jared's gaze darkened. "if i'm right, he's saving that pleasure for last."

"i know how it sounds," jared muttered into his cell phone as they entered darcy's house.

she watched him cross through her kitchen into her living room, then begin to pace. something inside her shifted as she watched him move, his stride powerful and predatory yet utterly silent. armed and dangerous. a trained hunter. and he was now on the hunt for the man who'd killed dani. the morass of emotions churning in her tummy had no outlet and she had no way of dealing with them. she'd never felt like this before.

because he was also hunting her. deliberately. systematically. and he wasn't going to stop until he'd captured her. she wasn't going to let him stop.

whatever it was she felt for him, it was important. with a little time, a little compromise, and with no effort at all, she could fall in love with him. and part of her really, really wanted to. wanted to experience the magic she'd only ever felt faint echoes of. she could have it with him. he wanted it, too.

"what have you got on your plate now?" he asked his partner, running a hand through his hair. "okay. good. when you head back to the hotel, give me a buzz and i'll meet you there. we'll order pizza and tear into this."

he was hanging up when she walked past him toward the bedroom, their eyes meeting in a long meaningful glance. she gave him a cheery smile because she didn't want him to worry any more than he already was. he'd been even edgier than usual since they'd left the cemetery; he didn't need any more on his plate.

she was crying silently before she reached the bedroom. she closed the door far enough that there was no gap, but didn't push it all the way-she didn't want him to mistake her desire for privacy as a desire to shut him out. then she undressed and entered the bathroom through the door in the master bedroom. forgoing the bath, despite how tempting it looked, she got in the shower and welcomed the brief shock of cold before the heat kicked in with a vengeance.

the tears flowed freely, mingling with the water. darcy stood directly beneath the spray, letting it course down her face like a veil, hoping to prevent puffy eyes that would give her away. she hadn't cried since the flight that brought her home to dani's dead body lying in the morgue. she knew she was due, but that didn't make the dam burst any easier to bear.

she felt him come in behind her and was grateful he couldn't know that she was falling apart. setting her hands on the tile in front of her, she bent her head as if she was directing the strength of the spray on her neck.

jared's arms embraced her and he curled around her curved back. he didn't say anything when an unexpected sob shuddered through her.

she tried to shake him off, feeling stupid. "i need a minute."

"take all the time you need."

when he didn't let go, she found her mouth curving ruefully. she turned in his arms. "you're a menace."

he shrugged. "i was trained to press every advantage."

her mouth quirked, her grief lifting at the gleam in his eyes. his beautiful face was stern and his sinner's mouth unyielding. such a hard man in so many ways, yet he could be tender. she'd like to see him with the sister he spoke of with gruff fondness and the parents he clearly admired and loved deeply.

his hands cupped her face, his thumbs brushing at her cheeks. "i can't imagine your pain."

"good. i wouldn't wish it on anyone."

i'm still crying, she realized when the rough pads of his fingers stroked over her face again. "you know," she said hoarsely, "i was trying to spare you a weepy woman."

"don't. my job's going to put enough between us as it is. we need to be brutal with the rest in order to make it."

"for a guy who doesn't do relationships, you seem to have a good handle on how they work."

"i have a good handle on what i need." his fierce blue gaze riveted her. "i expect that you'll tell me what you need."

her hands slid down his damp back, caressing the hard slabs of muscle bracketing his spine. steam billowed around them, but the warmth she felt came from inside her. "i don't know what i need. it's been a long time since i've thought about it."

"so while i'm out tonight, think about it. just make sure i'm in there somewhere."

"i'll be wishing you were in me." she reached between them and fisted his erection. "you're a deadly weapon all by yourself. did you know that, deputy?"

he snorted, his grip tightening on her hips.

"i bet there isn't a woman alive who's said no to you in your life. i'm just one of the many to fall under your irascible charm."

"look who's talking. you're a man-eater."

with a two-handed grip, darcy stroked him from root to tip. her gaze lowered to the thick column of flesh in her hands, her heartbeat quickening at the impressive length and thick network of veins that coursed along it. it was a brutal-looking instrument of pleasure, as primal as jared's sexuality. that dichotomy-his powerfully elegant build and fallen-angel face paired with a curt temperament and raunchy sensuality-fascinated her.