Deadly Lies (Deadly #3)(24)

His heart raced in his chest.

“That bar… the night we met,” she wet her lips. “I was there because that place fit the kidnappers’ hunting profile. The kidnappers take men from bars near campuses. I wasn’t there because I was looking to hook up, I was canvassing the place. Then… then I saw you.”

The f*cking FBI?

“When you got the call… your brother…” Her lips trembled. “Your brother, my case. I couldn’t walk away, not when this was my chance to—”

Max pulled free. Her chance. “This isn’t your chance for any damned thing. This is my brother’s life we’re talking about here! This isn’t time for you to get some media coverage ’cause you’re working a case. This is my brother.” Didn’t she get it?

Her lashes lowered, and she blinked. Once, twice. He could almost see her processing, like some kind of freaking robot.

Robot.

Where was the woman who’d gone molten in his arms? This—this wasn’t her.

Max rubbed his grainy eyes. Think. “They don’t know who you are.” Oh, Jesus, he hoped they didn’t. “You haven’t called in to your boss, so the—the—” What had she called it? “SD—”

“SSD. The Serial Services—”

He dropped his hand. “Do I look like I give a shit right now?”

Her lips tightened.

“They don’t know,” he fired on, aware that Frank was now watching Samantha with assessing eyes. Different eyes. “And you’re not going to tell them. We’re not going to so much as breathe a word to your FBI boss until this is over, and Quinlan is home.” We can do this. We can….

“She’s already contacted them,” Frank said, tilting his head as he studied her. “Haven’t you?”

What? No! Max had been with her nearly every moment—

Nearly.

Samantha nodded. “I’m sorry… but it’s my job.” A quiet admission.

Anger shot through Max’s body, heating his flesh, boiling him from the inside out, and he spun away from her.

And slammed his fist into the nearest wall.


Blood pooled on the floor. Dark, dark red. Not bright. Why did people always think blood was bright? It wasn’t. It was dark and really, after the first few moments, it was so cold and—

“We’ve got a problem.”

The kidnapper stared at the token in his hand. “No, we’ve got proof.” He held it up and heard the swift inhalation of air from behind him.

“What did you do? Are you f*ckin’ crazy? What did you—”

Slowly, he turned to fully face his lover. Her beautiful face looked so pale, almost stark white, beside the golden rain of her hair. Not that the pallor hurt her looks any. No, the ivory skin just made her look softer. Like she was weak.

But she wasn’t.

He’d never made that mistake about her.

A smile curved his lips as he stared at her. She’d been such a good lure. It was so easy to take the victims when they were willing. “The * wanted proof.” He shrugged. “I got him proof.”

Her gaze darted to his hand, then away. “Y-you could have just—”

“Let the guy talk to his brother on the phone?” He finished and shook his head. “No, we couldn’t risk that.” He smiled. “Besides, this way was so much more fun, love.”

She swallowed.

He touched her neck. His hand stroked that soft column, and he left his bloody fingerprints on her flesh.

He’d have to clean the blood up soon.

All of it.

She glanced at the chair behind him, almost helplessly. “You… like this too much.”

His fingers tightened around her throat until he cut off her air. Fear flickered in her gaze. Smart—because she was right to fear him.

His grin grew. “So do you.” He crushed his mouth to hers and eased his grip, just enough to let her wheeze in some air.

A whimper hung between them.

He took his time with her mouth. Enjoyed it, but this wasn’t the right place. Not for what he had in mind.

And there was more work to do.

His head lifted slowly. “Are we working on the next target?” Because the plan he had—oh, it was going to be good.

So damn good.

The media had his story now. The Feds were watching. He’d give them something special to watch.

She nodded, but wet her lips with a flash of her pink tongue. They’d use that tongue later. “Are you—are you sure this will work?” she asked.

His smile was gone. Really, she shouldn’t have any doubt. “Two for the price of one, love. You can’t beat that deal.”

Do the unexpected. Always keep the enemy off-guard. Lessons he’d learned so long ago.

Do the unexpected.

They’d be profiling him. Planning and plotting and trying to track his next move, but they’d be wrong. Dead wrong.

He tossed his prize into her hands. Her horrified yelp made him laugh. “Have that delivered, will you?”

He had another victim to meet.


Veronica James was shaking as she prepared the package. She hadn’t signed up for this deal. No damn way.

Blood was on her hands.

Shit. She hurried to the sink and turned on the water. The icy cold blasted her as she scrubbed and scrubbed.