“I’m saying that it might be imagination, but it might have also been instinct. You ought to consider who you are and how sharp those instincts have been shown to be. You shouldn’t just take it for granted. It might not be a bad idea for us to reexamine your studio and the grounds around it.”
“The studio has state-of-the-art security.”
“I know. I checked it out. Let’s go look at it again tomorrow.”
Instinct.
Kendra felt chilled. The studio, that place of joy and work and accomplishment that had given her one of the happiest days of her career today. The idea that Zachary might have been there, watching, perhaps manipulating, made her almost ill.
“Tomorrow,” Lynch said gently. “Come on. Let’s go into the restaurant and have dinner.”
“It could have been instinct,” she said slowly. “I guess I didn’t want it to be. I didn’t want him to be able to touch this part of my life. Why would he be there, watching me?” She answered herself. “Because it’s my turf. He was looking for bigger and better ways to destroy me or hurt me in some way.” Her lips twisted bitterly. “If I’m his prime victim, it can’t be just an ordinary kill. I have to be special.”
“You are special. And I’m a son of a bitch for not keeping my mouth shut until later.”
“No, I’m glad you did.” She was starting to shake. “Because then I wouldn’t have made the connection. I protected Olivia and everyone in my personal life, but I never thought of any of my clients. I thought my professional life was different, that he wouldn’t strike at them because he wouldn’t realize they could hurt me.” She looked at him. “But if he was watching today, he’d know that destroying Ryan and Janice might hurt me. You said I was glowing. He’d know, Lynch. Just as you said.”
“He might not have been there today, Kendra.”
“I realize that, but what if he was? I don’t lay claim to any weird psychic talents, but I do believe in instincts. Everyone has moments when they feel things. I felt as if he was there.” She moistened her lips, “And if he was, he might have found a way to hurt me by hurting that little boy and his mother.” She kept seeing Ryan’s face when he was singing that song and it was killing her. She took out her phone. “But I’m not going to let him do it.” She didn’t let herself think as she quickly dialed Janice Walker’s phone number.
It rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
“Kendra.” Janice picked up and Kendra could hear music in the background. “Everything is going fine. You didn’t have to worry.”
“I wasn’t worried.” The last thing she wanted to do was panic Janice unnecessarily. “I just had a thought. After Ryan’s emotional day today, he really shouldn’t have visitors tonight. No company but you, Janice. Lock up and just snuggle together. Okay?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Except for me. If you don’t mind, I’ll stop by and give you and Ryan a celebration gift. I’ll call you so that you’ll know when to expect me.”
“Great.” She sounded a little puzzled. “But I’m the one who should be giving you gifts.”
“Not true. It’s been a great day for all of us.” She pressed the disconnect and turned to Lynch. “Call Griffin and have him send out a couple agents to watch the Walker house. Tell him I want them outside their place within fifteen minutes. Absolutely without fail.”
Lynch reached for his phone. “Why me? You’re the star of his happy little dream team.”
“Because you always manage to make him jump through hoops, and I don’t have any time to waste. Besides, he’d argue with me. He already believes he might have his killer.” She was heading up the stairs of the restaurant. “Just get it done, okay? I don’t want Janice to know that there might be any danger, but I want Zachary to know that the FBI is watching her.”
“And where are you going?” he asked as he waited for Griffin to answer.
“To get a bottle of wine for Janice and a sombrero for Ryan. I need an excuse to look around her house when I go check if Griffin’s come through for you.” She disappeared into the gift store.
* * *
SHE WAS CHEATING HIM.
Zachary’s hands tightened with fury on the steering wheel as he watched Kendra and Lynch laughing as they said good-bye to Janice Walker at her front door. Then they strolled down the steps and stopped once again at the FBI van down the block.
Not only cheating him, but mocking him? You shouldn’t have done that, Kendra. No one does that to me.
She was showing him that she’d not only guessed his intention but had checkmated him.
How had she guessed? He’d only decided to take second best and kill the Walkers after he’d been thwarted today when he knew he’d be forced to wait for Kendra. He’d desperately needed some form of immediate satisfaction. No, not desperate, he was better than those other mindless killers who couldn’t control their emotions. He had just wanted and deserved those kills.
And she had guessed because she was more intelligent and intuitive than those other detectives. It was really a compliment to him that he’d been clever enough to choose her.
Very well, he was calmer now. He could recognize that Kendra had kept him from a kill that he wanted. It was not possible now, but he could always go back later and take both the mother and the child.
He could do without that hot surge of pleasure until he could savor it more fully, he told himself. He would just add them to the list that was growing constantly as he continued to discover how to bring down the world of Kendra Michaels.
He watched Kendra and Lynch get into Lynch’s car. They were smiling, talking, laughing, as they always did. Friends. Partners. Lovers? He had not seen signs of that connection. But should he be devoting more attention to Lynch?
He had no time to consider it right now. He was too angry and impatient, and he was done with sitting back and plotting. He had all his plans in mind. He had his chosen victims in his sights. It was time to move forward.
He could feel his excitement growing, building.
His gaze returned to the smile on Kendra’s face.
By all means, laugh, Kendra.
But make sure you do it tonight. It will be your last chance.
* * *
“WHAT DID YOU HAVE to do to make Griffin send those two agents?” Kendra asked quietly as Lynch drove into her parking garage at her condo. “They were falling over each other to assure us that Janice would be safe.”
“The usual.” He parked the Ferrari. “Promised him my first-born son.” He got out of the car. “You knew there would be a price.”
“Yes. If I hadn’t been worried about the timing, I would have negotiated with him myself.” She glanced at him as they headed for the elevator. “I’ll still try to do it, but he might not think my services quite as valuable as yours.”
“Bullshit.”
She shook her head. “I’m limited. You can help him on a global level. Griffin always goes for the big game.”
“Zachary isn’t global.”
“But he’s causing a hell of a lot of unpleasant media coverage with which Griffin doesn’t want to be associated.” She glanced at him as she punched the button. “You know all that. You wouldn’t even be involved if you hadn’t come to try to help me.”
“Try?” He grimaced. “If you’ll notice, I’ve done more than try. I might value that first-born son someday.”
“I can’t imagine you with a child. He’d never see you.”
“I can.” He smiled. “I’d just pack him in my suitcase and take him with me. I’d make sure he enjoyed it.”
I bet he would, she thought. A son with Lynch’s genes would be brimming with the same intelligence and sense of adventure. She was beginning to picture them together. “I believe you’ve left out a key element.”
“We’re speaking hypothetically. I address key elements when hypotheticals fall by the wayside.” He tilted his head. “I don’t think you want to go there?”
; That melting heat was suddenly appearing again, and she had to get away from all intimacy. “No, I don’t even know how we got on the subject. I was only trying to thank you. You didn’t have to do that for me.” She shook her head. “There was no real reason why you should. I had no proof that Janice and Ryan are in danger. Maybe they’re not. And I didn’t even ask you, I told you.”
“And you didn’t even give me a sombrero.”
“I’ll go back and get you one.”
“Too late. You screwed up, I’ll have to look for other payment.”
“Stop joking. I’m trying to tell you I panicked and I’m sorry if I didn’t—”
“Be quiet, Kendra.” He kissed her. Hard, fast, hot. “I knew exactly what was going on with you. I could see you going through all the stages. Once you reached the point where there was a possibility of the Walkers being in danger, I wasn’t about to try to put anything in your way.” He kissed her again. “But now we might have to go into that matter of payment … Sombrero or something infinitely more satisfying?”
She couldn’t breathe. Her entire body was readying and she wanted to reach out and—
“Damn you.” She stepped back and pushed the hair back from her face with a shaking hand. “I won’t let you do this to me. You’re not being fair. I told you that I won’t have Zachary thinking you’re another target. You said he knew the studio was my turf, what do you think about this?” She threw her hand out at the parking garage. “He could be here watching right now.”
“Good. Let’s go hunting.” He held up his hand. “I checked it out as I was driving through it to your parking spot. No one lurking.”
“But there could be.” She punched the elevator button again. “He’s clever. You might have missed him.” She met his eyes. “Just as I might have missed him at the studio. I’m not going to take any chances. He’s been too quiet. That makes me uneasy. But he seems to know things, and I won’t let him know that you’re important to me.”
“Important? Ah, an admission at last.” The elevator doors slid open and he gestured to her to precede him. “Not the payment I had in mind, but far better than a sombrero.”
“You’re not staying in my condo tonight.” She entered the elevator and pressed her floor. “So you might as well go home.”
He didn’t answer.
“I mean it.” She didn’t look at him. “If you don’t, I’ll go check into a hotel. Though I’m safer with Olivia and Jessie on the floor below.”
“I’ll make sure no one knows I’m here.”
“I’d know.” The elevator stopped and she looked at him. “Want another admission? We both know I want to have sex with you. I’m very vulnerable right now. If you pushed even a little, I’d probably end up doing it.”
He went still. “Is that supposed to discourage me?”
“Just an explanation why there’s no way I want you here. Because I’m not like you. You’re an expert at masking your feelings and pretending. As you told me, I’m too honest. I’m like Gina. Anyone who was the least observant would probably realize that I was sleeping with you. And Zachary would probably be the first to notice.” She got off the elevator. “It ain’t gonna happen, Lynch.”
“I hear you.” But he caught the door as it was about to close and got off the elevator. He held up his hand as she opened her lips. “You win. Though I’m having all kinds of erotic fantasies about what a turn-on it would be to watch you try to hide—” He was unlocking her door. “But you’re having enough problems at the moment. I’ll come in and search the condo. Then I’ll go downstairs and bunk with Jessie and Olivia for the night.”
“Bad idea. It’s too small. Where would you sleep?”
“We’ll work it out. And if Zachary hears about it, he’ll think I’m sleeping with one or both of them.” He was going through the apartment checking the rooms. “Multiples. That should take his mind off any thought that I might have any time left for you. Right?” He stopped at the front door. “Come down for breakfast. Then we’ll go to your studio and check it out before we go to the field office and see if they’ve found out anything more about Hagstrom.”
“You have our day planned?”
“I’d cancel it in a heartbeat. We could spend it in bed.” He kissed the tip of her nose and added softly, “Ask me.”
“Go away.” She pushed him out the door. “And tell Olivia and Jessie this wasn’t my idea. You do have a home, Lynch.”
“Not until Zachary is history.” He turned away. “Lock the door. See you at breakfast.”
She watched him run down the steps before she closed and locked the door. Then she turned and headed for the bedroom. It had been a frantic and tense day yet there had been a few periods of deep emotional bonding with Ryan. And every hour of the day seemed to bring her closer to Lynch. Both of those exceptions could herald problems. She thought that if Zachary had been planning on targeting the Walkers that she might have stymied it. But Lynch was an entirely different case. He was not about to leave her, and Zachary might—
Don’t think about it, she told herself as she got into the shower. She had done what she could and she would continue to do that. She might do a little too much, but that was okay. Zachary was out there, and she would give everything she had until he was caught or killed.
She closed her eyes as the warm water moved over her body.
She could almost feel him out there.
Not as she had earlier today when she’d told herself it was pure imagination. This was … different … closer. A kind of pressure …
Was Zachary thinking about her? Was that why she was feeling this sense of impending urgency.
Imagination or instinct, again?
She didn’t know which and she didn’t care.
She wouldn’t let either intimidate her.
If something was coming then she had to accept it and get ready.
And something was coming …
* * *
BREAKFAST THE NEXT MORNING in Olivia’s condo was fast, noisy, and generally enjoyable.
It was only after Lynch had gone down to bring his car around to the front that Olivia stopped Kendra as she was heading out the door.
“No,” she said firmly. “Lynch is not going to stay here, even though it’s convenient to your condo. I’ll call the building supervisor and get him a place near your place.”
“I was going to do that,” Kendra said. “I told him your place was too small but he insisted. He said you’d work it out.”
“And if he had a couple more nights, I’m sure we’d somehow manage to do exactly what he wanted. The son of a bitch is a spellbinder.” She added shrewdly, “But then you evidently know that.”
“It’s occurred to me a few times. It’s not because your condo is too small?”
“It would be a little over-cozy. But we could survive it. He’s just too damn disturbing. I didn’t realize it until I spent the night with him. I like comfort and so does Jessie. If we want Clooney or Brad Pitt wandering around the place, we’ll go knock on their door when we’re in the mood.” She gave her a peck on the cheek. “I’ll call you and tell you when I’ve found Lynch a new place to roost.”
“Do that.”
She was still smiling when she got into Lynch’s car a few minutes later. “The studio?”
“Yep.” He glanced sidewise. “As soon as you tell me why you’re grinning like a Cheshire cat.”
“I’ve just been anticipating telling you that you’ve been evicted. Olivia says she’ll find you another home.”
“What?” He was frowning. “I camped out on the floor. I fixed that breakfast this morning. What did I do wrong?”
“Too much testosterone,” she said solemnly.
“I beg your pardon?” He added warily, “I swear I didn’t touch them.”
She started to laugh. “Evidently you didn’t have to. They thought you might be a disturbing influence. Sometimes no actions are necessary.”
He looked disgruntled, and then he shrugg
ed. “Being irresistible isn’t all that bad. I’ve been called worse.”
“If you were irresistible, they wouldn’t be kicking you out. That’s two condos in one night, Lynch.”
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Infinitely.”
“So am I.” He was gazing at her, his face lit with a gentle smile. “I was a little worried about you yesterday. I’ll let you or any of your friends kick both my ego and machismo into the gutter if it will make you smile like that.”
Oh, shit. What could she say to that remark?
“You manage to take all the fun out of a perfectly good attack strategy.”
“Good. I do my very best.” He changed the subject. “Did you get a call from Griffin this morning? I thought it a little odd that he didn’t follow up later after I hijacked those two agents from him.”
“No call. Maybe grilling Hagstrom didn’t prove as productive as he thought, and he’s waiting to hit me with everything at one time.”
“I could drop you off at the field office and check out the studio myself.”
“I’m not in that much of a hurry. I want to see if there are any hints that I could have been right and not just a paranoid nutso.” She grimaced. “And I’m not certain that you wouldn’t manufacture evidence to make me feel better. I’ve been noticing suspicious signs of softening in you, Lynch.”
He shook his head. “I don’t lie when it comes to creeps like Zachary. Honesty is a weapon in itself.” He said curtly, “I’ll check out the studio itself and then I’ll go cruise the neighborhood. You stay there and I’ll pick you up when I’m finished.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Nope, I may be doing a little housebreaking or have unfriendly talks with your neighbors. In the interest of maintaining future peace in the neighborhood, you stay and make client phone calls or whatever else you do when you’re not curing catatonic kids.”
“I didn’t cure, I only set the—”
“Close enough. Then call Janice and check on him.” He pulled into the parking lot. “Did I mention having to worry about Zachary getting you in his sights would be a danger to my concentration? You’re all into the values of concentration. You wouldn’t want me to be scattered, would you?”
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