She’d see to that.
CHAPTER 6
The man who used to be Arthur Kelty watched the unmarked car drive away from the site of his latest kill, his senses reeling, his hands shaking. He had assumed his father’s murderer was still in Minneapolis. Instead, he was here, right under his nose. Had Dillon brought him here? He knew she was smart, but could she have discovered his identity so quickly?
He had a twinge of doubt. Maybe he was mistaken. It had been a long time, after all, but he knew this man wasn’t on the city’s department. He’d made it his mission to know everyone employed by the police department, even before he’d started hunting again. Father had taught him that—scout possible hunting grounds long before you make any move. It wasn’t enough to just make the kill. That was as easy as it was rewarding. The hard part was getting away with it and living to hunt another day.
He closed his eyes, drawing the face of the man responsible for his father’s death to the forefront of his memory. He would never forget that face, no matter how many years passed. In his mind, he superimposed the face of the man he’d seen with Dillon on the one from long ago. It was him.
There could be only one reason the murderer was here. He was looking for Artie. He wanted to put him away to die just like he had Father.
He took a deep breath, feeling the surge of bitterness he always felt when he thought of the man. The bitterness sickened him, made his stomach churn and his head hurt. There was only one way to eliminate that bitterness. He had to eliminate the cause.
CHAPTER 7
Will glanced over at the green-eyed beauty in the passenger seat of the Bureau’s sedan. She looked out the side window, the windshield, at her lap—anywhere but at him. He smiled. He’d been around enough to know when a woman was attracted to him, and this one was, but she was fighting the feeling. There was no doubt about that. Worse, he suspected that Jen Dillon was strong enough to win the battle. That was something he didn’t want to happen.
He’d been unprepared for his reaction that morning when he’d looked up and straight into her eyes. If he had ever felt such desire for a woman at first glance, he didn’t remember it. For that matter, he didn’t remember ever feeling such desire, period!
It had caused him to act like a predatory male, something that was not the norm for him. He knew he’d already frightened her a little with his innuendos and single-minded pursuit, but for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Even when he’d managed to force his words into some semblance of civility, he knew his expression was one of naked lust, and he knew she recognized it.
He’d also spent enough time as a city cop to know that others had noticed his interest. The pretty blonde sitting next to Jen that morning had picked up on it right away, and Jen’s sergeant was already aiding and abetting him in his pursuit. It wouldn’t be long before Jen would be the brunt of brutal teasing, and that would likely strengthen her resolve to resist him.
“Have you been with the department long?” He tried to make his voice sound normal.
“Nearly ten years,” she said, her tone clipped.
He sighed. He wanted to find out everything he could about this woman, but he could see she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Still, interrogation had always been one of his stronger skills.
“And as a detective?”
“Three.”
“You enjoy it?”
“I’m doing it, aren’t I?”
Jen bit her lip. Why couldn’t she just act cool and at least give the impression that this man didn’t bother her? No, instead she had to act like some uptight female who couldn’t handle one of the big boys. It wasn’t like her.
“Yes, I do enjoy it,” she amended in a more civil tone, still looking straight ahead. “I enjoyed patrol, too, but the schedule is better in detectives. Not as much night work.”
Uh-oh, Will thought. One of the main reasons most people hated night work was a family. He hadn’t seen a ring, but that didn’t necessarily mean there wasn’t a husband or significant other. But her sergeant seemed to be encouraging his interest, and surely he wouldn’t do that if she were married or in a serious relationship. Then again, he’d known more than one cop who simply liked to stir up trouble.
“You’re not a night person then?” he said, dreading what she was going to say.
“Oh, I don’t mind it personally. It’s just difficult with a child.”
His heart sank. Every child had a daddy, and if she was still with her “baby daddy”—well, as much as he desired her, he would have to back off. He’d never been the type of man who played that game. He glanced over at her again. If she is still with her kid’s dad, he thought, this will be the biggest test of my values I’ve ever faced.
“You have a child?”
“A son. He’s thirteen.” Her pride in her son was evident in her voice. “His name is Brandon.”
He gripped the steering wheel tightly. After a few moments he asked the question he dreaded hearing answered.
“Are you married then?”
Jen had known that was coming. Worse, she wondered the same about him. She hadn’t seen a ring, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t married or involved with someone. Of course, she reminded herself, it didn’t make any difference whether he was available or not. She wasn’t getting involved with this man. In fact, a wife would make it easier to resist his all too plentiful charms.
“I’m widowed,” she said finally.
He was unable to suppress a sigh of relief and then immediately felt like a heel. How
