Chapter 13

Kendra sat silently in the passenger seat of Lynch's Lamborghini with her fists still clenched. Lynch looked over at her as he turned off Williams' street. "No good?" he asked quietly. "You look a bit frustrated."

"In spades." She looked out the passenger side window. "He knows something. He probably knows a lot but he gave me some balderdash about not revealing secrets and taking care of the people close to him. He even included some protective nonsense about taking care of me. He wouldn't listen when I told him I was a professional and didn't need his help."

"Imagine that." He smiled. "So are you going to try again, or are you going to let me help?"

"You know what I want to do." She turned toward him. "But that's not fair to you. So I'm going to tell you everything that he said to me and we're going to work on it together."

"Amazing," he said.

"And you will not try to shut me out. Or protect me."

"That I won't promise. That might be self-destructive," he added. "We'll see how it goes. But we'll work on this together and I'll do my best to keep you firmly in the loop." He shot her a glance. "I'll find a way to get Williams to tell us what he's been hiding. I have a few ideas in that direction. Is that a good start?"

"It's a good start," she said. He knew it was and he wasn't trying to make it difficult for her. Nothing he'd done today had been anything but helpful. "Do you want me to begin telling you what Williams said now?"

He shook his head. "It will wait until tonight. Relax and take care of the pup."

She suddenly chuckled and reached to pet Harley in the backseat. "That's what Williams said. He told me taking care of the pup and you was all that was necessary."

"Then he's even smarter than I thought. But I still think we can go back and lean on him," Lynch said. "I can be extremely persuasive when the situation demands it."

"He's a retired police detective, not some thug you can threaten within an inch of his life."

"I know several police detectives who are thugs. And a few heads of state who fall into that category, too."

"I'm sure you do, but I have a more civilized idea."

"It won't be nearly as fun."

"Reserve that fun for third-world dictatorships. Right now, I need to know if you still have Chloe Morgan's phone location map for the last couple of weeks."

"I do. And not just a photograph of it."

"What do you mean?"

Lynch shrugged. "The police sent a copy of her phone map data to the FBI in Washington."

"Ah. And once it went there, of course it was just a hop, skip, and a jump back to you."

"Is it so bad that I have friends in high places?"

"In this case, no. Because I'd like you to use it to see if she visited Todd Williams in the past couple of weeks. I'm still suspicious of the fact that there isn't an updated file for him when she created one for everyone else she and her sister were recently in touch with."

Lynch pulled over, parked his car, and picked up his phone. "Let's see what this can tell us." His fingers glided over the phone screen. "Just a matter of superimposing the tracked locations over the map again…" He concentrated on the screen. "Okay, it looks like Chloe may have made a stop in Todd Williams' neighborhood three days before her disappearance."

"At his house?"

Lynch looked at the phone screen a moment longer. "Afraid not. A couple blocks away."

"Where?"

"Looks like a commercial building. I'll look it up." Lynch transposed the image over a map app and held up his phone to show Kendra. "Zeke's Coffee. I've never heard of it."

She squinted at the map. "Off the beaten track for Chloe. Not really her beat, if these other map stops are any indication. But this place does happen to be a favorite of Todd Williams."

Lynch stared at her. "How do you figure that?"

"We walked past his car on the way up his driveway. There were at least six empty Zeke's coffee cups in the cupholders and on the floor. I'd say it's a place he visits fairly often."

Lynch nodded. "And a place he might feel comfortable setting up a meeting." He put down his phone and shifted his car into gear. "Let's go."

"Wait. I don't think this is enough to start working your powers of persuasion on him."

"Neither do I. My powers will be far more useful somewhere else right now."

"Where?"

"Zeke's Coffee, of course."

A few minutes later, Kendra and Lynch walked into Zeke's Coffee, a charming neighborhood shop with well-worn furniture that looked as if it could have been purchased secondhand. Lynch glanced at Kendra and nodded his head toward a camera mounted high in the back corner.

Lynch immediately went to work, charming the barista and her manager with small talk. Kendra could hardly believe it as she watched him coax those workers into giving him what he wanted. She'd always been aware Lynch could be as hypnotic as a snake charmer when he made the effort, and he was definitely making the effort at the moment. It took him only another five minutes before the supervisor ushered them back to the office to show the security camera video files on a laptop.

Lynch gave the manager the day and time as noted on Chloe's phone's tracked location. Fortunately, the video files were stored for thirty days before being automatically erased, so it only took a minute for her to scan back to the exact moment that Lynch had requested. There, on the laptop screen, was a clear image of a young woman sitting at a round table near the door.

"That's Chloe," Kendra whispered.

A moment later, a tall figure entered the shop, momentarily silhouetted by the bright sunlight outside. As the door swung closed behind him, the figure came into view.

It was retired detective Todd Williams.

He joined Chloe at her table as he looked at some documents she had spread in front of her. After a few moments, he folded up the papers and leaned close and spoke to her again, as if whispering. He stood and quickly left the shop.

Kendra and Lynch stared at the screen for a moment longer, watching as Chloe made a quick phone call, then stood and walked out the door.

Lynch turned and thanked the coffee shop employees for their assistance. He leaned toward Kendra. "I think we're done here," he murmured. "Unless there's something else you want to see."

"No," Kendra said. "Let's get out of here."

They left the shop through the same door they'd watched Chloe and Williams use. "I have a feeling that your reality distortion field is already starting to wear off on those people. They're realizing they've been conned. Is that why you didn't ask for a copy of the video?"

"Have you no faith?" Lynch asked. "My phone interfaced with their laptop and downloaded the video file as we were watching it."

"Naturally," Kendra said.

"And as far as their willingness to help me goes, you've just seen a prime example of a citizen trying to maintain her basic freedoms with our humble help."

"Humble?" Kendra repeated. "There was nothing humble about that display. It was pure camp and bull."

"But effective," Lynch said. "It showed us that Williams was lying when he said he hadn't seen Chloe or Sloane in years." He led her toward his Lamborghini. "However, it's only fair that you do your share to help out on the next bit of business. In the name of our partnership, of course. It's the way that we should handle this."

"What bit of business?" she asked warily.

"To Williams' house for a pointed discussion with him."

"I thought you were confident that your powers of persuasion—or bullying—would work with him."

"Part of that ability is knowing the best approach to apply in any given situation. And I could see that you made a much more favorable impression on Williams than I did. You're clearly the best one to talk to him about his rather obvious lie. I'll wait outside again." He tilted his head. "Make sense?"

She sighed. "Yes. I'll talk to him. But I still think the staff of that coffee shop is already seeing through your bullshit."

Five minutes later, Kendra left Todd Williams' house and walked toward Lynch.

"That was quick," he said. "Did Williams throw you out on your ear?"

"No. He isn't there. I spoke to a very nice maid who cleans his house once every two weeks. She said he packed his bags and left town about an hour ago."

"What?"

"You heard me. He left behind a note saying he wouldn't be needing her services until his return at some unspecified future date."

"Suspicious timing," Lynch said. "This leaves us with zilch, unless you let me go and take a look around and see if Williams might have left something in the house that gives us a helpful clue. Naturally I'd be careful not to disturb anything that might fall in the category of evidence tampering."

"And end up in jail? There are laws, Lynch."

"And you desperately want to find those sisters before they end up victims."

"Yes, I do. I'll think about it. Maybe I can persuade Williams to talk to me when he comes back home."

"My way would be much more efficient," Lynch said.

"No, it wouldn't," she said absently. "Actually, if someone was going to break in and look around, it should be me. I'd be much better at it than you. I'd see more."

"No," Lynch said definitely. "Hell, no. I'm sorry I even mentioned it. Never. Get it out of your head. If that's possible. Never you. Understand?"

"I understand." She shook her head and smiled faintly. "I'm wondering if you do. Since you see nothing wrong with bringing down governments and yet you won't let me do a little minor burglary."

"Which you were horrified to contemplate when I was doing the breaking and entering."

"I had to get used to the idea. First, I'd have to work around the concept to make it both palatable and maybe even virtuous."

He shook his head. "Never. But we might be able to track him through his phone. I'll reach out to one of my connections."

"Good." She thought for a moment. "In the meantime, we might have something even better."

"What's that?" Lynch said.

"You said you had appropriated a copy of that coffeehouse security camera video."

Lynch nodded. "I did. It's in my phone and my cloud account. But I don't know if it shows us anything other than that Williams actually met with Chloe in the days before she went missing."

"It might show us more."

He cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"When I first got my sight, one of the most amazing things to me was seeing how the movements of lips, tongue, and teeth corresponded with the sounds of speech I'd been hearing all my life. It fascinated me. So I've gotten to be a pretty good lip-reader."

"I've seen you do it. But do you think you can read their lips on that?"

"I'm not sure. It needs to be on a much bigger screen for me to even try."

"How big?"

"Well, I have those big monitors in my studio."

"Those are, what, seventy inches?"

"Yes. Shall we go take a look?"

"Actually… I just had the system in my house upgraded. I have a hundred-inch 8K monitor in my basement. It's connected to a state-of-the-art video processor to enhance anything I play on it. Maybe we can go there."

"A hundred inches? You play Xbox on that thing?"

"I could, if I ever had the time. Anyway, it's very impressive."

"I have no doubt. Okay, let's give it a shot."

They drove to Lynch's large Tudor-style home in an upscale neighborhood north of the city. As beautiful as the house was, Lynch had it built as a steel-reinforced bunker of sorts, with bulletproof windows and walls that could withstand a grenade blast. Lynch had made many enemies over the years, both domestic and foreign, and he often said that his house was the one place on Earth where he could totally relax.

Kendra's eyes widened at the sight of his backyard, visible through a row of floor-to-ceiling windows. The yard seemed to be four or five times its former size, with a gargantuan pool and several elaborate rock formations. She stepped outside through the towering back doors. "When did you do this?"

"Just in the past few weeks. I like to have my renovations done when I know I'm going to be out of town."

"Unbelievable… But where did all this extra space come from?"

"I bought a few of the lots around mine."

"And tore down the houses? Those weren't exactly tear-downs."

"They were when I got through with them."

"Amazing. This is like… an incredible resort. I could go on a two-week vacation here."

Lynch smiled. "I wish you would. But I had more work done downstairs. Come see."

Kendra followed Lynch downstairs to a large room that had completely changed since the last time she'd seen it. Before, she had teased him about having an upscale sports bar in his basement, with half a dozen televisions and a mahogany-trimmed pool table dominating the room. Now there was the massive flatscreen monitor, a long table, and several leather chairs.

Kendra laughed out loud. "Now it looks like the White House situation room."

Lynch smiled. "I can't win with you. When I'm being briefed on assignments, I find it very useful for teleconferences, graphics, and satellite imagery."

"I was joking. So this is a situation room, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "I guess it is. But today it's your lip-reading studio. Shall we give it a shot?"

Lynch picked up a touchscreen remote and powered up his system. He pulled out his phone, found the video, and selected it. The gigantic screen flickered, and after a moment the coffeehouse video began. Chloe was sitting alone at her table.

"What do you think?" Lynch asked.

Kendra stepped closer to the screen. "Is there any way you can… sharpen it?"

Lynch tapped his fingers over his remote touchscreen. "How about this?"

The video suddenly became much more clear, with each detail dramatically increasing in definition.

Kendra stepped even closer. "This is great." She pointed at the screen. "This customer just ordered a cinnamon latte."

"You could read her lips?" Lynch asked.

"Yes, no problem. She's closer to the camera than Chloe and Todd Williams will be, but I think they'll still be close enough." Kendra pointed to the screen again. "The customer now wants to know why they don't have stevia sweetener anymore."

Lynch laughed. "Now you're just showing off."

"Maybe a little. Oh, Williams is coming in now."

They both looked at the screen as Williams walked in and took his seat at the table. Chloe shifted and turned slightly away from the camera to face him.

"Oh, no," Lynch said. "We have a good shot of Williams' lips, but you may have problems reading her from the side."

"You're right. I can probably pick up some of what she's saying, but not everything." Kendra squinted at the screen. "Wait, can you zoom in a bit?"

Lynch pinched the screen of his remote, enlarging Chloe and Williams on the large monitor screen.

Kendra smiled. "Look at the framed print on the wall between them."

Lynch leaned closer. "Chloe's reflection… Can you tell what she's saying?"

"Yes. Almost everything! Rewind to where he first comes in." As Lynch scanned back a few seconds, Kendra activated the recording app on her phone and dictated her reading of the conversation. "Okay, Williams just apologized for being late. He was waiting on a phone call… Chloe says that he scared the hell out of her in their conversation the day before."

"Those exact words?" Lynch said.

Kendra nodded. "He says he's sorry. But they—and her sister—need to be careful right now." Kendra watched closely. On the larger screen, it was easier to see the tension written on their faces. "Okay, she just asked him, how long did he know about… the Dayton Group."

"The Dayton Group? That's the name of the outfit that rented the Baum house."

"Can you go back fifteen seconds?"

Lynch tapped his touchscreen remote again and moved his finger across it. The last few seconds of the video replayed.

Kendra nodded. "The Dayton Group. I'm sure that's what she said. Anyway, Williams says he heard rumors back in the day, but he wanted to tell her and Sloane…"

"Tell them what?"

Kendra didn't respond, instead focusing on Williams' lips. His hand moved in front of his mouth for a moment, but she managed to get most of what he was saying. "He says he wasn't sure if the rumors were true, and if they were, it could be dangerous for the sisters if they started asking around about it."

Chloe leaned forward, and she spoke with such force that it became very easy to read her words. "She's asking him what the plan is. She says she's not stopping now. And Williams says she couldn't stop if she wanted to. That ship has sailed. He needs her to trust him, let him do the asking around. He says he should have done it years ago. He says he has a plan. It's going to be okay. He wants her and Sloane to wait for his call and be ready to go at a moment's notice."

Sloane nodded, and Williams stood and left the shop. She left a few moments later.

Kendra turned toward Lynch. "That's it. Williams was investigating something, and he wanted to protect the sisters."

"It appears he may have planned to hide them someplace." Lynch thought for a moment. "But it's hard to say if he did that before somebody else got to them first. We need to find him."

Kendra nodded. "And find out what in the hell the Dayton Group is. I suggest that we go to see Breen and tell him about what we saw at the coffee shop. Maybe he can help track down Williams and ask him the questions he wouldn't answer for us. I'm tired of everyone being so careful and tactful with Williams."

"I can see you are," Lynch said. "And if it will keep you from butting heads with Breen or Williams, I'll be glad to take you to visit Breen right now. By all means let's go and see if Breen or Perry will pull a few strings with Williams' cell phone carrier. It might be faster than waiting on my contact."

She made a face. "As long as I don't insist on breaking into Williams' home and scouting around a bit?"

"That goes without saying. I refuse to break you out of jail unless absolutely necessary. And then I get to choose the country to offer you sanctuary. Be content with what you've got, Kendra."

"I'm content… most of the time. That was just a wild thought that occurred to me. I was very frustrated at the time." She grinned. "Besides, you amused me. I couldn't resist."

"A very wild thought. Try to contain them when you're talking to Breen. I haven't noticed that he has a great sense of humor. And perhaps we don't mention the Dayton Group until I've had a chance to make some inquiries of my own."

By the time they got through talking to Breen an hour later Kendra was so exasperated she wanted to kick him. Always before he'd treated her with at least a modicum of courtesy. Today he wasn't even listening to them when they began to talk about Williams and suggest Breen should try to find him.

She was barely able to contain herself as they left the station.

"Did you hear him?" she asked Lynch as she got into the car and slammed the door. "He practically accused me of being an amateur. I'd wager that I've closed more murder cases than he has."

"I'd bet on it."

"He thought I may have misunderstood what Williams was trying to tell me. I expected him to pat me on the head and send me to my room any minute."

"I heard him," Lynch said. "I was waiting for the explosion. I tried to intercede but I couldn't get a word in edgewise. You get very pissed off when someone tries to protect you."

"Don't be ridiculous. I promised you I wouldn't let him irritate me," she said through bared teeth. "And the jackass wasn't attacking your credibility. You were obviously golden as far as he was concerned."

"Should I go back and challenge him to a duel?" Lynch asked. "I'll find a way of punishing him." His voice was lazy but Kendra could detect the subtle underlying menace she had heard many times before. "It would be a pleasure. I promise you."

"No, I'll fight my own battles," Kendra said.

"That's what I thought." Lynch started the car. "You're no fun at all, Kendra."

"Evidently Breen didn't think so, either. I'll have to find a way of convincing him. Or maybe I'll just stick with Perry from now on."

"I'm always at your service," Lynch said. "Are you ready to go back to the condo now?"

"It might be a good idea." She was mentally going over options. "I believe we should do some checking of our own since we've come up with zeros as far as Breen and his cohorts are concerned. I put in a call to Metcalf to see if he has an update for me. Maybe he can help us track Williams down."

"By all means." Lynch was grinning. "Hunt the poor man down. I almost feel sorry for him."

She suddenly stiffened. "Look, I have nothing against Williams. I'd feel sorry for him if he'd just been open and aboveboard with us. But right now I'm only feeling sorry for those two women and I want to know everything I can about why they disappeared. Did I amuse you?"

"Not a bit." He took her hand and gently squeezed it. "There are times when you do terrify me, but there will never be a time when I don't appreciate who and what you are and delight in every moment. I thought you'd realize that by now. I certainly don't make a secret of it."

"You can be difficult."

"So can you. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd be bored shitless."

He was staring into her eyes, and she found she couldn't look away. "So would I." She reached for her phone. "I should probably try to call Olivia."

"Coward." His tone was softly jeering. "You almost made it home this time. Next time for certain."

She was already dialing. "Do you have any message for her?"

"Not at the moment," Lynch said. "I'm certain she'll make all her needs known when we arrive. She's never shy about doing that. But I'm even more interested in hearing you talk to Metcalf so that I can observe your technique in getting him to locate Williams for us. I admit I'm looking forward to it. I always enjoy watching how eager he is to please you."

She frowned. "You should enjoy it. He's just a nice, helpful guy trying to do his job."

Lynch grinned again. "And trying desperately to impress you."

"I don't see why you'd find that interesting."

"Maybe I just feel it's my duty to always be on guard when he's around."

"On guard? That doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense to me. But then you've never realized how possessive I can be. Even if I don't see a definite threat, I tend to want to be sure that none exists. I suppose it's the way I was trained in black ops."

She shook her head. "I think you're joking."

"Do you? Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm not." He smiled. "But at any rate, I'm surprised it's taken Metcalf this long to call you back. He usually—" Lynch looked down at her buzzing phone. "Yes, there's your phone ringing. He's calling you back. I'm sure he'll try his very best to give you whatever he can." He leaned back in his chair. "I promise I'll be quiet as a mouse."

"Damn you." She was tempted to throw something at him. But it wasn't fair to keep Metcalf waiting when she'd placed the call to him for information. "Hello, Metcalf. It's wonderful of you to help me out."

"Sure, Kendra. Anytime!"

He did sound eager. She was glad she hadn't put him on speaker. "Did you find out anything about where Williams was supposed to have gone for the weekend? I have a few follow-up questions."

"Like what?"

"Like maybe some more detail on the threads that the Morgan sisters were pulling at."

"It's just that I detect some urgency in your voice. Are you worried about him for some reason?"

Kendra sighed. "Listen, if you weren't able to find anything out, don't worry about it. I didn't think you'd reveal anything to me if the Bureau didn't approve. I know what a straight arrow you are."

Lynch was yawning.

Yes, she definitely wanted to throw something at him.

"No," Metcalf said. "I'll give you what I have." He filled her in on the info he'd gathered. Not that there was very much to it. He'd talked to a helpful neighbor of Williams and been given basically the same information she already had. He was obviously regretful and told her he'd check back in the next day or so. But since there had been no sign of foul play he was fairly confident that Williams was just on a short vacation and they would be able to reach him as soon as he returned. Then he added hesitantly, "Have you checked in with Lynch? It goes without saying that he has some pretty great sources."

"No, I'm afraid he was no help at all," she said curtly, as she looked at Lynch. "Sometimes he can be difficult. But thanks for your suggestions. You've been very kind."

"My pleasure. I'll be in touch as soon as I hear something."

"Thanks again, Metcalf." She hung up the phone and looked at Lynch. "He told me basically the same thing as that maid. Williams took off in his tan Toyota and he'll be back in a few days."

"Poor Metcalf. I'm sure he's doing everything in his power to impress you, so we could have some results there yet."

They arrived at Kendra's condo to find Olivia there, rubbing Harley's belly while House Hunters played on the television.

"Hey," Olivia said, "I thought we agreed you were taking Harley everywhere."

"It wasn't possible," Kendra said. "We were at a coffee shop where our four-legged friends weren't welcome. But fear not, Lynch magnificently stepped up in his place."

"Hmm. I'll take your word for that. If I hadn't heard HGTV blaring from your apartment, I never would have known he was here. So where are you in your investigation now?"

Lynch sighed. "Right now, we're trying to find retired detective Todd Williams if we have to search the entire city. He may have some information for us."

"As you can see, Lynch has made himself part of the investigation," Kendra said.

"Good," Olivia said as she stood on the other side of the room. She faced Lynch dead-on. "You and Harley both, right?"

"Yes. He'll be with us from now on. I promise."

"Good," Olivia said. "I trust you. Which is saying a lot after you ended up in that garage and almost got Kendra killed."

"That wasn't his fault," Kendra said quickly. "It was mine."

"Then prove it." Olivia held out Harley's leash to Lynch. "Keep her safe."

"Yes, ma'am." He took the leash. "As you command."

"Damn right," Olivia said. She walked to the front door. "Let me know what's happening, okay?"

"You bet," Lynch said. "I'm already hearing from Kendra's fan club, but there can't be too many." He stepped ahead of her and opened the door. "We'll see you tomorrow, Olivia."

She nodded. "Yes, you will. Count on it."

Kendra frowned thoughtfully as Lynch walked back toward her. "You know, Metcalf was probably right about there not being any real threat to Williams. I guess that's just where my mind is going these days. I've been too worried about the disappearance of those Morgan sisters. But the maid said he appeared to be cheerful, and he paid her before he left that morning."

"Money in your pocket can make you very cheerful indeed," Lynch said. "But that doesn't mean we can't find a way to make sure that you get what we need from him tomorrow when we run him down."

"But was he alone in the car ?" Kendra asked again.

"As far as she could tell," Lynch said. "Like I said, he was cheerful and if you're talking about whether he was being trailed by some creep like the one that murdered that girl in the park the other day, it's extremely doubtful. There was no real sign he was being followed and the Bayside Strangler was probably a freak of nature and possibly a copycat. The maid just thought he was going away for a trip and would return in a few days. Like I said, I'll make sure that we know more details tomorrow. Okay?"

"I don't see why not. Though it seems you're being very helpful for a change. Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I suppose I have to straighten out my reputation after you falsely maligned me to Metcalf. This is only the first installment." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "More tomorrow. I'm going to get a glass of wine. Do you want one?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. Maybe later." She watched him cross to the bar. He was being exceptionally kind; maybe he was trying to erase the tension that she'd been aware of in the car. Or maybe those moments were his way of distracting her. How could she be certain with someone like Lynch? He was an enigma.

Whatever was true, it didn't matter. Not now. She watched him at the bar for an instant and then moved past him toward her bedroom. "I wanted to thank you for trying to take the blame for drawing you down to that garage. We both know whose fault it was."

"Yes, we do, and it won't happen again. But I won't have Olivia blaming you. It was a bad enough day for you." He glanced over his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"The terrace. I thought I'd get a breath of fresh air."

He shook his head. "Wait for me to go out with you. Give me five minutes so I can have a quick shower, okay?"

"Whatever you say. But it's really not necessary, Lynch."

"Both Harley and his mistress would disagree." He was already heading toward her bathroom. "Five minutes," he repeated.

She watched him disappear around the corner. He was everything she wanted. Why not reach out and take it, she wondered suddenly. Take what she wanted. To hell with it being wise or cautious. It wasn't as if he didn't want her. He'd shown her that the need was as strong as it had been all during their time together. She was the one who had always hesitated and set up boundaries. Lord, she was tired of those boundaries.

Five minutes…

She could see Lynch's shadow on the other side of the shower door and instinctively tensed. It had been more than five minutes and he was probably making judgments and trying to decide what she was doing.

"Stop dithering. It should all be fairly clear to you, Lynch," she said with sudden impatience. "The last time you invited me to step into your shower, I told you that I might change my mind about it later. Well, I've changed it. Pauley got in the way the last time. But that wasn't my fault."

"No, it wasn't your fault." He was laughing, and she could see his movements as she tore off her clothes and tossed them aside. "Though there might be a slight disagreement there. But I yield to your vision. And I certainly approve of your actions."

Then the shower door was opening, and she was in his arms.

Lord, he felt good. His muscles taut, his lips against her throat, his hands on her breasts… She held him close while the warm water sprayed over them. "I missed you," she whispered. "I hated to leave you and I wanted to tell you that but I couldn't do it. It wouldn't have been fair to either of us. It would have interfered… We both have careers and it might get in the way. I knew you wouldn't understand."

"You'd be surprised how much I understand." His mouth was on her breast as he pushed her back against the tiles. She gasped as she felt his tongue. "Ah, that's what I wanted. And one of the things I understand is that sometimes you have lousy timing and it has to be corrected. So will you please shut up and let me do what we both want without arguing?" She was on the floor of the shower, her nails digging into the tiles and she groaned as he dove inside her. "That's better… so good… You're always so good to me. Now let me be good to you, Kendra… Let me go deep and deeper…"

She didn't know how many times she screamed as he held her there. She only knew she was limp and shaking with reaction when he finally released her and carried her from the shower to her bed and gently covered her with her blanket. He carefully started to dry her off.

"Something's wrong…" she managed to say as her hand touched the damp blanket. "Shouldn't be this…"

"Wet? You're absolutely right." He started to laugh. "My fault entirely. I admit to being distracted when you joined me in the shower. So distracted I completely ignored the fact that Harley followed you from the terrace. Somehow he stepped into the shower and sat on the other side without either of us noticing him." He gave her a quick kiss and pointed to Harley, who was lying at the foot of bed sopping wet and staring cheerfully back at them and definitely smelling of wet dog. "Not my best romantic moment," he said ruefully. "Maybe he was trying to protect you. Olivia would definitely approve. But then so do I. Don't move a muscle." He was off the bed and heading for the bathroom. "I'll be right back after I dry him off and clean up this bed."

Kendra watched him for a few moments and then got on her knees and started to help him. "I believe you're wrong. This may be one of your better moments." Then she cuddled closer to him. "And Harley is sure that it is. He recognizes kindness. That's why he's so fond of you." She pressed her lips in the hollow of his shoulder. "And though tonight reminded me of the time we spent in Spain, life can't always be like that. So just hold me and we'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. I didn't expect forever when I seduced you. I just wanted to touch and hold you. No strings. Okay?"

"Very much okay." He brushed his lips on her cheek as he drew her closer. "And your seduction was amazing. But we'll discuss strings at some later time when we don't have to worry about wet dogs and Todd Williams hiding out when I promised you I'd find him for you. I'll keep my word, Kendra."

"I know you will. Now hush. You were quite splendid and the only thing you have to do is hold me. That shouldn't be a bother for you."

"Not at all." He cleared his throat. "If you want anything else, feel free to call on me."

"I will." She was drifting off to sleep. "Because I always know I can trust you…"

Rod Wallace wasn't sure why he'd come here to Old Town San Diego. It was never a place that held much fascination for him, though it was popular with tourists and young barhoppers with its western-themed buildings, wooden sidewalks, and numerous bars and restaurants. Maybe it was because he'd missed being here all the years he'd been hiding out in Europe and he'd remembered how exciting and different he'd found those Saturday nights here when the entire town was crowded with people and noise and sometimes provided the blood sport Wallace liked most in the world.

He was driving an ancient Ford pickup truck he'd stolen from a farmer earlier in the day, and as he rolled past the packed bars, he realized that most of these people had no idea who he was and what he'd done. It was as if his mark on the city had entirely faded.

Don't you realize how important I am?

Don't you remember pretty young Greta Waters and how the entire town mourned her?

Ah, Greta Waters. She put up a good fight.

He parked the truck and walked down the crowded sidewalk.

Because of me, everyone was so horrified and afraid. They knew then how important I was.

It's not right that you all just tossed me aside because I was forced to leave here. But I'm back now. You won't forget me again. I'll make sure that you won't make that mistake…

His gaze was searching the crowds pouring out of the bars.

But I should be careful to pick someone who reminds me of Greta and will also show you where your duty lies…

Ah. He smiled as he caught a glimpse of a tall blond girl by the door. A little drunk, but that would only make her more compliant.

Because now, Wallace knew exactly why he had come here tonight. That death in the park had only been a dress rehearsal for all the ones still to come. He'd been right to pay no attention to Krebb and his whining. This was what he was meant to do with Kendra and whomever else he chose. One might even call it… destiny.

The excitement was growing as he started striding across the bar toward this delicate-looking blonde who was to be his next adventure…