The Heart Of A Killer Part 12

aYouare probably right. But you know what? I donat give a d.a.m.n if you trust me or not. The only thing I care about is keeping you, Roman and Anna safe.a Gabe nodded. aI think that should top all our lists, especially Anna. Knowing her, sheas worried about all of us and not herself.a aLikely.a aThen we need to make sure that we all keep watch over her. We have the skills to keep her safe.a aIall talk to Roman about it.a aOkay.a aIn the meantime, I guess I donat have to tell you to watch your back.a aWe said the same thing to Jeff last night. Didnat help him much, did it?a Dante frowned. He was beginning to wonder if any of them were safe. And who the killeras ultimate target really was.

Anna dreaded her next stop, but she knew it had to be done. She didnat bother to knock. Plus, she still had a key in case the door was locked.

She turned the k.n.o.b and rolled her eyes. Of course it wasnat locked. Her father still thought that just because he had a house full of weaponry, he was invincible.

aDad? You here?a aOut back.a The slider was open to just the screen. She looked around the living room. Needed a good dusting, but he was keeping the clutter under control. Then again, Frank Pallino had always liked order in his environment, whether at work or at home. Minimal knickknacks and still the same furniture that had been here when Mom had been alive, which was why Annaas tension level settled to a reasonably calm state whenever she came home.

As she walked through the kitchen, she smiled at the gold-and-white curtains over the kitchen sink, and the brick-yellow Formica tabletop with its s.h.i.+ny metal legs that had stood the test of time and who knows how many years. It even still had the matching chairs she remembered sitting at for years. That thing had to be an antique.

Her dad was out back with Rusty, his golden retriever. Anna had gotten Rusty from a shelter a few years ago after Dad had retired from the force, figuring head needed a playmate, someone to keep him active. Theyad always had dogs when she was growing up. After the family dog, King, died when Anna was around twenty, Dad hadnat gotten another. Head insisted he did just fine without having to deal with an animal underfoot all the time. Anna moved out when she joined the force and she knew her father was lonely.

Plus, head put on some weight around his middle, no doubt from spending too many days watching TV and drinking beer. No amount of nagging on her and on her fatheras physical therapistas part had gotten him out of that d.a.m.n chair.

She knew head been depressed. His life had been as a cop, and he hadnat known what to do with it after he couldnat be a cop anymore. Having to retire at fifty years old sucked. Her dad still had a lot of life in him, a lot of energy.

And then shead gotten Rusty, only a year old and one rambunctious dog.

Oh, man, had her dad been p.i.s.sed at her, had yelled at her and told her to take the d.a.m.n dog away. But shead refused. Shead moved into the house with her dad and the dog and told her father that the shelter had a strict no-return policy, and furthermore, she was going to give up her job and become his physical therapist if he didnat start cooperating.

That had gotten his attention. And the dog wriggled his way into her dadas heart fairly quickly. How could he not? Rusty was affectionate and sweet and learned fast once he found a family to love him.

Since her father wasnat going to allow her to quit her job on the force, he reluctantly straightened up his act, started back on his therapy and welcomed Rusty into his house. Though Anna was certain he secretly fell madly in love with the dog at first sight. Theyad been inseparable ever since and she credited Rusty with her fatheras amazing recovery.

Now he took Rusty to the senior center a couple times a week. The older folks loved Rusty. And together Dad and Rusty did safety talks at the local schools.

Her dad had found things to do to stay busy. He felt useful now, and she was so grateful for that.

She stood at the door and watched Rusty go after the ball her father tossed. Rusty bounded back, ball in his mouth, making a game of keep away, but his dad grabbed the ball, dog spit and all, and tossed it again.

She laughed and stepped outside. aHe can do that all day long, canat he?a Her dad turned to her. aAs long as Iam willing to throw it.a aI see youare bending pretty good.a aYeah, the water therapy is helping.a He came inside and Rusty followed, eager to see Anna, as always. She bent and petted the dog, who then bounded off to his water bowl while she and her dad sat at the kitchen table.

aWhatas going on?a he asked, his keen eyes boring into her.

aHow do you know somethingas wrong?a aBecause I know you. There are worry lines across your forehead, plus you look like you havenat slept in a week.a aGood thing I donat come to you seeking compliments about how great I look.a He laughed and cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand. aYou have boyfriends for that.a aSure, Dad.a aSo whatas going on? Problem case?a She hesitated, knowing this was going to be tough. aThereas a lot I have to talk to you about.a He leaned back in the chair. aStart at the beginning. Iall listen.a aDanteas back in town.a He frowned. aSince when?a aA few days ago. George Clemons was beaten to death in the alley the other night. It was the same spot where I was attacked. A heart was carved on his chest. Here.a She placed her fingers where her scar was.

Her dad pushed his chair back. aJesus.a aIt gets worse. While we were following up on that murder, Jeff Barrone was beaten to death last night. Same alley. Heart carved on his chest.a Her dadas eyes filled with tears. He stood. aOh, s.h.i.+t, baby. Come here.a She could be the strong, invulnerable detective all she wanted with everyone else, but that never held water with her dad. To him, she would always be his baby girl, and she knew it had destroyed him that night shead called him from the ice-cream shop. Head rushed over there and shead known from the moment he got there that he was more devastated by what had happened than she had been.

Since her mom had died when she was six years old, she knew head felt as if it had been his duty to protect her, and he had failed that night. Not to her. There was no way he could be with her all the time, and no one could have foreseen what could happen. But she had seen the guilt on his face, and shead have done anything to wipe that away.

He patted her back and stroked her hair, and somehow, she did feel better.

He stepped away and they sat again, but he held tight to her hand. She looked down where their fingers were joined.

Her lifeline. What would she do without him?

aIave been busy the past few days. Had some school functions with Rusty and some doctor appointments and therapy sessions. Havenat even caught up on the news or read my paper. I didnat know. Why didnat you tell me?a aIave been kind of busy myself, but knew youad want to hear it from me.a aAre you all right?a He swept his knuckles across her cheek, the concern on his face so deep it made her heart ache.

aYes.a aNo one knows about the connection?a aOf course not.a aMaybe you should tell them.a She c.o.c.ked her head to the side. aNot gonna happen, and you know why.a He sighed. aYou shouldnat have protected Dante that night.a aAnd weave been over this a hundred times. Let it go, Dad.a He shrugged. aFine. So itas obvious someone else was there that night. Someone saw the whole thing and identified all of you, and now heas playing this sick game of cat and mouse and murder.a She nodded. She wasnat going to tell him about the note and flowers. Knowing her dad, head camp out at her house with his gun, putting himself at risk.

aGot any thoughts on who it might be?a aI have no idea. Someone who was with Maclin, or maybe somebody he was meeting. Maybe it was even a person walking through the alley that wasnat connected to him at all. Though they wouldnat have known who we were.a aEasy enough to find out if you try hard enough.a aI suppose.a Shead pondered all the angles until her head throbbed.

aWhy wait twelve years, though? Why file it away all this time?a aThatas whatas bugging me, too. The only thing I can come up with is Dante. Gabe was gone for a while, and he came back. Now Danteas back, which means weare all here now.a His father nodded and dragged his fingers through his hair. aThatas the only G.o.dd.a.m.n thing that makes sense. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this is a mess. And you canat tell anyone at the precinct about it.a aI know.a He lifted his gaze to hers. aThough you can if you need to.a aNo, Dad. I canat and I wonat. Too many people could be hurt if I did. The guysayou. Iall never tell what happened twelve years ago.a He shook his head. aWe should have never played it that way. I shouldnat have let you talk me into keeping that secret.a aWe had to protect them. They saved my life.a aAnd now someoneas trying to take theirs. We have to figure out why.a aNo. I have to figure out why.a He took her hand. aYouare not in this alone, girlie. I might be retired but my cop brain isnat. Go back to the beginning.a aThe Maclin case?a aYeah.a aDad, Iave been over the case time and time again. Mainly because I wanted to know what had been done as far as investigating it. Theyad developed no leads and after a while it went cold. And we know why.a aSo reopen it. Do some investigation into similar crimes, and lo and behold the Maclin case is gonna come up. He was beaten to death in the same alley, so youall have a legit reason for being in his file.a She pondered his line of reasoning. aI was also working in one of the buildings then, so I was interviewed as a potential witness for his case.a Her dad crossed his arms. aConvenient, huh? Thatas why youall suddenly remember Maclinas case from twelve years ago.a She laid her head in her hands. aLying sucks.a aYes, it does. But use it to your advantage now and bring in the Maclin kidas file into your current investigation.a She sighed. aI guess so. But there were no witnesses. I remember that much. And I lied and said I closed up shop and was out of there before he died.a aIt never hurts to look again, see if thereas anything you missed.a aOkay. I need to get back to work.a He stood and hugged her again, then held her out at armas length. aYou get to the point you need to spill your guts about that night, you do it. You donat worry about me or the guys, you just do it, okay?a aIam not going to tell anyone about that night. Youad lose everything. Theyad be arrested.a aThey were juveniles then, honey. That was a long time ago and I doubt anything would stick now. They were defending you. And now theyare being targeted by a murderer. As for mea You donat worry about me.a She kissed his cheek. aYouare my father. I love you. Iam always going to worry about you.a

Fourteen.

aWhatas all this stuff?a Dante asked.

Anna looked up at him. Head just taken a shower, his hair still damp as he pulled up a seat at her kitchen table.

He smelled like soapa"something with a fresh pine smell. Whatever it was, it slid into her senses and made her want to lean over and shove her nose in his neck. Between his scent and the sleeveless s.h.i.+rt that showed off all his tanned muscle, it brought back last night, before shead gotten the call about Jeff.

Theyad started something hot together and hadnat finished it.

Probably for the best anyway.

Yeah, right. She needed to keep reminding herself of that, because her libido was pinging so loud she was surprised Dante couldnat hear it.

He swept some of her loose hairs behind one ear, then gave her a dark, dangerous look. The kind of look that made her swallow, hard. She couldnat help but stare at him. His face had the kind of physical beauty that made her just want to sit and stare at him, just like it had been with those women on the street. It had been like that when they were younger, too. Girls were jealous shead landed him as a boyfriend. Shead been d.a.m.n smug about it. She knew how lucky she had been to have Dante. Tall, dark and handsome fit him to a tee thena"even more so now, only one could add dangerous and devastating to the mix.

And a mysterious element that seemed to cling to him no matter how much he told her of his past.

aYou keep staring at me like that and Iam going to get you naked and spread you on top of all these files on the kitchen table.a Now, there was a fantasy she could spend hours imagining.

Forcing herself to blink, she said, aYou donat want to do that.a His lips curled. aYeah, I do.a aI have work.a He seemed to ponder whether he was going to let her do her work, or pick her up and toss her on the kitchen table. If he chose the latter, she wasnat certain shead have the will to put up much of an objection.

aOkay, tell me what all these files are.a Admittedly, she regretted his choice, but she turned to the folders. aTheyare the files from the Tony Maclin case.a He arched a brow. aHow did you get those?a aRemember I told you they interviewed me on his murder case because I worked at one of the businesses that fronted the alley that night?a aYeah.a aI pulled his file and brought it into this case, claiming his murder was exactly the same type, in the same location.a aDo you think itas a good idea to bring that connection into play?a aIf I didnat, someone else would. And then Iad be asked why I didnat bring it up since I had been questioned about his murder.a aYou could always say you were sixteen at the time and you forgot.a She shot him a look. aThatas right. I forgot the time I was questioned about a murder. Come on, Dante. Iam a detective. Itas my job to make that connection. Especially having been a part of the file.a He sighed. aI guess youare right. I donat like it, though. It drags the past into the now.a She shrugged. aUnavoidable. Itas already here.a He laid his arm over her chair, the heat from his body making her all too aware of him.

aThat must have been hard on you, having to answer questions, pretending you had no idea what had happened that night.a She shrugged. aI got through it.a aIam sorrya"againa"for you having to do it alone.a aI wasnat alone. My dad helped me through it.a aIam glad he was there for you.a Because I wasnat were the words he hadnat said. But theyad already been said before. No reason to keep repeating them.

She went back to trying to focus.

aAnything in particular youare looking for?a aNot really. I talked to my dad today. He said to pull the files and look again.a Dante leaned back in the chair. aWhat else did your dad have to say?a She lifted her gaze to Danteas. aAbout the murders, or about you coming back?a aBoth, I guess.a aHe was surprised to find out you were here, agreed the timing of the murders might have something to do with your return. The killer might have wanted us all here at the same time, and thatas why he waited for you to come back.a Dante nodded.

aHe also thinks maybe I missed something the first time I looked at Tony Maclinas file, so I should look again.a aI canat imagine you overlooking anything.a She shrugged. aItas possible. I wasnat investigating a case the first time I took a look at it. Or the second, or the third. I kept going back to it, but itas not like I went over it with a fine-tooth comb. It was more of a cursory overview. Morbid curiosity, you know?a And shead never really given Maclinas file the detailed look she needed to give it, because every time she opened it up it reminded her of that night.

aYeah.a He s.h.i.+fted his focus to the file folders spread out on the table. aOkay, so what should we be on the lookout for?a aI donat know. Anything that might give us a clue or help us with the current case. Something the original investigators might have missed. Interviews, photos, evidence, something I might have missed when I looked at it.a He pulled a folder and opened it up. aLetas start digging.a They both went silent and perused the files. She opened the envelope containing the crime scene photographs and wrinkled her nose.

Looking at Maclinas b.l.o.o.d.y, beaten body again conjured up memories shead tried so hard to eradicate. It was like being back there again. She could still smell the humid night, the blood, could still feel his hands on her, touching her, ripping at her clothes.

Try as she might, she couldnat suppress the shudder.

Dante glanced over. aHard to look at?a aNot really.a aLiar.a She shot him a glare. aHard for you to look at?a aNo. He deserved what happened to him. I donat feel remorse. But I wasnat a victim that night. You were. Itas easy for me to look back at that night and feel nothing but hatred for him, and sadness for what you had to go through.a She studied him, his relaxed posture, the lack of tension on his face and in his body. He wasnat lying. Then again, in his line of work he was probably good at masking his true feelings. aHe wasnat the last person you killed.a He didnat flinch. aNo. And youave seen a lot of dead bodies since Tony Maclin,a he reminded her. aYes.a aSo just look at those photos like any other crime scene. Let it go, Anna.a He was right. She had to take the emotion out of ita"had to take herself out of it and look on Tony Maclin as just another victim.

Even though shead been his victim, even though head tried to rape her, would have likely killed her. She stared down at the photos of his body and felt the familiar stirrings of tension swirling around her.

She closed the file. Just as she had every other time shead gone through it, looking at it without really seeing what was in there because it reminded her too much of that night.

aUseless,a she whispered.

aMaybe you should let me look through these instead,a Dante said.

She shook her head. aI should be able to do this.a She hated feeling weak. Twelve years later and Tony Maclin still held her prisoner. Even in death he still terrorized her.

aYou canat help but feel close to his case. He traumatized you. Are you supposed to forget it ever happened?a aI want to. I want to be over it. I want it to not bother me anymore.a She tilted her head toward him. aFor G.o.das sake, Dante, itas been twelve years.a aAnd you still carry a scara"not just psychological, but an actual, physical scara"from what he did to you. I donat think there are timelines for just getting over that.a She turned away from him. aThere should be. Many women get over attacks like that and go on to bea"a aWhat? Normal? You think youare not normal?a She snorted. aThose panic attacks I have are totally normal.a aFace it, babe. You didnat exactly choose the best career to distance yourself from the dregs of humanity. You remind yourself every day of the evil out there. Facing down rapists, drug dealers and killers isnat exactly the best way to get over trauma, ya know?a She allowed a smile. aYou may have a point.a aAnd you work yourself almost nonstop, so itas not a surprise youare always so tense. You donat give yourself time to relax.a She shrugged. aI figured if I worked all the time, I wouldnat have to think about it.a aSometimes you have to face it. Itas the only way to let go of it.a aI like my method better.a She lifted her shoulders, then dropped them again, the tension mounting.

aYeah, your way is working great. Iall bet youare just a bundle of knots back here.a He slid his fingers into her hair. Her ponytail holder had started to bother her, so shead taken it out and slid it on her wrist, leaving her hair loose. His fingers running rampant along the back of her neck and along the tenderness of her scalp was not good for her concentration. Not that she was really focusing on the Maclin files anymore anyway.

He rubbed the base of her neck, the area that was always so sore.

Oh, yeah. Right there. She dropped her chin to her chest and gave up. He swept her hair over one shoulder and stood, moving behind her to use both hands now, digging into those tight spots with his thumbs.

aAm I hurting you?a aNo. Harder.a aYour muscles are like bricks here.a aTell me about it.a He alternated between hard and soft, and she yielded to the mastery of his hands. She was such a sucker for a good neck ma.s.sage. Dante had strong, firm hands, and he didnat seem to be in any hurry to stop.

Most men couldnat handle her tough muscles, stopping after only a few minutes and flexing their fingers as if her muscles had caused them pain.

Wimps.

Dante kept going, digging at the tight spots until they melted under his sweetly brutal a.s.sault. He knew exactly how far to push, how much pain she could take, when to back off and move somewhere else. He never stopped. She almost felt guilty.

Almost.

aYou a licensed ma.s.sage therapist or something? Youare really good at that.a He laughed, the deep sound vibrating through his fingertips and skittering through her nerve endings to all her sensitive feminine parts.

aNo. You have a high pain tolerance.a aMmm. Lucky me.a She wondered how long she was going to let this go on before she put a stop to it. The Maclin files lay scattered across her kitchen table, forgotten. She really should get back toa"

But then he hit a tight knot and dug at it, and she melted.

aOh, thatas really good, Dante. G.o.d, your hands are like magic. Right there.a She heard his harsh intake of breath and stilled. aWhat?a aYou do realize thatas s.e.x talk.a She laughed. aSorry.a He moved his hands across her muscles again. aI donat think youare sorry at all. I think youare trying to torture me.a aYou keep rubbing my shoulders like that and Iam likely to start moaning.a aYou start moaning and I wonat just be rubbing your shoulders.a She enjoyed this easy banter, especially the s.e.xual undertones. And what was wrong with that? They knew each other. She probably knew Dante better than any other man shead actually had s.e.x with.

Maybe it was time to find out what shead been missing all these years.

His touch glided across her neck and down to her shoulders, his fingertips light now instead of firm. Admittedly, she liked the b.u.t.terflies dancing around in her stomach.

If their relations.h.i.+p came with a past, so what? He had to know they had no future. She knew it. He belongedasomewhere else, was just hanging around because of the case. When it was over and they caught the killer, head be on his way, and shead go back to her life the way it was.

But the thought of exploring with him was tempting. It was a new feeling, one rich with promise.

She liked his hands on her, and wanted more than just a back rub.

She tilted her head back to peer up at him, not at all shocked to see the dark desire in his eyes as he stared down at her.

Nor was she surprised when he cradled her head in the palm of his hand and bent to take her lips in a soft, searing kiss. She melted into the kiss, losing herself as his lips swept across hers, his tongue sliding inside to claim hers.

He moved to the front of her chair, lifting her to draw her against him. Plastered against his hard, hot body, she could only moan and clutch his s.h.i.+rt while his hands roamed over her back, his fingers tangling in her hair to angle her head for a deeper kiss.

His pa.s.sion ignited hers and she wanted to get closer to him. Standing wasnat going to cut it. She broke the kiss, shocked at the raw hunger she saw in his eyes, at the same time needing to see it there, desperate to know what she felt wasnat one-sided.

aCome on,a she said, sliding her hand in his so she could take him to her bedroom.

He tugged on her hand to pull her back. aNo. Right here. Iave been thinking a lot about right here.a He would, wouldnat he? The thought of it shot her desire up to the ceiling.

He lifted her and placed her on the kitchen counter, jerking her tank top out of the waistband of her shorts. She lifted her arms and he drew the s.h.i.+rt over her head, his mouth coming down on hers at the same time his hands pressed against the bare flesh of her belly. Her abdomen quivered at his touch, the idea of surrendering totally to him both thrilling and utterly terrifying.

Oh, no. That wasnat going to work. She had to touch him, had to feel his skin, too, had to take control. She pulled at his s.h.i.+rt and he lifted it out of his pants.

She took a moment to appreciate his broad shoulders, lean waist and tanned skin, then reached out to let her fingertips wander over his chest where a fine sprinkling of dark hair was scattered, then disappeared, only to reappear lower by his belt buckle.

She lifted her gaze to his. He wasnat smiling, his eyes a half-lidded dark, stormy blue, his jaw clenched. She knew he was at the boiling point, which made her want to push his b.u.t.tons. She reached for his belt buckle and pulled the flap out.

aLater,a he growled and pulled her to edge of the counter before cupping the back of her neck and putting his mouth on hers again.

She gasped at the contact of her skin to his that was both joy and shock. She hadnat been close to a man in so long, and never one who exuded as much pa.s.sion as Dante. She purposely chose men she could dominate so she could set the pace, so she could be in control. With Dante, she knew that wouldnat be the case.

Shead have to surrender, and shead never done that before.

Could she do it?

Dante released Anna from the kiss.

G.o.d, she had a stranglehold on his body, and d.a.m.n if it took every ounce of restraint to hold back, when what he really wanted was to strip her naked and be inside her right now.

But while he saw pa.s.sion flare hot in the honey-brown depths of her eyes, he also saw a flicker of fear, and that meant he was going to have to slow things down. Because she could put on whatever show of bravado or tough act she wanted to, but he knew better. He felt the tension when he kissed her. Head been with enough women in his lifetime to read the easy yield versus the hesitant one.

Anna was hesitant, and that meant things werenat a go.

She might think she was ready, and maybe her body was willing, but her mind hadnat yet come along for the ride.

He laid his hands on the counter on either side of her thighs and took a deep, cleansing breath, then raised his gaze to hers and offered up a smile, one that let her know how much he wanted her. Because he really did want her. His c.o.c.k was hard and his whole body ached for her. But this wasnat about what he wanted.

She arched a brow. aYouare kidding, right? Iam half-naked here, Dante.a He took a long, slow look at her, from her messed-up hair that made her look s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, to her lips, swollen from his kisses, to her bra that barely covered her spectacular b.r.e.a.s.t.s, to her flat belly and those barely there shorts and her oh-so-hot long legs.

aYouare still dressed. All the important parts of you, anyway. I think we need to talk about this before we jump into having s.e.x.a aAre you f.u.c.king kidding me? Isnat that usually the womanas line?a She grabbed her tank top and pushed him away, leaping off the counter at the same time.

He turned. aAnna.a aDonat. Just donat.a She pulled her s.h.i.+rt back on, then grabbed his and shoved it in his chest. aYouare angry.a She whirled around to face him. aYou think? Iave just been rejected.a aI didnat reject you. I just want to talk.a aManspeak for I-donat-think-youare-hot-enough-to-f.u.c.k.a She stormed off into the living room.

He laughed and followed. aThatas not what I said. You are definitely hot enough to f.u.c.k.a She stopped in the middle of the room and narrowed her gaze at him.

Okay, maybe laughing had been the wrong move. Good thing her gun was in the other room. Then again, she did have that hidden Glock in here somewhere.

aDonat you dare laugh about this. You donat get a woman all hot and bothered, then say you want to talk. Are you some kind of moron?a aI guess I am. Look, you seemed tense.a She threw her hands in the air. aOf course I was tense. You were kissing and touching me and I was turned on like crazy. Also, I havenat had a decent o.r.g.a.s.m in like six freaking months. Are you reading my lips here? Six. Months. Youad be tense, too, wouldnat you?a Dante gaped at her. Anna threw him a murderous glare.

aAre all men this dense or just you? Jesus, Dante, do I have to draw you a road map to my v.a.g.i.n.a, or are you grabbing a clue?a He finally lost the smile. aIam beginning to.a aGood. So can we get down to the s.e.x so we can get back to work, or do we just want to sc.r.a.p the whole idea?a She wanted to get it over with? Really? Was s.e.x a ch.o.r.e for her, a task to get through so she could get back to the exciting part of her lifea"her job?