Before the Dawn(56)

Her fingers tapped across the screen. Be there in twenty.

She jumped from the bed. She was still dressed-dressed in the clothes she'd worn yesterday. Maybe the cops would let her get in her place later that day so she could change. She felt like hell and she probably looked that way, too.

Her phone vibrated. Dawn glanced at the screen.

Come alone. No cops, no agents.

Malone had never been exactly wild about the police. He had a criminal record, and he'd been viewed with suspicion more than a few times. If he wanted to talk with her in confidence, she could see where he wouldn't want an audience around.

And she needed to talk to him. He'd been a father figure to Jinx. The guy was probably a wreck. She should have called him herself last night.

Dawn went to the bathroom and freshened up as much as she could. When she came back out-

Tucker was standing at the foot of her bed. His hair was wet, as if he'd just come from the shower. He wore khaki pants and a white button-down shirt. He lifted up a bag that he held in his hands. "I had clothes delivered for you."

She hurried forward and took the bag. Inside-yes!-she found her clothes. "Thank you." She turned away, heading for the bathroom.

"Dawn."

Her shoulders tensed. "I need to change, okay? Give me a minute." She pretty much ran into the bathroom. As fast as she could, she switched her clothes. And maybe...maybe she didn't look too hard at herself in the mirror. After everything that had happened, she didn't want to see herself. Not yet.


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Some things don't change.

When she went back into the bedroom, he was still there.

"The team isn't quite done at your place," he said. "So you'll need to stay here-"

"I'm going to meet Malone." She lifted her chin. "I need to pay my respects to him. He was pretty much the only father Jinx had." She checked her phone, this time avoiding Tucker's gaze. "He texted. I told him I'd be there soon, so I need to go." She tried to brush around him.

He caught her wrist. And at his touch, an electric current seemed to travel through her whole body.

That was what he'd done to her. One night, and she was attuned to him again. When they'd been together in the past, their bodies had become so sensitive to each other. He'd been able to just touch her, and she'd reacted.

Fear had stopped that, for a time.

But the desire was back now. The passion that he stirred so effortlessly inside of her. It was there again, and even the fear couldn't hold it back.

She knew her emotions were twisted when it came to Tucker. She was twisted. Messed up. Wrong? Dawn didn't know. She just understood that he got to her, on a primitive level. She couldn't stop her feelings. When it came to Tucker, there was no holding back.

"I'm coming with you."

Dawn shook her head. "He doesn't want cops or FBI agents around. He's not exactly a fan of law enforcement."

His gaze sharpened. "Too bad. You're still under protective custody, and I'm not letting you walk out of here alone."

Not letting you. "That pisses me off."

Now his brows rose.

"You're taking over my life. A life I worked hard to build. You're locking me away." She glanced around the hotel suite. "You can't keep me sealed away from the rest of the world. You're not the only one who doesn't like a cage."

He swore-and he let her go. "I just want you safe. This bastard is gunning for you. You think I'm going to turn my back and let him take you away from me?"

His wording there...it was odd. Possessive.

"I have a job," she said flatly. "My own business. People who depend on me. I can't just hide and wait for some killer to be captured. That could take days. Weeks." Months. 

"I'm going to get him." His eyes shone with determination. "I worked up his profile. We're going to a briefing with the coroner today. Our team is ready to hit the ground running. This is what we do, Dawn. We catch bastards like him and we lock them away."

"And I help people," she said quietly. "I find people who are missing. I help wives get justice. I help those who feel like they are out of options. My clients are counting on me, and I won't let them down." She nodded. "Just like I won't let Malone down. I'm going to see him."

"Dawn..." Frustration showed on his face. "I'm not doing any of this to hurt you. You're a target. To let you out on your own would be the height of irresponsible behavior. The bastard is killing. I can't have you becoming his next target."

Winding up dead wasn't on her to-do list. And it hadn't been on Jinx's, either. "What happened to Red?"