voice that he always uses. He said he had a great time with me at the motel—when he was trying to kill me. That was him! That was the killer!”
War’s gaze shot to her. Dropped to her body. Whipped right back up.
Oh, right. Standing here in my underwear. She’d forgotten all about that. Other things had kinda taken precedence. Like talking to a killer.
“We got the call.” Lynn’s voice was stilted. “I have uniforms on the way now, and…you’re not gonna like this.”
What about this nightmare did she like?
“The call originated near your building.”
Rose could feel the blood draining from her head.
“Stay inside,” the detective ordered. “Lock the doors. Do not leave until you hear from me again.”
A shiver slid over her.
“And—it’s not Dylan.”
What? Rose shook her head. “I didn’t understand you.” But she was afraid she had understood Lynn. Repeat it, just in case.
“I’m staring at Dylan Nelson.”
Rose lunged for War’s phone. “He just called me!”
“No, no, he did not. I still have him in an interrogation room. He is sitting at a table right now. I’m on the other side of the one-way mirror, and I can see him perfectly. Whoever called you—it was not Dylan Nelson.”
A shudder worked over Rose’s body. “That’s not possible.”
“I can assure you, it is possible. And holding him longer—not an option. His lawyer will use this development to get him out. He can’t be in my interrogation room and be calling you at the same time. He’s not the one we’re after. He might be a sleaze, but it doesn’t look like he’s the killer.” A rough exhale. “Uniforms are on the way, and I’m heading over, too. You stay where you are. Do not leave your condo. You got me?”
Yes, she got the detective. “I won’t leave.”
The detective hung up.
Another shiver slid over Rose’s body. Maybe it wasn’t just from fear. Maybe it was from the fact that she was standing there, only in her underwear, and she needed to get clothes on because War’s hot stare was raking over her.
He tossed the phone onto the bed.
Rose tensed.
But he just strode for the bathroom. He came back out holding the pale blue, silk robe that she kept on the hook behind her bathroom door. “Here.” He held it open for her.
She inched closer to him. Slipped it on. “Thank you.”
He backed away. A big, giant step back. “He’s not going to be there.”
She turned to face him as she belted the robe.
“When they follow the signal, he’ll be gone. Maybe he’ll have left the phone somewhere close by. A little taunt for them and us. But no way the guy just sits like a good boy and waits for the cops to arrive.” Utter certainty.
Unfortunately, she thought he was right. “How can it not be Dylan?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw.
“My stomach is in knots,” Rose confessed. Her hand lifted to press to her throat. Oddly, she could have sworn the skin started to ache as she got the call. It didn’t, of course. I just remembered everything—
His voice whispered through her mind. I had a great time at the motel.
War’s gaze zeroed in on her neck. “It’s bruised.” He inched back toward her. Lifted his hand. His fingers skimmed lightly over her skin.
Another shiver shook her body. This one had nothing to do with the cold or with fear. As his fingers slipped over, Rose found her head tipping back. He leaned toward her. His mouth pressed to her throat. To the faint marks there. A tender, careful kiss. One. Then another. Another…
He pulled back. “Shouldn’t have done that. Sorry.” Curt. “I’ll stay in the den. I want to do a perimeter check to make sure all of the doors are locked. You are safe, Rose. Know that.” He spun and walked away.
She could still feel his mouth on her skin. Still feel him.
And she didn’t want him walking away.
Rose wanted him.
***
He wasn’t interested in going up against the big, freaking bruiser she had playing guard dog for her. The bastard nicknamed War didn’t interest him.
Rose was the one he wanted. The next victim. The woman who would not get away. Just as the others hadn’t gotten away.
But the trick—it was to get to her. Rose was all locked away inside her condo. Like a princess in the tower of a castle. With a damn dragon guarding the door.
He had to get Rose away from the tower. Out into the real world. Away from the dragon.
He’d done that once before.