At least I had a few hours to think about it.

  The call ended, I turned my attention to the internet, heading to the email I’d established, even if only a couple of people had been provided with the address. Junk. Junk. And more junk. It was ten times worse than when I’d gone into the joint.

  Seeing one from my buddy Kyle shouldn’t have lifted a red flag but it did. There was an attachment to it. As soon as I pulled it up, I was forced to sit back in my seat.

  What the fuck?

  A copycat killer using the same MO as James Jones? Of course it happened, but why was he sending me this?

  The information was limited at best, no pictures or sightings, merely new crimes occurring in Texas and Montana. At least they were far away. I studied them for maybe thirty minutes, his email not sharing anything useful other than saying he thought I’d like to see the photos and news articles.

  When I heard a whine behind me, I swiveled in my chair with a smile on my face, immediately beckoning for Max. “Come on, boy. Just a few more minutes and we’ll go back to bed.” I wanted to hold her the rest of the night more than I’d wanted anything in a long time. He trotted toward me, placing his head on my leg.

  Unfortunately, a huge knot had formed in my stomach.

  Why was it that I had a bad feeling the world Noel had endured and my sordid one were preparing to collide?

  Because karma had put us together. There was no denying that. While the reports were only so detailed, the police being very careful, I could tell from learning as much as I had about Mr. Jones that whoever this copycat was had studied the notorious man in depth. What the hell was the world coming to?

  Noel

  “Was your grandfather into anything… illegal?” I knew the question had come out of the blue but I’d been doing research for an hour or so, realizing that his grandfather had had a rather sordid reputation, both before and after Kage had gone to prison. He’d never been named a suspect in a crime but the speculation surrounding the older man had remained in the forefront of a couple of tenacious reporters out of Denver.

  The stories also captured the fact Kage had been sent to prison, which likely had added fuel to their reporting. On the flipside, I’d learned about the Bronson legacy, the incredible fortune that had been amassed over the years. The article in Fortune Magazine had spelled out their billionaire status, although that was from years before.

  What I’d yet to find much on was anything about Kage’s arrest.

  But I wasn’t finished digging.

  I had my resources, although some involved calling in favors. I wasn’t certain I was ready to do that just yet.

  “What are you doing, bad girl?” Kage asked as he moved to the back of the couch behind me, peering over my shoulder.

  “I’m certain things you wouldn’t approve of.”

  He chuckled and planted his forearms on the sofa. “Grandpops was a man ahead of his time, a true adventurer. And yes, I’m certain he rode that morally gray line to get to the level of success he had before his death. He taught me early that honesty and integrity were vital in business, but I couldn’t be afraid of crossing the line every so often.”

  “Because everyone else did.”

  He tousled my hair. “Because the days of playing the straight and narrow were gone if a company wanted true success. Do I think he did that more often than he wanted to let on? Absolutely. Do I think the lines he crossed pissed off some people? You bet. Success doesn’t happen without making enemies.”

  “Not in my world.” As soon as I made the statement and he cocked his head, I groaned. “You’re trying to tell me without saying any words that James Jones was angry with me?”

  “James Jones is a psychotic freak, but I am curious. Is it possible his rampage began long before your book was published? Did the detectives or forensics crew determine how long some of the women had been dead?”

  I had to think about his question. “No, but so much of the evidence was kept from everyone including me. Is it possible James had been killing for most of his life? Yes. From what I know about psychology, serial killers usually display some form of psychosis early in life. Hurting animals. Bullying. Picking fights. Eventually, they grow bored and move to other more heinous activities. I honestly never thought to ask anyone the question about earlier murders. What are you getting at? That he thought I’d invaded his territory?”

  “It’s possible, sunshine. I learned from the best killers in the world they don’t like copycats until they create them.”

  Copycat.

  There was that term again. “Maybe.”

  “Still, James is behind bars, which surprises me given his level of intelligence. My grandfather was a brilliant man. He was also a bit psychotic himself. He needed things handled a certain way. I’m certain over the years Grandpops had enough enemies who longed to destroy him. What are you getting at?”

  Shrugging, I placed my laptop on the coffee table, standing and heading closer to the man. “Did he know Saldono?”

  Kage narrowed his eyes. “If you’re asking if Saldono had my family killed for something my grandfather did, I highly doubt it. Why would he turn around and offer me employment?”

  “Maybe guilt.”

  There was something chilling about the way he laughed. “My beautiful little fighter. Men like Saldono who are embroiled in blood feuds feel no guilt. They don’t lose a minute of sleep either.”

  “Does that include you as well?”

  I couldn’t read the look on his face, but I sensed I wasn’t going to get anywhere with my ideas. I’d need to do this on my own. Where to start I wasn’t certain.

  “I’m not sure what you want me to say, Noel. You already know I’ve done some things I’m not proud of but no matter what you read in the press, the world of a mafia organization isn’t glamorous. It’s brutal. It’s kill or be killed just like in prison.”

  “Could I coerce you into living a different life? One where you traveled the world or say became a security guard for a very famous author?” The heat crowding my cheeks almost made me laugh. What did I think I was asking the man? At this point, I wasn’t certain, but he wasn’t going to suddenly shut down his grandfather’s company.

  “Are you offering me a job, lady?”

  “What if I were?”

  Kage took a decided step closer. “Then I’d say your judgment was impaired.”

  I took a step as well, shaking my head. “I think it’s working just fine. In fact, I know it is.”

  With every moment of tension between us, never once had the electricity stopped churning. But I could feel the time we had together was running short. Why? I wasn’t certain but I had to admit I was nervous.

  I liked him. A little too much. I could envision a life with him and that scared me to death.

  “Yeah, well, you don’t know me well enough. Look, we do need supplies,” Kage said.

  “We’re going out?” I asked the question almost hopefully. Not that I wanted to try to escape any longer. I simply needed to remember what my life had been like. I knew the danger. I wasn’t stupid; I knew that by just leaving the protected environment we were in, one or both of us could get killed.

  He gave me a stern look, the expression one that I guessed could turn fearful men into stone. But with me, his furrowed brow and clenched jaw had a completely different effect.

  It made me weak in the knees.

  “Not you, little miss sunshine. You’re staying right here.”

  I wasn’t entirely certain how to feel about his being gone for an extended period of time. “How long will you be gone?”

  “Planning an escape? You do remember I will hunt you down.” As he walked closer, I was allowed another delicious whiff of his manly aura. He didn’t need aftershave or cologne to make my senses electrified.

  “No, I guess I’m worried.”

  He relaxed his facial muscles and closed the distance. “If I didn’t think you’d be safe, I wouldn’t leave. I have the security system and cameras working and I have a burner phone for you in case anything should happen.”

  “You don’t trust me with my own phone.”

  As Kage took me by the arms, pulling me even closer, I sensed an entirely different level of worry in the man. “It’s not about trusting you, Noel. The honest truth is that I do with my life. However, the men I worked with will stop at nothing to get to me, including through you.”

  “So you’ve told me. I do understand, Kage. I just can’t sit here and not do something to try and help you.”

  His sigh was weighted, full of angst. I would never have believed this man could be so caring but the way he cupped my face wasn’t about possession or even desire this time. His touch was merely to let me know he heard me but was determined to keep me safe.

  Against all odds.

  “I don’t know what you could do, Noel, but I appreciate the sentiment more than you know.”

  I gripped both sides of his shirt, yanking him closer. “You deserve exoneration and to find out who killed your family. Somehow, I will find a way to help you.”

  “My stubborn little brat. I do adore you, even if I will not allow you to get yourself killed.”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to do. I get the trauma you’ve been through. Remember? I understand the nightmares and the hatred of the darkness. I know what it feels like to need to remain very much alone while being terrified of doing so. And I get that there is nothing and no one that can make you feel better for longer than a few minutes. No one else can fight your demons, Kage. Only you can. However, people supporting you, cheering you on, providing information and handling research to make your life more enriched? That is possible. We might not be in a relationship but you are my friend as well as my hero. Don’t tell me you’re not because I’ll fight you on it. In a few short days, I’ve learned to trust a human being again. I’ve also learned about feeling something more than sadness and anger. I just hope maybe, eventually I can help you feel the same.”

  So much of the feelings I had for Kage were infused by danger and desire. I’d known since the beginning that the man craved domination almost as much as he did revenge, but the shimmer in his eyes was completely different. He brushed his fingers up and down the side of my face, taking his time while his chest rose and fell rapidly.

  “Baby, you’ve given me more joy than I ever thought I’d feel again or deserve. But where I’m going in the next few days, I can’t let you follow. I won’t let you. You’re too precious, too special to me and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you. However, we do need food and some other supplies. I need to ensure that you will feel comfortable while I’m gone, which will be at least a couple hours. So you’re going to come into the office with me and I’ll supply you with the burner phone and show you what to look for with the security cameras and the perimeter security. My question to you is have you ever shot a gun before?”

  The horror that we’d gone through had come down to needing a weapon to protect myself. “A couple times but it’s been a few years.”

  “Then I’m going to refresh your skills.”

  “Is that really necessary?”

  He lowered his head until our lips were almost touching. “It’ll make me feel better. Unless you would prefer starving.”

  I knew he was trying to make light of the situation, but I sensed he was tenser than ever. “Is that all you’re doing? Getting supplies?”

  The man took a few seconds to kiss my lips before answering. “Don’t ask questions I can’t give you answers to. At this point, it’s best you know as little as possible.” He kissed my lips again, brushing them back and forth.

  Why couldn’t our lives be less complicated?

  Our lives? Who was I kidding. This was nothing more than another chapter embroiled in a tidy little nightmare.

  When we both woke up, I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d feel the same need, the same burning desire as we did right now.

  “Don’t do anything to get yourself killed, Kage. Okay?” I’d grabbed ahold of his arm, keeping him in place.

  “Are you asking if I’m doing business?”

  “Yes, I am. I want to know if it’s possible I’m never going to see you again.”

  “It sounds like you care.” He was grinning like this was just a joke.

  “Yeah, I do and I’m going to fight for you since you won’t fight for yourself even though I’m certain it goes against your great rules. As my mama told me, I’m like a dog to a bone.”

  As he pinched my chin between two fingers, he snorted. “I guess I’ll need to remember that. Won’t I? I am doing business but don’t worry. This is merely fact finding and planting a seed. Sometimes you need to push in order to have a conclusion.”

  “I don’t like this at all. You’re going to push the wrong buttons. Let me help you.”

  “You can’t do anything but take some of the pain away.”

  “You underestimate me and what I can do,” I challenged.

  The way he gripped my face and chin again was with more pressure than before. “I need you to do nothing more than to enjoy writing and observing. Those are the rules you’re required to follow. If not…” He grinned and playfully tapped me on the butt with his other hand. I don’t know if he’d believed that would make me feel comforted or not, but it didn’t. “Now, come on, sunshine. We should get this over with.”

  I watched him heading down the hallway toward his office and for about a million reasons I didn’t want him to leave today. I knew if he did, he’d return a different man.

  And I didn’t want to lose him.

  The man I was falling in love with.

  CHAPTER 23

  Noel

  Rules.

  Don’t stay outside too long.

  Lock the doors when you’re inside.

  If you see any movement outside, call me. Do not investigate yourself.

  Do not call anyone you knew from before. We can’t risk anything at this point.

  Keep the gun with you and don’t hesitate to use it just like I taught you.

  Kage’s last commands remained fresh in my mind. I was staring out the window as the sky started to turn gray. It had been a beautiful morning, but I feared another storm was on the horizon.

  “What do you think, boy? Is everything going to be okay?” I was asking Max as if he could speak English.

  Woof. Woof.

  His two subtle barks did help me to laugh a little. “Maybe you’re right and I need to stop worrying.”

  Or maybe I wasn’t worrying enough. The man who’d awakened me had something up his sleeve. I could feel it in my bones. Why did I continue to have a terrible feeling it was going to land him back in prison or worse?

  No. That just couldn’t happen.

  He’d been wearing a suit when he’d left. I hadn’t even known he’d brought one with him. Granted, I hadn’t gone through his things either. I’d left with barely any clothes, forgetting half my makeup and he’d come with Armani and Gucci shoes.

  That meant one thing.

  He was doing business, and not the kind he wanted me in close proximity to.

  I had no doubt the man had a death wish. I would give him a piece of my mind when he returned.

  Or if…

  I glanced at my wrist as if I was wearing my watch. It was just another thing I’d left behind. As I turned around, I wanted so much to be able to relax and just write to get my mind off everything but right now it was impossible. I had too much fear and dread swirling in my system.

  How long had Kage been gone anyway?

  It felt like hours when I had a feeling it was less than one or maybe two.

  Time wasn’t very relative when you were hiding out like a criminal. I’d already glanced at the burner phone he’d given me a half dozen times, thinking of who I should call, sharing the news I was alive. The strangest reality I’d faced yet when I decided it was more of a hassle than anything.

  Even with Zoe. She’d ask me a million questions, doing her best to be a sleuth given her profession. I wanted nothing more than to ask for her help in finding out what if anything could be done about Kage’s life. But what did I have to go on? That I said he was a nice guy?

  I rolled my eyes and headed into the man’s office, checking the cameras as he’d told me to do several times while he was gone. Was it really possible I cared so much about the man I could be falling in love?

  As I’d pointed out to both of us before, what we were going through wasn’t some romance novel trope; more like the curl your toes kind of danger that I wrote about and made money off of.

  There were cameras everywhere, pointing in every direction. There was a trip wire surrounding the perimeter that would sound an alarm. If anyone made it past that, the security system on the house would send a blare of sound as well as flashing lights to the exterior.

  But as Kage had reminded me, the cabin was still in the middle of nowhere.

  The fact his grandfather had such tight security added to my instinct the man had been engaged in the same kind of business as Saldono Rinaldi. If I was right, there were several good reasons Kage was embroiled in the middle of what felt like a war.

  I stared down at the weapon on the desk that he’d placed next to the burner phone. Both made this seem far too real.

  Everything about this entire situation was surreal but one of the most important things Dr. Mallard had drilled into me that taking my life back would give me life. And no one else could do it but me.

  He’d been right as rain.

  Kage believed in me he’d found some sense of salvation against the bad deeds he’d done in his past life. But he wasn’t willing to allow that life to go. Revenge had a way of doing that to you. I’d wanted revenge. I’d felt the need for brutality. I’d wanted James to die when I’d jammed the piece of metal into him.

  I hadn’t been able to follow through.

  One thing I knew was that Kage deserved a chance at life. He also needed support in his corner, someone who could remind him that there was still a life worth living out there.