excitement when she stood there, the first time she showed it to me. “Tempe Beach Park is just below us, and in front is Hayden Park. Being the tallest building in Tempe has its perks.”

All of that was useless information to the man next to me, but the words served as a flimsy barrier against the memories crowding close. Maybe coming

here wasn’t such a good idea. I fell quiet, unable to say anything more.

“Seems like you two were polar opposites,” Kayden said, offering me

another distancing layer. “This is all granite, stainless steel, and clean lines.”

Intrigued by his astute observation and in no rush to end this small moment

out of time, I stretched my legs out, crossing them at the ankles, as I leaned into

my hands braced on the bed. A casual position when I felt anything but. “She tried to talk me into moving down here with her, but I was more comfortable at

the cabin. Something that endlessly frustrated Kelsey, because she was bound and determined to make sure I had some social interaction. To achieve that goal,

she would drag me down here whenever she could.”

“Considering its location, it must cost a pretty penny.”

I shrugged. “More than I’d be comfortable paying, but on her budget, it

worked. When she sat down to explain why it would be beneficial to consider moving in with her, she had a list of pros ready to go. After I finally convinced

her, I wasn’t budging from the cabin, she threw her hands up and decreed that I

would stay with her before and after my out-of-town trips, so she’d know I was

still alive.”

I winced, and then continued in a softer voice, “It’s not that far from the airport and close to her offices. Besides she works—” I stopped, then corrected

myself, “worked long hours. There’s a restaurant downstairs, along with a slew

of others along Mill. A necessity since she preferred eating out than in. Then there’s the fact that the security here is better than normal.”

“Thanks to Terrance,” he said.

My grief lifted a little. “Yeah.”

Quiet settled between us as I stared out the window.

Being here brought so many good memories of Kelsey closer, made the

aching pain a little easier to bear. Yet, it wouldn’t take much, just one wayward

thought, to go down the wrong path where all the sorrow waited to suck me under. The only thing keeping me from taking that wrong turn, was my

involvement in this case. Despite the inherent danger involved, I was grateful to

Delacourt for including me. Work might not be the solution, but it sure as hell helped.

First up, I needed to check out Kelsey’s room for myself. Not that Kayden didn’t know what he was doing, but he wouldn’t know what to look for. Hell, maybe I wouldn’t either, but there was a slim chance I’d get lucky and recognize

something out of place when I saw it.

I pushed to my feet and reached for my gun. The comforting weight of the

weapon served as a reminder. Kelsey brought my Sig to the cabin. I thought about the gun safe in the walk-in closet on the other side of the attached bathroom. Most times when I headed out of town, I left behind my more

valuable pieces. I needed to ensure this was the only piece missing. I left the gun

on the bed with Kayden. “I’ll be right back.”

“That’s a great view.” There was something dark and lazy in his voice.

I looked back to find he wasn’t looking at the balcony as he half-reclined on

my bed. Unexpected, slumberous heat woke with a languid stretch at the picture

he presented. Grateful for his distraction, intentional or not, I murmured, “Isn’t it though?”

His low chuckle followed as I walked through the bathroom and flipped the

closet light on. My gaze went to the five-foot, solid steel behemoth serving as a gun safe taking up space under a nearby shelf. No scratches marred the surface,

nothing to indicate a forced entry. Not that I expected anything since Kelsey had

the combination and a copy of the key to unlock it.

I got the thick door open, and my heart stopped. There was no reason to search Kelsey’s room. Sitting dead center, on the side-shelf where the case holding my McMillian TAC-308 sniper rifle rested, and in front of the boxes of

extra ammunition, perched a single sniper round.

Dread leached the strength from my legs and left a sour taste in my mouth.

Sinking to a crouch, I used the safe to keep from collapsing. My hand shook as I

reached out to gently picked up the round. Instead of the expected smooth surface, my fingertips rasped against something etched into the metal. I brought

it close and found a simple K carved into the casing. A rushing sound filled my ears. Realization slammed home, morphing fear into a cold determination.

The bastard had been here.

Curling my hand around Ellery’s unmistakable taunt, I rose, closed the safe,

and reset the locks. For a moment I stood there, reaching for the necessary detachment to analyze what I knew so far.