Behind me, Kayden’s low voice said, “I’ve got signs of a shell casing.”

Half turning, I found him crouched down on his heels, arms on his knees. I

joined him and studied the imprint. “Looks as if the shooter tried to brush it away.” Looking around, I said, “Guess this is the place.”

He raised his head and caught me with those disturbing navy eyes. “For the

record, I’m not keen on you doing this.”

My lips quirked, and not with humor. “Noted.”

I had my own reservations, but not enough to outweigh the possible benefits.

My gut said the shooter was after Ellery, not us. Which made me wonder why he

would reveal himself by taking such a risky shot? All he had to do was stay quiet, follow along, and wait. Something had changed, and I wanted to know what it was. If that meant another trip down memory lane, so be it.

Kayden rose and dusted his hands on his jeans.

I followed suit, checking the sparse space for somewhere out of sight of the

windows and the plastic-shrouded doorway. No need to advertise our presence.

A half-finished interior wall lined by a row of 2x4’s, blocked the door’s line of

sight. “Let’s move over here.”

He scrutinized the unfinished wall. “Better than nothing, I guess.”

I stepped around him and led the way. We stood facing each other with maybe a foot between us.

Kayden folded his arms over his chest. “Touch or no touch?”

“Let’s go touch free, maybe we can get what we need with just a surface look.”

He backed up so he could lean against the wall. “I want you in front of me.”

I looked pointedly at the small space between us. “I am in front of you.”

He reached out and tugged me until I stood between his feet. Every breath I

took was colored with his unique blend of man and spice. His gaze was hard. “If

you start to bleed, I’m bringing you out.”

“Fine.” The tension in my shoulders loosened. Somewhere in my brain, I

equated his presence with protection. Maybe it should bother me to rely on him

this much, but Kelsey’s death had crumbled my normally stable foundation.

Right now, I needed him, needed to feel as if I weren’t completely alone. When

this was over, and he moved on to the next assignment, his absence would be the

equivalent of ripping off the scab from an unhealed wound.

It would suck.

My gaze dropped to the floor as I pushed my brooding thoughts aside and cleared my mind. Once again, the slide into my psychic headspace was akin to

stepping from one room to another. Unease tripped along my nerve endings.

“What?”

Caught off guard by his question, I jerked my gaze up. “What, what?”

“You’re worried about something.”

Stupid aura colors. “Stop reading me.”

Kayden’s image held a painful clarity, one that put him in stark relief against

the room’s hazy, watercolor consistency that was associated with the past. The blue of his eyes shifted into a mesmerizing variety of blue, taking on unexpected

depth. The strange occurrence was not limited to his eyes. His hair was no longer

a combination of blonds, browns, and blacks, but a stunning collection of amber,

onyx, and gold. Even his body appeared more etched, for lack of a better word.

As compelling as the strange clarity was, the tie between us that was my anchor

to the present, remained steady and strong. Even without touching. “Weird.”

He crooked an eyebrow at me. “Going to get pissed if I ask what’s weird?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Maybe.

I turned around and scanned the half-finished space in front of me and

waited. Vague impressions of various men with tools and hard hats moved in overlapping scenes. With no real strong emotions, the past wavered in front of me like a desert mirage. There was no way to tell time, but when a burly, heavy-set man popped out of nowhere to lay a 2x4 against the wall, I jerked back instinctively.

“Cyn?”

“I’m okay, just wasn’t expecting to get brained by a 2x4.”

“See anything interesting?”