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“Could be.” Nate crouched and caught the kitten by the scruff. It let out a high-pitched screech, its claws out and legs flailing as it tried in vain to escape his grip.

“Oh, settle down, little guy. I’m not going to hurt you.” Carefully, he gathered the kitten against his broad chest. It struggled for a minute or so, but then gradually grew quiet as if soothed by the heat of his body and the beat of his heart.

Honestly, she couldn’t blame it. If Nate held her like that, she’d probably respond the exact same way. And now that she thought about it, she felt a little jealous of the tiny furball.

“What should we do with it? We can’t just leave it here.” And she didn’t feel right about tossing the kitten outside to fend for itself.

“We can check outside and see if Momma’s roaming around anywhere. But if we don’t find her, I suppose you’ll have to keep him until we know what’s going on with your sister.”

“I don’t know. I’m not much of a pet person.” That wasn’t entirely true. She loved all things cute and fuzzy. But she was way too busy and way too broke to care for an animal, even if she wanted one. She eyed the cat, which seemed content in Nate’s arms. “He really seems to like you. Maybe you should take him home.”

He grinned. “Nice try, but he’s all yours. Let’s find something to put him in so you can take him back to your place.”

Chapter 3

AFTER A STOP AT THEpet store for cat food, toys, and a litter box, Nate drove across town toward Dorcas’s apartment.

He still wasn’t sure what to make of the break-in and vandalism at her sister’s house. Most burglars broke in, grabbed the good stuff, and got the hell out. They didn’t leave that much destruction, and they certainly didn’t leave valuables behind. This felt more personal, targeted, as if they were searching for a specific item and lashed out when they didn’t find it.

He glanced to his right, and the sight of Dorcas stirred protective instincts that knocked him completely off-balance. She didn’t need protection. She wasn’t in danger. And yet...he couldn’t shake the feeling, and it left him thoroughly unnerved.

“What kind of work does your sister do?” Nate asked as he stopped at a light.

“She’s an accountant at an auto auction.”

“How long has she been there?”

“About a year. They hired her straight out of college.”

“Is it possible this could somehow be related to her job?”

She shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. She doesn’t talk much about work.”

Nate hooked a left into Dorcas’s apartment complex. There weren’t a whole lot of parking spots open, so he pulled into the first available one he found in front of her building and cut the engine. Once he made sure she got into her apartment safely, he’d call Larissa and ask her to run a background check on the sister. Maybe once he had more information to work with, he could figure out where Rita went and who trashed her house.

The kitten mewed in the laundry basket on Dorcas’s lap, but she largely ignored it as she stared up at her second-story apartment.