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The next afternoon…

“So. You and Doc Rawlins, huh?”

Cade looked over at Liam as the two men walked along the sidewalk leading them to the police precinct up ahead.

“Me and Doc Rawlins, what?”

His teammate smiled wide. “Oh, so we’re gonna play it like that, huh? Okay.” A slight pause. “Nah, I’m gonna say it.” Liam’s sunglass-covered eyes finally turned Cade’s way. “Good for you, man. I’m glad to see you finally grew some balls.”

“Excuse me?”

“Balls. Surely, you’ve heard of them. They’re those things you’ve got swingin’ between your legs. Unless of course…” The smartassed tech genius pretended to be aghast. “Don’t tell me yours fell off? Or did they…oh, damn. Did they crawl back up inside? ’Cause I’ve heard that can happen if you don’t use them often enough. You know…as God intended.”

“Jesus.” Cade shook his head, “What are you, like, twelve?”

“Some days.” The former Marine turned his sunglass-covered eyes Cade’s way and grinned.

“I knew I never should have told you about asking her out.”

Liam chuckled, motioning toward the sign that read Chicago Police Department . “It’s not like I wouldn’t have figured it out, Cade. Especially since we’re about to meet with Hansen to discuss details about an attempted murder case you and the doc are now very much a part of.”

You and Kerrigan. Serial killer’s vic. Secluded picnic area.

The jackass did have a point. It didn’t take a genius to put pieces like those together. And Liam was a genius. Literally.

“It’s all really new, you know?” Cade finally gave in. “Hell, yesterday was our very first date. And look how that turned out?”

Actually, the date itself had been great. Really great. Right up to the moment they’d spotted the Mays woman bleeding out by the trees. But then later…after they’d left the hospital and he’d driven her to her home…

That part was fucking incredible.

The shower. The bed. Waking up in her arms this morning.

He’d wanted to make love to her again so badly, but they’d both forgotten to set their alarms, and didn’t want to be late giving their written statements to the police.

After that, they’d kissed goodbye next to his car and gone their separate ways. Her to the hospital to catch up on some charts, and him to his house to shower and change.

Now he was here, with Liam. And they had an appointment with the one man in the CPD his team trusted.

“But seriously, man.” His teammate spoke up again. “I’m happy for you. Plus, maybe now you can stop moping around like a lost puppy.”

Cade shot him an incredulous look as they reached the building’s front steps. “Bullshit, I’ve been mopey.”

“Dude, you haven’t acted the same since we found her in that Mexican shithole. And you can stand there and say I’m full of shit all you want, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Whole team has. We actually had a bet going on how long it was going to take for you to?—”

“So help me, Cutler, if you say ‘tap that’, I swear to Christ, I will?—”

“Easy there, big guy.” Liam threw up his hands in a show of defense. “I was going to say we bet on how long it would take you to finally muster up the courage to ask her out. I lost, by the way. And to think…” His tone turned wistful. “If only you’d gotten shot a few weeks sooner, I’d be a hundred bucks richer.”

Cade stopped in his tracks and stared slack jawed at his friend. “You guys seriously bet a hundred bucks on me taking Kerrigan out on a date? The fuck is wrong with you?”

“What? You were out of the office…we were bored…”

The guy left the half-assed excuse just hanging there, as if his trailing words had explained everything perfectly. Of course, when he considered the way his team razzed and joked with one another on a regular basis, it actually made perfect sense.

Cade began to walk again, and within seconds, he was holding the door open for his friend. “I have to ask.” He followed Liam into the precinct’s main lobby. “Who won?”

“Fucking Brody. The cocksucker was over a month off with his guess, too. But we did the whole closest-without-going-over thing. So even though I was within two weeks of your unplanned emergency room date proposal approach, it happened after my date of choice, which means I’m ass out.”

He should probably be pissed that they’d bet on his personal life. Especially when it involved Kerrigan. But all Cade could do was shake his head and smile as the two men approached the front desk.

“Can I help you?” The officer standing behind said desk greeted them.

“We have a meeting with Detective Hansen,” Cade informed him while the two showed the man their identification.

“Just a minute.”

They waited patiently as the uniformed officer picked up his phone and dialed a number. After getting the green light from whoever was on the other end of the line, he hung up and buzzed them through.

“Through those doors and to the right. You can’t miss it.”

Cade thanked the man before he and Liam walked through the set of secured doors. Once inside, they followed the officer’s directions they were given, turning down the first hallway to their right toward the department’s Violent Crimes Division.

“Okay, so now that we’re here, what are you hoping to get out of this little meeting?”

“Answers.” They entered through the set of double doors.

Before Liam could ask for further clarification, they saw the man they’d come here to see.

“Hey, guys.” Detective Tyler Hansen approached them. “Good to see you again.”

Dressed in a pair of khakis, a button-up, and tie, the brunette detective who’d helped their team in the past gave Cade’s hand a solid shake.

“You, too.” Cade dipped his head in a nod. “Thanks for meeting on such short notice.”

The man’s blue-green eyes slid to Liam as the two shook hands as well. “No problem.” Hansen motioned toward the door behind him. “Come on. I’ve got a room where we can talk in private.”

He and Liam followed the decorated detective past the department’s bullpen to what appeared to be an interrogation room. A small rectangular table took up the center with two chairs on one side facing a single chair on the other.

“Uh…” Liam looked around, his gaze landing on the large, two-way mirror to their left. “Should we put a call into our lawyer?”

Detecting Hansen chuckled as he shut the door behind them. “Don’t worry. The observation room’s empty and locked, and that camera’s been turned off.” He pointed to the small camera mounted high in the room’s far corner. “Trust me. I made sure.”

“If you say so.” Liam pulled out one of the paired-up chairs and sat down. As if to prove he wasn’t truly worried, he propped his heels up on the edge of the table.

Hansen ignored Liam’s antics and sat down in the lone chair across from him. “From what I could tell, the guy’s the real deal. Old school. Pushes against the line. Rumor has it, he isn’t afraid to cross it. But if he does, he’s smart enough not to get caught.”

“The guy’s a dick.” Cade didn’t hold back his feelings for the man who’d been rude as hell to Kerrigan. “Kerrigan Rawlins saved Julie Mays’ life, and he went at her…and then me…like we were the fucking suspects.”

“Like I said.” Hansen shrugged. “The man’s old school.”

“But is he good police?” Liam asked the other man point-blank.

“There’s been talk that Bowen’s dirty. But the guy has the highest homicide close record in the CPD. Rep like that can make a lot of heads turn and look the other way. I have to ask…” The detective’s focus shifted back to Cade’s. “What is it you really want to know?”

“A lot, actually.” Cade rested his elbows on the table’s smooth surface. “Mainly, I just need to know if Bowen and his people can be trusted to catch this guy. Because it’s bound to come out that Kerrigan was the one who saved Julie Mays’ life, and I don’t want the twisted fuck who tried to kill her coming after her for vengeance or some shit.”

Hansen studied him closely before one corner of the man’s lips began to curl. “You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”

His hands curled into fists in front of him. “My personal life isn’t up for discussion, and it has no bearing on?—”

“Of course, you are.” Hansen laughed as he sat back in his chair. “Seriously, though. What is it with you Delta Team men and your women? It’s like you’re incapable of falling in love with a woman unless she’s caught up in some sort of life-or-death situation.”

Liam burst out laughing but then stopped the second Cade’s narrowed glare turned his way. “What? It’s the truth.”

He’s your friend. You can’t kill your friends.

“What about Morales?” Cade looked back at Hansen. “Anything we should know about him?”

“Not from what I can tell. He has a clean record, no complaints of excessive force or anything like that.” The other man shrugged. “Man’s rep in the department is solid.”

“Speaking of departments…” He sat up a little straighter. “Why haven’t the Feds been brought in on this case yet? I thought they always took over when there was a serial killer involved.”

Hansen gave a quick shake of his head. “Nah, that’s a myth. Truth is, with most serials, the local authorities have to invite the FBI to come and either help or take over the investigation.”

Anger began to bubble up deep inside his gut. “So, let me get this straight. We’ve got five, almost six innocent women dead because of this psycho, and Bowen doesn’t think his unit needs help?”

“My boy has a point,” Liam chimed back in. “At the very least, this should be your unit’s case instead of leaving it with homicide. You are violent crimes, after all. And I may be no detective, but what this guy’s been doing to these women…that shit’s pretty fucking violent.”

“You two are singing to the choir. Trust me. If it were up to me, the FBI would have been called after the discovery of the second body. I mean, we’re good, don’t get me wrong. But innocent lives are worth more to me than my fucking ego.”

There was a shared sense of anger toward Sergeant Bowen for how he was handling the case. Hansen didn’t speak the words out loud and Cade understood why. The decorated detective may not respect his fellow law enforcement officer, but his loyalty and respect for the CPD prevented him from trash-talking the rude son of a bitch.

Cade’s loyalty, however, didn’t lie with the CPD. It was saved for his teammates. Their wives. His country, and the woman he was already starting to fall for.

“I’m telling you right now, Tyler…” He used the man’s full name. “If Bowen goes at Kerrigan again like he did last night in that E.R., it will not end well for him.”

“Careful, Ellis. Probably not a good idea to go runnin’ around threatening the top homicide sergeant in Chicago.”

“I don’t give a fuck if he’s Chief of fucking police. He needs to watch himself when it comes to her.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Hansen waved the threat away. “You’re the alpha male and the pretty doc is yours to protect. I think I’ve seen this one before.”

“Then you know how it usually ends.” Cade held the other man’s gaze.

After a solid ten seconds of tense silence, Liam decided to change directions to a less personal topic.

“Tell us more about the other victims. Police find any connections between them? Any idea why they were chosen?”

“It’s all right there.” He slid the thick file forward. “You said you wanted info on the case, so I figured I’d saved us both some time and get a copy of the file. Everything the CPD has on the Omega Killer case is in there. It’s yours to keep, but anyone asks, you never saw it. And I sure as hell didn’t give it to you.”

“Understood.” Liam reached out and pulled the folder to him.

“Thank you.”

Hansen returned his gaze to Cade’s. “You’re welcome. Though I do have to ask…why all the interest in this one? I mean, I get that you and your girl were the ones who found the Mays woman. But most eye-witnesses don’t involve themselves into an investigation. Not like this, anyway.”

“I don’t know,” Cade answered honestly. “There was just something about the way Bowen acted with me and Kerrigan last night. The guy was almost defensive, like he thought we were going to find something if we looked too closely. Asshole even threatened to arrest us both if we talked to anyone outside him and his team about what happened at the park.”

“Yeah, he can’t do that.” Hansen’s expression twisted with a shake of his head. “Not without a judge signing off on a gag order. And no judge I know would do that without something more to go on than Bowen being pissed off at the world.”

“I know.” Cade arched a single brow. “But he still came at us like he could. Which got me wondering if the guy’s covering up something.”

“Something like…you think he’s involved in the killings? Because accusing a decorated cop of something like that would be career suicide. Even for the great and powerful men of Delta Team.”

“I’m not saying I think he’s the killer.” He was quick to clarify. “But something about that whole interaction with him and Morales felt…I don’t know…off.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, brother.” The legs of his chair squeaked loudly as he pushed himself to his feet. “Sergeant Bowen been around long enough to have made some serious connections. And with a close rate like his, the higher ups aren’t going to be quick to strip away one of the biggest cases of his career. Not yet anyway.”

As Liam dropped his feet back down to the floor, Cade pushed against the table’s edge until he had enough room to stand.

“Sure makes you wonder, though, doesn’t it?” his teammate commented as the three made their way to the door.

Hansen put his hand on the knob but waited before pulling it open. His blue-green gaze slid to Liam’s from over his shoulder. “What’s that?”

Cade watched as his teammate met the other man’s stare.

“How many more women have to die before those same higher-ups finally realize the CPD’s no match for the murdering son of a bitch?”

A look of understanding flashed behind the man’s eyes as Hansen ran a hand over his clenched jaw. “That’s the same question I asked the chief when I called him last night…” He turned to face Cade. “Right after I heard the news that you and Dr. Rawlins had found another victim.”

“I trust you’ll keep us up to speed on this?” Cade held out a hand and waited.

“Of course.” The detective who’d proven himself a friend to Delta Team in the past sealed the promise with a curt shake. “As long as you agree this little meeting of ours never happened.”

“What meeting?” Liam quipped as he and the other man shook on it, as well.

Their trusted CPD ally flashed them both a knowing grin before opening the door and leading them out of the room. Once back outside, Cade and Liam started the short trek to his car. They were halfway there when Cade’s phone began to ring.

He pulled the sleek device from his back pocket and looked at the screen. A smile lifted his lips when he saw Kerrigan’s name.

“Hello, beautiful,” he greeted her before the third ring. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Can you come to my house?

The quivering of her voice stopped him dead in his tracks. “I’m about fifteen minutes out, but yeah. I can head there right now.” His gaze shot up to Liam’s questioning stare. “Is everything okay?”

“No. It’s, um…really not.”

His heart sank and his spine grew stiff. “What’s wrong?”

The pause that followed nearly drove him mad with worry.

“It’s my house, Cade.” Her voice broke with tears he couldn’t see. “Someone broke into my house.”

Everything’s ruined.

Kerrigan stood in her bedroom, watching in silence as the crime scene techs continued processing the scene. The person—or people—who’d broken into her home had destroyed it all.

Her bedding and pillows had been ripped to shreds. The mattress where she and Cade had so recently made love sliced down center from the head of the bed to the foot.

Picture frames and mirrors had been shattered. Her bedside lamps lay in pieces on the bedroom floor. Most of the clothes inside her closet and dresser drawers had been turned to scraps, and the glass walls of the shower her dad had personally designed had been reduced to a pile of slivers and shards.

“Kerrigan?”

An unexpected rush of emotion struck hard when she turned and saw Cade and his teammate standing just outside the bedroom door.

“Cade.”

She went to him, falling straight into the comfort of his opened arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

He held her body flush with his in a warm, protective embrace. “Do they know who did this?”

Kerrigan’s cheek brushed back and forth as it remained resting against his chest. “I finished with my charts and came home to find it like this. I was afraid they might still be here, so I ran back outside, locked myself in my car, and called nine-one-one.”

“That was smart.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Damn smart,” Liam agreed. “Hey, listen, I’m gonna go find the officer in charge of the scene. See if I can get them to tell me what they know.”

“They don’t know anything.” Kerrigan sniffed. She pulled back just enough to be able to face Liam as she spoke. “They’re processing the scene, but they said unless they get a useable fingerprint that’s already in the system, there’s really nothing anyone can do aside from making a claim with my insurance.”

“I’m assuming you don’t have security cameras?”

She shook her head with regret. “I have an alarm system, which was somehow disarmed. But no. No cameras.”

“What about outside?” Cade asked. “I never paid attention to whether you had one of those doorbell cameras.”

“I keep meaning to get one, but I’ve been putting it off. It’s stupid, I know, but this neighborhood…it’s safe. I mean, I get that this is Chicago, and crime can happen anywhere. But I grew up here, and nothing like this has ever happened. Not on this street.”

“What about your neighbors?” Liam shoved his hands into his jeans pocket. “Any of them have exterior cameras?”

“They might. My hours at the hospital are so wonky, I don’t really interact with them much.”

The man shared a look with Cade, and it was if the two men were communicating through telepathy. With a slight nod, Liam turned, not saying another word before walking away.

“Where’s he going?” she asked as they watched him disappear down the stairs.

“To see if your neighbors have cameras.”

Kerrigan had a feeling there were more parts to that plan, but she was too mentally drained and emotionally exhausted to take the time or energy to ask what those parts were.

“What am I going to do?” She turned back to Cade. “Practically everything I own has been destroyed. I can’t even sleep in my bed because the bastard who did this ruined that, too.”

“You’re going to pack a bag and come stay the night with me.”

Her chest tightened and her heart swelled. “That’s sweet, Cade, but I don’t want to intrude. I can call Gemma. She has a spare room, and I know she’ll let me?—”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

She blinked, the worry filling his beautiful eyes making her pulse race even faster.

“Why not?”

“Have you noticed anything missing? Did they steal jewelry or cash or anything of value?”

On reflex, Kerrigan glanced around the vandalized room. “No.” She shook her head. “The first officer on the scene walked around the whole house with me while I checked. As far as I can tell, there isn’t anything missing. Just…destroyed.”

“Exactly.” His hold on her grew a bit tighter. “This wasn’t a robbery, Kerr. This was a personal attack on you.”

“But why? And by who? I don’t have enemies, Cade. I’m a doctor, for crying out loud. I go to work. I go home. Hostage situation and yesterday’s adventure at the park aside, I typically lead a very boring life.”

“I don’t know the who or the why.” He pulled her back into his arms. “But I’m damn sure going to find out.”

“I appreciate that.” She spoke against his chest. “But I don’t want to take you away from something important. And I can’t ask you to spend your time investigating one of about a billion break-ins that happen in this city every year.”

“One, you’re not asking, I’m offering. Two, the only break-in I’m worried about is this one. And three…” Cade placed a hand beneath her chin before gently easing her gaze back up to his. “ You are what’s important.” He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. “So fucking important.”

“Cade…”

Keeping his voice low enough for only her ears to hear, he whispered, “One night or a million, it doesn’t matter. I’m falling for you, Doc. Hard and fucking fast, which means I will do whatever’s necessary to make sure you’re safe. So until we find the bastard responsible, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

Her breath hitched, and her heart felt fuller than it had in forever. How she’d gotten so lucky to have found a man like Cade is something she may never know.

But fate had brought them together, not once, but twice. And while she spent her days relying on science and cold, hard facts, Kerrigan couldn’t deny there was something magical happening between them.

She also couldn’t deny the fact that what Cade had just said was right.

“Okay.” Kerrigan blinked, releasing a couple of tears from the corners of her eyes. “I’ll see if I can salvage a few clothes and other necessities and meet you downstairs.”

“You need help?”

Her ponytail swayed back and forth with a shake of her head. “It’s okay.” She pressed her lips to his. “I won’t be long.”

It wasn’t a lie.

A quick search rendered two pairs of jeans, a t-shirt, two hoodies, and a couple pairs of socks and panties that had thankfully been left intact. Her two overnight bags were both sliced up like all the rest, but the small, hard-shell suitcase on wheels had been spared from the vandal’s wrath.

After a brief conversation with the officer in charge of the scene, Kerrigan confirmed the house would be off-limits for at least the next twenty-four hours. Which meant she’d be staying with Cade until she was allowed back inside.

There are worse things.

It wasn’t the time or place for laughter, but the thought nearly made her chuckle. Spending more time alone with the man who’d rocked her world the night before was the one silver lining in the whole unbelievable mess.

Speaking of Cade…

He and Liam were having what looked to be a serious conversation in the middle of the sidewalk. When Cade spotted her, he stopped talking to his friend mid-sentence.

“There you are.” He met her at the bottom of the steps. “Here. Let me take that.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that. Lord knows, there’s not much in there.”

Kerrigan surprised herself by releasing a soft chuckle. But really, at this point, it was either laugh or cry. And she refused to spill another single tear over items that could easily be replaced.

It would take time and money, but eventually, her house would be back in tip-top shape. Not like the women who’d been slaughtered by the man known as the Omega Killer. Or even Julie Mays.

The first five had lost their lives to the sick freak, and the lone survivor…

She’ll carry those scars everywhere she goes for the rest of her precious life.

“You ready?”

She gave Cade a nod. The three took the sidewalk and walked down a ways to where he’d parked his car. They passed by several CPD vehicles, their flashing lights filling the evening sky with bright flashes of blues and reds.

“I’ll take the back,” Liam offered, already pulling open the rear passenger door.

“Your legs are much longer than mine,” Kerrigan countered. “Why don’t you take the front?”

“It’s okay, Doc.” He folded himself into the back seat. “I’m bendier than I look.”

The man’s wink and half-grin put her instantly at ease. She found it was like that with everyone on Cade’s team. They were all so nice and thoughtful. Protective and…

Safe.

Cade popped the trunk to place her suitcase inside. At the same time, Kerrigan opened the passenger door but stopped when she heard someone calling her name.

“Kerrigan, wait!”

She turned, shocked to see her ex jogging down the street toward her.

“Brayden?” She pushed the passenger door shut. “What are you doing here?”

“I just came from the hospital.” He looked her up and down with worry. “Thank God you’re okay. I came by to…” He glanced around at the chaotic scene. “What the hell happened?”

“Someone broke into Kerrigan’s house.” Cade stepped up next to her side. “Totally trashed the place.”

“They what? You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.” She felt the warmth from Cade’s hand as it came to a rest on the small of her back. “The police are still processing the scene. I can’t stay here tonight, for obvious reasons. We were actually just about to leave. But you still haven’t told me why you’re?—”

“Sorry.” Brayden cut her off to introduce himself to Cade. “We didn’t get a chance to formally meet each other last night. I’m Dr. Brayden Walsh.”

“Cade Ellis.” The two shook hands. “This is my teammate, Liam Cutler.”

Kerrigan drew in a deep, cleansing breath to keep from shouting at her ex for being an insensitive asshat. “Brayden, why are you here?”

There. She didn’t shout. There may have been a bit of a bite to her tone, but there’d been no shouting.

“Right. Sorry.” The man acted as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. “I, uh…I came by because there was something I needed to tell you. Something I thought you’d rather hear in person than through a text or over the phone.”

“It’s been a long night, Walsh.” Cade sounded as frustrated as Kerrigan felt. “Maybe try cutting to the chase.”

Brayden held Cade’s gaze a moment longer before turning a regretful expression her way. “It’s Julie Mays. I’m sorry, Kerr, but…she didn’t make it.”

Kerrigan gasped, her arm immediately wrapping around the back of Cade’s waist. “She died? When?” She fought a fresh onslaught of tears. “How? When you texted me this morning, you said she’d made it out of surgery with flying colors and was remaining stable in the ICU. What the hell happened?”

“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “The surgeon said the procedure was by the book. But you know how it is. There are always risks with any surgery. She could’ve thrown a clot or hell…it could’ve been any number of things. And when you add the trauma that poor girl suffered…I don’t know.” Brayden blew out a breath and ran a hand over the light scruff of his jaw. “I guess it was all just too much for her poor body to handle.”

“There will be an autopsy though. Right?” Cade asked, pulling her closer to his side.

Her ex’s gaze lowered briefly, taking in their somewhat intimate hold before bringing his guarded stare back up to hers. “Anyway, after everything you did to try to save her, I just thought you might want to know.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Liam spoke up from Kerrigan’s other side. “Appreciate the house call.”

Taking the subtle dismissal for what it was, Brayden offered her a quiet, “Take care of yourself, Kerr.”

Then he turned and walked away.