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The next day…

“You sure this is a good idea?”

Cade pulled into the lot and began scanning for a place to park. “Nope. But my gut says this guy’s hiding something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.” He eyed an empty spot a few cars away. “That’s the whole reason I’m here.”

Here being the hospital where Kerrigan worked. Kerrigan and that douchebag, Dr. Brayden Walsh.

“She know what you’re up to?”

“If you’re asking if I told her I was coming here to talk to her ex, then no. I didn’t.”

Liam paused before asking, “So where did you tell her you were going?”

“I didn’t.” Cade put the car in park, cut the engine, and opened his door. “I just said I had a meeting, which I do.”

“An unscheduled meeting.”

“Still a meeting.”

“And she’s just what? Sitting all alone at your apartment?”

“She’s safe there,” he countered. “The place has an armed guard who works the front desk, you need a key to get to my floor, and I have the custom alarm system you installed, complete with cameras galore.”

It was the only reason he’d felt comfortable leaving Kerrigan to come here. The only reason he hadn’t asked Liam or one of the other guys to keep watch over her while he was gone.

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll go snooping through your stuff?” Liam teased.

He began walking toward the emergency department’s entrance. “She can look all she wants. I’ve got nothing to hide. But she’s busy by doing some online shopping to replace some of the clothes that were cut to shreds. And this won’t take long, so I’ll probably be back before she’s finished.”

A low whistle filled the phone’s speakers as Cade waited for a car to pass. “Better watch yourself, brother. Women don’t like being kept in the dark.”

“Not trying to keep her in the dark, Liam.” He walked beneath the covered entrance. “I’m trying to keep her safe.”

“And you think going after her ex is the way to do that?”

Maybe.

“I’m not going after anyone,” he bit back a little harshly. “I just want some damn answers.”

“Answers to what? You heard what the guy said about the Mays woman’s death. I know you don’t like the guy, but his explanation to what could have possibly happened seemed to make sense. Besides, Kerrigan told us in the car that the hospital placed a badge outside the vic’s room.”

“So?”

“So, you really think the Omega Killer walked right past an armed CPD cop, killed the woman, and then walked back out without anyone the wiser? And that this Walsh guy had something to do with it?”

He had to admit, it didn’t seem like a plausible scenario. But still…

“He’s hiding something, Liam.” Cade walked through the automatic doors. “Think about it. We find Julie Mays, take her to a hospital where Walsh works on the side, and she dies the very next day. And at the same time, someone’s across town, busting into Kerrigan’s place.”

“I agree, it all seems like an awfully big coincidence, but?—”

“Come on, man. Even you can’t spin a positive note on this one. There’s some shady shit going on, and my gut says Walsh is in it up to his eyeballs. And I just…” He drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. “I need to figure out what the hell is going on before someone else gets hurt.”

“You mean before Kerrigan gets hurt.”

“Yes, okay?” He hissed the hushed admission. “There’s a fucking serial killer running around Chicago, and now she’s a key witness in the case. Between that, the way Sergeant Bowen was with us that night, and now the break-in… yeah. I’m fucking worried. And I can’t help but feel like it’s all connected somehow.”

“And you think Dr. Dolittle is going to just open up to you out of the goodness of his heart?”

“No.” He kept his voice low so others around him couldn’t hear. “But he might give up what he knows if I threaten to stop that heart from beating.”

Another pause ensued and then, “Just watch yourself, yeah? Last thing your girl needs is you getting locked up on an assault charge because you beat the shit out of her ex.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

“If you say so.” Liam didn’t sound convinced. “Let me know how it goes.”

Cade ended the call and stepped up to the nurse sitting behind the intake desk.

“Can I help you?”

“I sure hope so.” He smiled. “I’m here to see Dr. Brayden Walsh. I called earlier, and they said he was working.”

“He is,” she confirmed. “Are you one of his patients?”

“No, but he knows who I am.” He flashed the twenty-something a forced smile. “If you could just let him know Cade Ellis is here, I’m sure he’ll want to speak to me.”

“I’ll try, but he may be with a patient.”

“I appreciate you trying.”

Less than five minutes later, Dr. Dickhead appeared.

“Cade.” Walsh greeted him with the same overly tight handshake he’d used the night before. “What a pleasant surprise.” He glanced around. “Is Kerrigan with you?”

“Nope. Just me.”

“I see.” Disappointment oozed from the man’s pores. “What can I do for you?”

“You got a minute to talk?” Cade asked. “Preferably in private.”

Something akin to fear flashed behind Walsh’s eyes, but it was gone before he could decipher what it was.

That’s right, dickhead. You should be afraid.

“Of course. Follow me.”

Minutes later, they were in what appeared to be a shared office. Walsh sat down behind one of the room’s two desks, sitting back in his chair and crossing an ankle over one knee.

“So. What can I do for you, Cade?”

“You can tell me what you know about Julie Mays’ death.”

There it is again.

That same, almost indiscernible flash as before.

Oh yeah. This guy knows something, all right. I just have to figure out what the fuck it is.

“I thought I explained that situation rather clearly last night.” Walsh’s smug expression didn’t change.

“You briefly covered risks that come with surgery.” Cade nodded. “And yet, Kerrigan still seemed quite surprised by the news.”

“It’s a hospital, Cade. People often die. Sometimes there’s a clear-cut explanation. Other times, all we can do is make an educated guess and move on.”

“Is that what you told Julie’s family when they came to claim the body?”

Because he’d had Liam do a little hacking last night, after he and Kerrigan dropped him off before heading to Cade’s apartment.

“How do you know the body’s already been claimed?”

“The hospital signed off on the release at eight-oh-six this morning. An hour later, Julie’s body was picked up by a local funeral home under the direction of the woman’s mother.”

Info that had come courtesy of Liam’s insane hacking skills.

Walsh’s arrogant jaw dropped. “How do you…” He sat up straight in his chair. “How could you possibly?—”

“Do you know who I work for, Brayden?” Cade took a few steps closer, tossing a business card the other man’s way.

The asshole picked it up and gave it a quick read. His Adam’s apple bobbed with a swallow. “Delta Team.” Walsh looked at him again. “Impressive.”

Yes, it was.

“So you’ve heard of us.”

“I have.”

“Good. Then you know what me and my team are capable of.” He moved closer.

“Are you trying to threaten me, Cade?”

“Nope.” He shook his head with his next step. “Just making sure you understand who and what I am.”

“And what are you?” Walsh pushed himself to his feet.

With only the desk between them, Cade looked the other man square in the eye and made himself crystal clear. “I’m the man who will do whatever it takes to protect the people I care about.”

“You’re talking about Kerrigan.”

“I’m talking about Kerrigan.” He nodded, still holding the jackass’s gaze. “I care about her, Brayden.” He clenched the teeth at the back of his jaw. “Someone hurts her…in any fucking way…I will make it my mission to find them and make them pay.”

“Are you implying I had something to do with last night’s break-in?”

“Did you?”

“Of course not!” Walsh denied it vehemently despite the small twitch at the corner of one eye. “And frankly, I resent the implication.”

He’s lying. He knows more than he’s saying.

“For your sake, I hope you’re telling me the truth. Because I will find whoever did this. Maybe not today. Might not be tomorrow. But it will happen, and when I do, that person is going to feel every ounce of pain he’s caused Kerrigan. And then some.”

Brayden swallowed again, but didn’t say another word, which was perfectly fine by Cade. He’d said all he’d come to say.

It was clear from the moment they stepped foot in his office that the man wasn’t going to roll over as easily as Cade had hoped. So, rather than waste his time spinning around in an endless circle, he left him with the warning still hanging in the air.

“We have a problem.” Dr. Brayden Walsh stared at the man who’d just stepped out from the shadows.

“So you said when you called.”

“I’ll make this quick.” He glanced around. “This place is creepy as hell at night.”

“Afraid of the dark, are we?”

Yes, but he wasn’t about to admit that to this twisted son of a bitch. “I’m more afraid of the shit storm that’s about to come down on us if anyone finds out what we’ve done.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible. Unless you’ve opened that big mouth of yours.”

A siren blared to life in the distance, and Brayden’s muscles jumped before he could stop them. “I’m serious, asshole. I’m really starting to spin out, here.”

“But you’ve stayed quiet, right?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but we both know you’re not exactly a man of your word.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not fucking stupid.” He looked back at the other man as if he’d grown six heads. “What am I gonna say? Hey, Kerr. In case you were wondering, I’m the one who trashed your house. But don’t worry. It was just meant to be a distraction.”

“I’m serious, Walsh.”

“So, am I. Jesus, man.” Brayden ran a frustrated hand through his usually perfect hair. “You fucking killed her, didn’t you?”

“What makes you think that?” The man didn’t so much as flinch.

“Like I said. I’m not stupid. You sent me to trash Kerrigan’s place, so she’d be too pre-occupied by the clean-up and having to replace almost all of her shit to focus on trying to help the cops find the Omega Killer.” Brayden shot the man a pointed glare.

The guilt he felt for what he’d done had kept him tossing and turning all fucking night. She didn’t deserve this. Hadn’t deserved any of the shit he’d done to her. But now…

“I still don’t understand why it is I’m here.”

“You’re here because the deal is off.” Brayden finally said the words he’d wanted to say for months. “The cops still have nothing on either of us, so I say we part ways now before that all changes. I’ve got enough cash saved up to last me a good, long while, and you…” His throat worked a hard swallow. “You can keep on doing what you do. Just…keep me out of it.”

“Is that it?” The man took a broad step toward him.

“Yeah, man.” He nodded. “That’s it. I’m done, okay? Our deal is fucking done.”

Brayden held his breath and waited, praying the other man would agree to his terms and walk away. But when he saw the hardened expression on the sick fuck’s face, he knew it wasn’t going to be that simple.

“It’s not fucking done.” The man took another step closer. “I told you when we first started, you belong to me.”

“The fuck, I do.” Brayden tried to hold his ground.

But the man just smiled and continued moving slowly toward him.

“You took the money, remember? That means I fucking own you. And before you think about running to the…cops…just remember. You’re tied to this mess bigger than shit. So no, Dr. Walsh.” The arrogant jerk switched to Brayden’s formal title. “Our deal isn’t done, and you’re going to continue keeping your goddamn mouth shut.”

“What about Doctor Rawlins?”

“What about her?”

God, he hated bringing Kerrigan into his shit any more than she already was. But in the end, what she’d told him the day she caught him fucking that intern in the supply closet was true.

When it comes down to it, you always put yourself before anyone else.

“That boyfriend of hers showed up at the hospital today. He was asking questions…implying that I had something to do with the break-in at her house.”

The man paused, appearing to process what he’d just been told. “Should we be worried?”

“About the boyfriend?” Brayden thought about the seething warning Cade Ellis had given when he’d stopped by unannounced. “I don’t know. But the guy showed up at my work practically accusing me of being involved.”

“Why you?”

“Because I was there.”

The other man blinked his cold-hearted eyes. “Excuse me?”

“I only went there to let her know about the Mays woman dying. I thought?—”

“Yes, please.” Anger outlined the man’s curt tone. “Explain to me what the fuck you were thinking going to that house the same night you broke in.”

“I was thinking she and the cops probably wouldn’t expect the person behind the crime to show back up at the scene. Especially when the cops were still there. I thought?—”

“You thought.”

“I thought, if anything, it would lead the cops far the hell away from my scent, which I’m sure it did. But…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair again. “Apparently it had the opposite effect on Kerrigan’s new boyfriend, and now I’m at the top of his fucking list. But they can’t prove I was there. I stayed out of the sight of the neighbor’s cameras, just like you said. I kept the lights off, and I wore a ski mask and gloves. And there’s a tech I work with who would be more than happy to give me an alibi, if I asked.”

“Out of the goodness of her heart?”

Brayden rolled his eyes and gave a shake of his head. “Yeah, asshole. Something like that.”

“If you’re so sure you’re in the clear, then why all the spinning?”

The knot in his gut grew. “Kerrigan,” he whispered her name.

“What about her?”

“The woman remembers everything, and I do mean fucking everything. So if there’s even a chance that she can somehow tie either of us to this thing…” Christ, he felt like he was going to puke. “I think the smartest thing is for you to pack up your shit and get the hell out of Dodge before we both end up dying alone in prison.”

The man he wished he’d never gotten into bed with remained silent for so long Brayden thought he’d gone full-on catatonic. A second later, the other man pulled in a deep breath, reached for something behind his back, and then…he began to laugh.

“You’re not going to die in prison, Dr. Walsh.” The psychopath kept walking until he was inches from where Brayden stood. “And you aren’t going to die alone.”

“Yeah? How can you be so sure?”

The question had barely escaped from his mouth when he saw the knife in the other man’s hand.

What the ? —

“H-hey, man. Let’s not be stupid about this, okay? I said I wouldn’t say anything, and I won’t.”

“Oh, I know you won’t. In fact…” He pushed the blade of the knife deep in the center of Brayden’s gut. “You won’t say much of anything else ever again.”

No!

Brayden tried and failed to fight the man off, but the excruciating fire erupting inside his gut was too much for him to bear.

“P-please…”

The man twisted the knife for maximum damage before slicing his flesh a second time as he pulled the long blade free.

He couldn’t breathe for the pain, and his legs refused to hold his weight. And as Brayden fell to the filthy ground deep within that dark, Chicago alley, he realized he’d been wrong about every fucking thing.

The money.

The fancy car.

The women.

Kerrigan.

Brayden’s nauseating gurgle filled the air, and the metallic taste of blood began filling his mouth. He could feel the warm liquid running down his cheeks as it ran freely from the corners of his lips.

It all happened so quickly, there wasn’t even time for his life to flash before his unseeing eyes. And less than a minute later, as he lay on his back, staring up into his killer’s eyes, Brayden’s selfish heart beat for the very last time.

But the murdering bastard was right. He hadn’t died alone.