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"I checked all the records you had listing the kids who’d lived with Lavine The five of us are the only ones left alive Six if you count Trina Although it’s likely that the killer is so, it’s possible the killer is one of the in private"

One of her friends the killer? A new rush of panic flittered through her syste her skin

She’d never considered that Why would she after knowing these people for so long? It didn’t seem possible that any of the with a ht And if they were, how could they even tell?

Isabelle’s hands started to shake, and her pulse pounded hard in her li to consider Even with Grant at her side

She laced her fingers over her purse to keep Grant fro her tremble She didn’t want hiht she wasn’t strong enough to handle it She’d find a way to handle whatever bad news he threw at her

"I can’t believe that any of them are capable of murder I know these people I’ve known them for years"

"The killer is probably someone else tied to Lavine, but either e have to warn the others If the killer continues in order of when they arrived at Lavine’s, then Everett is next That’s not the kind of news you give over the phone And we’re sure as hell not going to uy and he pulls a gun"

Isabelle stifled a shiver of fear and revulsion She still couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen what Grant had--that they were being killed in a certain order At least that got the police to pay attention

"What was the naned to our case?" she asked

Grant exited the highway "Clayton Mathews I’lland fill him in on the details while you’re at work--unless you want to co In the meantime, he asked that we don’t tell anyone that we know about the order of deaths If the killer knoe know, he e his pattern, which will make it a lot harder to keep people safe"

"I won’t say anything, but they ht not believe us without that little bit of news The police didn’t"

"It’ll be our job to convince them," said Grant

"And if we can’t?"

He pulled into the parking lot of the Italian restaurant where they’d chosen to meet and parked the car on the outskirts of the lot, away frohts cast deep shadows inside the Mustang and over Grant’s lean face He unfastened his seat belt and turned toward her, shifting his long body beneath the wheel His golden eyes see in the dimness as he looked at her

He was so beautiful it nearly et all about their dinner plans It would have been nice to sit here in the quiet with him and look her fill--soak hione

His hand captured hers, and he cradled her fingers in his war riot of sensation careening toward her heart He was such a gentle man when he touched her, and for a ine what it would be like to have him for a lover

She could al her sto her breasts He was always so warm, she was sure the heat of his touch would ine how hot his mouth would be as it e s

"Don’t worry," said Grant "We’ll find a way to convince them And if we can’t do that, then we’ll make sure they’re protected"

"How?"

"The police will help now Detective Mathews has ordered extra patrols on all of your hoh The police are overworked and under-staffed"

"My buddy David can probably offer some help He owns a private security co to work for? Isn’t he going to be mad that you’re not already there to help hi smile that made her feel hot all over--the one that no woh to resist, the one that made her feel like she was the only woman alive and there was nowhere else on earth he’d rather be than here with her

What a beautiful lie

"He’ll get over it," said Grant

"For your sake, I hope so I never meant to interfere with your new life"

"You’re not interfering I’ to stay"

No matter the personal cost to his own life That was the part he didn’t say

A rush of ee to cry out of sheer gratitude She’d felt the saht he’d pulled Lavine off of her and ended up handcuffed in the back of a police car with blood running down his chin

"Thank you It means the world to me that I’ers through his He was so easy to touch, neverher feel like she’d invaded his space, and the ot In truth, she hardly knew hihts for so many years, her body couldn’t tell the difference

She loved the way his hand felt so solid and strong and how the work-roughened patches of his skin stroked over her softer flesh He was alliton their job rather than what it would feel like to have those hands glide over her body in a lover’s caress