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PROLOGUE

His prey stuh heels, swaying as she tried to brace her body against the old sedan Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her slender shoulders were slumped

Voices and laughter drifted in the night The last few bar patrons slowly staggered away

They didn’t acknowledge the woht

He was the only one atched her

She wasn’t drunk That wasn’t why she swayed The woman was bone tired Lily Ada far later at Striker’s than she normally did She had to be so very weary

She shouldn’t work so hard If she wasn’t careful, little Lily was going to work herself straight into an early grave

She finally got the car door unlocked Lily slid into her sedan Cranked the engine It sputtered, then died Lily tried again, obviously used to this routine

It was a routine he’d watched before

A few minutes later, after a few more false starts, her car backed out of the lot

He waited a beat, then followed her

When she turned on the old, long stretch of highway that would take her back to the little ranch house she had off of County Road 12, he was close So close His headlights were turned off, and sweet Lily Ada hunted

The hunt was always so much fun Not the best part, of course, but still…

He enjoyed it The hunt built the anticipation Let him know of the pleasures to come

He kept track of the miles as they passed It was important to keep track because he’d planned this so perfectly

Up ahead, her car began to slow To sputter Right on time

When the sedan stopped cohts

The road was instantly bright, the headlights falling straight on Lily and her car She hadn’t gotten out of the vehicle Sometimes, they did When their cars stopped, they would jump out They tried to lift the hood, tried to see rong

Tried to fix what couldn’t be fixed

But Lily wasn’t

He parked behind her Took a breath Let the anticipation build even more Then he slid from his vehicle and headed toward her The road was eht

No help would be co for Lily Adams

His gloved hands fisted

She would make such a perfect addition to his collection

CHAPTER ONE

Dr Cadence Holloas beautiful when she slept Her defenses were down, her body so relaxed No fears plagued her, no desperation All of that was gone in sleep

Kyle McKenzie studied his partner as the plane slowly descended Cadence’s head rested on his shoulder She’d hate that intimate position when she woke She always tried so hard to keep distance between them

Distance he’d like to eliminate

His fingers ski silk So soft and sh to catch the light scent that always surrounded her

Cadence smelled like flowers Roses

She was also the embodiment of every fantasy he’d had for the past year