“Don’t touch anything.”
Kade’s warning echoed in her mind as she stared at the flower on her bed. He’d been here. In her apartment. How had he gotten in? Had she left the door unlocked, or maybe one of the windows? There was a fire escape right outside her bedroom window. She’d never worried about that before, but now she was already calculating how much money it would take to move. To a place without a fire escape. Where it would be harder for someone to break into her apartment. Maybe someplace with security.
Being a bartender paid well, but she paid her monthly bills as well as her school tuition out of it. There wasn’t a lot left over. It was nothing compared to what she used to make as a stripper. Or an exotic dancer, as the girls tended to call it these days. A spade was a spade. She wasn’t ashamed of it. It had paid for her move here and her brother’s funeral expenses.
Boston was her new start. She left the old persona of Angelique and her memories behind her and simply became Angel. A woman, a student, and a little lost. She learned to tend bar her first year in Boston and had gotten a job at Pops’ when the bar she worked at closed. Working there had been the best thing that happened to her. She learned to depend on herself, to deal with her grief, and to count on people who always had her back. The people there were more like family than simply a crew that staffed the place.
And now she’d put them all in danger. That thought tormented her. Especially Jessie. If Angel had just gone inside and ignored the trash, none of this would be happening. Jessie would be home safe and sound instead of waiting for police protection.
Kade’s fingertips brushed her arm and she yelped, startled. She knew it was him, but she couldn’t stop the little squeak of fright. A serial killer had been in her apartment. She deserved some slack tonight.
“Hey, it’s just me.” His soft voice sent shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with fear. “I called Bailey, and he’s heading over with a forensic team.”
“He was in here, Kade. Touching my things, doing God knows what.”
“I know, Angel. It’s going to be okay.”
As much as she wanted to believe him, she didn’t. This man ranked right up there with the Boston Strangler. It was all her customers could talk about. He was smart, cunning, and the police couldn’t catch him. Hell, the FBI’s best serial killer specialists couldn’t find him. She wasn’t holding her breath on everything turning out okay.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm down before the building hysteria could take over. Now was not the time to have a breakdown. She had to stay sharp, focused, if she wanted to survive this.
“You’re not staying here anymore, Angel.” Kade’s authoritative tone snapped her out of her self-pity better than any pep talk she gave herself.
“Of course I am. It’s my home, Kade. Where else am I going to go?”
“I called my brother. He owns an apartment in a building with security tighter than anything we could provide you. Nik said it was okay for me to move you there.”
Nikoli Kincaid. She knew him. Well. The boy had started coming into her bar before he was old enough to order drinks. She’d also known exactly who he was. Kade had pictures of all his brothers. The fact he’d had no clue who she was when they met only served to strengthen her resolve to forget Kade. All she ever was to him was a means to an end.
“He wasn’t too keen on loaning me the apartment until I told him it was for you. He’s a fan.”
“He’s a good kid.”
“You do know he’s my brother, then.” The accusation in his tone stiffened her spine.
“I remembered him from the photos you showed me. Why?”
“You never told him we knew each other.”
“No, Kade. I didn’t. Why would I? You walked away from me and never bothered to tell your family about your wife. Why would I say anything to him? Hey, guess what? I’m your brother’s ex fake wife. Uh, no. I moved here to forget about you and everything else. Telling him would have only brought up questions best left unanswered.”
His lips thinned the tiniest bit, but she didn’t care.
“And what do you mean our marriage is legal? You were pretending be someone else when we met.”
He sighed. “When I entered the police academy, I was recruited within the first week and pulled out. All traces of my being there erased. They thought it would work better for me if I was simply me. My parents have ties to Russia, which on the surface could entice several drug lords. It was easier to be the real me. So when I married you, Angel, it was with my own legal name. That was real. I just forgot to have it annulled.” He cocked his head, thinking. “Well, I don’t think that would have worked, anyway. We did consummate the marriage. We would need to file for divorce.”
He forgot to file for an annulment? She was so unimportant to him that he forgot all about her? A fresh wave of pain hit, but she pushed it down with the anger simmering under the surface.
“What would you have done if I were married? Huh?”
He gave her that cocky grin she used to adore. “Well, that would have been an interesting conversation, don’t you think?”
Could she hit him? Would they arrest her? Maybe she could claim temporary insanity? Anything to wipe that smug look off his face.
“Now, before you go and get all indignant…”
“Indignant?” The word came out softly, and it made his expression morph into wariness. “I’m well past indignant, Kincaid. I’m so far gone, they won’t find all the pieces when I dispose of the body.”
“Now, moye sokrovishche, I think you need to calm down.”
“What the hell does that even mean?” One would think she’d have picked up more Russian during her time with him. But she hadn’t. Only that one phrase. She remembered it because it had meant so much to her.
He smirked. “I’ll tell you one of these days.”
“You’re still the same smug bastard you always were.”
He only grinned wider and started walking toward her, which made her back up until she hit the chest of drawers on the opposite wall. He stopped barely an inch from her. The heat radiating off his body caused her pale skin to flush a deep pink, and her stomach fluttered. Traitor, she thought as her body began to respond to his nearness.
“Look at me, Angel.”
She shook her head and kept it down. He did not need to see the blush currently blistering her cheeks. His fingers found her chin and tipped it up. Those devil eyes of his were serious. There was no mirth left in them.
“I am still the same smug bastard I always was, but I’m the smug bastard who’s going to keep you safe.”
“I didn’t ask for your protection.”
“But you have it. I owe Peter that much.”
“Leave my brother out of this.”
He studied her silently, but then said the one thing that truly shattered her. “Then I owe our son this much.”
A single tear leaked out at the words that tumbled from his lips, but before she could say anything, a loud knock sounded at the door. He bent and brushed his lips across her forehead before leaving her standing there, much as he left her sobbing in the hospital.
Kade opened the door to find Bailey and several members of the forensic department behind him. He stepped aside so they could enter then pointed them in the direction of the bedroom. They’d gotten here faster than he’d expected. “Where’s Miss Brown?”
“I have two uniforms sitting on her. They drove her home as I was leaving. I gave them specific instructions that one of them was to stay inside the apartment with her. Especially after this. Are you sure it’s him?”
“Who else could it be?” Kade looked around, trying to see anything out of place, but he didn’t know the apartment. Only Angel could tell them that.
“Ex-boyfriend? Stalker? Anyone except our serial killer. He couldn’t have had time to figure out where she lives and break in.”
“Angel?” Kade called, thinking Bailey had a point. It could be an ex of hers, or even a current boyfriend. Maybe she’d forgotten a date they’d planned? Blind rage colored his vision. She’d better not have a current boyfriend. They were still married, dammit. Whether she wanted to be or not. Even if he’d forgotten.
When she walked into the living room, her spine was straight as a board, her head up, and her eyes spitting mad. Despite that, he saw the hurt underneath all that bravado. It was enough to temper his reaction to thoughts of any new man. He’d dealt her a low blow, and he knew it.
Bailey eyeballed him with open curiosity. He knew the detective had questions about the whole wife bombshell, but that would have to wait. “Bailey has some questions for you.”
“Let’s sit…”
“No.” Kade cut him off. “I want forensics to go over everything in case the bastard touched anything anywhere. No mucking up the crime scene more than we already have.”
“It might not be a crime scene.”
“What?” Angel looked from one to the other. “What do you mean? Someone was in here.”
“Yes, Miss Lemoraux…”
“Mrs. Kincaid,” Kade interjected just to rile Angel up.
“Lemoraux.” Angel bit out the word, her teeth grinding so loudly he heard it as she clenched her jaw.
“Angel.” Bailey settled on her first name. “Could it have been a boyfriend who came in while you were at work and left it?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not dating anyone.”
Thank fuck.
“An ex-boyfriend, maybe? One who had a key?” Bailey looked hopeful, but Angel dashed his hopes.
“I’ve never given anyone a key to my apartment. No one has a set but me and the super.”
“We’ll have a talk with your super.”
“Go ahead.” Angel shrugged. “I’m sure his wife will tell you he’s been home all night.”
“Do you have anywhere you can go for a few days?” Bailey started scribbling down notes.
“I’ve already arranged it.” Kade cracked his knuckles. “I also called my boss and requested assistance. I can’t keep up the pace I was and keep Angel safe.”
“Does it matter if I don’t want your protection?”
“Nope.” Kade flashed her a grin. “You’re my burden to deal with.”
“Burden?” Angel bellowed, all indignant outrage.
Kade watch her cheeks burn a deep cherry red. He knew without looking he could follow it all the way down her neck toward the sensitive patch of skin between her breasts.
“Children, let’s focus.” Bailey attempted to stop the argument before it began, but Kade suppressed a laugh. Bailey was in for it.
“So now I’m a child because I don’t want an overbearing ass trying to dictate what I do?” She stabbed her finger with each step she took, until Bailey was backed up against the wall, looking a little terrified. “Who the fuck do you think you are to call me a child? I’ve had a face-to-face confrontation with a serial killer, and then come home to find he’s invaded my apartment, all the while having to deal with that bastard over there. I think I have earned the right to be angry. Don’t you?”
Bailey nodded emphatically. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Then shut the fuck up!” She turned and stormed off toward her bedroom.
“Get some clothes while you’re back there!” The string of curses that followed her up the hallway made Kade laugh out loud. Damn, but he’d missed her.
“Sweet Mary, Mother of God.” Bailey let out a whistle. “Our resident serial killer would return her within the hour.”
“He’ll never get that close.” And if he did, it would be the last thing he ever did.
“So…she’s your wife? I didn’t know you were married.”
He shrugged. “I forgot.”
“How do you forget you’re married?”
“Quite easily when there’s nothing but bad memories attached to it,” he murmured, his eyes landing on a picture of Angel and Peter.
One of the forensic guys yelled for Bailey, and the detective moved out of the living room and down the hall, leaving Kade to peruse Angel’s pictures. The one of her parents on their wedding day sat in the middle of the small mantel. The one of her and Peter sat to the left, and he picked it up. It had been taken in the living room of their parents’ home. He had so many good memories in that house.
His phone blared out a Linkin Park song, and he fumbled it out of his pocket. “What?”
“You’re a cranky bastard tonight.”
“It’s been a long night, Nikoli.”
“I just wanted to let you know, I called Stan, and there will be a set of keys waiting for you at the front desk of the building. It’s the penthouse apartment. The place has excellent security. The only people who don’t have to sign in are the people who live there.”
“What about guests of the renters?”
“We had a policy change last month. Guests have to be cleared ahead of time, and they will still need to sign in and out. I bitched about it when I had to register Lily, but what are you gonna do? I called the building and let them know you and Angel would be staying there and to make sure you had a set of keys. You’ll both need to register before you go up.”
“Thanks, kid.” There were times it paid to have family with money, and this was definitely one of them.
“You given any more thought to the job I offered you? I know Viktor offered you a position in his company too.”
“No. I haven’t had time, not with this case.”
“Well, think about it. I guarantee you’ll make more money.”
The grin in his little brother’s voice was enough to turn up his own lips. The kid just had a way of making you smile. Cheeky bastard.
“I will, and thanks, Nik. I appreciate it.”
“No worries, man. Lily has some clothes in the place if Angel needs to borrow some. Not sure they’ll fit her, though. She’s taller than Lily, I think.”
“I told her to grab a few things, but thanks for thinking of it.”
“Angel is a friend. I have maybe two friends who are female, excluding Lily. If there’s anything she needs, just ask.”
“You sound like you know her pretty well.”
“Yeah. I stumbled into her bar sophomore year, drunker than I’d ever been. She refused to serve me, shoved me in the back to sleep it off, and we’ve been friends since. Not sure why she went to all the trouble for someone she should have just called a cab for, but she means a lot to me. Take care of her, Kade.”
“I will.” Kade knew exactly why she’d gone to so much trouble. Nikoli and he looked alike—almost twins, really. Angel had to have known who he was the moment he stepped into the bar. She’d taken care of him because she knew how much Kade loved his brother.
“Just a heads up, man. There is absolutely no food in the apartment. We don’t keep much there since it’s a weekend place for us and we order in.”
“Duly noted. I have to go, Nik. Bailey is waving at me like a madman.”
“Okay. Tell Angel to shout if she needs anything. I’d be more than happy to hire extra security for her.”
“I might take you up on that.”
He said his goodbyes and hung up. Bailey stood in the hallway, looking exasperated. It had to be something Angel did.
He suppressed a grin, wondering what the hell she’d done now, and decided to relieve the poor detective. Angel could be a handful when her temper flared, and right now it was out of control.
But that was when he had the most fun.