Driving to work, George couldn’t believe his luck. The karma gods must have been shining on him because the jogger who’d just passed him, when he’d slowed while approaching a stop sign, was none other than that fucking federal pig. He was certain of it after having watched the news conference over and over last night, as his blood boiled with rage.

The fucking fed didn’t get it—none of them did. The cops, reporters, friends and family of the whores he killed would never understand. Why couldn’t they see he was making the world a better place by ridding it of the worthless trash? No, all they did was sit around and call him the same things that bitch had called him—a savage, a sadist, a barbarian. But this asshole had gone further—calling him weak, a loser, dysfunctional, and worst of all, a coward.

He’d show them he wasn’t a coward—starting with the fed. Turning in the direction the bastard had gone, he knew exactly what he needed do to prove his worth, and get the pigs to see he meant business.

* * *

Sean’s pulse and breathing were in their target range as his feet slapped against the pavement while he jogged through the streets of Whisper. Two miles down, two to go. He wished he hadn’t unintentionally left his headphones and MP3 player at the sheriff’s department yesterday. After he’d given his speech at the press conference, he’d needed to shut everyone else out for a bit. The music had relaxed him as he’d read through all the reports from interviews that had been generated from the tip line. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust everyone to know their jobs, but he’d been hoping that something might jump out at him that had been overlooked. It had been a fruitless effort.

Taking a random right, he alternated his route as he usually did. It was a way to remind him not to be complacent. Passing the empty playground of the local elementary school, his mind drifted from the case to the woman who’d rocked his world last night, and hell, the night before that, too! It was Saturday, so the therapy center was closed, and she’d gone with Bonnie to a yoga class this morning. He’d invited her to go for a run with him, but she’d confessed running bored her to tears. She preferred yoga, aerobics classes, and swimming to keep that sexy body toned to perfection, which he thought it was. However, Grace insisted she was too curvy. Instead of arguing with her, he’d kissed, licked, and nibbled every curve of her body last night to prove it to her. It’d been one of the best foreplay sessions he’d ever had, and by the time he’d entered her, they’d been so primed and ready, she’d exploded within minutes, taking him with her.

Checking his watch, he upped his pace as another vehicle passed him. Easter Sunday, earlier in the week, drifted back to him. It was the first time any of the Malone brothers had brought a significant other to the holiday celebration—KC and Moriah had met only a few weeks after the holiday last year. It had been his Aunt Annie’s favorite holiday, next to Christmas, and in her memory, they’d always made a big deal about it. When the brothers were little, and their parents had still been alive, the adults had made a plastic, Easter egg hunt on the beach with loose change and the occasional dollar bill in them. Even when they’d gotten too old for the hunt, the big dinners had continued. Now with KC and Moriah expecting, everyone was looking forward to starting the egg hunts for the next generation to enjoy.

An image of what his and Grace’s children would look like scampering around the beach was interrupted by the sound of a revving engine. Some idiot was racing up the street behind him—in a thirty MPH zone, to boot. Glancing over his shoulder, he was about to wave at the driver to slow the fuck down, when he saw the gray sedan was headed straight for him.

Without time to avoid the collision, Sean jumped and dove up on the hood of the vehicle before it could knock his legs out from under him. The impact stole his breath, and pain shot through the right side of his body. He managed to tuck his head in, avoiding smashing it against the windshield as the speed of the vehicle sent him flying back off. He landed on the asphalt with a thud that sounded like a sonic boom to his ears and rolled several times before coming to an agony-filled stop. A screech of tires caught his attention and he turned his head in time to see the sedan slow down and take a sharp right onto the next street. It was too far away and traveling too fast for him to note anything other than the color and the fact that it was a four-door Toyota Camry. His vision was blurred from the impact and pain, so he hadn’t been able to see the license plate or anything else which could be used to identify it.

“Oh my God! Are you okay?” a woman yelled, her voice getting louder as she ran toward him. “Helen, call 911! Sir, where are you hurt?”

A middle-aged woman stood over him and Sean tried to focus on her face, but darkness overtook him and he fell into a blank abyss.

* * *

Bonnie held her niece’s hand as they waited for Sean to return from getting a CT scan. His dislocated left shoulder had been popped back into place, and a variety of X-rays were taken. The ER doctor didn’t think Sean had anything worse than a mild concussion, but because he’d passed out momentarily before the deputies and medics had arrived, it was better to play it safe. The only other injuries were the bruises along his left side and some road rash on his arms and legs.

Deputy Montgomery had immediately recognized the federal agent upon arrival at the scene and notified Sheriff Griffin and Brian, who in turn had called his uncle. Dan had closed up the hardware store, then hurried over to get Bonnie and Grace out of their yoga class. After they’d gotten an update at the hospital, Dan had called the oldest Malone brother and filled KC in. Thankfully, it looked like Sean was going to be released as long as the CT scan was normal. He’d be sore as hell, but it could have been so much worse.

Grace had never been so scared in her life than when Dan had broken the news to them. Not even bothering to change out of their workout clothes, she and Bonnie had grabbed their bags from the locker room and followed Dan to the hospital. Although he was banged up and in pain, Sean was alive and that’s all that mattered to her. It had taken almost an hour for her heart rate to return to normal, and the shivers of fear to dissipate. All she wanted to do now was take him home and nurse him back to health.

Griffin disconnected the cell phone call he’d been on and strode over to where Grace was waiting with Dan and Brian. “That was Brad and Rafe. There were only two witnesses—the woman who called 911 and the one who gave first aid. They had been out for a walk and had just turned the corner onto that street seconds before Sean was hit. One of them is a volunteer with the local ambulance corps so she knew what to do. They only confirmed what Sean told me earlier—it was a newer, gray Toyota Camry, four-door, with unknown North Carolina plates. They think it was a lone, male driver but couldn’t be positive. One thing they were sure of, though, is that the driver sped up and drove straight at Sean. It was intentional.”

Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Brian cursed. “Shit. It had to be our killer. But how the hell did he know where Sean was? I freaking told him to let me do the press conference!”

Dan laid a hand on his nephew’s forearm. “Easy, son. There’s no point in being a Monday-morning-quarterback. What’s done is done. Thankfully, Sean will be okay.”

“We’ve got an APB out on any gray Camrys with front end damage,” Griffin informed them. “We’ll also get it out on the news. Obviously, this wasn’t how we wanted it to go down, but it’s possible the sick bastard’s finally made a mistake.”

The door leading from the waiting room to the ER opened, and the nurse who’d been treating Sean since his arrival by ambulance motioned to them. “He’s back from the CT scan. As soon as we get the results, Doctor Romansky will release him as long as it’s normal. You can come back and stay with him until then. He’s asking for you all.”

They found him sitting up on the hospital gurney wearing the fashion-less blue and white gown the nurses had put on him. The paramedics had needed to cut away his torn shirt at the scene to check for injuries. His jogging shorts were short enough to work around so he’d still been wearing them upon arrival at the ER.

Brian had retrieved a spare T-shirt from the go-bag he kept in his vehicle and now he tossed it into his brother’s lap. “Figured you could use that.”

Grimacing, Sean pulled off the useless gown. “Thanks. Can I get out of here yet?”

“As soon as they get the test results,” Grace told him as she picked up the T-shirt. Bunching up the fabric, she helped him put it on, sliding it up his left arm so he didn’t have to move the injured shoulder more than necessary.

Between the two of them, they got him into the shirt, and then Grace leaned down to gingerly give him a brief kiss. Lifting his good arm, he stroked her hair. “Thanks.” He smiled. “For the help, and the kiss.”

“My pleasure.” Her relief at his teasing was evident as she finally relaxed for the first time since she’d heard he was being taken to the hospital. “How do you feel?”

“Aside from getting hit by a car, I’m good—sore, but good.” He looked at Brian and the sheriff. “Any luck with the witnesses?”

Griffin shook his head. “No. They didn’t have much to add to your report.”

As he finished filling Sean in, the doctor returned. “Agent Malone, you’re a very lucky man. The scan was normal so I’ll release you. Since there’s no sign of a concussion, I think the reason you passed out was from the pain from the dislocation. I’m going to give you a prescription for painkillers because I’m sure you’ll need them when the Demerol wears off. Ice your shoulder on and off for the rest of the day. You’ll be sore for a few days, but if it goes longer than that, I suggest you follow up with an orthopedist.”

“I’m a physical therapist, doctor,” Grace said. “I’ll take care of his shoulder and take him to an ortho if needed.”

The man smiled broadly at her. “Perfect. I’ll send the nurse back in with the discharge papers and then you can get out of here.”

“Those are the best words I’ve heard all day, Doc,” Sean said. “Thanks.”

Twenty minutes later, Sean carefully lowered himself into Grace’s car, keeping his bad arm tucked into the sling the nurse had given him. Grace was taking him back to her place to recover while Dan drove Bonnie home. Brian and Griffin said their goodbyes then headed back to the Sheriff’s Department to meet up with Montoya and Lynch to compare the rest of their notes. Brian assured his brother he would either call or stop by Grace’s later to fill him in.

Starting the car, Grace backed out of the parking space and steered toward the exit. “We’ll stop at the pharmacy on the way home.”

“I don’t need the prescription filled. I’ll be fine,” Sean sighed.

“Uh-uh. I can hear the pain in your voice and it’s only going to get worse when the Demerol wears off. You heard the doctor. Trust me—you’ll thank me later.”

Grace was happy he didn’t argue with her. He could be a tough guy at work, but this was her field, and she knew he was going to be hurting later. And the last thing she wanted was to see him in agony when it could be eased with medication. Stubborn man.

Instead of staying in the car and letting her run into the pharmacy, Sean insisted on going in with her. While she stood in line waiting for his prescription to be filled, he found the over-the-counter pain meds and grabbed a box of Tylenol. Grace rolled her eyes when he handed it to her. “Fine, but I guarantee you you’re going to want something stronger in about two hours.”

“We’ll see.”

Stubborn, macho man! My incredibly sexy, stubborn, macho man. Grace shook her head. “Why don’t I run next door and order a pizza to take home. I only had a bagel for breakfast, and you have to be getting hungry. If you’re not, I can reheat it later for you.”

“I could eat some pizza,” he agreed. “Go order and I’ll meet you in there when I’m done here.”

Grace leaned in and gave him a swift kiss. “Don’t you dare show up without the Vicodin, or I’ll have a headache for the next week, if you get my drift.” She was half teasing and half serious. Starting tomorrow, she was going to do some physical therapy on his shoulder to help him heal faster, but the downside to that was he would definitely be in pain without the narcotic. He’d been ordered by Sheriff Griffin to stay home for a few days. They would keep him updated by phone but they could survive without him for a bit.

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. “You know, I’m liking this take-charge Grace a lot. She’s turning me on.”

Chuckling, she sidestepped his subtle ass-grab attempt and lowered her voice so she wouldn’t be overheard. “If I remember correctly, there isn’t much that doesn’t turn you on. But I’ll be your Dominatrix if that’s what it takes for you to obey the doctor’s orders. Just don’t make me get out my whip, little boy.”

“Hmm,” he murmured as he stared at her mouth. “Dominatrix, yes. Whip? I’ll pass.”

“Then you better do what I say,” she ordered as she tried to control her smile and look stern. It was clear from his chuckling that she wasn’t succeeding. “Get your meds and meet me next door.”

“Yes, ma’am.”