“Your previous apartment was the size of a freaking fruit. Why do you have so many boxes?” Chloe bitches while shifting the box in her hands up, making the contents rattle.

“Be careful, those are my plates!” I inform her. She rolls her eyes and leans against the wall while I grapple with the key, trying to open the door as quickly as possible.

“Whatever. Simone, are you coming?” she shouts, and slowly, Simone comes from the elevator, breathing heavily as she drops the heavy book box on the floor and places her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

“Girl, your love for books will end you. Mark my word!” The situation is truly hilarious considering they had way more shit to move when they chose different places, but I don’t say anything.

Finally getting inside, I smile brightly as I admire my first decent apartment in my entire life. I still can’t believe I got so lucky with the landlord.

Kurt Smith, one of our clients at the investigation firm, claimed his wife cheated on him, but he didn’t have any proof. Based on our reports, he was a computer genius who became a millionaire when young and always tripled his investment, no matter what he did.

His wife, Matilda, had a long list of lovers before him and loved the party life. Since she didn’t stay home with him and claimed to be with friends, he was suspicious.

After my first day on the job, I quickly understood that Matilda wasn’t cheating on her husband, but instead, she was meeting with her brother and that train tickets were involved. Most probably she was helping him to run somewhere. Based on the report I had on him, he mingled with the wrong crowd.

I didn’t mention this to Kurt but gave him a full report that it was her brother and not another man. He was so happy that he offered me one of his apartments in his building when he heard I was looking for a place to call home. He gave me a cheap price for a fully furnished, one-bedroom apartment in a prime location. Under normal circumstances, I’d refuse, but honestly, I had nowhere else to go and certainly didn’t want to stay in my old place.

Plus, I agreed to the rent for just the first few months, and then I’d pay the actual price. I just needed to get on my feet, since the FBI threw my plans out the fucking window. Life’s taught me that sometimes you have to swallow your pride in order to survive.

I’ve applied at several places to work but have yet to hear back from them. As interesting as private investigating is, I don’t want to have it as my permanent job.

“Wow!” Chloe whistles, looking around. “I think we’ll hang out at your place from now on.” She high-fives with Simone, and they plop on the couch, putting their feet on the coffee table and moaning in pleasure. “Finally, rest!”

“Not to be a downer, but we have three more boxes to bring from downstairs.”

They groan while muttering something under their breath, but I don’t pay attention to them.

Instead, I admire the beautiful kitchen counter, couch, a chair, and a fluffy rug. A huge-ass window opens onto a view of the park from the eleventh floor, the perfect place for my morning workout. The bedroom has a bed and a closet, along with a bathroom.

Everything is decorated in brown and soft beige, but I hope to add color to it with my various pillows and blankets.

“Geez, Ella, you don’t even look at doughnuts like this, and you love those!” Simone jokes, and then passes me with Chloe in tow. “We are going to grab the boxes and be back. Let’s order something. I’m starving.” They go out and I pick up the phone to do just that, when someone behind me clears his throat.

Spinning around, I see Kurt, who grins at me. “Welcome to the building, Ella.” He gives me a large basket of chocolate, and my brows furrow.

“Thanks. You shouldn’t have.”

He waves his hand in the “don’t mention it” gesture. “Standard procedure. Anyway, everything good?”

I nod, placing the basket on the counter. Honestly, this is a bit freaking weird. We discussed everything before, when he gave me the keys. Why is he here now?

I instantly admonish myself inwardly, because my suspicions present on the job sometimes transfer to real life. Nothing wrong with being friendly.

“Anyway, I’ll be in the apartment down the hall.” With a curt nod, he heads out but not before I ask.

“How is your wife?”

For a second, I think fury crosses his face, but it’s gone so quickly I must have imagined it. “She is gone. Left me.”

“What?” But he doesn’t elaborate, just shrugs and leaves, while I stand there confused.

Matilda never would have left her husband based on the report I’d gathered. She loved the life he provided too much. Those tickets couldn’t have been for her!

But if she did, then what could he possibly have done to drive her away?

Chloe and Simone choose this moment to enter the apartment, doing a happy dance as they throw the last boxes inside.

“Now it’s party time!” Chloe pumps her fist in the air while Simone rolls her eyes.

“Movie, food, and wine hardly count as party.” Slowly, I turn my attention to them; we’ll spend an amazing evening where they’ll help me put my stuff in place while we watch a movie and laugh.

Everything is right in the world, and all the nagging thoughts about Kurt fly from my mind.

But they come back one year later, when the police find Matilda at the bottom of a lake, killed in rage by her husband who couldn’t stand her leaving him.

Which proves to me one more time that if I have a feeling about someone, I should listen.

I’ll always recognize the evil lying underneath the perfect exterior.

Ella

Something disturbs my sleep, and I move my head to the side to avoid the annoying touch, but it just follows me.

Burrowing into the pillow, I wave my hand, hoping the thing will go away. It’s probably some fly who flew in because I forgot to close the window. The breeze is softly caressing my skin, bringing much needed coolness to the otherwise warm environment.

Then it hits me.

Open window.

I’ve never left a window open during the night, not after the tragedy with my family. Who knows who and what can get inside?

My eyes snap open, and that’s when I see Kierian in all his handsome glory looming over me with his palms caging my head on both sides.

Droplets of water coming from his wet hair hit my face, and the smell of my shampoo penetrates my nostrils.

A chuckle slips through my lips. “Never expected you to smell like exotic flowers.” He doesn’t share the joke though, his silver eyes drilling me with their intensity instead, and I rise a bit, not really knowing what to do with such attention.

I’ve truly never met a man like him.

My body aches, reminding me that he took me yesterday in all the right and hot ways.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he warns, our lips a breath away from each other. Not being able to resist, I slide my hand into his hair, scooting closer as my breasts press against his bare chest, and I can’t help but moan at the contact. “Like you want me to fuck you so hard you’ll feel me for days,” he mutters, before covering my mouth with his, giving me a hot kiss that makes my head spin.

I rise more and circle his neck, demanding better entrance. I feel his erection digging into my thigh and my hand travels down, wanting to close around it, when he groans against me.

To my surprise, instead of placing me on top of him and continuing, he removes my arms and gets up, breathing heavily.

“You are a vixen.” He chuckles, and then runs his fingers through his hair that I’ve managed to tangle. “We have no time, beautiful. No time.” My brows furrow, and I glance at the clock. It’s barely seven, and Noah said we have to be at work by eight. “We have to be in the office in an hour. Go shower and stuff, while I grab some breakfast from the bakery.”

“I don’t eat breakfast, and it takes me around twenty minutes to get ready. You woke me up for nothing!” My voice sounds grumpy and childish, but I don’t care.

“But I do, and if you had woken up without me, you would have thought I’d left.” I blink, trying to process this, when he adds, “Maybe getting revenge for last time.” Yeah, my head would have totally gone there. He laughs when he hears my grumble, and I throw a pillow at him, but he dips his head and it misses him. “Come on, get ready.”

I get up and ignore his nakedness, although all I want to do is run my tongue all over his tanned skin and enjoy his pecs under my hands; so, I speed up my walk to the bathroom, but not before shouting, “I like bagels.” His laughter is the last thing I hear before shutting the door.

God, when was the last time I had so much fun?

This day sure looks promising.

Psychopath

I rest against the brick wall where I have a clear view of Ella through her open window. Since her apartment is on the eighth floor, I have to use binoculars.

She stretches her arms, and then places her hands on the windowsill, lifting her face to greet the sun. Her face is filled with happiness and a calmness I haven’t seen in months.

A night with Kierian did this to her. The way she looked at him in the club, responded to him, pissed me off to no measure.

She is mine to do with whatever the fuck I please, so any man who touches her has to think twice. But how can she know that if I haven’t given her a hint of how special she is for this investigation?

My hands tighten around the binoculars, almost breaking them, but I exhale a heavy breath.

Control.

That’s the most important thing for me.

Since she is home alone, I push back from the wall and move forward, pressing the box in my arms to my chest.

I got a gift for her, and I hope she’ll appreciate it.

Not that it will make her suffering any less once she falls into my trap.

Ella

“I bought Broadway shows for the Fourth of July for everyone. Don’t forget,” Chloe reminds me on the phone, while I hold it between my shoulder and ear, trying to pour coffee into my cup.

I hope Kierian likes it as well, because the other drinking option is water.

“I’ll do my best.” The minute the words slip through my lips, I regret them as a rant erupts at the other end of the line.

“It’s important, Ella! No way in hell are you spending it alone in your apartment.” I love my friends to pieces, but sometimes they make it their mission to surround me with as much attention as possible during holidays and special occasions.

No one cares most of the time. I prefer to stay home, because holidays are too difficult to bear, but for the sake of their friendship, I always suck it up.

So instead of arguing, I reply cheerily, “Okay. I’ll be there.” She doesn’t believe me by the way she huffs into the phone, but then the doorbell rings, and I quickly add, “Someone is at the door. Gotta go.” I don’t give her the chance to comment on that and hang up, placing my phone on the counter.

Shaking my head in amusement at Chloe’s perseverance, I open the door, ready for Kierian. My bright smile transforms to a frown when no one is there. “Umm, hello?” I call, and then hear the elevator ding echoing in the background. Maybe they thought I wasn’t home. “So weird,” I mutter, and I’m about to spin around when my gaze lands on my doormat and I blink. A white box lies on it with a black ribbon wrapped tightly around it.

I pick it up, searching for a note attached and don’t find any. I shake it, but it makes no sound, and although I know better based on the training in Quantico, I bring it inside.

Unwrapping the knot, I remove the lid, only to find a book. “The Iliad by Homer,” I read aloud. The title reminds me of something from school, but I don’t remember the information. It’s a Greek classic. And then it clicks.

The history of the Trojan War. How the prince of Troy fell in love with a married Greek queen and got her away from her husband, who declared a war. It lasted for ten long years, with the Greeks finally winning and Elena going back to her husband.

Glancing at my huge collection of books on the bookshelf in my living room, I chuckle at the girls’ joke. They kept telling me they are on the hunt for a book that would bore even me, and since The Iliad is several thousand years old, it holds a strong possibility.

I suspect I’ll love it anyway; I’ll just never get time with work to properly enjoy Greek history.

Sliding my phone open, I scroll down my contacts to write in the group chat, when a different message appears.

<Anonymous> Did you like the gift?

Rolling my eyes at their sense of humor and desire to prolong the secrecy, I write back.

<Me> Sure. I’ll read it.

<Anonymous> Consider it a hint.

<Me> Hardly can be a hint. You’ve been up my ass about a boring book my whole life.

They don’t answer. In fact, I blink in shock as my phone rapidly closes all programs, and a second later, it turns off. “What the hell?” I rise up swiftly, and then a note falls to the carpet. I snatch it up, only to freeze on the spot.

A rush of adrenaline flashes through me as I hold my breath, my mind going in a spiral with the knowledge that he knows where I live and has sent me a personal gift. I place my hand on the gun under the table and calm down a bit, desperately needing to call someone to figure it out.

What should an agent do in this situation?

Sweat slides down my back as I walk to the window and open it up, gulping as much air as possible while willing myself to move forward.

He knows we are investigating him. He knows we have no clues and how much that frustrates me. But why did he choose me for this?

Obsession?

Words from many years ago enter my mind, and although I wish to block them away, I fail to do so.

But there is something about you, Ella… it brings more pleasure to watch you suffer than to kill you.

Tightening my hold on the windowsill to the point my knuckles turn white, I count to ten in my mind, a trick I learned back in college.

No matter where my mind went, the countdown always brought me back to the present.

He probably hacked my phone too. Why do serial killers in most cases have to be so fucking smart?

A doorbell ring snaps me out of my thoughts and my heart speeds up, beating painfully in my ribcage. I swallow and at once take out my gun, releasing the safety. Since my phone is off, I can’t call for help, and although the idea of facing him scares me, it’s better to be outside than inside with him.

I tiptoe to the door, making minimal sounds, and rise on my toes to look through the peephole. I exhale in relief as Kierian’s face greets me.

Unlocking the door, he meets me with a frown as he scans my appearances. “Ella?” I immediately fist his shirt and pull him inside, shutting the door and locking it with all the locks possible. Tangling my fingers through my hair, I dwell on the thought that with one stupid message, the unsub took me back to the little girl who didn’t understand what to do.

I won’t survive on the job if I become neurotic with it.

Instantly, he grabs me by the shoulders as he spins me around and presses me against the door. He throws the bagel bag on the couch, and it lands perfectly without the contents spilling out.

The gun in my hands digs into my hip, but I ignore it, still trying to catch my breath.

“Ella, start talking.”

Licking my dry lips, I manage to get out “He knows where I live.”

“Who?”

“The unsub. He knows.”

Coldness crosses his face, and his voice dips low as he fires yet another question. “What did he do?”

Swaying to the side, I point to the box and the book, my finger slightly shaking. “I think I’m overreacting.”

“You are not,” he snaps at me, and I’m taken aback by the anger coming from him. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. It shouldn’t have happened. I’m calling Noah.” He is about to make a phone call that has the power to end my career before it even starts!

“No!” I scream at him, and he stops while I elaborate, hoping like hell he’ll listen to me. “Noah will take me off the case and you know that. I’ll be in the ‘possible victim’ section, and everyone will guard me.” Based on his raised brow, my convincing game isn’t really working.

“Are you insane? He is a serial killer. I’m supposed to just leave your life to chance?”

“Kieran, if he wanted to kill me, he would have done it. It’s about the game for him.”

“A dangerous game, Ella.”

“Please,” I whisper, not really understanding myself in this situation either. Shouldn’t my safety come first?

Why am I insisting on it?

“I have no words for how stupid that is!” I stay silent as he runs his hand over his hair, sighing in frustration. “I won’t tell Noah, but if it gets dangerous, all bets are off.”

Relief washes over me, and before I can even think about my action, I wrap my hands around his waist and hug him with all my might, breathing in his scent. Although I said all those brave things, inside, the little girl still trembles in fear, and I have no one else to calm me down but him.

And dominance and protection always comes in spades from Kierian.

His arms tighten around me as he pats my head, murmuring, “Shhh, everything is okay. But I don’t like this, Ella.” He rocks me from side to side, while I take a deep breath.

He might not like it, but even he knows it will help us find him. This unsub is so arrogant he thinks my world should revolve around him.

“He wants me to do it. It’s better not to anger him.” If he watched us, it means he’ll know when I tell them the truth. Who knows how he will react? I didn’t want another victim on my head.

An experienced agent would have probably reacted differently, but I couldn’t.

“I will catch this son of a bitch.”

Kierian says nothing, just hugs me closer.

So much for an amazing day.