DINA HEARD THE WATER turn on.

This was her chance.

Trevor’s keys were on the kitchen counter. There was probably some cash somewhere she could pinch. If not, the gear in Trevor’s SUV would be worth enough to get her out of the state.

God, she hated that the wrong answer came so easily.

Then what?

If she stole his stuff, what did she think would happen?

Where would she go?

How would she set up a new life?

Did she really think Trevor wouldn’t come looking?

She was tired of this.

At eighteen she’d turned against her parents.

At nineteen she’d testified and helped put them behind bars.

Now, at twenty-six, she was sick of it all. The only two things she’d ever wanted were to be loved by her parents as much as they loved Dominick and to be normal. Completely average and boring. That sounded lovely to her.

Her parents would never care for her in the way they cared for her brother, but she could still find some level of normal. But not if she kept running. She’d done that and each time she thought maybe she was finally safe, someone found her.

It was time to do the one thing she’d never done. Dominick would keep coming after her unless she stood her ground. If she didn’t, it would keep happening until she couldn’t run or fight anymore. She had to handle this, or she’d never get a day of peace.

Facing this meant confronting her brother, their family, friends and everyone connected to them. When she’d been younger, she’d been so naïve.  Her biggest mistake was protecting her brother. He’d been set on this path since the day Dad began taking him aside and showing him the business. There was no changing that. Dominick was who he was always going to be. She’d allowed him to grow into the role and become more dangerous by omitting his part in Rosie’s murder.

Not anymore.

Dina loved her brother, but she didn’t love the man he’d become. He was just like Dad. She hadn’t seen it back then, but she did now.

Everyone loved Dominick most. Her parents. Her. Their friends.

She wasn’t going to protect him anymore. He’d been part of Rosie’s murder. Dina couldn’t go back in time and change her story. Going forward she was done thinking of him first. If Dominick wanted to try to kill her, she’d make sure to take a chunk out of him first.

Dina was going to have a life. She wasn’t going to give it up. And she refused to be alone anymore.

The sounds of the shower beckoned her.

Trevor should be running from her given what she’d told him about her, her past and her family. She knew she was bad for him. He was a cop. He had to see that getting involved with her meant navigating a minefield. And yet he was still here.

For all she knew, he’d call the FBI to come and get her or he would wash his hands of her first thing tomorrow. She didn’t know what was going to happen with him, but he made her want to try. To change her routine, to be different. She’d let her brother steal so many things from her. This was one she didn’t want to lose.

If she kept letting Dominick win, she’d always be alone. There would never be a man like Trevor in her life. A man she got to grow old with. Someone she could love.

She braced her hands on the doorway leading into Trevor’s bathroom and stared at the steam billowing out.

Yeah, she remembered that shower. There’d been a bruise on her knee for a week from the stone bench. Every time she’d bumped it she remembered wet, slippery bodies.

Dina swallowed and stepped on the cool tiles.

Things were changing. They weren’t in their safe boxes. She could be dead tomorrow. Tonight she didn’t want to live in fear. She wanted to feel again, to be alive and pretend for a few precious moments that she was just an average girl falling for an average guy.

She pulled her T-shirt over her head and let it fall to the ground.

Ever since those first few texts she’d craved getting closer to this man. Right now she didn’t want to think or worry, she wanted to feel.

“Dina?” Trevor called out.

She stepped out of the last of her clothing and pulled the shower door open.

Trevor stood under the big shower head, water running down his face and chest.  He watched her enter the shower, his gaze stuck on her face.

Other than the new scar on his brow, the rest of him was how she remembered it. The tan lines across his biceps were more pronounced now. His chest and abs were still lean and muscular. At least his semi-erect cock seemed happy to see her.

She took two steps. The warm spray hit her on both sides and from above. She placed her hand on his chest, grounding herself and peered up at him.

“Iris. Dina.” He covered her hand with his.

“I always liked Iris.”

“I’m done in here. You can—”

“Don’t go.” She slid her hand up and over his shoulder.

“This isn’t a good idea right now.”

“Why not?” Her nipples brushed his chest, and she shivered.

“It’s a stressful night. You don’t have to do this.”

“I know.”

“You should rest and...”

“And?” She leaned against him, the water running over their bodies.

She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. His hands came to rest on her hips. He stared down at her, his eyes a little wide.

Dina wasn’t used to good men. Trevor was good. She’d known it the night they met and every interaction with him strengthened that judgment.

“This is selfish,” she said.

She cupped the back of his head and lifted up on tip-toe. His head bent a little bit. She pressed her lips to his. He pulled her to him and licked her bottom lip. Warmth unfurled within her. The strain of the last few hours dropped away. Her knees went a little weak as Trevor made love to her mouth. Her memory hadn’t lied to her. It was just as good as she remembered.

Dina reached between them and wrapped her hand around his cock. She pumped his smooth flesh, running her fingers over the ridges of skin.

He cupped her mound, his fingers curling against her. She gasped as he thrust between her legs.

Trevor wasn’t always gentle.

Dina didn’t mind.

He walked her back until she ran into the chilled glass wall. She shivered, and a thrill went through her. His lips kissed a trail down her neck while his fingers curled inside of her. She let her eyes close and focused on everything she felt.

Hair stuck to her brow and the back of her neck.

The humidity made it hard to breathe.

She could smell his soap. She’d remembered that smell for weeks after their night together and now here it was again.

His cock seemed to grow in her hand. That first time, on the sofa, she’d nearly thought he’d hurt her. But he hadn’t. They’d started slow then. She wasn’t in the mood for easy right now.

Trevor bit her shoulder, not hard, just enough that it brought her back to here and now.

“Condoms are in the bedroom,” he said against her cheek.

“Fuck the condom.” They hadn’t used one for their last shower episode. Why pause now?

“Dina.” He pressed against her, trapping her.

She strained to get closer, but he had her arms tight to her sides. She could see his struggle. Trevor was a gentleman. He probably wanted to have a chat, talk about things, make sure she wasn’t making a rash decision. That was the kind of guy he was.

“Should I beg?” She kissed his shoulder and the base of his neck. “Fuck me now, please? I need you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I want you.”

It was true. Every bit of it, and there was something freeing about being able to say it even under the guise of pleading for sex.

Trevor grasped her arms. He took a step back and turned her until she faced the glass. She planted her hands on the wall and peered over her shoulder at him. He had his hand around his cock, his eyes on her ass. She pushed her hips back.

“Damn it, Dina,” he muttered.

She smothered a chuckle. She’d won this round.

He edged closer.

She shut her eyes and bit her lip.

There.

His cock slid through her folds.

Oh, God...

Trevor grasped her hip with his free hand and she held her breath. He pressed into her, easing the head of his cock inside her pussy. She flattened her hands against the wall and thrust her hips back. He slid deeper while she stretched around him.

The hand at her hip tightening until she could feel each and every finger.

“Shit,” he hissed.

Her head swam and her internal muscles flexed, feeling him out, relearning his shape.

He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his chest.

“Easy,” he said into her ear. “You’re so fucking tight. You’re going to make me come before I can pull out.”

His hand slid up to cup her breast while he kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of him inside her, his lips on the ticklish part of her neck, the hand holding her. His fingers circled the already stiff nipple. She groaned and splayed her hands on the glass.

The hand at her hip slid down, his fingers pressing into her skin, over her pelvis and down to her mound. He stroked her flesh, running his digits along either side of her clit.

He thrust without warning. She cried out as he surged into her. Her toes curled, and she tried to dig her nails into the glass.

“Oh—oh, man,” she panted.

“Yes, I am.” He chuckled, his mouth next to her ear.

“Do that again.” She leaned forward, bracing her forearms on the glass to better steady herself.

Trevor’s left hand slapped on the wall next to her shoulder. Her stomach fluttered.

His fingers stroked her as he pulled out. She laid her forehead against the wall and held her breath. This time she was more prepared for the thrust. She groaned, her voice echoing in the tiled room. He didn’t stop, there was no easing his cock into her. He rocked into her, his fingers working in tandem.

She pushed her hips back to meet him, joining their bodies with a slap of flesh.

Already her arms and knees felt weak.

He thrust harder, forcing her closer to the wall. She gave in and pressed her chest against the cold glass for support.

“You’re so God damn tight.” His voice was strained.

She couldn’t respond. Even her best, sassy reply escaped her.

He pistoned into her, stroking her insides with his cock.

Dina’s moans echoed off the glass. Her mind felt as though it weren’t connected to the rest of her.

All at once her muscles tightened. She let out another mindless cry of passion and her knees gave out. Trevor caught her between the wall and his body, his arm around her waist as the orgasm swept through her.

That was so much better than she remembered.

Dina turned, supported by Trevor’s arms. He loomed over her, his cheeks sunk in and those sharp eyes of his were trained on her. She was willing to bet he’d always been an overachiever.

She reached for him and wrapped her hand around his cock.

“Your turn,” she said.

“You don’t—fuck.” His whole body shuddered as she tightened her grip.

“I don’t, what?” She grinned.

It didn’t matter how strong or badass a guy was, the moment their pleasure took over they weren’t the ones in control.

The tendons on either side of his neck stood out. He braced his hands on the glass and closed his eyes. His body seemed to ripple from his toes all the way up. He groaned and warmth coated her hand. She watched his face, fascinated by the pleasure-pain response.

Trevor pulled out of her grasp then wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her and walked them both backward into the shower. His hands slid over her body, keeping her close.

Neither spoke as he rushed them through a wash up. She caught him smiling a few times out of the corner of her eye.

What would it be like to wake up with a guy like him around?

She’d been forced into temporary relationships that she didn’t know if she even knew how to be with someone, but she wanted to try. She wanted someone to look at her like that and know she’d wake up with them tomorrow.

Trevor turned off the shower finally and stepped out. He grabbed a towel off the rack and held it out to her. She followed him and he spent a moment swiping her body dry before bundling her up in the terry cloth.

“Are you going to be here when I wake up?” he asked.

“I think so.” She didn’t want to say yes and then have to leave. She didn’t know what could happen in the next few hours. The last thing he wanted was to break her promise.

“Don’t tempt me to handcuff you to the bed.”

“Oh, kinky are we?” She chuckled, and he laughed.

Soon reality would intrude, but for these precious moments she wanted the dream.

TREVOR SAT IN THE driver’s seat of his SUV, his gaze focused on a rock lying in the road. It was a forced effort to not watch the woman sitting next to him. He could sense her nearness, knew when she shifted in her seat and every time she leaned on the console his skin felt like it tightened. He wanted to reach for her, to hold her hand, but he didn’t.

She’d been there when he woke up. And not just that, he knew the truth. Or at least some of it. What he was going to do with what he knew was still uncertain. He knew how this was going to go. She was in trouble, so he’d help her and along the way he’d fall in love with her. Then, when it was all said and done, she’d leave him.

They always left.

Sometimes he was ready to say goodbye and others he’d finally thought things would change.

When he discovered Iris’ identity he’d promised to stay away from her. The writing was on the wall. She was trouble. And for a while he had, but now she was here and it took all of his effort to not act on what he wanted. Which was her.

He was a damn fucking broken record.

“Are you sure someone is coming?” she asked.

“Yeah, dispatch said someone was on the way.” He turned his head and indulged in looking at her.

Her hair was loose, falling to just brush her shoulders. Her clothes were a little rumpled. Worry lines marred her brow. He hoped they could change all of that.

“We’re going to take care of this. Promise.” He reached over and took her hand in his.

Her fingers curled around his palm and she squeezed him back. They sat like that for several moments, hand in hand.

It was hard to believe she’d gone through all the crap her family had put her through and come out a decent human being. He’d done a bit of searching on her parents, digging into her past, and what he learned was horrifying. She had to have a strong sense of character to not fall victim to her parent’s ways.

“What?” She blinked at him.

“Sorry. You’re just so pretty first thing in the morning.”

“Stop.” Her lips curled into a smile, easing the lines of worry, and she ducked her head.

“How’d you turn out so good?” he asked.

“I’m not good.” Her thumb stroked the back of his hand.

“Better than your parents.”

“That’s not hard.” She shifted to lean on the console, their shoulders almost touching.

“Still, it must have been difficult.”

“Not really. I mean, I think the reason I turned out so different from Dominick is because my parents mostly ignored me so they could focus on him. He was the son, the favorite child, the one who would carry on the family name and take over the business. I was a spare. A girl. They didn’t have any use for me.”

“That must have been hard.”

“It was.” The smile vanished, and she stared at the floor. “I had Rosie.”

“Want to tell me about her?”

“What do you want to know?”

“What was she like?”

“She was... She had this attitude. She was just like her dad that way. Her full name was Rosetta, and she was the oldest kid of four. Her brother was two years younger and the favorite. We went through a lot of the same stuff. There was this plan to move away together, be free. When we were seniors in high school, she was dating this Puerto Rican guy her parents didn’t know about. That’s what got her killed.”

“Because she was dating someone that wasn’t Italian?”

“I guess? I never really understood the whole thing.”

“Hey.” He squeezed her hand until she looked at him. “Don’t go back there, okay? You’re here. With me.”

A police cruiser rounded the end of the street, marking the end of this conversation. Nothing about Rosie’s murder sounded right. There was more going on there than anyone knew about and maybe ever would.

He squinted, trying to make out the officer behind the wheel.

Given Trevor’s personal connection to Dina, he couldn’t make the report. There was a process to uphold so that they made sure it was all done properly. Which meant telling someone else about last night. He didn’t know how far she’d go in sharing the story, but he hoped they could get to the bottom of this.

“That looks like Casey,” he said.

Good.

He’d hoped one of the SWAT guys would be the responding officer. This whole situation needed a sensitive touch and the guys he’d worked alongside in the toughest of situations were the ones he trusted most.

“Come on.” He lifted Dina’s hand and gave her knuckles a quick kiss.

They’d only done a walk-through of the yard since arriving. One look at the splintered door jamb with the door wedged it shut, and he’d known they needed an officer here handling this.

“Walters. I should have known,” Casey called out as he climbed out of his police car.

“What are you doing on shift this morning?” Trevor waited for his friend on the sidewalk.

“Four call in’s. Long story. Figured I could help out on a short shift since last night was a whole lot of nothing.” Casey shook his head and stopped on the sidewalk. He glanced at the house then at Dina standing at Trevor’s side. “What’s going on here?”

Casey recognized her. It was obvious from the narrowed gaze and slight downturn of his mouth.

Anyone who’d been at The Hole that night would know who she was. There was no getting around that. Before much longer word would spread that Trevor had finally tracked down his mystery girl.

“Morning, ma’am.” Casey nodded at Dina and offered his hand. “I’m Officer Smith.”

“B-and-E.” Trevor nodded at the house. “I just looked around to make sure no suspects were still inside. We’ve been waiting on you.”

“Hi.” Dina took Casey’s hand and glanced at Trevor.

He wasn’t sure what name she’d want to give, so he was keeping his mouth shut. She’d told him her story, but she might not be ready to come clean to the world. This whole situation with her was fraught with traps and pitfalls.

“Okay. I’ll check out the inside then we can get out of this heat and see what happened.” Casey strode toward the front door.

“Here. Wait in the truck. Lock the doors and keep the air on.” Trevor thrust his keys at her before jogging to catch up with Casey snapping pictures of the broken doorframe.

He reached out and jabbed his finger in a hole the size of a golf ball.

“This thing’s almost rotted out.” He frowned at the door. “God damn, how is this place standing? You know this rot’s going to be all over this place.”

“It looks to me like they used some kind of tool to force the door open.”

“Yeah, there are scratch marks here. Probably a crowbar of some kind. It wouldn’t take much.” Casey glanced over his shoulder. “I see you found your girlfriend, Romeo.”

“The bedroom window was cracked. I don’t know if she left it that way or if they might have gone out the back.” Trevor’s best play was ignoring the Romeo cracks. Ever since he’d started trying to find the woman who called herself Iris, the guys had busted his balls over it.

“I see how it is.” Casey sighed and pocketed his phone. “Here’s hoping the roof doesn’t fall in on me.”

He grasped the doorknob and using his shoulder forced the door open.

The roof didn’t fall and there was no other apparent damage.

“They must have closed this to keep anyone from reporting it. Given that she knows the suspects, they might have hoped to lure her back or something.” Trevor studied the door, the height of the scratches.

If he were busting in a door, he’d have the bar braced lower for the best leverage. But, if what Dina said about Little Tony was right, he was a big guy. He’d have the tool higher.

“Stay here and keep an eye out,” Casey said.

Trevor tamped down on his urge to follow Casey through the house, checking each room and the garage. That was SWAT training driving Trevor. When on patrol they did calls like this by themselves, not that there was a lot of crime in this part of Ransom. With Trevor being off-duty and without his gear he was more of a liability if he tried to help.

He studied the room instead, taking in Dina’s private retreat.

The large, flat screen TV rivaled any he’d ever seen. It had to be at least eighty inches or more. The sofa was comfortable and inviting looking. A side table had an empty wine glass, a glass of half-drank water and a bowl sitting on it, almost as if Dina were about to sit back down. The coffee table was clear of anything, which seemed odd. The rest of the living room, dining area and kitchen seemed dominated by tchotchkes. A vase here, candles there, some sort of bird statue thing. The bare coffee table was strange.

“All clear,” Casey called out a few minutes later.

Trevor turned and waved at the truck.

“I don’t see any other way they might have exited the house.” Casey re-entered the main living area of the house. “Do I want to know what you’re getting yourself involved with this time?”

Dina’s feet thumped on the front porch and her shadow stretched across the living room.

“Shit.” She pushed past Trevor and rushed to the coffee table. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“What is it?” He pushed the front door shut as best he could.

“My laptop and phone are gone.” She grabbed the side table and pulled it out.

“What are you looking for?” Trevor got as close as he dared.

Dina leaned over the arm of the sofa.

“My externals are still here,” she said.

“External, what?”

Casey glanced at him.

Was that supposed to mean something to either of them?

She hauled what looked like a big, black cube out from the hidey-hole created by the sofa and table. She sat there, cradling the object with the power cord draped over her shoulder.

“As long as I have this, I’m okay.” She pressed her fingertips to her temples. “I can remotely kill both the laptop and phone. I just need my spare computer.”

“Can you do it from my phone?” Trevor pulled it out of his pocket.

“Yes.”

“Here.”

He no longer had the same reservations as he did last night. She was focused on protecting herself and she wanted justice. Those were two things he could support.

She took his phone, her thumbs working furiously.

“Can someone walk me through what happened for the report?” Casey glanced from Trevor to Dina, a frown on his face.

Dina paused her typing and glanced at Trevor.

He wanted to help her, but she had to be brave. The truth was the only way this was going to be resolved.

She glanced at Casey.

“One minute?” she asked.

“Sure. Mind if I sit?” He gestured at an armchair.

“Go ahead.”

“What are you doing, exactly?” Trevor asked.

“I can wipe my laptop and phone remotely. Turn them into paperweights.”

“Damn, that’s a nice trick.” Casey settled into the chair, a pen and paper in hand.

“There.” She set Trevor’s phone on the coffee table then folded her hands.

Trevor rocked back on his heels.

She glanced up at him, lips parted. He wanted so badly to tell her it would all be okay, that he had a plan, but he had to stop that kind of cycle. If Dina wanted free of this, she was going to have to do it herself. He’d be with her every step of the way supporting her, but he had to stop trying to fix people’s problems for them.

He circled the coffee table to sit next to her, and she reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze.

She trusted him. That was a massive first step.

Dina pinned Casey with a serious stare. “Before last night will make any sense, you need to know a few things about me.”

Trevor braced himself for the story all over again. Now that he understood it was a whole lot worse. But she’d gone through it all and come out a stronger person. She might be young, but she was wise. She knew the cost of making the right choice and living with it. She was still doing it.

And that was what he loved about her. The thing that made him want to stick with her. Dina had already been through the bad stuff. She might need a little help now, but she’d already gone through it all and come out this beautiful, strong woman.

Maybe he’d finally met his match. Things would be different with her.