Terrible plan. It would be like making Cadence face her own hell, over and over again.
But…Cadence knows the victims. Dani swallowed. Some days, she wasn’t sure how Cadence stayed sane.
“I have to go in to the police station,” Dani said. She was surprised her voice came out sounding so normal. She didn’t feel normal. It was one hundred and ten degrees out there, and she had goose bumps. “I need to run the medical records check, and I can’t do it out here.”
The signals were shit. They’d sure gotten lucky they’d been able to trace Cadence as far as they had.
He nodded. “I’ll bring the evidence tapes in to you myself.” Ben turned to leave.
“Why did you lie?” She had to ask. It had been bothering her since Maverick.
Ben stiffened. He glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Since she’d been sleeping with Ben for over a year, Dani had gotten to know him pretty well. Well enough to be able to tell when he lied to her. “That story about the kids who were missing for years—the one you fed Cadence and Kyle—why’d you do it?”
He moved to fully face her, the faint lines near his eyes deepening. “What makes you think it was a lie?” His head cocked. “You haven’t been digging into my files, have you, Dani?”
Not yet. It sure was an item on her to-do list now. “You’ve had nightmares.”
He blinked.
“You scream out, ‘Kill me, not the kids!’” The words haunted her.
His lips thinned. “In my nightmares, I don’t get to the kids in time,” he said, stepping closer to her. Close enough for her to feel the brush of his body against hers. “In reality, I f**king did. I got those kids. I saved them. I told that story, a story I don’t tell many people, because I know just how close to the edge Kyle is.” He pulled in a ragged breath. “My job is to make sure he doesn’t go over the edge until we close this case.”
The shower had stopped. It had stopped a good five minutes ago, but Cadence hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet.
Kyle glanced toward the bathroom door. “Cadence?”
He took a step toward the closed door, then stopped. Behind the door, he knew what waited. Cadence. Naked, wet.
No, he didn’t need to get close to her right then. Someone else—Dani, Heather—should have been sent to watch her at the motel.
Not me.
A rap sounded at the motel’s door.
Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder. He sure as hell wasn’t expecting anyone then.
And as far as he knew, neither was Cadence. This was her room. No one would know he was in here with Cadence.
He checked through the small peephole and saw the detective, Jason Marsh.
Eyes narrowed, Kyle yanked open the motel room door. He made sure his body blocked the entrance. “What do you want, Marsh?”
Jason blinked. “I wanted to see Cadence.”
“She’s in the shower.” Let him assume whatever the f**k he wanted.
The guy’s jaw hardened. “I was going back to the station. I just wanted to stop by and make sure she was all right.”
Wasn’t that nice of him?
Kyle tilted his head as he studied the guy. “She’s not going to sleep with you.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open in shock, but he recovered fast and said, “Look, man, I was—”
“We both know what you want, and it isn’t happening.” Jason had made it clear what he wanted the first night in Striker’s.
“I was worried about her,” Jason snapped.
“I don’t remember seeing you at the caves,” Kyle said as he studied the man before him. “If you were so worried…”
“I was there! Dammit, I was searching, just like the rest of you!”
He didn’t remember seeing the guy. His gaze raked Jason’s face. “How’d you get that scar? Looks like it almost took out your eye.” Cadence’s theory pushed through his mind. The killer had spent time in darkness.
Jason rocked back on his heels. “Car accident when I was a teen. And yeah, I almost lost the eye, but that’s ancient history.”
Kyle wasn’t so sure. “You knew where the caves were. You took us right to the body.” Suspicion was tight inside of him. This guy just came right up to Cadence’s room? Who the hell did he think he was? “You took us there. Then you left us when the walls caved in.”
“I went for help.” Marsh’s cheeks flushed. “If you don’t believe me, ask Anniston! I called the captain as soon as I got out, and I told him that you were trapped down there! You should be thanking me, not—”
“What’s going on?” Cadence’s voice. Worried.
He hadn’t even heard the bathroom door open.
Kyle glanced over his shoulder. Her hair was wet, her pale skin scrubbed clean, and she wore a terry-cloth robe.
She needed more f**king clothes on then.
Jason shoved Kyle aside as he stormed into the room.
Wrong move.
“Your partner is accusing me. Hell, I think he believes I’m the Night Hunter!”
Cadence’s gaze sharpened on Jason. “Are you?”
“What? Hell, no.”
Kyle grabbed Jason and spun him around so the two were eye to eye. “Where were you last night, when Cadence was taken? Just where the f**k were you?”
His hold was unbreakable as he trapped Jason in place.
The man’s face mottled with fury. “Where were you?” Jason tossed right back. “You’re her partner! Shouldn’t you have been with her?”
He wanted to break the bastard’s arm. Actually, that sounded like a damn good idea.
“I was at Striker’s!” Jason shouted as Kyle’s hold tightened. “Ask the waitresses! They saw me. I was there until I got the call to join the search for Cadence!”
Easy enough to check. Kyle planned to do exactly that.
He shoved the man aside. No, he shoved the fool right back out the door.
“I could write your ass up for assaulting an officer,” Jason threw at him.
Kyle’s brows climbed. “Let’s see how that shit works out for you,” he dared.
Jason’s gaze tried to cut over Kyle’s shoulder. Back to Cadence? “I’m sorry about what happened to you. This dick”—he pointed his index finger toward Kyle—“isn’t gonna stop me from saying that. I thought you were damn brave to face off with that perp, and if you need me, if you need anything…” He gave a nod. “You call me.”