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  With that disturbing thought, he sprinted into a full-out run.

  Leaping over a rickety bridge spanning a small stream, his feet pounded dead leaves into moist earth. The wind picked up and brought the scent of rain—maybe hours away.

  Footsteps echoed in the distance, and he shortened his stride to listen. Then he slowed to a stop, turning to view the trail. He smelled dark rum before his brother ran into view, his jeans ripped, and a scowl on his face.

  Erik stopped and yanked branches from his shoulder-length blond hair. “What are you doing here?” he slurred.

  “What are you?” Seth asked quietly.

  Erik stumbled against a tree and rubbed his gut. “I want to see where she died. Where she took her last breath.”

  “You’re drunk.”

  His brother snorted, bloodshot eyes blinking. “What’s new?”

  Seth ran both hands over his face. “This isn’t smart.”

  “What isn’t?” Erik wavered and regained his footing. “Me in the woods where Ruby was found? Or you in the woods where she died?”

  “Either.”

  “I loved her.”

  “Bullshit.” The time for sympathy didn’t exist—and it was damn well time his brother grew up. They had enough problems right now and needed to get on the same page. “You fucked her, just like all the others.”

  Erik lurched forward until they stood nose to nose—both tall, both broad. “You sound jealous, brother.”

  “Disgusted, actually.” They shared height and their mama’s blue eyes, and that was about it. “This behavior is embarrassing the family as well as endangering everything we believe in. Knock it off.”

  Erik’s lips twisted. “Listen to the family bulldog—the Enforcer. You’re just the old man’s lapdog now, aren’t you?”

  “And you’re his bitch.”

  The swing came from nowhere and planted hard in Seth’s left cheek. He could’ve stopped it and chose not to do so. Sometimes, feeling pain was better than feeling nothing. Fire flared along his skin. Stars exploded behind his eyes. With a growl, he slammed both hands against Erik’s shoulders and shoved.

  His brother flew backward to land on his ass and skid several feet. His hands windmilled and then slapped the wet leaves, trying to stop his slide.

  “Stay down,” Seth growled, fury clenching his hands into fists. He’d been out of sorts since meeting Mia, and his body wanted a fight. His heart did not. “I mean it, Erik.”

  “Fuck you.” Erik leapt up and slammed his head into Seth’s gut in a hard tackle, sending them both sprawling into the bushes. His fists flew faster than his spewing words. “You might have five years on me, old man, but I’m all grown, brother.”

  Seth blocked several punches to his face and shot his forehead into his brother’s cheek. “Then act like it.” Asshole. It wasn’t like being thirty made him old. He shoved Erik hard in the chest, putting power into it but not enough to break bones.

  Erik spun end over end, slowly rising and brushing off his pants. Fury lit his eyes but failed to hide the torment glowing there. “If I acted like it, I’d have to kill you.” With a low growl, he turned and ran back for the forest, increasing his speed until he was just a blur.

  Seth stretched to his feet, wiping blood off his forehead and ignoring a sharp pang of loss as he eyed the now-empty trail. “I know.”

  He turned and started running north, his mind on his brother as he spat blood from his cut lip. He wouldn’t be able to harm Erik—so he’d probably have to die. The inevitability of that fact spurred him to run faster, to enjoy the smell of the night while he could.

  Another scent floated on the breeze, the one he’d been trying to vanquish. His feet turned of their own accord. He all but flew down the mountain, skirting the lake.

  Then he saw her.

  Chapter 4

  Seth caught his breath at seeing the woman who wouldn’t leave his thoughts.

  Mia sat on the weathered deck, a cup in her hand, her gaze on the moonlight dancing across the water as it peeked between the clouds. She’d pulled her long, brown hair into a ponytail, showcasing classic cheekbones in a pale face. The darkness veiled the deep green of her eyes. She sighed.

  Lonely.

  Sad.

  Stunning.

  When he’d been young, very young, his mama had read him a book about a lost princess. She was beautiful and brave in a way that had haunted the hero…mainly because he couldn’t have her. He couldn’t save her.

  Mia was a lost princess.

  She perched silently in one of the worn wicker chairs, her bare feet on the wooden railing that skirted the deck. Her toenails were painted a light pink, only enhancing the fragility he saw in her. The cabin lay dark and quiet behind her. The strong scents of vanilla and woman wafted between them.

  He silently crossed between pine trees, the shadows hiding him. He belonged in the darkness, while she should be in the light and not outside by herself. Did she have any idea the kinds of predators hunting the woods? Irritation clawed at him that she’d be so careless with her safety. If she were his, they’d be having a difficult discussion right now.

  His entire body jolted. His? There was no way he could make the lovely agent his. The beast at his core roared in protest, and he shut it down. Hard. Unable to help himself, he nevertheless moved a little closer to her.

  She stiffened, her gaze sharpening as she scanned the forest. Her feet dropped from the railing to the planks.

  Good instincts there.

  Slowly, he moved into the dim light, hands at his sides. It was impossible for him to look harmless, but he did his best, not wanting to spook her.

  The sight of her lifting a gun from the bench next to her brought him up short. Against all rational thought, all need to survive, he smiled. His chest warmed, and his groin hardened. Need blasted through him with shocking heat. “I won’t hurt you.”

  The woman stood, the gun pointed at him with steady hands. She was half his size and fragile, but her aim was true. “I may hurt you.”

  As words went, they had power. Icy fingers rippled down his spine. His chest chilled. Even so, he couldn’t find it within himself to hide from her. “It’d be worth it,” he whispered.

  She tilted her head, her shoulders stiff, her stance set. “What did you say?”

  His gaze on her wide eyes, he stepped lightly across wet leaves, hearing the drier ones crunch in protest. The need to get closer to her, even while she held a loaded gun, drove him hard. Just a little closer. “You won’t shoot an unarmed man.”

  “You’re armed without a weapon, Mr. Volk.”

  Make that excellent instincts. “Maybe. And it’s Seth, Mia.” He could be polite and call her Ms. Stone, but distance by manners bothered him. This once, with this woman, distance hurt. “Please.”

  She relaxed back onto her seat, the gun remaining trained on his chest. Her gaze was thoughtful and intelligent, drawing him even stronger toward her. “You out playing in the woods…Seth?”

  The sound of his name on her lips made the distance vanish with an illogical ache. He couldn’t have her, couldn’t know her, yet deep down, where hope lived, something lit. Keeping his gait loose, he reached the bottom of the warped steps and planted one foot. “I often go for a jog at night to clear my head.”

  “Something bothering you?” Low, soft, her tone hinted at understanding and curiosity. Yeah, she felt whatever this was between them as strongly as he did. “Want to get the truth off your chest?”

  “What’s the truth?” he asked softly, willing to agree to anything to keep her talking to him. Her soft voice might even chase the nightmares away for one night. Maybe even two.

  “You tell me.”

  That would never happen. Not really. “The truth is you need to get out of here. You don’t belong.”

  “I’ve never belonged,” she said quietly.

  Her loneliness echoed throughout his body. His hand trembled with the need to smooth the hair back from her face. To soothe her. He wasn’t a man who trembled—ever. So he shoved his hand into his pocket where it belonged. Touching her would be a colossal mistake he couldn’t make. “I didn’t kill Ruby.” Damn it. Not what he wanted to say.

  “Prove it.” Her chin lifted as she met his gaze squarely.

  “Can’t.” He shifted his weight, his breath catching at the alarm flaring in her emerald eyes. So he stepped back. Had he wiped off all the blood from his scuffle with Erik? Man, he hoped so. “Ruby was stabbed. Do you really think I need to stab a woman to kill her?”

  “No.” Mia’s gaze wandered to his large hands and then back to his eyes. “Killings by stabbing can indicate sexual penetration. You have problems in that area?”

  Unbelievable. The woman was actually profiling him. If she had any idea how quickly he could snatch the gun from her, she wouldn’t be taking such a risk. His face heated, and he climbed the first three steps. “No, and I’d be happy to prove that to you.”

  Satisfaction twitched across her lips.

  Yeah, she’d gotten to him. Against all logic, against his brain, he did something he should never have even considered.

  He took the gun.

  One second the gun was in her hand, and the next, Seth twirled it around his thumb. Even so, the threat came from the massive man, not the weapon. Nobody moved that quickly.

  He dropped onto the matching wicker chair, which groaned beneath his substantial bulk. “Looks like I have the gun.” Odd, but he sounded bemused, not threatening.

  Mia swallowed. Her heart rate picked up. How had he gotten the weapon out of her hand so quickly? And so smoothly? More importantly, why wasn’t she attacking or at least trying to flee? There was something about him she couldn’t quite grasp. “Apparently you have quick reflexes.” br />
  The man wore loose shorts and no shirt. Hard angles showed defined muscles across his broad chest. Not muscles made in a gym, but natural, strong, more masculine—like those found in a wild animal. A light sheen of sweat glistened across his torso as if he’d been running for quite some time. Yet his breathing remained calm, and his sinewed body appeared relaxed.

  He scratched his head and then released the clip into his other hand. “Is there one in the chamber?”

  “Yes.” Lying would accomplish nothing. In his hands, the weapon looked innocuous. Not needed and almost in the way.

  Seth nodded, his eyes cutting through the darkness. Slowly, he handed the gun back to her—with one still in the chamber.

  She took it, her hand shaking. The metal had warmed from the brief moments in his hands. Even with the powerful weapon returned to her possession, Seth posed the most danger. “How did you move so quickly?”

  “Good reflexes.”

  That was the understatement of her life. The guy should play professional sports. Though there was no sense of play about him. “Why did you give it back?”

  “So many questions, former FBI Special Agent Mia Stone,” he murmured as he settled his bulk in the chair and turned to face her squarely. “Maybe I want you to feel safe around me.”

  Even without a murder between them, there was no way he inspired safety. Although appearing relaxed, a tension rolled off him that sped up her breath in a way she didn’t understand. Had she ever felt more feminine? Instead of interesting her, that very sensation ticked her off. “Why would you want me to feel safe?”

  “I don’t know.” His dark gaze studied her face, almost feeling like a caress. Intrigue and intensity glowered in the depths of those deep blue eyes, as if she were a puzzle he was driven to solve. As if in that one moment, she was all that existed. Such was his focus.

  “I’ve had killers try to charm me before.” She could admit to the effect he had on her body. In fact, she needed to acknowledge her reaction to him so she could protect herself.

  His teeth flashed in a quick smile. “Charm?”

  Oh, he had to know his wild features went beyond handsome…to sex and danger combined. The perfect combination to lure prey. The fact that he questioned the word charm instead of killers made the hairs on the back of her neck spring up. She should tell him to leave.

  “You’re in my town, Mia Stone,” he said too softly.

  Her shoulders straightened, and her breath caught. “So?”

  “So I have to assume danger attracts you.”

  The guy was too much. Plus, danger had always attracted her—a sad but true statement of fact. “You’re not dangerous.” The lie nearly choked down her throat. She waited for his response and kept an eye on his breathing and facial expressions.

  The smile took her by surprise. Genuine, almost boyish, the grin hinted at shared amusement. “Stop trying to profile me.” He ran both broad hands through his hair, ruffling the thick mass. Was it as silky as it looked?

  She had to profile him. There was absolutely no other reason she’d be talking to him under the luminous moon all by herself. The fact that she wanted to study his flat stomach and ripped abs was irrelevant. Who wouldn’t? She hadn’t realized men were made like this in real life. “Tell me the truth. If you didn’t kill Ruby, who did?”

  His eyes blanked again. “As I already said, whoever harmed Ruby will pay—I promise. We’ll handle it internally.”

  “Internally? What does that mean?” Warning ticked down her spine.

  He shrugged. “Small town, different rules. We take care of our own.”

  She grinned in challenge, wanting to smack him just to take him by surprise. But she didn’t know how he’d react. Plus, she wasn’t a big fan of battery. “So I’m on the outside looking in, huh?”

  “Oh, baby, I’d let you in within seconds if you wanted.” Low, masculine, his voice dropped to a whisper she felt along her skin, one that slid beneath to caress nerves she didn’t realize could awaken. Those blue eyes darkened to almost black, intensity vibrating from him along with need.

  Her lungs stuttered. “Flirting with me won’t work.”

  Dark eyebrows arched. He kept her trapped with his gaze as if trying to read every secret she’d ever buried deep. “Is that what I’m doing?”

  She didn’t know what he was doing. The speeding of her heart rate and the increase in her breathing made her pause. She’d never reacted to a suspect like this. Sure, they challenged her…even intrigued her. But not once had she been attracted to one.

  Until now.

  Chapter 5

  Mia gulped coffee, wincing as it burned down her throat. She should listen to her doctor and take those sleeping pills at night. After Seth had jogged back into the forest, she’d gone to bed and stared at the dark ceiling for hours.

  The sun rose above the sparkling lake in a futile attempt to banish the morning cold. Stupid sun.

  “Morning.” Dotty swept onto the deck, a large mug in her hand. “My goodness. Isn’t that view spectacular?”

  “Humph.”

  “You’re such a grump in the morning.” Dotty sank her bulk into the nearest chair. Today, she’d worn bright pink leggings with an oversized Seattle Seahawks sweatshirt. Her eyeshadow was purple; her lips were peach.

  Mia tried to blink. “Seahawks?”

  “We were moving to Seattle.” Dotty tossed platinum blond hair over one shoulder. She’d chosen the color for their trip. “I figured I’d fit in.”

  No way would the woman fit in. “That was a good idea.”

  “Yes.” Delicate bone structure was still evident beneath the roundness of her classic face. Her hazel eyes were clear and shone with intelligence. “We should find the church in town so we know where to go on Sunday.”

  “Go right ahead.” Mia stood and stretched her neck, straightening her sweater.

  “You have to make peace with God, smart aleck.” Dotty leaned forward, both hands around her mug.

  A scuffling by the door saved Mia from having to answer. “Morning, Mom.”

  Gena hovered by the door, wearing a gray yoga outfit, her hair caught at the nape in a clip. Her hazel eyes widened as she took in the view. “Morning.”

  Mia gentled her voice. “Would you like to come outside? Just sit on the deck? It’s a nice fall morning.”

  Gena glanced around. The classic bones in her face protruded, emphasizing how pale she still was. The yoga outfit hung on her frame. While she’d always been slender, now she was too thin. “I’m…maybe.”

  “Morning!” Pete skirted the edge of the deck.

  Gena gasped and scurried back inside.

  Pete stopped short. “Ah, shit. I’m sorry.”

  Dotty stood, placing her mug on the railing. “No worries. We’re just in a no-fast-movements zone for a while. Good morning, Sheriff.”

  “Morning, Ms. Dolores Catherine.”

  Mia bit back a smile. If the man had been wearing a hat, he likely would’ve tipped it.

  “It’s good to see you again, Pete.” Dotty gave Mia a tremulous smile. “I’ll go make sure your mama eats breakfast. You get to work.”

  Mia nodded and cleared her throat. When would things improve? “Let’s go.”

  Pete rubbed his clean-cut jaw and shifted his weight. “Ah, yeah. I really am sorry, Mia.” He led the way around the cabin and tall weeds to his Lost Lake patrol car, which was a Mustang.

  “Not your fault.” Mia ran her hand along the sleek lines of the car. “This is amazing.”

  Pete nodded. “The city believes in its police force. It’s kinda nice.”

  Mia slipped inside the vehicle and sank into the plush leather. “I bet this puppy moves.” Too bad the sheriff had to drive it down the dirt road. The car had probably been spotless before.

  Gunning the engine, Pete ripped out of the drive to the main lake road.

  “Show-off.” Mia secured her seatbelt.

  The car easily took the twists and turns along the lake. Pete tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Is your mother going to be all right?”

  “I think so.” Mia stretched her neck. “She was kept hostage in the house while a serial killer I was hunting waited for me to come home. You know she had problems before.”