She shook her head.
“And I think, if you look down deep enough, you’ll realize that you missed me, too.”
She didn’t need to look anywhere. “You’re insane.”
He laughed. “See, that’s what I missed. Other women would—and have, by the way—begged me at this point. They’d offer anything if I’d just let them go. But not you. You’re not like that. You never beg for anything, do you, sweetheart?”
She yanked at the ropes.
“You tricked me.” Now a hint of anger hummed through his words. “I was always so careful, watching you. Making sure that you didn’t think about turning to another. Then you and...Dylan Foxx. You went out and you put on the show and you made me think that you were involved.”
Her heart slammed into her chest. She didn’t even want him saying Dylan’s name.
“But you have no other lover, do you, Rachel? That was all for show. And now you’ve left him behind. You’ve left the EOD, and you’ve come back to me.”
How did he know what she’d done?
She strained again and felt the warmth of her blood as the ropes cut into her wrists.
“I don’t like that you tried to deceive me.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. “Really? When you’re the one who taught me how to lie?”
Silence, then he murmured, “I guess I did.”
She kept her breathing low and even. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it.”
He touched her then, sliding the back of his hand over her cheek. “Killing you isn’t on the agenda.”
Her racing heartbeat slowed down.
His hand pulled away.
“But I will have to punish you.”
And, in the darkness, she saw the gleam of a knife too late.
* * *
THE ALLEY WASN’T dark any longer. It seemed to be lit with a thousand lights.
Brent Chastang was dead. According to the M.E., the guy had bled out quickly from his stab wound, probably only surviving a few moments.
The phone was Rachel’s. She’d been at the scene.
The bloody playing card that they’d found shoved in Brent’s shirt told them that Jack had been there, too.
“Agent Foxx, are you all right?”
He turned at the soft question and found Noelle Evers walking toward him. The EOD had a crime-scene team checking over every inch of the alley. The local cops were being held back until they could finish processing the scene.
“No,” he told her, voice clipped. “I’m damned well not.” Fury spiked then. He caught her arm and pulled Noelle away from the others. “You said she was safe, that he wouldn’t hurt her.” He’d been so certain that Noelle was right.
Noelle shook
her head. “I never said that.”
His teeth snapped together. The fury raged hotter inside of him.