JACI BURTON.

THE HEART OF A KILLER.

For Charlie, a man whose support is limitless, whose patience is endless and whose love keeps me going every day.

Thank you for helping me live this dream.

Prologue.

St. Louis, Missouri.

Twelve Years Ago.

Five minutes till closing time. Anna Pallino scrubbed down the counters at the ice-cream shop while keeping her eye on the clock. Theyad be walking in any minute, hoping for free ice cream while she closed up. They always showed. They were predictable. She loved that about them. Her guys. The brothers, though not by blood.

She bent down to put away the cones, when she heard the bell tinkle above the door. She smiled as she stood.

Yup. Always predictable. There they werea"Dante, Gabe, Roman and Jeff.

Her heart tripped a beat when she settled her gaze on Dante. He was hers. Her boyfriend, the first guy shead ever fallen in love with. Tall, with dark brown hair, blue eyes, everything shead ever dreamed of in a boyfriend.

He grinned and swung into his seat at the counter.

aRocky Road, please, Miss Pallino.a She gave him a stern look. aIam sorry, sir, but weare closing.a He rose, leaned over the counter and batted those dark, sinfully too-long lashes at her. aAw, come on, baby. Not even for me and my guys?a She laughed, went around the counter and locked the door, closed the blinds and turned the sign to Closed. aSo what kind of mayhem did you guys get into tonight?a aBest behavior, Anna,a Gabe said, leaning his elbow against the counter.

If Anna hadnat fallen madly in love with Dante, she would have with Gabe. What girl wouldnat, with his jet-black hair and mesmerizing sea-green eyes. He was broader than Dante and nearly as tall. He and Dante were the same age, and at nearly eighteen, they were the oldest of all the guys.

But shead fallen hard for Dante, and after that shead never even thought about another guy. And with her being just sixteen, Anna was jazzed about having an older boyfriend. She was the envy of all her friends. Though her father wasnat totally thrilled about her choice of boyfriends. But Dante was always on his best behavior around her dad. And with Dante living at George and Ellen Clemonsas house, there wasnat much her dad could say. It was a good foster home and they were a stern but loving family whoad raised a lot of great kids. Even her dad thought so. He was thawing on Dante.

aYeah, Ellen would have our a.s.ses if we got into any trouble,a Dante added.

aIsnat that the truth?a Jeff nodded. aWe have to behave or Momma will kick our b.u.t.ts.a aShe isnat our mother,a Roman said, his head down, his expression sullen. aShe and George are our foster parents.a aOh, can it, Roman.a Dante shoved an elbow into Romanas ribs. aTheyare the best parents weave ever had in all our s.h.i.+tty lives and you know it. Why donat you give up the poor-lost-boy act?a aYeah,a Jeff said. aWeare together. We donat get in trouble. We eat three squares and theyare nice to us. Theyare good parents.a Roman shrugged. aI guess.a aNo aI guessa about it,a Gabe said. aYouare just p.i.s.sed off because you lost the race over here.a Gabe nudged him. Roman nudged back, and soon the two of them were tangled in arms and elbows and laughing, which made Anna exhale as the tension receded.

She couldnat imagine what it must be like to grow up without parents, shuffled from foster home to foster home. Shead known them since her freshman year, when shead met Dante and the rest of the guys. They were like brothers to her. Well, all except Dante. Definitely not a brother to her. aHow about some ice cream?a aThatas why weare here, isnat it?a Jeff grinned and leaned over the case, scoping out the flavors.

They told her what they wanted and she served it up. While they ate she finished putting everything away, then bagged up the trash. aIam going to take this out back while you eat. Then we can go watch movies at my house. My dad rented a couple of horror movies for us.a aIall take that out back for you.a Dante stood and started to come behind the counter.

aNope.a She held out her hand. aIt will only take a sec. Finish your ice cream. I want to get out of here.a aYou sure?a aIam sure. Your job is to watch over the horde. Make sure they donat drip or break anything or Iall have to start cleanup all over again.a aYes, maaam,a he said with a wink.

Anna laughed, grabbed the trash and headed out the back door of the shop into the alley. The Dumpster was a short walk over.

The ice-cream shop was set in a series of tall buildings, mainly offices that housed banks and corporations. The shop stayed open late anyway because of the movie theater across the street. Kids always stopped by after the last show. But that meant there were no restaurants or retail and the alley was deserted at night. Creepy as h.e.l.l for all the kids who worked at the shop, but Anna enjoyed the quiet. Her tennis shoes squicked on the wet ground, the sound echoing off the walls of the buildings.

It was so hot tonight. It had rained earlier and she dodged puddles and discarded soda cans and miscellaneous trash as she made her way down the dark alley. Humidity sucked the breath from her and she was wet with sweat by the time she got to the Dumpster.

She lifted the lid, holding her breath as she hoisted the trash into the container, then hurriedly dropped the lid. Ugh. She hated this part. It smelled so bad in there, like something died. She always imagined something decaying in there, like an animal or even a body. The drawback of having a police-detective father and listening to horror stories at the dinner table about where head found the latest victim. Yeah, this alley would be a perfect dumping spot, too. Isolated, no one around at night to witness what went down.

And now shead creeped herself out. Great.

Shuddering, she turned to head back to the shop, when an arm snaked around her waist and jerked her backward.

Her scream went unheard as his hand clamped tight to her mouth. She squirmed, trying to get away, but his other arm was a band around her, pinning her arms tight to her sides. She kicked out, but he dragged her behind the Dumpster, then fell with her, immediately turning to drop on top of her.

Rocks jabbed into her back as she hit the ground, the breath knocked from her. He was so heavy. His hand was still over her mouth.

No. No!

Her heart pounded so fast she felt the slamming against her chest. She couldnat breathe. Nausea surged in her throat. She was going to throw up. The ground was wet from the rain earlier tonight. It stunk behind the Dumpster. What did he want? He was rolling on top of her, pinning her with his body.

She needed to scream, to let Dante know where she was, but the manas hand still clamped tight over her mouth.

aDonat scream, b.i.t.c.h, or Iall kill you,a he whispered against her ear.

She felt something sharp against her throat. A knife.

Oh, G.o.d. Oh, G.o.d. She froze, tried to still her shaking body, not wanting to do anything that would make him stab her.

Was she going to die?

His breath was bad, just as bad as the garbage in the Dumpster. She felt something hard between her legs as he moved against her.

Please, help me. Somebody help me.

The guys werenat far away. Did she leave the back door to the shop open? She couldnat remember. If only she could scream they might hear her. She was sweating and cold, s.h.i.+vering so hard. Something underneath her was scratching her. She struggled to push him off so she could catch a breath, but he was stronger than she was.

Please get off me. I just want to breathe. I canat breathe!

Theyad come help her. Theyad get here in time. If only she could scream. She had to get out of this. This couldnat be happening to her.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

b.u.t.tons scattered across the alley as he jerked her blouse open, revealing her little pink bra. Shead worn the blouse for Dante, her favorite blouse. Pink and white checks with tiny heart b.u.t.tons. Shead even chosen white shorts to match. She was lying on the filthy ground now in her white shorts, felt the moisture from the ground seeping through, knew theyad be ruined. She was ruined. Tears p.r.i.c.ked her eyes, the burn making her blink. She didnat know whether to keep her eyes open, to try to see what he looked like, or keep them shut so she wouldnat recognize him, so he might let her live.

What was it her dad had always tried to teach her? She couldnat remember. She didnat want to be here. She wanted to be inside the shop with the guys. The guys were in there. Theyad help her.

He grabbed her breast, squeezed it hard. It hurt. Oh, it hurt. He moved the knife down along her throat to her chest.

aYouare mine, b.i.t.c.h. Always mine.a He cut through her bra. She was shaking so hard now that chills racked her body. He bent down and licked her nipple.

Bile rose in her throat and she turned her head away. She wouldnat watch. She couldnat.

But now she remembered what her dad said. Fight. Donat give in.

This was different. No way was she going to die. Shead do anything not to die.

Then he cut her. Oh, G.o.d, he was cutting her. It burned like her skin was on fire. She felt the warm trickle of blood down her chest. Nothing had ever hurt this bad. She couldnat believe this was happening.

And then she knew. He was going to kill her.

Her dad was right. She had to fight. If she was going to die, she wasnat going to go lying here and letting him do what he wanted to her.

She opened her eyes, stared at him, memorized his face. She wanted him to know she saw him. Then she bit down on his hand and he jerked it away. Taking that brief second, she opened her mouth and screamed. He slapped her so hard she couldnat think through the dizziness.

He clamped his hand over her mouth again, his other hand jerking at her shorts.

Please, please, somebody help me!

aAnnaas taking a long time with the trash.a Dante got up and went behind the counter toward the back door.

aYou know she gets mad when you go back there,a Jeff said.

aI donat care. I should have taken the trash out for her. I donat like her out there by herself.a aYou just wanna go out there so you can kiss her,a Roman said with a roll of his eyes. aIam ready to go watch movies.a aYeah, yeah,a Dante said as he opened the back door, and heard the scream.

He pushed off the door and ran like h.e.l.l, not even bothering to see if the others followed. He ran so hard his legs burned, his whole body shaking in fear.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a guy scrambling to his feet near the Dumpster. And he saw feeta"tennis shoes. Annaas.

s.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t. He skidded to a stop at the Dumpster.

Anna was on the ground, her clothes undone. It was pitch-black out there, but he could see her, pale and s.h.i.+vering and bleeding. G.o.ddammit.

aGrab him!a He motioned to Gabe and the others as they whizzed by him.

Dante had dropped to his knees in front of Anna. She was bleeding at her chest. Her blouse was torn, her face swollen. Tears welled in his eyes and emotion head never felt before filled him. He wanted to grab her and cry. He hadnat cried since his parentsa Hold it together for Anna.

aYou okay?a She nodded, jerking the tattered edges of her blouse together.

aHow bad are you hurt?a aIam fine.a aYouare bleeding.a He pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket. aLet me see.a She squeezed her hands tight over her chest.

aAnna, baby, let me see how bad it is.a She lifted tear-filled eyes to his and it shredded a hole in his heart, especially when she dropped her hands and her blouse fell away. The guy had cut her bra in half. Dante swallowed and patted at the spot where the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had cut her, just above her left breast. There, head carved the shape of a heart.

G.o.dd.a.m.n. Son of a b.i.t.c.h. Motherf.u.c.ker.

Rage blinded him. Dante heard his own breath sawing in and out, felt his blood pounding in his ears. He wanted to tear the guy apart. But right now he had to focus on Anna. He forced himself to smile down at her as he pressed the handkerchief to her chest. He unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt and shrugged it off his shoulders, leaving him in only his tank top.

aItas okay. Itas going to be all right. Put this on.a He helped her slide her arms into his s.h.i.+rt, then b.u.t.toned every single b.u.t.ton. aYou stay right here and Iall be back for you, okay?a She looked up at him, her bottom lip trembling. Then she gave him a brief nod. She was alive. Thatas all that mattered.

Dante stood and turned to where the guys had cornered the b.a.s.t.a.r.d whoad done this. Head hurt Anna. Dante didnat even want to think about what else head done to her.

Anger and rage and guilt boiled inside him. The guy stood there with a smart-a.s.s smirk on his face like he didnat have a care in the world.

aShe okay?a Gabe asked as Dante stepped beside him.

Dante swallowed. aHe hurt her. He cut her.a Dante put his hand on his chest where Annaas wound was.

af.u.c.k,a Gabe whispered.

They all knew, would all feel the same fury that someone would hurt Anna.

Sweet Anna, who didnat have a mean word for anyone, who would never hurt anyone.

The others stepped away as Dante came toward him. The guy jerked back as if he was going to run.

Oh, no, you donat.

Dante tackled the guy before he could get away, flinging his body on top of him. It was insane after that. Instinct kicked in, all those years of street fights with fists and knives. Of survival, of doing whatever it took to stay alive, of defending those who couldnat defend themselves.

Anna hadnat been able to defend herself. This guy was twice her size.

Men didnat hurt women.

The guy rolled and kicked Dante away, then sprang to his feet, pulling a knife. A b.l.o.o.d.y knifea"Annaas blood.

Anger so deep it boiled in his bones raged inside Dante. He saw the blood on the knife and thought of what Anna had gone through. No way was this dude getting out of the alley. The guy waved the knife at Dante, but he was no match for the four of them. Theyad gotten into more fights together than Dante could count and they were d.a.m.n good at working together.

Dante stared him down, holding his attention as Gabe moved behind the man and grabbed his arm, jerking the knife out of his hands.

Fury took hold, then. Dante pulled his arm back and let it swing full force at the guyas face. He staggered as if he was high or something, but Dante didnat care. His fist connected with the b.a.s.t.a.r.das nose and Dante felt the impact, satisfied by the crunching sound. The guy didnat say a word, just pulled to his feet again, ready for more.

Yeah, he had to be tweaking or something to get up after the punch Dante gave him. Dante shoved him back down and the others jumped in, and then it was fists and feet and blood and the guy didnat stand a chance.

He didnat know when the dude had stopped moving, but at some point Dante was out of breath and his fists hurt. He backed off.

aStop. Heas done for.a Dante moved away, pulled the others off.

They stood there looking down at the guy who looked nothing like he had when theyad first come on the scene. He was a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp of a mess. Dante kicked at him, but he didnat move. He was out cold.

He went to Anna, bent over her.

aAnna.a She stared at her attacker, didnat look at Dante.

aAnna.a Dante touched her and she flinched. He reached for her shoulders. aItas Dante. Look at me.a She turned to him, then her eyes filled with tears. aOh, G.o.d. Oh, Dante.a She fell into his arms and he lifted her, pulled her against him while she sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her. aCome on, letas take you inside.a They took Anna back to the shop and sat her on one of the stools. Dante grabbed some paper towels and wet them so he could wipe her face.

aIs she okay?a Roman asked.

aDonat know.a Dante focused on Anna.

She was crying hard now, shook her head, trying to talk even though he knew she had to be hysterical. aHe grabbed me from behind, dragged me behind the Dumpster. He ripped my blouse and my bra.a Dante sucked in a breath.