Anna lifted her chin. aYes, it is.a Susan frowned. aExcuse me?a aWeare sure it is difficult for you,a Dante said, taking over for Anna when she couldnat. aIam sorry we have to put you through this, but we just have a few questions. Weare hoping to update the file. You never know when a new lead could help us find the person who killed your son.a Susan pulled a tissue from the box on the gla.s.s table in front of them, dabbed her eyes and nodded. aOf course. Iall tell you anything you want to know.a aTell us about Tony,a Anna said. aThereas not much in his file. Iam curious, since you live out here, if you have any idea what he was doing in an alley in South City that night. Did he have friends who lived over there?a aNot that I know of. Tony had a tight circle of friends, all local to the area. He was involved with the art club and with sports. His father insisted he do something other than sit inside and paint, so he played soccer.a aVarsity?a Dante asked.

Susan met his gaze and smiled. aYes. Bob got him involved with sports when he was a kid. The usual stuffa"baseball, soccer, basketball. He wasnat big enough for football when he got older, but he had agility, so he gravitated toward soccer, and was good enough to make the varsity team in high school.a aDid he enjoy sports?a She nodded at Dante. aWell enough, I suppose, and it was an outlet for his frustrations.a aWhat kind of frustrations?a Anna asked.

Susanas lips lifted. aItas an artist thing. When you work on a piece, and itas not going the way you want it to, it can be so incredibly frustrating, because itas here in your soula"a she fisted both hands against her chest aa"but you canat bring it out on the canvas. He got to let out that anguish on the soccer field. I think it helped clear his head so he was better able to work on his craft.a aHe painted. Like you?a aYes,a Susan said.

Anna looked at the artwork on the walls in the sunroom. Beautiful paintings of women dressed in flowing dresses standing at the edge of a beach, ocean water lapping near their feet while the women searched the water as if they were looking for something. There were birds or sea creatures in the distance, sometimes lighthouses. In some there were childrena"sometimes one boy, sometimes two, building sand castles or frolicking in the water.

aYou paint with an impressionistic feel,a Anna said. aTheyare lovely.a Susan beamed. aThank you. My work has been on display in galleries all over the country.a aWas Tony as good as you?a Anna asked.

aBetter, I think. His talent was raw, but so good. He was set to attend college in New York that fall.a Guilt hammered at her. aIam sorry.a As if she hadnat heard Annaas apology, Susan went on. aHe was so nervous about moving away, about moving to New York and attending college. He seemed so distracted that summer.a aDistracted how?a Dante asked.

aJittery is the only word I can come up with. In and out of the house a lot. Wasnat concentrating on his painting much, which was unusual for him.a aWhat about his friends?a Dante asked. aAnything change with his friends?a She sighed, clasped her hands together in her lap. aEverything changed with him before he died. His personality, the way he acted with his friends. I donat know what was going on with him.a aDid you know he was on drugs?a Dante asked.

Anna s.h.i.+fted her gaze to Dante, not sure whether this was the right time to ask that question. But shead brought him along and hadnat coached him on the questioning, so she had to accept his involvement in the interrogation of Maclinas mother.

aI didnat. I suppose in retrospect it makes sense considering his behavior, but Tony was always such a good kid. And he played sports. Iad like to think the drugs they found in his system was an anomaly, something head just done once.a Ha. Fat chance. Anna knew better. If he was out of his normal area and high, chances were he was either looking to buy or trying to sell. aItas possible. What about his friends?a aNice kids. Wead known them all from the time Tony was little.a aNo troublemakers, no one who stood out to you as someone you didnat want your son to be around?a aNot at all.a aWhat about newcomers into his circle?a Dante asked. aAnyone come over or infiltrate his group that you didnat recognize?a aNot that I can recall, but itas not like we stood guard over his social group. We trusted him. He had a lot of freedoms because he was a good boy.a At their exchanged looks, Susan added, aSam might know, though. He was only a few years younger and went to the same high school, sometimes hung out with Tony and his friends.a aIs he around?a aProbably working in his studio. Let me see if heall come talk to you.a After she left, Anna turned to Dante. aWhat do you think?a aI think, like a lot of parents of teenagers, she was blind to whatever it was her son was up to.a aAnd we still donat know what that was.a aNo, but maybe his brother does.a Susan returned with a guy dressed in spattered khaki overalls and a tattered T-s.h.i.+rt. He had long, s.h.a.ggy dark hair and was wiping his hands with a rag.

aThis is my son, Sam. Sam, this is Detective Pallino and Special Agent Renaldi. Theyare working your brotheras case.a Sam kept his head ducked down and hair fell over his eyes, so Anna couldnat get a read on his expression.

He looked shy, didnat make eye contact.

Or maybe antisocial. Anna couldnat tell which just yet.

aHi.a aHi, Sam. Iam Anna Pallino, and this is Dante Renaldi.a aHey, Sam,a Dante said, taking Annaas cue that they needed to be friendly.

aSam,a his mother said, athey thought maybe you could tell them about Tonyas friends.a He looked irritated to have been disturbed. aWhat about them?a aWe need to know who his friends were, who he hung out with prior to his death,a Anna said.

Sam shrugged and leaned against the wall, wiping his hands with the rag. aThe usual people.a Susan smiled apologetically at them, then laid her hand on Samas shoulder. aThey need to know names, Sam.a aTim Long. Travis Aducci. Heather Sanderson. Uhh, Mark Charich, Evan Amarola, Jill Serlinsaa Anna wrote the names down as Sam went through the list. He seemed to have a decent memory, since they ended up with about twelve names.

aThanks, Sam,a she said. aIam sorry about your brother.a aUh-huh.a He turned to his mother. aI was in the middle of my project. I need to get back to it.a Susan s.h.i.+fted her gaze back to Anna.

aJust a couple more questions, if you donat mind,a Anna said. aSam, where were you the night your brother was killed?a He didnat lift his head, continued to wipe his hands on the rag. aI was here.a aWith your parents?a aWe were out that night at a party for some friends,a Susan answered. aI thought Tony and Sam were both home, but I guess Tony went out and left Sam by himself.a aDid Tony tell you he was going out?a Anna asked.

Sam shrugged. aI was in the studio working on a project. I didnat know he left until my parents came home and asked where he was.a aAnd what time was that?a aAll this information is in the police file, Detective,a Susan said.

aYes, it is, but we do like to go over the information again, if you donat mind. It helps to freshen the case.a aOf course. Answer the question, Sam.a aWhat was the question?a aWhat time did your parents come home?a He shrugged again. aI donat remember. Why are you here now after all these years? You didnat find his killer then. Do you have a lead or something now?a aNo, we donat. Weare just checking out some cold cases to see if something new will come up.a Sam lifted his head and Anna saw a spark of anger there. aAll youare doing is upsetting my mother. You donat have anything new, so why donat you leave?a aSam, thatas rude.a aSo? Theyare rude for coming here after all this time, bringing up Tonyas death again.a He looked over at Anna and she saw the anger directed at her, his words sharp and focused. aHeas dead. Someone killed him and you donat know who did it. Leave it alone.a Sam turned and left the room.

aIam sorry,a Susan said. aTonyas death really upset him all those years ago. It upset all of us, as you can imagine. Itas taken a lot of years to put the pieces back together.a aIam sorry if our coming here has reopened old wounds, Mrs. Maclin,a Anna said. aI think we have enough now.a She headed toward the door, hoping Susan would lead them out. She could already feel the sensation of the walls closing in on her. She needed to get out of here.

aItas no problem,a Susan said. aSamas not always so antisocial. He really is a nice young man. Itas just about thisaabout Tonyathat gets him upset.a aWe understand,a Dante said.

aIf we can help at all,a Susan said, aif it gets you closer to finding Tonyas killer, please come see us at any time.a Anna stiffened and Dante laid his hand at the small of her back, leading her toward the door.

aThank you, Mrs. Maclin,a Dante said. aYouave been very helpful. Weall be in touch.a As soon as they were out the door, Dante all but shoved her toward the car, opened the door and pushed her inside. Once he started up the car, he cranked the A/C to arctic level.

aRelax. Breathe. And not too fast. I need your head clear so we can debrief that meeting. No panic attacks right now.a She concentrated on her breathing, on the cold air-conditioning flying at her face. Pulling away from Tony Maclinas house helped. As soon as they were on the highway again, the tension in her body lessened. He pulled into a fast-food drive-through and got them both something to eat and drink, then parked in the restaurantas lot, where they ate silently.

Anna knew Dante was watching her.

aIam fine now.a aYouare not fine. You feel guilty because Susan Maclin is grieving over the loss of her son.a She shrugged and shoved a couple French fries in her mouth.

aRemind yourself what her poor, sweet, athletic, artistic son did to you that night twelve years ago. How he jumped you in the alley, dragged you behind the Dumpster, held a knife to your throat, cut off your clothes and carved a heart across your breast. How he laid on top of you and pulled your shorts off. What he would have done to youa"a She held her hand up. aEnough.a aDonat feel guilty because heas dead. He got what he deserved.a She s.h.i.+fted in her seat to face him. aDid he? We could have handled it differently, could have held him, called my dad or the cops.a aAnd then what? You saw where they live. That place screams money. His dadas a lawyer, Anna. Did you know that?a aYes.a aHe would have gotten a slap on the wrist. Probation. And you would have been called to court to testify against him. Would you have been able to do that, or do you think they would have plea-bargained him out of it? The case might have never gone to trial. Rich boy would have been back out on the streets, sniffing c.o.ke and doing the same d.a.m.n thing to another girl.a She lifted her chin, refusing to let Dante get to her. aStop it.a aStop what? Stop trying to make you see that just because a rich, ent.i.tled drug-dealing p.r.i.c.k like Tony Maclin didnat get the chance to keep doing what he did to you that night you shouldnat feel guilty about it? You expect me to feel bad because we beat the s.h.i.+t out of him and he happened to die because of it? h.e.l.l, Anna, Iave killed people who did a lot less than he did.a Shocked at his revelation, she frowned. aWhat does that mean?a He turned away from her. aNothing.a aDante.a aWeare not talking about me. I donat feel any guilt over that night. Iam not sorry for what happened. Iam glad we beat the h.e.l.l out of him. Iam glad heas dead. No regrets. You shouldnat have any, either.a Dante was right. She shouldnat have any. That night twelve years ago had been the worst night of her life.

Tony Maclin had terrorized her.

He might have been the sweetest, brightest star in Susan Maclinas life. But to Anna, head been a monster. And that one single act continued to haunt her.

She hadnat done anything wrong that night so long ago. Nothing except try to protect the guys who had saved her life.

Yet somehow she was continuing to allow herself to be victimized by the crime that had been committed on her.

She lifted her gaze to Dante, the one person who had gotten to her first, who had scared Tony Maclin enough to pull away from her before he had done even more damage to her.

She owed Dante her life.

But Romanas words stayed in her mind, coupled with Danteas statement of a few moments ago.

He seemed so nonchalant about death.

Had he killed innocent people? And if so, who?

Could she trust him? G.o.d, she really needed to. They were growing closer, and she needed to be able to lean on him, both professionally and personally.

She had to know. But how?

How was she going to find out whether she could trust him or not?

The only way she knew how to get at the truth, of course.

Point-blank.

Sixteen.

Anna kept thinking all through dinner, not sure how to approach what she wanted to talk about with Dante.

They grilled burgers outside and she fixed salad. They ate, had some beers and mostly talked about nothing. Dante didnat press her, either, which she appreciated, but she caught the sidelong glances he gave her.

He knew there was something on her mind.

After the dishes, he opened a bottle of wine and handed a gla.s.s to her and took one for himself. They sat on the sofa in the living room.

aYou want to talk to me about whatas on your mind?a It was now or never and she wasnat one to hold back. She half turned to face him. aRoman thinks I shouldnat trust you.a He didnat seem shocked or angry. aYeah? What did he say?a aThat we donat really know all that much about you since you were gone, and that despite your FBI credentials, all the killings began when you showed up. And we need to look at all the angles, which include you being a suspect.a He seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded. aHe makes a good point.a That was it? Roman made a good point? Shead expected him to disagree, to yell, anything but quiet agreement. aBut my captain verified your credentials.a aDo you know that for a fact? Did you ask him?a aNo. But I also know Pohanski wouldnat accept you on face value, so that FBI badge has to be legitimate.a aOkay.a aThatas all you have to say? Iave basically accused you of being a murder suspect and you find that acceptable?a Dante shrugged. aRomanas right to be cautious about me, or anyone who tries to insinuate themselves into your life. Iam glad Romanas got your back and is protecting you. It means he cares about you and heall be extra sharp looking out for you.a aG.o.ddammit, Dante, youare not taking this seriously. I practically pointed the finger at you as the killer.a He leaned back, relaxed and offered up a half smile. aIs that what you really think?a She gaped at him, then stood, threw her hands in the air and began to pace. aI donat know what to think anymore. You make me crazy.a He climbed to his feet to block her. aYes you do. You have great instincts, Anna. Use them.a She pinned him with a look. aIs that how Iam supposed to trust you? With my instincts?a aYou want more tangible proof?a aYes, dammit, yes, I do. Shouldnat I?a aIs that what itas going to take for you to trust me?a She didnat know how to answer him. It was her job to look for evidence, for tangible proof of innocence. Not just someoneas word. It didnat matter if it was Dante.

aI have a safe-deposit box. Iave had all my military records put in there by my attorney. Your name is on it as well as mine. Iall give you the key and you can go look at everything.a aMy name? What is my name doing on there?a aYouare the only person in my life that I trusted, Anna. If something happened to me when I wasaout there, I needed to have someone listed to have access to the doc.u.ments that proved I existed. If I die, there are instructions that the key to the safe-deposit box go to you. My attorney has your information and knows to contact you in the event of my death. My birth certificate is in there, my military doc.u.ments, everything Iave donea"at least the stuff I can talk about. And money. A lot of money.a She collapsed onto the sofa, stunned by this revelation. aWhy me?a aBecause youare all I ever thought about during all those years. Every night I was doing s.h.i.+t duty with nothing but a rifle, the sand and the stars, and all I could think about was you. Every a.s.signment I got sent on when I thought I might not come back, you were the last thought in my head. I knew if something happened to me, I wanted word to get to you that I hadnat just disappeared and made nothing of my life. I wanted someone to knowa"I wanted you to know that maybe I had done something that mattered.a She saw the pain in his eyes, the tight set to his jaw, knew what it cost this proud man to admit that he needed someone to care about him.

She stood and went to him, pressed her body against his. aThank you.a He didnat respond, didnat wrap his arms around her. Usually she was the one taut with tension. This time it was he who stood rigid and unmoving.

aThank you,a she said again.

He didnat budge. aFor what?a aFor believing in me. For caring about me all these years.a aIave cared about you my whole life, Anna. I did a s.h.i.+tty job of showing it, I ran when I shouldnat have, but I never once stopped thinking about you or caring about what happened to you.a Tears filled her eyes and she almost broke, not sure she deserved a man who gave more than she could possibly give back. But she knew she had to try to show him the kind of love he needed.

She rose on her toes, cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his, feeling shaken to the core.

She heard the growl low in his throat. His arm snaked around her and he jerked her fully against him. His lips met hers as his hand wound into her hair, holding her head in place as he devastated her with his kiss. His hand roamed down her back to grab her a.s.s and he squeezed possessively, whether to warn her off or bring her closer, she didnat know.

Probably to warn her he wasnat going to accept her backing away, that shead better be in it until the end, or walk away now.

She didnat want to walk away. Shead made her decision and she wanted Dante.

She knew what being intimate with Dante was going to cost her, what he was going to ask of her. It would be nothing like what she was used to. Head bare her to the core, strip down her emotions and make her reveal her feelings, everything she tried hard to keep bottled up inside.

The thought of it made her feel naked.

With Dante, she couldnat keep anything locked up. Not when he slid his hands up her body, cupped her face between them and brushed his lips across hers, his tongue flicking out to tease and entice. She shuddered in a breath, her nipples tight, aching points against the silk of her bra.

She burned for him, needed him more tonight than she ever had before. His confession had sc.r.a.ped raw her need for him. Shead always thought herself damaged, but hadnat realized how damaged head been by his past, how much he needed to be healed.

They were a matched set. Two screwed-up souls who gravitated toward each other like magnets.

aYou need me,a she whispered when he trailed his lips down her jaw to her neck.

He raised his head, his half-lidded gaze so intense it made her s.h.i.+ver with delight that it was directed at her. So much power in that look. A lesser woman might be afraid of all that desire.

A few days ago, she might have been afraid. Not anymore. Now she craved it.

aI do need you. And you need me, too.a He reached for the hem of her tank top and lifted the s.h.i.+rt over her head, tossing it to the ground. She followed suit, sliding her hands under his s.h.i.+rt, feeling the searing heat of his skin as her hands traveled upward toward his chest. He grabbed his s.h.i.+rt and pulled it over his head, throwing it on the floor near her tank top. He skimmed his fingers up her arms, then across her chest, circling the heart-shaped scar.

She held her breath when he bent and traced the scar with his tongue.

Shead always hated that scar, hated that she couldnat get rid of it, that it would always remind her of that horrible event in the alley twelve years ago.

Dante lifted his head and traced the scar again with his thumb. Now, the scar throbbed, but in a different way as her nipples tightened with need and an ache for Dante that grew more powerful every time they were together.

aThis scar doesnat define you. Itas part of you. Part of the beauty of who you are.a She released the breath shead held. Shead always thought it ugly. Only Dante could make her hideous scar turn to something beautiful as he bent and licked it again, then the seam of her bra, pulling the cups down to capture a nipple in his mouth to suck. Bursts of pleasure made her back bow as she pushed her breast farther into his mouth until she thought shead die from the exquisite sensation.

When he pulled away she was out of breath.

He found the front clasp of her bra and unhooked it, pulling the straps down her arms and adding that garment to the fast-growing pile of clothes on the floor.

His gaze roamed over her, her nipples pebbling under his inspection. His erection made her throat go dry, made her feel like a teenager againa"uncertain and shy.

aWeave never been naked together,a she said, then cleared her throat because she could barely get the words out.

aThatas going to change tonight.a He undid the b.u.t.ton on his jeans, then the zipper, and dropped his pants. Head gone commando. Somehow that didnat surprise her at all. It also made her want to unleash a little feminine growl, because he was magnificent. Everything shead imagined about him hadnat been adequate. He was built and muscled and thick and pulsing and while her throat was dry, other parts of her definitely were not. Just looking at him dampened her, made her swell and throb and want. He made her body come alive in a s.e.xual way like no man whoad come before him. The way he looked at her had a lot to do with thata"like a predatory beast whose patience had run out, who needed to mate and mate now. What woman wouldnat be primed and ready when a man like Dante looked at her that way?

She licked her lips, realizing it was all for her.

He dropped to his knees and drew her cotton shorts and panties over her hips and down her legs, tossing them to the side, then lightly grasped her ankles, slowly lifting his hands upward, over her calves, her knees, then her thighs, spreading them apart.

When he raised his head to look into her eyes, her legs began to shake.

aYou are so beautiful, Anna.a He pressed a kiss to each of her thighs. aAnd you smell wild and sweet. Right here.a He pressed a kiss to her s.e.x, his tongue darting out to circle her c.l.i.t. She placed her hand on his head, grabbed a handful of his hair and gasped as he took a long, slow lick. She lost her balance and all sense of awareness as he pleasured her with his mouth.

aDante.a His name fell from her lips as the only coherent thought in her head.

He moved his hands behind her to cup her b.u.t.tocks, to hold her solidly, to bring her toward his mouth. She held on tight, afraid she was pulling on his hair because it was just so d.a.m.n good, but she couldnat stop. She was lost in the sensations, lost in this unbearable intimacy as he took her right to the edge and made her hover there.

aYouare teasing me,a she whispered, watching him. She couldnat not watch him. It was the only control she had left.

He lifted his gaze to hers and she swore his eyes were smiling at her.

A devilish, wicked smile.

He swept his tongue across her, dipped inside her, and she was lost. Her climax hit with a resounding force, and she tilted her head back and simply let go. Dante held tight to her while she rocked against him, so incredibly, wildly free, so uncharacteristic of her that she shocked even herself.

And when he pulled her down to the carpet and climbed up her body, pressing soft kisses to her hip bone, her belly and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she was able to catch her breath and wonder how she had lost herself so completely.

But she could do this. She could give herself to him and still retain herself, could show him he was worthy of being loved, and still hold a part of herself intact.

Dante knew the second Anna tensed up again, could feel it in the way her body locked up.

She was a master at control.

Fortunately, he was good at breaking down walls. And he was determined she wasnat going to lock him out, no matter how afraid she was to let him in.

And when she fought to roll over on top of him, he understood.

It was what head told her about the safe-deposit box. It had gotten to her.

He stopped her, pushed her onto her side.

aI donat need a pity f.u.c.k, Anna.a Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then narrowed. aI donat know what youare talking about.a aDonat you?a She started to get up, but he held her there, draped his leg over hers.

aI can get plenty of p.u.s.s.y, honey. Thatas not what Iam after with you.a Her chin jutted up and he knew head p.i.s.sed her off, which was exactly what head been going for.

aThis isnat sweeping me off my feet, Dante.a aNo, Iam sure it isnat.a He grazed his fingers up her arm, felt the tension coming off her. aBut I also know youare trying to control this. You lost control a few minutes ago, and it scared you.a aDonat psychoa.n.a.lyze me, Renaldi. It p.i.s.ses me off.a Ignoring her, he said, aI liked you out of control, Anna, your body shaking against my mouth when you came. You threw your head back and all you thought about was your own pleasure.a She shot him a mutinous glare. aStop it.a He traced the veins on her skin, from her collarbone to the well between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her nipples puckered and hardened. aYou need to stop listening to your mind and start listening to what your body wants.a He bent and took a long, slow lick of one nipple, rolled his tongue around it, then captured it between his teeth, flicking it with his tongue until she hissed.

He almost laughed. She was the only woman he knew who could be p.i.s.sed off about being turned on.

When he pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked, she grabbed the back of his head and drew his mouth to her breast, holding him there while he fed on her nipple. After he worked it for a while, he pushed her onto her back and moved to the other nipple, watching her reaction.

Her eyes had closed, her hands clasped into fists and her body arched as he played with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.