aTake him in,a she said, grabbing his arm and handing him over to Lincoln.

aYouall be sorry,a Sam said as the officer took him away.

She ignored him and slid back in her car, then headed toward the precinct.

Dante was already back at the station when she arrived. She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at her desk.

aMy guy didnat pan out,a Dante said. aHe was like a saint, so squeaky-clean I felt dirty interviewing him.a Anna nodded. aWell, I guess thatas too bad.a aWhat did you find?a aCat pee, stale cigarettes and unbathed old lady.a Dante made a sour face. aFun. Did you get anything out of it other than that?a aI did,a she said, and gave him a rundown of what Amarola had told her.

Dante nodded. aThatas a solid lead. Now we need to find Dr. Drug Dealer.a aYeah. Also, I was followed on the way back.a aWhat?a Dante sat up in the chair. aBy who?a aSam Maclin.a Danteas eyes narrowed. aSon of a b.i.t.c.h. You grab him?a She took a sip of her coffee and nodded. aHeas in holding.a Dante stood. aI want to talk to him.a She grabbed his arm. aNot right now. I want him to cool his heels for a while. Heas got an att.i.tude.a She knew that wasnat Danteas first choice, and from the look on his face it was probably a good idea not to let him anywhere near Sam at all.

aWhat did he say to you?a aTo back off his mother and the reopening of the investigation.a aHuh. He couldnat have called you?a Funny that they were on the same wavelength. aThatas the same question I asked him.a Dante stared at the back of the precinct toward the holding cells. aIs he worried about his mother or himself?a aThatas what Iam wondering. You think he was in the alley that night?a aItas possible. He was fifteen at the time. File says he was at home. And he sometimes ran with the same crowd as Tony.a aGuess we should check that out.a aCheck what out?a Roman asked as he came in. aDid you get a lead?a aYes, and that isnat what weare talking about.a Anna filled him in on what she found out from Evan Amarola, and what happened with Sam.

aHe tailed you? Thatas suspicious as h.e.l.l, especially after the roses and cards. We need to figure out where he was the nights of the murders.a aIam going to go talk to him,a she said, grabbing her notebook and a pen.

aIall do some backtracking on his whereabouts the nights of the murders,a Roman said.

aHis mother isnat going to like that.a aAnd?a Dante asked. aYouare not trying to be her friend. Youare trying to solve a case.a She stopped, realized what shead been doing. Her first thought was how this would affect Susan Maclin because shead already lost one son. What was she thinking?

She had no objectivity here. She lifted her gaze to Dante. aYouare right.a Roman laid a hand on her arm. aYou interview Sam first, see what you can get from him about the nights of the murders. Weall go from there. Iall do the background on him.a aOkay.a They called for Sam to be brought into an interrogation room. He didnat look any less subdued after spending some time in holding. In fact, he looked more p.i.s.sed off than ever, and focused his glare on Anna.

aHeas got a bug up his a.s.s about you,a Dante whispered as they entered the room.

aSo I noticed.a She and Dante took a seat across from Sam.

aYouave been read your rights and you understand those rights?a Anna asked.

aYeah.a aI understand you waived your right to have an attorney present for questioning?a He shrugged. aI didnat do anything wrong. What do I need a lawyer for?a aWe need to know your whereabouts on the nights of June twenty-third and June twenty-seventh.a aWhy?a aDo you know where you were those nights?a He shrugged. aProbably in my studio working on some art.a aDo you know that for a fact?a aNo, but thatas usually where I am. Iam working on a project, so Iave been spending a lot of time in there. Why?a aTwo people were killed in the same alley your brother was killed in.a aHuh. So?a Wasnat he a real bleeding heart. aThey were beaten to death, just like Tony.a He leaned back in his chair. aAgain. So? What does this have to do with my brother?a aThatas what wead like to know,a Dante said.

He shrugged again, refusing to look at Dante and keeping his gaze focused only on Anna. aPeople get killed all the time, especially in the city.a aThatas hardly a high-crime area,a Anna said. aAnd to be beaten severely in the same manner as your brother, in the same location, isnat a coincidence.a A flicker of interest lit in his eyes. He sat straighter in the chair. aSo youare saying whoever did these murders is the same person who killed Tony?a aIam not saying that.a aSo what am I doing here, and why are you talking to me about it?a She let the question linger in the air, until recognition dawned in his eyes.

aAre you f.u.c.king kidding me? I had nothing to do with those murders. I was working at the time.a aCan anyone verify that?a she asked.

aYeah. My mother.a aSomeone other than a family member?a Dante added.

He rolled his eyes. aThe studio is at the house. So no, no one else but her.a aThatas too bad,a Anna said, feeling a small twinge of guilt for going after yet another member of the Maclin family. Then again, head come after her today, and in doing so put himself on her radar. He had no one to blame but himself.

aYouave put yourself in a bad position, Maclin,a Dante said. He stood and walked around the table to Samas side, then stared down at him. aYou hara.s.sed and threatened the detective here, and you have a connection to a prior crime in the alley with a similar method of death.a aWhat connection? Because he was my brother?a aBecause you canat verify your whereabouts on the night your brother was murdered, and now these murders. Doesnat look good for you.a Now the venom in his eyes was directed at Dante. aThis is bulls.h.i.+t. Youare trying to railroad me because you donat have any other suspects.a aAnd youare trying to deflect because you killed the two men. Maybe you even had something to do with your own brotheras death that night twelve years ago.a Sam shot out of the chair and lunged at Dante. aYouare full of s.h.i.+t!a Two uniformed officers hustled into the room to subdue Sam, cuffing him and slamming him into the chair.

Dante hadnat even flinched, hadnat moved from his spot against the desk. He just smiled at Sam as he was restrained.

Sam glared at Dante, then at Anna. aI want a lawyer.a And just like that, the interview was over.

aSure,a she said.

She and Dante left the interview room and met up with Roman in the hall.

aThat was interesting,a Roman said, coming in from the viewing area. aHeas hiding something.a Dante shrugged. aMaybe not. I was baiting him. It could be he was p.i.s.sed off at the implication that he had something to do with his brotheras death, which we all know he didnat.a Anna nodded as they headed down the hall back to the main squad room. aBut he might have had something to do with the current murders.a She stopped. They were alone in the hall, so she lifted her gaze to Dante and Roman. aIf he did, heas cagey. Doesnat appear to act as if he recognizes us.a aA good killer wouldnat,a Roman said. aHeas not going to play his hand.a She let out a sigh. aWeall see how this plays out.a aLet the guilt go,a Dante said as they moved back to the desk. aYou want this case over with. If Samas your guy, itas over.a aAnd Susan Maclin would lose another son.a aNeither of which would be your fault.a She threw the notepad on her desk, irritated at herself for the knot in her stomach.

Dante was right. This wasnat her fault.

aYou need to focus on something else,a he said. aLetas find that medical student and work the drug-dealer angle.a aYouare right. What we need to do is figure out who was connected to Tonyas high school who was also in medical school back then.a Dante sat, crossed his legs at the ankles. aShouldnat be too hard to narrow it down. Not a ton of people go to medical school.a aThatas what I figured, too.a She turned to the desktop and started her search.

Dante stood and leaned over her shoulder. aIs that the Wash U website?a aYeah.a She wrinkled her nose. aI was hoping it was going to be easy, but h.e.l.l, itas hard to even get a list of staff and medical students. You have to know exactly who youare looking for.a She searched a while longer, then shoved away from the desk and stood.

aThis is bulls.h.i.+t. Weare getting nowhere.a aAnd youare tense and not thinking clearly.a She shot him a glare. aDonat tell me how Iam thinking. Iam as clear as I can be.a aWith the death of a friend on your mind and Sam Maclin added to the list. Weall call the school and get them to release the names of all graduates of Tonyas high school within a specific date range who went to Was.h.i.+ngton University and attended medical school. Then weall go from there.a She nodded and made the call. When she hung up, she said, aTheyall have it for us tomorrow.a Maybe something would pop soon. It was about d.a.m.n time.

That evening she went home and changed into a dress to go to the funeral home for Jeffas visitation, something she dreaded but had to do.

They all had to do it, and she took comfort in having Dante by her side.

They met Roman and Gabe outside, both of them wearing suits just like Dante.

Gabe came up to her and kissed her cheek. aYou look beautiful.a Shead worn a simple black sheath with short sleeves, nothing special, but still she smiled up at Gabe. aThanks. And you all look cla.s.sy in your suits. Jeff would have loved to see you dressed up like this, especially you, Gabe.a Anna smoothed the lapels of his dark suit and fought back tears.

aAw, s.h.i.+t, Anna. Donat cry.a She lifted her gaze to Gabe. aI donat know if I can do this.a Roman smoothed his hand down her back. aThey said the casket will be closed becausea Well, you know.a Anna turned to Roman and shook her head. aIt doesnat matter. Heas still in there and we all know it.a Roman nodded. aBut weare all together, and weall handle it.a Dante swept his hand behind her neck. Even without words she felt comforted by his presence next to her as they all walked inside together.

What was she going to do when this case was over and Dante left?

Shead deal, just as she always did. Shead go back to the way her life was before he swept into town and turned her life upside down.

No problem, right?

Ellen Clemons was there, holding vigil in front of Jeffas casket. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Annaas heart went out to her.

Anna hated funerals, hated that they represented loss. Shead hated them ever since her mother died of cancer when she was six years old. She hadnat understood then that her mother was gone and would never come back, but slowly it had sunk in that it was just her and her dad left. Shead never feel her motheras arms around her hugging her, never smell her motheras perfume, never see her motheras smile again.

Death sucked. It ripped the people you loved away from you, sometimes well before you were ready for it to happen.

Often way before you were ready for it.

Sometimes brutally. Shead seen it plenty of times when she had to notify next of kin in a murder case she investigated, had seen families crumple when they were given the news about their son or husband or brother or sister. It was devastating.

Losing Jeff to a sick killer? There was no reason for that, no way to explain it. No wonder those families fell apart when their loved ones were inexplicably taken away from them.

As she tensed, Dante stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders and whispered in her ear.

aBreathe. You can get through this.a His touch, the sound of his voice, reminded her to stay in the here and now.

aIam fine.a aYes, you are. Did I mention you look incredibly s.e.xy in black?a She turned to face him. aThatas a totally inappropriate statement for this venue.a A smile tugged at his lips. aItas never inappropriate to tell you youare beautiful. Now relax.a She shook her head, but the rising panic had disappeared.

Probably part of his plan. Shead have to thank him later.

While she visited with those she knew and hung close to the guys, she also surveyed those who wandered in, wondering if Jeffas killer was here. Or maybe head be at the graveside service tomorrow. She planned to attend, not only to pay her respects, but to see who showed up.

aSee anyone who looks out of place?a Roman asked.

She shook her head. aI donat know Jeffas friends, but we should make sure to have the funeral director make us a copy of the guest sign-in list.a Roman nodded. aIall go take care of that now.a aHow are you holding up?a She lifted her head and smiled as Gabe moved in next to her and slid his hand in hers. aIam doing okay. Did I mention that you clean up nice?a Gabe looked so different, and yet not at all out of place in a dark suit, his hair combed back away from his face. She was so used to seeing him in a do-rag and tank top, with worn jeans and boots, his tattoos showing, that she almost couldnat accept him looking like a businessman.

aWhat? I can do suits.a She arched a brow. aYes, you certainly can. You look very handsome.a He leaned in and whispered in her ear. aMakes you want to leave Dante and run off with me on my bike, doesnat it?a His comment caught her by surprise, and she laughed, nearly out loud. aStop it, d.a.m.n you. Iam supposed to be solemn.a aBulls.h.i.+t,a Gabe said as Dante and Roman surrounded her. aJeff wouldnat have wanted our tears. Head have wanted us to laugh and celebrate his life.a aI agree with that,a Dante said. aAnd then head want us to kick the s.h.i.+t out of the son of a b.i.t.c.h who killed him.a Roman nodded. aAnd thatas our job, to make sure we catch the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who did this.a They were right. Jeff wouldnat have wanted them to be down and depressed. aWeall catch him. In the meantime, weall head out tonight and have a drink in Jeffas honor,a she said.

aAnd a roll of the dice at his favorite casino,a Gabe said.

Annaas lips curved. aJeff would have liked that. Iam game.a Despite the night starting out so badly, theyad had a great time at the casino, doing shots and shooting c.r.a.ps. By 2:00 a.m., though, Anna was yawning and barely able to keep her eyes open, so she and Dante left. Roman and Gabe decided to play on.

Normally alert on caffeine and adrenaline, Anna was appalled to realize shead fallen asleep on the way home. Having Dante in her life was making her lazy.

But it was also nice, she realized as she laid her head on his shoulder when they walked to the front door, to have someone to lean on at the end of a really hard day. He opened the front door, flipped on the lights and did the customary search of her house.

She yawned, though she woke herself enough to be alert for anything out of the ordinary. Everything in her house was secure, so she kicked off her shoes and fell onto her back on the center of the bed, letting her eyes drift shut.

aIam too tired to even get undressed.a aSo youare going to sleep like that? In the middle of the bed on top of the covers?a aThinking about it.a aI donat think so.a aIam immobile. Youall have to sleep on the couch.a aWanna bet?a aYeah. How much you got?a He grabbed her feet and started rubbing them, and she moaned.

aThatas not going to get me off this bed. If anything itall ensure Iall fall asleep faster.a Except he moved from her feet to her calves. She felt the press of his body on the bed as he straddled her, his hands sliding under her dress to caress her thighs.

She s.h.i.+vered.

aOh, thatas nice. But Iam still not moving.a He slid his hands higher, found her panties and drew them down her legs. All thoughts of sleep fled as her body came to life in a roar of desire, especially when he pressed a soft kiss to her inner thigh.

aIam pretty sure,a he murmured against her skin, athat I can get you to move.a She shuddered out a sigh. aGive it your best shot.a When he put his mouth on her, her hips shot up and she clenched the blanket, lifting against the heat and wet of his mouth. She could only think of the pleasure he gave her. He was the center of her universe right then.

Yeah, he made her move, all right, made her rock against him until she shattered so fast her head spun.

Then he was above her, his face so d.a.m.n beautiful she had to reach up and touch him, to a.s.sure herself he was real, that she hadnat fallen asleep and dreamed all this.

But when he kissed her, when his lips swept across her mouth and the velvet softness of his tongue rasped against hers, she knew it was real, that he was solid and hard and hot against her.

This was life and she intended to celebrate it tonight. After all the death surrounding her for the past weeks, she wanted nothing more than to feel utterly, completely alive.

Dante lifted her dress over her hips and slid inside her in one smooth movement that made her gasp, made her draw her knees up and plant her feet on the bed so she could rise to meet his thrusts.

They were silent, but they didnat need to speak. Their bodies did all the talking as they moved in unison, both of them knowing exactly what to do, what to say to each other. It was as if theyad been doing this forever, not as if this was only the second time theyad made love.

And when he gripped her hips and drove deep, she felt the hot stirrings of o.r.g.a.s.m once again and raked her nails down his arms, demanding he give her that release.

He stilled, smiled down at her and then lowered his body on hers, kissing her with an intensity that brought the climax she sought. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and rolled through the o.r.g.a.s.m, felt his body tighten and held him as he came, this time not afraid of the intimacy. Instead, she needed it, needed to feel close to him, to feel him shuddering against her as she did against him.

He stayed on top of her, his face buried in her neck as they breathed together. It was almost as if there was something he wanted to say, but hesitated.

She wondered what it was, because he rolled to his side and pulled her with him. She listened to the sound of his heartbeat, content to just be with him.

aI like being with you, Anna.a Somehow she didnat think thatas what head wanted to say.

She wondered what he really had on his mind.

Dante had lived a solitary existence for so many years that getting close to Anna had come as a shock.

Oh, sure, theyad been in love before, but that had been teenage love. And h.e.l.l, what had he known about it back then? Head had no example to learn from. He sure hadnat had much love and affection as a kid, no great parental guide of a loving couple to emulate. His time with George and Ellen had been short. Head grasped the concept of a loving family, but they hadnat been his from the start. He hadnat trusted in the permanence of it. And then head had to leave.

Life in the army and in Special Ops was all about working on his own. He hadnat put down roots, hadnat had time or opportunity to fall in love. His thoughts over the years had always come back to Anna, had always centered on her. He figured it had to do with the trauma shead gone through and how guilty he felt over leaving her after that night. He never thought it had to do with love. He didnat know love.

Now he wasnat so sure. Yeah, he felt protective, especially with a killer out there targeting all of them. She was vulnerable and he needed to make sure nothing happened to her.

But what would happen after the killer was caught? And what about now?

Making love to her was different than being with other women. He couldnat explain why. It was justadifferent.

G.o.d knows she wasnat easy. She was one of the hardest women he knew. She had issues. Lots of them.

So why, lying next to her like this, did it feel so d.a.m.n right?

And what the h.e.l.l was he going to do about it?

Eighteen.

aAha,a Anna said a couple days later as she reviewed the tox-screen reports on George and Jeff. aFirst, the packets found on George and Jeff were cocaine, which wasnat found in either of their systems.a aNo surprise there,a Dante said.

aAgreed,a she said. aBut the b.a.s.t.a.r.d did drug Jeff. Tox screen verified he had a high enough dose of morphine to knock him out fast.a She handed a copy of the report to Dante, who nodded. aHead have been unconscious in under a minute.a aYeah,a Roman said. aA lower dose and you party. A high one like the amount found in Jeff and you pa.s.s out fast.a Anna studied the report. aEasy enough to get if you know a dealer, or you can get some from a friend. But getting some from a friend usually means pills. This was injectible, not party. The M.E. found a puncture wound on Jeffas upper arm. Someone would have to know just how much to give him to render him unconscious so he could transport him to the alley and finish the job.a Dante grimaced. aSo he finished him off while he was out cold? Pansy-a.s.sed f.u.c.ker.a aIt looks that way,a Roman said. aIad like to get my hands on the son of a b.i.t.c.h, give him a taste of his own medicine.a Anna nodded. aMe, too. Who would do this? And what reward is he getting out of beating an unconscious man to death? Thereas no fight in him. It doesnat make sense. I donat understand his motivation.a aI donat think the killer has a motivation, or gets any pleasure from killing,a Dante said. aHe just wanted Jeff dead.a Anna closed her eyes for a brief second, mourning Jeff all over again.

aAt least now we have something. He used morphine in injectible form. We have a way of tracking him.a Roman stood. aIall do the legwork on that. Maybe my informants can tell me whoas out there selling it. Iall see if I can pull in some favors from some dealers and identify the guy who bought the s.h.i.+t.a Anna nodded. aMy guess is itas not someone buying in volume for resale. Probably a quant.i.ty larger than individual use, but smaller than a dealer would want. He doesnat need a lot of it. We also need to check local hospitals and see if thereave been any thefts of injectible morphine. It might not be a street thing.a aIam on it,a Roman said. aAlso, our guy Sam isnat squeaky-clean. Heas been arrested a couple times. Once for petty theft when he was eighteen. Another time a couple years ago for possession of marijuana.a aInteresting.a aProbation both times. Heas never done any time.a aSee, this is what happens when youare rich,a Dante said, focusing on Anna. aRemember what I told you at the Maclin house?a Anna nodded.

aWhat?a Roman asked.

Dante looked around. The precinct was busy today, but the other detectives were on the phone or buzzing around the squad room. aTrying to get her to give up the guilt about Tony Maclin. I told her if head have lived he might have walked.a Roman nodded. aLikely. Money buys good lawyers and a lot of freedom, unfortunately. Thatas why our boy Sam was sprung right after he called his lawyer.a She shrugged. aWe didnat have anything to hold him anyway.a aWe need to keep our eye on him. And on the alley,a Dante said. aTwo dead is enough.a aThe alley is under surveillance,a Anna said. aWeave installed surveillance equipment, plus have extra security driving through there on the hour, twenty-four hours a day. Our killer is going to have a hard time bringing anyone else there.a At least they had that much. Now they had to zero in on him and find him.

She took the report they got from Was.h.i.+ngton University and studied it. There were eight names on there that had gone to Tonyas school within the appropriate time frame.

Dante looked over her shoulder. aNow we need to narrow down that list and figure out which one of them could have been dealing drugs back then.a aI donat think weare going to get Samas cooperation.a Dante snorted. aNot likely. But I know someone who can help.a She tilted her head back to look at him. aWho?a aGabe.a aI donat see how Gabe can help.a Anna stood in the kitchen that night making a salad. Dante made up hamburger patties while they waited for Gabe to show up.

aGabe has connections we donat,a he said.

She laid the knife down on the cutting board and leaned her hip against the counter. aI thought you had all the connections I didnat have.a aGabe has all the illegal ones.a aAh. And you think he might be able to figure out what names on that list of medical students were involved with drug dealing?a Dante shrugged. aItas worth a try.a aYou also realize if Gabeas deeply tied to the mob itas likely he wonat tell you.a aMaybe he wonat. But when it comes to protecting the people he considers his family, he might throw us a bone.a She took the knife up again and started cutting. aAnd he might decide saving his own skin is worth more than family. Paolo Bertucci isnat someone you mess with. He has powerful connections.a aThen weall see how deep the brotherly bonds really go.a aI guess.a Dante knew Anna didnat understand the kind of ties head forged with his brothers all those years ago in the foster home. But it had gone deep, at least for Gabe and him, and head like to think for the other guys, too. He wished head stayed in touch with all of them, but especially Gabe.

He wondered if it wouldave made a difference in the life Gabe had chosen for himself.

He didnat fool himself into thinking he had that kind of influence on the choices people made or the roads they traveled. Gabe was who he was because head chosen it and was content. Nothing Dante did, whether head stayed in town or left, would have made any difference in Gabeas life.

The doorbell rang. aIall get it,a Dante said, ever mindful of the killer on the loose. One hand on the gun tucked into his pants, he looked out the peephole and saw Gabe. He opened the door and Gabe grinned back at him.

aChecking me out?a Gabe asked.

aYou know it.a aThen you should know Iam heavily armed,a Gabe said, sauntering in wearing loose-fitting dark cargos and a black sleeveless top, his hair covered up by an old, worn-backward St. Louis Cardinals ball cap. Even Dante had to admit the guy put out the vibes of a total bada.s.s. He was well muscled and looked like someone you didnat want to f.u.c.k with.