Thatas when she heard the whimper and hurried to follow the sound.

It was Rusty lying next to her father. He hadnat barked, hadnat moved, because he was protecting her dad.

No.

Her dad was at the back of the yard near the bushes. She dropped to her knees, saw the blood everywhere.

Tears p.r.i.c.ked her eyes. aDad.a He was unconscious, blood all over his face and body. His s.h.i.+rt had been ripped open and half a heart had been carved into his chest. The killer hadnat been able to finish. Something had stopped him. She laid two fingers on the side of her fatheras neck, fervently praying.

She couldnat find it, searched again. There! Faint, but it was a pulse.

aDad. Daddy, itas me, Anna. Can you hear me?a He didnat respond.

She heard Dante on the phone. She a.s.sumed he was calling for an ambulance and for police units, but it was all white noise to her.

aAnna, Iam going to check the area.a She nodded and leaned over her father again.

He didnat respond and she wanted to curl up next to him right there on the ground and offer him comfort. She swept her hand over his hair. aStay with me, Daddy. Help is on the way.a She picked up her fatheras hand and held ita"along with her breatha"until she heard the wail of the ambulance and saw the lights out front. Dante came back, too.

aFront door wasnat messed with, but back slider was. Uniforms are here, too, doing a canva.s.s of the area. More black-and-whites are on the way, and Iave called Roman.a Anna wasnat really listening, at this point didnat give a s.h.i.+t about the suspect. All she cared about was her father making it out of this alive, and surviving the attack.

Dante dropped to the ground and checked her dadas vitals, then s.h.i.+fted his gaze to hers. aHeas still here, Anna.a aI know. Heas going to make it. He has to.a The EMTs arrived a few minutes later and started working on her dad, and Anna got out of their way. Shead been to enough crime scenes during her tenure with the force to decipher their language. It wasnat good. His blood pressure was dangerously low, he was in shock and head lost a lot of blood. They put him in the ambulance and headed off.

aGo,a Dante said. aIall wait for Roman to show up. You keep watch over your dad.a She nodded.

aAnna.a She stopped.

aI know heas your father and you have every kind of emotion tied up in this. But keep your eyes open at the hospital. If your dad saw this guy, the killer knows it and he may be on the lookout to finish the job he started. Iall make sure they send a uniform to watch over him, too.a She nodded and hurried off to her car so she could follow the ambulance to the hospital.

She wasnat leaving her fatheras side. Not until he woke up.

And he would wake up.

He had to.

Dante paced the back porch, Rusty at his side. He curled his fingers in the dogas fur. A perfect witness. He was sure the dog had seen everything.

aWish you could tell us who did this, Rusty.a Because so far no one else could. Annaas father had been found in the backyard, but the yard was surrounded by a fence and tall trees, obscuring the vision of his neighbors on either side. Dante had gone to talk to both. One had been inside watching television and hadnat heard or seen anything. The ones on the other side werenat home, and there was a park behind his house. Uniforms were canva.s.sing the rest of the neighborhood, but so far had come up with nothing.

How had this night gotten so f.u.c.ked up? He dragged his fingers through his hair and wished he could be at the hospital right now with Anna. No matter how many times he lifted his phone out of his pocket, the display was empty of messages from her. Nevertheless, he pulled it out again.

And again, nothing. Did that mean she had nothing to tell him, or was she in a corner somewhere having a panic attack?

He had to get to her.

But he also wanted this crime scene to yield something. Not only had Roman showed up, so had Pohanski, once head heard it was Annaas father whoad been the victim of the latest attack.

Pohanski supervised the crime scene himself, breathing down everyoneas neck to make sure not a single thing was missed. Then he pulled Dante and Roman aside as the CSU team made their sweep.

aWhat the living f.u.c.k is going on here?a he asked.

Dante filled him in on what theyad found at Frank Pallinoas house.

aSo someone broke into his house, beat up Frank and started to cut him, but something stopped him.a aYeah, it looks that way,a Dante said. aMaybe a noise, or maybe it was Frankas dog, or it could have been Anna and me showing up. Thereas no way to tell what it was that sent him running out of here before he finished the job.a aHe also changed the venue. Not the alley this time,a Pohanski said.

aI donat think he could have gotten Frank to the alley where the first two murders occurred, since weave had it under surveillance,a Roman said. aWeave beefed up security there, with cameras, lights and patrol units putting in twenty-four-hour rotation.a aWell, that worked, but it didnat help Frank any.a Pohanski shook his head. aThis is a nightmare.a Dante couldnat disagree.

aWhy Annaas father?a Pohanski asked.

Roman looked to Dante, who took point on this one. Good thing he was such a master at lying. aIt has to be about Anna. The flowers, the notes, people she knows and is close to. Now her father.a aShe wasnat close to or related to George Clemons.a aNo, but we all were,a Roman said. aAnd that got Anna involved with the case.a Pohanski nodded.

aAnd then the notes and flowers started. He was trying to get her attention. Now her father. My guess is heas either targeting Anna, or by killing her father the suspect wants her distracted, her attention diverted from the case.a aHeas going to get his wish,a Pohanski said. aWith her father in the hospital thereas no way sheas going to be able to put a hundred-percent focus on working the case.a Thatas what Dante was afraid head do. aYou pull her off this case itall kill her.a Pohanski leveled his gaze on Dante. aBetter than the suspect doing it. Tell her to spend time with her dad. She doesnat like it she can come see me. Right now sheas on leave.a f.u.c.k. Dante didnat want to be the one to deliver that news. aIam heading to the hospital. You keep me informed if you find anything?a Pohanski waved him off. Dante was torn between wanting to be on the crime scene every second and going over the area with a magnifying gla.s.s with the techs, and needing to be with Anna.

aIall let you know what we find,a Roman said. aYou let me know about Annaas dad.a Dante nodded. aThanks.a He drove to the hospital, found out that Frank had been moved up to the ICU.

At least he was still alive.

But when he walked into the room and saw Frank lying there, Danteas stomach sank.

His face was swollen and bruised and so were his arms. The parts of him that werenat battered were as white as the sheet he lay on. He was hooked up to bags of blood, lines running out of his body, plus a ventilator that looked to be doing the breathing for him.

s.h.i.+t.

Anna sat at his bedside rubbing his arm. She didnat look in any better shape than her father, minus the bruises and wiring.

aHey,a Dante said as he stepped into the room.

Anna lifted her gaze to his. aHey. Whereas Rusty?a aYour dadas next-door neighbora"the one with the black Laba"is taking care of him for now.a She nodded. aGood. Thank you.a Dante stayed in the doorway. aHow is he?a She stood, and they walked outside the curtained room together and down the hall, pressing the b.u.t.ton to leave the ICU.

Only then did Annaas shoulders slump.

aNeed some coffee?a he asked, wrapping his arm around her.

She shook her head. aIam fine.a He didnat take it personally; he understood the trauma and anger. aHowas your dad?a aItas not good. Ma.s.sive internal bleeding, broken ribs, damage to his lungs, broken legs. The suspect kicked him in the head, so thereas a brain injury, too.a Dante sucked in a breath and tried to tamp down the fury that welled up inside him.

aHe never woke up. I never got to say anything to him.a Her voice wavered as she lifted tear-filled eyes to him. aThe doctors told me thereas no brain-wave activity. Heas not going to wake up, Dante.a His fury turned to pain that wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed tight. aIam so sorry, Anna.a Despite the wall of brick her body presented, he pulled her into his arms anyway and held her. aWeall make him pay, baby.a She lay against him, unmoving. aI have to disconnect him. His organs are so damaged most of them arenat usable for donation, but they can use bone and tissue. Dad would have wanted that.a He smoothed his hand down her back. aYou ready for that?a She pushed away, her expression so cold it worried him. aItas not like letting him linger is going to bring him back. Head be mad at me if I did that, and Iad only be doing it for me, not for him. Heas gone.a aG.o.d, Anna. Iam sorry.a There was a fire in her eyes as she looked up at him. aSo am I. He didnat deserve this. Itas my fault.a aWhat? How can this be your fault? Itas the killeras fault. Not yours.a aIf Iad caught him, my dad would still be alive and wouldnat have had to endure the beating he got. No one deserves that. George didnat, Jeff didnat, and sure as h.e.l.l my father didnat.a She wasnat thinking rationally. Dante knew it, and yet he wanted to shake some sense into her. aThis isnat your responsibility to bear.a She waved her hand. aWhatever. I need to go sit with him.a aIall go with you.a aNo. I need to be alone with him if you donat mind.a aYou shouldnat be alone, Anna. Not right now.a She pinned him with a hard stare. aLook, Dante, I appreciate you being here for me. But I can handle this. Iam fine.a aYouare not fine.a aDonat think you know whatas best for me. You donat.a She jammed the b.u.t.ton and told the desk nurse her name. The door buzzed and she opened it. aLeave me alone for a while, okay? I need this.a She closed the door behind her and left Dante standing in the hallway by himself.

Head never felt more useless.

Anna held her fatheras hand, letting her fingers linger on his pulse, his life force.

Even though he wasnat really in the sh.e.l.l of his body anymore. Not his brain anyway. Some monster had destroyed him, had taken the laughing, sweet, wonderful man she knew and killed him.

aIam sorry I didnat find the killer in time to save you, Daddy,a she said, squeezing his hand. aIam sorry I failed.a She hated the tears that seemed to be falling endlessly. She grabbed another tissue and wiped them away.

aI know you wouldnat want me to cry. Youad tell me to stay strong, not to grieve and to get my a.s.s back to work.a She rubbed her fingers over his hand. aItall be hard for me to do that, but I will. Iall make him pay for it, Dad.a No response. Logically she knew there wouldnat be one, but she couldnat help but hope for a miracle. A tiny movement of his fingers, a smile, anything that would give her hope that he was still in there, even though the sensible, adult part of her knew all hope was lost.

She shuddered in a breath, pus.h.i.+ng away the child within her that just wanted her daddy to wake up.

aIam going to take care of Rusty for you, so you wonat have to worry about that. Heas going to be my dog. I promise Iall look after him.a Her only link to her father would be that dog. Shead cherish Rusty as if he was her baby.

She rose and climbed onto the bed to lie next to her father. What would it hurt? She couldnat damage him. He was already gone, had a peaceful look on his face despite all the bruising from the beating.

She reached up to touch his face, willing him to open his eyes, to smile at her, to say it was all a joke.

But he didnat move, didnat open his eyes.

aWhat am I going to do without you, Daddy? I already miss you so much. Who am I going to go to for advice when I need it?a The whir and beep of the machines that did his breathing for him reminded her that her father was, in essence, a machine now, kept alive by technology.

Still, he felt warm to her. His body against hers was her last few minutes of comfort, just as head always comforted her with a hug or by sitting next to her whenever she was hurting.

And when the surgical team came in to prepare him for donation, she slid out of bed, kissed her dadas forehead and let them take him away. She sat in the chair in the empty room that felt so much emptier now without his presence.

aI love you, Dad. Say hi to Mom for me.a She bent her chin to her chest and sobbed.

Twenty.

Anna managed to get through her fatheras funeral, through smiling and small talk with all the well-wishers whoad brought food and condolences the days before and after. She was polite, she made conversation, did all the things that would have made her father proud.

The guys were all there with her. Dante, Gabe and Roman stayed by her, bolstered her when she thought she wouldnat be able to do it. Shead tried to shake them off, tried to do this alone, but they refused to let her. She could go it alone if she wanted to, d.a.m.n them all.

She loved them for it, because she wouldnat have been able to get through those grueling days without them.

Rusty had come home with her the day after the funeral, seemingly lost to be at her place instead of her dadas. He looked for her father in every room, and then finally seemed to realize that his master was gone and attached himself to her instead.

Two lost souls without their daddy. Rusty would look up at her with his soulful brown eyes, the saddest look on his face.

Yeah, she understood. That look broke her heart, and as she wandered aimlessly around the house, or did some packing up around her dadas, one thing became cleara"she absolutely had to get back to work.

She thought endlessly of ways to get back on the case so she could find the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who killed her father.

It was the only thing that compelled her to get up in the morning, get in the shower and get through the daya"find the killer.

But Pohanski refused to relent, insisted she needed more time to heal before she came back to the job.

f.u.c.k the healing. She needed to work. Shead heal when they caught the killer.

And she was already tired of babysitters. Roman had come over this morning to have coffee with her. She loved these guys, really she did, but she was tired of them watching over her, staring at her as if they expected her to snap at any moment.

Right now he sat at her kitchen table rolling his coffee cup between his hands, his attempts at small talk woefully pathetic. She wanted to talk about the case, about the progress in finding her fatheras killer. They wouldnat tell her anything.

aSo Tess has a new client,a Roman said.

She had to make an attempt to at least act interested. aShe does? Thatas great.a aYeah. First Third Bank, their corporate branch, which means sheas going to be busy for the next few months doing their books.a aI imagine she will be. How are the two of you doing?a He smiled. aPretty good, but you know how that goes. Since this case began Iave hardly had any personal time. And now sheas got this new client. So Iam busy, sheas busy. We donat get to see each other as much as either of us would like.a aYeah, I know how that goes.a Really, she didnat, but she was glad Roman had someone like Tess in his life. aIf you like her, youall make it work.a Then silence. Blissful silence. She glanced down at the display on her cell phone. aYou on duty today?a aHoney, weare all on duty until this killer is caught. Pohanski is on the rampage about it sincea"well, since your dad. Heas got us all working double s.h.i.+fts. I just wanted to stop by to see if youare hanging in.a aIam hanging in just fine, Roman. You really donat need to check up on me.a He slid his hand over hers. aI donat mind checking up on you. I know how hard this has been on you.a It would be a lot less hard if everyone stopped reminding her of it. aIam doing all right. Iave been clearing some of the junk from my dadas house. Figure Iall sell the place at some point.a Rusty came into the kitchen, rounded the table and sat by Anna. She rubbed his ears.

aHowas the dog?a Roman asked.

aHeas okay. Sad. Misses my dad, just like I do. I try to give him extra attention and love.a Roman nodded. aSame thing you need.a She laughed. aIs that why youare here?a His expression went serious. aI care about you. You know that. And a little extra attention is exactly what you need right now. You never look after yourself.a aWhat I really want to do right now is get back on the job.a Roman frowned. aYou sure thatas a good idea so soon?a aI think itas a great idea. Iam going crazy here.a He twined his fingers with hers. aI know you think you are, but it takes time to heal after losing someone.a She almost shot off that he wouldnat know anything about that since head never had any family, but closed her mouth. Was she really that far on the ledge that she would hurt someone she loved? She had to get out of here before she burned bridges permanently. aIt does. I know it does. But you know me, Roman. I donat idle well.a He smiled at that. aNo, you donat. But I worry about you.a aYou all worry too much about me. Iam happiest when Iam working.a And unhappiest when she had to lurk within her own thoughts and dark memories.

Dante stepped out of the bedroom, dragging her away from that darkness.

aHey,a Roman said, standing.

aWhatas up?a Dante asked.

aJust came by to say hi to Anna before I headed off to work.a Roman put his cup in the sink and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

aThanks for coming over. Iam fine, really.a aYou need anything, holler.a aWill do.a She walked Roman to the door and opened it, smiling at him and hoping she could get him out the door.

She didnat understand when his smile died.

aWhat?a She followed his gaze, going cold at the sight of the flowers just outside the door.

aNo.a aAnna, let me take care of this,a Roman said.

Dante came to the door, saw the flowers. af.u.c.k.a He took Annaas arm, but she wrenched it away.

aEnough. Enough of this.a She grabbed the flowers, not caring that she was ungloved, that they hadnat been tested for prints. She walked out to the trash can, opened the lid and dumped them and the card inside, then stalked back into the house.

Dante and Roman walked in after her.

aYou think that was such a good idea?a Roman asked.

She whirled on him. aYou know what? I donat care. I donat want to know what was in the note and I donat give a s.h.i.+t about the flowers. I donat care about fingerprints because I already know he didnat leave any. The son of a b.i.t.c.h killed my father. G.o.ddammit, he killed my father.a She fell onto the couch and lifted her chin, daring either of them with her glare to go out there and retrieve those flowers and the note.

Roman raised his hands. aOkay. I understand.a aIall catch up with you,a Dante said, then showed Roman to the door.

He closed the door and came into the room to sit down with her.

aIam not going out there to get that note,a she said.

aOkay.a Dante went into the kitchen. She followed him.

aYou think I should.a He grabbed a cup of coffee. aI didnat say that.a aBut you think I should.a He took a couple swallows. aI donat think you should do anything youare not comfortable with doing. You can leave the f.u.c.king flowers and the note in the trash if you want. I donat care.a aBut there might be a lead in there.a He didnat say anything.

aHe might have said something in the note that may tell us something.a He still didnat say anything.

aG.o.ddammit.a She went to her kit and grabbed gloves, evidence bags and tweezers, walked outside to the trash and grabbed the note. She bagged the flowers, then brought the note inside and into the kitchen. Danteas expression remained benign.

aWhat does it say?a aHavenat opened it yet. I wanted to get it into the bag first.a She pulled the envelope opena"it was unsealed, like the othersa"so she grabbed the end of the card with the tweezers and lifted it partially out of the envelope.

I did it for you, Anna.