Chapter 25
Dixie
I paced the darkened living room, flying to open the door when Tyler knocked. I closed it behind him then took his hand, placing the key into it. His one. “Put that back on your chain.”
He did, following me into the centre of the space, only the city lights outlining us. My blood rushed, my heart beating too fast.
“I liked watching you work.”
“I liked ye watching me, too.”
I talked with my hands, trying to process my thoughts faster. “Mila was monitoring Convict. The next time you go out with your team, I won’t be able to do that.”
He gazed at me and waited.
“I want to be able to track you.”
Tyler arched an eyebrow. “That can be arranged.”
“Go on then, arrange it.”
The thought of losing him scared the shit out of me. I couldn’t stand it.
He took up his phone and sent a message, returning his attention to me, curiosity and other emotions burning in hiseyes. Yet he gave me space to process everything I was feeling. Feelings I didn’t quite understand.
I pulled out a dining chair and had him sit. “Indulge me a minute. Start over with when you decided to take me. Don’t miss a thing.”
Tyler didn’t question my need for repetition. “From the beginning, then. Ye were always on my mind, from very first sight. But I knew getting involved with anyone was a bad idea. I got used to your being there. When ye were hurt, I nearly lost my mind. I visited the hospital.”
Warmth flooded me. “I had no idea.”
“Because I didn’t want ye to. I checked that ye were sleeping. I just needed to see ye breathe. Then I left for work for weeks on end so I couldn’t obsess.”
I hugged my arms around myself. “How did that work out for you?”
“It didn’t. That obsession only got worse. When ye disappeared, it peaked. I had to get ye back whatever it took, so I put plans in place. Cameras on your flat. A device in Kane’s car to track their hunt. Wait, I missed a detail. I picked up Mila from a meeting with her solicitors. She told me in passing that there was another sibling. I later found out that it was a woman.”
“You didn’t work it out then,” I confirmed.
“No. It was the first hint of a connection, and I’d already suspected you’d attracted the interest of the killer for other reasons than wrong place, wrong time, but those two pieces of information were in my head and separate. Not enough to make the leap.”
“How did you feel when you did?”
He paused. “Electrified.”
Damn, but that was a good word choice. I swallowed a burst of emotion, and Tyler went on.
“Also scared for ye. Once I learned your hidden identity, it was easy to justify to myself that ye needed my help. That laid the groundwork for everything I did next. It was a switch flicked.”
“Tell me your exact thoughts.”
“She needs me. I’m the only person who cares enough to help her.” He scrubbed a hand through his short hair, messing up the whorls. “Was I wrong?”
I didn’t hide the relief. I needed this obsession. To consume his every thought. While he’d been working, all I’d thought about was how capable he was. How badly I wanted that steadiness to be mine. “Keep going. What do you like about me? I mean, give me an aspect. Something specific.”
Tyler drew his gaze down me, taking in every curve, caressing me without a single touch. He lingered on my tits then came back to my eyes, a smile flirting with his lips. “Your attitude.”
I returned the smile. “Brat or bossy bitch?”
