Page 31 of Cops and Robbers

She swallowed, and her teeth clamped together, biting hard to keep the pain in her chest at bay. What happened? Did he already regret what they’d done? She tried not to read into anything. He just said he needed a moment, but the truth was…they had mind-blowing sex, and then he just left her.

Moving to her side, she curled herself into a ball, feelings of abandonment wrapping her in a dark blanket. She thought he accepted her despite her immature behavior and thieving hands, but no one ever wanted her.

The sound of pelting water from a shower carried through the cabin. Probably washing the criminal off him. She flinched.

Her eyes burned, and she stared up at the picture of the dark-hooded figure on the wall. Naomi. She was the only person in Kate’s life who hadn’t abandoned her. But then Kate had been the one to leave her. A sobbing breath hitched in her throat, and she stood, furiously wiping hot tears from her face.

She had shit to do.

Sleeping with a fed and feeling sorry for herself wasn’t one of them. A man wasn’t going to come between her and saving Naomi.

Pulling her onesie back into place, she ripped the zipper up, pinching the skin of her neck. It was a dull ache compared to the throbbing from where Raz had bitten her. Probably some dragon kink. One she had enjoyed. She rolled her freshly burning eyes and strode to his desk, then opened each drawer, searching for something. Anything. The glint of metal caught her attention. Keys.

The two identical-looking old keys jangled as she lifted them, the Dodge emblem twinkling on the leather key chain. The key grooves dug into her palm from her clenched fist as she rushed to the garage, where her chariot awaited.

Tears blurring her vision, she tried the key in the door of the black antique Charger. They glided in, and with a flick of her wrist, she unlocked the door. The black leather seat dwarfed her form as she jumped in. She took a deep breath, pine and leather filling her nose. She familiarized herself with the car. Stick shift. Garage button on the visor. Lights. Old gauges. Pushing down the clutch, she put the keys into the ignition, hoping the antique would start.

“Come on, baby.” She rested her forehead against the steering wheel. A stray tear dripped, wetting the large center hub of the wheel. “I know he probably takes care of you.”

She pressed the garage button and turned the key. The car roared to life. She slid the stick into reverse, right and down. Lifting her head, she watched the exit lift in the rearview mirror. The side door to the garage banged open.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Raz yelled, face a blur of fury.

She slammed on the gas and dropped the clutch.

Tires squealed; the smell of burned rubber filled the air. As the car caught traction, it shot back into the gravel. Giving the wheel a twist, she whipped the vehicle around, nearly colliding with a pine tree. In first gear, she peeled away into the darkness, sending dust up behind her.

She didn’t look back.

Raz slammed his fist against his squad car’s steering wheel for the third time. I fucked that up so badly. He’d lost Kate, so he was heading to the house where he’d found her to explain himself, making multiple phone calls along the way.

The sex had been astounding. Monumental. But his powerful orgasm hadn’t blocked out the sensation of his spirit energy trying to reach out and grab Kate’s. He’d been so far in denial that he hadn’t realized his dragon had wanted to Mark her with his spirit energy so that other dragons would know she was dragon-trusted and, most importantly, his. When Daxton had explained the link between him and his soulmate, he’d left out how devastatingly demanding the need to link was.

When his dragon side had ripped through him when he came, sheer panic had been the only thing that had kept him from Marking her, creating an ache in his head and a raw throat. Because she’s…

She’s my soulmate.

Fuck. How did this happen? The Bubblegum Bandit, of all people. A beacon of excitement and drama to some people, but hope and life to him. He didn’t know what to think when Daxton had described his soul reaching for Izzy to connect them, but that’s exactly how it had felt. As much as Raz was more than willing to give her his body at that moment, he’d panicked at the idea of giving her a piece of his soul. He didn’t really know who she was. She didn’t know who he was either. And what if she was Midnight? What if she were a danger to his team? Marking her had felt like a giant leap into an abyss he wasn’t prepared for.

Putting distance between them was the only way he could attempt to rein in his dragon, raging to Mark her. A huge part of him was throwing up caution signs, but instinctively he knew Marking her…being with her was inevitable. Daxton and Izzy didn’t have it easy when they first got together either. And just like Daxton warned him, he didn’t want to fight his instincts. He wanted to believe that in some way he was meant to be with Kate. Because his life as a Rogue had been a string of loneliness and one-night stands. Raz could finally be with someone. He just needed to talk to her about what that meant first and figure out how to proceed. He’d still been battling for control when he’d heard the car start. If someone had left him as swiftly as he had left her after sex like that…

He slammed his hand against the wheel again, stomach dropping.

A chiming sound rang in his car, Regan calling him back. He ran his fingers through his still wet hair, attempting to tame himself.

“Detective Raz Malone,” he answered habitually.

“We got the warrant for the Smithsonian’s director. We’re heading to her residence later this afternoon. You sure you didn’t want to come?”

That was quick. He’d called her only an hour earlier to explain what Kate had shared with him about the trackers. “I’ve got too much on my plate right now. Let me know if you find the Hope Diamond necklace.”

“Will do.” Shuffling crossed the line, and she spoke to someone else about their timing before returning to the phone. “Who’s this lead you ran across?”

“I can’t tell you yet. I’m trying to track them down now. I’ll call you with any updates.”

“If this is insurance fraud and we make the arrest, it’ll alert the others,” she said.

“I know. But if there are trackers on the other items as well—“