Page 49 of Trap ’N’ Trace

Her friends tried urging her to the casket, but she shook her head, indicating they should go ahead without her. With obvious reluctance, they left her standing in the middle of the room, and that’s when he saw it. The first real break in her armor.

She covered her mouth with her hand, and her body shuddered.

Ah, hell. As a federal agent, he could have stood by and watched her have a meltdown in the middle of a funeral home. But as a man, his heart cracked just a little bit.

“Keep an eye out,” he said to Paulson then wended his way through the crowd. Kat’s eyes were glossy, but her face was dry. Somehow she’d managed to hold back the floodgates.

He leaned in close. “Want me to go up there with you?”

She looked up at him with wounded, soulful eyes. “Would you?” Her tone held notes of disbelief and hope.

He clasped her hand, squeezing it gently. “I would.” Her look of gratitude turned his already mushy heart into a pile of goo.

“Thank you.”

The crowd parted for them as he held her hand all the way to the viewing area. Emily’s brows rose; Kevin and Fiona gave Kat quizzical looks; Francine’s eyes dipped to their joined hands, and he couldn’t be certain but thought he detected a slight nod of approval. Walter looked at him with something a step above outright disapproval.

Francine whispered to Kat, whose eyes widened. He couldn’t make out her response. Whatever it was, Francine gave a little smile and patted Kat’s hand.

For the next ten minutes, he remained dutifully at Kat’s side, speaking briefly with Amy’s family then walking her to the casket. Amy Thorpe appeared to be sleeping, nestled in her final resting place—a bed of soft green velvet. When Kat knelt on the small bench, he held her hand tighter. “Oh, Amy,” Kat whispered. “None of this was supposed to happen. I’m so, so sorry.” She bowed her head for a moment, and when she lifted it, Dayne expected to see tears on her face but there weren’t any. Yet. It was only a matter of time.

When they were out the door, he led her to the SUV where Remy watched them through the window. He searched the street, making sure no one lingered nearby. And no more roses.

After getting in, Kat gave Remy a quick scratch under the chin. Moments later, he was gunning the Interceptor down Kings Highway, taking the quickest route back to the castle.

“What did Francine say to you back there?” he asked.

“It was nothing.” Kat continued staring out the window.

“Liar.” He chuckled.

She shook her head. “It wasn’t important. Really.”

“C’mon, spill it.”

“She said that we made a beautiful couple.”

He nearly drove off the road into a ditch, jerking the wheel in the nick of time. “And what did you say in response?” He held his breath, curious.

“I said ‘thank you.’ I’m sorry, I should have told her the truth—that we’re not. A couple, that is. I just didn’t want to discuss it any further.”

“No problem. I understand.” Not that he’d been harboring thoughts of them as a couple or that he ever would. Knowing what elicited such a stunned response from Kat back at the funeral home…rankled him. Just a little.

He’d become what he wanted to be—an FBI agent—and he was totally content with that. But part of him would always be that little boy who’d grown up in the filth of the streets.

When the light turned green, he stepped on the gas pedal harder than necessary and the SUV shot up Tweed Boulevard.

They stopped briefly at the Haven to collect Angus and for Dayne to confer with the guard outside. Everything had been quiet in their absence.

After rolling through the big gates and pulling up in front of the castle, he hit the door popper, allowing Remy and Angus to leap out. While the dogs played, he spoke with the guards on duty at the castle and received the same “all quiet” report.

“I have work to do,” Kat said then went inside, leaving the door open.

He was about to follow her when Remy uttered a low growl and thrust her nose in the air, staring into the adjacent woods.

“Stay here,” he told the guard coming around the corner, then scooped Angus into his arms and deposited the puppy inside the castle. No sooner did Angus’s feet hit the floor than he tried darting back outside. “Not this time, little guy.” Using his foot, he gently nudged the puppy out of the way as he closed the door.

His K-9 stared at the same location, her nostrils flaring. Remy had scented something, or someone. The wind blew in their direction, which meant his dog could be picking up on any number of things. Given his gut feeling that morning, Dayne wasn’t taking any chances. He grabbed Remy’s tracking leash from the SUV and clipped it onto her collar. “Such.”