Page 94 of Trap ’N’ Trace

More than you’ll ever know. His throat clogged with so much emotion and regret he had to look away. Anywhere but at the heartache written all over her face. And as for this being easy on him, walking away from her would be the hardest thing he’d ever do in his life.

Her lips quivered until she pressed them together. “If that’s the way you feel then get out!” She pointed to the door.

A surge of protectiveness so fierce and ingrained soared to the surface. “Not happening.” Not with a killer out there. Their future wasn’t together, but he damn well intended to make sure she had one.

“This is my house and I don’t want you here.” Tears spilled freely down her cheeks, each one like acid burning through his heart.

“You may not want me here, but you need me. In case you’ve forgotten, someone may be trying to kill you.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I’ll hire more security to take your place. I’ll hire an army if I have to. Just get out. Please, Dayne,” she implored on a choked sob. “Go. I can’t take this anymore. It hurts too much.”

Jesus. He didn’t think there was anything she could have said that would convince him to leave her. That did. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. But he wouldn’t leave her alone, either. “I’ll make arrangements for Kade or another FBI agent to take my place tonight.”

Somehow, and against every instinct and fiber of his being, he forced his legs to move. Numbly, he went to his room and packed his and Remy’s things. His only recourse was to do everything in his power to catch this guy before he got to her.

When he returned to the foyer, Kat was nowhere in sight. Before opening the front door, he stared at the spot on the floor where she’d been standing.

Sure enough, she’d eviscerated him. Left his guts in a bloody heap on her pricy Italian marble floor. He didn’t know how his heart was beating, not when it was shattering.

It was his own damn fault. He’d gone and fallen in love with the last woman he should want. And could never have.

…

Kat lost track of how long she cried. Hours probably. The pillowcase was damp beneath her cheek, as was the wad of tissues clutched in her hand. The early evening sky outside her window had turned gray and dreary.

True to his word, Dayne had arranged for another agent to stay at the castle in his place. Special Agent Beth Shanahan. The woman seemed pleasant and capable enough, but it wasn’t the same. She wasn’t Dayne.

“Oh, Angus,” she said to the puppy. After Dayne had left with Remy, Angus had cried nonstop for twenty minutes. Only after she’d tucked him to her side did he settle down. “He should have given us a chance. How could he do this?”

Angus didn’t answer, just watched her from soulful puppy eyes.

Her belly shook with renewed sobs. The ache in her heart was so deep and raw. She hadn’t known she could hurt this badly. Was this what love did to a person? If so, the pain was too great to bear.

She gripped the sheet tighter. It felt like she was dying inside. Maybe she would be better off settling for a good match, instead of holding out for true love. That way she could never be hurt this badly again.

She hadn’t expected to fall in love, hadn’t been prepared for it. But he was gone, and she had to accept it. People she loved—her parents—had left her before, and she’d survived. Somehow. She’d busy herself with work, maybe go into the city more often. Perhaps get back into the nightlife scene.

Her stomach roiled at the thought. That kind of life hadn’t been for her before Dayne, and it wasn’t now. She’d only be fooling herself. Trying to become something she wasn’t so she could forget him.

“I can’t forget him, Angus.” The puppy snuggled closer and licked her nose. It didn’t matter that she’d only known him a fraction of the time she’d known all her other friends, because she knew him, and they were connected in a way she hadn’t known existed. She was completely in love with him and without reservation. Nothing would ever change that.

Isolation and gut-wrenching grief washed over her in painful waves, and her body quaked with renewed sobs.

All her money and the power that came with it… She’d told Dayne the absolute truth. None of it mattered. The one thing she wanted in the entire world—she couldn’t have.

Him.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“It’s deer blood. I swear it.” Daniel Fitzgerald pointed to the knife Dayne found in a camouflage backpack in the trunk of Fitzgerald’s gray Nissan sedan. The blade was caked with dried blood.

He held the end of the knife handle with a rag. According to the ME’s report, it was the right size and type. Smooth edged and about five inches long.

Fitzgerald pulled his cell phone from his pocket and began pecking away. “I have pictures of the deer I killed back in December. See?” He handed Paulson the phone.

Dayne eyed Fitzgerald cautiously. With Kat’s life still on the line he wasn’t taking any chances.

Before driving away from the castle hours earlier, he and Remy had parked by the gate, waiting for his replacement. After that, he couldn’t just sit there on his ass doing nothing, so he’d hooked up with Paulson to assist with interviewing owners of the last two gray sedans on the list.