Page 57 of The Sinner's Touch

He would need to open his arsenal, his special blends that guaranteed success.

There was no other choice. His hands fisted in his hair, and he pulled, the pain bringing some focus back to his thoughts.

She would leave the apartment eventually. They would think she was safe surrounded by so many.

He would be watching.

He would take her when their guard slipped.

His masterpiece would be completed.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Hi.”

Angel took a deep breath. He reminded her of the boy who’d uttered that one word to her on the beach. The same smile adorned his face, only his eyes weren’t all bright and shiny. They were wary, unsure.

“Hi,” she whispered, grateful for the solid door behind her back.

Kade moved into the kitchen and picked up the same dish towel she’d thrown earlier and used it to get some of the water out of his hair. His shirt was soaked, as were his pants. A twinge of guilt tried to fester, but he’d deserved it. Sleeping when he’d just steamrolled her.

But he hadn’t really slept for days, had he? He’d been up making sure she was safe. Was it so bad that he’d dozed off when he was probably dead tired?

He tossed the towel in the sink and walked toward her, stopping by the couch. “I need to change clothes, but can we talk?”

She chewed on her lip, hesitant. “I thought you wanted to go shopping?”

“We’ll do that eventually, but we need to talk first, Angel. Not just about us, about the unsub.”

“What happened?”

“Let me get a shower and change first.”

She nodded woodenly, her mind running through every conceivable scenario she could think of, thanks to herCriminal Mindsmarathons. So many possibilities. Kade was serious. It had to be bad, whatever it was.

At least it took her mind off her relationship problems and the grief of losing her son. Well, that never really went away, but it numbed it a bit.

Standing here worrying about the serial killer wasn’t doing her a bit of good, though. She needed to call Pops and check to make sure he was good for the next few days. She’d had to call in yesterday because of the package. This was her first weekend off in almost two months, but she’d go in if Pops needed her. Serial killer be damned. A mindless night serving drinks would help settle her nerves down a bit too.

Upstairs, she found her phone plugged into its charger. She could hear the shower, and her eyes flickered to Nikoli’s forbidden closet. Lily’s whispered words mocked her. Like Kade would ever let her tie him up and do whatever she wanted. She could imagine the look on his face if she even suggested it, and the thought made her laugh out loud. He was such a prude.

She powered up her phone and saw several missed text messages and three new emails. She checked the text messages first. All from Jessie, freaking out, wanting to know if she knew anything. She texted her to stay calm and let the police do their work. The girl was a paranoia magnet. Anything could send her spiraling.

Next, she opened her email. A message from her lab partner reminding her that their paper was due for final grade next week, and she needed to get her part done and sent over. That, atleast, she didn’t have to worry about. She’d finished it a few days ago, so it was as easy as booting up her laptop and sending the file over.

The next email made her pause. Its subject line read “Foreplay,” and there were files attached. The thing gave her a hinky feeling, especially since she didn’t recognize the sender. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the email.

Soon, my angel.

It was him. How did he get her email?

What was in the attachments?

Should she look?

Looking would be a bad idea.

But she found herself tapping the first image.

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