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Standing beside the turd mobile, waiting for Slade to finish the call with Detective Gray, I leaned against the hot metal and pulled out my phone. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I scrolled through the few texts Rain sent to the group thread while out shopping to replace her ruined clothes and pick up some basic necessities.

“She’s busy today, but her partner volunteered to help. She’ll meet us there.” I turned, phone still in hand, as I listened to Slade while responding to Rain. “Shoot me the address and I’ll get it to her. I think you’re right, having a female present is a solid idea.”

“You sound surprised,” I huffed as I climbed into the passenger seat while forwarding the text from Charlie to Slade. “I have all the great ideas.” A slow, mischievous grin spread across my face. “You seemed to agree when you watched last night.”

“Fucking hell,” Slade muttered. After forwarding my text to the detective’s partner, he steered the turd mobile out onto the street. “Let’s not talk about that right now.”

I held up both hands in surrender.

Barely two minutes had passed in silence when he tossed up his hand in frustration. “Fuck, fine. Yes, I liked it, okay?” He blew out a breath and rubbed a hand along his jaw. “And I’m not going to lie. How she described her parents’ relationship this morning… it’s intriguing.”

“Why is that?” I was almost certain I knew the answer, but he needed to realize it, too, if the three of us had a chance of working.

“I’ve already failed at threemarriages. And I know for a fact that I was the reason none of them worked out. I’m terrible at communicating and being there emotionally, which both apparently make up a big chunk of healthy relationships.” He shifted his bulk in the seat, changing hands on the steering wheel like he was uncomfortable with admitting all this out loud. “It could be nice to not carry the full weight of the relationship on my shoulders.” He cut me a pointed scowl. “I still don’t want to touch your dick.”

My laugh rumbled through the car. “And I still don’t want you touching it. Just stating that again, for the record, so there’s no gray area in that regard.”

“Let’s just see how it goes. I don’t want to push her into anything.”

I arched a single brow at his oblivious ass. “Yeah, pretty sure she’ll pushyouonce she knows for sure you’re open to the three of us.”

“I still don’t deserve someone like her. She’ll figure that out pretty quick.”

And there it was. The dip in his tone spoke to how the idea of having Rain and then losing her was his deepest fear.

“What if she realizes that this, the three of us, is what she needs? Or if she sees all these hang-ups you think you have and doesn’t give two shits? Rain knows your age, knows you’ve been married, and hell, she knows you can’t move without complaining—”

“Are you going somewhere with this?”

“I wasn’t finished, asshole. She sees all of that and still lights up when you enter the room. She called you last night when she was afraid and needed someone. Rain calledyou. Not me. You’re the one she knows will run through a brick wall to keep her safe. Sure, I might understand her a little more emotionally, but she sees you as her protector. Everything you’re concerned about, she already knows, and she still sees you as the man who can make everything right again.”

He said nothing for the rest of the drive, which was fine. He needed to realize soon that it wasn’t just him infatuated with Rain. She felt the same. It was on her face any time he was in the room, and then the way she fell apart last night with him watching confirmed it all. My cock shifted at the memory of her tightening around me, her cries ringing in my ear.

“Looks like the partner beat us here,” Slade mumbled, pointing at a dark blue sedan parked along the curb. A woman with short brown hair leaned against the car, turning our way as Slade pulled in behind her.

Out on the sidewalk, I adjusted my sidearm to a more comfortable position on my hip and moved in unison with Slade toward the waiting detective.

“Detective Savage?” She dipped her chin at Slade and shoved off her car, hands firmly in the pockets of her blazer. “I’ve seen you around, but we haven’t formally met.” He motioned to himself, then me. “Detective Taylor and Special Agent Bend with the FBI.”

Her dark eyes cut over and drilled into me. I stilled, sensing any sudden moves would be a terrible decision. Instead of small talk, she went straight into the reason for the meetup.

“Jen gave me the rundown on why you wanted a female present. It’s best if I approach her first, address why we’re here, and make sure she’s comfortable with you two entering her space.” I arched a brow, truly impressed with the idea, which she must have caught. “I worked the sex crimes division in LA before moving here.”

“It’s a smart approach. Let’s do it the way you suggested. Detective Taylor and I don’t want to make this uncomfortable for them. But I want to warn you to be alert. One of these women might be our unsub.”

She rolled her shoulders and shot me a scathing glare. “I will not let you walk in there and accuse them of—”

I tossed up both hands, palms out. “I’m telling you this for your safety. If things feel off, then you get out of there. These women have been through enough already. I swear we’ll treat them with the utmost respect.”

“Good, because I doubt they got that the first time around,” she spat, still clearly furious. “Follow me and wait down the hall. Once I get her permission for you to enter, I’ll wave you two inside.”

No one spoke as we were buzzed through the metal security gate and made our way through the complex. All the doors faced a small courtyard of sorts filled with colorful flowers and neatly trimmed bushes. The complex appeared well-kept and safe. Behind my dark lenses, I searched the roofline for cameras. If she was our unsub, then video of her coming and going during the times of the murders would be huge. Or it could give her an alibi without us even having to ask if it wasn’t her.

Detective Savage held up a hand in a silent command for us to wait and then ascended the flight of metal stairs toward the second level. Her quiet knock resonated in the silent courtyard, followed by a murmured voice.

“I don’t think she likes us,” Slade said offhandedly.

“After seeing everything she has, and no doubt the injustice that comes with these types of crimes, I’m not sure I’d like anyone of our gender either.” Adjusting my stance, I eased a little more into the shade and slipped my sunglasses off. “One thing I learned from my sisters is we, males in general, have no idea how exhausting it is to constantly be on alert like women have to be these days. We walk into a bar and look for an empty stool or our friends. They walk in, assess the crowd, and immediately pick out the threats and saviors.”

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