Page 28 of The Sinners Touch

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“He forgot,” Bailey crowed.

“He forgot?” Jeremy eyeballed Kade with disbelief. “How in the hell do you forget you’re married?”

“It’s complicated and nobody’s damn business.” He directed this at Bailey, who only grinned wider. “I’d appreciate some discretion. What do you think our unsub would do if he found out he was targeting the wife of one of the lead investigators? What would he put her through if he discovered how personal this case just became?”

“Kincaid’s right.” Jeremy rolled his head from side to side to relieve some of the aching muscles. “This sicko? He’s impersonal in his choice of victims. That’s evident from the lack of pattern. Give him a reason to make it personal, and we get all kinds of new depravity. He’s the type to torment Kincaid for the rest of his life with all the brutal things he did. And knowing Kincaid, it would eat him alive.”

“Profiling me now?” he spat out, even though he knew every word Jeremy spoke was true.

“I profiled every person I worked with the first week I was there. You were a little harder than the rest, but now, with this new information, it all clicks into place.”

There was no arrogance, maliciousness, or mirth in the statement, only honesty, but it still rankled. He didn’t like anyone profiling him. He didn’t want anyone to see past the façade he put up. There was a darkness underneath that no one needed to see.

“Is there anything left here we need to see?” Kade turned the conversation back to the case. He’d rather keep his private life private and their concentration on catching this unsub before he had a chance to get near Angel.

Bailey shook his head, and Kade turned on his heel, stalking back to his SUV. He left the two of them to follow him. Hopefully, a preliminary forensics report would be waiting on them at the station by the time they got back. They would havegone over the asphalt and what they could see from the inside of the car. The actual search of the vehicle would take place at the BPD garage. That would take some time, and he and Bailey had a lot of work to do in the meantime. They needed to speak with the parents of the woman discovered last night and would need to go interview the parents of the new victim just abducted.

He hated talking to victims’ families. It was hard, but it was the job. His father once told him to never ask someone to do what you weren’t willing to do yourself. Kade applied this to everything in his life, especially tough situations like these.

He would look them in the eye and promise to bring their daughter’s murderer to justice.

And he would.

Even if it was the last thing he did.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The place was quiet, a slow, grinding melody playing so low it was hard to make out the words. It wasn’t a song he recognized, but he found it enjoyable. The interior of the bar was just as soothing. The smell of the deep mahogany wood swirled around him. The people who worked here cared enough about the place to even baby the woodwork. Clean and welcoming. That was his first impression of O’Grady’s. He was pleasantly surprised, to be honest. Most bars were smoky and dirty. At least the ones he frequented.

He wandered over to the L-shaped bar and took a seat, his eyes drawn to the well-lit back bar. It highlighted all the best liquors the establishment served. Not that he was here for a drink. He needed to do some recon and test out his new look. Thanks to some bleach and a pair of scissors, he sported short blond hair and eyebrows. So pale a blond, his hair looked almost platinum or silver. The contacts changed his eyes from blue to brown. But it was the fresh cuts that truly changed his appearance.

“Hello, handsome.”

The bartender who set a small napkin down in front of him was neither of the two women from the night before. This onewas tall, her light caramel skin making her baby blues seem all the brighter. Pretty. Had he not already decided on the redhead, this one would have suited him beautifully. She still might if his angel proved to be as elusive as he expected.

He grinned lazily at her, but the effect was ruined when he grimaced, the pain in his wounds stinging.

“You look like you ended up on the wrong side of knife fight.” The cute bartender winked at him, not trying to conceal her curiosity in the least.

“More like the wrong side of a knitting needle.” He reached up and felt the long, jagged gash that ran from his eye down. “My grandmother has Alzheimer’s and didn’t recognize me. She was afraid, thinking a stranger had broken in on her, and I ended up taking a few hits so I wouldn’t hurt her while we got her calmed down.”

“You poor thing.” The bartender clucked, all sympathetic. “What’ll you have? It’s on the house.”

“Scotch, please. I’m surprised the place is open this early. It’s only ten.”

“The owner loves to steal as much business as he can, so he serves a breakfast menu as well as lunch and dinner. Pops is a character.”

“Pops?”

“He’s old enough to be everybody’s grandfather. We all call him Pops. He takes care of us in his own way too. Great guy.”

“He sounds it. I’m Josh.” He stuck his hand out when she placed his drink in front of him. “And you are?”

“Ellen.” A bright spot of color bloomed on her cheeks as she shook his hand. She bit her lip slightly, and he had to remind himself to be patient. This beauty was off limits unless it took him longer than expected to retrieve his angel.

“What’s to eat around here?” He gave her a half smile, and sure enough, she rewarded him with another one of thoseintoxicating blushes. Her skin flushed a bright red, exactly as it would under scalding hot water. She turned, offering him a gorgeous view of her backside. Long, beautiful spine, shapely hips, and an ass that begged to be touched. He blinked. No. Now was not the time to get sidetracked. He was here for a purpose.

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