Lynch smiled. “Well played. I’ll remember to stay on your good side.”

“You’re already there. Any friend of Kendra’s…”

Lynch grabbed his suitcase and carry-on bag. “Speaking of whom, I think I’m going to go and get her now.”

“Now?”

“You have an objection?”

“It’s almost four in the morning. Didn’t you just tell her to go back to sleep?”

“I did. I just changed my mind. I’m a tad upset. Why should she sleep when I’m not going to be able to do it? I’ll take my bags up to my room, then head over to Kendra’s place.” He gestured up the stairs. “I assume you didn’t take my master bedroom?”

Sam made a face. “Uh, I’ll get my things out of there. You weren’t even supposed to know about it. I meant to be out the instant I heard you were on your way back. It’ll only take a minute.”

He bounded up the stairs.

*   *   *

HER PHONE WAS RINGING, KENDRA realized. She had been lying here in bed, unable to sleep after that upsetting conversation with Lynch. He probably hadn’t meant her to sleep. He had sounded pissed off when she had spoken to him and Sam. Who could blame him? She had violated the one sanctuary he allowed himself without his permission. Hell, she couldn’t please everyone, and keeping Sam safe had been more important than pleasing Lynch.

She snatched the phone from the bedside table and pressed the access.

“I’m downstairs. Buzz me in,” Lynch said. “Now.”

“Why? You told me to go back to bed. Yet here you are in the middle of the night.”

“Buzz me in, Kendra. I’m barely holding on to my control. You don’t want to test it.”

She was tempted to do just that but pressed the button instead. The she jumped out of bed, grabbed her robe, and strode to the front door.

“I know you have reason to be annoyed with me,” she said when she threw open the door. “But I don’t appreciate your growling at me. I’ve had enough trauma for one week.”

“So I’ve heard.” He came into the condo and slammed the door. “But I haven’t had an easy time of it either, so I’m not in a particularly sympathetic mood.”

He jerked her close and kissed her.

Heat. Anger. Sex.

She was too surprised to move.

Then he released her and turned toward the kitchen. “I needed that. Now I’m going to get a cup of coffee. Come on and act the polite hostess and keep me company.”

She hesitated, then trailed behind him because she didn’t know what else to do. Her lips felt warm, tingling, and her breasts were taut and ready. The response had to be because of the shock of that unexpected caress.

No, she was lying to herself. The chemistry between them had always been there, hot and sexual, like a volcanic undercurrent. An undercurrent that Kendra knew should never be acknowledged if she continued to work with Lynch. It would be a distraction. He would be a distraction.

“What kind of coffee do you want?” Lynch called over his shoulder as he put his cup in the automatic coffeemaker.

“I don’t want anything. I’m hoping to go back to bed.”

“That won’t happen right away. Though I’m not going to stay long.” He took his coffee to the table and sat down. “Right now, I need to drink this and have you tell me why you didn’t call and tell me what was going on with you. I didn’t hear anything until I was hopping the plane out of Luxembourg and got through to my contact in Griffin’s office. And that was damn scanty.”

“You were having your own problems. You told me so.” She sat down across from him. “How did the hostage situation turn out?”

“Touchy. Almost lost one.” He shrugged. “But I was able to negotiate my way out with him. I did have to go undercover, as I told you I might. Which is why I didn’t have access to my own phone until I got him out.”

He looked tired, she thought. His eyes were sunken, and his demeanor had that charged restlessness she had noticed was always present when he’d been stretched too far. “I’m sorry. I’m glad that it worked out.”

“So am I.” His lips tightened. “Isn’t it nice I was able to concentrate because I didn’t have to worry about you? I was relieved when I finally got my phone back. I thought for once you’d actually done something I’d asked you to do.”

She frowned. “What?”

“No wonder you’re puzzled. It never happens, does it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I drove up to my house feeling confident, even grateful that you’d be there, safe, in a controlled environment I’d created myself. And, lo and behold, who did I find there but Super Sam, the computer man.” He took a swallow of coffee. “Interesting man but not who I expected. I thought I was coming home to you.”

“I had to find a safe place for him. I left a message for you, but you must have gone undercover already. I meant to call back, but things kept happening.” She shook her head. “But why did you believe I was there?”

“You had the key app on your phone. I received an apps text when you activated it. I thought you were doing what I asked you to do.” His eyes were glittering in his taut face. “What you should have been doing. My God, when Sam told me what you’d been through, I couldn’t believe you were still out here letting Colby take aim at you.”

“I was safe here. I changed all the locks. I’m on the alert. Besides, he doesn’t want me yet.”

“Yeah, Sam said that was the excuse you were using not to stay at my place.”

“It’s got to be over,” she said unevenly. “I can’t take any more. I have to draw him out.”

Lynch muttered a curse. “The hell you do.”

She just looked at him.

“Look, do it some other way. We’ll talk about it, explore the options, set a trap.”

“I’m doing everything I can. I just can’t have him go underground because it’s too difficult.”

“Too difficult to put your severed head on a pole?”

She smiled faintly. “Something like that.”

“Stop smiling. It’s not amusing. I can’t take this, Kendra.”

Her smile vanished. “To hell with you, Lynch. Don’t tell me what you can’t take. Earlier today, I had to see a man who’d been tortured beyond the boundaries of what a person should be able to bear because Colby decided to give his life to me as a gift. I can’t let that happen again.”

He was silent. Then he reached over and covered her hand on the table with his own. “We can’t let it happen again.”

Warmth. Comfort. Understanding.

She could feel her throat tighten. Don’t break down. She had held on tight so far. She couldn’t let go just because Lynch was here, and everything seemed better, safer.

“Hey, easy.” He released her hand and raised his hand to touch her cheek. “We’ll be okay. We can take care of this together. Talk to me. Tell me what’s happened. Tell me what road we’re taking to get this psychopath.”

Persuasive, fascinating, coaxing, the Puppetmaster in full force. Only now she thought she could see something deeper, less complex, more sincere. “I’m sure that Sam told you what was happening.”

“In brief, from his point of view. I want your point of view. I want to watch your face while you tell me.”

“Whatever.” She shrugged. “Not a pretty story.”

She began to speak.

It wasn’t easy, the wounds were too fresh, the memories too horrible. But she got through it without breaking down.

At least she thought she had.

“Ugly.” Lynch’s fingers touched a tear that was running down her cheek. “Very ugly.”

“Yes.” She got up and grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter. “And I can’t let Stokes die for nothing. I have to find a way to keep Colby from abusing anyone like that again.” She dabbed at her cheeks with the tissue. “So there it is. Satisfied?”

“No. I’m not satisfied.” He leaned back in the chair with his legs stretched out before him. “I wasn’t here.”

“You couldn’t have done anything.”

“Wrong. In case you’ve forgotten my reputation, I’m not paid exceptionally well for sitting twiddling my thumbs.” He frowned thoughtfully. “And it seems first on the agenda is locating Colby’s pet computer expert. You say you were going to contact SDPD to help?”