The new light of day brought with it uncertainty. She wasn’t ready to face Mark again. She felt too much like a vulnerable, open book. She was afraid she had no ability to control her emotions where he was concerned. Some time away from him would give her a chance to build a defense, to get back to her normal steadfast independence. She’d go to Vegas and look for leads. Decision made, she handled her travel arrangements and packed. Once she was in a cab on her way to the airport, she called Maggie.

No way was she going to tell Mark where she was going. He could hear it through the grapevine.

* * * * *

Mark’s nerves were as sharp as a knife. No matter how he tried to concentrate on other things, Lindsey with Greg popped into his head. Once he had left the bar, he’d paced his bedroom, trying to understand the strange enticement Lindsey held. Finally, around three o’clock that morning he admitted he was falling in love with her.

That admission opened up a whole new can of worms.

Concentration was impossible. It frustrated the hell out of him that a woman, even Lindsey, could impact his work. Hell, he’d even let her create the very work he was trying to get done. He was here at Paxton for Lindsey, and no other reason.

He needed to talk to her, to clear the air, and decide where they stood. He pushed to his feet, and dogmatically walked towards her office. They needed to get some sort of understanding in place. Defining their relationship might allow him to get some work done.

Finding her office dark, he felt an instant of fear. First, that she had been out late with Greg, but then immediately after, that something had happened to her. He knew Lindsey wouldn’t come in late because of Greg. Forcing a slow breath, willing himself to calm, he walked towards Maggie’s desk.

“Maggie, where’s Lindsey?”

Maggie inspected him with a tilt of her head. “My, my, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

Mark took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. “Where’s Lindsey?” he repeated in a steady voice.

“You mean you really don’t know?” she asked cautiously.

Of course he didn’t know or he wouldn’t be asking. Quelling his irritation, he asked, “Know what?”

Maggie spoke slowly, as if she were preparing for the storm ahead. “She headed to Vegas this morning.”

“What?” His eyes went wide, and anger began to take over fear.

Maggie stuck her pencil behind her ear and folded her hands together in front of her. “Yes,” she said with a disapproving tone. “I assumed you approved the trip, though I was a bit nervous about her going alone, this being a murder investigation and all.” Then she let out a short laugh. “Of course, she is in law enforcement. I just can’t stop thinking of her like a little girl.”

Mark couldn’t agree more. “Damn that woman,” he mumbled under his breath as he paced the floor several times, and then stopped in front of Maggie again. “Book me on the next flight out. Get me her hotel information as well.”

Maggie shook her head in approval. “Do you want me to book you a room?”

Mark turned towards his office and spoke over his shoulder. “No, I’ll call on my way to the airport. Just make my flight reservations while I cancel some appointments.”

An hour later, Mark arrived at the airport with a hastily packed bag. Leave it to Lindsey to pull a stunt like this. He wanted to throttle the woman. They were going to have a long talk—that was for sure. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was running from him, not her past. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t about to let her chase after leads alone. Not on a murder case where she fit the victims’ profiles.

* * * * *

By the time Lindsey’s plane screeched to a halt on the Vegas runway, she was feeling downright sick. She loved flying over the Grand Canyon, but had hardly glanced out the window, too absorbed in her own regret.

Mark was going to be pissed, and she couldn’t blame him.

Her stomach felt like it had lead in it, and her emotions were getting the best of her. It would be easy to cry, which was something she rarely did. Plain and simple, she’d come to Vegas without Mark, in an effort to lash out at him. It had been stupid and childish. But now it was done.

After a lot of thinking, she had decided she had overreacted. She trusted Mark. He wasn’t using her, and she kicked herself for letting her father get to her. The night before, being around Greg hadn’t helped. It had given her an overdose of men who wanted to control her. And she had allowed herself to put Mark into that same category.

During the entire flight, she had tried to justify her actions, but it wasn’t possible. As the plane pulled into the terminal, she contemplated calling Mark. Perhaps if she told him she was wrong. No, she dismissed that idea. She couldn’t call. It would be impossible to explain what she was going through over the phone. She could only hope that her actions hadn’t damaged the bond that had started to form between them. She didn’t believe Mark was after her for the firm. There was never any real doubt in her mind about Mark’s motives. If she was honest with herself, she was just looking for an excuse to run from him.

It was going to take time and patience for her to be fully comfortable in a relationship with Mark. And she wondered if he had the patience to deal with her internal battles. Maybe she’d already pushed him away. Not that there was much hope of a long-term relationship between them. There were just too many obstacles, like her life in Washington. Still, Mark made her want more than a passing fling, and that scared her to death. She didn’t want to lose who she was as a person. Every relationship she had allowed to be a part of her life had taken a part of her and destroyed it.

An hour later, she entered her hotel room, sank onto the edge of the bed, and reached for her briefcase. No more self-pity allowed. She’d come here for a reason. Finding the number for the local detective in charge of the Nevada killings, she dialed. After a few minutes of conversation, they agreed to meet. Since it was already late, they set up lunch for the next day. She could already tell she wasn’t going to like the man she was meeting. When she’d described herself, he’d made a smart remark about her looking like the victims.

As if it was funny. Looking like a serial killer’s profile wasn’t ever funny.

Pushing to her feet, Lindsey stretched right and then left, trying to revive her stiff body. Hours on a plane had left her ready for a nap, but she needed to get to a library and do some research. Archived material on the local homicides should be easy to come by. She wanted to arm herself with all the facts she could before the next day’s meeting.

A few minutes later, she stood in the hallway, waiting for the elevator to arrive. Her gaze floated to the large window at the end of the hall. For the first time since she arrived, she enjoyed the spectacular view of the mountains, so much a part of the Vegas experience.

A ding signaled the arriving elevator and Lindsey stepped onto the car, only to find it occupied by a man and woman curled together in a lovers’ embrace. Great. Just what she needed. Another happy couple to remind her how damn alone she was. Lindsey stared at the metal doors in front of her as the couple whispered to one another, making kissing noises to boot. Clenching her teeth, Lindsey managed to make it through the ride to the bottom floor with feigned indifference.

A flood of cool air and bustling noise washed over her as she stepped into the main casino. Slot machines chanted loudly throughout the room, with occasional whoops and yells from players. Lindsey took a deep breath, soaking in the energy of the environment, hoping it was contagious. Following a carpeted path much like the yellow brick road, Lindsey made her way to the lobby. After receiving directions to the local library, she darted to the cab line.