indifferent to her after all.
Her gaze met his, and there in those dark depths she could have sworn she saw interest, maybe even desire. She tried not to let her heart run away with itself. Time stretched as if the boat sat alone in a universe where time didn’t exist. Jake continued to stare at her, even dipping his gaze to her lips. She licked against the dryness there. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to enjoy it.
She nearly fell backwards again when Jake looked away into the fog and extricated himself from the blanket. He stepped to the edge of the boat.
"I’ll take us back in so we can check your apartment."
Sydney blinked against sudden, hot tears. She’d almost made a fool of herself. His reaction had been purely physical, nothing more. She stood with as much dignity as she could and retreated down the steps without so much as a word to Jake. Never again would she allow herself to be tempted by dreams of another life only to have that fantasy dashed. His lack of interest was for the best, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
****
He pressed the binoculars more firmly against his eyes in an effort to see her better. There she stood in the morning mist thinking she was safe, that she’d escaped him. Little did she know that he’d watched her for some time now, even before he’d taught the other two their lessons. But she hadn’t been first. No, he’d known she’d write about him, and that gave him immeasurable pleasure.
Now everyone quaked when they thought of him, feared he was around every blind corner, inside every dark closet. Many of them never knew they spoke to him nearly every day, even looked forward to seeing him in some instances.
But Sydney’s search for his identity grew too dangerous. She had lessons to learn as well. He had to teach her just like the others that he wasn’t a man to be overlooked.
His jaw tightened as the anger threatened to overwhelm him. Not now. He must control it until the time was right.
She looked toward the shore with a wistful, yearning expression on her face. Was she thinking of that damned cop who dared to think he would catch him? His hands squeezed the binoculars as if they were Radley’s throat. Why did the beautiful ones always go for guys like him, the ones who couldn’t give them what they deserved?
Sydney retreated out of his line of sight. Soon. Soon he would scold her for her errant ways. And if he planned perfectly, perhaps he’d make Radley watch before he taught him his own lesson.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jake leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, scanning Sydney’s living room for anything he and the evidence team might have missed, any scrap that might point toward the killer.
He glanced out at the balcony where Sydney was watering her plants. She hadn’t said so during her walk-through of the apartment, but he could tell that even the possibility that the killer had invaded her home bothered her a great deal.
While the evidence guys examined the bathroom, he wandered into Sydney’s bedroom, feeling a little like he was intruding in her private sanctuary. So this was where she slept with her long, shiny, white-blond hair in disarray.
He shook his head to direct his thoughts back toward the task at hand. He stepped into her small walk-in closet but didn’t note anything out of the ordinary. Nothing on top of her dresser rang warning bells — no ominous silver-wrapped chocolate, no scrawled notes, no visible fingerprints, nothing that would indicate anyone other than Sydney had been in this room before his arrival.
Jake looked around the room one more time. The red blinking light on Sydney’s phone caught his eye. Probably only a message from a friend or co-worker, but he was leaving nothing unchecked.
He walked to the open doorway to the balcony. "Sydney."
She turned from where she’d been staring across the parking lot, a look on her face like she was trying to figure out a puzzle.
"You have a message on your
Her gaze met his, and there in those dark depths she could have sworn she saw interest, maybe even desire. She tried not to let her heart run away with itself. Time stretched as if the boat sat alone in a universe where time didn’t exist. Jake continued to stare at her, even dipping his gaze to her lips. She licked against the dryness there. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to enjoy it.
She nearly fell backwards again when Jake looked away into the fog and extricated himself from the blanket. He stepped to the edge of the boat.
"I’ll take us back in so we can check your apartment."
Sydney blinked against sudden, hot tears. She’d almost made a fool of herself. His reaction had been purely physical, nothing more. She stood with as much dignity as she could and retreated down the steps without so much as a word to Jake. Never again would she allow herself to be tempted by dreams of another life only to have that fantasy dashed. His lack of interest was for the best, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
****
He pressed the binoculars more firmly against his eyes in an effort to see her better. There she stood in the morning mist thinking she was safe, that she’d escaped him. Little did she know that he’d watched her for some time now, even before he’d taught the other two their lessons. But she hadn’t been first. No, he’d known she’d write about him, and that gave him immeasurable pleasure.
Now everyone quaked when they thought of him, feared he was around every blind corner, inside every dark closet. Many of them never knew they spoke to him nearly every day, even looked forward to seeing him in some instances.
But Sydney’s search for his identity grew too dangerous. She had lessons to learn as well. He had to teach her just like the others that he wasn’t a man to be overlooked.
His jaw tightened as the anger threatened to overwhelm him. Not now. He must control it until the time was right.
She looked toward the shore with a wistful, yearning expression on her face. Was she thinking of that damned cop who dared to think he would catch him? His hands squeezed the binoculars as if they were Radley’s throat. Why did the beautiful ones always go for guys like him, the ones who couldn’t give them what they deserved?
Sydney retreated out of his line of sight. Soon. Soon he would scold her for her errant ways. And if he planned perfectly, perhaps he’d make Radley watch before he taught him his own lesson.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jake leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, scanning Sydney’s living room for anything he and the evidence team might have missed, any scrap that might point toward the killer.
He glanced out at the balcony where Sydney was watering her plants. She hadn’t said so during her walk-through of the apartment, but he could tell that even the possibility that the killer had invaded her home bothered her a great deal.
While the evidence guys examined the bathroom, he wandered into Sydney’s bedroom, feeling a little like he was intruding in her private sanctuary. So this was where she slept with her long, shiny, white-blond hair in disarray.
He shook his head to direct his thoughts back toward the task at hand. He stepped into her small walk-in closet but didn’t note anything out of the ordinary. Nothing on top of her dresser rang warning bells — no ominous silver-wrapped chocolate, no scrawled notes, no visible fingerprints, nothing that would indicate anyone other than Sydney had been in this room before his arrival.
Jake looked around the room one more time. The red blinking light on Sydney’s phone caught his eye. Probably only a message from a friend or co-worker, but he was leaving nothing unchecked.
He walked to the open doorway to the balcony. "Sydney."
She turned from where she’d been staring across the parking lot, a look on her face like she was trying to figure out a puzzle.
"You have a message on your
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