Page 34 of Trap ’N’ Trace

“I once wore green contact lenses to a Halloween charity event. I dressed up as a witch. The contacts made my eyes look green, but also cloudy.”

“So he could be wearing contacts. If that’s the case, his eyes could be any color.”

“Which means,” Paulson interjected, “it will be that much harder to get a positive ID on the guy.”

“We good here?” Jim caught his eye. “I’ve got another appointment downtown.”

“We’re good, man. Thanks for coming.”

A minute later, Jim had packed up his equipment and was out the door. Kat continued staring at the image, gripping the edges of the paper tighter until her knuckles whitened.

“What’s wrong?” Her face had paled considerably.

“I just can’t believe I’m sitting here in a police station, looking at a sketch of the man who murdered two people and tried to kill me, too. It’s surreal.” He glimpsed her pain, and something he hadn’t felt in a very long time pierced his gut.

Like many cops, he’d witnessed so many victims of violent crimes he’d been forced to build walls to protect his sanity. Watching her suffer pounded at those self-imposed boundaries. Not penetrating, just leaving little indentations in his emotional armor. Even more shocking was that he wanted to comfort her. Bad idea. His brain never got the message, and he reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder when both their cell phones dinged.

He cued up the email Emily had sent regarding security company options, quickly scrolling down the screen. Beside him, Kat did the same on her phone.

“I can’t tell one company from the other.” Her brows scrunched as she read the email. “Emily says your friends have completely taken over the castle.”

He chuckled. “Kade’s the best.” He continued scrolling through the list of companies. “Hire All Time Security and make sure they can have people on duty by this afternoon.” He started typing in the manpower and scheduling he wanted. “You’ll need three guards twenty-four seven. One outside the Haven, two outside the castle.”

“You really do like giving orders, don’t you?” Amusement glimmered in her eyes.

“Like I said, it’s an FBI thing.” He couldn’t stop the grin forming on his lips, or the idiotic way his heart thumped a little faster.

She gave an utterly feminine snort. “And where will you be stationed during all of this?”

“With you, at all times. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.” The realization of what he’d just committed to had him gripping the phone tighter. Having personal feelings for a witness could turn into a shitstorm.

“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “I hadn’t realized that—”

“That I’d be with you every second of the day? Yep, that’s the plan.” Along with not letting her out of his sight. Except while she slept, of course.

“I see.” She began typing out a reply to Emily.

He gave a mental sigh of relief that she gave in so easily. Protective services weren’t his forte, but he didn’t trust her safety to anyone else. That, and it would have trashed his ego if she’d told him to pound sand.

When she’d finished typing, she dropped her phone back into her purse. Again, she swallowed, only this time it was accompanied by a deep breath and the tip of her tongue darting over her lips. She was worried, and she should be. Hell, he was worried, too.

“Between the security guards, the new alarm system, and me and Remy with you, you’ll be safe. I promise.” This time when he reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, the tension in her body seemed to lessen. “Okay?”

Their gazes locked. “Okay.”

Unspoken understanding passed between them, along with something else he wouldn’t—no, shouldn’t—put a label on, let alone give voice to. It was in the way his heart skittered faster and how parts of his body had just gone on red alert. No matter how much he fought it, that something else zinging between them could only be one thing. Desire.

Paulson returned to the office and Dayne yanked his hand away, feeling like a teenage kid caught by his girlfriend’s father. From the smirk plastering the detective’s face, he hadn’t missed a thing.

“If you can spare a few minutes,” Paulson said, “I’ll give you an update.”

“Be right there.” He gave Paulson a dismissive nod, waiting for him to return to his desk before continuing. “Tell Emily I want those guards on duty no later than four p.m.”

The corners of her mouth twitched, and she raised her free hand to her forehead, giving him a sharp salute. “Yes, sir, officer, sir.”

He lowered his brows, feigning annoyance. “The term you’re looking for is special agent. Not officer.”

“Then, yes, sir, special agent, sir.” Her eyes twinkled with mirth, and he was glad to see her expression lighten, even if temporarily. Because she’d been right about one thing. Her freedom and her privacy were headed straight for the nonexistent zone.