Page 60 of Trap ’N’ Trace

“Because”—he changed lanes, doing his best to focus on the road, rather than what was really bugging him—“we’re staring at the ass-end of nowhere, struggling to catch up.”

That was half of it, anyway. The other half he couldn’t tell her.

They were doing everything in their investigative repertoire, but going by the book was taking too long.

Time was on the killer’s side, and the killer would strike again. He was certain of it.

Chapter Seventeen

Kat resisted inspecting her tongue in the mirror. It had to be fluorescent red by now. Meeting Lily at the wake was one thing. Meeting Dayne’s parents was fixing to be awkward at best. What would they think? That I’m his girlfriend? That we’re sleeping together?

It didn’t matter that they almost had, because they definitely weren’t now.

Her body began heating from the inside out, starting low in her belly before flooding her torso. The mere thought of making love with Dayne did that. Think about something else. Colin’s face popped into her head. Her core temperature instantly dropped into the frigid zone.

When Dayne exited the Turnpike she clasped her hands to keep from stripping the entire roll of candy bare. “You never got around to telling me about your parents,” she said.

His face lit up. “They’re the best.” He headed west on Route 280 toward the Oranges. “They own a hardware store in Newark, one of the few holdouts competing with the big warehouses. In the forty years they’ve had the store, they’ve built up a loyal customer base that keeps them in business. I used to work there after school and summers when I was in college. I loved working there.”

“Were they disappointed you didn’t stay with the family business?”

“Just the opposite. They were proud as hell when I became an FBI agent. Dad still laughs at the irony.”

“Irony?”

“Well, yeah. Considering I was a pretty good thief when I was a kid.”

“A thief?” Now that was hard to believe.

“Yep.” He drove into a semi-rural neighborhood. “I told you I grew up on the street after my mother died. That’s when I figured out I have a knack for breaking into places. I got pretty good at shoplifting. Nothing of much value and only when I couldn’t get my dinner from a dumpster.”

“A dumpster?” Her jaw dropped. “You ate food from a dumpster?”

Again, he chuckled. “You’d be surprised at how much decent food restaurants throw out every day. I’ve had more than my share of lobster.”

Oh my god. While she was being served vichyssoise in fine china, he was dumpster diving in back alleys to survive.

Shame sliced through her. Not that it was her fault that she’d been born into wealth, but this certainly explained a lot. Like their first encounter. A man with Dayne’s backstory might very well resent someone like her who’d had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Literally.

“You seemed shocked to hear that.” There was no censure in his eyes or his voice. Only fact, and his assumption was the correct one.

“I am shocked,” she admitted.

“Why? You must know kids like that actually exist.”

“Of course I do. I donate a lot of money annually to several children’s organizations. It’s just…just…” How to say it without sounding like a snob? “It’s because you’re so confident in who and what you are.” One of many things she admired about him. The only time she had that level of confidence was in the boardroom. In her personal life, not so much.

He grunted, as if he didn’t agree with her assessment.

They drove deeper into the neighborhood where the houses were older, with mature trees and well-established perennial gardens. Tulips and daffodils bloomed everywhere.

She gasped. “Flowers. We need to stop for flowers. I can’t go to your parents’ party without bringing a gift. Flowers at the very least.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He turned left onto another street. “Lily and I have this covered. We booked them a week-long vacation in the Florida Keys. My folks know what’s going on with you. Trust me.” He winked. “They’ll forgive this one breach in protocol.”

“You told them about me?” He nodded. “Told them what exactly?”

“That you’re the Katrina Vandenburg. They can’t wait to meet you.”