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“Mr. Maher, no one is blaming you. Law enforcement will find him.” His tone assures me as much as his words.

“Do they think I had something to do with it?” My voice is small as I verbalize my fear.

“I doubt it. You weren’t home at the time, and you handed your phone over for the detective to copy. They’ll have your records and determine if there’s any suspicious activity. Before we signed you to the team, we did a background check for DUIs, fights, and other criminal acts.”

“Wow.” Processing that they duplicated everything so fast sticks in my brain. “Glad I never got arrested.”

“We all are,” he says wryly.

“Bet you didn’t have this on your bingo card,” I word vomit and cringe.

“I’ll let you in on a secret; this team is one of a kind and often involves me in situations I’d rather avoid.” He steeples his fingers.

“Fun.” I push too much enthusiasm into the word.

“One way to put it.”

“My phone pinged!” I hold it aloft, a lifeline. Sky’s phone is on and near us.

I swear, I’m ready to charge out of the moving car.

Chapter 34

Skylar Engelhardt/ Lark Angel

Paul paces Mav’s mostly empty old apartment and continually scratches his skin, leaving red lines behind. He smells strange, and his movements are chaotic.

I found an abandoned kitten outside my house and convinced Paul to let me save him. The kitten watches him with suspicious eyes and hisses every time he gets close.

“Are you okay?” I ask, hoping to create some sort of bond so he won’t freak out when he realizes I don’t have the paperwork to be Maria’s power of attorney.

“Fine. Need my meds soon,” he mumbles, but doesn’t look at me.

“What are we doing, Paul?” My voice is soft, since he’s unraveling. As time goes by, he has flashes of lucidity, but he’s clearly overwhelmed and suffering from a mental disorder.

“I figured it out.” He grins, showing unbrushed teeth. “Most of it, anyway, of how we can be together again.”

“Again?” I repeat.

“You made me believe I’m special when you picked me. I want to do the same for you. Plan what comes next.” His hand hits his thigh manically as he paces.

“You can tell me the plan now, right? We’re here alone, and no one else will hear,” I offer. He could be in withdrawal from meds or worse, but my gut says he won’t hurt me.

“Not in his place,” he hisses.

I glance around Mav’s generic apartment and, for the first time, consider that Paul is after me. He knew my screen name. But I got distracted by him presenting himself as Maria’s nephew. Am I his end goal?

“You said you needed somewhere safe and Mav—”

“Don’t say his name!” he yells, and holds his head, and I wonder if it hurts or if he’s hearing voices.

I swallow hard, uneasy about how far this guy will go to have me. “And no one lives here,” I finish, ignoring his interruption. “What kind of medicine do you need? Can I help?”

“You enjoy taking care of others, don’t you? Maria, that guy, me.” He flops onto the ugly couch and scares the kitten, who runs behind the kitchen counter. My cell slips out of Paul’s pocket.

I freeze in place, losing my opportunity to retrieve it. He leans forward, and it falls between the cushions.

“You didn’t answer me.” His meek voice has a hard edge.