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They fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs and a cloud of curses. He tried to spin to protect her from the fall—and his weight—but it was too late. They hit hard.
She didn’t even flinch.
Her golden eyes met his and Jude tried not to notice just how incredibly good she felt beneath him. Tried, failed. Her breasts were crushed beneath his chest. Her thighs were spread and cradling his hips in just the,oh yeah, right way.
If the scent of blood weren’t clogging up his nostrils, he sure as all hell would’ve enjoyed the moment.
Later.
He levered up onto his forearms. “What the fuck is going on, Erin?”
She licked her lips. “Get up.”
No. Dammit. He wanted to stay exactly where he was.
And he wanted to find out why there were shadows in her eyes.
He got up.
Erin exhaled. “I—this has to stay between us, okay?”
Jude blinked. “Whathas to stay between us?” He had a real bad feeling about this situation, and much as he liked the sexy ADA and wanted to get her naked, he wasn’t about to break the law for her.
Well, he wouldn’t break itmuchfor her. A little bending, he’d do that.
His nostrils twitched again.That was human blood.
Shit. Wary now, he kept a close watch on Erin as she rose to her feet. She still wore the sexy blouse from earlier. Her makeup was gone. Faint brown smudges hung under her eyes.
He could all but smell the fear dripping off her.
“I thought you didn’t get scared.”
She gave a rough laugh at that, kind of a desperate sound. Her fingers raked through her black hair. “No, hunter, I said there wasn’t much that scared me.Hedoes.”
Jude tensed. “Someone else is here?” He didn’t smell him. Just that thick blood, coating every breath he took.
The animal inside loved the scent of blood. It was a response Jude couldn’t control. Primal. Like the response he felt for Erin. But the man knew the coppery scent was bad. Trouble.
“Not anymore,” she whispered. “He’s... gone.”
Jude’s hands fisted. His gaze swept the room. Caught sight of the old staircase, twisting up to the next level. To the left, he saw the gleaming wooden floors and the oversized doors that led out of the parlor. Doors that were firmly shut.
“I-I went back to the police station after I left your place. I needed to talk to Antonio and find out what the ME had to say about Burrows.” The words came out fast. “I was tired when I got back and didn’t even notice the smell until—” Her gaze darted to the left, to the white doors.
He crossed the room, body alert. His fingers curled over the old doorknobs—two doors, French style. He wrenched them open, ready for any threat.
Sonofabitch.
The lights were on in the other room. Bright and stark. Shining perfectly on the bloody message that had been left on the far wall.
Missed you.
The blood had trickled down, blurring some of the letters a bit, but the message was clear.
What the fuck?His growl filled the room. This shit was twisted. “You searched the house?” Sprawling places like this one had too many rooms and far too many places for someone to hide.
But with his nose, no one would hide from Jude. He spun around, ready to stalk from top to bottom and?—
