Her gaze burned at him.“I did not fuck the poor, dead detective.I met him a few weeks ago.When I first came to the city.”
“When you came to meetme.”
“When I came…to meet you.”
Someone was not telling the full truth.Atlas sighed.“You came to the city because you understood a serial was at play.You thought I was that serial.”He waited for her denial.
None came.
Interesting.
“Benedict was working those homicides,” she said.“That is how our paths crossed.”
Of course, Lily would have done her recon work.Talking to the homicide detective would have been step one for her.She’d probably talked to the ME.Maybe the friends and family members of the victims.He knew she was a very thorough individual.
Something they had in common.“Your pathcrossedwith Benedict.”The cop who’d wanted Atlas locked in a cage.He was curious—had Benedict told her anything about their previous encounters?He’d find out, later.For now, deliberately, Atlas said, “Your paths crossed, and you went out with him.On dates.”Was that jealousy bubbling beneath the surface?Kinda felt like it.Then again, he’d never been jealous before, so he wasn’t really certain.Maybe it was just rage.Some leftover adrenaline or…
I don’t want her dating anyone else.I sure as hell don’t want her fucking anyone else.
Okay, it was jealousy.
A blink from Lily.“How did you know that Benedict and I went out?”
“You dated him.”
“We went onbusinessdinners.”
Screw that.Detective Benedict Swain had wanted to get in her pants.But Lily had said that she had not fucked the dead cop, so Benedict’s goal had never been achieved.Good to know.“I told you, I do my due diligence.”
She stepped closer.“You were watching me.All that time?”
Notallthat time.He did have a business empire to run.Instead of directly answering, he queried, “Weren’t you watching me?Isn’t that how you knew I’d been taken?One good stalking does deserve another.”
Lily sucked in a breath.“I am not a stalker.”
He stared at her.
“Are you?”she threw back.
He smiled.
She backed up a step.That was not the usual response to his smile.In fact, he’d learned early on that his smile was one of his best weapons.It flashed his dimples.It made his eyes sparkle.It made him look more attractive.More inviting.Women usually came closer when he used his grin.
But Lily sensed the threat.She backed away.
And that is why I will enjoy her so much.
Then her lashes flickered.“Did you…did you deliberately allow yourself to get taken?”
“Why would I do that?”
“You tell me.”
So I could kill the bastard.A man I knew was hunting in my city.A predator who needed to be removed from this earth.
Just as Atlas had removed other predators.
But, ah, no, deliberately gettingtakenhad not been the plan.He’d truly been distracted.By her.Thinking too much about her.Wondering what she was doing.Who she was doing it with.Wondering if he could hide his true self from her for long.
