Allison Brennan - Killing Fear

“I never said that!”

“I guess you didn’t have to.” She turned from him. He went to her, put his hands on her shoulders.

“You read things into that night that weren’t there,” he said.

“Did I?”

“Dammit, Robin! I was wrong. I should never have-but I admitted that. Right then and there.”

“Some things you can’t take back.” She sounded so lost, so lonely. Will hated hearing her anguish.

“I-” What could he say? That he was sorry? Again? How many times could he apologize? As many times as it took for Robin to forgive him. It pained him that he hurt her, and he’d do anything to take it all back, but that was in the past. And right now, nothing he could say would take away the pain and anger that stood like a brick wall between them.

He turned her to face him. She was so close. So beautiful. Her eyes, damn, her eyes highlighted her kind and generous soul. How had he ever doubted her? How had he questioned her loyalty? Her honesty? Her love? He touched her jaw, her skin so smooth and flawless she could have been eighteen as easily as the thirty-one he knew she was.

His thumb skimmed her lips. A faint cry escaped her throat. Will remembered holding her that first time, when he’d taken her home after she came to him at the police station to ask what the police were doing about her friend’s murder. They’d gone to dinner, and had a few drinks, and she told him everything about RJ’s and her friend Bethany Coleman. She’d been drained, and he’d never felt so protective of a witness.

Now, he needed to touch her again. He bent, touched his lips to hers.

A hint of a kiss wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. He sank into her like a dying man, thirsting. His hands found the nape of her neck, rubbed, held her, devoured her lips.

He’d get on his knees and beg her forgiveness if it would help, but maybe, just maybe, his kiss would be enough. His kiss would show her how sorry he was. His kiss would prove Will had never stopped loving Robin.

She gasped, not expecting him to touch her. To put his lips on hers. She wanted to give into him, to hold on and let him take her away to the moon as he’d done before. After Sean, it had taken her years to let a man into her heart. The one man she’d opened up to was this one, this cop, and he’d sliced her to the bone with one question.

“Did you sleep with Theodore Glenn? Are you next on his kill list?”

She put her hands up. Her heart wanted Will back, her heart wanted to forgive him, but her head knew the truth. That there would always be doubt in his mind. He hadn’t believed her then, when he’d claimed to love her. Why would he believe her now when they had nothing but regret and bitterness between them?

She’d done nothing wrong and he hadn’t believed her. She’d seen it in his eyes. Heard it in his voice. She couldn’t live with that shadow of doubt between them.

Using all her emotional strength, Robin pushed him away. There was nothing more that she wanted except to bring Will Hooper home with her. To have him protect her. Save her, not only from a killer, but from deep, numbing loneliness. Even with her business, her painting, with all that she did, she went home alone every night. The hollowness grew, and she was drowning in her empty life.

But Will Hooper was not the man she could allow into her world. Not again. No matter how scared she was, how lonely she was, she wouldn’t, couldn’t, let him get close.

He stared at her, his smoky blue eyes pained. They mirrored her heart. She swallowed. “You have the CD. I hired a bodyguard. You don’t need to come by anymore.”

He stayed silent for a long moment. The tension between them was palpable. She wanted to touch him. She wanted him to hold her. She wouldn’t allow herself to flinch, to show even one iota of interest toward Will Hooper. He’d never know how much he’d hurt her, deeply, inside, where who she was mattered.

And she’d never show him.

“Glenn killed Frank Sturgeon. Early this morning.”

She sucked in her breath. She wasn’t surprised, but the reality stung. There was no love lost between her and Frank-she had never liked that man-but she’d never wanted him to die.

She nodded. What could she say?

“That’s it?” Will asked, his hands on her shoulders. She forced herself to be a stone.

He dropped his hands and said curtly, “You know the danger. You hired security. You won’t have to see me.”

He turned, walked away, and Robin held her breath. Just go, Will. Please go.

He stopped, turned, and looked at her from the doorway. “I messed up with you, Robin. And no one is sorrier about that than me.”

Then he was gone.

Will agreed to meet Trinity late that evening at Bob’s Burger across from the police station. She’d spoken cryptically, essentially telling him she had additional information about her meeting with Theodore Glenn the night before. To say he was angry was an understatement-had she kept important information from the police?

He sat in the bar section of the bar and grill and ordered a double Scotch while he waited. He didn’t normally drink when working a complex case, but if he was going to sleep even a couple hours tonight, he was going to need something.

Chief Causey had called him earlier to tell him the Feds were on their way. Specifically, one agent by the name of Hans Vigo who had some familiarity with the case and was a criminal profiler. Causey had cleared it, and now Will had another partner.

Not that he minded, as long as Vigo was one of the good guys. The truth was, the FBI was hit or miss, depending on who they sent. Sometimes they screwed with the locals, sometimes they helped. At this point, Will could use an objective eye, someone who might be able to figure out where Glenn was hiding or who might be helping him-if anyone.

That Theodore Glenn seemed to have just disappeared irritated Will to no end. They had hundreds of cops in both the city and county on full alert for Glenn. His picture was plastered in all media outlets-television and newspaper. His parents’ house was staked out 24/7. The bulk of Glenn’s assets were in a trust administered by the court, but he still had enough resources available to him. By law, the court could only retain the amount necessary for restitution. The bastard was worth over ten million dollars plus whatever interest had accumulated. When he was put to death, the remaining assets after legal expenses and restitution would be given to his surviving family, in this case his parents.

Not that they would take much consolation in receiving the money. Not with both their children dead. Nor would Glenn’s money help their little granddaughter Ashley accept or understand the brutal murder of her mother. Her mother who had done the right thing and was now dead.

Where was Theodore Glenn right now? They’d sent officers to hotels and motels in the area, both cheap dives and upscale establishments. Glenn was a neat freak, Will couldn’t see him in a dive, yet his self-preservation was paramount and therefore maybe he would tolerate the filth. Maybe he’d learned to, being in San Quentin-one of the most decrepit prisons in California. They were talking about selling it, over four hundred thirty acres of prime California real estate right there on the San Francisco Bay.

There were nearly one thousand hotels, motels, and weekly apartments in San Diego County. Glenn didn’t have any friends left, the trial had killed most of the loyalties anyone may have had with him. But he was charismatic and Will didn’t doubt Glenn could talk his way into or out of virtually anything.

Look at Trinity. She was nearly convinced that Glenn hadn’t killed Anna. To what end? Will wanted justice, he wouldn’t want a killer to get away with murder, but he honestly didn’t believe that had happened in this case. The evidence was clear, but more than that, Will had faced Glenn and knew in his gut that Glenn had murdered those women. He was vicious, cruel, sadistic, and had absolutely no remorse for his crimes. He enjoyed the game, and playing with Trinity was just another game to him. A thrill. He’d pled not guilty to all four counts of murder, yet told Trinity he’d killed three of the four women. What was his angle?