If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

ideas.
    She looked ready to break, he thought. It did the damnedest thing to his heart.
    “If you’re expecting me to look shocked or something, sweetheart, I’m going to disappoint you,” he finally said. “Carson was a first-class bastard, but that doesn’t mean I’ll buy whatever story I’m handed by the police.”
    Startled, Nia blinked. “What?”
    “You heard me. I’m not saying I don’t believe he didn’t do it, but that doesn’t mean I won’t rule out other stuff, either.” He rotated his neck, grimacing as it popped. Absently, he reached up and rubbed at muscles gone tight.“There wasn’t any reason for him to hurt your cousin, Nia. Joe was a sick son of a bitch, but he had a method to his madness and I’m not seeing a method here. So while that doesn’t mean I can’t see it happening the way the sheriff’s office says it happened … well, the same goes for the opposite.”
    Nia scowled. “That’s about as vague as you can get. You like sitting on fences, Law?”
    “No. I like being objective. I like proof. And yeah, they might have proof against Joseph Carson, but they didn’t know him.” He looked at her, felt the hate and rage tear through his heart, through his gut and soul, hoped it didn’t show on his face. “I did. He was capable of all kinds of madness and cruelty and brutality like you can’t imagine. But it was never random—your cousin was random. That doesn’t fit the man I knew. Since the pieces don’t fit, I don’t believe in closing my mind to other options. This could mean there’s still a killer out there.”
    “So … you don’t think I’m crazy. Overreacting?”
    Reaching up, he cupped Nia’s cheek. “I think you’re listening to your gut. People don’t always do that enough.” Then he stroked his thumb over her lip and added, “But do me a favor … don’t go striking off on your own with a gun again. Especially an unregistered one.”
    Nia flushed, the mellow golden skin of her cheeks going pink. “I wasn’t thinking then. At least not clearly.”
    “Speaking hypothetically—say you’re right, and the killer is still out there. You think you’ll be thinking clearly if you happen upon a roadmap and evidence that points the way to him?” Law asked sardonically. He shook his head. “If there
is
somebody else out there, he’s dangerous, dangerous in a way Joe Carson never could be, because this guy is a thinker—a predator. Chances are he’s from around here, and he’s watching everything you do.”
    Those words left her shivering.
    Nia swallowed and looked away, tried to pretend she wasn’t terrified.
    It wasn’t happening.
    “Fuck.” She rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth. “Okay, now I really need a cigarette.”
    Yeah, she’d figured the killer was local, figured he would take note of her. But for reasons she couldn’t entirely think about, she hadn’t thought so far ahead as to think about whether or not he’d be
watching
her.
    Was he?
    Had he been?
    A tremor wracked her body, and a second later, Law’s arms came around her. One hand stroked the back of her neck, a light soothing touch. The other rubbed along her spine, steady and strong, warming her. “You okay?”
    “Yeah.” She swallowed and scowled, feeling very much the fool. “Just feeling a little freaked by that idea—freaked and foolish. I mean, I figured he was local, figured he’d know who I was, might see me. Why didn’t I go beyond that?”
    “Maybe because it would have made it too easy to talk yourself out of this,” he offered. Then he tipped her chin up, stared into her eyes. “And you need to be here, I think. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be.”
    “Yeah.” Nodding, Nia closed her eyes, then leaned back in and snuggled close. “I do.”
    “The mind has a way of protecting us—we see what we need to see and when we’re ready for more, we get more. You weren’t ready to think that next step, so your mind just processed what you were ready to deal with.”
    Despite herself, she smirked.
    “You know, I’ve never once asked you what you do for a living,” she murmured. “What are you, a shrink?”
    “Shit, no.” He barked out a laugh. “Absolutely no.”
    He considered telling her, then ruled it out. Not yet. “You know … I could tell you, but well … I only tell women once I’m sure it’s moved beyond the flinging stage.”
    She laughed weakly. “Okay, then. I’ll keep that in mind.” She pushed against his