Waking the next morning, the dream had seemed so real. Propping herself up against her headboard, she’d been surprised to see herself tightly clutching the photograph she’d always kept carefully hidden away. In that moment, she’d known it hadn’t been a dream at all; it had been a vision. And she’d known exactly what she needed to do because Hayden had told her.

She started by tracking down Elizabeth’s address – not at all difficult in this day and age – and then she’d begun following her, carefully noting her daily routines. And the more she watched Brandon, the spitting image of his father, the more anxious she was to have him. He belonged to her.

Impatience burned bright, but every time it did, Hayden would whisper in her ear: ‘Just wait. The right time will come.’ And she’d believed him.

Right up until the day she’d watched as that stupid bitch met with Gabriel Kensington. There was only one reason Alex could think of that would explain why Elizabeth had hired a private investigator – she’d never accepted that Hayden would willingly abandon her and their unborn child. Sitting a table away and listening to Elizabeth drone on about how much Hayden had loved her and how they’d planned to run away had sent Alex into a blind rage, but that wasn’t even the worst part. It was who Elizabeth had chosen to hire to dig up the past.

Like everyone else in Albuquerque, Alex knew that, love them or hate them, the Kensingtons were powerful and influential people. Add to that the knowledge that Gabriel was rumored to be the best private investigator in the state, and Alex knew she had a problem.

She’d raced home to ask Hayden what she should do, but he’d remained stubbornly quiet, and that was when she’d realized he’d tricked her. He hadn’t wanted her forgiveness; he’d wanted her to be captured, and his traitorous betrayal had her fury scaling new heights. She’d show him. She’d show them all.

But first she’d need to know what Gabriel had discovered. Her plan was to go to Kensington Investigations and break in after everyone had gone home. But the day she’d gone, Gabriel had rushed out of his office, phone pressed to his ear as he left a message for Elizabeth urging her to call him back immediately, that he had photographs she needed to see. She’d heard him mention Hayden’s name. And then before she could react, he was in his vehicle and driving away.

The compulsion to follow him home, to kill him immediately nearly drove her insane. But she was smarter than that. She forced herself to regroup. And then it had come to her.