She climbed inside, fumbled for the seat belt, and when it clicked in place, he closed the door. The seat leather warmed her back. She breathed in what she now recognized as a mixture of Spencer’s soap and his natural scent.

The driver’s-side door opened, and the leather seats creaked as he settled behind the wheel. Again, the energy shifted, and she could almost feel the tension rippling from his body. He was as unsure of this adventure as she was.

“Thank you.” Her gruff tone scraped rust off the words.

“Call it self-interest,” he said easily. “Two heads are better than one.”

The engine roared to life, and the gear shifted into first. Spencer seemed to be in his element behind the wheel of the car. So was she. She loved driving. She loved independence.

The police radio squawked a couple of times, but none of the messages were directed at him.

“Why did you want this case?” she asked.

Silence wrapped around him, a turn signal clicked, and the tires slowed as they were likely approaching an intersection. “I was married once. We were young, excited, and idealistic. I wanted children. She wanted to wait, so we did. I was working a lot in the early days and missed a few clues I should have caught. Turns out Vickie had always been a drug user but hid it well. Then she started injecting heroin. We fought. I took her to rehab a couple of times, but we always ended back at square one. I never could bring myself to divorce her. Two years ago, she was found dead in an El Paso alley. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.”

She did not speak, sensing he had more to say.

“DNA was recovered from her body, but it never matched any in the system. I decided to move back to Austin, hoping to put it behind me.”

“Do you think Vickie’s death is connected to these killings?”

“No. But the recent murders hit a nerve with me.”

“If you’d told me that, I would have given you the case. I know what it’s like when a case strikes close to home.”

“You have a reputation for being a pit bull.”

Her lips quirked. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It’s meant as one.” He pressed the accelerator, and the car started moving.

“Takes one to know one?”

Hands tightened on the steering wheel. “That’s about right. I saw us butting heads, and I didn’t want to waste time arguing.”

“Then we better get it right this time,” she said.

“We owe it to the dead women. I owe it to you.”

“Are you taking pity on me because of the attack?” she asked.

“Not pity. But you’ve earned your place on this case.”