The dead bolt was tricky, but the lock on the door handle was no problem. Glancing at his watch, he noted the time and pushed the door open. Sure enough, there was a red light on an alarm panel just inside the door, so he needed to hurry.

Heading straight for the room where Garrett was pacing, he opened the door—and blinked at the barrel of the gun in Garrett’s shaking hand. That was unexpected.

“You don’t have a license for that,” Cade said. He’d checked.

Garrett’s laugh held a note of hysteria. “Really?” He showed his cell phone’s screen, where a call to 911 was active, then pointed at the wall behind Cade. “I was afraid you’d come. I have an alarm panel in here. I saw it flash red. The cops are on their way.”

Fuck. Then I suppose I have nothing to lose. Betting that the doctor couldn’t make a shot with his hand shaking like that, Cade pulled out his own gun and shot him in the head in a fluid motion that left Garrett only enough time to gape in shock. He fired again, aiming at the fallen doctor’s head to be sure it was a kill shot, then turned and ran like hell. He exited the way he’d entered just as the alarm began to shriek.

He’d jumped the fences and gotten his SUV down the street, about to turn at the stop sign, when the cops sped past, headed toward Garrett’s house. Cade carefully turned the opposite direction, making sure he broke no laws.

Shit. That had been close. Too close.

But worth it. I was afraid you’d come. Garrett had seen him. So now I’ve tied off all the loose ends. All he needed to do was get home without attracting any attention. And sleep. God, he needed to sleep.

It might be time to pull up roots and move to another location. He didn’t even have to get a new ID. It was a natural thing, right? His boss would be found dead sooner or later—of natural causes, thank you very much. Who knew what would become of the casino? Of course employees would search for other opportunities.

That was what he’d do. He’d get some sleep and then he’d figure out where to start over.

Cincinnati, Ohio
Sunday, March 17, 1:00 a.m.

Diesel looked up from his laptop when Dani came down the stairs and flopped onto the other end of the sofa. She’d changed into a pair of soft sweats that hugged every one of her curves. With an effort, he lifted his gaze from her curves to her face. And smiled. He was here, in her house. He’d kissed her and she’d kissed him back. He couldn’t wait to see if she’d kiss him back again. “You okay?”