“No offense, Reid, but every damn plan that Mize has come up with so far has ended badly.” She pointed toward the office. “And now he’s killed a cop. So no, I’m not going to hang around for Mize’s next brilliant plan.”

“Harper—”

“No. This ends. He wants Dani. He’s proven—by taking out Sorrell—that he’ll go to any lengths to get her.”

“You don’t even know how he’s finding her.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore. He finds her. And the next time…it ends.”

Reid leaned closer. “What are you going to do? Kill the guy?”

She met his gaze. “Yes.”

Reid grabbed her arm. “Harper, you can’t go out without backup.”

“Backup has done no good whatsoever.”

“Let me go with you.”

“No.”

He lowered his voice. “What the hell is going on with you?”

“Tired of this damn game we’re playing.”

He motioned with his head toward the car. “And her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hell, Harper…you know what I mean.”

“Just doing my job.”

“What I saw in the car, that wasn’t your job.” He leaned closer again. “Hell, Harper, you were crying, for God’s sake.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

He released her arm. “Okay. Whatever you say.” He shrugged. “What the hell should I tell Mize?”

“Tell him the truth. Tell him I took off. Tell him you don’t know where I am.”

She brushed past him and went into their room, the door hanging open by one hinge. She glanced at the floor where she’d fallen, then to the bed where Dani had been. It had happened so fast, she hadn’t even had a chance to offer a warning to Dani, hadn’t had a chance to call out before he’d hit her. She touched her cheek now, feeling it starting to swell under her eye. The whole situation…damn, it could have been so much worse. He could have killed Dani right then if he’d wanted to. But that wasn’t his game. Not yet. He apparently wanted to play with her before he killed her.

She pushed her thoughts away and went about collecting their things. Neither of them had unpacked. Perhaps unconsciously—with their recent track record—they knew they’d be leaving in a hurry once again. She zipped up her bag and tossed it over her shoulder, then picked up Dani’s purse and her clothes bag and left the room without looking back.

Reid was talking to Hernandez and the two female detectives from Homicide. He looked over and she nodded at him before opening the back door to the car. Dani was still sitting there with her arms folded around herself. In her left hand was the locket she always wore.