White Collared Part Three: Revenge Read Online Free

on his phone, and then left the apartment.
    With pity in their eyes, Jaxon and Nick watched her every move as if they expected her to break down at any moment. She joined them at the table and waited nervously, chewing on the inside of her cheek and wishing for a glass of gin.
    When the cop ended his call, he shocked her by giving her a small smile. “My fellow officers have just busted a robbery in progress a block away from here. A guy broke into a liquor store, cleaned out the till, and then stopped to have a drink. He had blood on his hands and clothes. We’ll check to see if it’s your friend’s, but I’d say there’s a good chance we caught the assailant. If you think of anything else, give me a call.” He handed her a business card and a piece of paper. “Here’s a receipt for your personal items. You can have them back at the completion of our investigation.”
    Relief rushed through her, and she exhaled. It was a burglary gone wrong. No one was out to kill her.
    Officer Price departed, leaving her behind with a bloodstained carpet and two men, each with a multitude of emotions swirling in his eyes. Her secrets were piled higher than the local landfill, and knowing Nick, he’d want to uncover all of them, layer by layer.
    In the stance she’d come to recognize as his interrogation pose, Nick folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. “Now tell me the truth. What was she doing at your apartment? You were fighting this afternoon. Is she jealous I gave you second chair?”
    She looked at her feet, gathering the courage to admit the truth. “A couple nights ago, I caught her having sex with my boyfriend.”
    “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked softly.
    The truth was she didn’t know why she’d kept the breakup from him. Ignoring the hurt in Nick’s eyes, she pretended to misunderstand the question and said, “I lied to the police. I didn’t want them thinking I stabbed her out of anger.”
    The corners of his lips twitched. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. But, Kate, where did you go? You weren’t supposed to leave without one of us.”
    She glanced at Jaxon. He gave her a slow nod. “I went to Martha Webber’s. Remember, the woman we met at the funeral? I had to learn more about her daughter Stephanie’s murder.”
    Nick’s brows furrowed. “Why?”
    “A hunch. I didn’t want the press to blindside us by tying the murders to Jaxon. I found out that when they discovered Stephanie’s body, she had blue rope around her wrists and ankles.”
    “Anything else? Any whip marks on her skin? The number thirteen?”
    “No. Just the blue rope and her connection to Jaxon.” She knew it wasn’t much, but the tingling at the base of her neck had grown more pronounced since speaking with Martha.
    Nick inched closer and palmed the back of her head. “I’m glad you weren’t here.”
    “Why would you say that? Hannah’s lying in the hospital because I wasn’t here.”
    He rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t you see? Hannah wasn’t the intended victim. She must have not locked the door behind her. You two look alike. The perp wasn’t trying to kill Hannah. He was trying to kill you.”
    She jerked away from him, uncomfortable with the intimacy of their position and the truth of Nick’s words. “No. You heard Officer Price. They got the guy who did it.”
    He glanced at the unusually silent Jaxon before returning his gaze to her. Then he picked up a silver case by the door. “I brought this with me.” He plunked it down on the table and flipped open the top.
    “A gun.” A Glock 19 to be exact. Not her favorite, but in her hands, it was deadly.
    “If Hannah’s stabbing doesn’t convince you your life is in danger, what will?” Nick caressed her hair. “I don’t want anyone to be able to touch one strand on your beautiful head. I don’t want that phone call, Kate. It would break me.”
    Jaxon got up from the table. “I’m with Nick. Tonight you caught a