He’d liked his little slave, damn it. He didn’t want to lose her. But if she was going to be a bitch after all he’d done-the diamond ring and the proposal and the chocolate-to hell with her. He hadn’t met a woman yet that he couldn’t live without. Not Mary, not his first wife, who’d remarried before he’d met Emily, definitely not Emily and not his sexy little Latisha. What really bothered him was that Sebastian would consider Latisha’s escape a victory.

So what, he told himself. Sebastian wouldn’t be celebrating for long.

One eye on the television, Malcolm booted up his laptop. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to use his computer. He had no plans to e-mail anyone, no plans to use it for anything specific. He just had to keep his hands busy while he tried to figure out how to lure Sebastian away from where Jane Burke lived. An offer to meet wouldn’t do it; Sebastian would expect a trap. So what would motivate him to go to a location of Malcolm’s choosing? A location where Malcolm would have the privacy and control he needed to finally destroy the man he detested above all others-and do so without alerting the police?

Then it hit him. Sebastian had gone to Mary’s house to save her. He’d also given Emily money or covered for her if he thought it might get her out of trouble or make her life easier. He was a fucking knight in shining armor, always trying to rescue the women around him.

Excitement coiled inside Malcolm. If Sebastian cared about Jane, and it appeared that he did, he’d do the same for her as he had for the other females in his life. That meant it would be stupid to kill her too soon. All he had to do was kidnap her and use her for bait.

But how would he get to her with Sebastian staying at her condo?

Simple-he’d take her from the office.

“There might be other people at the office,” he said, thinking aloud, “like that man I saw there before.”

But she’d be the only one getting into her car. Thanks to the early darkness of winter, he could wait in her backseat. She wouldn’t even see him. Not until it was too late.

And once he had Jane, Sebastian would do anything he was told.

“I’m a damn genius,” Malcolm said and shut down his computer. Now he could sleep.

David was still at the isolated ranch house in Turlock where Latisha had been imprisoned when Sebastian pulled into the driveway with Jane in his car. They couldn’t go inside, since the forensics team hadn’t finished gathering evidence, but Sebastian had wanted to come out here, anyway. He wanted to see where Malcolm had hidden for so long and to get a feel for how he’d lived.

Somehow, Sebastian had expected it to be nicer. He couldn’t say he was surprised to discover that it wasn’t. It just stood to reason that if a man was going to kill his wife for money, that money should put him in a better place. This old rambler wasn’t even as nice as the house in Ione. It hadn’t been updated in at least three decades, to the point that it looked and felt abandoned.

“David’s coming out to get the lunch we brought,” Jane informed him as she twisted around to get it out of the backseat.

Sebastian nodded and climbed out of the car. He wasn’t in a talkative mood. He was relieved that Latisha was safe, but he had no idea when Mary would be able to return to regular life-or how much was left of his. New York was beginning to seem like a whole other world to which he no longer belonged.

The front door opened and David strode purposefully toward them. “Thanks for the meal,” he said as Jane handed him the sack containing the hamburger and fries they’d picked up on the way.

“What’re you finding?” she asked. “Anything that might help?”

“Actually, there’s a lot here, so much it’ll take a while to process. Hair fibers, blood on the carpet, mattresses where the girls probably slept, metal stakes in the floor where they were restrained, alcohol, sleeping pills.”

“He didn’t have time to clean up,” Jane mused.

“He barely had time to pack an overnight bag.”

Dark clouds rolled across the sun and the temperature plunged. She pulled her coat closed. “So…if we can find him, there should be more than enough evidence to convict him.”

“Along with Latisha’s testimony, I should think so.”

Sebastian was staring at the house, wondering what Malcolm had been thinking whenever he approached the front door. This was no kind of trade, not for the life he’d once had. Malcolm had once owned a comfortable home, had a respectable job and parents and siblings who seemed like decent folks, a lovely wife, and the opportunity to make a real difference as a parent to a very good kid. His kid.

“What an idiot…”

Jane and David glanced his way. “Excuse me?” David said.

“After what he had in Jersey, he’s willing to settle for this dump?”

“Used to be a dairy farm,” David explained. “The original owner sold off the stock shortly after his wife died, when he got too old to run the place. It was paid for and he’d spent fifty years here, so he stayed until he died, five years ago. His kids inherited, of course, but they’re spread out across the country. One’s even in Japan, teaching English. No one wanted to move here. None of them could afford to bring the farm back. They’ve been trying to sell it ever since but in the current market it’s not easy to sell something like this. I’m sure they rented it to Malcolm pretty cheap.”

“Free wouldn’t be cheap enough,” Sebastian muttered.

“You have to admit it’d be perfect for someone who enjoys his privacy,” Jane said.

Sebastian glowered at what he saw. “Or needed that privacy to commit unconscionable acts.”

“There’s that.” David was eating his burger as if he hadn’t seen a meal in a while-or didn’t have the time to eat this one.

“Did you find his gun?” Sebastian asked.

“No,” David replied between mouthfuls. “We haven’t come across any weapons at all, unless you count kitchen knives.”

It would’ve been good if he’d left his gun behind so they could match it with the ballistics on the bullet from Latisha’s arm, but Malcolm wasn’t that stupid. “What about his police uniform, his badge?”

“That’s gone, too.”

Of course Malcolm would take those things with him. They were the symbols of his power, the accoutrements of his fantasy.

“Any idea where he might’ve gone?” Jane asked.

“He could be staying with a friend or at a motel,” David mused.

“That means he could be anywhere,” Sebastian said.

“We found something that tells us he probably hasn’t left the area.”

David swallowed his last bite and smashed the sack. “Just a minute.”

Jane sent Sebastian a curious glance. “What do you suppose it is?”

“You got me,” he said.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long for the answer. David came back a couple of minutes later, wearing surgical gloves and holding a piece of paper. “I can’t let you touch it, but you can see it,” he told them and turned it so they could read what had been written with a black felt-tip marker.

I’m coming for you, Sebastian, it said. Don’t think I won’t.

Visions of Noah lying dead in the bed she’d shared with Oliver floated to Jane’s consciousness as Sebastian drove them back to town. Would she someday find Sebastian in his own blood?

The thought made her stomach churn with acid. How could she protect him? How could she make sure nothing like that ever happened?

“You need to go home,” she blurted.

He steered with one arm slung over the wheel. “You mean New York?”

“Yes.”

“Malcolm won’t hurt me, Jane.”

“You don’t know that. Noah was bigger and stronger than Oliver. And you should’ve seen what Oliver did to him…” Closing her eyes, she tried to wipe the revolting scene from her mind. “I’m sure he never dreamed Oliver could overpower him. He thought I was crazy for even telling him to be careful.”