Part 31 (2/2)

He lowered his head and she froze as she waited for something to happen. A phone to ring, lake security to pick this moment to do a life jacket check, a speeding boat to send waves rocking their way.

Something.

Instead, she felt his warm lips cover hers in a light exploratory kiss. When she didn't pull away, he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer.

He didn't have to ask twice. She lifted her hands and settled them on his sun-warmed biceps.

The kiss seemed to last forever-and then it was over. Her heartbeat tripled and her blood hummed through her veins at warp speed.

And she noticed all the tension had seeped from her tight shoulders.

Dominic lifted his head and looked at her for a long moment. Then he touched his forehead to hers. ”I care about you, Serena. A lot. You're an amazing woman and I'm . . . I want to get to know you. More.” He swallowed. ”Especially when this case is over and we don't have all this craziness going on.”

Serena bit her lip, flashes of her father's domineering, controlling ways snagging a corner of her mind. But while Dominic seemed to have some of those characteristics, he didn't use them to further his own agenda. At least he didn't seem to.

Uncertainty crossed his face and she slid her hands up to cup his cheeks. ”I'd like that.”

Relief made him slump and then he pulled her close again for another heart-stopping kiss. When they parted, he said, ”You scared me when you hesitated. Don't do that again, okay?”

Serena laughed, feeling the pull in her injured cheek, but not caring as her heart felt light and carefree for the first time in . . . forever. ”Okay.”

For the next two hours, they played like children, letting the cares of the world fade while sunning themselves on the cus.h.i.+ons at the front of the boat, then diving into the lake to cool off.

Finally Serena wrung the water from her wet hair and said, ”I'm starving. Do you want to eat at the marina?”

”Sure. Sounds good.” He patted his flat belly. ”I'm running on empty myself.”

She pulled two bottles of water from the cooler and tossed him one. After taking a long swig, she cranked the boat. Over the hum of the motor, she heard Dominic's cell phone ring.

Dominic groaned as he s.n.a.t.c.hed it and Serena cut the motor.

”Hey, Colton, what's up?”

”Thought you might be interested in this little piece of information I just got.”

”What's that?”

Dominic hit the speaker b.u.t.ton as his eyes met Serena's. Colton said, ”Leslie and Patricia both had their alarm systems worked on in the last month.”

Dominic stilled. ”Okay.”

”We think that's how he's getting in without setting off the alarm.”

”So, he's messing with the alarm system, then posing as a representative of the alarm company, getting the homeowner's pa.s.scode, sneaking in at night, drugging the victim and carting her off to kill her.”

”Possibly.” He thought for a moment. ”And they're single women who live alone. At least these two have been.”

”Serena's alarm went off Thursday night. Hold on a second.” He looked at her and asked, ”Have you had any trouble with your alarm system in the last few weeks?”

She frowned. ”No.” She snapped her head up. ”Wait a minute, someone from the alarm company came by to do a survey about two weeks ago.”

”A survey?”

”Some customer satisfaction thing.”

Dominic spoke into the phone. ”Did you get that?”

”I'll check it out. See if it was legit,” Colton said.

But Dominic had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wasn't. ”She changed her code Thursday.”

”And the alarm went off.”

Dominic nodded even though Colton couldn't see him. ”Right. So, the killer didn't realize she'd changed the code when he went back to get in? Only she wasn't there and he didn't know how to turn off the alarm.”

”Maybe.”

”But that doesn't explain the teenager the neighbor saw running from the house.”

”Maybe she didn't have anything to do with anything. It was just a coincidence? Or she was coming to see Serena and got there just as the alarm went off.”

Serena lifted a brow and mouthed, ”Camille?”

He nodded, then said to Colton, ”That's a good theory. Or, it wasn't the killer at all, but a teenager trying to break in, didn't realize the windows were wired too, and set the alarm off.”

”Or that,” Colton agreed. ”Still, I think it's more than just coincidence that these two had their systems worked on and ended up targets of a serial killer.”

”I agree.”

Dominic saw Serena pale as though she'd just thought of something that scared her. Tucking the phone under his chin, he said, ”What is it?”

”My mom said something was wrong with their alarm system and someone was coming out today to fix it.”

28.

SAt.u.r.dAY, 12:32 P.M.

Serena listened to the phone ring while Dominic hitched the boat to the trailer and the trailer to the Suburban. ”They're still not answering.” Fear bit at her. A fear like she'd never experienced before. When she'd thought the killer was just after her, that was one thing. But to go after those she loved . . .

She hit redial. ”Please, please . . .”

”Colton should be there by now. He'll call as soon as he knows anything.”

She'd been ready to leave the boat in the water, jump in the car, and head to her parents' house. Fortunately, Dominic was thinking more clearly. He'd still had Colton on the phone and filled him in. Colton promised to call Hunter. Dominic explained they would be able to get there faster.

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