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    Linnet blinked. He did. She’d forgotten her discomfort in her moment of anger. “Yeah. Wow.”
    She thought she’d learned more control than that, but apparently this case was already pressing some of her buttons. Hell, she hadn’t even gotten inside the building yet.
    “God, you’re easy. Come on. Let’s go see what has the captain’s knickers in a twist, shall we?” He gave her a wink, his hazel eyes sparkling in the mid afternoon sun. His bald head and café au lait complexion were no nonsense until you looked down. Her partner had a penchant for loud Hawaiian shirts that always made her grin. 
    Her phone went off, a text flashing across her screen.
    There will be a psychologist on site. Dr. Ryder Jamison. I want you to liaison with him.
    “He sent a shrink?”
    Was it for the scene or for her? Bastard.
    “What?” Jones stopped, his look searching.
    “Cap is up to no good again.”
    “Let me see.” Jones took the phone and whistled. “Are you going to tell me why?”
    “No.” Linnet snatched the phone from his hands and stuffed it into the holster at her waist. Right next to her gun. Two seconds in and she’d already forgotten she was the one on the other side of the fence this time. The one with the power. Linnet took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s go.”
    The gravel in the parking lot crunched underneath her boots, and Linnet smoothed her hands down her jeans. Tugging the suit jacket down, she felt the familiar weight of her gun beneath it and kept walking.
    Jones held the tape up for her, and she ducked beneath it, swinging right into the middle of the fray. Uniformed cops walked the club floor, poking fun at the accoutrements hanging on the wall. Dean and Graceling were up ahead talking to some of what looked like regular club-goers. The man wore leathers and the woman a corset and a barely-there thong with heels. No doubt their adventuresome evening had ended much differently from what they’d originally planned.
    In the light of day, the club looked tired and worn. She glanced up at the moniker on the wall and clucked her tongue on the upper roof of her mouth. Ruins. Not even the name of the club sounded appealing. Her nerves were on edge, and she pressed them down. With every step, she came closer and closer to confronting a demon seven years in the making.
    “Excuse me. Are you Detective Adams?” A man stepped into her path, and Linnet nearly ran into him. Longish dark hair swept around his chiseled features and full lips. A white button-down long-sleeved shirt strained against the muscular form beneath and was tucked into a very docile looking pair of khaki slacks. Brown shoes completed the outfit, and Linnet had to smile for the contrast of his attire and the environment they were in.
    “I am.”
    “Oh. You must be the shrink.” Jones eyed the newcomer with thinly veiled distain. “Are you here for the crime scene or my partner?”
    “Jonesy!” Linnet’s eyes opened wide, and her teeth ground together. “Why don’t you go talk to Dean and Graceling. I’ll be over in a second.”
    “You sure?” The question seemed casual, but she could read the concern brewing behind his gaze.
    “Yes. Go ahead. I’ll be fine.” She took a breath and turned back to the stranger. “I’m sorry. My captain just informed me you would be here.”
    “Dr. Ryder Jamison. I hope I can help.” His warm brown eyes simmered with kindness, and she wanted to fall inside of their somehow familiar depths.
    Why did it seem like she’d met him before?
    His gaze trailed over her, and a warm sensation pooled low in her stomach. God. Of all the times for her to go all girly, this was not it.
    “Have we met?”
    “I think I’d remember you, Detective. So no. I don’t believe we have.” But even as he said it, she could see the lie in his words. He was hiding something. For a moment, she considered responding but decided against it. She would confront him later when they weren’t surrounded by