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been. Against all better judgment, Jace wanted to get to know her better. To—hell, he didn’t know—talk to her like a normal person for a change. Nothing about Jace’s family life had been ordinary, except to outsiders. Keeping up appearances had mattered to his social-climbing parents, and they’d been experts. The first time Jace had realized the bruises on his mother’s arms didn’t come from gardening he’d headed straight for his father’s home office to confront him. His mother had stopped him and begged him to leave it alone. She’d said that she loved his father and that the abuse was her fault. Jace had retreated into his own world when he’d realized he couldn’t help someone who refused to see the real problem.
    And right now Erika was in the same boat, so he let her walk away. Telling her what he knew would make things worse for her. Wouldn’t change the job he had to do, either.
    Maybe the past few months on the run had been making him soft. It was weakness that had him wanting to hold Erika all night. He’d been doing this job too long, been too lonely. Or maybe he thought he’d found someone who would finally understand his twisted life.
    Jace did a mental head shake. None of that mattered. It was almost over. As soon as he knew for certain how deep Murdock was in, Jace would disappear. Making contact with Erika would be writing his own death warrant.
    What if he’d told her the truth? It wouldn’t matter.
    She’d find him and kill him, or he’d do the same to her. Either way, one of them had to die. His feelings for her complicated the situation. Hell, his whole career had gone FUBAR in a matter of weeks—why not his emotions, too?
    Fuck.
    He gripped Erika’s locket in his palm.
    He’d expected Sanctuary to send someone, so he was already prepared, just not for her. If only she knew what was really going on, what this was really about.
    Would it change things between them?

Chapter Six
    The memory of Jace standing in the hallway, wounded, burned Erika’s retinas. By the time the elevator doors opened again, there’d be no erasing the image. When she lay awake nights at her family’s cabin in the lower forty-eight, it’d be him she’d think about, miss, want, need. Not have. Not ever have again.
    Her lungs seized at the reality of leaving Jace behind forever and even the crisp afternoon air couldn’t bring reprieve fast enough. Tears burned the backs of her eyes.
    Every step leading her away from him was like walking through quicksand. She clutched at her throat as precious oxygen flooded her chest and instantly realized something was wrong. Something was missing.
    Frantic, Erika felt around for her necklace. The last gift she’d received from her mother was gone.
    The weight of that thought sat heavy on her chest. The air thinned and the city closed in around her. There were too many freakin’ people flooding the streets. With her recent memories patchy, she couldn’t be sure if she’d left the keepsake at home or lost it. Nope. She couldn’t have forgotten it. She never took it off, not even to shower.
    Maybe it had come loose when she was in the clutches of one of her episodes? The clasp could’ve broken. When was the last time she remembered having it on? Jace’s place?
    Walking fifteen blocks should’ve cleared her head. Instead, she’d had to stop twice to vomit. Sick and alone, she was almost home when the answer came to her. She’d been wearing the locket that morning at Jace’s when they’d had sex. He’d asked about it.
    Desperation overwhelmed her as she unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside. Was there a way to sneak inside his place and take it back? She knew the answer even before she’d finished the thought. No.
    First she’d lost Jace, and now her necklace. The only two things that mattered to her were gone in