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stopped wasting time. They needed boots on the ground, needed men searching, and that was exactly what they’d gotten.
    “I’m talking about what happened when you saw Lily’s mother.”
    It hadn’t been the mother who had gotten to her.
    The little girl . She’d reminded Cadence too much of herself. She cleared her throat and said, “I didn’t want to give her any false hope.”
    “You didn’t want to talk to her at all.”
    No, she hadn’t. Cadence couldn’t afford to let emotion get in the way of her job. “The captain can interview her. He knows Lily’s mother. He has the connection already established with her.”
    She climbed from the vehicle. A few other cars were scattered in the Striker’s parking lot, along with some pickup trucks and two motorcycles.
    “Sometimes, people need hope in order to get them through the day.”
    Careful now, Cadence glanced back over at Kyle. She made sure not to let any emotions show on her face. “Then you give them hope.”
    A muscle flexed in his jaw.
    In the next instant, he strode around the car, hurrying toward her. Cadence sped up her pace and marched toward the bar’s entrance. She didn’t want Kyle digging too deep right then. The case, the case . It was what mattered. Not her. Not him.
    She yanked open the bar’s door. The interior of Striker’s was dim, but on the far right wall, she saw a line of big-screen TVs. Pool tables were scattered to the left. Dining tables waited in the middle.
    Kyle’s hand closed around her elbow. “Why do you get to know all my secrets?” he demanded, his voice a low whisper in her ear. “But you never share yours.”
    She kept her past buried deep inside.
    His hold on her tightened. “You’re not going to get away with this forever, Cadence. One day soon, I’ll know everything about you.” A dark promise. One that sent a surging wave of sensual awareness through her.
    Her head turned. He was just inches away. Big, strong, seeming to surround her. She’d tried so hard to avoid letting her personal feelings get in the way of their partnership.
    But Kyle kept pushing her.
    One day, she might push him back.
    They were close enough to kiss then. She’d thought of kissing him before. Thought of a whole lot before. Late at night, when she couldn’t sleep, he was what she thought of.
    What she wanted.
    Wrong time, wrong place . That was their story. She pulled away and offered him a hard smile, “No, you won’t know everything, but keep dreaming.” I know I will . Then she made her way to the bar. A waitress was there, one with her long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.
    The waitress smiled when she saw Cadence and Kyle. “What can I get you two?”
    Cadence pulled out her ID. “We need to ask you some questions about another waitress who works here.”
    The woman leaned across the bar. Her very abundant cleavage almost broke free of her small, white top. “You’re FBI?” Her brown eyes widened into minisaucers. “What’s the FBI doing here?”
    “Lily Adams is missing,” Kyle said as he slid onto the stool beside Cadence.
    The brunette gasped. “Lily? She was here last night!”
    And she was gone today.
    There was no point keeping Lily’s disappearance quiet. They actually needed to tell as many people as possible. The more eyes looking for Lily, the more hope they had of finding her. “Were you working the late shift with her last night?”
    The woman, her name tag identifying her as Susannah Jane, nodded. Her gaze nervously flew back and forth between Cadence and Kyle.
    “Did anything unusual happen here?” She gestured to the area behind her. “Did anyone cause trouble for Lily?”
    Susannah Jane shook her head.
    “Did any customers hit on her?” Kyle pressed. “Maybe some guy who didn’t want to take no for an answer?”
    Susannah Jane licked her lips. “Guys are always hitting on us here. The more they drink”—a bitter laugh slipped from her—“the prettier we become.”
    Susannah Jane