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be strong for him.” Her eyes got watery again, and she took a deep breath. “It’s kind of you to ask.”
    I left, thinking it was the most intimate conversation I’d ever had with Elizabeth. Then again, murder brought all kinds of people and behavior out of the woodwork.
    I exited the bathroom into the glare of lights and the stares of cameras, which were quickly lowered when they saw I wasn’t Nikki.
    â€œSorry,” called a man with a clipboard.
    I exited the media center building, still blinking away spots in my eyes, and almost ran into someone.
    â€œEasy there, Kate.” I heard a hint of laughter in a voice I recognized.
    â€œRyan Johnston. It’s been a while.”
    To be precise, it had been fifteen months since the grim and emotional 24 Hours of Daytona where I’d met Ryan, an FBI agent undercover with a team run by a money-laundering, murderous, thug-harboring crook. Of course, no one had known Ryan was FBI until I’d unmasked the killer who tried to abduct my half-sister, Lara. I still thought Ryan could have done more to keep Lara safe, but I’d long since accepted he’d had different priorities.
    â€œGood to see you, Kate.” He smiled, offering a hand. His grip was like the rest of him: mild-mannered on the surface, hints of iron underneath. “How’s Stuart Telarday doing?”
    Stuart had been the killer’s first victim at Daytona, though Stuart had been critically injured in an engineered hit-and-run accident, not killed. It had been a long road to recovery, and Stuart’s physical healing was happening faster than the emotional. “Pretty well. He may never regain all of his memory, at least around the accident. But he’s mobile now and getting back to full health.”
    â€œAre you still seeing him?”
    I looked at Ryan in surprise. “What does that have to do with Billy?”
    â€œWho’s Billy?”
    â€œThe dead guy over in the garage.” I pointed to the structure. “Billy Reilly-Stinson.”
    â€œMore dead bodies?”
    â€œIsn’t that why you’re here? I can’t imagine why Billy would interest the FBI.”
    â€œHe hadn’t caught our attention yet, though, having met him, it was only a matter of time. I’m here to see the Series in action again. And to see you.”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œI realize you’re probably leaving after today, but you’ll be back in a week?”
    â€œI’m staying until the race.”
    His grin animated his entire face. “Are you still seeing Stuart? Or anyone else?”
    I did the math and smiled. “Are you asking me out?”

Chapter Four
    Ryan’s eyes lit with amusement. “First, I’m asking if you’re currently in a relationship.”
    FBI-man, asking me out? I looked around, expecting cameras to be capturing the moment. Instead, they followed Nikki exiting the building.
    â€œKate?”
    I turned back to Ryan. “No current relationship. Stuart…isn’t in a good place now.”
    â€œI’m sorry to hear that. I’ve worked with victims of similar accidents, and I know they can be tough to recover from emotionally.”
    I nodded, unwilling to go into the details of Stuart kicking me out of his life, telling me he wouldn’t watch me waste my time on him. Not when he might be in a wheelchair the rest of his life and doubted I truly loved him. No argument I’d made had gotten through, and in the end, I’d left him alone. I kept tabs on his progress, but it still hurt.
    â€œHow about dinner?” Ryan’s voice broke my thoughts. “Sometime in the next week, away from the racetrack.”
    Was I interested? He was smart, friendly, attractive, and a little dangerous. Of course I was. “I’d like that.”
    We exchanged cell phone numbers and made a tentative plan for Friday night. We’d gotten to the awkward goodbye stage when Tom Albright,