Cameron was breathing hard into the phone, a testament to just how pissed off he was.

"Promise me you won't do anything," she said, practically begging him. Not only for Gina's sake, but for his own welfare, too. "You don't know what Ray is capable of doing, and until you find out more about him, or something you can use against him, we can't risk setting him off."

"Fine," he said tightly, though she knew he wasn't happy about the decision.

She dragged her fingers through her hair, feeling weary and sapped of energy. But there was something she knew she had to do tonight, no matter how unpleasant the task. "I'm going to tell Gina what happened with Ray when she gets home from work."

"Good. She needs to know just what kind of unstable psychopath she's dealing with," he bit out angrily. "Do you want me to be there when you talk to her? I'll leave this surveillance I'm on right now if you want me there."

"No, it's okay." She appreciated the offer, but there was no sense in overwhelming Gina with Cameron's presence. "I can handle it on my own. I'm guessing by what Ray said to me that Gina wants out of the relationship, so hopefully what I have to tell her will prompt her to end it for good."

"We can hope." He exhaled a long, harsh breath, as if that helped to release his pent-up tension and frustration. "Call me if you need anything at all."

"I will." Feeling so much calmer now, she smiled into the phone. "Thanks. I'll talk to you later."

Mia disconnected the phone and then went into her bedroom to change out of her work outfit and into a pair of comfortable drawstring pants and a cotton top. She didn't expect Gina home from her job as a clothing store manager for at least a half an hour, and during that time she welcomed the distraction of working on her latest stained-glass design. Finally, just a few minutes before seven, she heard the front door open and close, and she made her way out to the front of the apartment.

She found Gina in the kitchen, where she was grabbing a small bottle of iced tea from the refrigerator. "Hey, Gina," Mia said in greeting. "Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

Her friend's expression immediately turned wary, but much to Mia's surprise, Gina didn't try to evade the conversation like she would have in the recent past. "Sure. What's up?"

Mia didn't beat around the bush and got right to the point. "Ray came by to see me today."

"You?" Gina's eyes widened in startled surprise. "Why?"

Leaning casually against the counter, Mia crossed her arms over her chest. "Because he said you want to leave him, and he's certain I'm the one who's encouraging it."

"Oh, God, Mia. I'm so sorry." Gina's voice was choked with remorse. "I never meant to drag you into all this."

"First of all, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for," Mia said, reassuring her friend. "There is nothing I want more than to see you out of your relationship with Ray, and I've never made a secret of that fact."

Gina hung her head as she set her iced tea aside. "I know," she said quietly.

"So is it true what Ray said?" Mia persisted gently, needing answers. "That you want to end things?"

"Yes," Gina nodded and met her gaze. "I finally realized I can't keep going on like this."

"Good for you, Gina." A huge wave of relief swept over Mia. Getting Gina to admit there was a problem was half the battle. The other half came in the form of a very volatile, abusive man.

"You tried to tell me, and I kept denying that anything bad was happening. I made excuses for Ray's actions and behavior because I was blaming myself for making Ray angry." A sense of despair etched her expression. "But Saturday night he started yelling at me because I'd burnt the roast I'd made for dinner, and I just realized I'd had enough, I wasn't happy, and I knew I never would be. So I tried to break things off, but he went crazy."

Gina's hand fluttered up to her throat, and she swallowed hard, her eyes haunted. "He shoved me up against the wall and put his hand around my neck. And it really, really scared me, to the point that I left his place when he was using the bathroom."

Mia recalled that past Saturday night when she and Cameron had come across Gina in the kitchen, clutching her robe tight and her eyes red and puffy from crying. Now, it all made sense.

Crossing the distance separating her from Gina, Mia grabbed her friend's hands and squeezed them tight. "Honey, you did the right thing. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." A smile wavered on her lips. "Of course he's called me since then, telling me how sorry he is, that it would never happen again. But I don't believe him anymore, not when I have so many bruises to show for his abuse."

For the past few weeks Gina had been wearing long-sleeved blouses to work, and as she pushed up the sleeve of her current top, Mia understood why. She'd been covering up bruises on her arms where Ray had obviously grabbed her very roughly. Some of the marks were faded; others were barely beginning to heal.

Gina glanced back up at Mia, her eyes filled with genuine fear. "I'm afraid to be with him, and I'm even more afraid to leave him."

"He's threatened to really hurt you if you leave him, hasn't he?"

Gina drew a shuddering breath that was tinged with dread. "Yes."

Fury rose within Mia, immediate and swift. "You're doing the right thing, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes," Gina said, clearly having come to her senses about Ray. "I know I have to end things once and for all. I just can't stay in this emotionally and physically abusive relationship any longer."

"And you shouldn't have to," Mia insisted. "If you want me or Cameron to be there with you when you tell Ray, for backup or support, just say the word."

"No, I need to do this on my own," Gina said with a shake of her head. "It might be the coward's way out, but I'm going to end things with Ray on the phone."

Mia was glad to hear that. "That's not cowardly, Gina. It's smart. He can't hurt you that way, and once that's done you can have a restraining order issued against him so he can't come near you."

"That's what I'd planned to do." She straightened with a determination that made Mia proud. "I'm supposed to see him on Thursday evening, but I'm going to call him instead and tell him we're through. For good. And then because I have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off, I'm going to go and stay with my sister so I'm not around. That will hopefully give Ray time to cool off."

Mia couldn't have thought of a better arrangement herself, because there was no doubt in her mind Ray would do everything in his power to try and contact or see Gina after she ended the relationship. But that also meant Mia shouldn't be alone this weekend either, because Ray would be looking for any excuse to unleash his wrath on anyone who stood in his way of getting in touch with Gina.

@"WHO is Ray Wilkins?"

Cameron glanced from the information on his computer screen he was perusing to Steve, who'd entered his office and was crossing the room to his desk. He'd anticipated something like this would happen at some point, and although Steve seemed only mildly curious at the moment, Cameron didn't expect his friend's calm to last once he explained Ray to him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Wes was doing some trace work on this guy while you were gone earlier," Steve replied. "He said it was for you, but I can't find a case file, so I was curious who he is and if he's a client of ours."

Cameron knew he could tell Steve it was personal and he'd immediately let it go and that would be the end of their discussion. But as partners, and friends, Cameron didn't want lies between himself and Steve. Especially if Steve found out the truth later-that his cousin, Mia, was being stalked and Ray Wilkins was a prime suspect. Even though Cameron had promised Mia he wouldn't involve her family in any way, he trusted Steve to be discreet, and that was what ultimately swayed his decision to tell his partner everything.

Cameron waved a hand toward the chair in front of his desk. "Why don't you sit down. There's something I need to tell you."

Steve lifted a dark brow as he settled his large frame in the seat. "Sounds serious."

"It involves Mia," Cameron said flat out.

"Mia?" Steve looked completely taken aback and then he smirked. "Did you find out she's seeing this guy, and you've got it so bad for her that you're running a background check to scrutinize his credentials?"

Cameron laughed, because it was amusing to think Steve believed he'd be jealous enough to secretly investigate someone Mia might be dating. But there was nothing remotely humorous about the actual situation and the reasons why he was trying to trace Ray and his past. And those answers were about to reveal his own relationship with Mia.

Sighing in resignation, Cameron tossed his pen onto his desk and leaned back in his chair. "Ray is a suspect in a personal case I'm pursuing, which also involves Mia."

Steve's entire demeanor took on a guarded edge. "In what way?"

Cameron explained everything from the beginning, about the pictures Mia had received by mail, her car being vandalized, and how there was a possibility Ray was behind it all. He also told Steve about Ray's abusive relationship with Mia's roommate, Gina, which was yet another reason to find out who Ray was and what was lurking in the other man's past.

Steve appeared stunned. "I don't get why Mia didn't come to me for help. It's not like the two of you are best buddies or anything… or are you?" His tone had turned gruff, and his gaze narrowed with suspicion.

Even from across the expanse of his desk, Cameron felt the heat of his partner's stare. "Mia came to me originally because she feels you guys are way too protective and smothering, and she didn't want you all invading her personal life or space over this. I agreed to help her out, and she made me promise I wouldn't tell you or her brothers what was going on. I figured as long as I was able to keep things under control, and her life wasn't directly threatened in any way, there was no reason to involve anyone else."