really know. I don't know why any of the voices I hear come to me. Maybe I'm able to draw them in some way. Maybe she couldn't find anyone else who would do something this crazy." Her words came faster, cut with frustration. "Right now, we have something much more important to talk about. Were you even listening to what I said?"
"Yeah," he said, his voice raspy. He took another drink. "I was listening."
"Then will you try calling her?" Panic was crawling its way up her spine, making her dizzy...nauseous. God, she'd been sitting here arguing with him, and a woman was dead.
Murdered. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain of it. Just as she was certain it had something to do with the man standing before her, glaring at her as though she was something he wanted to scrape off the bottom of his shoe and be done with.
When he didn't immediately respond--just kept staring--she added, "Please, Ian."
Sighing, he slammed his glass down on the counter, went to the phone hanging on the wall beside the softly humming refrigerator and quickly punched in a number. He held the receiver to his ear for a moment, then set it back into the cradle. "She isn't home," he muttered, glaring at her. "Which means she probably hit her favorite haunt tonight and made a new friend."
"Or maybe something terrible has happened," she argued, lifting her chin.
A rude sound of impatience rumbled in the back of his throat. "Christ, you just don't let up, do you?"
"I don't have time to sit around and beat you over the head with this. I need you to listen to me, to believe what I'm telling you and help me make things right, and then I need to get back home." Where she might have to beg for her job back, if they'd decided to fire her for leaving so suddenly, and hope that the voices in her head would finally stay quiet, leaving her in peace. Giving her a goddamn break for once in her life.
"Where's home?" she heard him ask through the pity party she was throwing in her mind.
"Not important," she snapped, frustrated with herself and the whole horrible situation. "Will you come with me to check on Kendra?"
He slowly shook his head from side to side. "You've got to be kidding."
"I'm not."
"There's no way in hell I'm going to go skulking about in the dark because you think the bogeyman's out there. Get real."
"Fine. If that's the way you want it, then I'll go alone."
She stood, walking toward the living room, and he grabbed her arm, his long fingers biting into her flesh as he gripped her in a tight hold and spun her back around. "Are you crazy?"
"You don't believe me. Think I'm out of my mind. So fine. What's it to you if I go wandering about in the dark?"
"You're not going anywhere," he growled, anger roughening the edges of his speech, "except back to wherever you came from."
"Wrong. I'm doing whatever I damn well please. Whatever it takes to get your mother out of my head so she can move on to wherever she's meant to go!"
"Christ," he grunted under his breath, releasing her arm. He rubbed his palm against the scratchy edge of his jaw, then quietly said, "The sheriff's going to laugh his ass off when he finds out I let myself get dragged out into the night by a little pain in the ass like you."
"Don't worry," she whispered, struggling to hold back her relief that he'd caved. She wasn't exactly thrilled to be spending more time with him, when he insisted on being such a jerk, but she couldn't deny that she'd rather deal with his crass rudeness than handle things alone.
Especially when she still didn't have a clear understanding of exactly what she was up against. "If I'm wrong and she's okay, then you can laugh in my face and tell me to get lost.
The sheriff will never have to know."
IAN SHOOK HIS HEAD at her softly spoken words. The woman was unbelievably naive if she thought they could go wandering about town and keep it from Riley.
Not likely.
He was aware of her slim figure following behind him as he walked into the dark living
"Yeah," he said, his voice raspy. He took another drink. "I was listening."
"Then will you try calling her?" Panic was crawling its way up her spine, making her dizzy...nauseous. God, she'd been sitting here arguing with him, and a woman was dead.
Murdered. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain of it. Just as she was certain it had something to do with the man standing before her, glaring at her as though she was something he wanted to scrape off the bottom of his shoe and be done with.
When he didn't immediately respond--just kept staring--she added, "Please, Ian."
Sighing, he slammed his glass down on the counter, went to the phone hanging on the wall beside the softly humming refrigerator and quickly punched in a number. He held the receiver to his ear for a moment, then set it back into the cradle. "She isn't home," he muttered, glaring at her. "Which means she probably hit her favorite haunt tonight and made a new friend."
"Or maybe something terrible has happened," she argued, lifting her chin.
A rude sound of impatience rumbled in the back of his throat. "Christ, you just don't let up, do you?"
"I don't have time to sit around and beat you over the head with this. I need you to listen to me, to believe what I'm telling you and help me make things right, and then I need to get back home." Where she might have to beg for her job back, if they'd decided to fire her for leaving so suddenly, and hope that the voices in her head would finally stay quiet, leaving her in peace. Giving her a goddamn break for once in her life.
"Where's home?" she heard him ask through the pity party she was throwing in her mind.
"Not important," she snapped, frustrated with herself and the whole horrible situation. "Will you come with me to check on Kendra?"
He slowly shook his head from side to side. "You've got to be kidding."
"I'm not."
"There's no way in hell I'm going to go skulking about in the dark because you think the bogeyman's out there. Get real."
"Fine. If that's the way you want it, then I'll go alone."
She stood, walking toward the living room, and he grabbed her arm, his long fingers biting into her flesh as he gripped her in a tight hold and spun her back around. "Are you crazy?"
"You don't believe me. Think I'm out of my mind. So fine. What's it to you if I go wandering about in the dark?"
"You're not going anywhere," he growled, anger roughening the edges of his speech, "except back to wherever you came from."
"Wrong. I'm doing whatever I damn well please. Whatever it takes to get your mother out of my head so she can move on to wherever she's meant to go!"
"Christ," he grunted under his breath, releasing her arm. He rubbed his palm against the scratchy edge of his jaw, then quietly said, "The sheriff's going to laugh his ass off when he finds out I let myself get dragged out into the night by a little pain in the ass like you."
"Don't worry," she whispered, struggling to hold back her relief that he'd caved. She wasn't exactly thrilled to be spending more time with him, when he insisted on being such a jerk, but she couldn't deny that she'd rather deal with his crass rudeness than handle things alone.
Especially when she still didn't have a clear understanding of exactly what she was up against. "If I'm wrong and she's okay, then you can laugh in my face and tell me to get lost.
The sheriff will never have to know."
IAN SHOOK HIS HEAD at her softly spoken words. The woman was unbelievably naive if she thought they could go wandering about town and keep it from Riley.
Not likely.
He was aware of her slim figure following behind him as he walked into the dark living
Similar Books
