room, the press of her eyes on his back as she watched him through the long shadows. Grabbing his cell phone off the coffee table, he turned back to her, saying, "He'll know." He grimaced with a wry twist of his lips. "Trust me. He's like Santa Claus. He always knows."
Her brows pulled together in a quizzical frown. "Are you friends with the sheriff?"
"You could say that," he muttered, pulling on his shoes before scanning the room for the keys to his truck. "I'm surprised Elaina hasn't mentioned it."
"It's not like we have chats," she said with a sigh. "Basically she just nags me about coming to find you and delivering the warning I gave you this afternoon."
"Huh. That sounds like her. God knows that woman loved to nag," he grunted as the phone he'd stuck in his pocket began to buzz. Flipping it open, Ian couldn't believe the name glowing on the screen. "Speak of the devil."
"Who is it?"
A low laugh rumbled in his throat as he held up the phone, waggling it in the air. "The sheriff."
"That's not funny," she murmured, frowning.
He snorted, another wry smile kicking up the corner of his mouth. "Tell me about it." Hitting the call button, he put the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"
"Get dressed," Riley's deep voice grunted over the line. "I need you to meet me."
His smile faded, replaced by a rising wave of apprehension. "What's going on?"
"It's Kendra."
Ian screwed his eyes closed, a sharp, guttural curse jerking up from his chest. No. Hell no.
This so wasn't happening.
"Where are you?" He couldn't bring himself to ask why his brother was calling.
Riley shouted for someone to hold on, before saying, "Out on Marsden Road."
"I'm on my way."
There was a heavy pause, and then Riley said, "Aren't you going to ask what happened to her?" When he didn't respond, Riley growled, "She's been killed, Ian. Murdered."
He swallowed, unable to scrape up so much as a grunt. "I'll be there in fifteen," he finally managed to choke out, before disconnecting the call. Fury crawled its way through his system, sickening and thick, consuming his body heat along its way, until he was standing there, shivering, his skin cold and clammy. Not wanting to look at Molly, he scanned the room, finally eyeing the flash of his keys on the TV stand by the window.
"The sheriff's your brother, isn't he?" she asked softly. "Riley?"
He tried to nod, but the movement came out too jerky, like a spasm. "Yeah. Like I said, I'm surprised Elaina left that little bit of information out."
"She told me that you had a brother and sister, but that's all." She took a deep breath, then quietly said, "Something's happened, hasn't it?"
Ian turned to look at her over his shoulder, wondering what the hell she was, what the hell was happening. "Kendra's dead."
She flinched, shaking, the color draining out of her face as if she were bleeding out, leaving her pale and ghostly, like the damn voices she apparently heard in her screwed-up little head.
"I have to get out there. Riley's waiting for me." His gut felt as if it'd been stripped with acid, and he struggled to keep down the scotch. "Where are you staying?" he asked, heading for the door.
"Out at the Pine Motel." She moved through the front door as he jerked it open, standing beside him as he quickly locked it.
"The Pine Motel? Christ," he muttered, "That place is a dive."
"Thanks for that remarkable observation," she said thickly, and he could hear the threat of tears in her voice as she followed him down the rickety stairs. He headed toward his truck, her dark blue rental parked beside it, the moonlight no kinder to it than the sun had been.
Giving her his meanest glare, hoping it'd make her listen, he said, "Get back there, then lock the windows and door and don't answer it for anyone. You understand?"
She lifted her chin, opening her car door and sliding behind the wheel. It struck him that she looked too small within the run-down rental, too fragile and easily breakable. "Don't worry. I know how to take
Her brows pulled together in a quizzical frown. "Are you friends with the sheriff?"
"You could say that," he muttered, pulling on his shoes before scanning the room for the keys to his truck. "I'm surprised Elaina hasn't mentioned it."
"It's not like we have chats," she said with a sigh. "Basically she just nags me about coming to find you and delivering the warning I gave you this afternoon."
"Huh. That sounds like her. God knows that woman loved to nag," he grunted as the phone he'd stuck in his pocket began to buzz. Flipping it open, Ian couldn't believe the name glowing on the screen. "Speak of the devil."
"Who is it?"
A low laugh rumbled in his throat as he held up the phone, waggling it in the air. "The sheriff."
"That's not funny," she murmured, frowning.
He snorted, another wry smile kicking up the corner of his mouth. "Tell me about it." Hitting the call button, he put the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"
"Get dressed," Riley's deep voice grunted over the line. "I need you to meet me."
His smile faded, replaced by a rising wave of apprehension. "What's going on?"
"It's Kendra."
Ian screwed his eyes closed, a sharp, guttural curse jerking up from his chest. No. Hell no.
This so wasn't happening.
"Where are you?" He couldn't bring himself to ask why his brother was calling.
Riley shouted for someone to hold on, before saying, "Out on Marsden Road."
"I'm on my way."
There was a heavy pause, and then Riley said, "Aren't you going to ask what happened to her?" When he didn't respond, Riley growled, "She's been killed, Ian. Murdered."
He swallowed, unable to scrape up so much as a grunt. "I'll be there in fifteen," he finally managed to choke out, before disconnecting the call. Fury crawled its way through his system, sickening and thick, consuming his body heat along its way, until he was standing there, shivering, his skin cold and clammy. Not wanting to look at Molly, he scanned the room, finally eyeing the flash of his keys on the TV stand by the window.
"The sheriff's your brother, isn't he?" she asked softly. "Riley?"
He tried to nod, but the movement came out too jerky, like a spasm. "Yeah. Like I said, I'm surprised Elaina left that little bit of information out."
"She told me that you had a brother and sister, but that's all." She took a deep breath, then quietly said, "Something's happened, hasn't it?"
Ian turned to look at her over his shoulder, wondering what the hell she was, what the hell was happening. "Kendra's dead."
She flinched, shaking, the color draining out of her face as if she were bleeding out, leaving her pale and ghostly, like the damn voices she apparently heard in her screwed-up little head.
"I have to get out there. Riley's waiting for me." His gut felt as if it'd been stripped with acid, and he struggled to keep down the scotch. "Where are you staying?" he asked, heading for the door.
"Out at the Pine Motel." She moved through the front door as he jerked it open, standing beside him as he quickly locked it.
"The Pine Motel? Christ," he muttered, "That place is a dive."
"Thanks for that remarkable observation," she said thickly, and he could hear the threat of tears in her voice as she followed him down the rickety stairs. He headed toward his truck, her dark blue rental parked beside it, the moonlight no kinder to it than the sun had been.
Giving her his meanest glare, hoping it'd make her listen, he said, "Get back there, then lock the windows and door and don't answer it for anyone. You understand?"
She lifted her chin, opening her car door and sliding behind the wheel. It struck him that she looked too small within the run-down rental, too fragile and easily breakable. "Don't worry. I know how to take
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