Edge of Hunger. Rhyannon Byrd
in her throat. âI see.â
His eyebrows lifted as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. âDo you?â
Molly nodded. âEmotional safety. You donât get too close. I wonder if Kendra felt the same way, or if she hoped youâd fall in love with her.â
Tossing back the dark amber liquor, he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his wrist. âWhy the hell are we talking about her like sheâs dead?â
His question startled her, and with it came a nauseating sense of certainty. Molly didnât know why sheâd started referring to the woman in the past tenseâbut she feared the heavy knowledge settling like a sickening bulk of reality in her gut. Her brow broke out with a clammy sheen of sweat and she pressed one hand over her heart, its rhythm rapid and light against her palm. âI warned you something would happen, Ian. I have a horrible feeling that it already has.â
He didnât say anything. Just settled his lower back against the counter and stared, probably thinking she was the biggest freak alive.
âWhy do you think Elaina picked you?â he rumbled, his deep voice low and rough.
âWhat?â she asked, caught offguard by the change in topic.
He stared, hard, as if trying to figure out a problem. âWhy you?â
âOh, I donât really know. I donât know why any of the voices I hear come to me. Maybe Iâm able to draw them in some way. Maybe she couldnât find anyone else who would do something this crazy.â Her words came faster, cut with frustration. âRight now, we have something much more important to talk about. Were you even listening to what I said?â
âYeah,â he said, his voice raspy. He took another drink. âI was listening.â
âThen will you try calling her?â Panic was crawling its way up her spine, making her dizzyâ¦nauseous. God, sheâd been sitting here arguing with him, and a woman was dead. Murdered. She didnât 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 didnât immediately respondâjust kept staringâshe added, âPlease, Ian.â
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. âShe isnât home,â he muttered, glaring at her. âWhich means she probably hit her favorite haunt tonight and made a new friend.â
âOr maybe something terrible has happened,â she argued, lifting her chin.
A rude sound of impatience rumbled in the back of his throat. âChrist, you just donât let up, do you?â
âI donât have time to sit around and beat you over the head with this. I need you to listen to me, to believe what Iâm telling you and help me make things right, and then I need to get back home.â Where she might have to beg for her job back, if theyâd 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.
âWhereâs home?â she heard him ask through the pity party she was throwing in her mind.
âNot important,â she snapped, frustrated with herself and the whole horrible situation. âWill you come with me to check on Kendra?â
He slowly shook his head from side to side. âYouâve got to be kidding.â
âIâm not.â
âThereâs no way in hell Iâm going to go skulking about in the dark because you think the bogeymanâs out there. Get real.â
âFine. If thatâs the way you want it, then Iâll go alone.â
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. âAre you crazy?â
âYou donât believe me. Think Iâm out of my mind. So fine. Whatâs it to you if I go wandering about in the dark?â
âYouâre not going anywhere,â he growled, anger roughening the edges of his speech, âexcept back to wherever you came from.â
âWrong. Iâm doing whatever I damn well please. Whatever it takes to get your mother out of my head so she can move on to wherever sheâs meant to go!â
âChrist,â he grunted under his breath, releasing her arm. He rubbed his palm against the scratchy edge of his jaw, then quietly said, âThe sheriffâs 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.â
âDonât worry,â she whispered, struggling to hold back her relief that heâd caved. She wasnât exactly thrilled to be spending more time with him, when he insisted on being such a jerk, but she couldnât deny that sheâd rather deal with his crass rudeness than handle things alone. Especially when she still didnât have a clear understanding of exactly what she was up against. âIf Iâm wrong and sheâs okay, then you can laugh in my face and tell me to get lost. The sheriff will never have to know.â
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 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, âHeâll know.â He grimaced with a wry twist of his lips. âTrust me. Heâs like Santa Claus. He always knows.â
Her brows pulled together in a quizzical frown. âAre you friends with the sheriff?â
âYou could say that,â he muttered, pulling on his shoes before scanning the room for the keys to his truck. âIâm surprised Elaina hasnât mentioned it.â
âItâs not like we have chats,â she said with a sigh. âBasically she just nags me about coming to find you and delivering the warning I gave you this afternoon.â
âHuh. That sounds like her. God knows that woman loved to nag,â he grunted as the phone heâd stuck in his pocket began to buzz. Flipping it open, Ian couldnât believe the name glowing on the screen. âSpeak of the devil.â
âWho is it?â
A low laugh rumbled in his throat as he held up the phone, waggling it in the air. âThe sheriff.â
âThatâs not funny,â she murmured, frowning.
He snorted, another wry smile kicking up the corner of his mouth. âTell me about it.â Hitting the call button, he put the phone to his ear. âYeah?â
âGet dressed,â Rileyâs deep voice grunted over the line. âI need you to meet me.â
His smile faded, replaced by a rising wave of apprehension. âWhatâs going on?â
âItâs Kendra.â
Ian screwed his eyes closed, a sharp, guttural curse jerking up from his chest.