Grant,” she interrupted, shaking her head, even though he
couldn’t see her. “I am more grateful than you know for pushing me to do this,
but I think what we had was all we were meant to have. Anyway, this may take a
lot longer than I expected.”
“Oh?
Problems?”
“This
seems to be the proverbial let’s-sweep-it-under-the-rug situation. Everyone
wants it to go away and me with it.” She twisted the curl tighter, then pulled
it out, letting it spring back like a coil of wire.
“I
heard what you said before, but if things are tense would you like me to come
down there?”
Dana
could visualize Grant stretched out on his leather couch, phone propped to his
ear, frowning at the thought he might get sucked into something beyond his
comfort zone.
She
burst out laughing. “I don’t think this place is exactly your cup of tea. And
you’d hate getting caught up in something so convoluted. But thanks, anyway.”
“You will call me if things get too hairy, right?”
“Of
course. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
Would
she? In any event, one of the last people she needed tagging behind her was
Grant, who, despite what she was thinking was a conscience call, had all but
told her to go to hell.
Not
that she probably hadn’t needed to hear it. It gave her the shove she needed to
dig back into her past. It also pointed out very clearly to her how shallow all
her relationships had been, Grant being just a carbon copy of the others.
She
said good-bye, snapped the phone shut, and leaned back in her chair, rubbing
her forehead. No way could she tell him she had such conflicting emotions about
the whole thing. She wanted answers. She didn’t want them. She wanted to
reconnect with the place she was born. She wanted to get as far from it as
possible.
And,
of course, there was Sheriff Cole Landry, damn him. The ultimate alpha male. All
her life she’d retreated from men, the horrific memories she’d pushed away
freezing everyone out. Killing any desire she might ever have for a real sexual
relationship. Yet now, when she was least prepared to deal with it, this arrogant,
wildly sexy man had pierced the veil and stirred up feelings she had no idea
she was even capable of, never mind how to deal with them.
Damn
it all, anyway. Just for once could things please go her way?
She
studied the screen on her laptop. The notes she’d transferred from her study of
the case files stared back at her. There was nothing dressed up about the
facts. They were brutal. Gruesome, even, and very explicit. The deputies who’d
found the bodies had left nothing to the imagination. The pictures they
conjured were like something out of a torture chamber.
A
shiver skittered over her spine as she felt the ghost touch of those calloused
fingers probing her body, heard Kylie’s high-pitched little screams. Remembered
the terrible pain. Felt the tape ripped from her mouth and strange hands trying
to be gentle with her.
When
she’d seen Kylie’s body, she’d thrown her head back and screamed so long and
hard her throat ended up raw for days. She’d fought to get to her sister, but
other hands restrained her, voices tried to soothe her, and finally the sting
of a needle had plunged her into blackness.
Now,
with each case she examined, she relived it over and over again. Her stomach
convulsed, and once more, she felt like throwing up. She was going to need a lot
of hot tea and antacids before this was over.
The
idea of tea sounded good right now. Something to settle her nerves so she could
be objective about all this. Getting up from the table, she headed into the
kitchen.
But
even as she heated the water, she knew tea wasn’t the solution to what ailed
her. She wondered if she’d really be able to go through with this whole
project. If she had the stomach and the strength to push forward, searching
through all the mental rubble for the tiniest clue that would tell her who the
monster was.
Then
she realized there was no wavering on
couldn’t see her. “I am more grateful than you know for pushing me to do this,
but I think what we had was all we were meant to have. Anyway, this may take a
lot longer than I expected.”
“Oh?
Problems?”
“This
seems to be the proverbial let’s-sweep-it-under-the-rug situation. Everyone
wants it to go away and me with it.” She twisted the curl tighter, then pulled
it out, letting it spring back like a coil of wire.
“I
heard what you said before, but if things are tense would you like me to come
down there?”
Dana
could visualize Grant stretched out on his leather couch, phone propped to his
ear, frowning at the thought he might get sucked into something beyond his
comfort zone.
She
burst out laughing. “I don’t think this place is exactly your cup of tea. And
you’d hate getting caught up in something so convoluted. But thanks, anyway.”
“You will call me if things get too hairy, right?”
“Of
course. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
Would
she? In any event, one of the last people she needed tagging behind her was
Grant, who, despite what she was thinking was a conscience call, had all but
told her to go to hell.
Not
that she probably hadn’t needed to hear it. It gave her the shove she needed to
dig back into her past. It also pointed out very clearly to her how shallow all
her relationships had been, Grant being just a carbon copy of the others.
She
said good-bye, snapped the phone shut, and leaned back in her chair, rubbing
her forehead. No way could she tell him she had such conflicting emotions about
the whole thing. She wanted answers. She didn’t want them. She wanted to
reconnect with the place she was born. She wanted to get as far from it as
possible.
And,
of course, there was Sheriff Cole Landry, damn him. The ultimate alpha male. All
her life she’d retreated from men, the horrific memories she’d pushed away
freezing everyone out. Killing any desire she might ever have for a real sexual
relationship. Yet now, when she was least prepared to deal with it, this arrogant,
wildly sexy man had pierced the veil and stirred up feelings she had no idea
she was even capable of, never mind how to deal with them.
Damn
it all, anyway. Just for once could things please go her way?
She
studied the screen on her laptop. The notes she’d transferred from her study of
the case files stared back at her. There was nothing dressed up about the
facts. They were brutal. Gruesome, even, and very explicit. The deputies who’d
found the bodies had left nothing to the imagination. The pictures they
conjured were like something out of a torture chamber.
A
shiver skittered over her spine as she felt the ghost touch of those calloused
fingers probing her body, heard Kylie’s high-pitched little screams. Remembered
the terrible pain. Felt the tape ripped from her mouth and strange hands trying
to be gentle with her.
When
she’d seen Kylie’s body, she’d thrown her head back and screamed so long and
hard her throat ended up raw for days. She’d fought to get to her sister, but
other hands restrained her, voices tried to soothe her, and finally the sting
of a needle had plunged her into blackness.
Now,
with each case she examined, she relived it over and over again. Her stomach
convulsed, and once more, she felt like throwing up. She was going to need a lot
of hot tea and antacids before this was over.
The
idea of tea sounded good right now. Something to settle her nerves so she could
be objective about all this. Getting up from the table, she headed into the
kitchen.
But
even as she heated the water, she knew tea wasn’t the solution to what ailed
her. She wondered if she’d really be able to go through with this whole
project. If she had the stomach and the strength to push forward, searching
through all the mental rubble for the tiniest clue that would tell her who the
monster was.
Then
she realized there was no wavering on
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