Rhyannon Byrd - Edge of Hunger

“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 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 care of myself.”

Ian could tell that the low sound of doubt he made in response grated on her nerves more than any snide comment he could have delivered.

“When will I see you again?” she burst out, when he started to turn away.

He shook his head, jamming his hands into his front pockets before he did something stupid, like try to touch her. “You won’t.”

“Ian—”

“I want you to stay away from me,” he growled, cutting her off. “Tomorrow, when dawn hits, you get your ass in your car and go back to wherever it is you came from. You hear me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”

“No,” he rasped, “just your sanity.”

“I’m not crazy. I wish I was. And I’m also not running. Not until we’ve set things right.”

“Get out of town, Miss Stratton.” He punctuated the order with a hard look of warning, then slammed her car door. Ian waited until she’d started the engine and driven out onto the street, her taillights disappearing down the road, before turning around and climbing into his truck.

He sat for a moment, staring at nothing, lost in thought, wondering if he’d ever see her crazy little ass again, hoping that she was smart enough to do what he’d told her before things got any more screwed-up than they already were. She could end up hurt. Hell, if she was right, if something was gunning for him with murder on its mind, she could even end up dead.

With a low growl of frustration, he jammed the key into the ignition, hit the gas and headed into the night.

CHAPTER FIVE

Saturday Afternoon

WHAT HAD BEEN a shitty night turned into a grinding, bitch of a day, every lead they followed slamming into a frustrating wall of nothing. By the time Ian finally made it back to his apartment, it was late the following afternoon. While the forensics team had dealt with the gruesome crime scene, he’d spent the hellish hours helping Riley retrace Kendra’s steps, talking to everyone they could find, while getting the third degree about her personal life. It was almost embarrassing, how little he was able to tell his brother about the woman he’d known for almost six months. And the crowd at Kendra’s favorite bar knew even less. A couple of people remembered her leaving with some blond guy, but no one could provide his name. One cocktail waitress coming back on shift had called him “tasty,” and the bartender was able to describe his eyes.