“Looks like you only grazed him,” the EMT muttered as she packed up her equipment and stuffed it into a navy and black duffel bag.
“Maybe I’ll have better luck next time.” The words were out of Claire’s mouth before she had a chance to censor them.
The EMT looked up as she unwound a stethoscope from around her neck. Her severe French braid pulled her face tight, but couldn’t help with the bags puffing up underneath her exhaustion-dulled hazel eyes. They were the serious eyes of a woman who’d spent too many sleepless nights trying to keep the dying alive.
For a moment, Claire could hear her own heart beating as it pounded in her chest. Damn. Why couldn’t she think before she spoke? She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to mitigate the callousness of what she’d just said but nothing came out. Instead, she stood there with her mouth agape like a fish flopping around on the bottom of a boat.
The EMT looked away and stuffed the stethoscope into a zippered pocket. “Yep. I heard about this one. You probably don’t remember, but I was here the night you found that girl. We brought her to the morgue.” She closed the bag and slung it over a shoulder. “I wouldn’t blame you if you shot him right between the eyes. Just next time, even though officially I hope there isn’t a next time, please shoot him in the next county. I don’t like having to patch up tweaked-out murderers.” She gave a terse nod and joined her partner at Harvest’s door.
Claire stared after them as they walked out into the parking lot. She envied them. They got to escape the Voice of Doom. She had to stay in the same room with him until the investigators got a chance to talk to her. Unease crept along her skin as he watched her from across the room. Because of his injury, he remained on the floor surrounded by deputies. Their presence did little to ease the fear scattering her thoughts as her muscles tensed.
The blood that had seeped through the right back pocket of the Voice of Doom’s jeans jarred Claire’s mind back to Saturday night. Dried blood matting Kendall’s hair. Fear grabbed ahold of her heart and she squeezed her eyes shut. Stark terror rose up, took her back to that night.
“Do you understand these rights as I’ve read them?” The deputy’s voice sounded too loud to her ears.
“I’m not an idiot, of course I understand, Officer Donut.”
His snide tone triggered the memory of the first threatening phone call. Tears pushed against her closed eyelids. A familiar helplessness descended over her. Just like that night, she was scared and unable to protect the people she loved.
She shivered and Jake tightened his arms around her. The heat emanating from his body soaked into her cool skin. She’d almost gotten him killed pretending he was her bodyguard with benefits. How could she have done that? How could she have been so selfish? Gritting her teeth, Claire choked back a sob.
For forty-eight hours she’d lived on the precipice of disaster. Through it all, she’d held on to her anger with an iron grasp and let it guide her actions. She’d refused to show how scared she’d really been.
The click of the handcuffs locking around the killer’s wrists exploded her tough-girl facade.
Claire lost it. Fat tears cascaded down her cheeks and her shoulders shook from her efforts to stifle her sobs.
Jake turned her around in his arms and pressed her cheek to his chest. His hands stroked her hair.
“Let it go, Claire.” His lips brushed the top of her head. “Just let it go.”
It poured out of her. All the fear and frustration ran down her face in hot tears that dripped off her chin. Jake rubbed her back in circular motions. His touch anchored her to him. Somehow she understood that he’d hold her until the tempest insider her ran its course.
For a few minutes the world consisted of Jake and her, the deputies working around them forgotten. She basked in the comfort he provided and snuggled in deeper. His responding sigh set off a fluttering in her stomach.
Everything she needed in life was wrapped around her.
The realization came to her crystal clear and fully formed, as if someone had spoken it aloud. Suddenly, the warmth in her body vanished. Her breathing turned heavy as she sucked air in and out, unable to fill her lungs. Her arms tingled. Fighting off a wave of dizziness, she pushed away from his chest.
She promised herself after Brett that she’d never need someone else that much again. The idea of needing Jake scared her almost as much as the events of the past two days.
“What’s wrong?” Worry lines creased his forehead.
Her line of sight narrowed. Focused on his slate-blue eyes, her peripheral vision turned dark. Her fight-or-flight response surfaced, demanding release. Unable to form words, she jerked away from him and stumbled backward until she smacked up against a barstool.
“Claire, we need to take you down to the station. The investigators can talk to you there so you don’t need to wait around while he’s here.” Hank dipped his head toward the Voice of Doom, whose gaze bored holes into her.
She inhaled several deep, cleansing breaths. Her heart slowed and her surroundings came back into focus. She grabbed Hank’s hand tight in her own.
“Jake, Sgt. Carlyle will take you over in a bit.” Hank ushered her toward the door.
“Claire.” Jake’s voice rang out above the deputies’ chatter and the snapping of the forensics guy’s camera flashes.
She glanced back, unprepared for the determined set to his square jaw. Before she could process what it meant, his face softened. His signature smirk set off fireworks inside her. She fought against the instant buzz of attraction but, her nipples tightened.
“We’ll talk later.” There was no question in his words.
His challenging tone set off a warm flush that heated her chest.
“Promise me, Claire.”
Even if he wasn’t here for the long haul, he wanted him. Needed him. For her, it wasn’t just physical. She yearned for the total package. Her heart skipped a beat. “I promise.”
Did you miss part of Dangerous Kiss? Catch up here. xoxo, Avery
