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“He’s strange. I’ve seen him play with dead squirrels. Should we talk to him?” He turned to Detective Donnelly.

“Based onthe last incident, you should talk to him with hismother present,” I said.

Had Hank seen the person? Or had he done it and felt guilty?

CHAPTERTWENTY

KIERA

Noises woke me, and I blinked, recognized my surroundings, and pushed myself up from the couch. The last thing I remembered was seeing that raccoon in the bloodbath before blackness swallowed me. I hadn’t fainted in a long time. That was because I hadn’t seen this much blood in a while. I tried my best to avoid seeing blood, which was why I hadn’t had a physical in a while. My doctor’s office had stopped calling me for appointments.

Did I bump my head on anything? I ran a hand over my head, my face, and my body. Nothing felt sore. I’d collapsed once and bumped my head on the edge of my sofa that had knocked me out for a while.

Who had left the dead animal on my doorstep? The poor thing.

Where was Forrest? I glanced out the window and saw the flashing lights. Did something happen to him?

I ambled over to the door, yanked it open, and jumped when Forrest stood before me.

He placed a hand on either side of my shoulders, examining me. “What are you doing up? You should rest and take it easy.” He turned me around,guiding me back to the couch. “Sit.”

Standing in front of me, he gripped my chin, lifting my face up to him. His touch made my skin sizzle.

“How are you feeling?” The concern in his eyes warmed me.

The way he looked at me differed from any other man. Was he seeing me as a patient in need of medical attention?

“I’m fine,” I told him the truth.

He caressed my cheek with his thumb. “You’re lucky I was with you. You could’ve hit your head or scratched up this exquisite face.”

His voice was low, and his eyes darkened as he studied my face. Goosebumps bloomed on my arms. I was afraid he could make me want something too far-fetched. The men who had entered my life never stayed long. Their interest in me reflected my interest in them—something fun and temporary.

That had been the safe choice back then—date a hot guy for a few months, have great sex, let the passion fizzle, and move on with my life.No strings attached meant no trouble. Temporary meant I didn’t delve deep into my heart or face my flaws. But now I wanted something long-term. That was my wish, but maybe he wanted something fun and short term.

I couldn’t afford any heartache or getting lost in some fantasy.My mom needed me. Reality was where I needed to be instead of a dreamland that would only end.

“I’ve fainted before.” I shrugged. “It’s nothing unusual. I feel fine.”

Still looking worried, he folded himself on the couch beside me. The cushion dipped, causing my hips to fall against his.

He shifted to face me. “Want to tell me why you fainted?” Warmth emanated from his eyes. “I want to help you.”

Was I ready to share it? It wasn’t a big deal. The two other people who knew about my blood phobia were Mom and Audri. Audri only found out because she’d witnessed my panic when we were hanging out on a beach and the kid beside us had a bloody nose.

Everyone had fears. We all dealt with them differently. I ignored my hemophobia because I didn’t know what else to do. Therapy didn’t work for these kinds of things. It was a mental block that needed time to resolve. I was just waiting for its time to be up.

“What happened to the carcass? What did the police say?”

“The carcass is gone. Your porch is clean. The police will investigate. Now stop trying to dodge my question.”

For some stupid reason, I was nervous about telling him. What if he thought I was weak? What if he diagnosed me with something worse than hemophobia? I couldn’t afford any treatments right now.

“It’s nothing serious, Forrest. There’s no need for you to be concerned. I’m sure you have plenty of patients to take care of.”

“Actually, I don’t. I’m only a part-time immunologist. Besides, you’re my priority patient right now.”

“Then what do you do with your free time?”