Page 102 of Kiss of Deceit

“That wasn’t a denial.”

My heart raced, rage creeping in. Whenever Dani tried to profile me, I found it amusing. Susan was only pissing me off.

“Thinking the worst of me?” I shook my head. “Aren’t therapists supposed to be unbiased?”

“I’m only trying to understand you.”

“I want to find the person who is killing,” I ground out. “I know what happens if it’s not handled. I’d rather stay here than go back to prison. Just like everyone else here. I’m sure your superiors have already spoken about shutting the program down.”

She continued to tap the pen against the folder, only aggravating me more. “You seem to know a lot about how this town works.”

“I’ve been here five years. I’ve learned some things.” I paused, wanting an answer of my own. “Do the interns know what this town is?”

“No,” she said firmly. “You should know that. The entire reason they come is to see how you all interact with those who don’t know about the program. It’s against the rules to tell them. No matter how close you get.”

Her warning didn’t mean shit to me. She thought I wanted to tell Dani the truth—I was worried she might already know. It was the only reason I could think as to why she was suddenly giving me the cold shoulder. I wasn’t sure how she could have found out. If someone told her, that would get them kicked out of the program. No one here would chance that.

Maybe she figured it out on her own. She was smart, and already questioned the odd things, like how there were no kids. But it would be a leap for her to find out the truth on her own. No other intern had ever found out.

“I think the interns should get sent home,” I forced out, my stomach twisting from my words.

She frowned. “Why?”

“It’s not safe here with a murderer on the loose.”

“The road isn’t open. They can’t leave.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

She let silence fill the room for a minute as she stared at me, searching my face. “You care about that intern.”

I didn’t deny it. Thinking of Dani leaving made my chest ache. But whoever the hell was wreaking havoc in this town was focused on her. If she left, she’d be safe.

“Be careful with her.”

My eyes darted to hers. “What does that mean?”

She pressed her lips together, her face flushing slightly as if she hadn’t meant to say that. “It’s not healthy to get close to someone who will be leaving. You need to focus on changing your behavior.”

I couldn’t tell if she was lying or not, but something didn’t sit right. What did she care if I was with Dani? Natalie was never against fraternization with interns. The whole point of them being here was to interact as if we were in the real world.

“Your hour is up,” she announced, setting the pen down. “I’ll see you next week.”

“You’ll see me at the station tomorrow.”

“You have no experience to be working there. Harry never should have hired you. We both know why he did it,” she said, annoyance in her voice. “Let him do the work.”

“I’ll be there helping until the asshole is caught.”

I didn’t care if Dani wasn’t talking to me. I wasn’t leaving her side until I knew she was safe.

CHAPTER FORTY

dani

I peekedthrough the living room curtains, my heart pounding away furiously. The fresh snow glowed eerily under the dim streetlights, and there wasn’t a soul outside. Whoever wasn’t at home was at the bar since it was the only place open after dark. It was where Kole was right now. He’d taken the night off, but Adella called, asking for help since it was packed. I didn’t miss his worry when I declined his offer to join him.

For the first time in almost two weeks, I was alone without worrying about him coming home any second. From overhearing his and Adella’s conversation, he would be there until closing time.