Page 72 of Kiss of Deceit

I followed him through the doorway, entering the large room. It was separated by curtains, creating five separate rooms. The clinic was so small that there were no private rooms for patients. If surgery was needed, they were flown out by helicopter. Harry headed for the only closed set of curtains where quiet voices were coming from. He cracked it open, and I peered over his shoulder.

I wasn’t prepared for the instant weight that left my chest when my eyes fell on Dani. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed tightly. Her gaze was on Miles, who was laying on the hospital bed, but her face revealed absolutely nothing. Her eyes were blank. No worry or pain. No fear. I had a feeling she wasn’t mentally in the room right now. Her mind was somewhere else.

“How is he?” Harry asked, looking at the doctor on the stool as he stitched up Miles’ stomach.

“He’ll survive,” Nolan answered without looking at us as he continued his work. “He was lucky the blade was short and didn’t hit anything vital. He was in a lot of pain, so we gave him something to sleep.”

I glanced back at Dani to see her staring right at me. The vacant look was gone, replaced with concern as she let her eyes trail down me. Was she honestly worried for me or was she pretending? I wasn’t sure I’d ever know when it came to her.

“You didn’t get him, did you?” she asked quietly.

“No.” I strode across the tiny room, halting right in front of her. She watched me, tensing slightly when I placed my knuckles under her chin, tilting her head back as I inspected her face. “Are you hurt?”

“Just a little bruised up from dodging his bullet,” she muttered, not making a move to push me away. “I’m fine.”

Someone cleared their throat, and Dani’s gaze cut behind me as she ducked away. I turned to see Harry staring at me, curiosity burning in his eyes. I didn’t give a shit what he thought. If people in this town thought Dani and I were more than roommates, then so fucking be it. Nolan finished up the stitches, using a pair of small scissors to snip the remaining thread.

“Might want to keep those out,” Harry said, pulling out his cigarettes before remembering where he was and shoving them back in his pocket. “Kole needs his arm done.”

I shook my head. “Just give me something to wrap it.”

“You’re still bleeding.” Dani moved closer, concern sweeping over her features. “Did he shoot you anywhere else?”

Before I could answer, Nolan stood up, pulling the gloves off and tossing them in the trash. He ran a hand through his thick, black hair. It was usually slicked back and parted neatly, but I guessed he didn’t have time to do it before he got called in. Dani shuffled to the side as he moved in front of me, inspecting my arm when I reluctantly pulled up the sleeve.

“Go in the next room,” he ordered. “I’ll get the supplies.”

“I don’t need?—”

My words were cut off when Dani grabbed my good arm and nearly dragged me through the curtains. I cursed under my breath when she pushed me into the makeshift curtain room next to Miles.

“Sit,” she ordered, pushing me toward the small gurney. “You need stitches.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I do? Worried about me, Dani?”

Harry entered, interrupting our conversation. “I need to ask both of you questions about tonight. We need something that can help.”

“He wore a ski mask the whole time,” Dani said with a frown. “Gloves. Black clothes. Only a bit taller than me. Maybe five foot nine. Skinny. Small. Knows how to handle a knife.”

“The fucker is quick,” I grumbled as Nolan appeared with a small tray of supplies. I slowly sank on the narrow bed. “And he knows the woods.”

Harry looked at Dani. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’m going to need your help even more since Natalie is gone. We’ll have to set up somewhere else until the investigation is closed and the office is cleaned.”

Dani stared at Harry, disdain on her face. “She’s been dead under an hour, and you sound like you don’t even care. She’s been here for five years. Show some respect.”

My lips parted in shock as Harry’s face reddened. Nolan ignored them, jabbing a needle into my arm. I hissed out a curse, glaring at him.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “My nurse usually does this, but she’s at the police station. I haven’t done stitches in years. That anesthetic shouldn’t take too long. Once it’s numb, I’ll stitch you up.”

“That makes me feel better,” I said sarcastically.

“Of course I respect her,” Harry defended himself, crossing his arms. “She was an important member of our community.”

While his words were true, Dani didn’t understand. Natalie was…different. She didn’t fit in like the rest of us. Being a therapist set her apart. She knew people’s darkest secrets from her work in the hospital. She wasn’t the easiest person to talk to. She was the one person here who never came into my bar for a drink. I couldn’t think of one soul who was friends with her.

“Once Miles wakes up, we need to find out why he was at the police station,” Dani muttered.

“He received a call from Natalie earlier today,” Nolan answered. “He was supposed to work the night shift but told Martha he would be coming in late so he could talk to Natalie about the intern who was murdered.” His eyes darted to Dani. “You’ve been questioning all the people who worked with her.”