Page 79 of Kiss of Deceit

Kole’s gruff voice came from right behind me, and both Riggs and I whirled around. We were still close enough that our shoulders brushed, and something darkened in Kole’s eyes as his gaze slid to Riggs. I wondered how much of the conversation he heard.

“I was going to get coffee before work,” I said, my heartbeat calming slightly when he met my stare. “You were still sleeping.”

My breathing was finally under control, and I flexed my fingers as the trembling slowly subsided. It seemed Kole could chase away my nightmares even when I was awake.

“I’ll walk you to work.” Kole stepped toward me, forcing Riggs to move back. “Where’s your coffee?”

“She dropped it,” Riggs answered for me, annoyance in his voice. “It’s pretty rude to interrupt someone’s conversation.”

Kole locked eyes with him as he wrapped his arm around my waist, gently pulling me closer. “I wasn’t aware you were talking.”

Riggs’s jaw ticked, his gaze stopping on Kole’s arm before he glanced at me. “Are you two a thing?”

“She doesn’t mind me touching her,” Kole murmured, the possessiveness in his voice making my pulse thud. “I think that says everything, doesn’t it?”

When I didn’t say a word to refute him, Riggs shook his head and strode away with his hands in his pockets.

I tilted my face up to meet Kole’s gaze. “We’re a thing, huh?”

He chuckled. “Seeing as I wanted to beat the ever living shit out of Riggs for touching you? Yeah, Dani. I’d say we’re something.”

He kept his arm around me as we walked, and there wasn’t any part of me that wanted him to let go. The back of my neck prickled, and I peered around, half convinced I was still being watched.

“And what happens when this year is over?” I asked quietly. “Will we still be something?”

I was almost scared for his answer. It was a stupid question on my part. We could never be anything. Not when I had blood on my hands that he would never find out about.

“Finally. Where the hell have you been?” Harry’s irritated voice rang out, and Kole grumbled under his breath. “We have a meeting, did you forget?”

I looked up to see Harry standing outside the clinic, tapping his boot in the snow impatiently. My breath caught when I saw the newcomers standing next to him. They all looked freezing, and less than happy about being here. Both men looked to be in their late forties. One of them had brown hair that was graying. The other man had no hair, and I wasn’t sure why he didn’t have a hat in this weather. The woman’s sharp eyes met mine for a moment before she brushed wisps of her blonde hair from her forehead.

With a frown, I glanced at my watch, noticing I still had five minutes before I was expected to be at work. Harry’s eyes cut towhere Kole was holding me, but he didn’t comment on it as we got closer.

“We’ll see you inside,” the bald man said as he and the other two went back inside.

“You called and wanted me here for what?” Kole asked.

“I’m deputizing you.”

Kole tensed against me. “Excuse me?”

“You wanted to be part of this investigation. Now you are.”

I glanced between them in bewilderment. “What’s going on?”

“These people think I can’t handle my town,” Harry hissed, his eyes flashing in anger. “I need to prove that we don’t need help with this.”

“The FBI?” I questioned.

Harry looked at me for a quick second. “Yeah. They want the details of the murders.”

I tilted my head slightly, staring at him. He wasn’t being honest. Why would he lie about that?

“Did you forget I have a bar to run?” Kole muttered. “I can’t spend every day working a second job.”

“You’ve been helping me for years,” Harry shot back under his breath. “This just makes it official. It will show those assholes that I have more people working on it.”

“Fine,” Kole gritted out. “Am I getting a paycheck for this?”