Page 90 of Kiss of Deceit

“And what will I wear home?” Dani asked, annoyance simmering in her voice.

“There is a pair of scrubs in there,” Nolan said softly, concern in his eyes as he stared at her injuries. “It’s not warm, but?—”

“You can wear my jacket,” I cut in. “And we’ll take the truck back. I’m sure Susan won’t mind, will you?”

She pursed her lips. “I guess I can go without it for a night.”

Dani shuffled forward, picking up the scrubs. She unfolded the pants slightly before setting them back down and turning around. Susan moved to close the curtains around them, but Dani shot forward, closer to me.

“I don’t want to be watched while I change,” she snapped, glaring at Susan. “Tristin only beat on my face. I don’t need to be undressed for that.”

The panic laced in her voice wasn’t lost on anyone, and at first, I thought she didn’t want to show Susan her scars. But as she stood there with her hands deep in her pockets, something else dawned on me. Something churned in my stomach as I stared at her back.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Susan sighed, checking her watch. “The faster we do this, the faster we go home.”

I walked up behind Dani, putting my hands on her hips. “Hey. It’s okay. Get this done, and I’ll take you home.”

“Her clothes could have evidence,” Susan rushed out, stepping closer. “Don’t touch her.”

I ignored her, sliding my hands lower. When I found the opening of her pockets, she froze for a split second before trying to push forward. I grasped her waist keeping her in place.

“Trust me,” I murmured in her ear. “Don’t move.”

“Kole—”

Susan cut her off. “Stop wasting our damn time.”

I lifted my head, throwing her a dark look. “Dani has been through a hellish couple of weeks. First the police station, and now this. If she needs a minute, give her a fucking minute.”

Her lips parted slightly, fury sweeping over her face. She wasn’t used to being told no. She muttered something to Nolan as she crossed her arms.

Dani didn’t move a muscle when I slid my hands deeper in her pockets. Her chest heaved as she sucked in quick breaths. My fingertips brushed smooth metal, and a moment later, my other hand touched the same thing. I closed my fists around the small objects before pulling away from her.

She spun around, her eyes tracking my moves as I put my hands in my own pockets. It was why she didn’t want to change. There were no pockets in the scrubs—no place to hide away whatever secret she was trying to keep.

“Are you ready now?” Susan asked, tapping her foot.

Dani cleared her throat. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

Susan shooed me and Nolan away before ripping the curtains closed. Nolan mumbled something about going to get supplies to clean Dani’s wounds before scurrying away. I turned toward the wall, making sure I was alone. My heart thrashed as I pulled out what I took from Dani.

I stared at the silver little weapon in my palm that was crusted with drying blood.

“What did you do, Dani?” I whispered to myself as I stared at the closed curtain.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

dani

My pocketknives saton the island counter, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the flaking blood scattered on the granite was bothering Kole. From how his eyes weren’t leaving me, I had a feeling the mess between us was the last thing on his mind. He rested his palms on the counter, his patience beginning to falter.

“Going to accuse me of something?” I asked quietly, meeting his stare.

“Accuse you?” He looked insulted as a muscle in his jaw flexed. “It’s been six hours since I took these from your pockets. I haven’t said a word. I just want to know what happened.”

After I changed at the clinic, Harry and the two FBI men showed up, demanding to get my statement immediately. Kole had waited four hours while they questioned me about every little detail. My story never changed, and by the end of it they seemed satisfied with my version of events. Seeing as I was the only living witness, my word was everything. The only things to contradict my story were the two knives sitting in front of me.

And now Kole was twisted into my lies. The question was—could I trust him to keep my secret?