Page 32 of Killer Kiss

I froze.

When Augie had touched my cheek I’d leaned into it, craving his warmth.

When Riddick did it, my entire body cringed away from the connection, and I pulled the trigger again.

This time the bullet landed right between Gorman’s eyes.

The room went silent.

Gorman’s breaths ceased to exist.

Riddick stared at me, frowning because I’d wrecked his little game.

I shoved the gun at his chest. “You and I are nothing alike, Riddick. Not a fucking thing.”

9

AUGIE

Isat outside the address on Bert Leddith’s card and peered at the pretty little house. It wasn’t in the most expensive part of Providence, but it was a tidy, well-kept home that looked damn sweet from where I was sitting. “Should have been a private investigator,” I muttered, shoving the card Willa had given me into my pocket again. “You clearly make more money than I do.”

I got out and strode up the driveway to rap my knuckles across a bright-blue painted door.

The man who opened it was a few inches shorter than me and maybe ten years older. He smiled. “Augie, right? Come on in. I’ve got an office just down the hall there to your left.”

I stepped inside and made my way down the hallway while he closed the door. His office was small, barely big enough for a desk and a filing cabinet, but it had a window with a view of a neat backyard. A grill and outdoor furniture were set up on the back patio.

Bert indicated for me to sit, and he took up the spot behind the desk. He pulled a blank notepad and a pen from his top drawer and scribbled the date on the top before glancing up at me. “You said on the phone that your friend is missing. How about you tell me a bit more about her?”

I nodded stiffly and spilled out all the basic facts about Fawn and everything we knew about Eddie and why she might have been taken. Bert diligently took notes while I talked, and when I was done, he slowly put down his pen and cleared his throat.

“Well, first of all, I want to say that I’m really sorry for everything you’ve been through. The fact none of this has been reported through the media is a tragedy. I’ve made some notes on aspects of the case that I can follow up with some friends of mine. I definitely think I can help you.”

Relief spread through me. “That’s great. Thanks.”

The man nodded. “We’ll get you a contract drawn up straightaway. Down payment is two-thousand dollars with weekly installments due after that—”

I choked on a cough. “Two thousand dollars?”

The man put down his pen. “Well, two thousand is my base rate, and then there’s a per week charge after that, depending on how many hours per week I do.”

“And how many weeks exactly do you think it would take you to find her?”

Bert shrugged. “It’s truly impossible to say.” He gave me a sharp look. “I’m sure you want to do everything in your power to find your friend, though, don’t you?”

The judgment in his tone pissed me off in an instant. I’d never been very patient with these assholes from Providence, who had no idea what it was like for the rest of us who hadn’t been born with silver spoons in our mouths. “I spend hours every day asking every person I can find if they’ve seen her. I’ve made hundreds, if not thousands, of missing posters and plastered them to every pole I can find. I’ve visited every bar and strip club, checked every street corner searching for her. I want to find her more than I want to fucking breathe. I’m prepared to pay you something, obviously, but do I look like I have two thousand dollars?”

Bert pushed back in his chair and stood. “I guess we’re done here, then. Nice meeting you, Augie. I hope you find your friend.”

Anger pulsed through me, hot and fast. “That’s it? You won’t help me? You just said it was a tragedy!”

“Yeah, but so is not getting paid.”

“You piece of fucking shit!” I balled my fingers up into fists.

I hated that Ophelia was right. That part of the reason I hadn’t been able to find Fawn was because I didn’t have the money to do so. The fucking guilt that swamped me was thick and real and felt all too familiar to every time I’d let my brother down.

Every time I hadn’t been able to buy him new football boots.

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