Page 4 of The Fragile Truth

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The noise from the sports bar was a welcome distraction from the swirling dark thoughts in Ian’s head. He’d sworn off drinking … at least until he could get more of a handle on his self-control. Unlike his old man, Ian wasn’t an alcoholic, but the past few months, he’d used booze as a coping mechanism far too often. It was starting to cloud his judgment. The one thing he needed right now was a clear head.

Lina’s face flashed before his mind, bringing another wave of anger. He’d not come here to fill up on beer, but rather because he didn’t want to go home to an empty house, not when he was still processing his visit with Lina. He’d left her apartment and driven straight here. It was better to go to a bar in Wilmington where no one knew him rather than back home in Summerhaven, where everyone and their dog would try to strike up a conversation with him. Tonight, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts—but he wanted to be surrounded by people and commotion.

As the Sheriff of Summerhaven, it was crucial that Ian exercise good judgment, not only in his work but also in his personal life. He grunted as he reached for his glass and swirled around the club soda before bringing it to his lips and downing the remainder of it in a couple of swigs. Lina had made a fool of him, and everybody in town knew it.

From the first moment he’d laid eyes on Lina, she captivated him with her extraordinary beauty and charm. Ian had dated lots of women before Lina, but this was different … so vivid and all-consuming. Just as he was working up the nerve to propose marriage, Lina dropped the bomb that she’d fallen in love with Talon Chasing and was breaking up with him. Talk about a blow to the ego. Ian licked his wounds by withdrawing into himself and drinking too much.

The day Lina married Talon nearly killed him. And then, several months later, Lina came up missing. Ian immediately transferred his hurt to rage. He would’ve staked his life on the assertion that Talon had killed Lina. Ian carried a vendetta for an innocent man. And as it turned out, Lina duped him, just like she duped Talon. It sickened Ian to think of how Lina had manipulated him. He’d read the situation all wrong. While she was married to Talon, Lina had an affair with that pretty-boy slime-ball Wesley Laramie. Then she disappeared, leaving a cloud of suspicion hanging over Talon. The poor man had been blamed by the public for Lina’s death. If Ian had been able to have his way, Talon would’ve been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And now, surprise, surprise, Talon was the real victim and Lina the perp.

He flagged the bartender and held up his glass. “Another.”

“Sure thing,” the guy nodded.

Ian had told himself that he was going to see Lina with the intent to question her about Brent’s disappearance, but if he were truly honest, a part of him went because he needed closure. He needed to see Lina face-to-face and remind himself that she was a liar and a manipulator. It disgusted him to watch her make a play for him. It cheapened everything that they’d shared. His feelings had been real. He’d opened his heart to Lina. But all he was to her was a steppingstone so she could snare Talon and get an inroad into the Chasings. Was Lina telling the truth about Brent getting shot? Ian knew now that he couldn’t trust a single word that came out of Lina’s mouth.

The bartender placed down a full glass. “Club soda with a twist of lime.”

“Thanks,” Ian mumbled, wrapping his hands around the glass. Maybe the cold liquid would cool the burning voices in his head. The ones accusing him of being a sucker.

“Living large, I see.”

He turned to see an attractive blonde wearing a large grin and pointing to his glass.

“That’s the idea,” he grunted as he raised the glass to his lips.

She pointed to the empty seat beside him. “May I?”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged.

She sat down. In the rustle of her movement, he caught a whiff of her subtle perfume, a combination of citrus and floral. It titillated his senses, evoking a peculiar longing. Ian didn’t know what he wanted anymore. No, that wasn’t true. He eventually wanted to find someone to settle down with. He wanted the sophistication and intoxicating excitement of Lina, but he also wanted a woman who was a good person with sound moral judgment. Not some psychopath, capable of murder. A shiver trickled down his spine. Effie Romeo was lucky Lina was on house arrest and that she would soon be put away for a long time.

Now that Ian’s vision had cleared, giving him an accurate view of the situation, he was glad Talon Chasing had found a good woman like Effie. The two seemed happy together. Good for Talon! Maybe there was hope for Ian too. He smirked. Yeah, right! The best thing he could do was to swear off women altogether and put his energy into searching for Brent’s killer. If Lina happened to be telling the truth, then her drama had gotten Brent killed. A normal person would feel remorse for the part she’d caused in an innocent man’s death, but not Lina. She felt zero remorse. Ian was starting to wonder if Lina was capable of feeling genuine emotion or empathy for anyone but herself.

“What’ll ya have?” the bartender asked. He was a burly, middle-aged man with a jovial demeanor and a patient expression. The type of guy who would excel at tending a bar.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” the woman answered.

Ian turned in surprise. “I guess I’m not the only one living large.”

A smile tipped her lips. “At least I’ll be in good company.”

“At least,” Ian conceded. His eyes flicked over her. She wasn’t just attractive, but striking with her long, wavy, platinum hair, even features, and intelligent brown eyes. He was unprepared for the jolt of attraction that darted through him when their gazes met. As opposed to Lina, whose looks were so perfect that she almost didn’t look real, this woman had a down-to-earth vibe. More like the girl next door who’d blossomed into a beauty. Ian wondered if the woman was a good listener who would be easy to talk to. He reeled himself in. Nope. That wasn’t gonna happen. He’d better keep his emotions buttoned up. No good could come from unburdening his soul to some random woman at a bar, no matter how attractive she was.

She eyed him with interest. “What’s your name?”

“Ian.” Her voice had a husky hint that stirred him with a disturbing fascination. She had a light dusting of freckles over her nose and a tantalizing mole just below the right corner of her full lips. He turned his attention back to his drink.Get a grip!he commanded himself.

“Nice to meet you, Ian.”

He could feel her eyes on him, but he forced himself to keep looking at the glass. There was one upside to this encounter. It drove home the point that he still found other women attractive. Maybe there was life after Lina, after all.

“I’m Sadie,” she supplied. “Sadie Thomas.” A few beats of silence passed before she spoke again. “Are you from Wilmington?”

“No.” He left it at that.

She chuckled dryly. “A man of few words, I see.”

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