Page 93 of The House Beyond the Dunes

He ignores my passing confession of assault. “Why are you here, Stevie? You barely knew the kid.”

“Call it a weakness for the underdog,” I say. “Nikki is a nice kid. And if she’s hurt and suffering somewhere, I’d like to help her. I came by this place the other night and saw the blood. Something is really wrong.”

“Why didn’t you call it in?”

“Because then there’d be questions for me. And seeing as I lost my wallet ...”

He stares at me, and the cop he used to be is champing at the bit. “Joey said she flaked a lot in the two weeks she was at the bar.”

I hear the implication. She wasn’t reliable so it’ll be easier to forget her. Out of sight. Out of mind. “Why are you here?”

“Would she have run off with someone?” he asks.

“Maybe. But whoever she’s with is not a good guy.”

“She wouldn’t be the first woman to stick with an abuser,” he says.

I think about her leaving willingly with the suit after he splattered her blood on that bed. “You’re right. She might be her own worst enemy. But I liked her. I want to find her. Help her.”

“I remember a preppy-looking guy, overdressed for the crowd in the bar that night,” Sully says. “He always ordered top-shelf.”

Powers of observation are so sexy. “You always remember random guys in a bar?” I ask.

“Old habits die hard.”

That I know well. “For the record, his real name is Kyle Iverson. A doctor. Not the medical kind but the mind kind.”

“And you know this how? He paid with cash.”

“He had a date who used a credit card. I tracked her down. She told me his first name. And then last night, he came in the bar. We played twenty questions. I got his business card, in case I need some counseling.”

His stare turns into a glare. “Why would he care if you’re asking around about him?”

I smile and lean slightly toward him. “Because I hit a nerve.”

He muttersshit. “You’re not considering seeing him for a counseling session, are you?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “Maybe. You never know what you’ll learn. Secrets have a way of revealing themselves.”

Frown lines on his face furrow deeper. “Let me ask around and dig into his past before you lock yourself in a room alone with him.” His eyes blaze.

“Sure. Ask around.”

“Does that mean you’ll stand down?” He’s leaning so close I can feel the energy radiating off him.

“Does that look make men shake in their boots?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t be scared. Seeing hell will do that to a person.”

His expression softens a fraction. “Stevie, I’m just looking out for you.”

“Don’t worry about me, Sully. Nikki needs all boots on the ground looking for her.” Chasing Kyle Iverson has become very personal to me.

“If you get into trouble, who will save you?” he asks.

“I’ll leave that to you, Sully. I suspect you’re up to the challenge.”

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