Page 23 of Dead and a Best Friend
"Mr. Hallen, why don’t you go and grab a coffee while we talk with Miss James?"
Carlisle bristled at the tone Lane used, so I reached out and grabbed his hand. "I'll be fine. After all it was Riley who saved me."
He inhaled slowly and nodded. "I'll be back in ten minutes." With that, he kissed me on the forehead, left, and the door closed with a slight bang.
I winced at the sound because it echoed through my head and face. I put my hand on the spot where he had kissed me and felt the warmth lingering on my skin. Things had certainly been better before he left in a snit.
"How are you feeling?"
The moment Riley spoke into my head, intense pain hit, and I cried out. "Not now," I whispered.
"I'm sorry." Riley moved alongside the bed, placed a gentle hand on my back, and helped me sit up to take a sip of the cool water he offered. Concern was etched on his face.
"Why are you apologizing to her?" Lane asked, confused.
Riley winced before turning to his partner. "I felt bad for not getting to her quickly enough.” He shrugged and helped me settle on the bed.
“The sheriff told us that Angel took the money that Mrs. Winters had found hidden in her car, presumably placed there by her husband.” Lane paused. “Why were you with the sheriff at the time?”
“It’s Penelope Bailey.” I wish I knew what the sheriff had said. "Well, I asked the sheriff to meet me to collect the money. I’d heard rumors about Angel, and I was scared, as was Pen. She's been through enough, so I offered, you, see? Look how that turned out."
"I'd say you've been through enough as well, Ms. James."
"Please call me Tallulah." I glanced at Riley, who stood just behind Lane. I got the sense that he wanted to say something directly to me, but he held off because of the pain I experienced when he tried a few moments ago.
"What I don't understand," Lane began, "is why you're always around."
I frowned. "I live in Sugar Briar."
"And Carlisle Hallen? Is he your boyfriend?"
I winced, and I noticed Riley's jaw tense. I looked back at Lane and said, "Sort of. Besides, that's none of your business. All I can tell you is that Pen found the money that Angel now has."
To be honest, I was furious about that because before Angel got his sweaty, meaty hands on it, there had been a chance I would have gotten it back. "My head and face hurt. I'm done talking since I have nothing to tell you." I shrugged.
Lane's phone started to vibrate, so he excused himself from the room. Riley quickly moved forward and sat beside me in a visitor's chair. "What was that, Tallulah?"
I considered pretending I didn't know what he was talking about, but I was tired and decided against it. "I don't know. I've only ever heard your thoughts." I winced. "Only when they're directed my way." I remembered Lionel, but I decided to keep that to myself. "It scares me, to be honest. I'm glad I could do that when Angel had me in his grasp, though.”
“It came in handy then." His eyes narrowed. "You've heard all my thoughts about you, right?"
"Perhaps."
His cheeks heated, and I felt mine do the same. "Maybe in the future, you could sing or do something like that when you're thinking about me."
"How about I stop thinking about you?" He chuckled.
"That would work." I sighed. "Why can I hear you, and you can hear me? I mean, don't you find it odd?"
“It’s happened to me a few times over the years. I've learned to accept it as a strange quirk of fate."
“How did it start with you? My car got hit by lightning."
"With you inside, I take it?"
"Hmm."
"Nothing so extreme happened to me. I went to bed one night, and the next day, I woke up able to hear my younger sister's thoughts when she thought about how much she hated that I had freedom, and she didn't." He shrugged. "It was difficult at first. Who wants to hear what their fifteen-year-old sister is thinking? Sometimes her thoughts about boys would come my way." He shuddered. "But eventually, I learned to tune them out." He laughed. “Especially when she started dating my best friend.”
