“The murders could be random. It’s possible.” He closed the space between them and palmed her face.
She sighed in frustration. “I can’t talk about patients with you, or the police for that matter. Well, not without a warrant. I’d be violating the oath I took as a doctor.”
“And what if I broke into your office without your knowledge? Or had someone hack your files? You’d be in the clear.”
“Ben!” She pushed his hand away from her face and stabbed a finger at his hard chest. “You could go to jail. Plus, these are my patients. I’m not comfortable with that.” She stood firm. “The answer is no.”
“Sweetheart, there’s no one that will be taking me down. I’ll do whatever I have to do to clear your name and keep you safe—with or without your permission. I owe you that much.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” Maybe an explanation, but . . .
He stepped so close, it forced her hand to flatten against his chest, and she tipped her chin to find his eyes. His heart pounded beneath her palm, matching hers.
“I won’t let you access my files, but I’ll give you the names of anyone I think might be capable of murder.”
His jaw tightened. “Fine. Get me the names as soon as possible. We’ll talk to your ex tonight, and we’ll have Ava run a background check on him, too. Probably have her look into Jeremy and Bobby, also.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Unable to digest that this was really happening.
A murderer was wreaking havoc on her town.
And Mr. Baseball was back in her life.
Chapter Thirteen
Riley wasn’t sure how this was going to play out. Daniel had agreed to meet her at her apartment at 10 p.m., but she hadn’t mentioned Ben would be with her.
Now that she and Ben were parked outside her building, she was worried they were making the wrong move. “I should do this alone.”
“Fuck no,” Ben said without hesitation.
“We were together for fifteen months. He wanted to start a family with me. He’d never hurt me. He still loves me.”
Ben scratched at the black stubble on his jaw. “I don’t care if he promised you the world. I don’t trust him.”
“And why not?”
He scoffed. “The guy rubs me the wrong way. Trust me when I say something is off about him.”
“This is so typical of you. You never approved of any guys who asked me out. Well, not until Nate, at least.”
“Because no one had ever been good enough for you. All those guys ever wanted to do was steal your virginity. You think I was about to let that happen? Hell, no.” He glowered at her.
“They weren’t all bad.” She was stalling. She didn’t want to go up there and accuse her ex of murder. How does one even start a conversation like that? She knew in her heart he was innocent, but still, they had to talk.
“Oh, come on. Every guy with a pulse wanted to fu—”
“Not everyone, apparently,” she murmured, and her words had Ben looking out the front window.
“You made the right decision by saving yourself for Nate.” His gravelly voice stirred something deep inside of her, shaking loose the pain that had bound to her insides like a permanent fixture.
Did Ben think she’d slept with Nate? Was it possible that he believed that? That Nate had let him believe that?
No . . .
But she needed to focus right now on her conversation with Daniel. She was already too sidetracked by Ben’s presence.
“You can come in, but let me take the lead.”
“Of course,” he said and had the nerve to wink at her before getting out of the truck. “Is he here yet?”
She pointed to Daniel’s black Lexus in the parking lot. “He still hasn’t given back my key, so I assume he’s already inside.”
Ben circled the truck, his chiseled jaw locked tight. She already knew what he was thinking; he didn’t have to say it.
“I’ll get the key back from him soon. Happy?”
“Not good enough. I’ll be installing new locks and a security camera tomorrow.”
She crossed her arms. “That won’t be necessary. I’m staying at my folks’ place, remember?”
“And after . . .?”
She grumbled but there was no point in arguing right now. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Out in front of her apartment, she twisted the knob and found it unlocked.
Daniel was in the living room, and he stood as soon as he saw her. “I’ve been worried about you.” He started her way, but when Ben came in next, he stopped mid-step. “Logan.”
What was it with men calling each other by their last name? Was it meant to intimidate? She’d never understand the male psyche, even with all of her years of education and training.
Ben didn’t say anything; instead, he gave a curt nod and shut the door.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“That’s why I’m here,” Daniel shot back.
Riley glanced at Ben. “Uh, would you mind getting us some wine?” She was trying to put some space between the two men, even if for a minute.
“Sure.” He went into the kitchen, which was open to the living room, so she wouldn’t exactly have privacy, but she figured it’d buy her a little time to try and relax Daniel while Ben searched her drawers for a corkscrew.
“What’s he doing here?” Daniel mouthed, his eyes narrowing Ben’s way.
She motioned for him to sit back down. “Can we just talk about what the police said to you?”
Daniel’s eyes lingered in the direction of the kitchen, focusing on Ben.
“Daniel, please, sit.”
“He shouldn’t be here. You hate him,” he said in a low voice before finally taking a seat, and she joined him on the couch.
“I, um—we have something more important to talk about.” She steeled her nerves and rushed out, “Were you sleeping with Lydia?”
His face remained impassive. “The police asked me the same thing, and I’ll tell you what I told them: we weren’t sleeping together. She was obsessed with me. She had a crush on me that went beyond normal.” His voice remained even, despite the insanity of his words. “It had become so bad I recently asked she switch teams. I provided the paperwork to the sheriff to prove it. Hell, she even tried sleeping with half the staff, thinking it’d make me jealous.”
Bobby . . .? Her eyes thinned as she processed the news. Was it possible Lydia used Bobby like that? “Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this?”
Daniel scooted closer and rested his hand on her thigh. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
Before she could say anything, Ben appeared before them with two wine glasses. “Drink?” he asked Daniel through barely parted lips, a hard expression on his face.
Daniel lifted his eyes to meet Ben’s. “I’ve actually got to go back to the hospital. I got paged just when I got here.” He looked over at Riley. “I’ll drop you off at your parents’ on my way.”
“I don’t need a lift.” Riley took the glass from Ben instead.
Daniel stood and reached into his pocket for his car keys.
Her lips tucked inward, her mind scrambling to make sense of everything.
Daniel’s brows stitched together. “I don’t want to leave you here alone. And honestly, I’d rather you stay with me instead of your parents. I can protect you.”
She hated that two men were now trying to dictate her safety. “I’ll be fine. And Ben is here, so I’m not alone.”
Daniel eyed Ben, a sharp look of distrust etched in the faint lines of his face.
“Just go,” she said. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Daniel hesitated, but when he finally left, Ben said in a flat voice, “I really don’t like him.”
“He feels the same about you.”
“Sure.” He shook his head, swirled the wine around in his glass, and gulped down the last drops. “I also don’t trust him.”
She frowned. The day had been long and exhaus
ting, and all she wanted to do was to curl up in her own bed.
“What are you thinking?” Tension tugged at each of his words as he spoke, a reflection of the dark look set in his eyes.
With his glass on the table now, he shoved his sleeves to his elbows, and a tattoo on the inside of his forearm drew her eyes. It was the first time she’d seen it since he’d been home, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the ink had something to do with her.
He stepped in and wrapped a large hand around her waist. The gesture was too intimate, and yet, it was what her body craved. Any touch by him was like a little drop of heaven misting over her, making her feel whole again. Complete.
“I’m just so confused,” she said softly, her back arching and her breasts nearly brushing up against his chest.
“Confused about the killer?”
She should lie and say yes, but instead, she wanted to tell him the truth. “I’m confused as to why all I can think about, or want, is you. It doesn’t make sense, especially at a time like this, but—”
Ben’s mouth captured her words, and he parted her lips with his tongue. She wilted against him and circled her arms around his neck, allowing him to deepen the kiss. To take her away from this place. Away from the tragedy surrounding them.
He moved her backward, and she fell onto the couch. And in a moment, he was on top of her, cradling her face, kissing every inch of the tender skin until finding her lips again. His hand tucked between the two of them, tugging her blouse free from the skirt, and she gasped when his fingers shoved her bra up and he palmed her breast. An intense ache gathered between her thighs.
He trailed kisses along her jawline and to the shell of her ear, sending a quiver down her spine.
When he pushed upright and stared down at her, she gripped his forearms, the veins even more prominent as he held up the weight of his body. Her focus swept to his tattoo, and her stomach tightened.
That tattoo was of three triangles. One was larger and shaded, but they all intersected.
“When did you get that?”
His blue eyes became almost black as a darkness veiled them. “I was in London on leave. Got drunk.” He cleared his throat, but his voice was raw when he said, “I, uh, we should probably get going.”
He stood and turned his back to her, his hands landing on his hips as he bowed his head.
She rose, unsteady in her heels, and began tucking her blouse back into her skirt, as if that would wash away the sins of their few stolen kisses.
But who was she kidding? It had been so much more than that.
“The triangles, they represent us, right? Me, you, and Nate.”
He kept his back to her, but she could hear a deep expelled sigh. “Yeah.”
She touched his back, but the man didn’t even move. Not even a flinch. It was like he was made of stone.
“I need to take you home.” The sudden deep timbre of his voice was bone chilling.
Nate.
He couldn’t do this—whatever this was—because of Nate.
Hell, she shouldn’t kiss him for the same reason. Right?
And she saw the answer in his eyes when he slowly faced her. Remorse cut through him. “The better man died on the cliff. The wrong man. Nate loved you so fucking much.” His voice broke, hollowing out her heart.
Her emotions throttled her, holding so tight she’d suffocate from the pressure.
He edged closer. “And all I can ever be is a lousy goddamn replacement.”
Chapter Fourteen
Four, maybe five whiskeys later, Ben ordered another double shot of the top shelf brand at the local bar on Main Street.
After dropping Riley off at her parents’ house he’d been in the mood to get drunk.
If she hadn’t brought up the tattoo, if she hadn’t reminded him of Nate . . . they’d probably be tangled beneath the sheets right now.
Had he been stupid for ending things earlier? Or an asshole for ever kissing her?
The back-and-forth tug of war between what was right and wrong made him dizzy.
“Ben Logan, I heard you were back in town, but I didn’t believe it.”
He blinked a few times, trying to focus on the woman now sidled up next to him.
It was Charlize, the sheriff’s daughter. She must have moved back home, which made sense, considering the trouble she’d gotten into in Vegas.
“I’ll be sticking around until the killer is caught, whether your pops likes it or not.”
She swiveled on her stool, tapping her long nails on the bar counter, rife with scratches from decades of use. “Yeah, I’m sure he hates you being here.”
The incessant nail drumming continued until he eased a hand over hers for the briefest of seconds. “What is it you want?” His foul mood leaked into his speech, tension roping around each of his words.
“I want to know why you slammed the door in my face after we hooked up two years ago.” An obvious bitterness crowded the lines in her forehead.
“That was a mistake.” He’d woken up with her naked in bed and had immediately kicked her out. Maybe he’d been an ass, but he didn’t even remember sleeping with her. Too much tequila.
“It doesn’t have to be.”
“There won’t ever be another time. Sorry to disappoint.” His hand fell to his lap, and he stole a glance over his shoulder at the few people still hanging out in the place. “You shouldn’t be out at night with a damn killer on the loose.” Before he could say more, his attention swept to two men arguing in a dimly lit section of the pub.
One man was silhouetted by the soft glow of the lamp hanging above a pool table, but the other man he recognized.
Daniel?
“Eh, excuse me.” He tossed enough bills on the counter to cover his drinks and stood. “Been great catching up. Have a friend take you home. It’s not safe out there.”
Ben strode through the room and in Daniel’s direction as a guy shoved Riley’s ex up against the wall.
“What’s going on?” Ben asked from behind.
The stranger turned, and a pair of dark green eyes met Ben’s face. “Bobby Creek?”
Bobby’s brows furrowed, and he let go of Daniel. “Logan?” He faced Ben and extended a hand. “Been awhile, man. How are you?”
Daniel stepped up alongside them, which had Bobby tightening his grip on Ben’s hand.
“Maybe we should all talk outside?” Ben suggested as he caught the twitch in Daniel’s jaw and the bunched hands at his sides.
Ben wasn’t sure what the hell was going on between the two guys, but he had to assume it was related to the murder investigation.
Thankfully, Ben didn’t need to strong arm anyone to follow him. Once in the parking lot, Ben focused on Daniel. “I thought you were supposed to be at the hospital.”
Daniel fingered the collar of his shirt, tugging it from his neck. “I was,” he said with a pinched expression. “I followed this son of a bitch here.”
“Say more bullshit like that. Please.” Bobby pivoted to face Daniel, who now leaned against a red Volvo far too casually, considering that a very jacked former soldier was standing before him. “Give me a reason to knock your teeth in.”
“Because hitting me won’t put a larger target on your back,” Daniel seethed.
“Sure, so you can run back to the sheriff and make up more lies, you cocksucker. I know it was you who told him about me and Lydia. But did you tell him about the two of you? How you treated her?”
Ben quickly moved between the men and extended his arms, trying to prevent blood from spilling. Well, more like trying to keep Bobby out of jail, because he wouldn’t mind so much if Daniel had the shit knocked out of him.
“You guys need to back off. Passing blame around won’t help us find the killer,” Ben said as calmly as possible.
“Unless we’re looking at him.” Daniel tipped his chin in Bobby’s direction, the veins in his neck popping at the base.
“I’d never hurt Lydia. But you . . .” Bobby moved f
orward, but Ben’s hand landed on his chest, holding him back.
“This isn’t the time or the place.” Ben angled his head toward the bar. “There’re people inside, and it’ll look pretty shitty for all of us if they catch us out here fighting.”
A bit of iciness dropped from Bobby’s gaze. “We’ll talk later.” He staggered back a few steps in his black boots, reminiscent of his military days. “I didn’t kill anyone.” He briefly met Ben’s eyes and then headed for his pickup truck.
“Jesus.” Daniel rubbed a hand down his face. “That prick was the last person to see Lydia alive. He’s the guy.”
Ben leaned against the side of his SUV and flicked his wrist toward the few bar patrons staring out the windows, motioning for them to look away.
A breeze tapped at his skin, clearing some of the alcohol-infused fogginess from his mind.
“You slept with her, too, though. Didn’t you? And what was he talking about? How’d you treat Lydia?”
Daniel came closer, smelling like disinfectant and death. “He’s a goddamn liar. The man hates me because he loved Lydia as much as she loved me.”
“And who do you love?”
“Riley.” He rolled his dark eyes. “I wasn’t sleeping with an intern, for Christ’s sake. But you . . .” He stabbed a finger in the air and cocked his head. “You broke Riley’s heart. And I’d appreciate it if you’d back the fuck off and get out of town.”
“What the hell does this have to do with me?” Ben pushed away from his rental. “Who do you think you are?” He fought the urge to capture the man’s wrist and drop him to the ground in one quick move. Alcohol or not, his reflexes were lightning-fast.
“I’m the man who has been trying to pick up the pieces. I’m the only person she’s formed a real relationship with since Nate died. She’s been broken for a long time. And it’s your goddamn fault, so I won’t have you coming here and destroying her all over again.”
“And you’re not together anymore.”
“That’s temporary, and I won’t let you screw things up for me.” Daniel’s hands tightened at his sides, his knuckles whitening. “I’m the man she’s been fucking, and based on the way you were looking at her earlier tonight, you’re just the man who wished he was fu—”
The Final Goodbye Page 12