Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
dani
“Come on,” I mumbled, drumming my nails on the smooth wood.
The computer screen was as dim as I could make it, but my eyes were still burning.
Probably because I’d been staring at it for the last three hours.
Or it could be from the five hours of sleep I’d gotten in the last four days.
The web page was still loading after ten minutes, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to give me any information just like everything else I looked up.
I rolled my neck before glancing over my shoulder.
Darkness met my eyes, and I ignored the stab of unease.
I hated having my back to an open space.
But since I couldn’t exactly move Kole’s entire desk, I was going to have to deal with it.
I was upstairs, near my bedroom door where the desk was pushed against the wall.
I shifted on the cushioned chair, my body stiff from sitting here for so long.
The website finally loaded, and I let out a defeated sigh. There was nothing new that wasn’t on the other six websites I’d already searched. My eyes drifted over the title of the article.
Winterlake. Approximate population: 500
Every town was known for something. Or had a story worthy enough to be in the papers at least once in its history.
Except Winterlake. Before moving here, I’d done a quick search without realizing that what I read then was literally the only information available on the internet.
There were no motels for visitors. No menu or website for the café or diner.
Or Kole’s bar. If I wasn’t living here, it would be impossible to know what was here.
No one in their right mind would ever want to visit.
A chill ran down my spine. Maybe that was the point.
Maybe there was a reason the town was practically invisible in this world.
I’d been hoping to find something that could help catch the killer. Harry didn’t even have a census of the town. How was I supposed to find suspects when I had absolutely nothing to fucking go on? I couldn’t stalk or question hundreds of people until I found someone who it could possibly be.
Resting my elbows on the desk, I rubbed my eyes, sucking in a long breath.
Exhaustion swept through me, seeping into my bones.
I was obsessing—something I was well aware of.
But this was better than nothing. The person who killed Natalie knew my birth name.
The name I’d buried and burned after my attack.
No one here should know that. I’d legally changed my first, middle, and last name to ensure I was never connected to my past.
Danielle. Kole took me by complete surprise when he guessed the name on the printed papers was me. I’d chosen Dani as my new name because it was something I would respond to. I didn’t want to change my identity—I just wanted the world to forget about me.
But the killer in this town knew my name. Fear washed through me. This wasn’t just about the murders in this town anymore. It was personal. I wanted to find him before Harry or anyone else did.
I straightened up when a small click alerted me that I wasn’t alone anymore.
Heat flushed through me when I felt his stare.
Ever since I’d revealed my scars to Kole, I didn’t hide them when I was home anymore.
Right now, my hair was pulled up in a messy bun, my burn scars on display.
I doubted he could see them in the dark, but I still wasn’t used to showing my vulnerability to him.
“It’s four in the morning, Dani.” Kole’s voice was gruff from sleep. “What are you doing?”
“How did you find out about this town?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the screen.
“What?”
“You didn’t grow up here. Since there are no kids or schools, I’m guessing no one was raised here.” I clicked out of the website before spinning the chair around. “How did you make the decision to move here?”
My stomach flipped when my eyes landed on him, and for the first time in days, a fire lit through my veins. This man wasn’t even trying, and he was distracting me from everything I’d been obsessing over ever since Natalie was murdered.
The light was on in his bedroom, casting a glow on him as he leaned against his bedroom doorframe with his arms crossed.
His tatted chest was bare, his only piece of clothing a pair of gray sweatpants.
A bandage was wrapped around his arm where his stitches were.
His black hair was a tousled mess from sleep, and he cocked his head when I finally met his gaze.
I licked my lips, trying to remember what I asked him.
He gave me a small grin. “Come to bed with me.”
“No,” I said, determined to find some answers. “I’m still working. And I want to sleep in my own bed.”
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he murmured. “Ever since…I’m sure that night wasn’t easy. Seeing Natalie die. And Miles getting stabbed right in front of you. You can talk to me.”
“You’re avoiding what I just asked you,” I shot back. “I’ve seen crime scenes worse than what happened at the police station. I’m fine.”
He frowned. “It wasn’t just a crime scene you were investigating. You were attacked. Someone you know was murdered. That’s a big difference.”
“My friends were murdered in front of me,” I reminded him coolly. “I’m not new to violence, Kole. I don’t need a therapist.”
“Fine,” he clipped out as he strode across the thick carpet. “But I do know you need sleep. You’ve been a walking zombie for days. You think I don’t hear you every night? How much sleep have you gotten this week?”
I didn’t have time to respond before he gently grabbed my upper arm, pulling me to my feet.
A cry of surprise left me when he swept me into his arms before spinning around and heading to my bedroom.
The only light was coming from the half moon since my curtains were open, but he didn’t have any problem finding my bed in the dark.
“Kole,” I protested, squirming in his hold. “I wasn’t done.”
“You can finish it later.”
He ignored my arguments, dumping me on the mattress. Shock tore through me when he climbed in with me, tugging the blankets out from under me and covering us. He snaked his arm around my stomach, pulling me closer until my back was against his chest.
“Sleep,” he ordered. “I’ll stay up.”
I froze, my heart hammering in my chest. “What does that mean?”
“You’re watching. Waiting. It’s why your curtains are open.” He trailed his fingertips softly over my stomach. “You think the killer will come for you—”
“I’ve been up because of research,” I cut him off. “To find the person who is doing this. I’m not scared.”
“I never said you were scared. But don’t lie to me. You’re not losing sleep because of research. You’re making sure you don’t get caught off guard. Tonight, you don’t have to worry—I’ll stay awake. No one will touch you.”
His light massage was already calming me, and he ran his fingers over my ribs, causing goosebumps to skate across my skin. He slipped his other arm under my pillow, getting comfortable.
“Relax,” he coaxed. “Let me in for once, Dani. Trust me.”
Trust no one. Natalie’s last words haunted me as I soaked in the warmth from Kole’s body.
I was going crazy wondering what she’d meant by that.
The police station was still under constant watch, and I hadn’t had a chance to use her computer with the password she gave me.
Something I didn’t tell Harry or anyone else. Natalie wanted me to do it. Only me.
My heart thudded unevenly. Whether I admitted it or not, I did trust Kole to an extent.
Here he was—in my bed with my back to him.
I had no weapons on me since my knives were stolen.
And the longer we laid here, the heavier my eyelids became.
When was the last time I’d fallen asleep with someone in bed with me? I couldn’t remember.
Kole continued to softly massage me, his soothing touch bringing me closer to the sleep my body was so desperately craving.
“You never answered me,” I mumbled drowsily, giving in and closing my eyes.
“About what?”
“How did you move here?”
“My uncle used to live here before he died. I used to come here for the summers.”
“Fuck,” I mumbled, not realizing I spoke out loud until his fingers halted on my stomach.
“What?” he asked in a low voice.
“I can’t tell if you’re lying.”
My honest words were met with a tense silence. He didn’t move away from me or even stop his massage. I shifted against him, not having the energy to even open my eyes.
“You think I’m lying to you?” he finally questioned, his tone resigned.
“I used to study people’s behaviors for a living. And I’m damn good at it.” I paused, my stomach knotting as the truth fell from my lips. “But I can’t tell with you. It drives me fucking insane.”
He chuckled, his breath hitting my ear. “Now you know how it feels. You’re a closed book.”
“Would you lie to me?”
More silence.
His lips brushed my cheek before whispering, “I wouldn’t lie to hurt you. This might have started with sex, but if it’s not obvious, I like being with you even when my face isn’t buried between your thighs.”
His words echoed in my head. Wouldn’t lie to hurt me?
What in the hell did that mean? He tightened his hold around me as if he knew I was going to run.
Which I absolutely was. Kole was making me break the rules I made twelve years ago.
Everyone had hidden demons. I couldn’t figure out what his were.
“You just said that you used to study people’s behavior. Was that not what you were doing before you came to Winterlake?”
My eyes flew open, ice spilling into my veins.
Did I say that? I needed to sleep before I said anything else to reveal my past. Kole didn’t need to know where I was the last few years when I stopped working at the therapist’s office.
There was a reason Lucas had been my first kill in more than three years.
“Keep your secrets, Dani. Go to sleep.”
When his lips touched my hair as he gave me a quick kiss, I knew I was in trouble. A warmth spread through my chest, my body relaxing into his without hesitation. Even with this town swallowed in secrets, and the hidden truths that Kole might be keeping from me. None of that mattered right now.
When I was alone, I was trapped with the nightmares of my past. Something I preferred over trusting anyone. He was the only one in twelve years to change that. I wanted to be near him. To let him take some of my burden—even if he didn’t know what it fully was.
For the first time in forever, I fell asleep without the face of the monster haunting me who always plagued my dreams.