Page 17 of Wake the Dream

Chapter 5

Illaria

Score! She had an inwith the police department.

At least, that’s what she might have said if she’d been in her right mind and thinking rationally about the potential for a working relationship with the detective.

Instead, Illaria thought about the last time she’d seen her sister. The promise she’d made to be there on time for their dinner, unlike the last two occasions where she’d dragged herself in thirty minutes to an hour late.

Except she hadn’t been there this time, either, and now Yelena was nowhere to be found. And the one place Illaria hadn’t checked was the skeezball’s Winnebago. The skeezball her new detective friend would rather protect than interrogate.

What was the world coming to?

“What?” She blinked innocently. “Too much?”

“Did you just threaten the life of a civilian in front of a police officer?” the detective asked, his fingers stilling on her skin and his gaze serious.

Kieran’s mahogany-colored hair stood up at the front, as though he had been running his hands through it repeatedly. Everything about his appearance seemed more unkempt than normal.

The man was not handsome in a traditional way, but she couldn’t help finding the ruggedness of his face and the intelligence in his golden-brown eyes suddenly appealing. She cocked her head, now keenly aware of her outfit and the state of her hair. Neither of which were up to par.

She tapped her hand against where he held her to try and shake him loose. The energy built inside of her, desperate for an outlet. She wanted to punch someone. Shanahan was closest.

“Let go of me,” she urged.

“Not before you calm down.” He kept eye contact with her. “You want to come along with me, then we do this my way.”

“Correction. You are the one who wanted to come along with me. I set off to do this one way or another.”

The wind swirled around them in agitation, a direct result of her emotional state. Kieran didn’t seem to notice, and if he did, he didn’t care. “Yes, and going in there acting like an idiot isn’t going to do anything but get you in trouble. The last thing you need is another arrest on your record.”

That gave her pause.

Illaria had spent nearly her entire adult life as an outcast from her own family. A stranger’s opinion didn’t matter. It was clear what he thought of her. “Youdidlook into my file,” she replied slowly. “I knew it.”

He shifted toward her, his eyes like soft caramel, and...affectionate. A strategic tactic? She wondered.

“I’d be stupid not to. You think I’m incompetent, fine. But we are doing this my way.”

“Doing it your way won’t change my thoughts, or my fervent desire to decapitate the scum who might know where my sister went,” Illaria insisted.

Maybe this entire thing was a terrible idea. She drew in a breath, heavy with the scents of fried food and burgers. Sensed the weight of it settle in her chest, her stomach empty.

Kieran raised an eyebrow. “I think you should wait in the car.” Then continued to talk over her when she sputtered out her distinct displeasure at being told what to do. “Things will go easier for me if you aren’t there. I’m sure you’ve threatened him before, and please don’t try to deny that you have. You forget, I read your record. The boyfriend isn’t going to want to talk to you. Me, on the other hand, he will speak to. I have a way with people. They aren’t put off by my appearance.”

She took a step back to give him the same surveillance he’d given her. “I suppose you do look like a rather ordinary schmo.”

Kieran inclined his head. “I’ll take a compliment where I can get it. Stay in the car, let me do the talking, and I’ll come back with answers for you.”

“I don’t like this.”

“You don’t have to like it. You just have to let me do my job.”

---