Page 42 of Wicked Sin

“Aww, I feel so special.” She takes a deep breath and lightens her tone. “This place is nice. And clean.”

“High praise from someone who thinks I’m scruffy.”

“It was more of an evocative image than an accurate description.” She hesitates a beat. “Of course you aren’t scruffy.”

I was trying to lighten the mood, but given the circumstances, maybe that’s impossible. “This isn’t a dark thriller, Taylor.”

“I hope not.”

“Whoever it is, and whatever they want to achieve, they will be caught. As much as I don’t trust the leak on the FBI team—or whoever the leak is—I do trust the system. The process.”

“The FBI doesn’t always get their man,” she says darkly. “Sometimes people get away with awful things.”

I can’t tell her she’s wrong. She’s not.

She’s lived it.

“That can be tomorrow’s big question, okay? How about I show you your room so you can get some sleep.”

She nods, and I lead her up the stairs. The guest room is at the back of the house, overlooking the pool. It’s bachelor basic. The bed doesn’t even have a headboard, because I’ve never had a guest stay here until now.

“Here you go. Nobody’s slept on this bed in a couple of years. It used to be mine, and when I moved here, I got a new bed, so…you’re lucky I’ve got it. I don’t entertain a lot.”

“You don’t say.” She looks around the spartan space then drops her bag on the bed. I move in after her and set her suitcase against the wall.

When I turn around again, she’s holding the pill bottle she got from the hospital. Staring at it. Rolling it back and forth in her palm.

“Those the sleeping pills they prescribed?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have to take them. You slept pretty well without them on the plane.”

Her head jerks up. “Yeah. I know.”

“You’ve been through a lot in the last two days.”

A weak laugh. Then a hard, jerking nod. “Yeah.”

“On the other hand, sleep is good, and if they’ll help…”

She takes a deep, ragged breath. “Sleep is where the mess in my brain can roam freely, though.”

I frown. “Do you have nightmares?”

A hesitation, then another nod. This one is nervous and little. “Yeah.”

“That’s okay. I’m here, just down the hall. I promise I won’t ever be gone while you’re asleep. And those may help.”

“Or they might trap me in the nightmare, and I won’t be able to wake up,” she whispers.

Fuck. “That sounds terrifying.”

“Yeah.” She breathes in and exhales slowly. “The only way to know is to try them.”

But she doesn’t move.

“Come here,” I say, reaching for her.

---