Page 68 of Dust and Desire
Keith laughed, the sound like broken glass. “Small town law enforcement. How quaint.” His eyes hardened suddenly, all pretense of amusement vanishing. “Walk with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His hand shot out, gripping my forearm with bruising force. “That wasn’t a request,Alex.” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Walk with me now, or I pay a visit to your sleeping beauty back at the house. You know, the one you haven’t told about me? Your choice.”
The threat hung in the air between us, and I knew it wasn’t empty. Keith had always been capable of anything when he didn’t get his way.
“Fine,” I conceded, jerking my arm free. “Five minutes.”
Keith gestured toward a path that led away from the main buildings, into the open pasture where we wouldn’t be seen. I walked stiffly, acutely aware of him just behind me, close enough that I could hear his breathing. The morning sun felt suddenly harsh against my skin, and I realized my hands were shaking.
“You know,” Keith said conversationally as we walked, “I have to admit, I’m impressed. Three years you managed to stay ahead of me. That takes real dedication.” He paused, and I could feel his eyes boring into my back. “But all good things must come to an end.”
We stopped near a fence line, far enough from the buildings that no one would hear us if I shouted. The isolation made my skin crawl.
“What do you want?” I turned to face him, keeping my distance.
Keith’s expression shifted, becoming almost wistful. “I want what I’ve always wanted, Alex. You. Home with me in Louisiana where you belong.” His voice took on that honeyed quality Iremembered from our first nights together. “We were good together, you and I. Better than good.”
“That was three years ago. And barely a handful of nights. It’s over.”
“Is it?” He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle to solve. “Because from where I stand, you’re still runnin’. Still hidin’ from what we could have together.” His eyes flicked toward the ranch buildings. “And now you’re draggin’ some innocent lawyer intoyourmess.”
The way he saidinnocentmade my blood run cold. “Dustin has nothing to do with this.”
“Doesn’t he?” Keith’s smile returned, sharp and predatory. “Sweet little thing, isn’t he? All soft edges and kind eyes. The type who trusts easily, loves deeply.” He took a step closer. “The type who breaks real easy when he finds out the man he’s been sharin’ his bed with has been lyin’ to him.”
“I haven’t lied about anything important.”
Keith laughed, the sound cutting through the morning air. “Oh, darlin’. You haven’t told him about me at all, have you? About what we had, about why you keep movin’ from place to place.” His eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. “What do you think he’d say if he knew the real reason you came to Sagebrush? That you’re not the mysterious cowboy he thinks you are, just a scared little boy runnin’ from his past?”
Each word hit like a physical blow. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” Keith circled me slowly, like a predator sizing up prey. “I know you, Alex. Better than anyone ever has or ever will. I know that underneath all that tough cowboy act, you’re still that frightened kid who got kicked out of his parents’ house for bein’ different. Still lookin’ for someone to love you unconditionally.” He stopped directly in front of me. “I’m the only one who ever could.”
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged, the gesture casual and terrifying. “ButI’m also persistent. And patient. And right now, I’m offerin’ you a choice.”
My jaw clenched. “What kind of choice?”
Keith’s green eyes glittered with satisfaction, like he’d been waiting for this moment. “Simple, really. You come back to Louisiana with me, willingly, and your pretty little lawyer gets to keep livin’ his quiet life here in paradise. No harm comes to him, no ugly truths get revealed.” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Or you keep playin’ house with him, and I make sure he learns exactly what kind of man he’s been spreadin’ his legs for.”
The blood drained from my face. “You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Keith pulled out his phone, swiping through what looked like photos. He turned the screen toward me, and my stomach dropped. Pictures of Dustin and me together. At the diner. Walking to his truck. Kissing on his porch. “I’ve been watchin’ for days, Alex. I know his routines, where he goes, who he talks to. That ex-wife of his is real pretty too. Be a shame if somethin’ happened to her while she’s visitin’.”
My hands trembled with rage and fear. “If you touch either of them?—”
“You’ll what?” Keith’s smile turned cruel. “Face facts, darlin’. You don’t have any power here. I do.” He slipped the phone back into his pocket. “But I’m not unreasonable. I’m givin’ you a way out that keeps everyone safe.”
“You call abandoning the man I love keeping him safe?”
Something dark flickered across Keith’s features. “Love?” He spat the word like it tasted foul. “What you have with him isn’t love, Alex. It’s fear. Fear of bein’ alone, fear of facin’ what you really are.” He stepped closer, his voice turning silky. “I know what you need. I always have. That pretty little lawyer might think he loves you, but he doesn’t know you like I do. He doesn’t know about the darkness in you, the hunger.”
“There is no darkness,” I said firmly, though my voice shook. “Dustin sees thereal me.”
Keith laughed, the sound echoing across the empty pasture. “The real you? Honey, you’ve been pretendin’ to be someone else for so long, I don’t think you even know who the real you is anymore.” His expression softened into something that might have been pity if it wasn’t so twisted. “But I remember. I remember the man who spent three days in my bed, talkin’ about things that would make your precious lawyer run screamin’.”
