14
Lane shifted his body to block Celine from the chaos inside the bedroom. Dresser drawers were yanked out, their contents shredded and tossed around the floor. Feathers from the pillows covered the messy bed and smashed glass from framed photos sparkled from the sunlight shining through the window.
“What is it? Is he in there?” She tugged at his arm, her voice pitching to an unnatural octave.
Shifting to face her, he braced his hands on her biceps and forced her eyes to meet his. “I don’t know, but it looks like someone trashed the room. I need to take a quick peek to make sure Kevin isn’t injured inside, but I don’t want to disturb anything the sheriff’s department should see. Stand here and make the call.”
Eyes wide, she nodded.
While she got her phone, he made his way inside the room. He was careful not to touch anything as he circled around the king-sized bed. Red dots stained the carpet and tightened his stomach muscles. Clenching his jaw, he kept moving into the attached bathroom.
More mess greeted him. Smashed bottles and shattered glass. More droplets of what looked like blood.
But no Kevin.
He circled back to hallway and found Celine leaning against the wall with her phone pressed to her ear. He gave a tiny shake of his head to let her know Kevin was nowhere to be found.
“Okay, yes,” Celine said into the speaker. “We’ll stay here to talk to the deputy. Thank you.” She disconnected and blew out a long breath. “He’s not there?”
“No, but it looks like someone was in the room and wasn’t happy. The whole place is trashed.”
She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. “Do you think Kevin destroyed the room?”
His mind went straight to the blood spots on the floor.
She straightened, head tilted to the side. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Rubbing a palm over the scruff of his face, he debated the best way to lay things out. He didn’t want to scare her more than necessary but also didn’t want to hold anything back. “I can’t know for sure, but it looks like blood on the carpet and in the bathroom. Not a lot, just a few drops.”
She closed her eyes and crossed her arms around her waist. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Seeing Celine so upset—again—was a blow he couldn’t handle. He reached between the space separating them and cupped a palm under her elbow, gently nudging her in his direction.
She took a step forward, opening her eyes and locking her gaze with his. Her lips parted as though she wanted to speak but no works came out. Tears leaked down her face.
His resolve to give her space snapped in half. He snaked his arm around the small of her back and crushed her against him.
She melted, sobs heaving her shoulders. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and fisted his t-shirt in her hands.
Seconds ticked by. He hated what brought this moment to light, but he couldn’t help but soak in the feel of her in his arms again. To memorize her every curve, the scent of her floral shampoo.
She sucked in a shuddering breath and stepped back, smoothing the front of his shirt. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so emotional.”
“I already told you. No apologies, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
A quick flick of his wrist told him they had ten minutes tops before someone from the sheriff’s department arrived. “I think we should comb through the house.”
She reared back her head. “What?”
“We don’t know what will happen when a deputy gets here. They might tape the place up and make it a crime scene, or they could assume Kevin’s fine and will show up and do nothing. But in case we get kicked out the minute a deputy shows up, we should see if there’s anything here that can tell us more about Kevin’s gambling.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I hate the idea of snooping, but you’re right. Better to see for ourselves if there’s answers here then keep sitting on my hands and waiting to be told things.”
“Where should we start? Is there a place Kevin would hide things? Tuck away important information?”
“Either the office or bedroom.”
