“Really?” She nodded toward his bandaged hand. “You said your hand felt fine.”
“Oh, it does.” He looked down briefly. “I’m concerned on two levels. First, that you’re the only medical professional for this entire region. That’s too much for one person.” He paused, his handsome face settling into an expression that almost looked sincere. “Especially someone who has had…shall we say…mental problems.”
She burst out laughing. A few heads turned before drifting away again. “Mental problems?”
Kyle’s gaze didn’t waver. “You think I didn’t get your medical records?”
The smile stayed on her mouth even as cold slid through her. “That’s a HIPAA violation.”
“Even so,” he said calmly, “if someone anonymously leaks that to the newspaper here—or in Anchorage or Fairbanks—and questions your stability, it could turn into a serious issue.”
May’s spine straightened. “There’s nothing wrong with me.” She stood steady in white tennis shoes, jeans, and her favorite short-sleeved black shirt. Comfortable. Casual. Off duty, technically. Though she was always on call.
Kyle’s brows lifted. “We both know that’s not true.”
She tried for a bored look but wasn’t sure she managed to pull it off. Sure, she’d had panic attacks and had even seen a counselor for a while. Who hadn’t? She encouraged her patients to do the same. If she could get Ace to talk to someone, she’d call it a win.
Kyle tapped the papers stacked in front of him. “There’s information in here you wouldn’t want to get out.”
“Whatevs,” she said, channeling the kids in town. “Only healthy people seek help when they need it, and I did so to handle panic attacks. I don’t care who knows it.”
He smiled then. “Just panic attacks? I’m sure your records show a lot more red flags than that.”
Dread ticked through her stomach. “Then you had them falsified.” Could he do that? Sure, he was a senator and had connections, but medical records were tough to mess with.
“Well,” Kyle said softly, “you’d have to prove that, wouldn’t you?”
She was so finished being afraid of this asshat. She leaned forward, palms pressing against the table. “You’re running for office, Senator. Any type of scandal could take you out. You know how politics work. Do you really want to fuck with me?”
Kyle blinked rapidly, shock flashing across his face before being quickly banked. “I see you’ve grown some teeth out here in the wilderness.”
“I always had teeth. I just never bothered to use them on you.” She stepped back and kept her gaze hard. “You want to bring it on, Kyle? Do it. I’ll take your political career down in a heartbeat.”
Kyle scoffed. “You don’t have anything.”
May smiled slowly. “Are you kidding? With all these influencers around here, all it takes is an accusation. I don’t need proof.”
The words hung between them.
True. Ugly. Dangerous.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t ask about my second concern.”
She knew she wasn’t going to like this. “What would that be?”
“My understanding is that you’re pretty good friends with the Osprey brothers.” He sounded smooth and polished. “As I already noted, Alaska doesn’t allow for sheriffs. Nobody’s pushed it, but I have no problem showing my concern publicly and loudly in the state’s capital. I am concerned about Knife’s Edge, naturally.”
Her pulse thudded once. She didn’t want to be responsible for messing up the town’s dynamics or making Brock lose his job.
Kyle continued, “If this town just made up a sheriff’s position, maybe it also ignores Alaskan laws. That’s terrifying.”
There probably weren’t enough people in Knife’s Edge to move the election one way or the other when it came to him. “That’s entirely up to you,” May said evenly. “But I’m only one person. I imagine the other people in this town could raise quite a ruckus. Who even knows who’s around.” There was some truth to that statement.
“I’m not very scared.” Kyle’s smooth smile slid back into place. “Now why don’t you sit down and have dinner with me?”
Before May could respond, the tavern door opened.
Ace strolled inside, his shoulders loose and his eyes scanning automatically. The second he spotted her, his stride shifted. His gaze flicked to Kyle, then back to her. He didn’t hesitate as he picked his way across the crowded floor. “Hey, May. We need to talk.”
