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“My dad will be back soon,” she lied. “He won’t like it if you’re here. He won’t—”
“I’m leaving.”
He was in the doorway before she could blink, but the fluidity of his movements sparked a grudging appreciation. Despite all that muscle, he moved with easy grace, like a dancer.
But he hesitated. “Oh, before I forget. You left your bag last night.” Sure enough, he had it slung over one shoulder. She didn’t know how she had missed it before.
Maybe because her eyes never left his face for longer than a few short seconds? Her fingers shook as she reached for the bag. From the weight, she could tell all the necessary materials were inside it.
“Thank you,” she murmured, staring down at the floor. There was only one place he could have found it—his barn.
How could she have been so stupid? Forget Naomi; wouldhepursue charges?
No,something told her, even before she saw the decidedly un-angry gleam in his eye. He would just extend his visit and abuse her gratitude to ask more questions. “What happened yesterday?”
Her mood shifted from hopeful to ashamed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have skipped school. I just—”
“No, not that,” he said over her. “Naomi. I called the school, and they sent me your file. You’ve never gotten detention, let alone into a fight. You have straight As. Honors courses. Not even a warning.”
Her file. Could he do that? Apparently so. His uncanny authority must work even on school officials. But why the interest in her?
“She must have done something to provoke you, Loren. You drew blood.” He didn’t sound accusatory. Just curious. “What happened?”
“She…” Loren bit her tongue.
The truth wouldn’t matter to him—it never did. People like Naomi, with their money and influence, would always win over people like her. If McGoven was looking for a reason to avoid pressing charges, he wouldn’t find it here.
Though, to be fair, he didn’t seem to care about this in his capacity as a police officer. His interest went beyond duty. It was like he was hunting for something. An answer he wanted her to give.
“What happened?” he demanded, his eyes flashing.
“Nothing! I mean, she said—”
“I don’t care what she did. What did youfeel?”
“Angry,” Loren admitted. Her cheeks flamed. It was such a childish response.
“That wasn’t it,” McGoven pressed, unsatisfied. “What else? When you knew you’d drawn blood? What did you feel then?”
“I…” Her true emotions were too insane to verbalize. She felt anger in the core of her very being. A fury that still raged even now. It demanded more than an apology from Naomi to soothe it. It wanted retribution.
Blood.
“Did she hurt you?” McGoven was closer, his voice impossible to resist. That strange scent of pine she smelled whenever he was near, it wasn’t the forest. It was him. His very being seemed infused with the essence of the earth.
But she didn’t feel the same calm she felt while out in the woods. Her belly flipped, her toes curling. Whatever this feeling was, it made her pulse race. It felt…bad. Uncontrollable.
“Loren?” he prodded. “Is Naomi the one who hurt you?”
She shook her head, struggling to keep up with the conversation. Every word he uttered made her feel dizzy. “I’m fine—”
“Your left hip is bruised.” He spoke with such conviction she blushed.
Then, she looked down, irrationally convinced she must have answered the door naked. But she wasn’t. Her thick sweater should have disguised every ache on her body. Unless he searched her while she’d been unconscious…
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she croaked, crossing her arms over her torso. The thought of him eyeing her body made her feel violated, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he would never do that.
There had to be another explanation. Like…he just knew.
