A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1)(115)

Since the game was clearly up, they plastered his face all over the news and social media, begging for any sightings. Any tips on his location.

And that was where they were when Sun walked into the station. Salazar gestured toward the holding cell in the deputy’s room. The one in which one Levi Ravinder currently resided.

“He’s really upset,” she said, looking much like a deer in headlights.

And then Sun understood why. A thunderous crash echoed throughout the area, shaking the walls and knocking dust off the ceiling.

“What the hell?” She marched over to the holding cell and opened the solid outer door.

Levi stood in all his angry glory behind a set of bars, his expression flat except for the fact that his warm caramel irises had caught fire. Metaphorically.

She did not need this right now. “What the hell, Ravinder?”

“Open the door, Vicram.”

“Um, no?”

“Where is she? Did you find her? Is she okay?”

Sun’s shoulder sagged. “We’re still looking.”

Before she even finished the sentence, he kicked the bars so hard she was afraid he’d broken them. The crash made everyone in the room jump, and she realized his hands were cuffed behind his back.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet. His tone lethal. “Open. The fucking. Door.”

“Why?” she asked, frustrated. “Do you know something we don’t?”

“I can help look for her.”

“Right.”

“I’ve done it before. It’s what I do.”

“I know, Levi. I know you do. You found Jimmy, and we wouldn’t have found Sybil the first time without you, but this time is different. We don’t even know what area to focus on.”

“The first time?” he asked as though confused. “Sybil is missing? Again?”

“Yes. Who did you think we were talking about?”

He stepped back and sat on the cot. “I thought it was Auri. Holy fuck.”

“Why would you think that?”

He leaned his head back against the wall. “I saw the picture your deputies were handing out. It looked like Auri from a distance.”

Why did she feel so ingratiated to him? Why did the fact that he cared that much for her daughter give her such an incredible sense of pride and gratitude?

He stabbed her with a determined glare. “I can still help. You know I can.”

“We need to narrow down the search area first.”

He sighed, leaned his head back again, and closed his eyes.

“If I open this, are you going to behave?”

“Probably not.”

At least he was honest. “I’m coming in. And I’m going to uncuff you, but you have to be nice and stop trying to tear down my station.”

He looked at her. “Aren’t you supposed to do that through the cage?”

She opened the barred door. “Yes.”

He stood when she walked in, but he didn’t turn around. Not allowed to have anything in the cell beyond his clothing, he wore only a T-shirt that molded to his sculpted biceps like spray paint, a pair of jeans that fit comfortably loose, and socks.

And he was looking at her as though he were famished and she was made of strawberries and whipped cream.

“You’ll have to turn around if you want those off.”

“Let me help.”

“If I need you, I’ll come back.”

With deliberate slowness, he turned and let her unlock the cuffs. They’d dug into his skin, leaving grooves in his wrists, and she tamped down the surge of anger that jolted through her.

Her team showed up after she locked her prisoner back in his cell, and they studied a map, scouring the area for ideas while Levi stood at the bars and watched.

“There are dozens of empty cabins this time of year,” she said. “We can’t possibly check them all before tomorrow.”

“Who says he’ll wait until the sun comes up?” Quincy asked. “Legally, she turns fifteen at midnight.”

He was right. It would be callous of them to assume he would wait a second longer than his warped brain told him he needed to.

“Wait,” Salazar said. “What about Mrs. Usury’s place? She’s all alone out there since her husband died, and Price did take Sybil to their well house. Maybe he knows her or knows she’s vulnerable.”

“Get someone out there,” Sun said. “Recon only.”

Quincy snapped, pointed at his twin, and headed for the door. “We’re on it!”

Zee followed him, and Sun looked up at Tricia Salazar, the young deputy with wide-set eyes and chipmunk cheeks. That caring disposition, that deep concern for the well-being of others, was why the girl was on her team. Every agency in the world needed someone with a sense of empathy, a gentler view of the world. Someone who saw things through a softer shade of rose-colored glasses.

“It won’t take them long to get to Mrs. Usury’s house,” she said. “In the meantime, what else do we know about this guy? You’ve spent the last six months getting to know him.”

Salazar’s expression became strained. “He was that guy, Sheriff. The one who’s impossible to get to know. He never really talked about his life. He never went out for drinks after a shift. We didn’t even know where he was living for the longest.”