One of Those Faces (34)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN


There’s no light in her eyes. Her irises are glassy and gray as she stares into mine, our noses touching. I tug my lips to scream, but they’re sealed. My shriek rises and dies in my throat. Cold, withered hands creep along my neck as a tear trails down my cheek. Her mouth rips open, and electronic beeping rattles past her lips, her fingers cutting my skin and crushing my throat with each note.



Daylight hit my eyes from the blinds. My fingers were wrapped tightly around the wooden pendant.

The chime of my phone clattered on the nightstand.

My limbs tingled as I stretched and grabbed it, the pendant falling to the table. I ignored Erin’s unanswered text notifications and answered the call. “Hello?” I gasped, clutching at my neck, the weight of fingers still pressing against my skin.

“Hey, are you up?” Iann’s voice was groggy but back to normal.

I rubbed my eyes and pushed my tangled hair from my face. “Yeah, how are you feeling?”

“Better, actually. I came to take you to breakfast, and it occurred to me just now that you might still be asleep.”

I sat up and glanced at the window. “What? You’re here?” I jumped to my feet and frantically felt for my jeans with my toes.

“Yeah, I’m sorry—I should’ve called first,” he said, sensing the panic in my voice. “I’ll come back later.”

I swapped out my pajama bottoms for jeans. “No, it’s fine.” I tugged a cardigan over my tank top and tripped to the door. I swallowed a small gasp when I swung it open.

Iann stood there with his head slightly lowered, wearing a baseball cap. But I could still clearly see the black eye with a gash trailing from it and the bloody fat lip. “I know,” he said when he caught my expression.

I opened the door wider, and he stepped in. “What happened?”

He removed his hat and ruffled his hair. The purple skin was puffy around his left eye. “I was doing a consultation with this man, and he lost it.” He winced and touched his lip.

“Here, sit down.” I gestured toward the bed.

He sank down on the edge and glanced around the messy room. “I’m so sorry. I’m—” He touched a hand to his temple. “I’m not thinking really clearly on this medicine. I felt bad for bailing on you last night. I wanted to make it up to you.”

My eyes scanned all the small bruises under his pallid skin, the cut on the bridge of his nose. “It’s not like you did it on purpose,” I said, sitting beside him. “It’s nothing. Are you okay? Maybe you should lie down.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m fine. It’s the pain meds. I slept for twelve hours, and when I woke up, I really wanted to see you.”

Something moved deep inside me.

“I was already calling you before I realized how early it was,” he finished.

“No, I’m glad you came over,” I said, sitting on my hand to keep from reaching out and grabbing his. “Let’s get breakfast.”

He chuckled. “Well, that’s the thing. Now that I think about it, I don’t know why you would want to be seen in public with me looking like this.” He gestured to his battered face.

I surveyed him. “It’s not that bad.” I laughed. “I mean, you just look like you got your ass kicked at a minor league hockey game. And people go out with hockey players all the time, even when they’re missing teeth.”

He grinned. “I do still have all my teeth.”

“Exactly, so you’re already better off.” I stood up and stepped over Woodstock to grab my coat from the back of my desk chair. “Come on, you look like you could use some coffee.”



We walked toward the Robey but took a turn past the train station to our favorite diner.

“Two coffees, please,” I said once we sat in our seats on the outdoor patio. It looked like rain, but the indoor seating was packed. I zipped my coat up to right below my collarbone. The waitress nodded and walked back inside, casting a glance at Iann over her shoulder.

He looked at the menu, his head tilted down so I couldn’t see his face past his cap.

I folded the edge of my menu. “So, what happens now?”

He glanced up at me. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you can’t keep doing that type of work at that clinic, right? It seems really dangerous.”

He frowned. “This is the first time something like this has happened. It’s an occupational hazard when you deal with people on their worst days.”

“Yeah, but can’t you work in a different unit at the clinic?”

He held my gaze. “My dissertation is about behavioral and abnormal psych, so no,” he snapped.

“I wasn’t trying to—” I stopped as the waitress appeared beside us and set the coffee down before eyeing the menus in our hands and vanishing without a word.

Iann rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I hear the same things from my parents all the time.” He winced as the coffee mug touched the stitches on his lip and set it back down on the table. “They already think Chicago is dangerous, and I actively go to visit with ‘mentally disturbed’ people on a regular basis.” He shook his head and twisted the mug around on the wooden table. “I’m dreading hearing what they’ll say when they see me like this.”