Read Online Silk Over Razor Blades by Ileandra Young - Free Book Online

ironing.
    ‘Good morning,’ the voice came
from her left. Low. Soft. Smooth like the sweet silk of expensive
chocolate. ‘I’m Detective Sergeant Tristen Blake.’ He extended his
hand. ‘You look very familiar; have we met before?’
    After a glance at the proffered
hand, Ray folded his own in his lap. ‘I’m Raymond Miller and no we
haven’t. What do you want?’
    Blake retracted his hand,
eyebrows arched towards his hairline. He glanced at Lenina, then
adjusted his tie, running a finger along the inside of his collar.
‘I’m following up last night’s attack. I’m sure you already know
the details from Lenina?’
    Ray pursed his lips. ‘No, my
daughter hasn’t told me anything of the sort. Though I’m sure she
was planning to.’
    Leaning further over the mug of
tea seemed safer than answering.
    Tristen cleared his throat,
‘I’m sorry to come unannounced, but I need to ask Lenina— Miss
Miller— more questions.’
    She glanced up, surprised by
the correction. He caught her gaze and widened his eyes before
looking past her. When she followed his line of sight she realised
her father was staring at them with pursed lips and a wrinkled
brow.
    Freeing one hand from the mug,
she placed it on his knee. ‘It sounds worse than it was, Daddy.
Some madman attacked me in the park last night.’
    Ray gnawed his bottom lip. ‘I
assumed you were hiding a love bite.’
    Lenina flashed back on the
sensation of blood dripping down the side of her neck. The wet
crunch as the ginger stranger plunged his teeth into the side of
her throat. ‘No,’ she whispered.
    ‘Did you get an appointment for
those blood tests?’ Sergeant Blake spoke softly.
    Ray frowned. ‘What blood
tests?’
    The look in the detective’s eye
showed he realised his mistake. Little spots of pink formed on his
cheeks. ‘I suggested that Miss Miller book in for some blood tests
against blood-borne diseases.’
    ‘He bit me, Daddy.’ Lenina
spoke to the floor. ‘And I bit his hand.’
    ‘This was last night. Why
didn’t you tell me?’
    ‘Because I knew you’d freak
out.’
    ‘Am I not allowed to worry
about my daughter?’ He turned away, rubbing his mouth with the tips
of his fingers. Fine tremors rippled over his shoulders, tension
singing through every limb.
    As she stared at his distraught
expression, Lenina’s shoulders slumped. She touched his knee. ‘I’m
sorry, Daddy . . . I should have said something.’
    Ray’s eyes glimmered with the
unmistakable shine of unshed tears. ‘You could have died.’
    ‘I wouldn’t go that far, sir.’
Blake fussed with the cuffs of his suit jacket. ‘The individual
Miss Miller described is dangerous, but I don’t think he’s capable
of killing anybody.’
    ‘You know that for sure?’
    Lenina jerked away from her
father’s knee. She recognised the icy stab of Ray’s tone and
prepared to weather the inevitable storm. Though she longed to warn
the detective of the danger, he spoke before she could catch his
eye.
    ‘We have profilers. I also have
some experience in the area.’
    ‘Really? How old are you?’
    ‘I fail to see how that’s
relevant.’
    ‘Experience is relevant,
Detective. You seem young. I want to know how your experience is going to help my daughter.’
    Sergeant Blake tucked a curl of
hair behind his ear. ‘I’m thirty, Mr Miller. And I’m a trained
detective, this is my job.’
    ‘Then do it properly. This
crazy person attacked my daughter in public and you tell me he’s
not dangerous? Where was Nick through all this?’
    ‘Coming to get me.’ Lenina
re-entered the conversation with a whisper. ‘It’s my fault. I took
a short cut across the park. He told me not to but I did anyway. If
he hadn’t come to get me . . .’
    Ray gathered her into another
of those rib-crunching hugs. ‘You should be able to go wherever you
want without worrying. This isn’t your fault. And you,’ Ray glared
at the detective over the top of her head. ‘What are you going to
do