Romeo had only just contained himself.
Andrew immediately went on the list only for a dejected Chad to demand he was taken off.Romeo reluctantly honored his wish.
Chad always answered any calls from Romeo and always replied to his texts.
Nothing screamed at Romeo that something had been wrong, other than the obvious—Vincent Whitehall had won against them and taken the detective from Chad in the process.
But someone had got close enough to slip Chad something, or, more likely, someone had convinced Chad to try the tampered with sleeping tablets to cure his insomnia.
Josh and Ally were in the living room with Chad.Romeo kept the bedroom door ajar, hoping to hear their conversation, but they spoke in low voices.
Romeo lay on the bed upstairs with the laptop open beside him.He had two tabs open, one on LSD and one on Zolpidem.
The voices downstairs became more heated.Romeo slipped off the bed, carefully choosing where to place his feet to avoid the creakiest of floorboards, he pushed open the door and stepped into the hallway.He sat down out of sight, frowning as he picked out Josh’s voice filled with more heat than usual.
The stairs whined.
Romeo stiffened, only to snort softly when Mercutio appeared at the top of them.
“Hey,” Romeo whispered.
Mercutio rushed over, vibrating with excitement.Romeo scratched him under the chin as he got comfortable in Romeo’s lap.
Voices spilled into the hallway downstairs—Chad and Josh, arguing.
“Listen to me,” Josh said sharply.
Romeo held onto Mercutio’s collar so he couldn’t rush downstairs and interrupt.
“I know it frustrates you that you can’t remember what happened that day,” Josh continued, “but what exactly are you suggesting?That someone slipped you and Alexandra a dose ofsomethingin the last few months and you happened to go on to attempt suicide, her succeeding and you not.”
“It’s a pattern.”
“It’s a coincidence.”Josh argued.“Frank could’ve slipped you—”
“It wasn’t Frank.”
“How can you be so sure?Maybe that was what he was doing while you were at the cottage, maybe that’s why he vanished when you were in the hospital, he thought he was about to be found out.”
“I know he didn’t—”
“He left you!”
Romeo bit his tongue.Allowing Josh, hell, anyone, to raise their voice like that at Chad needed swift retribution.The slash across Romeo’s palm twinged as he curled his hand into a fist.Josh was a big guy—he wouldn’t go down easy.
Mercutio licked his chin, rousing him from his darkening thoughts.
“At your lowest,” Josh continued, “he left you, and you still defend him.”
“I’m not defending him.”Chad snapped back.“What about Alexandra?”
Josh growled in frustration.“What about her?”
“She had the same—”
“You have no idea what she was taking and when she was taking it.”
“You’re right, but her husband—”
