I hummed and sipped my whiskey, letting it burn down my throat as I tapped a photo on my desk—a grainy shot of her stepping onto a train, her face pale, eyes wide with terror. “It was an accidental dial, but since I have you on the phone, I wanted to know why you left.”
She sighed, the sound heavy with exasperation. “Because my visit was over, and it was time to go home.”
“Yeah…” I said, my fingers brushing the photo, her fear frozen in black and white. “You didn’t seem yourself when you left.”
Jade’s voice sharpened, a hint of panic creeping in. “You don’t even fucking know me. Are you having me followed? Fucking hell. Look, I don’t know anything, and I’d appreciate you not calling me again if you don’t have any real questions.”
“I want to know why you seemed to leave in such a hurry. Killian didn’t even see you off.”
Her tone turned suspicious. “Who are you really? What do you know about me and Killian?”
I heard the panic in her voice, a crack I could exploit, and pressed harder. “I’ve been investigating a few things here in Primrose, and there’s a lot that doesn’t add up. Mainly how youseemed to be his girlfriend just a few days ago, and now he’s having a gangbang with three men who shouldn’t know each other.”
Jade snorted, the sound a mixture of defiance and amusement. “Why shouldn’t they? They grew up in foster care together, and Killian’s been salivating over them for who knows how long. I was a romp in the sheets and a fucking good one. We had fun, and now I’m home. Anything else?”
I paused, the pieces shifting into place. I wondered if she even knew what kind of clue she had given me. “No, thank you, Jade. Have a good evening.” I hung up and downed the last of what was in my cup before smiling. “They were all in foster care together? Which means Ryker isn’t the only one that changed his name, was he?”
SAMAEL
We’d been laying low for the past two days, hoping to shift the spotlight from the four of us. Strangely enough, Tyrone hadn’t tried barging into my house again and the absence of Runo at the house made for some quieter nights. Things had changed in the last several weeks, Slash, Aeron, and I needing something different in our relationship.
We all saw it, all realized that while we still loved each other, the dynamic needed Runo’s crazy to complete us. We weren’t enough for each other as is. Slash would still need me at some point to quiet the demons in his head and Aeron would need me to be that rock but it would be different going forward.
We need Runo more.
And I was okay with that.
Runo had called in a few times, mostly to check on his cat. I got the feeling that he missed us in his own twisted way so I kept on the phone as long as I could before he inevitably hung up. He had come back last night to dispose of Brent and I purposelystayed in my office. I didn’t want to know what happened to the guy, mostly because there was just an ounce of guilt lingering from that kill.
His betrayal had cut me deep and knowing how close Tyrone was to us, it would have only been a matter of time before Brent reached out to the detective.
We were one step closer to starting this new life of ours, however fucked up it was going to be, Aeron holed up in my room as he finalized the sale of his food truck. I left him arguing in an online form with rabid fans saddened thatGourmet Eatswould no longer be servicing Primrose. It was for the best, though.
Slash, on the other hand, had been dodging requests for an interview, slowly bringing items from his apartment to my estate. Most of his ‘toys’ were piled high in the guest bedroom, ones I hadn’t seen him use in at least a year. Maybe we really were changing. It felt strange but also good.
Officer Daniels swiped by my desk with a tight smile. “The new guy Chief Matthews hired is really digging into The Three Terrors. He definitely thinks you’re connected or some shit.”
I pushed out a laugh. “He thinks everyone is involved if you look at him wrong. He came to the house the other day and interrogated Killian regarding his whereabouts too.”
Officer Daniels frowned. “Why was Killian… I thought you two broke up.”
“We’re working it out. That’s not the point. The point is that Tyrone is burning bridges that I’m not sure he’ll be able to rebuild. Going after the chief’s son? Not a great look.” Shouting from down the hall stole my attention, Officer Daniels’ face paling as a result. Apparently, Tyrone had found something else to be mad about and was directing his anger at the chief.Lovely.“Let me go check on that.”
I pushed away from my desk and headed down the hall to the chief’s office, standing just outside to hear Tyrone’s angry voice. He was bent over the chief’s desk, one of his hands fisted on the surface.
“You’re either in on it or cleaning up after someone!” he yelled.
My eyebrows raised, a grin tugging at my lips before I caught myself. I knew he was but anyone else making that connection waswild.His optimistic ass could barely handle paperwork, let alone actually murdering anyone. He wasn’t even really covering up Runo’s murders and instead diverting attention with his resources.
I stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind me as Tyrone whipped around, his hazel eyes blazing with anger. “If you’re going to accuse the Chief,” I mused, “maybe do it privately and not where everyone can hear.”
Tyrone let out a frustrated growl as he straightened up. “I don’t trust you either, motherfucker.”
I leaned against the wall and forced a cold grin to mask the unease twisting inside my chest. “I’m not asking you to, but where is your proof in all of this? I’m sure you’re a great detective and investigator, but you’re overstepping. Coming to my house late at night to interrogate my guests as well as calling people past midnight?”
Tyrone’s eyes widened, his jaw tightening. “How did you…”
I sighed, the lie slipping out smoothly, though my chest tightened with the truth. “Jade and Killian still talk, and she asked if something was wrong.” They didn’t talk at all. Not since Runo kidnapped her and threatened to kill her. However, the guard watching her had been checking in and sending me information over the past few days.
