I considered Mari my sister. Harrison was my brother.
In his eyes, though, she was a woman. A woman he was in love with. It explained why he was so fucking grumpy all of the time. He must’ve been harboring his feelings silently since whenever.
That aside, she had texted me that she was going out. She promised me that she’d keep in touch, but it made me worry. What that prick of a landlord had done to her could’ve easily ended in the same way it had for Sierra.
The entire night felt like a nightmare.
I looked up when the door to the investigation room opened. Scott walked in and sat across from me. He slipped a cup of coffee my way. I took it but couldn’t bear the thought of drinking it. I wanted to erase Sierra’s face from my mind, but guilt ate me up inside. I was all she had. How could I want to lessen the impact of her death, when I was the only one who seemed to care about her life?
“This isn’t your fault,” Scott said.
I slid the coffee between my palms. “I know.”
“Girl like her.” He shrugged. “Bound to happen.”
Girl like her. Bound to happen.
Scott’s attitude was one of the things I disliked about him the most. It was no secret that he saw things that haunted him. There were times I saw them in his eyes, the ghosts, and I’d know that he was still human because he could be haunted. But there were other times when I wanted to throttle him for being so careless with his words.
It was no secret that Sierra was looking for an easy way out with a rich man. It didn’t matter who he was or what he did. She craved security like she craved food after being starved her entire life. Scott, though, acted like she went out every night with a gun in her hand looking for someone to kill or rob. Even though she didn’t, he still grouped her in with those who lived by the sword and died by it, too. It pissed me off, as much as organized crime seemed to piss him off.
“Don’t give me that look.” He sighed. “I didn’t say she deserved it. I said it was bound to happen.”
“I know what you said.”
“And?”
“It sounds callous and cold. She was my friend.”
“A friend that was bound to bring you trouble. And she has.” He took the coffee from me, taking a sip. “Armino Scarpone is a killer. He knows you and your friend can testify that he made a scene outside of your apartment before you left. Then his ex-girlfriend, because she broke up with him not long before, ends up stabbed to death outside of a store on her way back to your apartment. His family’s not fond of leaving witnesses that can testify against them. It’s a code. Just like when they kill an entire family because they don’t want retribution down the line.”
“I’m not worried about Armino. If he comes looking for trouble, he’ll find it.”
Scott threw back his head and laughed. Then he looked me in the eye. “What are you going to do, Keely? Kill him with your bow and arrow? Shit!” He stood abruptly, the chair almost falling back. “The Scarpones! You’re going to stay with me. Do you understand?”
“I’m not leaving Mari—”
“Mari. Mari. Mari. What’s with you and Mari? Why do you care about her so much?”
I stood, refusing to allow him to look down at me. “She’s my sister!”
“No, she’s your friend!”
“And what kind of friend are you? Would you leave a friend who was like a brother to you when he needed you the most?
“We’re not talking about me!” he shouted.
“Maybe we should! Maybe we should talk about how big of anassyou’re being!”
I went to fly past him, but he grabbed me by the arm. I refused to look at him. My heart was in my throat. Tears pushed against my defenses. My neck was on fire, scorching red because of my temper.
“Marry me, Keely Shea Ryan.”
From the corner of my eye I could see him digging in his pocket with his free hand. He lifted the ring high enough that I could see it in my peripheral. It was a traditional Irish Claddagh ring. The heart was made from an emerald, and the crown had three diamonds.
Mari was going to tell me it was a bad omen.Bad thingsalwayscome in threes, Kee.
I licked my dry lips. “What?” I whispered, trying to buy time.
