“Why let yourself get caught? What purpose does that serve?” All he could think was that Kenna was going to flip a lid when she found out thatDominatuswas connected to that case and the mission she’d been on the night she rescued Ellayna Feathers.
“It serves the will ofDominatus.”
“Who gives you orders? Do they have Ellayna?” Desperation rolled through Jax. He wanted to grab this guy and throttle him.
“If you want Ellayna, perhaps you should find Gerald Rickshire.” He tipped his head back and laughed.
“Explain.” Jax clenched his hands into fists on his knees, under the table. Aware he was going to look tense. But why would that be surprising?
“You’ve met us before. I read all about it in the reports and the newspaper. Saw it on the news, even. The double of Kenna Banbury killed in a bank in Colorado. Is it so astonishing that there would be more of us out there?”
“This is ridiculous. There’s no way you’re one of their clones, or doubles, or whatever you are. You’re Gerald Rickshire, the Seventh Day Killer.” Jax refused to believe Kenna had caught the wrong person or that Rickshire—the real one—was somehow out there.
No.
No way.
Rickshire leaned back, swaying on the stool. Looking amused in a way Jax didn’t like at all.
Rickshire said, “What if I’m not? What if I’m the guy they had on hand to face the charges and do the time?” He paused. “What if Rickshire is still out there?”
“I think I have ways to find out, and you’ll only be wasting people’s time.” Jax got up and stood behind the stool, facing Rickshire.
In the corner, the officer shifted, ready to take the inmate out of here because the conversation looked like it was about to be over.
“We can find out pretty easily if you’re telling the truth or not.”
Rickshire shrugged. “Unless my DNA was left at each scene becauseI was there. Not to mention how similar ours is. Maybe you can’t even tell the difference?” He laughed at that, as if his own joke was the most amusing one he’d ever heard.
“If she dies because you lied?—”
“What will you do?” Rickshire spread his hands, and the chain clinked. “I’m already in prison for life.”
Chapter Twenty
“That’s insane.” Kenna leaned away from Jax, who was sitting beside her at the Rysons’ dinner table. “He has to be insane if he thinks we’re going to believe that he’s aDominatusdouble.”
Also at the table were Zeyla and Maizie, Javier and his wife Valentina, Luci—currently on her booster seat, eating bite-size pieces of dinner with her fingers—and baby Carlos, who was nursing on Valentina’s lap under a cover.
Jax gave her a small smile. “How was your day, dear?”
Zeyla snickered, and she and Maizie shared a smile.
Kenna rolled her eyes. “What do you know, there’s been a murder?” She didn’t want to be callous to a loss of life, but right now, nothing was capable of surprising her. Or so she’d thought, until Jax mentioned that Rickshire insinuated he was aDominatuslook-alike.
That the real Gerald Rickshire was still out there, probably being protected by someone powerful within the organization.
She blew out a long breath and reached for another piece of garlic bread, holding off taking a bite until she said, “Single gunshot to the head, left to bleed out on his kitchen floor.”
Valentina reached out to cover Luci’s little ears, but it was too late.
“You know, I was raised hearing about murder and learning how to solve it, and I think I turned out okay. It’s probably fine.”
Valentina’s eyes bugged out. Ryson coughed behind his hand.
“Um…” Maizie didn’t continue.
Kenna just ate her bread and didn’t worry too much about it. There was far too much to worry about with a child of her own, so many ways she could be damaged or put at risk or traumatized. If she started thinking about it, she would wind up spiraling with no way to come up for air.
