“Oh no! He passed, didn’t he?” To my horror, her face crumples like a deflated balloon, and she wobbles like she might collapse and die at any moment. God, if she snuffs it, the cops will have questions.
“Ma’am, please sit down and take a beat.” Kane jumps in while I’m losing my shit. He helps the woman to a chair on the porch, and she sits while he fetches her a glass of water.
“I’m sorry,” I say once she’s settled. “Ronald passed last night. The doctor said it was a massive heart attack.”
Kane and I stand uncomfortably while the woman sniffs.
“He was a good man, and a good neighbor,” she tells us before fixing me with a hard stare and lifting her phone with a liver-spotted hand. “You better not be bullshitting me about who you are because I’ve live-streamed this to my Facebook friends. If I end up dead in my bed, they’ll upload your photos to that FBI page where people can report criminals, mister!” I look down to see her phone is still streaming, and cringe.Marvelous.
“Oh, Anita says are you single,” the old woman comments while squinting at her phone. “And does your hot friend,her words, want a sugar mama?”
Dear lord, save me. “I’m married,” I grit out. “But Kane’s not.”
He throws me a glare. She grumbles. “The sexy ones always are. But I’ll tell her the big one’s looking for a silver foxy lady.”
“We need to go,” I mutter, pretty sure I’ll find nothing else useful.Meow. The calico appears through the doorway and winds its small body around my legs, still purring loudly like it wants something.
“Damn fleabag,” the woman grumbles, glaring at the cat with distaste.
“Can you take it?” I ask her, not liking the idea of abandoning Ronald’s cat.
“Nope. I’m allergic.”
“Is there another neighbor who’d have it?”
“Hell no, it’s a pest, always shitting in our gardens and murdering the poor little birdies. Looks like Felix is your problem now, young man!” She smirks before wiping her eyes. “Let us know when the funeral is. Ronnie was quiet and all, but he always kept his garden neat. We liked him.”
Kane grins at me before reaching down to scratch the cat’s head.
“You know you want a sweet little pussy,” he winks before I send him a look that promises a world of pain the next time we spar in the gym.
The fucker deserves it.
38
Chiara
The sound of a cat yowling at the top of its lungs has me freezing on the spot. I only woke up an hour ago, and for a second, I wonder if perhaps I’m still dreaming. But then Angelo walks into the kitchen holding a pet carrier, with Kane at his heels.
The two of them look…sheepish?
“What’s going on?” This is the first time I’ve laid eyes on my husband since the incident at the hotel. Not that I expected him to check up on me after Kane brought me back here, but still. It’s a little galling that he doesn’t care enough to verify I haven’t slit my wrists in the tub.
But then all he has to do is log into the security system for proof of life.
“Angelo’s brought you a gift,” Kane pipes up with a wide grin.
My eyes narrow. “Gift?”
Angelo places the pet carrier on the floor and scrubs his jaw like he’s trying to find the best way to break some horrendously bad news. The pet carrier rocks as a very pissed-off cat yowls and scratches at the plastic.
I rush over and drop to my knees to see a cute little calico peering through the metal bars.
“Oh my god, you’re adorable!” The cat stops trying to escape and mewls pitifully. “Such a cute little baby,” I coo, not caring that I probably look like a crazy cat lady with my bed hair and rumpled PJs.
Kane snorts while Angelo rolls his eyes.
“Please don’t tell me you two kidnapped this poor kitty from a crime scene?”
