What’s less sweet is the black SUV parked across from our house.
“What’s with the guy in the car?”
Keshia’s voice cuts through my thoughts as I haul grocery bags from the trunk. She’s come outside to help and has already spotted the vehicle across the street.
Austin’s inside, probably turning his room into a disaster zone while “organizing” his toys.
“He’s... a bodyguard.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Since when do you need a bodyguard?”
“Since Alessio found out about Austin.” I grab two bags and head for the door. “He’s protective. Worried about those bikers from the club maybe trying something.”
To my surprise, Keshia’s expression softens. “Well, at least he gives a damn. Austin deserves a father who actually cares about keeping him safe.”
I’m grateful for her support. When I first told Keshia we were moving in with Alessio, she thought I was rushing things. Butonce she understood it was about protecting Austin, she came around.
“He’ll be out there while you babysit tonight. Just so you know.”
“Got it. Creepy but protective.”
We carry the groceries inside, the TV providing background noise as we unpack. I’m only half-listening to the news until I hear a name that makes my blood turn to ice.
“The body of Eric Newell was discovered this morning in a vacant lot in what used to be the SunnyGrove suburb just north of Las Vegas...”
The eggs slip from my hand and crash to the floor.
Eric’s face fills the screen. Young, smiling, before the alcohol and anger carved lines into his features. The reporter keeps talking—something about property development and police investigations—but the words blur together as panic floods my system.
“Nina?” Keshia’s blocking the TV now, hands on my shoulders. “Honey, you’re shaking.”
My mind goes blank. The only thing I can process is the sound of blood rushing in my ears.
“Nina, are you okay?”
“Turn it off,” I manage. “Please. I don’t want Austin to see.”
Keshia clicks off the TV and starts cleaning up the eggs while I sink into a kitchen chair.
Eric is dead.
My ex-husband is dead. Which means the past isn’t done with me yet.
28
ALESSIO
My phone buzzesagainst my thigh. The bodyguard’s update is brief: Nina and Austin just got back from the store.
I’ve told him to report every movement, every errand, every goddamn trip to the mailbox.
Excessive? Maybe.
But after what went down at the casino, I’m not taking chances.
It’s driving me crazy that they haven’t moved in yet. Every night she spends in that house with its joke of a lock feels like tempting fate. The apartment will be ready soon. I’ve got contractors working round the clock to get Austin’s room perfect.
Tonight Nina works while Austin stays home with the roommate. Here at the club, I’ve got enough muscle to keep her safe without the extra shadow.
