It was a good question, but another one entered Murphy’s mind. Why was Marcus running an errand well into the night? Just what kind of errand was this? Not that it mattered. He had more pressing issues right now.
Why didn’t he run when he had the chance?Murphy asked instead.Staying close is foolish.
And a death sentence. Dante had to know that.
I don’t know, but I didn’t want to keep what I found from you. Not after everything,Marcus stated softly.
Murphy furrowed his brow, leaning forward in his chair.My trust in you has never been in question,Murphy assured him, keeping his voice calm and steady.You know that, right?
I know,Marcus answered.But I feel responsible for everything. Dante is my brother. My twin. I should have known something was off with him, should have pried more from him before it was too late.
You are not responsible for another’s actions,Murphy stated adamantly, shaking his head even though the other male couldn’t see him.Don’t burden yourself with his problems, Marcus.
I’ll try not to. There was a brief pause and then Marcus added,And Murphy? His scent was near Nessa’s business.
Murphy’s breath caught as he stilled in his chair, his bear suddenly on high alert.
How close was he to the teahouse?And why hadn’t he caught Dante’s scent when he’d been there?
Too close,Marcus muttered.I didn’t like it.
No, Murphy didn’t like it either. Cutting the connection to Marcus abruptly, he jumped up from his seat, racing to his room to get dressed. He didn’t want to be away from Nessa a second longer, especially if a threat was lurking nearby.
Hopefully, his mate was an early riser.
Chapter 13
Nessa was dying.
Her head ached, and a fierce pounding echoed in her ears as she slowly peeled her eyes open. Her dark bedroom swayed precariously back and forth, reminding her that she was still drunk off that bottle of wine from earlier tonight.
What time was it? Clearly, only a few hours had passed since she’d stumbled in here. Why was she even awake before the sun was?
Her head throbbed, and she whined, rolling onto her stomach. The world rolled with her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, groaning pitifully as nausea churned in her gut.
Once she didn’t feel like she was going to vomit everywhere, Nessa swallowed thickly, grimacing at how dry her mouth felt. Normally, if she drank alcohol, she paired it with water to avoidfeeling like a zombie the next day, but she’d been too mopey to take proper care of herself. Now she was paying the price.
She reached toward her nightstand, missing the piece of furniture completely on the first try.
God, how much did she drink last night? Did she polish off that whole bottle? Go for another after that? She couldn’t remember, and that definitely meant she’d had way more than she should have.
Her palm smacked heavily against her nightstand when she reached for it again, and, blearily, she lifted her head, willing her damned limb to move properly. It felt like forever, but finally, she grabbed her phone, wincing as the incessant pounding continued.
Squinting at the bright lock screen, she read the time. “Why am I up at five o’clock?”
The pounding in her head suddenly stopped, right as her phone began ringing. An unknown number flashed across the screen, and Nessa stilled, some of her drunkenness fading momentarily as she went on high alert. As the phone continued ringing, her anxiety sprang to life. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, and her breathing grew shallow.
She’d only given out her cell phone number to Hunny, and Hunny’s number was programmed into her phone. It wouldn’t show up asunknown.
Who the hell was calling her then? Tony? Angelo? Had they found her?
The thought alone nearly made her drop her phone in panic as her hands began trembling. She had to get out of here.Now!
The call ended abruptly. Staring down at the screen in growing terror, Nessa gasped as a text message popped up on the lock screen.
‘Nes, open the door. It’s cold outside.’
Oh god, they were out—
