I nodded quickly, not trusting myself to say more. “It’s good to be back. I’m… grateful you’re willing to try.”
Before he could respond, I turned and rushed toward the door.
But I wasn’t just going to see Lee.
I had a dagger to poison.
And that meant finishing what I had started with Raul. Without a word, I grabbed what I needed and slipped away, not looking back.
Not even once.
I knocked timidly when I reached Lee’s condo.
No answer.
Good. He’s out.
I slid the key he’d once trusted me with into the lock and stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind me with barely a sound.
The scent hit me first—stale beer and sweat thick in the air, clinging to the walls like rot. I scanned the room—empty bottles littered every surface, a graveyard of glass glinting in the dim light.
So, he’s a drunk now. Perfect.
Swallowing my disgust, I went to the back of the condo, to the drawer where I’d once found Olivia’s dagger. My fingers moved fast, unscrewing the tiny vial of poison Raul had helped me perfect. I smeared a thin layer across the blade’s tip with practiced precision. One nick was all it would take.
Footsteps thundered outside the front door.
My blood ran cold.
I shoved the dagger back where I’d found it and walked away, struggling to calm the hammering in my chest. Even when I reached the living room, I tried to look composed and casual.
The door burst open.
Lee stood in the doorway, his expression dark, his frame looming.
“Where the hell have you been?” he snapped. “You were supposed to stay and protect Olivia, not vanish into time!”
His words sliced deep, every syllable jagged and unforgiving.
He narrowed his eyes. “How long have you been in my house?”
“I just got here,” I lied.
He stormed past me like a hurricane of rage, disappearing down the hall. My breath caught in my throat.
When he returned, he was gripping Olivia’s dagger.
Tight. White-knuckled.
The silver glinted under the low light, deadly and sharp.
“Why was this moved?” His voice was a growl now, barely contained. “I left it in one place. Ialwaysleave it in one place.”
A shiver crept down my spine. If even a sliver of skin touched the poisoned edge…
He’d die.
A lump swelled in my throat. “I—I moved it,” I admitted. “I was afraid Balthazar might come looking for it. I just wanted to keep it safe.”
