"And?" Emersyn shrugged. "You wanted a relationship with your sister. She's giving you an olive branch. If you care that much about fixing things between y'all, why she reached out shouldn't matter. Take her up on her offer and see where things go," she advised.
"Kage isn't the only one driven by logic, I see," I scoffed.
"What I said isn't logical at all."
I frowned. "How isn't it?"
"Because logical advice would be me telling you to question your sister's intentions." Her gaze narrowed. "I know what you did to her, and I remember how she spoke to you the last time we were together. She doesn't hate you. You broke her heart, and that takes time to heal. Healing only starts when the truth is on the table. Y'all haven't talked yet, so the truth about everything hasn't been told, so…"
Emersyn let her thoughts trail off, giving me space to fill them.
"So how are we supposed to heal our relationship. You think she's trying to set me up?" As much as I hated it, the thought existed, but I didn't want to believe Chosyn would choose Navy over me.
"I don't know what Chosyn is trying to do," Emersyn said. "I was just explaining what logical advice would sound like."
"Well, put yourself in my shoes," I pushed. "If Chosyn were Killian, and I were you… what would you think?"
Her gaze dropped. Her fingers tightened around the water bottle until it crinkled under the pressure. Then she looked back at me.
"If I were you, there'd be no thinking," she answered flatly. "I'd already be dead. Disloyalty is punishable by death in my family. No matter how small. The Teixeiras don't raise their children like everyone else. The men are raised to rule. Politics, real estate, law enforcement, hospitals, tech. In any industry you can name, there's a male Teixeira at the top having his way. Of course, they engage in illegal activities, but they won't get caught because their hands are never dirty."
She paused, then a soft laugh slipped out.
"The women are taught the essence of being a woman. How to move with poise, how to charm with intention, how to kill with precision. We fuck better than most, bear the children, andcan end a life without having to be in the same room as our mark."
"So, the men lay the dirt, and the women tend to it?" I asked.
"The men lead, and the women make it possible for them to do so. So, if I betrayed my brother, I wouldn't be alive to question the sincerity of his forgiveness."
"Damn," I muttered.
"The real question is, what are you going to do now that Chosyn is welcoming you into her life?" Emersyn asked, her voice noticeably lighter after talking about her family.
"I'll set up lunch." I shrugged. "I doubt we'll get far."
"Is this the part where you tell me Navy is the reason I'm here?"
"How did you?—"
Emersyn lifted a hand, cutting me off, and stood from her chair. When she walked toward me, her left foot dragged just slightly behind her right, hips following with precision. It wasn't a normal walk. It was calculated and hypnotic. Her chin dipped, eyes lifting through her lashes. She didn't stop in front of me. Instead, her hand skimmed my shoulder as she passed, stopping only when she was behind me.
"Choyce," she whispered.
Her fingers gathered my hair, tugging just enough to tilt my head back. Any words I had vanished before they reached my mouth. Then her lips brushed my ear.
"It's my job to pay attention," she spoke melodiously. "Having a keen eye for detail is the reason the police have yet to connect me to any of the murders in Ember Hills."
Her free hand lifted, fingers tracing the bandage wrapped around my neck.
"This," she continued, "is why you want Navy gone. How did it happen?"
"She—"
"Wait. Let me guess." She held me there for a breath. "Someone was behind you, holding your head back, kind of like I am now, which means Navy was in front of you." Her voice stayed even. "Take the bandages off. I want to see the wound."
Without thinking, my hands went to my neck, giving her what she wanted freely.
"Mhm," she hummed. "It's so clean. Straight across. No jagged edges."
