“They aren’t bad guys,” she replied, exasperated.
“I’m serious. If they work for him, then they can’t be good news.”
“They aren’t some psychopaths. They could have killed me anyway, and they didn’t!”
Her sudden change in volume got them a side-eye from an older Asian man browsing the gimbap selection, but he only shook his head before going back to his search.
Landon ran a hand through his hair and replied, “I’m just trying to look out for you.”
“Do you really think I wasn’t going to do a deep dive?” She leveled him with a severe glare. “I’m not some kid. I know now you must see me as a sister figure, but I’m not her.”
The pain in his face just then cut deep. “Look,” she muttered, “I’m sorry. I care about our friendship, so… do you want to help me dig up their sordid pasts so I can know what was bullshit? Would that help?”
The muscles in his brows dropped ever so slightly. “Sure. I think I can live with that.”
Chapter 33
Willow
Days of scouring police records and city records.
So far, everything they had admitted to her was true. Though there were the extras. Ezra had a past with juvie and a few tickets as an adult, but nothing major. Ryker was clean as a whistle, surprisingly.
Then it was on to their personal stories. Ezra had inherited the large twenty-five-acre property from his late uncle Richard Kowalski and his aunt Patricia relinquished any claims to it. Ezra’s father was a frequent inhabitant of the local prison for numerous offenses. The latest information she could find was a ten-year sentence for carjacking and drug trafficking.
Ryker’s father, Marco, was behind on payments for loans, but they had resumed around the time Ryker claimed he had started working with Xan. His mother, Celeste, had a clean record and worked for a local hotel.
So far, nothing about what she had found would turn her completely away from them. They hadn’t lied to her about anything at this point.
Her gut told her they were safe, but a small voice in the back of her mind told her she was a fucking idiot for entertaining it at all.
Xander Coughlin was an interesting figure to dig into, as was his apparent rival Anton Davidiuk. Of course, so much of their dealings were underground, so it wasn’t exactly easy to find information. From what she had found though, the hatred ran much deeper than a simple turf war.
Davidiuk had murdered Xan’s father and sent him the mutilated pieces over the course of three weeks. It occurred long before Willow moved to Lakeview, so she hadn’t been around when the news was fresh. The police hadn’t been able to find any conclusive evidence that Davidiuk was behind the grisly killing.
With a sigh, she leaned back in her comfy computer chair, prompting Stahma to hop up into her lap. Her fluffy cat kneaded her thighs and rubbed her face against Willow’s hands as she stroked her soft fur.
“You’re such a mushball, you know?”
The purrs rose to a higher volume as she let out a few small chattering meows.
“Do you miss them?”
Stahma flopped into her lap, belly up. Oh, she knew that was a trap. An adorable one at that.
“Yeah, I know what you’re up to. You want to wreck my hand with those little kicks.”
As if she understood her ruse was foiled, Stahma let out another soft meow.
“You do miss them. You only knew them for ten minutes.”
Stahma rolled and settled into her arms, which seemed like a move to comfort her. She wasn’t like most other cats she had met—aloof and making you beg for their attention. Her sweet bundle of purr was more like a stereotypical dog. She wanted affection, and to converse.
“Well,” Willow continued, blowing out a long breath, “I need to corner one of them and have a real chat. I don’t want to let them go.”
***
Ezra was waiting in the park, hands shoved in his pockets as he paced around. Whether it was to stay warm in the spring chill or nerves, she couldn’t tell.
