Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“I don’t need Ghost to do my dirty work. When the time comes, I’ll happily kill him myself. Any objections?”
“No. I’ll happily bury that body, bella. You just name the time and place.”
“I like that plan, but just as a reminder, I’ll probably make it highly emotional, poorly timed, and difficult to hide. Ghost won’t be as complicated. You won’t have to bury him or hide him.” I shove his chest. “Stop doubting me, you asshole.” With that, I start to turn away.
Kane pulls me back to him, his arm wrapping my waist. “We have much to discuss, Lilah.”
“Oh, we do indeed. You seem to forget just how much you have to answer for.” I push away from him and start walking, leaving him behind, but not for long.
There’s a war brewing between me and my husband that’s at present positively volcanic. I’d like to stave off the eruption until after my brother leaves, but whatever. If it has to be sooner, so be it.
Chapter Seventeen
My brother is actually an amazing human being who has a knack for finding the stupid spot in the line, which, of course, makes him look stupid when he’s not. And what’s a sister for if not to tell him just that? Okay, I normally don’t say the good parts or admit he’s not stupid. I mean, I’m his sister. If not for me, his ego might be the size of my father’s, and that would not be acceptable.
And when you look at it that way, I’ve done him and the world a service by keeping him in line. I’ve certainly done his future wife a service, which reminds me…
I join him on the porch. “You still fucking Kane’s ex-bimbo?”
Raz, or Taz, or whatever his name is, is standing by the door behind Andrew and chokes on laughter. Andrew doesn’t notice, probably because he’s too busy scowling at me. “Really, Lilah?”
“Really, Andrew, and I take that as a yes. Are you getting regular medical screenings? Also, why don’t we hold a birthday party, and you can bring her? It’ll be fun.”
“Can we focus on the problems at hand?”
“She is a problem, Andrew. Wait and see.”
“Lilah?”
“What do you want to talk about, big brother? Mark is dead. Elsa and Ghost are missing. I’m going to Purgatory to work on finding them.”
“Dad. I want to talk about Dad.”
“Ghost doesn’t care about Dad right now. He cares about Elsa.”
Kane joins us on the porch, and there’s a subtle stiffening of Andrew’s spine that tells me he’s still not okay with my husband.
“Andrew,” Kane greets.
“If you’re afraid of him, Andrew,” I say, “why are you at his home?”
Andrew bristles. “Do you wake up and take a bitch pill?” He eyes Kane. “Can you not give her the damn pill?”
Kane laughs low and deep, failing miserably at remaining the grumpy, scary dude who’s supposed to scare off my brother. “She’s a piece of work today,” he claims, and he’s right. He better remember it, too, because he’s pushing his luck with me. The mob? Really? “I need a drink,” Kane says, and lifting a chin at my brother, adds, “You need a drink, Andrew?”
“Aren’t they clearing the house?”
“They did a wide sweep,” Kane confirms. “They can work the rest around us.” He sidesteps Andrew and saunters toward the door, disappearing inside with Kit and then Raz on his heels.
The minute we’re alone, my brother is back at it. “Should we be warning Dad right now?”
“Not yet.”
“Should we talk to Kane about it?”
“I already talked to Kane about it.”
“And he said?”
“So now you’ve officially gone from wanting to put Kane in jail to hanging by a thread for his opinion? I should have taken a photo of the fear in your eyes when he joined us.”
“I’m not afraid of Kane. And once you bury a body with a man, you trust him with the next one.”
And the body they buried was for me. Only I don’t feel one little bit guilty over it, either. It was Roger after all, and Roger was a serial killer, which reminds me of what the ME said about Mark’s murder. An assassin is not a serial killer. He’s hired to kill for a monetary reward. That’s a different beast. Even killing Mark was simply about protecting his status, which translates to his income.
“Lilah?”
At Andrew’s prodding, I snap back into the moment. “You know if Dad dies, you’ll need a job. Maybe you shouldn’t give yours away so fast.” He opens his mouth to speak, and I stop him with a raised hand. “I’m not sure Ghost intends to kill him at all.”
“Then why say it?”
“It’s a distraction. Go work the case. Who’s taking over for you, and why wasn’t that person present tonight?”
“Chief Taylor, coming in from Nassau County. He’s been here part-time. He starts full time Monday, but he’s on his way down now.” His phone buzzes with a text. “I need to get back to the crime scene. There’s press gathering around the gate. I need to decide if I’m talking to them.”