Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 111986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Confused, Rosa shook her head. “She didn’t have enemies. Outside of work, Talia kept a low profile.” Silent tears began streaming down her face. “I just don’t understand.”
Knox gave her a pointed look. “If there’s anything we can do, you let us know, Rosa.”
“I will. Thank you, Mr. Thorne.” She swiped at her wet cheeks. “Maybe she’ll find some peace now. She was never really at peace with life.”
“I’d like to think that she will.” Harper gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze, feeling so fucking bad for Rosa. The female was doing a hell of a lot better than Harper would have done in her position. Losing Knox would destroy her. Wanting to give the grieving female some space, Harper clasped Knox’s hand. Let’s leave her in peace.
“Thank you for speaking with us, Rosa,” said Knox. “Remember to come to us if you need anything.” He turned to Harper. “Let’s go, baby.”
As they walked to the Bentley with Tanner, she looked up at Knox. You think it was McCauley, don’t you?
So do you.
Harper didn’t deny it. Couldn’t deny it.
Once the three of them were back inside the Bentley with Levi, she said, “If McCauley can teleport, it wouldn’t have been hard for him to go there, set the fire, watch her burn, and then ease the hellfire before getting away again without being seen.” Hellfire wouldn’t burn the demon who conjured it, which meant that McCauley would have gotten away unharmed.
Levi caught Harper’s gaze in the rearview mirror, his expression one of disbelief. “You think the kid did this?”
“Talia wasn’t alone when she burned to death,” Knox told him. “She was apologizing to someone, promising that she’d make it right.”
Levi cursed. “That doesn’t mean it was him.”
“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Knox. “But it does mean I need to speak with him. Make a pit stop at the Sanders’s house.”
Levi switched on the engine. “You got it.”
When they finally pulled up outside the house, Harper looked at Knox. “Did you give Wyatt a telepathic heads-up that we were coming?”
“No. I want to see their reactions to the news.”
Levi opened the rear door for them. “You’ve got me real curious about this kid. I’ll come inside with you this time. There are no teens lurking about, eyeing up the Bentley.”
Knox led the way up the path, and Harper then pressed the doorbell.
Wyatt opened the door after a few moments. His eyes narrowed as he took in the four of them. “Something’s happened.”
“Can we come in?” said Knox.
“Come through to the kitchen.” Wyatt led the way into a small, bright kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
Expression grave, Knox spoke, “Talia is dead.”
For a brief moment, Wyatt said nothing… as if not comprehending the words. “What?”
“Both Talia and her apartment went down in a blaze of hellfire, but the rest of the building is fine. It was clear that she alone was the target.”
“Hellfire?” Wyatt’s gaze sharpened. “She was murdered. Jesus.”
“Someone trapped her inside and killed her. She was screaming for them to let her out, but they didn’t.”
Cursing, Wyatt gave a sad shake of the head. “I’ve watched hellfire burn people alive. It has to be a horrible way to die.”
Harper was in perfect agreement with that.
Linda strolled into the kitchen. She almost stumbled to a halt as she studied their faces. “What is it? What’s happened?”
Wyatt rubbed at his nape. “Talia burned to death in her apartment. Hellfire.”
Linda’s face went slack and she gripped the counter. “Oh my God.”
“Any suspects?” asked Wyatt, shifting into detective mode.
“Some believe it may have been her dealer,” began Knox, “though her partner doesn’t seem to think so.”
“It’s always the same with addicts,” said Linda with a sigh. “If the drugs don’t kill them, the dealers do. She chose that lifestyle.”
Harper didn’t like the bite in her voice. “Nobody deserves to die like that.”
Linda blanched. “Of course not, I wasn’t suggesting that she did. I just…”
She was just glad that Talia couldn’t come and take McCauley away, Harper guessed.
Knox glanced at the doorway. “Where’s McCauley?”
Linda hesitated to respond. “He’s upstairs, playing in his room. Why?”
“Has he been there all day?” asked Knox.
She double-blinked. “Yes. He doesn’t spend a lot of time downstairs with us.” And that clearly disappointed her. “He likes his space. Privacy.”
Harper personally didn’t know a lot of six-year-olds that confined themselves to their room and didn’t want attention. It would be one thing if he was in an abusive household, but it was obvious that Linda would enjoy showering him with positive attention. “We’d like to talk to him.”
Linda’s gaze darted from Harper to Knox. “I don’t think it’s necessary for you to break the news to him. He never knew about her. Maybe we could simply tell him that you’ve been unable to find out who his biological mother is – it would be unkind to make him lose a mother twice.”