Bloody Vows (Lilah Love 5)

“And Dad, too,” I add, taking the whiskey from Kane’s hand to take a sip from his glass—it tastes better in his glass than mine—before I hand it back to him, my mind chasing an idea.

“Or not,” Andrew corrects. “Kane and I are invited to the fundraiser. Maybe we’re giving Pocher exactly what they want. Us together.”

I sit up straighter with a realization. I’m on my feet a moment later and crossing to the room to stop at the kitchen island, where I grab my stack of notecards. I thumb through them all and I stop at one card: Look here, so you won’t see the truth.

The jar of blood is a distraction.

The invitation to the charity event is an olive branch that is a lie.

Both seem to point to Pocher. Unless he, too, and the timing of his return, is also a distraction meant to keep us from seeing what’s really going on.

So, what is really going on?

I’m swimming in circles and that’s exactly what someone wants me to do. And I really do hate being the boring girl who does what’s expected of me.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When I return to the living room, Kane and Andrew are standing at the window, their backs to me. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that conversation involves me stabbing Roger to death and the aftermath. Their aftermath. The reality here is that if my brother doesn’t pull himself together, he’s headed for trouble, and he might take us with him.

Kane won’t let that happen.

I walk back to the bar, sit down, sip my wine, and accept a fluffy sweet potato puff from the chef before I line all my notecards up for my viewing. I scan them and decide one thing only: the puff is delicious. I’ve got nothing else, aside from the need for more information. I grab my phone and dial Lucas, who really should be here by now. He doesn’t answer. I text him: Where the hell are you and that cake?

Reaching for my wine glass, I sip and wait. No reply. Another sip. Still no reply. An uneasy feeling burns in my belly and I push it aside. He’s afraid of Kane. That’s the bottom line. That chickenshit. I dial him again. He doesn’t answer. My fingers thrum on the counter and a prickling sensation has my gaze lifting. The chef is not in the room, but Naomi is standing on the opposite side of the kitchen island staring at me.

A panicked look slides over her pretty face and she grabs a tray. “Puff pastry?” She rushes toward me.

I flashback to the woman on the floor, blood pouring out of her mouth and neck. It sure as hell reads like poisonings I’ve seen in the past. Of course, there were the ruptures in her throat but no exterior wounds and I’ve seen some wicked things with toxins. Suddenly, the puff pastries suck. Naomi shoves the tray at me. I stand up and confront her. “How long have you been with the chef?”

“I—I—why?”

“How long?” I demand.

“I don’t work for him. Not full time. He needed help today. I agreed.”

“What’s your job?”

“I work for a service. I sous chef for a pool of elite chefs. The service that coordinates it all called me this morning.”

Nothing about this reads right. “And you’re fucking Chef Roswell?”

Her spine stiffens. “That’s not appropriate.”

“That’s a yes. What’s your full name?”

“I don’t understand—”

“Do you know who I am?” I challenge.

She blinks and cuts her stare. That’s another yes. “Who you are?” she coos, all innocent, which she is not. Playing stupid is stupid. Jesus, help me. I’ll go back to church—I promise—to spare me the stupid of the world. And if you don’t strike me down when I enter the church.

“Special Agent Lilah Love,” I say. “What’s your full name?”

Her lashes lower and she wets her lips before she forces her gaze to mine. “Naomi—”

“Last name,” I snap.

“Wells,” she replies.

Wells.

Of course, it is, I think. And why wouldn’t our sous chef have the same last name as the victim of a murder last night? “What’s your connection to Emily Wells?”

“She’s my ex-sister-in-law.” She bursts into tears. “She was. She was my—” She sobs and runs from the room, bumping into the chef as he returns.

He blinks and looks confused. “What happened?”

Kane appears by my side and simply looks at me, a question in his dark eyes. “The victim last night was her ex-sister-in-law,” I inform him. “I suggest we don’t eat any more of the food.”

And since my gut says Naomi will run, I step around Kane and start running toward the door.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I reach the open front door and exit the house just as Naomi’s car is moving toward the gate. The gate that opens automatically when a car approaches. I curse as Andrew appears by my side. “What the hell is going on?”