Page 104 of Liberated By Sin
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Pullinga chair, I sat facing the beach and closed my eyes, enjoying how the warm breeze lifted and tousled my hair. Life hadn’t felt thiscomplete,possibly ever. Cambri’s death still hurt my heart, and I knew I’d feel her loss for a long time. But I’d been mourning for so long that I decided to let go of the pain for one day and relish all the good. Santino and I were in a new place in our relationship. I never thought I was capable of love, let alone worthy of receiving it, yet he changed everything.
I love him.
Nothing could sour my mood today. Lunch withAmalia. Then dinner with my brothers…
“Miss Carvalho.”
Detective Braga’s voice was the equivalent of screeching tires on hot pavement. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since the night outside my apartment, the night I’d killed Luca. Santino’s clean-up crew, disguised as just that, had removed the body and any traces of death or a scuffle. They’d said a neighbor had hovered nearby and attempted to question them, but they’d brushed him off. I had no doubt the nosy neighbor in question was Raymond. Just like I had the hunch his being here wasn’t a coincidence.
“Mind if I sit?” He slid the iron chair and sat, not waiting for a response.
“Actually, I do. I’m with a friend, so ifyoudon’t mind…” I said, motioning to the aisle.
“No worries. This will only take a second.”
“How did you know I’d be here?”
“It’s my job to know.”
I leaned my elbows against the table. “Bullshit. You have no right to follow me. And I don’t think that’s very wise.”
His thick eyebrow arched. “Is that some type of threat?”
“Really?” I asked with a cynical chuckle. “You show up and intrude in my space, but I’m the one making threats? However, if you feel threatened, Detective, maybe that’s a sign you should watch your boundaries.”
Raymond leaned over the table, meeting my steely glare. “Is that what you said to Luca Leone that night in your apartment?”
My heart stuttered for a millisecond at his admission, but I quickly reined in my shock.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He tapped a small metal object against the table’s surface. “Don’t you?”
“No.”
Relaxing in his seat, he opened his palm, and a familiar piece of jewelry rolled in front of me.
Luca’s ring.
The Leone family crest was unmistakable.
“Is this supposed to mean something to me?”
“How about you drop the act, Amara…or whoever you are? I’ve looked into your past and found a lot of holes and fabricated paper trails. But I’m not even here for that.”
I said nothing and sat back, contemplating escape routes and how to dispose of this man if the situation came to that.
“You haven’t been back for two weeks—”
“So what? I’m a big girl, Detective. I’m allowed sleepovers for as long as I want.”
“What of Luca Leone? The man who broke into your place and never came out.”
I wondered if he could hear how heavy my heart thudded.
“Again, you’ve lost me. But I think we’re done here.”
