The serenity faded.
Gone.
He was gone.
“Did you expect something more?” she whispered, but the sting his abandonment caused burrowed deep into her chest. She pushed up on her elbow. That’s when she saw the smear of red across the back of the hand she had yet to pull away from the empty pillow. A crease formed between her brows as she brought her hand close, inspecting it for a wound and finding none. Lifting her hand to her nose, she took a sharp breath. All she could smell was Thaddeus.
“Rori, wake up!”
Cassy’s frantic shouts snapped her out of her daze. She threw the blanket aside and jumped out of the bed, scrambling for her clothes scattered across the floor. Somehow she pulled everything on and yanked open the door right as Cassy reached for the knob.
“Wha—”
“Come!”
Cassy grabbed her arm and hauled her into the living room, throwing her into the sofa. Cael caught her as she practically landed on his lap. His smile faltered when his gaze dropped to her red-streaked hand. His nostrils flared and his gaze shot up to hers once more. A burning heat rose to her cheeks as she put a few inches between them, turning her focus to her best friend as she fumbled with the television remote.
“I couldn’t believe this. I just…I mean…” Cassy found a news channel and twisted to them. Her sharp eyes pinned Cael first. “Tell her!”
“Tell me what?”
Unease settled in her belly. She looked between Cassy and Cael. Cael appeared more preoccupied with whatever he detected from her than Cassy’s borderline panic. He shifted on the sofa, angling to face her directly. His hand slipped and brushed against her thigh. Her gaze instantly dropped to herhand as a breeze caressed her skin, erasing any outward evidence of the stain.
“A body was discovered in the river floating by one of the boat launch ramps during the night,” Cael finally said.
The unease turned to a burdening weight. Thaddeus had disappeared with Rich. He never did confide what had happened. But the discovery…she knew. She knew the truth deep in her bones. She’d known Thaddeus wasn’t going to let Rich walk away breathing.
“A…body.”
“Here! Look!” Cassy interrupted, jabbing the remote toward the television. Rori tore her gaze from Cael’s penetrating eyes, eyes that sought more than information about a dead body. He knew his brother better than she, and his lack of surprise attested to her suspicion that he was aware of what Thaddeus had done.
She listened to the breaking news story, the room around her growing dim. Sure enough, a nearby marina had been closed off after a body was reported in the water.
“…Local deputy spokesperson confirmed the body as that of thirty-one-year-old Richard Sulton, an area mechanic. Sulton was known to police, and had in fact, been wanted on a warrant. Sources say that no foul play is suspected...”
No foul play.
Rori swallowed a lump in her throat. Yes, she had suspected. She knew. But hearing the news solidified what he had not confirmed.
“Rich is dead, Rori.”
Cassy had turned back to her as she processed the information. She should have felt a smidgen of remorse or pity. She wasn’t a heartless woman. In fact, her empathy oftentimes ran rampant. Yet she felt…nothing but relief. And a disturbing lick of gratitude because Thaddeus had rid her of her worst nightmare. Her deepest fear.
“Rori, are you listening?” Cassy plopped on the sofa opposite Cael, took her by the shoulders and shook her. “Rich. Is. Dead. He’s gone, Rori. He’s gone and you will never have to fear him again.” A strangled laugh escaped Cassy. “Wish the fish had time to feast on his bones, but hey. At least you can rest easy now. Speaking of resting easy.” Her brows came together, her eyes lowering to Rori’s neck. “Umm, girl. Did you have company last night?”
Her throat closed. Her face went from warm to scorching as she instinctively reached for her neck. “I…”
“Love, why don’t you grab some coffee for her. She just woke up,” Cael interrupted, pushing off the sofa and tugging a resistant Cassy from her seat. “Give her a few minutes. The news probably comes as a shock.”
Cassy’s jaw dropped open. She shoved his shoulder as a mischievous spark flared in her dark eyes. “You weasel! Was it your brother? Is that why you insisted we go back to your place? Did you know?—”
“Coffee, sweet. Go get some coffee?—”
“Ohhh, no. No way you’re going to try and distract?—”
Rori’s brows shot up when Cael grabbed Cassy by the back of the head and shut her up with a kiss that Rori could feel in the depths of her soul. She dropped her head and pinched her forehead as Cael took to Cassy like a starved beast.
Wings fluttered wildly within her belly.
