Chapter 7

I don’t give myself time to think about who is at the door. I’m armed and I’m ready to deal with a ghost, a man, his ex-girlfriend, or an assassin. The latter being of the most concern, but I doubt he’d ring a doorbell. However, there were no signs of struggle with the prior victims. That won’t prove true if I’m next on the hit list. Cujo says so, I think, marching across the room and down the stairs, the bell ringing another three impatient times. When it begins repeatedly ringing, the grip on my weapon eases. I know who this is, and I’m pretty sure he is here to kill me but will settle for a whole lot of yelling.

As if proving my point, by the time I turn into the shiny dark-gray-tiled foyer, and round the table filled with a massive vase of fake white-and-red flowers, he’s shouting my name. “Lilah, damn it. Open up. I know you’re here.” I reach the door, and he’s already started another round of demands. “Lilah—”

“Hold your horses, already!” I shout, setting Cujo in the corner by the coat closet.

“Lilah, damn it.”

“You said that already!” I call out, reaching for another security panel and keying in the disarming code. It gives me a computerized “system disarmed” in a female voice before I unlock the door.

“I’ll say it ten more damn times if I have to until you open the damn door,” he replies.

I open said “damn door” and I’m immediately facing my brother, and just like old times, he’s sporting a casual look of faded jeans, boots, and a tan, short-sleeved button-down with a badge on the pocket. And while this might be too casual for some in the middle of the elites of his territory, his confident good looks, blond hair, and tall, leanly muscled body now consuming the doorway charm the best of the best.

“Lilah, damn it,” he growls again, his pale-blue eyes fixed on me.

“Andrew, damn it,” I growl right back, and in a blink, he’s pulling me into one of his famous bear hugs, one that makes you feel suffocated and loved at the same time. “I missed the hell out of you, little sis.”

My arms wrap around him, and those emotions I’ve just sworn to be nonexistent expand in my chest, acid ready to destroy me. And yet there is no escaping one reality—his familiar, woodsy scent somehow stirring memories of Christmas trees and family holidays, of all things. Times when Santa Claus and fairy tales felt possible. “I missed you, too,” I confess.

Andrew pulls back, his hands on my arms. “I’m glad you’re here, but I’m pissed. Why the hell are you in my town, my state, and I had to find out from the FBI?”

“I wanted to surprise you. I had no idea another murder would happen when I got here.”

“And you didn’t find me when you got here?” He walks me backward, shuts the door, and then glares down at me, his hands on his hips. “Don’t bullshit me. And what the hell does ‘another murder’ mean? What other murders were there?”

“Maybe we should see if the coffee pot still works.”

“Why do I think I’d prefer a bottle of whiskey?”

~I’m the one who needs whiskey to get through this trip,~ I think as we head toward the kitchen. His phone rings and I hear him answer, but I keep moving, cutting left into the kitchen, and this time it seems my surroundings demand attention. I walk toward the island, actually noticing the granite countertop when it had been just white space the last time I was here. And when I move to the counter between the fridge and the sink where my old Keurig remains, the checkered backsplash in shades of gray catches my eye. I’d sat in the kitchen and helped Mom pick that tile years ago, but it feels like yesterday.

I check the stock of coffee and then inspect the dates on the box to discover that it and the creamer are both expired. Sighing, I turn to find Andrew joining me, fingers diving through his wavy blond hair. “What’s wrong?”

“Aside from a dead body in my territory?” he asks, leaning on the island, hands on the counter behind him. “Some sort of disturbance at the Spielberg property.”

“Do you need to leave?” I ask, trying not to sound hopeful.

“Don’t sound so hopeful,” he scolds, telling me my endeavor of neutrality has failed. “I’m informed about these high-profile situations in my territory,” he adds. “But I don’t answer the calls myself unless absolutely necessary.”

“Of course. I knew that.” I move on to more important matters. Caffeine. “The coffee and creamer are both expired, which is pretty much my definition of hell, just so you know.” ~Right after nightmares of Kane and me and oceans of blood,~ I add silently.

“Why the hell are you here, Lilah? And don’t tell me it’s to see me. You don’t even return my calls.”

I lean on the counter, my arms folding in front of me. “There’s a murder in Manhattan that I’m trying to connect to two in Los Angeles.”

“And yet you’re here.”

“It’s close enough to merit a visit home,” I say, the word ~home~ uncomfortable on my tongue.

“That’s bullshit. You’re here on the night that a murder is discovered. I assume it’s connected.”

It’s not really a question, but since he’s looking at me like he wants an answer, it’s easier to give him one than not. “I believe it is,” I concur.

“Your boss is a bastard. Loose lead, my ass.” His gaze sharpens. “Did you follow it or did it follow you?”

“I have no reason to believe it followed me.”

“And yet it happened the night you arrived.”

“You’ve already stated these facts.”

“You don’t think it’s odd timing?”

“It’s curious.”

“Curious?” he demands. “It sounds like a gift left by an admiring killer or a damn threat.”

“Fuck me, Andrew,” I say, moving him away from the case. “I don’t remember you saying damn this much.”

“I ~damn sure~ remember you saying fuck all the damn time.”

“Fond memories, aren’t they?”

He scowls at me and then his phone starts ringing again. He grabs it from his pocket and glances at the number. “Dad,” he tells me, answering before I can demand he not. “She’s right here,” he says to him, eyeing me. “Yes. Hold on. I’ll put you on speaker.”

“No!” I mouth, waving my hands, but he does it anyway and sets the phone on the counter.

“You’re live with Lilah,” Andrew announces.

“Why the hell are you here without telling us?” comes the gruff, fierce demand of my father’s familiar voice. “How about the gift of a phone call followed by a hug, instead of a dead body?”

“Good to hear your voice, Dad,” I say, hugging myself again, and now it’s my turn to glower at Andrew.

My brother, in turn, seems to have confused my scowl with a smile and answers for me. “She wanted to surprise us,” Andrew replies.

“With a dead body?” my father demands.

“Oh Jesus fuck, you Love men are drama queens. I didn’t drop a dead body off when I got here.”

“Fuck?” my father demands. “Your mother—”

“Was trapped by the spotlight,” I say, “or she would have been letting it fly, too.”

Andrew jumps in and gets to the point. “Are you claiming jurisdiction on this case?”

“Not yet,” I say, “but I need full access to every detail.”

“I’ve had three phone calls about you being at the crime scene,” my father says. “It’s sent tongues wagging. People are nervous.”

“Murder does that to people,” I say.

“The feds do that to people,” my father corrects. “We need to have a press conference at daybreak tomorrow.”

“A press conference is a bad idea,” I say.

“We’re having a press conference,” my father reiterates.

“Tell them I happened to be here and Andrew asked me to help.”

“We’ll tell them together,” my father says. “You need to be there and at dinner tomorrow night. I need to go.” But he doesn’t go. He hesitates and uses what I call his “Dad” tone, a softer hard, which is his best attempt at tender. “Lilah,” he says. “Good to have you home, even if it is a bloody return.” He hangs up, ending any impact of his “tender” moment abruptly. What the hell is it with these men just hanging up on me?

Andrew snatches his phone and it immediately beeps with a text he glances at, his sharp expression telling me he is not pleased even before he looks at me again. “I have to go handle this problem.” But like Dad, he doesn’t go. He stays, his attention fixed on me. “You look good. Thin, but good.”

I roll my eyes and reply, “You look good. A little chubbier than before, but good.”

He laughs. “I have never been chubby in my life,” he says, already heading to the doorway leading to the foyer.

“You might not be chubby,” I call out, “but you are an asshole. Don’t tell a girl she’s fat or a little thin. You tell her she looks good. She looks beautiful. No wonder you’re single.”

He stops in the archway and turns to face me. “About that. I’m not single and I should warn you before you find out the wrong way. I’m dating Samantha Young.”

I blanch but recover quickly, certain I’ve misunderstood. “What?” I ask, stunned. “As in, ~the~ Samantha Young?”

He laughs. “Yes. The Samantha Young.”

He’s amused as if this is nothing, when he knows damn well he’s just punched me in the gut. “For how long?”

“Six months and I know there’s no love lost between the two of you, but we’re going to fix that.”

“She dated my ex. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

“It’s a small town and it was years ago.”

“Andrew—”

“Lilah,” he says firmly, a warning in his tone. “I have to go. I’ll be at the station at seven.” He turns and starts walking.

“That’s it?” I demand to his broad shoulders. “We aren’t going to talk about this?”

“Come lock up,” he calls out, disappearing into the hallway.

I purse my lips and pursue him, fully intending to let him know what I think about this piece of news. But by the time I’ve entered the foyer, he’s about to exit the house when he stops dead in his tracks. I follow his gaze to the corner where Cujo rests, my lips thinning. Damn it, he’s going to make this an issue. Sure enough, he rotates to face me, his blue eyes keenly locked on my face. “Why do you have a shotgun by the door?”

I walk to Cujo and pick him up, facing Andrew. “This is in case you piss me off. You did.”

“Lilah,” he warns again. He’s always warning me in our conversations. It’s his thing. I decide to turn the tables.

“I’m holding a loaded weapon, Andrew. You could at least act a little intimidated.”

“I’m shaking in my size-thirteen boots. But now—”

“Thirteen?” I give him an appalled look, glancing down at the growths at the end of his legs. “Wow. Those really are monsters. When did they get that big?” I glance up at him. “Please tell me you have the equipment to back those up. If not, that would be downright embarrassing. I mean—”

“Stop talking,” he says, clearly not enjoying my attempt to divert his questions. “What is going on with you?”

I stare at him, blinking several times.

“Lilah,” he growls. “Answer me.”

“You said stop talking.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass.” He scowls. “I want an answer.”

“Dead bodies make me nervous,” I lie, though they obviously don’t. Puddles of blood and brain splatter are another story. It’s illogical, of course, that a corpse is fine but other matter is not, but it’s just my reality, one I don’t share with anyone.

“You’ve investigated at least a dozen murders. How can that be possible?”

He’s way off on that number, but correcting him seems counterproductive to my agenda to dodge and weave. “We all have our crosses to bear.”

He narrows his eyes on me. “If you were here—”

“I am home and I still have my shotgun in my hand.”

“Family delivers security.”

His phone rings and he gives me another scowl like I’ve conjured up the interruption. He snatches his phone. “We’re not done talking about this.” He turns and opens the door before I can stop him.

“We need to talk about—”

He shuts it in my face, and I add, “Samantha, Andrew. The woman who fucked Kane this very night.” I take a step and fully intend to talk some sense into him right here and now. Logic prevails, though, and I cradle Cujo, lock the door, and then reset the alarm. Calling him the idiot he’s being wouldn’t go over well, and that’s exactly what I would do. Neither, likely, would me telling him that Samantha is a skank, a bitch, a ho who likes Kane naked as much as she does him. I lean on the door. Samantha Young? How can he be dating Samantha-freaking-Young? This is insanity. The woman fucked Kane. A detail he will find out when presented with Kane’s alibi, which I suddenly need to confirm.

I reach for my phone in my pocket and realize it’s upstairs. Another save I need because I would have called Kane, and I’m not sure that is the right move in this moment. Besides, I know Kane. No matter what he knows or doesn’t know about my brother and Samantha, he’ll tell me he did Andrew a favor by showing him who Samantha really is. But doesn’t my brother already know who she is? Her family’s corrupt. She’s corrupt. What am I missing here? A lot, obviously, that I can’t change right now, which means I need to focus on what I can. Finding my Junior and my assassin.

I push off the door and head down the hallway toward the office. Once I’m up the stairs and back in the heart of Purgatory, I reposition Cujo on the desk and face the wall where I’ve pinned the cards, hands settling on my hips again. My gaze lands on the card that reads SAMANTHA YOUNG. My attention then shifts to the card that says KANE. Then to the one that says ANDREW LOVE. Brow furrowing, I walk to the steps, climb up, and reposition the cards to have Samantha in the center of Andrew’s and Kane’s. I then place my card under Samantha’s.

I’m the common denominator that binds the two men in her life.

I frown, a thought occurring, and I hurry down the step stool and back to the desk, where I sit down and reach for my case file. Opening it, I grab head shots of each victim and several note cards, shoving a pen into my pocket. Walking to the bulletin board again, I pull the step stool with me, and move to the far right to get plenty of naked board space. Climbing the stool, I pin the photos on the board, one row for the LA murders and one row for New York. I climb back down and stare at the problem brewing in my mind and now on my board. Andrew and Kane have Samantha in common. The murders have the assassin in common. But that’s not what is on my mind right now. I am.

I am the only common denominator to every single thing on that board.