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I could only stare at this woman and wonder how she and Posie were best friends. Lennon Marlow-Prince felt like…I could see her dancing over your grave with no thought to how God was looking down at her while she did it. While Posie had a lot of issues and ghosts haunting her, she was still human. She was still warm and real. So, how could she be best friends with this…this…nightmare?
“Where do you want to start?” she asked.
“What?”
“Okay, that’s fine. I’ll start without your help,” she continued like a condescending asshole. “Okay, so we already know what happened to your sister, and that she’s the reason why you started your foundation. However, when your association with the Benettis became apparent, I had to dig a little further, and do you want to know what I found out? That Saveria Fiore-Benetti and your sister are close friends. In fact, Saveria and Ellie were super close in college.”
“That’s not a secret,” I pointed out through my clenched teeth.
“No, it’s not,” she agreed. “Nor is it a secret that your sister’s rapist was never brought to justice. Trent Hendricks had managed to do the unthinkable; he had escaped arrest and has been on the run all these years. Quite fascinating when you think about it. I mean, by all accounts, Trent Hendricks didn’t seem like the kind of guy that could outsmart an entire police force like that, but I know that he hasn’t been heard of since two days after your sister’s attack. So, what other reason could there be for a man just disappearing off the face of the earth?”
Lennon was fucking with me.
“Let’s forget the Benettis for a second,” she said, waving one hand around dismissively. “Let’s talk about how I believe in coincidences, but not really. See, people go missing all the time, so who cares, right? No one is going to look too hard into random killings and disappearances because those are the hardest to solve, and most cops don’t have that kind of dedication or time. For a cop to make a difference, you have to catch them while they’re still young, fresh, and optimistic.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I denied again.
“Do you want me to start with your first kill, then?” she asked, and I could feel sweat begin to form at my temples, even though it was cool in the room. “I have a lovely spreadsheet back home that shows a distinct pattern between your work travels and missing people in the same area. Now, not just any missing people though. Specifically, men that had been accused of rape.” She arched a brow coolly. “Granted, your kill count isn’t a high one and you’ve covered your tracks rather well, but anyone with a vested interest could see what’s going on here.”
“I-”
“Now, do I care that you’re going around killing rapists?” she interrupted. “No, I don’t. Not at all, in fact. Hell, I’d even be willing to donate to the cause.” She sat up straighter in the chair. “Now, do I care that Posie doesn’t know that she’s sleeping with a man that exacts vigilante justice for rape victims? Fuck yeah, I do,” she hissed.
“This isn’t about Posie,” I argued, still refusing to admit anything.
“And let’s not forget about the Benettis.”
“What about them?”
“I have a lot of respect for the Benettis and every member of their family,” she said. “However, they are a very dangerous family to tangle with, and if dating you is going to place Posie in their crosshairs, then we’re going to have a problem.”
“Because your family isn’t just as dangerous?” I bit out.
“Touché,” she smirked. “Nevertheless, we’re not killers for the sake of business. We might be wealthy, powerful, and a little unethical, but we’re not the Benettis. However, that being said, I’m not afraid to go up against any of them if it means saving Posie from your bullshit. I’ll die for that girl.”
“You have this all wrong-”
“Does Posie fucking know or not?” she snapped.
“Of course, she doesn’t,” I snapped back, finally coming clean.
“But you know about her, don’t you?” she posed, and her voice was doing that thing again; a light whisper over my grave.
“How the fuck do you know what I know?” I asked, my mind reeling at how she knew these things.
“Because I’m not a fucking idiot,” she fired back. “You kill rapists in your free time and you’re friends with the Benettis. The risk to their livelihoods and your hobby is too high not to do a background check on any woman that you might be seriously interested in. Now, while you have money, you’d never risk the wrath of the Benettis by outsourcing a background check to someone that you can’t trust. So, since it’s obvious just how much you trust the Benettis, my guess is that you had one of them do the background check on Posie.” She tapped her finger to her lips like a jerk. “Add that to the fact that the Benettis are professionals and would never do a half-ass job, not only do you know what happened to Posie, but now they do, too.”
I’d always been impressed by the Benettis and what they were capable of, but Lennon Marlow-Prince could give them a run for their money.
“So, not only does Posie not know what you do in your spare time, but she also doesn’t know that you know the details of what happened to her, and that’s another grave concern of mine,” she continued. “From where I’m standing, honesty isn’t exactly your strong suit, Mr. Warrick, and that’s a problem.”
“I’d never hurt Posie,” I told her, hating how true her words sounded.
“How much of the report did you read?” she asked.
“Enough,” I answered.
She gave me a solemn nod. “Enough.”
