AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wince, knowing he won’t be happy with me hiding this. “I found Ryland’s necklace in the dirt next to Matthew’s body.”
He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
After pausing to give him a that’s-a-stupid-question glare, I say, “Because I didn’t want you to blame Ryland for the murder when I knew it wasn’t him.”
Andrik doesn’t seem to have a response. Instead, he pinches the bridge of his nose and walks away.
“Thanks for keeping it safe for me. And for trusting me from the start. I love you, Ver Bear. Even if you reek of maple drizzled pears.” He smirks and nudges me with his elbow. That little shit, already back to teasing me.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 45
Verity
Thunder rattles the walls of the mansion, causing me to let out a squeak. I’m not sure why loud noises tend to bother me, but they do, and this storm has been relentlessly battering us for days. Luckily, two of my alphas are at my side in an instant. Andrik pulls me onto his lap while Kyle takes my feet and rubs them. Ahhhh, an omega could get used to this.
Ry pauses halfway across the room and something akin to pride flashes in his eyes when he sees the others taking care of me. Andrik applies a slight amount of pressure around my chest, knowing I like it when I’m tense, and he notices that, too.
Emmett and Jedrik are locked in a debate about where to go from here. We have the murder weapons and we know the locations where it took place. However, we have a suspect list a mile long. What’s most concerning is that the killer seems to be getting bolder. He took his first kill when his victim wasn’t suspecting it, but the last time they fought back.
I, for one, am glad my twin enforcers managed to convince Mrs. Violet to let them move into the omega wing. Now my room has become our sanctuary of sorts. There’s never a time I’m alone and the soft, omega side of me is loving all the doting attention from my alphas. The logical side of me knows the killer is amping up their game and we need to get to the bottom of it before more blood is shed.
Kyle hits a particularly sore spot in the arch of my foot, snapping me out of my thoughts and causing me to groan loudly. The attention of the room snaps to me and I blush under their heated stares, but I don’t pull away because his foot rubs are unlike any other and I’m not giving it up.
I clear my throat and change the subject before I’m tempted to do something like jump their bones. My closet not-so-quickie with Jed has me craving more from my men. Plus, life is too short, which has been made evident by the two lives we’ve already lost.
“Have we uncovered anything new?” I ask, even though I know the answer.
Jedrik shakes his head. “No one’s budging on their stories, either. We’ll need to scrutinize every piece of evidence and everything we’ve learned harder.” He glances up at me and that’s when I notice the dark circles under his eyes. I shift my gaze to the others only to find they’re not much better, although Jedrik seems to be working himself the hardest to catch the culprit.
Between protecting me and tracking down leads, my men are running themselves ragged. Their alpha need to protect me might be overriding all other instincts, but I don’t like seeing them so exhausted. Every bone in my body is raring at me to fix it. Just like theirs would be if the roles were reversed. “What can I do to help? Who’s still on our suspect list?”
“What Mrs. Violet and Mark failed to see while fixating on Ryland’s scuffle, is he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t time stamped at the estimated time of death. Those two being some of the prime missing persons. Rosey Bloom, Karen Heinz, Mark Pruno, and Chef LeBlanc too. Among others. Now we have all the eliminated alphas added back into the mix. It’s literally a guessing game at this point.” Jedrik’s tone is frustrated and I completely understand.
“Okay, well, since Mother Nature is still violently angry outside, the pool date for today was canceled and moved to the kitchens—“
“Which you’d prefer, anyway,” Ry cuts in, knowing how I think.
“True,” I respond with a laugh. “But it’ll also give us the opportunity to search for clues. Maybe we can even question Bob. If only to cross his name off the list.”
Kyle frowns. “Just for the record, I don’t think Bob is our murderer. I’ve known him and his family for a long time.”
Andrik shrugs. “Jed and I have locked away many men who didn’t necessarily look like cold-blooded killers.”
Jedrik stays quiet, staring off into space. I remove my feet from Kyle’s skilled hands and extract myself from Andrik’s lap before padding over to Jedrik and wrapping my arms around his shoulders from the side. He’s sitting on my couch, so for once, I’m taller. It’s a strange sensation. He must feel that way too, because he drags me onto his lap so I’m sitting sideways and presses his nose against my pulse point, marking me with his smoky maple.
Emmett strokes a hand through my curls, for once Rosey finished with me early, while Jed continues to cover me in his scent. When he’s finished, I bend backward and stick my lips out in a pout. Emmett chuckles before planting a soft kiss against my upside down mouth. “Spider-Man kisses are fun, but I want the real thing,” he growls, yanking me from Jedrik’s hold.
Have I mentioned I love how much my alphas manhandle me?
Our tongues dance as we pour our feelings into one another. I’m glad our relationship is out in the open between all of us. I wish the Heat Fiends would accept it because I’d be shouting it from the rooftops.
“Shit,” Ry curses suddenly and we break apart. “What time is it?”
Emmett checks his watch and stands with me in his arms. Whoa, he’s strong. “You’re going to be late, Little Omega. The twins and Kyle too. It’s almost time for your next date.”
“Oh, shit is right,” I repeat as he sets me on my feet and I work on straightening the blouse Rosey told me not to wrinkle under any circumstances. I glance at the lines decorating the fabric where it was bunched up at my waist and wince. Whoopsie. At least she put me in a nice, comfy pair of jeans, knowing I could potentially stain them in the kitchen.
