A gentle knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. “Working hard?” Ty asked with a playful grin as he peeked through the doorway.
“Always.” I gestured for him to come over, then I showed him the new menu items I’d been working on, and he leaned in so close, his breath tickled my ear. Ty’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and he pretended to wipe drool from his mouth.
I laughed.
“Can’t wait to try that pumpkin risotto.” He pointed at the recipe on the screen. “It sounds amazing.”
“Thanks, babe.” I beamed. As Ty massaged my shoulders, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy the intimacy. It had been an intense forty-eight hours since we’d been informed of Cecily’s death, and we’d both been on edge trying to balance our pack and business responsibilities.
“So, how was your day?” I was curious to know how the pack had responded to the news of Cecily’s death.
He sank into the chair next to me with a deep sigh, and I felt the comforting warmth of his presence. “As we expected, Cecily’s death has made its rounds in the pack. Rumors are flying all over the place. Her parents are devastated, which is understandable. I’ve been holding off on telling them about her connection with Castro, but I really don’t see how I can put it off much longer.”
“Wow.” I shook my head as I imagined Mr. and Mrs. Banks learning that their precious Cecily was a traitor. I knew I shouldn’t think ill of the dead, but Cecily deserved every nasty thought I had. “That’s not going to be an easy conversation. I certainly don’t envy you.”
“It’s going to be horrible but necessary,” Ty said, resting his hand on my thigh. “It would be better if I told them privately, rather than them finding out through someone else, or reading it online. Common decency aside, if that happened, it would cause a much larger problem. Her parents are already upset about me choosing you over Cecily. They’d lose their shit if they didn’t learn the truth before the rest of the pack.”
“Good point. You’re probably right.” Their reactions worried me, but that conversation was unavoidable. Part of me wished we could sweep it all under the rug and pretend everything was fine, but that wasn’t an option. “At least we haven’t heard anything from Castro since they found Cecily’s body,” I pointed out, trying to focus on the positive.
“True.” Ty nodded. “It’s been one less thing to think about. I’m certain it’s just a matter of time before he makes anothermove… especially now that we’re officially mated. That will have pissed him off.”
My heart raced as I thought about the possible repercussions. Ty, sensing my fear, rubbed his thumb in small circles against my thigh, trying to reassure me with his touch.
The shrill ring of Ty’s phone sliced through the silence, making us both jump. Ty glanced at me. Fear twisted in my stomach, tightening my chest, and I held my breath. Was it Castro calling? Had he installed some kind of listening device? Was it possible he had some way of eavesdropping on our intimate conversations within the estate? Surely not.
Ty must have sensed my apprehension, because his hand was strong and firm on my thigh as he answered the phone and put it on speaker.
“Alpha Keller,” a kind female voice greeted him. “This is Eleanor Bailey. I’m calling to discuss the results of Cecily’s autopsy.”
Ty’s eyebrow arched, and he got to his feet. “Yes, go ahead.”
“A routine postmortem doesn’t routinely test for poison. With the information you provided, we discovered a lethal dose of arsenic, likely ingested. I suspect it was concealed in something Cecily had eaten. Possibly some form of confectionary, as we found undigested chocolate present alongside traces of the poison in her digestive system.” She paused, giving Ty a moment to absorb the information. “It’s a cruel method, Alpha, but effective.”
Ty grimaced. “What a horrible way to die.”
“I’ll have a copy of my report sent directly to you. Please get in touch if you have any further questions.”
“Thank you,” Ty responded solemnly before ending the call. He turned to me. “With this information from the coroner, Nico’s discovery of Castro’s emails and texts, and the housekeeper’s account of the mysterious treats Cecily had beenreceiving... it isn’t hard to put two and two together.” His jaw set into a tight square. “It’s time to talk to Cecily’s parents. They deserve to know the truth, even though it’ll destroy them.”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea right now?” I hated questioning Ty, but after Cecily’s shock death, their grief might still be too fresh.
“It’s now or never.” Ty stood. “I’ll have to make a public statement now that I have the coroner’s report. The coroner will need to give it to the police. It’s only a matter of time before it’s leaked. If I hold off on telling everyone, then they’ll hear about it through the grapevine, and you know it won’t take long for the gossip to spread round town that she didn’t die of natural causes. There’ll be backlash from the council and from the pack. I’m new to the role of alpha, Liza. It won’t be a good look if it appears I’ve lost control this early.”
He was right. As the alpha, he had to maintain control. There would never be a right time to tell the Bankses that not only had their daughter been murdered, but that she’d been working with Castro. She’d been a traitor to the pack. There had been no love lost between Cecily and me. She’d seen me as an obstacle standing in the way of what she believed to be her rightful position in the pack. Her parents deserved dignity. Their daughter’s sins were not theirs to bear.
Sitting there, I finally realized the full impact of everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Castro’s threats, not knowing who, if anyone, to trust, discovering Cecily’s treachery, her murder, and now the constant unease that seemed to hang over our lives like a dark cloud as we waited for the next inevitable attack. It was all too much to bear.
My mind began racing with uncertainty. I needed something familiar, something grounding to remind me of who and where I came from. I needed my parents.
“I should go see my mom and dad.” I stood and stretched, my back popping in all the right places. “Good luck with Cecily’s parents. And please be careful.”
Ty put his arms around me and held me close. I breathed in the faint smell of his cologne. “Don’t forget to take Jamie and Robin.”
I didn’t want someone following me around all the time, but the situation with Castro was serious. I couldn’t ignore the potential danger. Leaning back, I looked up at Ty, searching his face for any sign of doubt or hesitation. He met my gaze with steely determination, his jaw set, and his eyes locked on mine.
“Ty, I’m only going to my parents. Do I really need to take minders with me? I’m going to be in town. There will be plenty of people around.”
“Liza, we’ve been over this. Castro will strike again. We’re just waiting for it to happen. If he had Cecily working for him, it’s possible he has others.” The last words came out as a growl. “You need to take them with you. I need to be sure you’re safe.”
