“Some people are popular.Some aren’t.”Once again, she looked at the guard.“I’m popular, right, Jesse?”
“Yes, Ms.Magnolia.The most popular inmate here.”
She beamed at him.Even blew him a kiss.But that beaming smile vanished as she sized up Gage once again.
Oh, yeah, this woman would poison me in a heartbeat.She’d offer me her tea and smile while I vomited blood on her floor.“The warden also told me that you get marriage offers.People willing to do just about anything for you.”
“When you love someone, you have to prove that love.”
Excitement had his heart pounding.“Is someone proving their love to you right now?Maybe a doctor in Louisiana?”The warden had told him the doctor had come to visit her several times.Gage had called in some favors from the Baton Rouge FBI office.Fun fact, Dr.Francis Locke had lost his medical license five years ago when one of his patients had died under extremely suspicious circumstances.Francis hadn’t been charged with murder, just dismissed from the hospital while the insurance company had to foot a major wrongful death bill.But after reading the reports on the vic…
Did you murder her, you bastard?Because Gage thought that Dr.Francis Locke might just be guilty as sin.
“Lily and I talked about the doctor.”A casual admission from Magnolia.“The doctor and I talked about Lily.”
Oh, fuck.Gage straightened in his seat.“He’s not a good man, Magnolia.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your doctor friend?I think he might be a murderer.Tell me he doesn’t know where Lily is.Tell me he doesn’t know?—”
“Youdon’t know where Lily is.”Her head tilted to the side.“Is she refusing to talk to you again?”She rocked forward.“Makes sense, seeing as how she’s seeking her soulmate now.”
“What?”Since when in the hell had Lily started to see someone else?
“I warned her, though, he’s going to be too dangerous for her to handle.But Lily thinks she can face any threat.”
Tension curled around his spine.“Who is her soulmate?”
“It’s certainly not you.”Disdain dropped from every word.
“Because I have a badge?”
“Because you won’t kill for her.That’s what she needs.A man to kill for her.Hmm.”Now she frowned.Appeared a bit thoughtful.“He will.”
“The doctor?Your doctor friend is going to kill?—”
“We are done.The doctor and I.No more visits.No more letters.No more packages.He lied to me.Lily already told me about his poor, dead patient.I’m not concerned with him any longer.”
Oh, shit.That probably meant the doc was dead somewhere.
“I was talking about Lily’s new friend.Her soulmate.He’llkill for her.”
She seemed way too certain of that.“Who is her friend?”I need to find Lily.She moved out of her old place.Left no forwarding address.I have to find her.Even his connections at the Bureau hadn’t turned up anything on her yet.
Lily…shit, she’d been his ace in the hole.She’d helped him solve five high-profile cases and then…
“She thinks it has to be someone like her.”A disgruntled sigh eased from Magnolia.“I keep telling her, there won’t ever be anyone just like she is.But you know Lily.She’s all about research, research, research.All research and no play makes Lily—” Magnolia stopped.
He waited.
But she said no more.
“What does it make her?”Gage prompted.
Nothing.
“Desperate?”Gage asked.“Vulnerable?”
