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She ignored him and immediately started to search. Not wanting to leave her on her own, he worked with her as they checked first downstairs then upstairs. Calvin was nowhere to be found.
Alex fished his phone out of his pocket and called Luke. “Send your enforcers to pick up Calvin. He broke into Bree’s house and left her what I guess you could call gifts; he knows that shit isn’t done. Call me when you’ve got him, because I intend to have a little talk with him.”
He rang off before the Head Enforcer had the chance to respond. Alex followed Bree as she returned to the kitchen.
Standing in front of the counter, she stared down at the jewelry, her gaze clouded. “I don’t know why he’s playing these games,” she said, talking to herself … as if she’d tuned him out.
Alex frowned. “Games? He’s done this before?”
“I thought it was Bernadette. She seemed the likeliest person to do it.”
His hackles rising all over again, he sidled up to her. “Do what?”
“He obviously couldn’t find the necklace after I threw it away, so he just … bought these.”
Alex growled. “Baby girl, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Tell me what’s been going on.”
The dark note of authority in his voice reached Bree, dragging her out of her thoughts. Absentmindedly, she stroked her throat, going back to that moment when she’d first walked into the kitchen and saw the necklaces. Shock had slammed into her like a freight train, blanking her thoughts. She hadn’t been able to make sense of what she was looking at. It was as if a fog had clouded her mind and made her see the world through a haze.
Then she’d snapped out of it, and only one thought had rung through her brain—she had to find the bastard who’d done this. Calvin.
Although the shock had worn off and she could think clearly, she felt cold all over. She just couldn’t understand why Calvin would do this.
Bree lifted one of the chains. “After Paxton left, Bernadette gave me a necklace just like this. She said it was a gift from him; that he had the other half of the heart. But she lied. She had it all along.”
“She thought it would comfort you to think he’d given you a gift?”
Bree nodded. “Shortly after I told the Cages that I didn’t want a future with Paxton, one of these was posted through my door in a blank envelope. I figured she was returning her half, letting me know it had never been a gift from him at all.” She licked her lips. “I binned it. But someone dug it out of the trash and left it on the windowsill the night I was out cold from the tranqs. I dumped it in the wishing well in my backyard. And now … this.”
“What you’re telling me is,” he began, his voice quiet yet loaded with anger, “it’s possible that at least one of the Cages have been playing mind games with you … and you only thought to tell me this now?”
She tossed him a frown. “Don’t make this about you, Alex. Be mad if you want but go be mad somewhere else if you’re not going to actually help me work out what in God’s name is happening here.”
Seconds of silence went by, winding her tighter. “All right,” he gritted out. “We’ll table that discussion for later. Now, tell me what you did with the necklace that Bernadette gave you when you were a kid.”
“I dropped it down a street grid the very same day she gave it to me.” Bree rubbed at her eyebrow. “I don’t know why Calvin would do this. Unless he’s pissed that I’m with you and this is his way of reminding me I have a mate. But that doesn’t make sense, because this started before you and I got together.” She looked around the kitchen, as if there’d be something there to give her answers. There wasn’t. She turned to Alex; his expression was as unreadable as always. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that, considering Calvin wants you for himself, it’s odd that he’d do something that would hurt or scare you. Maybe he’s as messed up as his twin in his own special way; maybe this was him making sure you got the message that he’s taking his brother’s place.” He licked over his front teeth. “Or maybe we shouldn’t be looking at Calvin.”
She frowned. “I can smell him.”
“Or … you can smell Paxton. They share the same scent, Bree. You know that.”
A shard of pain dug into her chest. “He’s dead.”
“Pains me to say it, Bree, but we don’t know that. Not for sure.” He flicked a glance at the necklaces. “This could be him screaming to you loud and clear that he’s here. Though I don’t see why he’d linger in the background.”
