She shook her head in disgust. The note she’d handed Blaize had been tucked inside an envelope and sealed.
An abusive ex. Was he Rue’s father? No way in hell would Blaize allow a person like Angel to have custody based on what he knew about the guy so far.
“I miss her so much that I could have sworn I saw her the other day.” Rumi sucked in a breath. “I’m sure it was just wishful thinking. It’s been too quiet around here since she took off.”
“It’s hard to lose a close friend,” Carys said.
Rumi looked toward the window with soft eyes and a small smile like a memory surfaced. “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked, refocusing on Carys.
“Of course,” Carys said in the calmest, most reassuring tone.
“Sharon was seeing somebody else,” Rumi said.
“How do you know? Is that what she told you?”
“No.” Again, Rumi shook her head. Blaize got the impression she didn’t get out much based on how available she’d been for Sharon and how much she seemed to need to get things off herchest even after all this time had passed since she last saw her friend. “I saw him sneaking around the back when Angel was working late.”
Sharon had been having an affair? Had Angel found out?
“Did you know him?” Carys asked.
“Yeah, everyone around here does,” she said like they would, too. “Silus Vexler.”
“TheSilus Vexler?” Blaize knew about the man by reputation after living in and around Austin.
“That’s right.”
“And you’re certain about that?” he asked.
“One hundred percent,” she confirmed.
That was bad.
CARYS SAT INthe passenger seat as Blaize rounded the front of the Jeep. He hadn’t opened the note from Stephanie/Sharon yet. His demeanor changed the second he heard the name Silus Vexler.
“Read this to me while I drive?” he asked, holding the note in between them. “We need to get away from this area as fast as possible.”
She took the offering.
“Okay, sure. But I’m very curious as to what kind of person could cause a reaction like this in you.”
“That’s fair,” he said. “Let’s just say the SUV is the tip of the iceberg of what Silus is capable of inflicting on us.”
He attempted to start the engine. Nothing.
Blaize released a string of curses. He hopped out of the vehicle and popped the hood. Poked around a few seconds before swearing again. “It’s not going to start. You might as well come out.”
“What happened?” She exited the passenger side.
“Someone cut the battery cables. It’s not even going to start with a jump.” He surveyed the area.
“Which also means someone is nearby, possibly watching us right now.”
“Grab your things—we have to go.” He followed her to the passenger side so she could grab her handbag from off the floorboard. She tucked the note deep inside her bag for safekeeping.
He took her hand in his and ran toward the nearest houses, aiming for in between them. The realization he was searching for cover hit hard. Losing the Jeep hit hard. And the realization a dangerous person was after them hit hardest.
Would she do all of this again for Rue? Yes. No question.
