Page 89 of How To Catch A Killer … And Date His Best Friend

“It’s more than that,” I say, trying to put my finger on it. “At the car dealership, for example, your comments about lining the trunk. Normal people don’t think like that.”

“I was trying to be a supportive girlfriend,” she says, having the audacity to pretend to look offended. “That’s what we’re supposed to do, right? Show interest in our man’s hobbies.”

I roll my eyes, a smirk lingering on my lips. “You’ve followed me to every hit I’ve taken over the past few weeks.”

Maddox finally snaps into gear, his head swiveling toward me from the back. “Huh?” he grunts, his gaze then snapping right back to Lyra. “That true?”

She cringes but doesn’t respond, and so I clarify for her. “Every hit, Savage,” I say, beginning to rattle them off. “That first night after I saw you outside Black Velvet. That guy in the alley was shot barely two seconds before I could get to him. Then there was—”

“Woah, hold up. That could have been anybody.”

I scoff. “Don’t try to cover your tracks now. You just happened to be on your break at the time. And besides, there was no mistaking that vanilla scent in the air. It’s the same one I’m smelling now,” I tell her, glancing at her in my passenger seat.

“It’s a popular scent. Many women have it.”

“You can’t fool me, Savage. I’ve been onto you for a while,” I say. “You had absolutely no issue knocking me out cold after we fucked for the first time. People can’t get the drop on me like that, but you did,” I say. “Not to mention, you had no issues trying to beat the shit out of Maddox at Black Velvet. You swing like you’re going for the knockout. You don’t respond to violence the way a normal person would. And you casually drop jokes about killing people.”

She studiously stares out the window, her lip pouting as though not liking that she’s finally been caught. “Like I said, supportive girlfriend.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Nah, nah, nah,” Maddox says, perking up as though finally starting to put the pieces together. “When I spilled that shit in your dark room, you knew there would be an explosion before we did. You moved first. You told us to run. Normal people don’t just know that shit, nor do they respond that quickly.”

Lyra whips around to stare at Maddox. “Oh, so it’s a crime to know a thing or two about the chemicals I need for my own dark room? That just sounds like common sense to me.”

Maddox shakes his head. “Those chemicals in there. They’re not just the shit you need to develop your photos. You had other shit in there. Hidden in plain sight.”

Lyra glances away, guilt flashing in those bright green eyes for just a moment, and Maddox grins wide. “Gotcha, baby.”

“You ain’t got nothing.”

I laugh as I continue down the road, never so fucking thrilled with myself for having put that all together. She was clever. Careful. But nobody out-fucks me.

“Holy fuck,” Maddox says, leaning back against his seat and pushing his hands through his hair. “All this fucking time. You’re just as messed up as we are.”

Lyra sighs, her shoulders slumped when a slow grin creeps across her lips. “Okay, fine. You got me. I’m the Red Widow, and I’ve been stealing your hits out from under you because honestly, it’s the best fun I’ve ever had.”

Maddox just laughs, looking as though he’s about to come in his pants with excitement. “I’ve never been so fucking turned on in my life,” he says, letting out a heavy breath as he just stares at Lyra as though only just seeing her for the first time. “So, we’ve all just been lying?”

Lyra scoffs and smirks, folding her arms over her chest. “You assholes started it.”

I glance at her. “What was I supposed to do? Hi, my name is Hunter Cole, and apart from wanting to spread those thighs and fuck you until you scream, my hobbies include the dark web, stalking, and bloody murder. What about you?”

Maddox huffs, ignoring my comment. “You gave me shit for not speaking up when you found out about Hunter, and here you were, holding out on us. I’m wounded, Savage. How am I supposed to recover from this?”

“I, uhhh . . . guess we’ve evened the score now.”

I side-eye the little she-devil. “Not even close.”

“I came clean, Savage,” Maddox says. “You got caught. There’s a big difference.”

She cringes and glances back at Maddox. “I’m sorry,” she tells him. “I wasn’t meaning to intentionally keep it from you, I just . . . I’ve held on to this secret for so long that the thought of it getting out there terrifies me. And while I know that you guys would never tell a soul, it still makes me uneasy.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Lyra,” Maddox tells her. “Besides, now knowing that you’re the redhead who was at that compound last week, I’m almost certain you could beat the shit out of both of us at the same time.”

“And win,” she mutters with a wild smirk.

I roll my eyes and look at her again, trying to work out if she truly believes that, and seeing the silent confidence in her eyes, a laugh rumbles from the back of my throat. “Come on, Savage. Be serious. You honestly think you could take us at the same time?”