Page 137 of XO Karma

“Owned by Frederick Vetrel.” She spins the computer to face me.

“What?” I tug it closer for a better look.

“Was he a client?” She abandons the device, pacing the room. “I would understand if she had ties with the Westerfords because of the art. But what the hell would Vetrel want with her? Art for the bar? Or was it something else?”

The more we learn, the more I believe Violet was keeping secrets. That Lily didn’t know as much about her best friend as she thinks she did. But rubbing salt in the wound won’t bring Violet back.

“You could ask Liam what he knows about those addresses,” I recommend.

“No.” She shakes her head. “He’s going to tell me to leave it alone, but we clearly need to check these places out ourselves. Okay,” she says, seemingly shaking out of her spiral. “I’ll take Vetrel’s, and you take the other address?”

I scoff. “First, there’s no way I’d let you near Vetrel’s place by yourself. And in case you forgot, I actually did kill him, so being caught in his apartment seems like a pretty stupid thing to do.”

“Okay, but I didn’t kill Vetrel, and we’ll cover more ground if I go⁠—”

“Did you not hear Liam? You’re not going anywhere without backup.”

She folds her arms over her chest. “Since when do I have to take orders from him?”

“You don’t.” A grin splits across my face. “But you seem to take them pretty well from your boyfriend.”

She rolls her eyes. “We do not have time for this.”

“Hey, you said it.” I boop her on the nose. “Not me.”

“Instant regret,” she mutters, but her tone is teasing.

“Unfortunately, though, I do agree with him on this one. We don’t know what this caller wants from you. You shouldn’t go anywhere alone, especially not for a literal part of the investigation.”

She grumbles. “Okay, fine.”

“See?” I grin, hooking the hem of her jeans and pulling her close. “You take directions so well.” She rolls her eyes, and I silence her with a claiming kiss.

For a brief moment, the entire insane world around us disappears.

It’s just me and the most beautiful, stubborn, enamoring woman in the entire universe.

40

LILY

Cold air nips at my cheeks, dead leaves crunch beneath my boots, and my thigh burns from the sweat dripping against my marking. “I really hope this whole hiking for research is not a recurring thing.”

“You know…” He gasps an inhale as we scale the steepest incline to exist without being a goddamn rock-climbing route. “I might have to agree with you on that one.”

“Honestly, I find no joy in being right about this.”

“Did you find any more info on the cabin during our drive over?”

“I couldn’t find anything aside from it being owned by the shell corporation, which I also found nothing further about. It’s like the place doesn’t exist.”

We arrive at the tree line, spotting the small wooden structure situated in the center of an empty lot. No vehicles parked outside. No lights on. The grass is overgrown and browning from the first cold snaps of winter.

“Looks like Liam’s intel may be right,” Aster says.

I release a sigh, my breath coming out in a white puff. “Let’s hope so.”

“How far are we from the Westerfords’?”