Page 145 of XO Karma

“Yesterday, at the cabin, what did the person you were chasing look like?”

“I’m not sure.” He shakes his head, the chopping of his kitchen knife against the wood echoing in the room. “I didn’t get a good look.”

“Is there anything you remember?”

“They were probably close to six foot. It looked like they had a heavy jacket on with a hood, so hard to tell the build. The grass was too tall to get a look at the bottom half.”

I blow out a raspberry. “Do you think it was Jude?”

“Could be. Or one of his guys.”

“What should we do now?” I ask, trying to gauge his thoughts.

“It might be best to lie low for a few days, see if anyone comes sniffing around that might have seen us. If they are from the Westerford estate, we’ve been there a few times, so I’d like to know if someone recognized us on our turf rather than be blindsided on theirs.”

I nod, eyes falling to the newspaper, drawing little hearts in the free spaces. “Should we check out Vetrel’s apartment today?”

“I still think that’s a bad idea,” he replies, now dicing a bell pepper.

“But it’s a lead.”

“It is a lead,” Aster admits.

There’s a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” I tell him.

“Are you sure?” he asks, brows furrowed, a knife in one hand and a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder.

“Yeah, absolutely.” I hop off the bar stool and head towards the door. I open it to the sight of two police officers and my brother’s partner. “Um…” My eyes find Jackson’s. “Can I help you?”

His gaze is distant. “Is Aster home?”

“Yeah, he⁠—”

“Who is it, babe?” Aster asks, rounding the corner. “What’s going on?”

“We need you to come to the station for some questioning regarding the circumstances of Nolan Moore’s death,” Jackson says, and my heart freezes in my chest.

“Who?” Aster asks, feigning obliviousness.

“The most recent Kodak Killer victim.” Jackson’s jaw is tight, and I’m not used to seeing him so serious. “And we’d like to ask you some questions regarding the case.”

“You can’t be serious?” I scoff, and panic courses through me.

“It’s just a formality,” Jackson assures us. “It won’t take long.”

“Let me just grab my purse,” I say. “And we’ll meet you there.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not how this works,” Jackson says. He gestures to the two men in blue. “These officers are going to take Aster, and we can meet him there.”

Aster’s proximity tingles, and he places a hand on my spine, leaning into my ear. “It’ll be okay.” He kisses my cheek. “I love you.”

My panicked eyes meet Aster’s, and before I can respond, he’s gone, being shoved into the back of a police cruiser like a criminal. “Jackson, what are you doing?” I shriek, and he comes inside, shutting the door behind him. “We need to leave.”

“We won’t be doing that,” he says, and my chest seizes.

“Why not?”

He rubs a hand against his stubbled jaw. “I need to tell you something.”