Page 33 of Coveted

She takes another draw of whiskey before answering.

“So you want to use me as bait? To catch your cousin’s killer? That’s why you asked me here tonight?”

“No,” I say patiently. “I want to protect you. Make sure you’re not next. Catching the killer is a nice bonus.”

There’s a confused flicker in her eyes, like the idea of being protected is completely foreign to her.

“Why would you care about protecting me?” she asks.

I shrug. “Do I need a reason?”

“I need one. You’re pretty unsettling. Full offense.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. She’s funnier than I thought she’d be.

Nobody talks to me like that either. Maybe that’s why I find it endearing.

“Okay. Here’s a reason.” I clear my throat. “Parker and Hannah were the closest thing I had to siblings. I failed to protect them both. But I see the danger coming this time. I’m going to stop it. Also⁠—”

“What?” she presses.

God, look at me spilling my guts.

“I’m the reason you were so close to the murder. I chased you there. I heard Parker’s voice and went looking for him, leaving you alone.”

Her brows raise. “That’s what you heard? I thought you found more prey.”

“You’re the only prey I want.”

She rolls her eyes in apparent disgust, but the briefest smile skates over her pouty mouth too.

Busted, Sadie.

“If you stumbled any closer to the scene,” I say, “you could’ve died because of me.”

She still might, but not if I can help it.

Sadie’s voice comes out small. “Do you believe Hannah was murdered too? Someone made her fall on that icy path?”

“I do now, yes. Back when it happened, only Parker was sure it was murder. He said he just knew. So we hired the best investigators, but they turned up nothing concrete. Parker kept searching for proof or a motive. He was hellbent. My uncle begged him to stop, to let Hannah rest. All Parker found was the bottom of a bottle. He just kept getting worse.”

Sadie leans slightly nearer to me. “Is that what you argued about before the Founder’s Run?”

I nod. “The last thing I said to him was an ultimatum. Either he agrees to rehab or he listens to Uncle Gareth and lets Hannah go.” The memory is bitter on my tongue. “Imagine telling someone they need to let their dead sister go.”

Sadie’s eyes cloud. “That’s horrible.”

She leans away, erasing the space she’d closed between us.

Shame jackknifes inside me. “Yeah. Well.”

Fucking hell. This is what I get for sharing.

She shakes her head. “I’m not judging. I meant that I have sympathy for both you and Parker. But I bet he knew you cared about him.”

Debatable.

It does make me feel better that she’s understanding though, and it surprises me to care. I don’t typically give a fuck what people think.