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“I won’t let that happen,’’ Mikel vowed. “But we have to figure out what comes next.” He straightened up, squared his shoulders. “Even if I face off with Kane and win, the whole pack will be in chaos, and I doubt they’d accept me as a leader.”
It was a subtle shift, but Violet could see the alpha in him now. He spoke more and more about the pack rather than just the town, and he agonized over its future, the greater good.
“So, what’s the alternative?”
He shrugged, shoulders heavy. “We wait for Daniella to get a sense from her dad of what’s coming, how the council feels about Kane—”
“Lila knows something!” Violet cut him off in her excitement at the realization. “She said he killed Mom. She found something out, probably in his files, before she got here. If we could talk to her—”
The crunch of gravel interrupted.
“That’s probably Daniella,” Mikel explained. “Let’s see what she’s got to say and then look at our options, okay?”
Violet nodded.
“Hey,” Dani said when she let herself in, Red on her heels. “The council’s meeting now.” She wasted no time in updating them. “Dad was tight-lipped about it, but they’re definitely not going to kill her. She has to be a full descendant given her eyes. They’ll probably keep her at Town Hall until they finish the investigation, but once that’s done, she’ll almost certainly be integrated.”
Relief swam through Violet.
“So, about the investigation,” Red spoke up, perching on the arm of the recliner that Dani had claimed for herself, picking at the skin beside her nails. The nerves in her voice were evident. “What are we doing about that? Because we know it’s going to lead straight back to Violet, and probably Dani too.”
“I’ll say it was me,” Violet offered again. She owed that to Dani and Red. They’d only tried to help and didn’t deserve to end up in trouble.
“Well, I’m hoping it won’t come to that.” Dani, hands folded primly in her lap, was an almost comical juxtaposition to Red, who looked frantic, harrowed. “The investigation will take time. She was screaming about your mom, Violet; I’m guessing that’s why she came here. Whatever was in that file, she knows something. If we can find out what, I’m hoping it’ll be enough to prove what really happened at the Frankston massacre before the investigation comes to a head.”
“So, we need to talk to Lila,” Mikel declared.
“We need to talk to Lila,” Dani agreed.
Chapter Fourteen
“YOU’RE MAD WITHme.” Violet looked at Red over the lid of her drink.
“No, I’m not,” Red shot back, brushing her vibrantly streaked hair behind her ear.
“It’s okay if you are. I get it.”
She sighed. “I’m not mad, I’m just—I don’t know. Scared? This all snowballed so fast. One minute, it was some fun mystery, you know? A scandal. And now it’s a serious deal with the entire town, and Dani’s super involved”—she dropped her voice—“and the council’s investigating. I’ll die if something happens to her, Violet. Or you.”
Violet rolled her eyes but reached across the table to grab her hand. “I think you could live without me, but I appreciate the sentiment.” They shared a smile. “I’m really sorry, Red. I didn’t mean to drag you guys into this. I don’t want anything to happen to any of us.”
Red nodded. “I know. I’m not mad for real. I just wish it was over already. Waiting is terrifying, and knowing what Kane did and that he’s still in charge of the community is even worse.”
Violet shared that wish. “Think Mikel’s having any luck?”
Her phone had been silent since that morning when he’d dropped her off at Dani’s shop to go to Town Hall and try to get visitation for her to see her sister. That they’d heard nothing from him so far was an uncomfortable weight on her shoulders.
“Hopefully,” Red offered.
“I still feel like I should have gone with him.” She’d wanted to.
“You definitely shouldnothave gone,” her friend countered. “Sorry, babe, but you about lost your shit in the square. Mikel will keep it cool and go through the process, and at this point, I think that’s our best shot of getting someone in to see what she knows.”
Violet rolled her eyes and sipped her drink, but she couldn’t deny the logic. Her nerves were worn thin, constantly grated with knowing Lila was so close yet unreachable, wondering what conditions they were keeping her in, despite everyone assuring her she’d basically be in a guest suite now since it had been discovered she was a descendant.
“Want to split a panini or something? You’ve not eaten all day.”
Violet hadn’t even thought about food. “Sounds good.” She shrugged. Red’s ringtone interrupted.
