AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Immediately, my hair stood on end and ice raced down my spine. My gut instinct pulsed, warning me that something was about to go down. That it was also telling me to leave had frustration rising. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to catch the culprit no matter what. I turned to the stairs, but my phone vibrated in my pocket before I could take the first step.
“What?”
“Come back here.”
“Matt—”
“Come back here, Rup, and forget about him if you haven’t found him yet.”
Matthew’s voice was steely, indicating he knew where I was and didn’t like it. The need to argue rose, but he didn’t speak like that unless necessary.
“Fine,” I bit back, my voice short. He didn’t care, already hanging up, but I knew he would keep calling until I returned.
Damn it. I wanted to punch a wall. Instead, I sprinted out of there as fast as I could, conscious of the constant pricking in my spine. It only disappeared when I left that area, cementing how it wasn’t a good place to be in. But coming back empty-handed didn’t put me in a good mood, and I was glaring by the time I was back in the restaurant’s alley.
Matthew, Sebastian, and Sophie were still there, along with a man we knew. His police badge glinted as he turned to me with a nod.
“Hey, Rupert. You don’t look so good.”
I glared harder. Jansen Brown just grinned, though he sobered when he eyed Matthew and Sophie.
“Don’t worry about this. I’ll request CCTV footage in the vicinity and report to you once we find something. In the meantime, just keep an eye out. It could be a prank for all we know.”
The words were played out for Sophie’s benefit. I looked at her holding on to Matthew, then at Matthew as he conversed with Jansen and didn’t let her go. When Jansen left with Sebastian in tow, Matthew pulled her closer.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
“It’s okay,” she said. Blue-green eyes glanced at me, then held my gaze. Concern swirled, stunning me when I realized it was for me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. She hesitated, still looking, before she broke eye contact and leaned her head against Matthew’s chest. Relief and an odd longing warred in my system, adding to my frustration. After a while, she gestured at the rats.
“Should we…?”
“I’ll clean it up,” I announced, getting right into it. The smell was atrocious up close, but I ignored that as I brought out cleaning materials and bagged the dead bodies. While doing so, I watched Matthew murmur something in Sophie’s ear. There was a connection between them, natural and sweet, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was important to him—and by important, I meant more meaningful than just his buddy’s daughter. I’d known Matthew for quite a while now, and it was shocking to see him linger here with her. If it was any other woman, he would have given his orders and returned to his office already, not bothering to pay them any more than casual attention.
“Whew, you’re a hero,” Sebastian teased upon his return. “I would have hated cleaning that up. But hey, just be glad that I already took pictures before you botched up the crime scene.”
“I already knew you would be taking pictures,” I shot back.
“Crime scene?” Sophie echoed.
Sebastian grinned at her. “Prank. Jansen thinks so and I believe him.”
“Oh.”
Above her head, Matthew caught my gaze. There was a hard look on his face that told me he knew exactly what I was thinking. Sebastian caught on, too, but he was better at masking his opinion of it. Not missing a beat, he tugged Sophie out of Matthew’s arms and steered her to the door.
“There’s nothing to worry about. And we should go back inside before the staff finds us missing and this becomes an even bigger commotion. Besides, the special Sebastian tour isn’t done yet.”
“It’s not?”
“I have to show you all the snacks. Even better if you have a sweet tooth. It will blow your mind.”
He whispered something else and managed to get a reluctant laugh out of her. I wasn’t surprised since that was Sebastian’s specialty, but it surprised me that his body language was more protective than when he interacted with other women. There was a connection between them, too, and I was instantly wary of it. Of her. I’d learned my lesson long ago that betrayal always comes if you let people in so easily. Sophie was a stranger, and they were letting her in so easily.
Dangerous,my instinct warned me again.Trouble.
When the two were gone, Matthew turned to me fully.
