After scrubbing her entire body raw, she turned off the water, ran a comb through her hair, and pulled on her favorite pair of plaid pajamas.
When she stepped out of the bedroom, Cade was sitting at the table, looking down at his phone.
“Any updates?” she asked, sitting across from him.
His eyes ran over her, no doubt assessing her. She was too tired to care that he was seeing her raw; no makeup with her hair dripping wet.
“Yes, they’ve identified who… you found.” He leaned a little closer.
“Who was it?” she asked, bracing herself.
“Joseph Ramsey,” he said quickly.
“What?” She jerked up a little. “No.” She shook her head and searched his eyes for the truth. “How? I… just met with him earlier today.”
She’d been too shocked to recognize that the body had been wearing the same clothes Joseph had been wearing earlier.
“His car is still in the parking lot. His wallet was in his pocket.” Cade sighed. “Sean has more questions for you. I’ve convinced him to wait until the morning.”
She leaned back and closed her eyes. “He left my office. I… I thought he’d left the resort.” She remembered him hugging her and his last kind words to her and tears slipped down her cheeks. “Why was he using that elevator?”
“Hey.” Cade was there again, pulling her into his arms as she sat there and cried for her father’s old friend.
“His assistant, Ruth,” she said a few moments later, her voice laced with worry as her heart raced for fear of the woman’s well-being. “Ruth Downing. She was with him. She wasn’t harmed, was she?” she asked quickly.
Cade lifted her into his arms until she was sitting in his lap. He stroked her hair gently. “She’s safe,” he assured her. “Sean claims he’s already talked to her. They had driven here separately. She claims Joseph mentioned something about another meeting in town after leaving your office. They parted ways in the lobby shortly after your meeting.”
“It’s all my fault,” she said, resting her head against his chest. She was too tired to go on. She couldn’t even open her eyes anymore.
“What is?” Cade asked, his voice vibrating against her ear, lulling her even further.
“His death,” she said. She felt her entire body floating. “The elevator. I... I thought that I shut it down.” She felt everything drift off as she fell into a deep slumber brought on by utter exhaustion.
That had gone down better than expected. A calm wave washed over them and there was pride and excitement at going undiscovered, which caused delight to surface. Joy which hadn’t been felt in years mixed with desire for more.
The thrill of seeing the blood had only lit more fires. An exhilarating feeling swelled at how close to getting caught they’d come.
Giddiness rippled while hiding only steps away from Raven as she’d discovered Joseph’s body in the elevator where it had been staged. It was almost too much to hold in the laughter as Raven slipped on the blood. The laughter had almost escaped and given them away.
Then hearing the bitch scream had inspired further. After all, the bitch had it coming, but not quite yet. There was more to do first.
Hopefully, now that Joseph was out of the way, the secret that had threatened to surface had died with him.
It wasn’t the first time killing and thanks to the slut’s return, it wouldn’t be the last. Uncaged. They were finally free, and nothing was ever going to imprison them again.
Chapter Twelve
It may be a fire today — tomorrow it will be ashes. ~ Arabian proverb
Cade laid Raven down on the bed and watched her sleep for a few moments.
Her damp red hair fanned out like flames on the crisp white sheets. Her skin against the snow-white sheets showcased just how much paler she was than they were. He could see a few light freckles just under her eyes and on the tip of her nose. He must not have discovered them before because they were hidden under the makeup she wore. Now, however, her face was free of any cosmetics, giving him the chance to really assess her.
He’d thought she was beautiful before, but now, as she lay raw and exposed in vulnerable slumber, he realized just how beautiful she really was.
When she’d mentioned it had been her fault that her CPA was dead, he’d tensed for just a moment, remembering all those years he’d believed she’d been responsible for his brother’s death. For so long, he’d believed the rumors and the lies that had spread around town.
Then his uncle’s words from the phone call he’d received while Raven had been showering played in his mind.
“Joseph Ramsey was murdered,” Sean had blurted out when he’d answered the call.
“He what?” Cade had almost yelled. Since Sean had only mentioned earlier that Raven had found a man’s decapitated body in an elevator, he’d assumed what everyone else had, that somehow it had been a freak elevator accident.
“He was murdered,” his uncle said. “Are you still with Raven?”
“Yes.” Cade’s eyes had moved to the bedroom door. He could hear the shower running in the other room as worry flooded his mind for her.
“I have a few more questions,” his uncle had started.
“Tomorrow,” he broke in. “Trust me, I doubt she’ll be able to keep her eyes open after she’s done showering.”
“Right.” Sean had sighed. “Until then, will you do me a favor and keep an eye on her?”
Cade thought about it. “Can you swing by my place and keep Blue with you for the night?”
“Sure thing. I’ll grab him once we’re done down here, then I’ll stop by first thing in the morning. What room is she staying in?”
“We’ll meet you in the lobby,” Cade said quickly.
“Nine?” Sean asked.
“See you then,” he had said as a knock sounded at the door when his food had arrived.
Now, looking down at Raven, he wondered how she would take the news that someone had murdered a man in her resort. A man she’d had a meeting with earlier that day.
He left her sleeping and went back into the other room to eat his dinner, alone.
His mind played over a million questions. Why? Who? Did it have anything to do with Raven’s meeting with the man earlier? Had Joseph Ramsey found out for a fact that Colin Brooks had embezzled money from the resort?
Shit.
Fumbling, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed his uncle.
“Colin Brooks,” he said when Sean answered. He could hear Blue barking in the background.
“What?” Sean asked.
“You don’t think this has anything to do with Colin Brooks and Morgan Roche, do you? Joseph Ramsey was looking into the possibility of them embezzling money from the resort.”
Sean sighed. “I thought of that the moment I found out who it was. After our talk, it’s more than crossed my mind. I’m having my guys look into where both Colin and Morgan were today.”
Cade relaxed back. “Is Blue okay?” he asked after he heard his dog bark again.
Sean chuckled. “Yeah, he’s got a squirrel trapped in the tree. I was just about to get him and take him back to my place.”