“You’re lying.” He turns to her and smiles. “I know you’re lying. You’re just saying what I want to hear—though I appreciate you trying to be flexible.”
He walks to her and slaps her across the face.
“But you’re a filthy liar, and that’s just one more thing to punish you for. Maybe before I take your eyes, I’ll take that pretty little tongue.”
“Jack?”
I shake my head and look into Daphne’s worried eyes.
“What was it?”
The waitress saves me by delivering our meals. After seeing what I just did, I’m not super hungry, but I also don’t want to ruin our evening.
When our plates sit before us, I force a smile at Daphne. “This looks good.”
“You’re evading.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I take a bite of my food and then gesture to hers with my fork. “Better dig in, or I’ll steal it.”
She smirks but eats her meal, and the conversation shifts to movies we’ve seen lately and what shows we like to stream.
“I love the show Lucifer,” she says with a grin. “The guy who plays the devil is one hot man.”
I stop chewing and frown at her. “Hey.”
“What?”
“I’m sitting right here.”
“So?”
“So why are you talking about hot men?”
She laughs and sips her water. “Please. It’s not like you don’t find female celebrities attractive.”
“I’m not talking about them with you,” I point out. “Out of courtesy.”
“Do you think you’ll eventually have a hot-and-heavy affair with Sandra Bullock?”
I mean, I probably wouldn’t if she offered.
Probably.
She sits back, finished with her meal, and grins at me. “You’re fun. You know that?”
“Hell, yes, I’m a good time.” I chuckle and pay the waitress. “Are you ready for more fun?”
“Absolutely. I need to walk off this food.”
I take her hand as we leave the restaurant and walk down to my car. The drive to Audubon Park takes a little while, thanks to traffic, but we don’t care.
We’re just enjoying our quiet time together.
After I find a place to park, Daphne and I set off on a walk through the ancient oak trees, their limbs so big and heavy they rest on the ground. Other people mill about, running and riding bikes, having picnics, tossing balls.
It’s a busy place, but I like it.
“Dinner was good,” Daph says and swings our hands back and forth as we walk along the paved path. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So, are you going to tell me what you saw?”
I sigh and glance her way. She watches me with patient eyes.
“I’m getting really sick and tired of this asshole ruining my time with you.”
She just waits. Finally, I guide her to a bench and we take a seat.
“I was with him. Wherever he is. And I saw the girls.”
Daphne’s eyes round, and she holds my hand tightly.
“I’m sorry, Jack.”
“The frustrating part is, I don’t know that I can pin down where I was. It’s just a room. No windows. I couldn’t see outside. I have no idea where he’s holding them in the city. If he’s even in the city.”
“Cash might be able to ask the right questions to get more information,” she suggests. She fidgets in her seat and then stands. “Let’s keep walking.”
“What’s wrong with the bench?”
“Someone slept on it last night who was thinking about throwing himself into the Mississippi River. It’s not a happy place to sit.”
We’re quiet for a long moment, just breathing in the fresh air around us. It’s still winter, so it’s not too hot yet.
The night is a breezy eighty degrees.
“Do you still like to run?” she asks out of the blue. “For exercise?”
“Not really. I ran too much in the Army. Took the fun out of it for me. Why, do you run?”
“Only if something’s chasing me.”
I pull her closer, wrap my arm around her, and kiss her temple. “You make me laugh.”
After an hour of walking around, we make our way back to my car and then toward Millie and Lucien’s place.
“It was nice to steal this time away,” she says and reaches over to rest her hand on my thigh. “Thanks for it.”
“Anytime.”
We walk up to the front porch, and Daphne pauses, holding onto her stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wonder if I ate something bad.” She scowls, and then her eyes clear. “No. Oh, shit.”
She hurries around me, and I follow after her.
Sitting on the doormat is an envelope.
We both sigh in frustration.
“What’s that holding it down?”
“A bloodstone.”
Chapter Nineteen
Daphne
Of course, this would happen now after a fun evening with Jack. I can’t seem to catch a break lately.
I walk around the envelope on the doorstep, open the front door, and call out for my sisters.
“Guys? Brielle? Millie?”
“We’re in the library,” Millie calls back.
“I need you out here.” Jack’s still on the porch, his hands on his hips, and his face set in grim lines. I want to run into his arms. I want to pull him away and go anywhere but here. Somewhere it’s only the two of us and we don’t have to deal with all of this mess. But I can’t.
“Is Cash here?”
“I’m here,” Cash says as all four hurry from the library. He sighs when he sees where I’m pointing. “Did you touch it?”
“No, we haven’t touched anything.”
“There’s a bloodstone,” Millie says and reaches for Lucien.
“He’s back to taunting all of us,” Brielle says, her eyes trained on the sidewalk. “I see a third girl.”
“It’s creepy, and a blessing that the girls can’t come inside,” Millie says.
Cash passes out gloves to all of us.
“Do you just carry dozens of these around in your pocket?” I ask as I slide my hand inside.
“These days, I do. I know there won’t be any prints, but I’m a cop. We do this by the book.”
I kind of love that he’s so strict.
Once his gloves are on, Cash retrieves the stone and the envelope, and we all file back into the library.
Millie moves to close the blinds on the windows. “I don’t want those girls looking in here. And I don’t want Brielle to have to see them, either.”
Cash sets the bloodstone and envelope on the table before us, and we’re all quiet as we look at them, each lost in our own thoughts—and so damn angry that this is happening.
“I guess we have to get this over with.” I pick up the envelope and frown. “I don’t feel a heartbeat on this one. Or any heat.”
I look up at Jackson, whose eyes have narrowed.
I glance at Cash.