Page 7 of Locked Out

He stared at her. That was information best kept to herself. It could be dangerous for people to know she was all alone. Riss was gorgeous but more, she was vulnerable and she didn’t even know it. That was more of an aphrodisiac to him than anything else on earth. It was his vice. His weakness. The need to protect women in trouble, especially if they didn’t even realize it, was his fatal flaw. He found himself in a special kind of hell here with Riss. Compounded by the knowledge that he was going to have to lead her further into danger. That concept ate a hole in his gut.

He hated himself in that moment. Hated that it was his job to bring her in. To put her in harm’s way. Archer would expect no less. Cash’s loyalty had to be to the Society.

“Alicia was a…friend.” She’d been more than that but now wasn’t the time to get into it. He pulled his wallet out of his jeans pocket and took out a picture, laying it on the table.

Riss stared at it. She started to touch it but hesitated, hovering her hand above it. Her eyes were big, and her lip trembled slightly.

Cash caught movement in the corner of his eye. He looked up in time to see a man move from the entrance of the bar. He’d been in the shadows and now he was gone but it didn’t matter. Cash recognized him. He was the guy from the piazza earlier. The asshole who’d slashed Riss’s jacket. The guy on the skateboard last night and this one as well, were Allesio Umberti’s men. Umberti was up to something, something to do with Riss. What the fuck was he after? Why would he order two attempts to steal her purse?

Cash’s hand tightened around his glass. He didn’t love the idea, but he was going to have to protect Riss. Keep her close at least until he could figure out what the hell was going on and what Umberti had to do with it. Riss needed to stay alive so they could figure out what happened to Alicia. Her death had caused the Society so much trouble. Now they might have another chance, but only if Riss were offered up as a sacrifice. Cold sweat broke out on Cash’s body at the twist this investigation had taken.

CHAPTER FIVE

Thoughts swirled through her as she stared at the photograph. The woman looked so much like Riss, it was like looking in a mirror. Thoroughly disconcerting. Okay maybe not that much but still, there was a strong resemblance. It was weird. She’d been looking for her birth family since her parents told her she was adopted and now to see a picture of a woman that looked so much like her, well her with dark hair, it was…terrifying in some way. Her heart slammed against her rib cage, and she was having trouble breathing again. She had family. Family.

But he’d said she’d been murdered.

All her hopes crashed around her. She’d wanted to meet this woman. Ask if they were related. Find out all about her family. Their family.

Her heart jolted against her ribs. “When did she die?”

“Three months ago.”

Three months. She’d missed her sister by three lousy months. She tried to pull oxygen into her chest but her lungs wouldn’t function. Three months. It was so fucking unfair. A sob escaped her lips.

Cash put his arm around her and pulled her near.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice rumbling in her ear.

“I…how? How did she die?” Riss asked as she put her hands on his chest.

The muscles under her fingers tensed. “Like I said, she was murdered.”

“But how…?” She needed to know. The details mattered.

Cash’s pulse jumped in his jaw. “Someone slit her throat and she bled out.”

She straightened and stared at him. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t. “Murdered?” How could that be possible? People she knew didn’t get murdered but then she didn’t know Alicia. “How could she be murdered?” It was inconceivable. She looked around the bar not really taking anything in. It was crazy. Just crazy. “Was she…killed here in Venice?”

Cash nodded but didn’t provide details.

“Wait. Is this where she was from?” The idea that her sister was from somewhere other than the US had never occurred to her.

“No,” he said. “I’m not entirely sure where she was from. I didn’t know her long. She lived in London for a while. She had a British accent.”

There was something he wasn’t telling her. It was odd. She’d known the man all of maybe an hour and yet she could still tell he was holding something back. His eyes gave him away. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He hesitated. “I didn’t know her well because Alicia liked being a mystery. She reveled in it. She loved being the center of attention and being mysterious kept people’s attention focused on her.”

Her stomach fluttered with a sharp twist of fear. Afraid to find out about her sister. What if Alicia wasn’t a nice person? What if she wasn’t a good person? The room swam and she closed her eyes for a second. An hour ago, she had never heard of this woman and now she’d decided that not only was Alicia her sister, but she was probably not a good person. Guilt riddled Riss. How fucking stupid was that? She really was desperate. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Sounds like maybe she had some troubles.”

Cash cocked his head. “Yes, I would say that was true.”

Another thought struck her, and she gasped. “Did someone come and claim the body? Did she have other family?”

“I’m sorry. No. No one came to claim her. My boss had her buried in a cemetery outside of Venice.”

It was like a punch to the stomach. So close. And she’d missed meeting her sister by three months if, indeed, the woman was her sister. She drew in a shaky breath. “Well, thank you for telling me and showing me the picture. I won’t keep you any longer.” She started to rise.

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