Page 82 of The Villains We Make

“I’m not sure I can, but I’ll make a call in the morning.”

“Now. Make the call now.”

“Everything okay, Silas?”

“I don’t know. Just get it to me. Fast.”

“Okay.”

I disconnect and push my hand into my hair, thinking. I remember telling Ophelia Ethan didn’t have the stomach for murder, but does he? Would he? Did Sly push him far enough and then, when he lost Ophelia, literally lost her when I rammed my SUV into their car, what happened? How did Sly react? Would he have pushed Ethan to the brink?

My phone rings, and for a second, I think it might be Nigella already, but I know it can’t be that. I see it’s Horatio. I pick up.

“Horatio?”

“Silas. Just got off the phone with Phee. She’s worried you’re going to do something stupid.”

“Not stupid. Just overdue. When did you talk to her?”

“Just now.” I want to ask how since I took the phone, but he continues. “I need to talk to you.”

“You got me, so talk.”

“In person. Where are you?”

I look around. “Driving.” I give him the name of the cross street.

“There’s a bar near there. Hole in the wall. It’s called Eddie’s Corner. Can you get there?”

I type in the name and look at Google maps. “Yeah. It’s about ten minutes’ drive. What’s this about?”

“I’ll tell you when I see you.”

He disconnects. I look at the phone for a minute, hearing myself tell Ophelia I won’t keep anything from her. With a sigh, I shove the phone in my pocket and drive to Eddie’s. Horatio is right about it being a hole, and I wonder how he even knows about it. It’s old, and clearly no one bothered to update it ever, but people barely glance at me. Most are on their own.

I order two beers and take them to one of the high tops to wait for Horatio, who shows up as I’m taking a seat.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asks, and I realize I haven’t so much as glanced in a mirror since my ‘meeting’ with Ethan. I reach up to touch the tender spot on my face and notice the dried blood on my knuckles.

“Nothing. I’m fine. Ethan’s worse.”

“You two still at it?”

I shake my head, still thinking about that ring and what it could mean, trying to wrap my brain around the idea.

“Doesn’t matter. What’s going on? Why do we have to meet in this gem?” I ask as he takes the seat across from mine. Although it’s only been a couple of hours since I saw him, he looks like he’s had a long day. “When did you say you talked to Ophelia by the way?”

“Just got off the phone with her. Why?”

“I took her phone.”

He shakes his head. “Well, she called me from the same phone number she’s had for years.”

“Ah.” I sip my beer and guess Ethan gave her her phone back when he came to Nigella’s house on his impromptu visit. “She neglected to mention she still had that phone.”

“Why wouldn’t she have a phone?”

“Nothing. What’s this about?”

---