Page 68 of Unholy Bonds

Sister Mary Elizabeth shook her head. “No, we haven’t heard back from her after she left. It was such a burden to carry, and she never forgave herself. None of us did. I know murder is a sin, but I believe the one who killed Robert Miller wasn’t doing the devil’s work. They were doing God’s work.”

“Thank you, Sister.”

“You still didn’t say what the story you’re writing is about?”

“Some things should remain dead. Like Robert Miller.”

After I came home from work, I opened the podcast again to find a new episode of Victor’s story. This time K.Y. Wolff was interviewing a woman who said she was a victim of Millicent Wark.

“You’re full of dreams, and one day, you wake up to find yourself in a situation that you can’t walk away from. Like a trapped animal. That’s how I felt when I first met Millicent Wark. I don’t know if she really killed Victor, but I’m glad she’s rotting in prison. Women who prey on another woman’s weakness, and men like him, they deserve this.”

I had to find this woman before she destroyed me and my carefully built life. Maybe we could come to an understanding, killer to killer. Maybe she would understand that I was just like her.

I quickly dressed and drove toward Rishi’s apartment. Rishi opened the door with a grunt.

“You again? It’s almost midnight, Ryden.”

“Seven is not midnight, and this is the last time, I promise,” I said to him, walking inside.

“I’m still angry about what you said to Doctor West. She’s an amazing doctor and an amazing… woman. Just…” Rishi trailed off, looking a little flustered. He certainly had a crush on Yara.

I wanted to growl MINE.

I just bared my teeth at him instead, and he shrugged.

“I think she rather enjoyed antagonizing me,” I grunted, thinking about the night at her home and that app on my phone.

She did love to make my life, and my cock, hard.

I was sure she was laughing at me. I had never been helpless in my life, but I was when it came to her. It was maddening.

“If you say so. But I’m not calling her again for you.”

“You don’t have to. I have her number.” I even have her fucking sex app. “She insisted I call her.” I didn’t know why I said that, but there it was, and the jealousy in my voice wasn’t subtle.

Back off. Fucking back off.

“Well. Everyone falls for that fucking face.” He pointed to my face with a groan. “What do you want now?”

“Who’s representing Millicent?”

“You’re going to send me to an early grave,” he said, wiping his face. “Detective Rosario called him a worm with a non-existent pee hole. He also said some other more colorful things.”

“Don’t tell me it’s…” I looked at Rishi with a shake of my head.

“Yes. It is,” Rishi said with a long sigh.

“Mark Flemming?” I asked, running my fingers through my hair, a headache slowly forming.

“The one and only, Mr. Sleazebag. Now, please get the hell out of my apartment and let me mourn another woman falling for your absent charms in my solitude,” Rishi said with a mocking smile.

“My charms must not be as absent as you think…” With a wink, I walked out, and he grunted, slamming the door behind me.

I could hear him muttering, “Smug bastard.”

Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and I wasn’t ready for it.

The drive to Mark Flemming’s office took me an hour from my home. We had a few run-ins before because his clients were always the nastiest assholes that ever existed.

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