Page 68 of Kill Me Sweetly

We followed Penny again, and the garden she referred to was stunning. Colorful, so many different flowers and trees. In the center was a large gazebo and a big table. Tea, small sandwiches, and little sweets were all laid out for us.

“This looks amazing.” Mason sat and I joined him.

“The girls always go over-the-top for company.” I watched as Penny fixed her tea.

Not wanting to be weird, I did the same. I really despised tea but didn’t want to be rude. Once we’d snacked a bit, I broke the silence.

“Is there any way we could meet these girls and thank them?”

She dabbed the corner of her mouth and smiled sweetly. “That won’t be necessary.”

I glanced at Mason, who was as confused as I was. “Well, I mean, it would be nice to speak with them. No better way to know what a house needs fixed than to speak with the ones who live in it.”

“I live in it; you’re talking to me now.” Penny was miffed, and that was a red flag.

“Yes, we are.” Mason placed his teacup down. “But it’s the girls whom this house was created for. We’d love to get their views on things. Sort of like a testimonial.”

Oh, Mason was good. “Yes, precisely.” I’d back up my bestie.

“Mr. Reese stated that you wanted a tour. He never explained to me that you’d want to talk with the girls. It’s just not possible.” She somewhat gracefully tossed her napkin to her plate.

It was time to push her a little. “My apologies that it wasn’t made clear to you, Ms. Ballard, but while we were a little hopeful to speak with the girls, I feel at this point it is a requirement if you’d like our financial assistance.”

It was a dangerous game I was playing but she was hiding them for a reason, and I wasn’t leaving this house until I found out why.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

SHEP

Angeland I got to the shop with plenty of time to make it appear like everything was cool. I baked some muffins, some of which I had, with Angel’s medical expertise, dosed with GHB. Our hope was that Wes would eat a muffin and pass out. That way we could just bring him to the house. If not, we’d have to take him by force. Angel and I each had a syringe filled with GHB as well that we’d use if we had to.

We didn’t want to hurt Wes. He was a victim like Four, and GHB wasn’t exactly a legal drug—and for good reason. It was dangerous and could kill. Thankfully, Angel knew the perfect dose that would merely put him to sleep. He’d be able to monitor him as well.

The muffins were cooling when the bell over the door rang.

“Let me go out there, you get the muffins ready.” I rushed out of the back in time to see Wes in the middle of the floor.

“Hey, Boss.” He smiled, and for a moment I wondered if we were wrong.…Nope, saw the video.

“Hi, Wes, you’re the first one here, unless did Darby or Lizzy come with you?”

“Nah, I took the early bus.”

I made a show of checking my watch. “Huh, okay. Well, I just made muffins for our meeting. Hungry?”

He smirked. “What kind?”

“Lemon poppy.”

He laughed and rubbed his belly. “Uhhhh…my favorite! Maybe in a bit. I just ate with my dad.”

Lies. All lies.“Okay, my brother Angel is here too. You haven’t met him yet, I don’t think.”

He grinned as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “Nope. But I was telling Lizzy how I hoped I’d get a chance to meet all the brothers.”

I bet you did, Satan. Wait, no he’s a victim. Focus, Shep.

Just then, Angel walked in holding a tray of muffins. “Oh, hey. You must be Wes.”

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