Page 74 of Volatile Vice

“The investigation is being closed. The police have gotten all the evidence they can, and it’s not enough to continue,” Dad says. “So you can have your room back, Raven.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want it back.”

“I understand.”

I fold my arms. “How can it no longer be a crime scene? A man was murdered here.” I swallow down a fresh wave of nausea. “Or…murdered elsewhere andplacedhere.”

Dad takes a deep breath and sighs it out. “As I’ve told you, the police have determined that none of us are suspects, and because there’s no other evidence that they found in this room—fingerprints for anyone else—the investigation is currently closed.”

I drop my jaw. “But someonekilledhim,” I say. “How can they close the investigation?”

“Raven, this is a good thing for us. Trust me on that.”

“But an innocent man is dead—” I stop abruptly.

He says nothing.

Oh my God.

“You don’t think hewasinnocent, do you? You think Brick was involved in something…”

Dad looks down the hall. “I have no proof of anything, Raven. I don’t plan to look for proof. But I can only repeat what I told you. The attorneys at his firm were looking for an excuse to get rid of him.”

“They didn’t have to have him killed.”

“I don’t for a moment think that his partners are behind this. But whoever did this to Latham did his firm a favor.”

I gasp. “Daddy, I can’t believe those words are coming out of your mouth. A man is dead. I thought he was a good man, and maybe I was wrong. But he didn’t deserve to be killed. He didn’t deserve to have his throat cut.”

Dad frowns, scratches the side of his head. “You’re right. He probably didn’t.”

“There’s noprobablyabout it. What happened to him was horrific.”

Dad says nothing.

He’s a powerful man in Texas. That much is sure. But he couldn’t keep Falcon out of prison. He doesn’t have the kind of power that Vinnie’s grandfather has.

“I’m not moving back into my room, Daddy.”

“I don’t blame you. Go ahead and stay in the guestroom. We’ll make that your room. We’ll turn this one into… I don’t know. More storage space or something.”

“No. You don’t understand. I’m not moving back into my room because I’m moving back to my place.”

Dad widens his eyes. “Raven, you’re not ready.”

“Believe me, I’m more than ready. I’ve got a state-of-the-art security system and a bodyguard vetted by Falcon and Leif. You can meet him if you want. He’s waiting in the SUV.”

I expect my father to pounce on that, but he doesn’t.

Just as I suspected. He already knows about Jared.

“Does this bodyguard know how to take care of you if you have a medical emergency?”

I smirk. “You and Mom don’t know how to take care of me if I have a medical emergency. Neither does anyone on your staff.” I wrinkle my forehead. “Come to think of it, isn’t it weird that no one was home Friday night when Brick was killed? None of your staff?”

“It was a Friday night, Raven. They always have Friday nights off. Your mother explained all that to the authorities.”

I don’t press it further.

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