Page 105 of The Woman with the Wallet

Maybe that was where Miko was.

That didn’t mean all the danger had passed, though.

If Miko was somehow caught with a dead body, he could be in a whole different kind of trouble.

“Look, given the timeline, I think Zeno will be back in another hour or two. You can get through it. The floor, though, might give way if you don’t give it a break.”

“I’m gonna make some coffee,” I said.

“Right. That’s what you need,” Zeno teased.

“There’s nothing else to do,” I grumbled.

“Call and check in on Lil. Curious if she’s ready to gut my brother yet or not.”

That was a good idea, actually. Especially since I planned on going to see her, but now I wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment.

I felt some of the tension falling away as she prattled on about how moody Gavino was, but also how good of a caretaker. She sounded in good spirits, considering.

And by the time I hung up and got that coffee I’d mentioned before the call, I heard a racket outside of the door.

Zeno was up off the couch in a second, grabbing the gun in one swift move just before the door slid open.

Then there was Miko.

He looked absolutely exhausted.

And filthy.

On his neck and cheeks, there were some nasty-looking scratches.

But he was there.

Alive.

Home.

The relief rushed through me like a wave, making my eyes actually flood with tears that I blinked back rapidly, embarrassed about their existence.

Then there was a strange, high-pitched shrieking sound coming from one of the bags in Miko’s hand.

“Sorry I took so long, sugar,” Miko said, giving me a tired smile. “But I brought you home a present for being so patient.”

With that, he brought the bag over to the counter beside me and unzipped it.

I leaned over.

And there it was.

The little black dumpster cat from upstate.

Hissing at me and trying to swat at us.

So that was where the scratches had come from.

“Brio said she’s still young enough to tame. But I’m dubious,” Miko said, reaching up to run a finger down his cheek.

“Maybe put kitchen mitts on to handle her,” Zeno suggested.

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