Page 18 of Wicked Devotion

“What killed him?”

“This is the interesting part. The coroner deemed he died from his stomach cancer, but we’ll never know for sure because his wife had him cremated as soon as she could. I’ve had some suspicions that the coroner was corrupt.”

“Oh, my God.” Rafael walked toward the window and stared out at nothing. “We should have taken him out of there.”

“I tried many times. He wouldn’t budge, and I never found out why. He was my oldest friend.”

Rafael turned to him and saw the deep grief in the man’s eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Winston nodded. “The princesses are going to be crushed.”

Rafael nodded. He hadn’t realized they were realprincesses. Shit, it would make it that much harder to keep her safe. “They have their husbands now.”

“Yes, thank God for that.”

“Is a funeral set up yet?”

Winston nodded. “It’s a small gathering, just family and a few close friends. It’s tomorrow morning at ten at the Presbyterian church on Fourth Street. I’m not sure if you’re going to want Faith there. Even with a lot of security, they could be hurt or taken.”

Rafael nodded. “I will talk to Casen and Rowan.”

“I better get going. I’ve got a few men checking into Eldora’s business dealings.”

“I do, too, and I’m sure the other two do. It can’t hurt.”

“If I find out anything, I’ll get in touch with you.”

Rafael shook the man’s hand and asked one of his men to see him out. He walked to his office and made a three-way call to Rowan and Casen. Finally, after a few minutes, all three were able to talk.

“Tell me how it’s going with you guys?” Rafael asked.

“Harmony wants to see her sisters.”

Rowan cleared his throat. “My Angel isn’t settling in very well. I know part of it is missing her sisters.”

“We’ll have to get them together soon,” Rafael commented. “Maybe at your house, Rowan. It’s like a fortress.”

“We can do that,” Casen said. “We could also bring our security teams with us.”

“I say we do all we can.” Rafael agreed. “One of the reasons I’m calling is Franklin. He died yesterday after we left.”

“That fucking bitch killed him,” Rowan burst out.

“I agree. I think she might have been poisoning him all along. I wish we could have gotten him out of there.”

Rafael rubbed the back of his neck. “I said that same thing to Winston, and he tried many times. For some reason, Franklinwouldn’t let anyone help him.”

“What are you guys thinking about for the funeral?” Rafael asked.

“Funeral? What funeral?” a woman’s voice said in the background.

Rowan cursed. “Guys, I’ve got to go. I’ll check in later. At this moment, I say no. There are too many variables we’d have to consider.”

“Rowan, who are you talking about?”

“Angel, Sweetheart. Wait…”

“It’s my father, isn’t it?”

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