Page 39 of Perilous Healing

That’s where I’d place my bet, too. If I were a gambling man, that is.

“You said you found something strange in his room?” Bianca questions. Her skin is a bit pale, and she’d been silent the entire drive over, her thoughts elsewhere. I wanted to ask if they were on me and what might have been, or on the man who was yet another loose end to be tied up.

“Yeah. Let’s go take a look. I asked Sheriff Vick to wait to bag it until you saw it. It’s untouched right now, and while I know it could be nothing, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s—well—you’ll see.”

A deputy’s stationed outside the door, and he offers us a nod as we move into the room. Bianca stops in the doorway, her gaze traveling around the space. I do the same, scanning for something that feels out of?—

“Oh no.” Bianca turns white as a sheet, her eyes going wide as she narrows in on a stuffed teddy bear sitting on the windowsill.

It’s worn, and honestly, I might have thought it was just something the nurses put in the rooms to make patients feel better.

“The bear?” I ask, my gaze traveling to Jaxson and Lance as though either of them can answer me.

“I—” She crosses toward it, gaze locked on it like it’s a magnet drawing her in and she’s helpless to its pull.

“Bianca, what is it?”

She reaches out with trembling fingers and lifts the bear. As soon as she removes it, a folded-up sheet of paper is revealed.

With her gaze locked on the stuffed animal, I reach for the paper and unfold it.

Selena Culvers, you and one guest are formally invited to a dinner party held at the Boston Harbor Hotel tomorrow at seven p.m. This will be a black-tie affair, and no weapons will be allowed through the door.

This is a peaceful invitation.

A white flag, if you will. Consider your now-deceased shooter a gift, showing you that I mean you no harm.

If you ignore me, then things will escalate. Something I assure you I have no time for and you truly do not want. Tell your SEAL I said hello.

Your uncle, River

Fury burns in my veins, and I have to actively fight the urge to crumple the paper in my hands. My gaze lands on the name at the top.Selena Culvers.I raise my gaze to Bianca, who is still studying the bear. “Selena.”

Her gaze flies to mine, eyes wide. “What did you say?”

I ignore her, gesturing to the bear. “Your uncle left that for you.”

She nods. “It was mine. When I was little. My mother gave it to me. I had to leave it behind when I ran. I never thought I’d see it again.” She wipes the tears from her cheeks and offers it to Lance. “Can you have Elijah check for any recording devices?”

“Done.” He takes the bear. “What does the note say?”

“It seems Bianca’s uncle wants to catch up over dinner. He also confessed to this murder.” I hold the note out for her to see, and both Lance and Jaxson flank her to get a better look.

“Selena. No one has called me that in nearly two decades.”

“That’s your name?” Jaxson asks.

She nods. “This doesn’t make any sense, though.” Bianca hands the note to Lance. “He takes out the man he clearly hired to kill me, then offers me a white-flag dinner party?”

“The murder is likely punishment for failing,” Jaxson offers.

“This dinner invitation is clearly a trap,” Lance adds.

“His threat isn’t subtle, though,” Bianca says. “And he will carry through. Today was just the beginning.”

Lance’s jaw hardens. He nearly lost his wife today. I imagine he’s a lot angrier than he’s showing right now. “We can head to Boston and do some recon at the hotel.”

“If my uncle senses anyone sniffing around, he’s bound to react,” she tells him. “And I can promise you he already knows everyone who works with us.” She walks to the window and looks out. “He’s playing with me. It’s all a game to him. ‘Come see the wealth that could have been yours.’” Furious, she turns to face us. “And if I don’t go, he’s going to wreak havoc on everyone here.”

---