Page 86 of Atlas Uncharted

And they couldn’t prove I had but they tried. But like I said, the three of us they suspected all had alibis. My mother and the police chief’s wife defended us.

The good news was Kairi’s book had blown up.

She published it herself, flipping off the publisher that dropped her, and it went number one within weeks. A book about love, betrayal, survival, the irony wasn’t lost on me.

She was the success story they never saw coming.

I smirked, taking a sip of coffee, just as a scream ripped through the quiet morning.

“Save me!”

A tiny, wet body barreled down the stairs, streaking across the living room at full speed.

Dion.

Completely naked.

My mother barely had time to brace herself before he launched into her lap, arms tight around her neck.

“Granny, help! She’s trying to drown me!”

She had been sitting across from me, reading the news on her iPad when her grandson nearly tackled her.

I choked on a laugh as Kairi appeared at the top of the stairs, robe loose, her wild curls damp. Her wedding ring catching the light. We’d been married for a little less than a year.

“Dion, get your ass back here!”

Dion clung tighter to my mother, his face buried in her shoulder. “I couldn’t breathe underwater!”

Kairi rolled her eyes. “It was a shower, Dion. There’s no underwater.”

My mother laughed, running her fingers through his damp hair. “Oh, poor baby,” she cooed, mock sympathy dripping from her voice. “Did your mean old mama try to wash your hair?”

Dion nodded furiously, glaring up at Kairi like she was the villain of his life story.

My phone rang before Dion could make another dramatic escape.

I pulled it out and checked the name.

Ebony.

I put her on speaker. “What?”

“Yo, me and Mason will be there in an hour. Breakfast better be ready.”

Mason and Ebony getting together had not been on my bingo card last year, but they hit it off while visiting Florida. It helped that they both lived in New York. They were… interesting together.

Kairi sighed. “Ebony, I’m not—”

“Yes, you’re cooking. And tell Dion I’m bringing him a present.”

Dion perked up instantly. “A real present or one of those books you always bring me?”

Ebony scoffed. “First of all, books are gifts, you little ingrate. Second of all, it’s real.”

Kairi shook her head, rubbing a hand over her face. “Where’s Lu?”

“Inside the coffee shop, cussing out a barista for using regular milk instead of oat.”

---