Page 77 of A Taste like Sin
arm and slip the rose behind my ear.
Ten minutes later, I’m racing down the hall outside my father’s hospital room, my stomach in knots.
Inside, Diane is sitting beside Daddy’s bed, his hand in hers. He lies motionless, his eyes open and
unseeing—but standing nearby is a tall, mustached man I don’t recognize.
At least not until Diane says, “This is Chief Harrison, Juliana. A good friend of your father’s.” Her
strained, uneasy smile makes me force one in return.
“Hello, chief.” I step forward, vaguely pairing the man’s stern features with a face I’ve only seen in
the papers or on the periphery of Daddy’s lavish political gatherings throughout the years.
He has a relatively prominent family from what I recall. His son is a promising lawyer, his wife a
defense attorney. Dressed formally, he certainly matches his job title. A brown trench coat hangs open
to reveal the badge pinned to his crisp white dress shirt, and the faint hint of cigar smoke tinges his
imposing frame. My nostrils wrinkle and I can’t shake a chilling sense of déjà vu. Maybe I’m
forgetting a more recent meeting?
“Juliana.” He extends his hand for mine and shakes it before I can ponder my memories further. “I’m
so sorry to hear about what happened. My men and I are doing all we can to help.”
“The police would like your permission to secure your apartment, darling,” Diane says, cutting to the
chase. “They’ve already been at the house. For our safety.”
“S-Safety?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yes.” Chief Harrison steps back, his eyes downcast. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Juliana,
but your father’s physicians believe that his stroke may have been caused by something he could have
ingested—they aren’t sure what yet. But I want to assure you that we are doing our best to get to the
bottom of it.”
“The tests haven’t come back yet,” Diane explains as we turn to daddy in unison. “But your father
would want you safe.”
“That’s why your officers were at my suite the other day?” I ask, fighting to keep the suspicion from
my tone. “For my safety?”
“I apologize if their presence alarmed you,” the chief says. “But given your recent association with
Damien Villa, I know your father would want your security to be of the utmost priority.”
I swallow hard and struggle to keep my tone cordial. “My association?” Judging from the barely
concealed hostility in his tone, this man shares the same view of Damien that my father did.Does.“Is
