Page 68 of Wicked Devotion
“So, Leah is the name of the woman you’re holding on toso dearly, Arthur? Got yourself a pretty little thing back in the day?” Logan asks with raised eyebrows.
“I would advise you to shut your fucking mouth, Cabrera, unless you want me to make you eat through a straw for the next few weeks.”
Rockwell tries to stand up, only held back by Sam’s firm grip.
“Sorry,” Logan says. “Didn’t know it was such a sensitive topic.”
“It isn’t.”
“Sure isn’t,” Logan mumbles, and Ruby kicks his shin.
“Stop provoking him, for fuck’s sake.”
“Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that all of this is happeningnow?” Max asks, leaning forward. “If you’ve witnessed a murder in 2019, why would you come forward years later? Personally, I feel like all of this started when Sanders showed up.”
“Don’t make a conspiracy out of it,” Logan says with a sigh. “Shit always comes in groups, like sneezes. Not everything goes all the way up.”
“Our focus should be on finding a solution before we start arguing about thewhy. The murder investigation takes place in another jurisdiction, and I’m sure I’m speaking for all of us when I say we don’t want Carter to end up on death row.”
“Of course not, darling, but we have this under control,” Sam says, trying to take the remote from Ruby.
“We should get in touch with Damon and Leah,” she says, completely unbothered by her husband’s polite attempt to shut her up. “Maybe they noticed something back then, incidents that seem off in hindsight, people that had been acting weird…”
“Ruby, Sam is right,” Rockwell interrupts her. “This is our fight, and I’m not going to drag you into this. Which is also the reason I didn’t tell you anything about it, Max. Iwould have gladly kept it that way if your dumb man wouldn’t have felt the urge to create chaos by trying to blackmail me.”
“I am very much getting involved,” Ruby shoots back. “Today, they are focused on Carter. Who knows if you are next? Or my husband? I’m not going to let this happen, sorry.”
“You heard her,” Sam says with a shrug.
“Let’s start with Leah.” A few documents with Leah’s information appear on the screen, and this time, Sam can’t stop Rockwell from grabbing the remote.
“No,” he bellows, and the room falls dead silent. “Not her,” he says, a little quieter. “I don’t like you being involved, but Leah—no. Leave her out of this.”
“Fine, fine,” Ruby says, and Rockwell reluctantly lets go of the remote. “We still have Damon. So far, I’ve just been scratching the surface, and I’m still waiting to hear back from some of my contacts, but as of now, he’s a phantom. Could be homeless or dead, or, my suspicion, he doesn’t want to be found.”
All men seem disappointed as they lean back on the couch, and Logan is the first to speak up.
“So, you’ve got a pretty presentation and some discouraging findings. Right, peanut?”
“Nope,” she says, jumping up from Sam’s lap to reach for the only phone that’s still lying in the open. “I also have Damon’s number. Well, one that had belonged to him at some point.”
“The number you’ve dialed is not in service.”
“Impressive outcome, Mrs. Ryves,” Logan jokes, and Ruby throws the phone right into his stomach.
“We should let the matter rest for today,” Max says, stroking over my thigh. “Everyone is finally up to date, and it’s not like we’re going to find a magic solution in thenext hour.”
“Max is right,” Charlie says, stretching out his legs. “I’m gonna go for a walk. Anyone wanna join me and Mochi?”
“Me,” Logan says, scratching Mochi’s head.
He passes Max and me on his way to the patio doors, and I get up and put my hand on his arm.
“Can we talk?”
“I don’t think there’s anything we need to talk about.”
He brushes my hand away like it’s a nuisance, and my already forced smile vanishes.
