“She’s better off without either of us.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen and you know it.”

A pause. “Did you sleep with her?”

“What do you care, Blane? You tossed her aside and fucked Kandi. Who else have you fucked the past few months? Yet you expect her to be a nun, waiting for you to come to your senses?”

Glass shattered and I started. My hands trembled, still covering my mouth.

“Can we get back to what the fuck you’re going to do about this?” Kade’s irritated voice cut through the sudden silence.

“What do you think I’m going to do? I’ll do everything in my power to fight it, call up every favor anyone has ever owed me.”

“Will that be enough?”

“I don’t know.”

They were quiet then and somehow I managed to get off the floor and creep back to my bedroom. I crawled underneath the covers, wishing I hadn’t heard everything I had. Images in my head of Blane and Kandi making love wouldn’t go away, though it sounded like it hadn’t really been making love, at least not from his perspective. And I didn’t know if that was better, or worse.

Two things became clear as I finally drifted to sleep. One, Kade hadn’t answered Blane’s question about whether or not we’d slept together, and two, Blane hadn’t said whether or not he’d killed Kandi.

* * *

I was awake, dressed, and downstairs before 7:00 A.M., but even that early start wasn’t enough for me to beat Charlotte’s arrival.

Both Charlotte and Blane were sitting at the kitchen table when I walked in. They looked up and I halted for a moment. Charlotte looked as surprised to see me as I was to see her. She recovered first.

“Kathleen,” she said in her come-fuck-me accent that put my teeth on edge. “I—it’s good to see you again.” She smiled and the smile I returned was just as fake.

“Same here,” I lied, heading for the fresh pot of coffee Mona had brewed. I poured myself a cup and took my time fixing it the way I liked. When I turned around to face them, Blane and Charlotte still hadn’t resumed their conversation.

“Kathleen is staying with me for a while,” Blane explained. His eyes devoured me from head to foot, and although it was vain of me, I was glad I’d taken pains to look good this morning. I’d figured the younger and more innocent I looked sitting at Blane’s side—because that’s where I was going to be regardless of what he said—the better it would look for him with the police. If I wasn’t afraid of him, then how could he possibly have done something like that to Kandi?

To that end, I’d chosen a navy sundress with a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves. The bodice was fitted and hugged my waist and hips, then flared out into a flirty skirt that stopped a couple of inches above my knees. I’d blown my hair dry, then added some curls so it lay in soft waves down my back. I’d painted my toes I’m Not Really a Waitress red and slipped on a pair of white sandals with three-inch heels.

“When will the police be here?” I asked, taking a sip of coffee.

“Shortly,” Charlotte replied.

Blane’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you have class today?”

I smiled and said, “Not today. I thought I might be able to help.”

“I said I don’t want you here for this,” he said, his words clipped.

I looked at Charlotte. “Would it help if I was there?”

She hesitated, then said, “Well, yes, and maybe more so if you and Blane were back together.” A pained expression had flitted across her face as she said this, then was gone, leaving me to wonder if I’d imagined it. “Are you?”

Blane’s gaze was steady on mine as I processed this information, then he turned to Charlotte.

“I don’t want her involved,” he said.

Damn it. That just pissed me off. Blane had risked his life to save mine too many times for me to turn my back on him now, and if saying we were back together was what it took to give him an edge with the police, then that’s what I’d do.

“Yes, actually,” I said, directing my words at Charlotte. “We’re back together.”

Her face was carefully blank as she glanced at my left hand. “You’ll need a ring.”

I looked at Blane as my stomach did a flip-flop. I hadn’t touched the ring he’d given me since I’d set it on his desk those many months ago. For all I knew, he’d returned it.

Blane’s jaw was set in steel bands as he looked at me, but his voice was calm when he said, “Charlotte? Would you please give us a moment?”

Charlotte excused herself and left the room, though neither of us looked at her—our eyes now locked in a battle of wills. Blane got up from the table and approached me. I stood my ground, tipping my head back to look him in the eye when he stopped.

“I don’t want you doing this,” he said flatly. “I know you’re trying to help and I appreciate that, but you’ve been through enough.”

“There’s no record of my flight to Vegas or my stay there,” I said. “I can be your alibi.” I set down my coffee. “You’ve saved my life too many times for me to turn my back on you now.”

Blane gripped my arms. “Kathleen, be realistic. You’re not going to lie to the police for me! I am not getting you involved in a murder investigation!” he said, giving me a shake. His voice was louder than he’d ever spoken to me. I flinched but my resolve didn’t waver, though I couldn’t say the same for my knees, which were practically knocking together. “Do you have any idea of what that entails?”

I gave a slight shake of my head, my lips pressed tightly closed.

“It means,” he said, “that the police will crawl into every aspect of your life. Your work, your friends, your finances. They’ll question your character, your motives, make you feel like you’re guilty of something you didn’t even do. And through it all will be the press, documenting and overanalyzing everything. It’ll destroy you!” His voice wasn’t as loud but was just as intense, pushing me to capitulate, to give up.

“Then what’s it going to do to you?”

Blane didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. I knew as well as he did that what happened in the next few days could ruin everything he’d worked his entire life for—his career, his reputation, everything that meant anything to him.

“Where’s the ring?” I asked. His hands still had a hold of my upper arms, the grip tight but not painful.

Something flashed in his eyes and his jaw clenched. The tension between us was thick, a war between his stubbornness and my determination to help him.

“Blane.”

Both of us turned to see Mona standing in the doorway. Her eyes flicked to where Blane held me, then back to his face. “Blane, the police are here. I put them in the library with Charlotte.”

“Thank you,” Blane said politely, utterly controlled again.

Mona nodded and disappeared.

Blane released me but took my hand and led me out of the kitchen. To my surprise, we didn’t go to the library but headed upstairs, to Blane’s bedroom.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we be downstairs?”

“I thought you wanted the ring?” He let go of my hand and went to his closet.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. I didn’t know if I was ready to put that ring on my finger again, even if it was just a charade.

Blane emerged from the closet, holding the same velvet box he’d given me four months ago. Walking over to me, he opened it and took out the ring.

“This was always yours,” he said, taking my hand in his. He turned it palm up and placed the ring in my palm, closing my fingers over it. “I bought it for you and want you to have it, no matter what happens between us.”

I could barely breathe, the cold metal of the ring pressing against my skin. Blane’s eyes searched mine and I wondered what he saw in them. My feelings were so confused and conflicted, I didn’t know what to think or say.

Blane glanced at his watch. “We’d better get downstairs. Do you want to freshen up before we go?”

I nodded wordlessly, welcoming a moment to regain my composure. I brushed by Blane into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

I stared at the ring for a moment before sliding it back onto my finger. I remembered when they’d taken it from me on that island, and how Blane had somehow gotten it back. He’d rescued me. Saved me. I straightened my spine. Now it was my turn to do what I could to rescue him.

Coming out of the bathroom, I realized Blane was no longer in the bedroom. I frowned, wondering if he’d gone downstairs without me. Then I saw the bedroom door was shut. Afraid that I already knew what he’d done, I ran to it and twisted the knob.

Locked.

He’d locked me in his fucking bedroom.

“Goddammit!” I yelled, slamming my palms against the door.

Furious, I yanked on the handle again. Why did he have a door that locked on the outside? Never mind, that wasn’t important. What was important was that the cops were downstairs with Blane while I was stuck up here.

Okay, I had to get a grip. Being mad and yelling wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I thought of calling Kade, but my cell wasn’t on me. Plus, I had no idea if he was still in the house or gone. Considering how he and Blane liked to keep their family ties a secret, I assumed he was making himself scarce this morning.

I bent down and studied the lock on the knob. It had been a while, but maybe…

Ten minutes and a lot of cursing later, the lock clicked and the knob turned. I wanted to squeal with satisfaction. Tossing aside the tiepin I’d used to pick the lock, I got to my feet and smoothed my dress. I’d go downstairs and do what I could to help save Blane, then I’d kill him.