Adverse Possession (The Anna Albertini Files #3) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,90

expertly flipped a pancake before starting to load up my plate. Syrup and butter was already at my spot. “Peanut butter?”

I shook my head. “No, thanks.” I was a butter and syrup type of gal. The smell of perfectly cooked pancakes filled the room with fragrance and my body with anticipation. “What did you find in the apartment building when you looked at the device? Was it still smoldering?”

“The fires were out, but it was still smoldering and smoky. I grabbed a shower at Saber’s before picking you up since he lives close to the hospital right now.” Aiden filled his own plate. “I didn’t find much at the scene.”

I paused with the fork to my mouth. Now wasn’t the time for him to separate personal and work lives. Whether either one of us liked it or not, I was involved in this thing, considering Barensky had visited my office. “I’m in this, Aiden. Don’t try to keep me at a distance. What did you find?”

“Four bombs expertly placed, and all were both explosive and incendiary devices,” he said, taking a bite of pancake. “We’re talking ammonium nitrate and fuel oil to start with.”

I didn’t understand much of that and didn’t worry about learning bomb talk quite yet. “Was anybody hurt?”

“All four of the missing Lordes members were caught in the explosion and fire,” he said. “Carbine and Crash are dead.” He rolled his neck. “I wish they hadn’t been caught up in this. Neither has family, so we’ll take care of some sort of burial. They weren’t the best of guys, but they sure didn’t deserve this ending.”

My stomach ached. While it had probably been a quick death, it was so sad. So unfair. “Do you think they were targeted?” I asked.

His mouth tightened. “Yeah. Based on device placement and where the bodies were found, I think they were probably targeted.” He moved for the fridge and took out orange juice to pour two glasses. “They knew something, but whatever it was, I’m lost. None of this is making sense, and I need to figure it out. All of it.” He calmly handed over a full glass of OJ. “Drink. You need Vitamin C.”

I blew out air. “How do you seem so calm and methodical about all of this?”

He paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. “It’s how I work.”

It was probably how he had to work with his job. All right. I got that. “So none of this explains why dead bodies have been left for me.”

“Nope.” Aiden shook his head. “None of that is Barensky’s M.O. The disaster last night is exactly what I expect from him.” Aiden finished his pancakes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think the two cases weren’t related. That somebody was dropping bodies on you as some sort of tribute.”

“Tribute?” A chill clacked down my back. Oh, I didn’t like the sound of that.

“Yeah. Both Sasha and Bev messed with you.”

I finished my breakfast. “There’s only one person in the world who’d think that was a tribute,” I whispered.

Aiden placed his hand over mine. “It isn’t Jareth Davey. We lost him in California, but he’s not back here. I have watches on everything, and he’s not here. This isn’t him.”

Someday Jareth and I were going to end things between us. He should’ve left town years ago after being found not guilty of kidnapping me, and he should’ve never looked back. Instead, the nutjob sent me cards twice a year. “I feel like he’s going to make a move.”

“Me, too,” Aiden said. “It’s time, but this isn’t him. When he makes that move, I’ll take him down. Fast and hard. I promise. Plus, I’m trying to find him first. Before he can even think about it.”

I shivered. “Okay. We agree it isn’t Jareth. So who is it? The whole situation is so weird and doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Sasha and Bev are both connected to the Barensky case, and you’re connected to me, so it has to somehow flow. But I don’t see how.” He took my plate and moved it to the dishwasher.

“Then it has to be Barensky. He came to my office to check you out, to check us out, and also left the bodies.” It was the only thing that made sense, and I hated calling Sasha and Bev ‘bodies,’ but it was the only way not to completely freak out about this.

Aiden turned around, and frustration cut lines at the sides of his generous mouth. Finally.