Red After Dark (Blackwood Security #13) - Elise Noble Page 0,84
falling apart inside. The nine months when I’d thought Black was dead were actually easier to deal with, and I’d had a full-on breakdown back then.
I found out just how difficult things were going to be when Black arrived home half an hour later. Was it too early for a drink?
“Missed you.”
He leaned down to kiss me, a kiss that quickly turned heated. If I closed my eyes and blocked out the dark clouds hanging over us, if I didn’t think, perhaps I could forget the knife that was inching its way between my ribs?
“Missed you too.”
I wasn’t lying. My heart craved him, even if my head wasn’t so sure.
“I thought we could go flying this afternoon. It’s been a while.”
Oh, shit. Did he know? My spine stiffened as a reflex, and I willed myself to relax.
“I was planning to check on Sky in the gym and then go for a run.”
“Take a day off? You’ve earned it after the weekend.”
“I had too many days off in Kentucky. And too many carbs.”
“Too many carbs? I never thought I’d hear you utter those words.”
“Well, you live and learn, don’t you?”
“I could do with a run too. We can go out for dinner afterwards. Something healthy. How about that new sushi place downtown?”
Next time, I needed to think before I opened my damn mouth.
“Sure, sounds great. Meet you on the terrace in half an hour?”
This time, he picked me up for a kiss. I wasn’t small, not by normal standards, but beside Black, I always felt tiny.
“Don’t be late.”
We parted ways, and as soon as he disappeared around the corner, I sagged against the wall. Maybe I was overreacting? Just because Black could have committed the crime didn’t necessarily mean that he had. But deep down inside, I knew what I’d been denying to myself for years—that Black was the best suspect. In the immediate aftermath, I’d discounted the possibility, and nobody else had pushed me to consider it. Of course they wouldn’t. Black had an alibi, and the execution of the theft was perfect. I’d have expected nothing less.
But now Ana was here, and Sky, both looking at the case with fresh eyes. I barely knew Sky, but she was smart, and I trusted Ana implicitly. My whole life, I’d scoffed at the idea that blood was thicker than water, but then I’d met my half-sister and we’d just clicked. Bonded over a shared hatred of our father and the fact that our pasts had followed eerily similar paths despite us growing up on different continents.
When I got to the gym, Sky was on the mats at the far end, sparring with Rafael. I paused in the doorway to watch them, and it was as if I’d stepped back in time eighteen years and looked into a mirror. A young girl who didn’t have a clue what she was doing being schooled in the lethal arts by a man who choreographed death like a ballet.
I cleared my throat. “Can I have a minute?”
“With who?” Sky asked.
“You.”
Rafael didn’t speak, just stalked silently past me and vanished along the hallway. The Grim Reaper reincarnated as a panther. I’d kidnapped him once. Wasn’t sure I could manage it a second time.
“What?” Sky asked. She didn’t look at me.
“I need to apologise. For being a bitch yesterday.”
“You saw where I grew up. You think I’m not used to that shit?”
“Yes, but you shouldn’t get it from me.”
Now she met my eyes. “Forget about it.”
That was as close to an acceptance as I was going to get.
“So…” I picked up a pair of hand wraps. “What did you learn while I was away?”
“A detour to the office won’t take long,” Black said.
“For the last time, I don’t need to see Dr. Kira again.”
My husband stood in the bedroom, half-dressed—flannel slacks on the bottom half, nothing on the top. Ordinarily, I’d have lain back on the bed and enjoyed the view, but this wasn’t an ordinary day.
“You were drugged, Emmy.”
“Most likely with ketamine and a side of benzodiazepine. That’s nothing. And it’s worn off now. I just scrapped with Sky in the gym then ran ten miles, for crying out loud.”
“You’re out of sorts.”
“I’m tired, that’s all.”
“Do you want to stay in tonight?”
Yes, but that would only lead to even more questions.
“Let’s just have a quiet dinner out and an early night.” A sigh escaped my lips as he tugged on a T-shirt. “A girl’s gotta eat.”