“Only you would call murder boring, Lilah,” he grumbles, holding up a hand. “And I told you why you’re here. And don’t make a rebuttal. There are no coincidences. Isn’t that what you always say?”

I decide to do what I never do for anyone. I comfort him, but then he’s my brother, who just got rid of a body for me. “Pocher thinks the serial killer killed his brother,” I say, and then change to a distraction strategy. “Go have a whiskey or a woman or something. Who replaced that bitch Samantha?”

His eyes cut right and down. “Oh fuck. I thought the wicked witch moved away? She’s back, isn’t she? Or did she even leave at all?”

“Really, Lilah?” Andrew snaps. “We’re going at it here and now, at a crime scene?”

“That’s a yes to her being back or never really leaving,” I say. “Well, this is good news about dinner tomorrow. Now you and Kane can bond over fucking the same woman, and burying the same body.”

He scrubs his jaw and glares at me, big hands settling on his hips. “I need to deal with a couple of influential neighbors freaking out at this very moment. Officer North is lead on this case. He’s new and probably competent. Talk to him.”

“Probably?”

“Five days on the job, in from the city.”

“Home of the dirty, dirty boys,” I say, thinking of all the ways we’ve seen Pocher, and the Society, influence the NYPD. “Good hire, Andrew. And if this case is such a big deal, why send a five-day rookie to work the scene?”

“He’s not a rookie. He’s got experience, Lilah, and he’s also used to the likes of you.”

“Which means what?”

“A fucking nightmare.”

“And proud of it,” I comment.

He scowls. “Look at the crime scene.”

“I’ll look,” I say. “Then I’ll hand it over to the rookie and go home to watch a movie and eat Cheetos with Kane.”

His brow furrows. “It’s really hard to imagine Kane eating Cheetos.”

“It’s all about where you place the Cheetos.”

“Oh hell, Lilah. Too much information. I can’t take it.” He steps around me and toward the door, but I’m not done with him.

“If you marry her, make her wear a mask at the wedding so I can pretend she’s not the bitch we both know she is!”

He doesn’t even shoot me the finger. He just exits the house and leaves. It’s shocking he even said the word fuck. He’s so predictable. He’s so good, too good. How does he ever solve a crime? I don’t have that problem. No one would call me good. Ever. Not even Kane Mendez.

CHAPTER FOUR