Emma Wells was poisoned. And logically, the fake Naomi Wells was here to poison us as well. Except—no. I love logic as much as anyone, but what is logical to me is only logical because of my limited view of a picture not yet drawn. I’ve already said that the killer doesn’t want me dead, at least not yet. That’s my instinct. I’m sticking with it.

He or she–my gut says “he” despite Naomi’s presence tonight—he tested me tonight to find out how easily I could be manipulated, and how easily he could get close to me. And maybe Kane.

That means he used Naomi. She’s his weakness. She could talk. We need to find her.

And tonight’s events drive home the idea that the killer wants me to play a game with him.

Obviously, he has no idea that I’m not somebody you want to play with. In fact, I’m the one who no one will even play monopoly with. Apparently, I’m intolerable. I like to win. I hate to lose. That hasn’t changed. He won’t like how I play.

For now, I make my way to the bathroom, bag our Advil and Excedrin, and hand over all the samples I’ve take to one of Andrew’s men. Andrew is nowhere to be found. I re-enter the kitchen to make sure I didn’t miss anything. That’s when Kane appears at the side of the bar, where I’d been working earlier, and motions for me to join him in the other room. I yank off my gloves, toss them, and follow him to the living room. We end up in the living room by the tree, which had been our effort to be normal. We are obviously not normal and can’t even pretend otherwise.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that mac ‘n’ cheese looks fantastic. I might have to kill that bitch Naomi or whatever her real name is, when I find her for denying me my favorite food.”

“Unless she saved us.”

“Hmm. I don’t know how I feel about that statement, but not very on target.” My cellphone rings and I drag it from my pocket to eye the caller ID. “It’s Chief Houston,” I say before answering without the pretense of niceties. I’m not a unicorn or a nun. “Well?”

“Naomi Wells is alive and well. We scared the shit out of her.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A family that fights crime together, stays together and alive. It’s a bonding experience. Some might say it’s special. Forget that we also committed a crime together. We’re fighting the bad guys. That’s what matters. Unless one of us ends up dead. That’s what I’m worried about with Lucas, that I pulled him into the wrong story, that he searched for the wrong person.