Cassie she wasn’t a killer. Shewasn’t.But Archer was right. Whoever the real killer was…they’d damn sure made her the weapon.
To say Russ was bad at marriage would be a massive understatement. He’d been bad at the whole marriage thing, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered. And neither did she.
I need to find whoever did this. I need to find them and bring them to justice.
For Russ. For herself.
“If you’re hungry, I can have something delivered.”
Archer’s offer tore her from her thoughts. Clearing the cobwebs away, she looked back up at him and said, “Only if you want something, too. Otherwise, I can just make a can of soup or something.”
“Not if you need milk to do it,” Lucky quipped as he bent down to search for something in one of the boxes.
Milk. Right. Because they would’ve thrown that out, too.
“I’m not picky,” she revealed. “I’m fine with whatever sounds good to you.”
“I’ll get something ordered now. And while we wait for the food to arrive, you can walk me through everything that happened.”
Cassie’s lungs filled with a deep, cleansing breath. She knew this was a necessary step in Archer’s investigation, but damn. She’d taken Detective Knox through each and every step of what had taken place the night Russ died.
That night. The next morning. And again when she’d been picked up and officially charged.
The first responders. The cops. Her lawyer. Cassie had gone through every single detail she could remember with them all. Over and over…and over.
Each time she did, the same fear, confusion, and heartache returned as if it were all happening again in real-time. Andnow, Archer was asking her to go back to that place. To recall what had instantly become the absolute worst night of her entire existence.
She didn’t want to do it. Had no desire to ever think about that night again. But if it meant helping Archer and his team find the actual killer, Cassie would revisit that horrifying night as many times as he asked.
“I’ll tell you everything I can remember,” she promised. “And after that, I should probably get started cleaning up the mess the crime scene techs left behind.”
“The kitchen and living room are already done,” he announced as if it were no big deal. “Figured I’d let you tackle your office, since you probably have confidential client information in there, and I didn’t mess with anything upstairs since you were sleeping.”
He’d cleaned her kitchen and living room? Who was this guy…and how the hell was he still single?
No ring doesn’t necessarily mean single.
Shit. Her inner voice was spot on with that assessment. Between her perilous situation and the arousing ache she felt whenever he was near, her muddled brain hadn’t allowed her thoughts to run deeply enough to consider his marital status.
You could always ask…
Yes, becausethatwouldn’t be inappropriate in the least.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Archer’s rumbled apology came with a drop of his hands. “I probably should’ve waited for you to?—”
“N-no.” Cassie gave a vehement shake of her head. Ignoring the noticeable void his touch left behind, she was sincere when she assured him, “You’re fine. Really. I just didn’t expect…” She stopped talking long enough to take a deep breath and gain control of her words. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do all of that.”
“He didn’t do it alone,” Lucky was quick to add. “I helped.” With a playful wink and a contagious grin, the man turned back around and continued with the system install.
That man’s going to be a whole lotta trouble for some unsuspecting woman someday. If he already isn’t.
“Don’t thank me just yet.” A glimmer of humor lit the browns in Archer’s dark eyes, a hint of a smirk lifting one corner of the lips she longed to taste. “It wasn’t always obvious where some of the stuff went, so I had to guess and hope for the best.”
The playful comment made her smile grow wide. “I’m sure it’s fine. I mean, I’ve been thinking about rearranging my cabinets anyway, so…”
Taking his phone from his pocket, Archer began searching for something for them to eat. While he did, he told her, “Just be sure to remember that when you get pissed because you can’t find your favorite spatula or measuring spoon.”
Cassie chuckled softly, amazed by the ease with which this man could make her smile. She hadn’t done much of that lately. Even before Russ’s untimely death. Yet here she was, standing in her home with two men she’d hired to help her find a killer, and she wassmiling.