Sloane met the Rose sisters and Aniyah. She learned that Aniyah’s boyfriend, DeAndre, was a state trooper and had told her what was going on. So Aniyah grabbed the three women and drove into Lexington. When not driving the Roses around, she worked at the state capitol as Riley Davies Walz’s personal assistant while the legislature was in session.

Sloane had always heard the saying about great things coming in small packages, and that summed Aniyah and the Rose sisters up perfectly. Aniyah, without heels, was probably only five feet tall—the same height as the elderly trio who were somewhere between ancient and prehistoric. Somehow all these crazy people made her feel safe, loved, and not judged—well, at least not too harshly. Layne still hadn’t warmed to her. The best part was they helped her see the real Gabe. He was the exact man he said he was, and damn her for loving him for it. Too bad she’d never get the chance to go back to the way they were before they had revealed their true identities. Now all she’d be left with were memories of what might have been.

“Our client is prepared to answer all of your questions and turn over evidence against her family,” Henry was saying as things finally quieted down.

“What does she want in return?” Detective Braxton asked.

“Complete immunity and Jane Doe status in all filings. No one is to know her identity besides you and the prosecutor.”

Sloane had to hand it to Henry—when he stopped hitting on women, he was a good attorney.

“Let me make a call.”

“While she does that, why don’t you tell us how you met our Gabe?” Miss Lily asked. Sloane looked around and saw the sisters surrounding Sienna. Miss Violet, the shorter, rounder one, tripped and fell forward. Ryan caught her, but not before Violet’s hands managed to feel up Sienna’s stomach. Miss Violet frowned as Ryan righted her.

Gabe began to tell the story of their meeting and Sloane watched curiously as Miss Violet shrugged and Miss Daisy frowned, too.

“Isn’t that right?” Gabe sounded distant to her.

“What?” Sloane was brought back to the present. “Right, of course,” she said to Gabe’s question even though she had no idea what it was.

Miss Lily clapped her hands to her heart as Aniyah wiped away a tear. “That’s so romantic. You two madly in love just like me and my Sugarbear.”

Love? What the heck had she missed? Her eyes shot to Gabe’s eyes, which twinkled with mischief. He’d known she hadn’t been listening and now she couldn’t ask him what he’d said or she’d look horrible for not paying attention.

“Oh, Gabe! I’m so happy for you both,” his mother cried as she wrapped them both in a hug. Sloane was going to kill him.

“What did you tell them?” Sloane whispered when his mother finally stepped back to talk to his father.

“Only the truth,” he winked.

“I guess I owe you an apology,” Layne said, giving Sloane a friendly hug. “It’s just that so many people try to take advantage of Gabe, and he’s one of my best friends. I’m very happy for you both. Let me take you out for a girls’ night once things have settled down.”

“I’d like that,” Sloane said, surprising herself. She didn’t really do girly things. Even though Layne had been a bit scary, Sloane could tell she was offering genuine friendship, and that was something she craved almost as much as Gabe’s love.

The doorbell rang again. “It looks like an attorney,” Nash said, showing the monitor to the group.

“That’s the prosecutor. He’s here to deal.”

The happy feelings for Sloane dropped away as cold, hard reality set in. Layne squeezed her hand and Sloane looked up into hazel eyes set with determination. “You got this. We’re all here for you.”

Sloane grabbed onto Layne’s retreating hand. “Thank you,” she whispered as the elevator door opened.

The man had the same surprised look on his face as the detective did when he entered to living room. “Where’s my witness?”

Taking a deep breath, Sloane stood up. “Here I am.”

Henry and Addison moved in as Sloane kept a tight grip on Layne and Gabe’s hands. Henry and Addison made a protective barrier in front of her as Layne and Gabe flanked her. She felt the entire room step forward to surround her, and she felt strengthened by their presence.

“We need to clear the room,” he said to Braxton who nodded.

“Pish posh,” Miss Lily said as she rested her hand on the top of the broom.

“We’ll all find out anyway,” Miss Daisy told him, pulling the wooden spoon from her sleeve to shake it at him.

“That’s right, and we’ll be looking after our girl here so don’t try any funny business,” Miss Violet said, slapping the flat end of the spatula against her open palm.

Sloane laughed and cried at the same time. These people, who had only known her for an hour, were more supportive and protective than her own parents. The same parents she guessed were trying to kill her.

“I want them to stay,” Sloane said confidently. “When you and my lawyers have reached a deal, I’ll sign it and tell you everything.”

---

It took a shockingly short amount of time to get a full immunity deal. Sloane signed the papers, and once Henry was armed with a copy, he nodded to her. The prosecutor took a seat in one of the chairs and the detective sat in the other.

Detective Braxton leaned forward in her chair. “You said you took something from your parents, the heads of the Malone Family Cartel.”

“We’re not the cartel really. We’re more distributors. My parents were wanting more. They wanted the next big thing. Fifteen years ago, fentanyl was just starting to be abused as a prescription drug. But my parents saw the benefit of mixing it into their drugs. It’s highly addictive, and it’s cheap. More and more people were getting hooked on my parents’ blend of heroine and fentanyl. But there’s a problem with fentanyl.”

“It kills people and that’s bad for business,” Detective Braxton said knowingly.

Sloane nodded her head. “Not only that, but heroin is known as a tame drug. It brought in everyone from students to CEOs. However, there was a market that wanted bigger highs after they were hooked on the normal speedball-type drugs. Fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine hooked them, but my parents were working to develop a new synthetic opioid to add into the mixture. They were already talking about adding other drugs that are stronger than fentanyl, like carfentanil, which is an elephant tranquilizer compared to heroin. The original thought was to counteract the high overdose rate of fentanyl and carfentanil with a synthetic that gave you a high like none other. They hired a scientist who developed Lace. It was a white, lacy-looking drug that was added to the speedballs.

“It took years. They tested this new product they called White Lace on thirty people. All thirty were hooked after just a couple of times using it. The trouble is the Lace. It’s highly volatile. If one measurement is off, it’ll kill you in seconds. Your heart basically explodes. Plus you can die just touching it since it can soak through skin just like carfentanil can. This was right before my eighteenth birthday. I watched my parents shoot the scientist and put the recipe in the safe.”

“Do you have proof of this?” the prosecutor asked.

Sloane nodded. “I know where the bodies are buried. And there’s more than one.”

“Where?”

Sloane saw the hunger in his eyes. This case would make him a hero if he managed to bring down the Malone family. It had never been worth it before, but now—she looked to Gabe who gave her an encouraging nod and to Layne who squeezed her hand again.

“Police always raided our houses, but never once did they raid the trailer my grandparents lived in. It was the price they paid for my parents supporting them. Oh, the cash was laundered through the strip club in my grandfather’s name, but it was my parents who ran it. Everyone makes the mistake of thinking my father is the head of the family, but it’s my mother. She bought the club in cash and had them put her father’s name on it. She’s the one who bought them the small house in Riverdale with the cute backyard—a backyard that has a grave full of bodies under the shed.”

“Who else is buried there?” the prosecutor asked.

“My mom’s cousin. He tried to turn them in for the reward. The scientist. A couple of the first test subjects that died just from touching Lace. That’s all I know about. That was nine years ago. I’m sure there’s more now.”

“What did you take?” Detective Braxton asked again.

Sloane raised her eyes to the detective’s. “I took the recipe. I took it all. The notes, the chemicals used, everything. I dumped the containers in a hazardous material receptacle at Cook County Hospital on the way to the beach so they wouldn’t be found. Everything my parents had been working for was gone, and I’m the one who did it.”

Detective Braxton leaned forward. “You’re telling me you have a recipe for a new drug more addictive than fentanyl that can be mixed with heroin and not cause overdoses if mixed correctly?” Sloane nodded. “Do you still have it?”

“It’s my life insurance policy. Of course I have it.”

“The street value—”

“This recipe would be worth billions,” Sloane finished for her.

“And you haven’t sold it? No one else has seen it?” the prosecutor asked.

Sloane shook her head again. “I told you, I wanted to save as many people as I could.”

“Where is it?”

“I believe Miss Holiday has given you enough to go on,” Henry said, cutting off the prosecutor.

“Then no deal.”

Sloane felt her heart drop. She knew one day her life would be over. She just didn’t expect it to end now.

Addison smiled as she stood up. “I don’t think so. I believe we have provided you with all the information you require per the terms of the immunity deal. Section six, subparagraph H states that Miss Holiday would reveal what she took, not where it is located. And certainly there was no provision to hand anything over.”

The man sputtered as he looked at the immunity deal. He took a deep breath and his jaw tightened. “Fine. The deal stands. However, if your client truly wanted to help, she would turn that evidence over.”

Sloane shook her head. “No way. It would become public then. It would be in the trial records, and it would be handed over to my parents in discovery who would give it to my sister. If you think my mother is evil, you haven’t met my sister. I will do whatever it takes to keep that recipe secret. You don’t understand how many people will suffer if that recipe ever sees the light of day.”

“Until you can sell it yourself the second your parents are in jail.”

Sloane shook her head. “At such time as my parents and sister are no longer alive I will burn it all. But until then, it’s all that’s keeping me alive.”

“Not anymore,” Gabe said. “I’ll keep you alive. We all will. And the first step is to move you someplace safe.”

“Well,” Miss Lily said with finality, “we better get the paint ready to change the welcome sign. We have just added one more to the Keeneston population.”