I snuck out of bed with the moon still shining.

I was careful not to wake her. She was wiped out. Exhausted from last night and how I was ready to devour her for a second time the minute we got home. The thrill of last night was still jolting through my body and it was impossible to find restful sleep with her tucked up under my arm.

All night, Tonya’s death haunted me. And the note I couldn’t erase from my mind—Look what you made me do—kept playing on repeat, even finding its way into my vocabulary unintentionally.

Kendra was the light at the end of this dark tunnel I was currently traveling. With sex still plastered on me, I jumped in the shower with hopes of finding some kind of closure after the day’s end. Though my shower was quick, the cold water I washed my body in proved to be invigorating. Now fully awake, it didn’t take long to have my thoughts drift back to Tonya and the whereabouts of Timothy Parker.

Reliving the past events, I kept my thoughts turned inward.

There was nothing more important than staying on top of any new revelations or breaks in the case that may have happened overnight.

Stopping in front of the bathroom mirror, I thought about last night.

I was grateful for it to be paparazzi-free—drama free. There were too many unknowns that wanted to split us up. Oscar Buchanan and Sylvia Neil were just two names of many possibilities that seemed to want to make my life a living hell. And then there was Madam herself. I didn’t have it in me to think too much into her and the deep hole she seemed to be digging for us all.

Slipping my legs through a fresh pair of briefs, I moved to the closet, quickly following the trail of clothes Kendra and I had left behind in our pursuit to get out of them as quick as possible. Smirking, I couldn’t deny how much I needed last night. Just those few hours. I mostly forgot about the obstacles standing in my way.

The way my socks were tossed over the floor next to Kendra’s heels. Her bra laid next to her dress, my underwear hidden beneath it all. It wasn’t hard to put the pieces of what happened here last night together. The story told itself in the sight unfolding before me—and it was turning me on.

Once inside my walk-in closet, I flipped on the overhead light.

Heading to my dresser, I needed dress socks to wear with whatever suit I decided would fit today’s activities. Reaching for the handle on my drawer, I didn’t think too much into it at first. But Kendra’s drawer was open just enough to have it be annoyingly in the way of mine. Pushing it closed, something new caught my eye.

A crisp white envelope.

Now I was curious to know what it was and what information laid inside. Stepping to the door, I glanced to the bed. With Kendra still soundly asleep, I dropped back to the dresser and gently opened the drawer all the way, diving my hand to the envelope tucked halfway beneath a pile of lingerie.

Curiosity drew me in as I peeled back the tab, pulling the document out from the inside.

Kendra let out a little adorable snore from the bedroom, getting me to smile. Not worried about her waking, I continued reading each line on the first page of the document. It didn’t take me long to know it was a family inheritance. With her name on it.

Taking my gaze away from the text, I wondered why she had this in the first place. Why she’d brought it here and if there was something she wasn’t telling me. Especially since the document was dated several years ago. Having it here now really didn’t make any sense.

“So you come from money,” I mumbled as I flipped the paper over to see if anything was on the back.

A phone number. Scribbled in pen as if it was an afterthought. And not just any phone number. A California area code. Whose? And why? The questions about this document kept piling up. Did more of her family live in California than just her uncle?

Folding the papers back up, I thought how Kendra’s family was a complete mystery to me. Other than her uncle, she never did talk about her parents or possible siblings, and after learning what her uncle did, I didn’t blame her. I wanted to kill him myself. Give him the justice he deserved for damaging her innocence in the worst possible way.

A shiver worked up my spine thinking back to how she mentioned I was the reason for her trigger. That was one of the worst days in recent memory and just thinking about it hurt. She was so fragile, broken, and the torment tremoring through her body as she broke down crying that day destroyed me. Tore my heart into thousands of pieces.

The bed covers wrestled, stealing my attention.

Tucking the envelope away, I memorized the phone number, saying it to myself again, reminding myself to do my own investigation as soon as I was at the office.

God, I hoped we were past that drama. But I feared that just like the death of Nora, Kendra’s past trauma was also impossible to forget. No matter how hard we tried, those memories forever lurked in the backs of our minds.

“Kelly?”

Pushing my arms through my buttoned-up shirt sleeves, I stepped into the ironed slacks as I came back to the bedroom.

When our gazes met, her lips tugged at the corners. She looked sexy with her long messy dark hair fanned above her head. Sleep was in her eye, and her naked body was wrapped inside my silk sheets. A calm settled over me.

Lowering myself to the edge of the bed, it crumbled beneath my weight. Rubbing her shoulder inside my grip, she asked, “What are you doing up so early?”

Trailing the tip of my finger along her collarbone, I responded, “There’s something I need to do at the office.”

“Can’t it wait?” She frowned.

“Sleep in as long as you need.” I gently pinched her earlobe. “You’re tired. And work is going to consume most of my day.”

Her hand hooked onto my forearm. “Doesn’t it always?”

Lowering my head, I pressed my lips against hers. “Maxwell is available for you. He can take you wherever you need to go today.”

“That’s silly.” She giggled. “I can find my own way around. You take him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I brushed her bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. “Besides, I’ve already let him know.”

She rolled her eyes.

I squeezed her hand and stood. She held my gaze for a minute before I finally released her hand. “I’ve got to go now.”

“I’ll be thinking about you,” Kendra said as I made my way to the front door.

Me too.

As soon as I stepped out of my apartment, my cell phone rang. Taking it out of my pocket, I answered. “Giselle, I’m on my way to the office now.”

“Good.” She was wide awake. “Then I won’t have to ask you to get down here.”

“What is it?” My chest tightened.

“There’s no good way to explain it.” Her words were laced with concern. “I think its best you see it in person.”