I took my coffee over to the island to slide onto a stool, giving myself some space to breathe and not jump his bones. Again. I was such a ho for Leon Marx.
“Sabine gave me a lead on Layla’s cache,” I said vaguely, “which wasn’t an option yesterday with businesses closed for Christmas. Where’s Kai this morning?”
Leon gave me a long look, and I arched a brow. Then he smiled. “Are you asking if he’s still alive, gorgeous?”
I sipped my coffee, then licked my lips. “Is he?” Was I worried? Yes. Yes, I was.
“He’s in the gym,” he finally told me, leaning his elbows on the island opposite me and giving me an intense look. “He had some aggression to work off… for some reason.”
I rolled my eyes. No doubt he’d been deliberately antagonizing Kai before I woke up. It was kind of a relief. “Alright, well, Sabby recommended I follow up on this lead alone, so…”
Leon’s brows raised, and he gave me a considering look. “You’re sidelining me? That’s new.”
I gave a low laugh. “If it helps, I’m also sidelining Kai. Will you both be alive when I return?”
He just shrugged. “Roll the dice, mon cœur. But if you want to sneak out without your six foot four Māori shadow, I suggest you leave before he sees you’re awake.”
I wrinkled my nose. I didn’t like the idea of sneaking out, but… he had a point. “Good thinking.” I took a few huge mouthfuls of the hot coffee, then put on my shoes and weapons that I’d dropped beside the island when I came into the kitchen. “You won’t be tempted to follow me, then?”
Leon barked a laugh. “Oh, precious. I never said that.”
I rolled my eyes, unable to hold back a smile. “Just stay out of sight. Sab warned me not to bring you guys along, or I wouldn’t get any answers.”
He gave an insulted gasp. “I’m not an amateur, DeLuna.”
“Shit,” I muttered, “if I just disappear, Kai is going to lose his mind.”
Leon gave an unconcerned shrug. “So?”
I shot him a flat glare, then pulled open a couple of drawers, hunting for a pen and paper. I gave a chuckle of surprise when I spotted a stash of condoms in one of the drawers—apparently, one of the last residents must have liked kitchen counter sex.
“Writing a note?” Leon murmured, peering over my shoulder. “How old school.”
I flashed him a smile. “Payback.” I scribbled out a vague note, paraphrasing Kai’s own note when he disappeared in the middle of the night. Then I looked around, debating where to leave it so he would find it before losing his shit.
“Give it to me,” Leon suggested, holding his hand out. “I’ll go post it under the gym doors so he can’t miss it.”
Biting my lip, I started to hand it over but gave him a granite glare. “You swear you won’t tear it up and then laugh while Kai thinks I’ve gone for good?”
Leon’s eyes glittered with mischief. “Roll the dice, DeLuna.”
With a sigh, I let him take the note from my hand and watched him carefully fold it in half. “Fine, in that case, I’m heading out. I’m anxious to see if Sabine was right about this idea, because seeing as you killed Layla’s uncle… it’s the best we’ve got.”
Leon winced. “No use crying over spilled milk.” Then he gave a thoughtful pause. “She does have a brother here in town… but to my knowledge, they never met. Maybe I’ll stop by for a chat with him instead of pretending I’m not following you.”
How curious. He leaned in to kiss me quickly, then sauntered off toward the gym with my note in his hand. I watched him go for a moment, then gave myself a mental shake. If I was going alone, I needed to go now.
Since I was already dressed and armed, I was on the road in a matter of minutes, heading into town. I’d been to Nadia’s Cakes when I’d been here previously. It had a solid reputation of being one of the best eateries in Shadow Grove. But I had no idea Nadia was such a town gossip.
I got a parking spot about a block away, then walked the rest of the way to the busy cafe. Every table was full when I arrived, and I checked the time in confusion. It wasn’t even eight in the morning, though. Nadia’s Cakes was just that busy.
“We only have seats at the counter at the moment, I’m sorry,” the waitress told me on arrival. She gestured to the handful of empty stools, and I gratefully accepted.
Once seated, I glanced around. “I was actually hoping to speak with Nadia, if she’s here?”
“She’s in back teaching Zoya how to make macarons at the moment, but I’ll let her know to come and see you.” The waitress gave me a warm smile. “Can I get you something to eat while you wait? They could be a while.”
I nodded my acceptance and told her to surprise me. She returned just a few minutes later, placing a plate and fork down in front of me. On it was a huge slice of chocolate mud cake and a healthy pile of whipped cream. An excellent breakfast in my opinion.
“Coffee’s on its way,” she told me, then turned away to serve someone else.
I picked up my fork and ate a piece of cake—oh hell, it was so good—while letting my eyes roam around the room. Despite how long I’d slept, I was still so exhausted, and I was putting it down to stress and anxiety. The tension in the house, now that both Leon and Kai were in the same space, was suffocating.
Not to mention their determination to fuck their way into my heart. Goddamn, my neck was sore today, but it only made me smile as I rubbed a hand over the fresh aches. My thumb ran over the chain of the necklace I’d put on this morning, and I tugged it free from my high-necked top. I wasn’t sure why I’d put it on, but I’d seen it in my bag when I grabbed my clothes and didn’t second-guess myself.
Given everything Kai had told me about Charlotte, it didn’t sound like it was hers. Maybe it belonged to Mo? Something that slimy bastard Timothy had given her?
“Danny?” a young woman—not Nadia—said, approaching my seat.
It took me a hot second to recognize her, then realized she’d changed her hair. Which, considering it’d been nearly three years, was entirely understandable. Pink hair must have been a pain in the ass to maintain.
“Hey, MK,” I replied with a small smile. “I thought I heard you’d moved? Something about a diamond mine?”
She grinned, giving me a knowing look. “Uh-huh, something like that. Are you here alone?”
Her hand was resting on the back of a vacant stool beside me, like she was asking if she could join me. I gave her a nod and indicated for her to sit. “Yeah, I wanted to talk to Nadia, but the waitress brought me cake while I was waiting.”
MK hopped onto the stool and indicated a slice of cake for herself. “It’s such good cake here,” she enthused. “I’m supposed to be heading over to the KJ-Fit in the next block but couldn’t resist a little snack.”
She glanced at her watch, then winced. “Crap, I better take it to go.” She waved at the waitress again and mimed that she needed it in a box, which seemed to be understood. “So… is your presence in town anything my friends need to be concerned about?”