“Is there a threat to me?”
“Miguel cornered you last night. He obviously didn’t know I was there. I’m not taking any chances. Kit goes with you.”
“And who goes with you? No. Damn it, no. Kit and I will go wake Jay up and I’ll take Jay and Enrique if you keep Kit.”
“You gave Enrique away.”
“He’ll be with me because I’ll be with Marilyn and I’m pulling your men after this. Which I meant to mention. I’m cutting off Marilyn. If she’s that afraid, she can accept police protection.”
“You’ll tolerate two of my men?”
“If you keep Kit with you.”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
I climb into the vehicle with Kit. “We’re going to wake Jay up. You’re coming back for Kane.”
“Kane said—”
“He needs you. And Kane and I agreed. I keep Jay and Enrique.” His cellphone buzzes and he glances down at it and then back at me. “I guess we’re going to get Jay.”
I dial Houston. “Lilah,” he greets.
“Did I mention I’m bringing Marilyn in for a lie detector test in about half an hour?”
“Say what? That needs to be planned. I have to have a tech here—”
“This needs to happen now. We’ve got three murders. Just think of the pressure we’ll be under if there are four.”
He inhales sharply. “Warn me next time.”
“It’s been a bad two days. I’m sorry,” I say. “How is that?”
“Considering I didn’t know you knew those words, that works. Now I’ll work magic. Meet me on the second floor, room 222.” He hangs up.
I turn my attention back to Kit. “I’m going to need a couple of guys to follow Marilyn when this is over. Possibly to New Hampshire.”
“I’ll make the calls,” he says, and it’s then that I realize how much I’ve taken charge of Kane’s men. And they let me. Queen Mendez. It does have a ring.
“You want them to follow when she leaves the station?”
“Yes, even if she has police with her, but she won’t. She’s going to decline that. She thinks asking for Kane’s protection is not something that would ever go public, and that it looks good to me, the investigator. Most likely it’s to get me to let my guard down so she can get close to me and Kane and try to kill us.”
“She got a little too close with that sous chef.”
“Yeah well, the hand of death has gotten a little too close to Kane lately. I don’t like it.”
“Agreed,” he says. “Everybody is shaken that we let that happen.”
I don’t ask if Kane was angry. He’s not a blame game kind of man. He’s a fix the problem kind of guy.
Not much later, Kit and I are at Jay’s apartment door and I’m knocking. He answers, and he’s already dressed, with a mug in his hand. I grab it, glance inside, and then back at him. “Is that tea? Are you Mexican or British?”
“Mexicans like tea,” he claims.
Kit grimaces. “Fuck no, they don’t. It’s that chick he’s been dating. She’s a damn librarian who likes tea. Put that shit down. That relationship is doomed. Can you imagine her around, Lilah?”
“Hey hey,” I say. “I mean that is fair and all, but still.”
“We’re leaving,” Kit says. “I need to get back to Kane.” He turns and starts walking.
I motion to Jay. “Put the tea down and move away from the door and inside the hallway.”
I start walking, too.
Jay scrambles and catches up.
With Jay in the driver’s seat of Kit’s car, we drop off Kit at the apartment building again. I slide out of the vehicle behind him. “Take care of him,” I order.
“Always,” he assures me before he heads inside, offering me nothing more. No he’ll be fine. There’s no threat, Lilah. Nothing. And that’s exactly why he ran away before I could ask more. I need to get this job done and get back to Kane’s side. We’re stronger and more lethal together. I climb back inside the car with words similar to those I’d said to Kane last night back in my head: Live together. Die together.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Once Jay has us back on the road, I get back to the business at hand. Convicting Marilyn of murder. “Have you talked to Enrique?”
“Yeah,” he says. “He says Marilyn gives him the creepy vibe. Reminds him of the lady in the village where he grew up who did black magic. He can’t wait to hand her off.”
And sure enough, we pull into the parking lot, and Enrique’s SUV is already there. Clearly, Enrique is eager to get rid of her. Jay pulls in next to them and as soon as I’m out of the car, Marilyn is out of Enrique’s vehicle, rushing toward me.
“I can’t believe they’re making me do this,” she says, her long black trench coat flaring open to expose her black dress pants and blouse. The Black Widow dressing for the role, I think. And playing the upset sweet little angel oh so well.