Page 182 of Little Sunshine

“No. That was the end of my interaction with Veronica and that place until Veronica showed up to ask her daughter for money or a plane ticket.”

“Why?”

“No idea.”

“Did she say anything about Eternal Sun?”

“That Abraham was dangerous.”

“Nothing about any upcoming plans?”

“Not a thing.”

“Fuck.” Agent Nash looked ready to throw the table through the wall. “Nearly a year under for nothing. Think hard. They closed ranks and cut out anyone not in the inner circle. There has to be a reason.”

The fact I was sitting there was proof that someone was bad at their job, but I helpfully spelled that out, too. “I went there, paid the money, and left in a hurry because that place fucking creeped me out. I had the displeasure of talking to Veronica a grand total of three times. And they were short conversations. Whoever connected those three dots?—”

“Four dots,” he cut in. “There’s also the Moonlight employee with connections to Eternal Sun.”

“Which one?” I asked because that was news to me.

He remained tightlipped.

“Fine. Whoever connected those four dots and thought they had some conspiracy because I’m a guy with money and connections must’ve had a lot of yarn because they’re so spaced out, they’re on different corkboards.”

“How’d Abraham react when you paid the debt?”

“Like he was happy to be done with Veronica.”

The agent shook his head. “He wasn’t. He’s been obsessed with her since she dared leave. He didn’t give a shit about the money other than it fuels his organization, and he’s a power-hungry bastard.”

So long as it didn’t touch my circle, I didn’t give a damn about that, either. “Am I good to go now?”

“Yes,” Officer Boden said.

Wes and I were nearly to the door when Agent Nash called, “One last thing.”

I turned around.

“If you have such an amazing woman who you’re willing to spend such exorbitant amounts of money on… Why was she seen running away from you at your work?”

I whispered to consult with my lawyer. Once I got the okay, I shared, “It’s a kink thing.”

And then I left to go take care of my woman.

“She good?” I asked as soon as I climbed from Wes’ car to meet Cole on the sidewalk outside of Moonlight.

“Freaked, but good,” Cole said.

After I’d gotten picked up by the cops, Maximo had been on his way to get Mila when she’d texted about her own interaction with a cop and an FBI agent. As much as I’d dreaded breaking the news about Veronica, I still should’ve been the one to do it. To be there for her.

To take care of her.

I just wasn’t sure she’d want me to.

She had to know I hadn’t been the one to physically kill her mother since we’d been watching TV together at that time. But like Agent Nash, she could easily assume I had someone do it for me—like Marco, Cole, or even Maximo.

Men who’d already helped kill for her.

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