Page 100 of The Woman By the Lake

Angelica tried for the save.

“That’s a flat-out lie,” she said to Lucille, but her voice was trembling.

And there was one of her tells.

Lucille opened her mouth, but suddenly, Nadia was standing between him and them.

“Both of you need to go,” she demanded. “Now.”

Lucille seemed to cotton on to what she said in the heat of the moment, and her gaze swung to Riggs. “He was in a bind. She paid him.”

“Shut up, you dumb bitch!” Angelica shouted.

“You shut up, you greedy cunt!” Lucille shouted back.

“Both of you, be quiet,” Nadia said, not in a schoolteacher voice, in a voice he didn’t know she had in her.

A voice that made both the women turn and stare at her.

And if he had his shit together, he’d see they were scared shitless of her.

“There’s a child in the house, and it’s like you don’t know he’s a person with feelings, but Riggs is standing right here. You’ve done your damage. Go…now.”

Lucille started to leave with a haggard, apologetic look aimed at Riggs.

But Angelica stood her ground and turned her attention right to him. “We need to talk.”

Abruptly, he couldn’t see her because Nadia was in her face.

Nadia didn’t say a word, but Angelica said, “Okay, I see you. Back down, woman.”

“Go,” Nadia whispered aggressively.

Angelica glared at her.

Then she looked to Riggs.

After that, she turned and jogged to her car.

Lucille was already pulling out.

And Nadia was in his space.

“What do you need? Do you need to walk? Talk? Go for a run? Should I bring a bottle of something out to the pier?”

“Keep an eye on my boy,” he forced out.

“Okay, baby,” she whispered.

Riggs turned on his boot in the opposite direction to his driveway and walked into the woods.

TWENTY-TWO

Let It Ride

Nadia

I was sitting on a stool at the kitchen bar when Riggs came through the door.

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