Page 100 of Lady Killer

Before she appeared in Texas.

“Why?”

Luz stared at me, her expression deliberately blank.

I was beginning to loathe the emptiness of the facade she used to shield herself. It was one thing to watch her wield it as a weapon against others, but somewhere along the way, I had come to resent that she felt she needed it to defend herself from me.

When she finally began to speak, it was with a calm, detached, almost aloof air. “He was killing me. Literally.”

I opened my mouth to question what she meant, but Luz held up her hand.

Nixon had slouched back down in his seat, but I knew he was hanging on to her every word.

“My father had an affair with my mother. He was a wealthy doctor in the town where I’m from, she was a nursing student. When I was born, he used his influence to force her from my life, so he could raise me with his wife, my stepmother. I don’t know why he wanted me.

“My earliest memories of the man are of him screaming at me, shaking me. The abuse escalated over the years, but I was kept tucked away in their McMansion, safe from prying eyes. I had a devoted nanny who became my tutor,but not even she suspected anything. My father and stepmother were nothing if not master manipulators . . .”

She tilted her head as if considering something.

“One day, he went too far and accidentally choked me to death. Using his medical training, he was able to restart my heart . . .”

Her story continued to spill out of her, and with every sordid detail, my nails dug deeper into my palms.

Unlike Nixon and Everest, I wasn’t reactionary. I made my decisions in a calculated fashion. But if Luz’s mother hadn’t killed the bastard already, I would happily rip the man’s heart from his chest.

“ . . . and that’s how Penelope Callister died and Luz Torres was born.”

Even my acerbic twin was at a loss for words.

We knew she’d been keeping secrets, but this was something beyond even our twisted imagination.

Luz pretended to remain disaffected, but I was starting to learn her tells.

The memory of her placid demeanor in the face of Lucian’s threats was even more impressive now that I understood how uniquely well-acquainted with death she was.

Unfortunately, Nixon and I chose the same moment to respond.

“And you’re certain the killer is related to your past somehow?”

“How many brain cells can you have left after dying that many times?”

Luz ran her tongue over her teeth and shot daggers in Nixon’s direction before turning to address me.

“The texts have been addressed to Penelope. Only one other person knew me by that name, and she’s gone.”

“Your mother?”

She nodded. “Then there’s the killer’s obsession with hearts. My father was a cardiologist, his research focused on chemical cardioversion, using drugs to treat abnormal cardiac rhythms . . .”

“And you’re certain your father is dead? Your stepmother?”

She seemed to consider the possibility, chewing on her lip. “I never saw their bodies, but if my mami said they were dead, they’re dead. She knew what she was doing.”

My mind whirred through the details she’d shared with us.

I knew she was still holding on to some secrets. Especially since Everest had alluded to Aaron not being her first kill. But I had enough information to start putting together the pieces of this puzzle.

“You said your father sometimes had a guest, someone who watched his . . . experiments.”

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