Page 62 of Deadly Sights

“Why? Where’s Chelsea?” Nadira asks, voicing the same question I have.

Another woman three shades darker than Tamara appears. From my intel, she is Moni. “She stopped by to drop off her homemade cranberry sauce and apologize. Can you believe her boss is making her work today? He only gave her a few hours to pack for a flight. She needs to find a new job because the hold they have on her schedule is worse than mine. And you know the hospital loves to play hot potato with the doctors’ time.”

While I weigh the likelihood of the missing woman’s excuse, Nadira responds, “Yeah, but I doubt she will. Not until she tires of traveling. Some places she goes, normies like us could never hope to see.”

“I know, right? The last trip she went on, she had to attend a ritzy gala. The hardship.” Tamara grins and leads us into the kitchen where Danae runs around muttering about losing track of time.

“Sis, look who’s here,” Moni says.

Danae stops and does a double-take when her eyes land on me. “You?”

I point to my chest, a question on my lips.

“You were the guy from the club that ghosted Nadira!” She folds her arms in silent demand for my reason.

“What?” Tamara asks. “I never saw the guy. Moni, didn’t you say what a shame the dude was a flake? How did you not recognize him?”

“No wonder he looked familiar,” Moni says with a shrug. “Wait, you ghosted Nadira and then came back?” She pulls Nadira away from my side. “Girl, we need an intervention?”

“I’m right here. And I never ghosted her.”

After spearing me a glance, they turn to Nadira for confirmation.

With a sheepish smile, she says, “It was a misunderstanding?”

Their doubtful frowns are evidence they don’t believe her.

“He left me at the club, yes. But we met up again, and we’ve been together ever since.”

“Inseparable.”

“What he said.”

“How’d he redeem himself?” Tamara asks. “Because I don’t buy it if you were hot and heavy at the club, melting skin with the heat I heard you two were generating.”

Nadira turns an accusing frown to Moni and Danae. “Who is telling these lies about me? We danced and spoke in private. That’s it! It’s not like we were busy kissing and feeling each other up.”

“I would have kissed and groped her all night, but I wasn’t looking for a hookup.” I walk toward Nadira and pull her into my arms to stare into her eyes. “I told her she was my destiny, but she didn’t believe me. Yet when we found each other again, there was no denying fate.” I glance at the other women in the room and wink. “And of course, I cooked for her and Leaper. No one can resist my culinary skills.”

Nadira rolls her eyes, but the smile flirting at the corner of her lips is enough to get the women to back off after issuing a warning similar to the ones each gave me in their letters.

The rest of the evening goes smoothly, with a few minor issues, causing me and Nadira to switch off making excuses for our absences. While she’s away, I dominate the conversation to ensure no one questions what takes her so long.

A shadow or movement from the outdoor shrubs will catch our eye. Each time either of us investigates, a gift of a dead body with an arrow poking out of their chest or head awaits us.

I should be happy someone is protecting us, but I hate not knowing who’s leaving behind the bodies. More egregious is Nadira and I have to dispose of them. Doing other people’s cleanup is not a hobby I enjoy; Nadira being the exception. Whatever protects her keeps me happy.

After dinner, we make a big show of leaving. Now comes the actual work. All the bodies we hid will get discovered if we don’t do something more permanent. However, when we double back to where we stashed the remains, no one is there.

“What do you make of this?” I ask Nadira.

“I honestly don’t know. I’m uneasy, that’s for sure.” She looks out at the darkening sky. “Let’s go. Someone is bound to notice us creeping on their property.”

When we’re on our way home, Nadira says, “They drugged my friends.” The calm note in her voice belies the leashed violence underneath.

“I was wondering how you were taking things so well. You aren’t.”

“Everyone who had a hand in this will die.”

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